hello, welcome to "newsline." it is monday, march 19th. 8:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. united nations and arab league special envoy kofi annan made a ceasefire and other proposals during a recent visit to the country. the former u.n. secretary general made the proposals when he met the syrian president on march 10th and 11th in attempt to end the country's violent

crackdown on anti-government protesters. u.n. sources say he called for two hour ceasefire daily to make humanitarian assistance possible and for syria to accept a u.n. team to monitor the ceasefire. he also reportedly proposed a ban on use of heavy firearms. syria has so far agreed to accept u.n. experts. syria's u.n. ambassador stressed his country's cooperation. >> mr. kofi annan assured the members of the security council that the syrian government that they are engaged with him. >> whether they will allow the ideas to be implemented remains to be seen. western nations are pushing for a new resolution to support annan's efforts. they are expected to step up negotiations russia and china,

which twice vetoed resolutions condemning syria's repression. a militant group linked to al qaeda is taking advantage of the chaos in yemen. gunmen shot and killed an american language teacher sunday in the latest attack on westerners. a missile apparently from an unmanned u.s. drone hit a strong hold of the militant group sunday and killed 16 militants. several hours later, they shot the american teacher in a southern city. the militants said in a statement the killing was reprisal for the drone attack. armed men kidnapped a swiss language teacher in another incident last friday. yemenese president after a yearlong rising after the government. the al qaeda group capitalized on the unrest. militants now occupy cities and

towns across the south. north korea is warning south korea not to stand in the way of the north's plan to launch a rocket carrying a satellite. the warning came in a commentary posted saturday on a website of the committee for the peaceful reunion i have indication of the father land, which is a liaison office for contacts with south korea. it said they will launch a satellite, not a missile, and peaceful use of space is its sovereign right. it went on to say if the south korean president obstructs the launch, it would be a provocation, and would invite powerful response from north korea. the article also said north korea doesn't recognize or accept u.n. security council resolutions that forbid the country from launching ballistic missiles. the article made no mention of a warning issued friday by the united states that a satellite launch by north korea could jeopardize the provision of u.s.

food aid. two sides agreed on the aid last month. china's state run news agency released photos of the country's surveillance vessels. the ships were taking part in a drill near a gas field by the median line separating japan and china's exclusive economic zones. six vessels belonging to the state oceanic administration carried out the joint drill with a helicopter near the gas field saturday. two of six vessels have been spotted near japan islands on friday, one crossed into japanese waters. he said the two boats arrived near the gas field and patrolled the area after their mission near the islands. china quickly announced the drill. many believe that announcement is intended to bolster china's claim of jurisdiction over the

area. japan's prime minister yoshihiko noda expressed concern over the military activities of china and north korea. he called for deepening the alliance with the united states. noda delivered a speech at the graduation ceremony of the national defense academy on sunday. >> translator: the environment surrounding japan is increasingly difficult and complex, brimming with lack of transparency. this is because of moves by north korea, including nuclear and missile developments, as well as china's military build up and intensified activities in the waters off japan. >> noda referred to the efforts by u.s. forces in japan following the earthquake and tsunami last march. he said the u.s. military made tremendous contributions. noda stressed the operation made

him feel how strong the u.s., japan bond is. noda said that alliance must be deepened and developed. he asked prospective officers of self defense forces to support the effort when carrying out their duties. the nuclear plant in fukui prefecture had an emergency drill. it came ahead of the release of the nuclear safety commission's review of stress tests the plant must pass before it can be restarted. the operator of the plant checked if its safety procedures can prevent an accident like the one at fukushima daiichi. in the drill, the reactors were assumed to have lost all power after a tsunami hit the plant. workers activated emergency generators installed on high ground after last year's

accident. they connected a hose to a pump that would supply sea water to cool the reactors. they confirmed the steps that need to be taken after the plant loses power. the plant has so far met openly four of the 30 additional safety measures set by the government. it is not yet known whether local municipalities will agree to resume operations at the plant. the number of foreign visitors to the plant was down 19% last month from a year earlier. it is the 12th consecutive month of decline the drop attributed to the nuclear accident at the fukushima daiichi plant and strong yen. the japan national tourism organization says about 550,000 foreigners visited japan for sight-seeing or business during february. among asians, the number of people from hong kong fell 41%. south korea, 27%, and china, 21%. outside asia, the number of

visitors from canada was down 14%, france, 13%, and britain, 12%. the pace of decline decreased last month after it decreased to a level below 10% in january. china and hong kong went up during the lunar holidays. northeastern japan had the largest drop in tourism nationwide. in response, public and private sectors launched a campaign to attract more visitors to toho . tohoku.sunday marked the opening of the campaign. >> tourism is crucial for campa. >> tourism is crucial for reconstruction from the disaster. >> the governor of one of the hardest-hit prefectures took part in the ceremony at tokyo station to launch the campaign.

visitors can get information on sight-seeing spots and special discount passport to use at restaurants and tourist facilities in the region. 2011 saw a year on decline of 20% in the number of people that stayed at inns and hotels at six prefectures in tohoku. >> i want to do something to support people there, by buying food or souvenirs. >> i'm going to eat and buy things. that's my plan. >> the special events include tours of fukushima by bullet train from tokyo station. the tourism agency hopes visitor numbers will return to predisaster levels during the yearlong campaign. the march 11th disaster killed nearly 16,000 people, and left more than 3,000 others unaccounted for. we bring you a report about a girl and her grandmother helping each other to heal their pain.

>> she's a second grader at elementary school. she lives with her grandparents in iwate prefecture. a year ago, her father was engulfed in the tsunami working. her mother and elder sister swept away while fleeing by car. konan is the only member of her immediate family that survived. this is a picture she drew last september. she depicted a family of three, enjoying looking at the moon together. and a tearful girl on the other

side of a wall. >> translator: i'm the only one that got away alive. i feel guilty and keep blaming myself. >> konan's grandmother was also overwhelmed with sorrow, even thought of committing suicide to follow her son. but she didn't because konan was always with her. >> translator: i cried and cried every day. it was konan that handed me the tissues. >> six months after the disaster, she noticed a smile had returned to her face.

>> translator: she rubbed my legs, asking if i am okay. that makes me happier than anything else. >> before long, she was saying leaving her behind was the best present her son had ever given her. last november at her gram school she suddenly began writing something on the board in pink chalk. the words seem to come naturally to her because she could tell her grandmother needed her. warmup year since the march 11th

disaster. konan is preoccupied with something. she's practicing a song her mother loved very much. ♪ >> translator: i must live 15 more years. i have to stay alive until i'm 90, until she gets married and has a child.

>> translator: i will skoeld my children when they miss behave, but won't forget they're little. >> one year on since the disaster, she and her grandmother began taking a strive forward. the head of the international monetary fund says the global economy is showing signs of stability, but also warns of too much optimism, saying there are many risks to deal with. christine lagarde made the remarks at an economic forum in beijing. >> the financial market conditions are more comfortable, and recent economic indicators look a little more upbeat. >> she attributed positive signs to decisions and policy actions

by european central bank and others. she added the global economy has stepped back from the brink, and people have reason to be more optimistic. but the imf chief warned against a false sense of security, citing risks like huge public and private debt in many countries and rising crude oil prices. hupds of young people marched through wall street saturday to mark the six month anniversary of the occupy wall street protests against economic disparity. demonstrators shouted 99% of people like themselves have a hard life. some of them continued the demonstration in a park at night and scuffled with police that tried to remove them. there were a number of arrests. protests call for narrowing economic disparity among people, started in new york september last year and spread across the country and to europe and asia.

their base on a park near wall street was shut by city authorities for security reasons last november. swiss watch makers defying the times. companies all over europe are limping through one financial challenge after another. luxury watch makers from switzerland set a sales record last year. we have a report from geneva. >> trade show for swiss watches was held in geneva in january. a whopping 36 carats of diamonds adorn this watch, including the band. >> in franks, 1, 450,000. >> switser land has long been known for fine craftsmanship for luxury watches. the combined sales by all swiss

luxury watch makers jumped over 20% in 2011 from the previous year. at this time of year, those watch makers hold a glamorous trade fair, and invite celebrities from around the world. robust earnings allow the industry to attract big names. wearing fancy watches, they were busy posing for cameras. >> some of the pieces, masterpieces, so it is great to present them, have a new story to tell each year. >> behind the strong sales was growing demand from china. exports to the country shot up more than 50% last year from 2010. at the show, many manufacturers had chinese speaking staff. >> we are aiming to boost brand

name recognition in china this year. >> we are confident that this market will still grow in the future. they buy our swiss watches because of status, but on the other hand, they buy the watch for the watch itself. >> to maintain the quality of the swiss brand, the industry makes constant efforts for craftsmanship. the school trains the next generation watch makers. luxury watches consist of some 300 tiny parts that must be put together by hand. aspiring trainees spend four years here to become full fledged watch makers. >> translator: i'm working hard to learn the trade, so i can make beautiful watches at a famous manufacturer.

>> translator: to maintain it's tracks, the swiss watch industry must train skilled watch makers who can build and repair delicate, complicated watches. >> the companies are also doing what they can to improve their technology. this watch maker has joined hands with the local university to double up new materials. watches made with 18 karat gold can get scratched. this firm came up with new type of gold that only diamonds can damage. it has just unveiled a new model using this material. >> innovation, creativity will bring our company to the future. we don't have competition.

the swiss are unique. many make watches of very good quality, but don't have the flare. they only have quality. we have quality, and the flare. >> swes watches are carefully handcrafted by experts that hone their skills every day. >> some works of art there. we now have the world forecast. it was raining all weekend here. what's in store today? >> good morning, catherine. we had a gloomy weekend, but we will get back to solid sunshine today. but temperatures will stay on the chilly side because we've got a winter weather pattern. a high pressure system to the west, and low pressure system to the east, so cold air is sweeping in from the northwest, producing a wintry mix on western side. and dry conditions across the

pacific side. heavy snow and strong winds in hokkaido continue tomorrow after 40 sent meters of snow and sustained winds of 60 kilometers per hour. and winds, highways a concern as well. meanwhile, the korean peninsula and northern china stay in place under a high pressure system in contrast, moderate to heavy rain showers in china. towards indochina, showers in the eastern half of the ninds. more intense showers, so watch for flooding and land slides. highs up to 32 in manilla, 23 in hong kong, with foggy morning here. 7 degrees in seoul. 10 degrees in tokyo with sunny skies. heading over to the americas.

deep trough of low pressure continues to bring cold, stormy conditions in the east. but unprecedented warmth -- i should say the west, and unprecedented warmth in the east. montana seeing up to 50 centimeters of snow in the next 24 hours. freezing rain in saskatchewan. particularly severe in southern, central plains, tornados not out of the question. and on monday, the threat moves into the mississippi valley. temperature wise, eastern two-thirds of canada and the u.s. will see warmer conditions. 25 degrees in winnipeg. to give you an idea how warm it is, normal high is minus 1 degree. 26 in chicago, which feels like mid june. d.c., 23 degrees, according to national park service in d.c. cherry blossom in full bloom

this week. speaking of warmth, temperatures in eastern europe on the rise. we will show the figures in a moment. meanwhile, some welcoming rain in parts of spain, but dry conditions will continue in portugal. heavy rain and snow showers, the alps continue to see snow showers all day monday. up to the north, series of low pressure systems moving across northern europe, bringing wet and windy conditions. again, temperatures in the east running way above average. 6 degrees in moscow. 18 degrees in kiev. out towards the west, up to 14 in london, and 11 degrees in paris with clear conditions. all right. here is your extended forecas

our top story, united nations and arab league special envoy cove ian and made a visit to the country. he made the proposals when meeting the syrian president on march 10th and 11th in attempt to end the country's violent crackdown on anti-government protesters. u.n. sources say he called for a

two hour ceasefire daily to make humanitarian assistance possible and make syria accept a team to monitor the ceasefire. he also reportedly proposed ban on use of heavy firearms. syria so far agreed to accept u.n. experts. syria's u.n. ambassador stressed his country's cooperation. >> mr. kofi annan assured members of the security council that the syrian government is engaged with him. >> how far they will allow the ideas to be implemented remains to be seen. in u.n. security council, western nations push for a resolution to support his efforts. the countries are expected to step up negotiations russia and china, which have twice vetoed resolutions condemning syria's

repression. thousands of cherry trees on the potomac river in washington are already in full bloom, which marks the centennial of the gift of the sapplings from japan. many are visiting to appreciate them blossoming on 3700 trees. they came into bloom earlier than usual due to warm weather. the annual festival is to begin tuesday for a five week period, much longer than usual, to celebrate the 100th anniversary. tokyo gave the original sapplings in 1912. the festival features parades and concerts on the theme of japan. >> they're beautiful. it is the perfect time of year. they're in bloom, pink and white, quite extraordinary. >> i think it means a lot. i think every year when they bloom, it reminds people of the friendship between the two

countries. i think it is important. that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.