welcome to "newsline." it is monday, may 14th. 8:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. the leaders of china, south korea and japan say they will not tolerate further prove indications from north korea. they met in beijing to find ways to strengthen trade. they were distracted by fears that officials in pee on-going

yang will have another test. he said the most urgent tas i can is to prevent further tension on the korean peninsula. they worry north korean scientists will follow through on a third test of nuclear technology. chinese leaders are trying to persuade their allies not to follow through. the president hu jintao met were them last month. the former leader visited earlier this month. a former chinese diplomat says they will be challenged to get the north koreans to stop. >> reporter: north korea has a number of issues that make another test unavoidable. >> he says they will focus on getting north koreans to slow down the pace of the nuclear program. noda reilt rated the islands

in the east china sea belong to japan and rejected china's claim of sovereignty over the islands. noda and he met and announced a plan to buy the islands currently owned by a japanese citizen. he said it is important to respect each other's core interests and matters of great interest. noda said the islands are an integral part of japan from the viewpoint of history and international law. he also said it should not effect overall relations between japan and china. the leader of an international organization of exiled groups arrived in japan. the visit comes despite china's strong opposition to japan granting visa for the trip. this is the president of world uyger congress and now lives i

the united states. she arrived at the airport sunday and was greeted by supporters. she will join about 130 exiled uygers from 20 countries attending a four day assembly. they will discuss how to support ethnic uygers in china. it is the first time to hold this meeting in tokyo. upon arrival, she told nhk that the organization will urge the chinese government to stop its oppression against ethnic uygers. she said the exiled uygers want to promote a nonviolent movement so they can be heard around the world. the president of greece has failed in his latest attempts to mediate talks in a last minute

effort to form a coalition government. talks will continue monday. he invited heads of the three main parties that won the most seats in sunday's election. the first place new democracy party and third place party were coalition partners before the election and implemented austerity measures. they say they're willing to team up again. the leader of the second place radical left coalition refuses to join or support any coalition government. the latest opinion poll shows the radical left coalition is likely to win the most seats if a fresh election is held. if the president's mediation is unsuccessful, greece will have to hold a new election next month. the continued political uncertainty may be endangering the country's membership of the euro. demonstrations against austerity measures and inequality were held across europe saturday. in spain, hundreds of thousands of people held rallies in eight

cities to protest high unemployment. hundreds of demonstrators gathered in central london. they complained they have to endure austerity measures while a handful of people enjoy the nation's wealth. >> i'm in a lot of pain, taking a lot of heavy drugs to get here and be here, but i'm prepared to stand up and say what needs to be said. people need to hear it. >> police officers clashed with protesters that were trying to put up tents. more than ten people were detained. demonstrators marched in brussels shouting that they represent 99% of the population. they held up banners that called for reducing the economic gap. similar rallies were staged in the portugese capital, list ben, and frankfurt, germany. a key member of the afghan is peace council has been shot dead. this deals another blow to president hamid karzai's attempts to promote peace. arsala rahmani was shot and

killed by a gunman on sunday in kabul as he left his home by car. rahmani was a former senior official during the taliban rule and maintained contact with taliban leaders. he was playing a key role in peace negotiations between the government and the taliban. the killing followed the assassination last september of former afghan president burhanuddin rabbani, who at the time headed the peace council. a spokesperson for president karzai criticized the killing in a news conference. >> translator: the threat from those who do not want stability in afghanistan will likely continue. we will not give up trying to promote peace. >> a taliban spokesperson denied their involvement in the killing during a telephone interview with nhk. the afghan government suspects taliban hardliners opposed to the peace talks may have been behind the assassination.

china faces a range of serious environmental problems. the world is watching to see how they will tackle them. air and water pollution, global warming, all huge, complex issues. with china enjoying robust economic growth, it is increasingly important to encourage companies to adopt eco friendly approaches. we have a report. >> reporter: last month, top business leaders and government officials gathered. to encourage businesses to improve their environmental footprint. the meeting was organized by a

nonprofit group, set up by entrepreneurs in china. the group focuses on about 1,000 companies that generate annual profits in china of over $160 million. it explains the environmental steps they're taking to 100 companies with outstanding records. >> there are chinese examples of companies who are i think doing extremely well, and they have dreams and visions for their companies. >> reporter: one of this year's winner was beijing based real estate company that built the luxury hotel where the event was held. the hotel incorporates many energy saving ideas, such as using led lights. these light bulbs use only

one-seventh the the amount of power. they are 50 times the price of conventional bulbs, the company says using the led lamps will help cut long term operating expenses. >> translator: on average, we recoup on energy savings in four years. it is wrong to think of energy saving as just an outlay. >> reporter: the same company built this giant shopping mall, which opened in beijing four years ago. the ceiling is mostly glass. it is covered with shades to reduce the glare when necessary. the aim is to harness the sunlight to reduce power consumption to a minimum. the mall says the design has cut electricity expenses to $410,000 a year. 25% than if they had a

conventional roof. there are sensors in stores throughout the mall to check the number of visitors. that is used to adjust the air conditioning, to maintain optimal temperature inside. but when it comes to building homes, things are different. the same real estate firm is now constructing a high end condominium building. once completed, 900 units will be sold. but there are no plans to fit them with energy saving features. there's not enough interest among buyers. >> translator: it is up to owners to decide on their own energy use. we are not in control of how much they consume. >> reporter: environmental measures are meaningless, unless companies can turn a profit.

for the organizers of the summit, the key data they look for is how companies can become greener while maintaining their profit margins. >> translator: to achieve growth while taking environmental steps, companies also need to sharpen their business edge. >> reporter: the challenge for china now is how to maintain its strong economic growth while tackling its environmental problems. as a first step, companies are starting to come up with eco friendly solutions that also make sense for the bottom line. voters in the u.s. are divided over one of life's certainties, taxes. the parties have made their positions clear ahead of the presidential election this november. republicans favor extending tax cuts on the wealthiest americans. president obama and the democrats want the rich to pay

their share. nhk world reports from washington. >> we are all workers. it is like institutionalized slavery when only people at the top are successful and we aren't rewarded for our hard work. >> reporter: the middle class has long been the backbone of american society. but declining wages and other effects of the weak economy have hit the middle class hard. 15% of the population now living in poverty, it is the highest figure since 1993. will the americans have been seen as cause of the widening income gap, but they have also begun calling for measures against increasingly contentious

problem, their catch phrase is tax me. well to do americans are asking the government to raise the rate at which they are taxed and to use the money to correct the world gap. >> we think that wealthy americans like me should pay higher tax rates than middle class americans, not lower rates. >> reporter: eric schaumburg is an eninvestigator. he sometimes makes more than a million dollars a year. he lives in an upscale residential suburb near new york city. his great grandfather was an immigrant to the united states. his father launched a computer related business and made a huge fortune. back in those days, the american dream was possible for anyone who was willing to work hard. but schaumburg feels that things have changed a lot since his

father's days. >> what i'm doing is trying to ensure that the american dream is available to everybody. i mean, i really believe in what america stands for, which is the opportunity for everybody to get ahead through their own efforts. >> reporter: schaumburg thinks wealth should be redistributed through tax hikes on the rich. he releases his tax papers on the internet to argue that millionaires like himself are paying lower tax rates than ordinary americans. he says more and more rich people are supporting his cause. >> that is i think vast inequalities of wealth are inherently problematic. they create a lot of tension in society. i don't believe that's as valuable as working to ensure they grow up in a society that works for everybody. >> reporter: the widening wealth gap is causing serious problems.

many americans, including the rich, are feeling a sense of crisis. the issue and how it should be solved will surely take the center stage in the upcoming presidential campaign. in japan, rice planting on a test basis has begun in a village near the crippled fukushima daiichi power plant. this comes after the central government lifted its ban on entering kawauchi village in april. they banned all planting of rice pattys after the accident last year. on sunday, about 40 farmers and volunteers began planting rice at 30 rice pat east. fabric that absorbs radioactivity was laid near

irrigation channels. villagers also sewed into the soil substances that absorb radioactivity. once this is confirmed, rice production will be confirmed for next season. >> translator: i am happy to plant. i hope the safety can be confirmed so we can start growing rice next year. the emperor visited a housing complex in northeastern japan sunday to encourage evacuees displaced by the march 11th disaster. emperor akihito visited the sendai city complex where nearly 400 people are staying. the imperial couple talked with the residents. the emperor spoke to an 87-year-old woman that lost her son and daughter in the disaster. he told her to take good care of herself. the empress talked with an

85-year-old woman whose house was swept away by the tsunami. she asked the woman about her life and praised her endurance. the emperor is recovering well from heart surgery. he will travel to britain with the empress wednesday to celebrate events for queen elizabeth's 60 years on the throne. protesters held a peace march in okinawa to call for closure of u.s. bases in the prefecture. tuesday marks the 40th anniversary of okinawa's return to japan from u.s. rule. about 2700 people took part in a week-long rally that ended sunday. the city hosts the u.s. marine corps few ten ma air station. >> they surrounded the futenma base and demanded the complete transfer of the facilities to another prefecture or outside the country. they were in front of okinawa international university to demand the immediate removal of

the base. a large u.s. helicopter crashed into a building of the university in 2004. three-quarters of the u.s. military facilities in japan are concentrated in okinawa. vladimir putin is back at the helm as president after serving four years as prime minister. among major concerns on his agenda, population decline. the number of russians peaked at 150 million in 1993, and has been declining ever since. some projections indicate the country could lose 40 million people by middle of this century. putin called the phenomenon a serious threat to national security. we have more from moscow. >> reporter: vorkuta is north of the arctic circle. at the end of the soviet era,

the population of 110,000, but it has been declining ever since. >> translator: nobody wants to live here any more. they're all disappearing. >> reporter: the streets are lined with deserted buildings. some 3,000 families used to live in this district. but now the number of households is down to 100. president putin has repeatedly stated that this is threatening national security. >> translator: demographic decline is russia's most serious problem. we are facing a critical situation. the russian people need to understand that. >> reporter: for several years,

the russian government has responded with the campaigns to raise the birth rate. more programs in the western region. they are a young couple. last year, maria gave birth to nikita, her second child. the family was rewarded with a check from the government, worth approximately $12,000. the checks go out every time a family gives birth to more than one child. the system called the mother's fund was launched by the putin administration in 2006. he was also in for a big surprise, a russian made suv, named the patriot.

the car is among prizes of a lottery run by the local government for families with a newborn child. as a farmer, he earns $375 a month. this will be his first car. >> translator: many families decide to have more children for economic reasons. this system really helps. >> translator: in any case, i want to have a third baby. >> reporter: every year, russia spends nearly $1.4 billion on childbirth and educational subsidies. we will build clinics for pregnant women all across the

country. >> reporter: this is initiative to push the birth rate from 1.2 births in 2000 to 1.5 in 2009. the figure remains below the number needed to establish rush's a demographic decline. the question now is whether putin's government can come up with additional measures to reverse the trend. it was a beautiful, sunny weekend inch of japan. rachel ferguson joins us with the world weather forecast. as we head to tuesday, things change in central japan. already it started to rain in the west, southern islands also

being effected by a low pressure system and front coming across from china. that's bringing about 150 millimeters of rain in the next 24 hours, that's pretty significant volumes of rain in the forecast. it will also be producing thunderstorms, and those winds could get pretty high on the pacific edge of the country into the beginning of the week and tuesday. more heavy rain targeting southeastern china. not so unusual this time of year, rainy season has started, but certainly significant amounts of rain once again impacting the southeast could raise levels of flooding, risk of flooding and land slides. we're also seeing heavier rain impacting the eastern half of indochina here, as we head towards the philippines, scattered thunderstorms across much of the country as well. now, temperatures are generally going to be just about on average. tokyo, 24 degrees, 25 in beijing, hitting 31 in taipei

and hong kong. 37 above average in bangkok, and much of indochina looks like it is still seeing that heat. up towards the north, 11 degrees. after a bit of a warm run, starting to be under the influence again of cooler air across the north. let's go to north america. out towards the west, high pressure is keeping things mostly clear and settled. we will see some warmth pushing up towards the pacific northwest as well. but also resulting in extreme heat for the desert southwest. so southern california as well as parts of new mexico and arizona, dealing with some really intense temperatures. severe weather is going to be breaking out today across the overnight hours, certainly from colorado down through new mexico and into texas, and that's actually going to be sagging south. so coming towards the mexico, u.s. border, some severe thunderstorms, damaging winds and also the threat of tornados today. thunderstorms across the east are fairly widespread at the

moment. they're going to be weakening off to the northeast, but all of this energy down in the south from florida and up the atlantic coast heads to the northeast as well. so we'll be wet into your tuesday and pretty unstable as well. temperatures in mid to low 20s as cross much of the northeast, and down towards the south, we were talking about extreme heat, houston, 29 degrees, not too far off the usual average, but where this red pops up to the south of texas down into eastern mexico, baja peninsula and desert southwest is where you need to make sure you're taking plenty of rest, drinking lots of water. warmth spreading into the northwest. 27 in seattle, way above average for you, 26 in winnipeg. all right. as for europe. if i pull back this cloud, you'll see an intense, large storm system impacting british isles and norway. you'll be seeing snow in the mountains of norway. gail force winds across

scotland. elsewhere, looking settled. the low is winding down the next 24 hours. another area of extreme heat in europe, down in southern portugal and spain. 30 degrees in madrid. 27 in lisben. further to the south, things are getting hot indeed. take care. i will leave you now with the extended forecast.

that's all for this edition of "newsline."

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. tokyo. thanks for joining us. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

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