syrian opposition unites. a modern islamic cleric tapes part of a coalition to form a government in exile. syrian opposition groups have been divided by infighting, but they managed to get past the arguing to agree on a new coalition and leader. they hope they can work together to overthrow president assad. they elected the president of the syrian national coalition

for opposition and revolutionary forces. he was the imam of a historic mosque in damascus. authorities jailed him several times for criticizing assad. he fled into exile. members of more than 50 opposition groups negotiated for a week. the foreign minimum sters of qatar and turkey took part. they want to get more access to weapons and funding from abroad. israeli military officials say they fired what they called a warning shot into syria. they say they responded after a stray shell landed in the israeli occupied golan heights. a defense official said a shell fired from syria landed near a military post, and the officials say they realize it was a mistake. still, they returned fire with

an anti-tank missile. this is the first time israeli units have fired on syria since the 1973 middle east war. they've tried to stay out of the fighting there, but gunfire hit a military vehicle earlier in month. israeli officials say they filed aa complaint with the united nations, which monitors the cease-fire between the two countries. prime minister benjamin netanyahu told his cabinet that the country is prepared for any contingency. israel captured part of the gol aan heights from syria in the 1967 middle east war. the two sides later agreed to a treaty to establish a demilitarized zone. many investors are wondering where the japanese economy is head headed. we have more from the business de desk. what are investors looking at as they start their week? >> a major figure just came out, and it doesn't look too good. we learn that japan's market analysts have had their fears confirmed with the release of

new figures the japanese people have experienced negative growth over july to september. that's the first time in three quarters the economy had contracted. cabinet office officials said monday the couldnntry's real gd fell .9% from the previous three months. that's an annual decline of 3.5%. business owners found their exports shrank 5% due to the economic slowdown. consumers spent less by .a5% as auto sales declined. corporate leaders found capital expenditures down 3.2%. analysts expect continued negative growth in the october-to-december quarter as worsening relations with china dampen exports. as we just saw, the latest figures from japan suggest its economy is facing a setback. let's take a look now to see how markets are reacting to this and other news. for that we cross over to ramin

standing by for us at the tokyo stock exchange. we saw big losses across the board for stocks globally last week. what's expected this week. >> good morning. there's some concerns for global stocks, and we see their concerns about the so-called fiscal cliff, of course, in the united states. a combination of tax increases exami and spending cuts and could push the u.s. economy into a recession as all eyes are on how that develops. here in japan, too, the nikkei was down 3.75% last week, so we saw that play into the markets as well. the gdp figure is coming at 0.9% for the july-to-september period. we'll see how that is translating into the opening levels. let's go to the opening levels for the nikkei and topix for many monday, november 12th. both indices are down by half a percent there. the nikkei closed out last week

at a four-week low as the yen gained against the dollar and euro. the japanese currency rose. really investors shifting money into yen-based assets and the higher yen weighing on export issues. this is at a time when many japanese corporations are releasing poor earnings over the last couple of weeks. that's all most of that based on the strong yen. don't forget europe, we can't ignore that sector and economy either. the renewed concerns about greece despite pushing through an austerity plan. that's a big focus as well, how that plays into stock markets. >> how are currencies trading this monday morning, rami rami? >> the yen is 79.42 to 47, and again the yen holding pretty strong. let's not forget, that was trading at above the levels a week ago.

eu euro/yen 101.04 to 09. some concerns about greece and the you'reeuro is paying the pr. we will get continuation of earnings from construction companies, and later in the week we'll have the japanese megabanks. we heard from financials in the u.s. and some of those results have shown some concerns about the u.s. economy and, of course, global banking industry. of course, a lot of focus on japan as well. so the likes of mitt beshee financial group and other financial groups as well and all of them and how they play out into the stock markets here as well. that's a big focus. we're not out of the woods yet as far as earnings are concerned, but the megabanks may show a better picture. those gdp numbers are neglect foifr the japanese economy. back to you. >> thanks for that. a quick look at what's on our global economic calendar for this week. on monday euro zone finance

ministers get together in brussels to discuss whether to go ahead and provide greece with another loan out of the bailout package. on tuesday a finance ministers meeting is expected to get under way. on wednesday major japanese banks and other financial institutions will aannounce their first half earnings. the business results will come out amid speculation those institutions did well between april and september. u.s. retail sales for october will be out on the same day. sales have been growing for three months through september when they went up 1.1% from the previous month. financial watchers are watching closely to see if retail sales will maintain the uptrend. initial euro zone gdp will be released. it shrank .2% between april and june from the previous three months because of austerity measures taken by debt-ridden countries in the zone cut into growth. that's all for me for now. i'll leave you with the market figures.

u.s. i.t. apple, that's the i.t. giant has settled the global patent dispute with htc. apple and htc say they agreed on a ten-year cross licensing the patents. apple filed a suit against htc two years ago with the u.s. international trade commission.

apple claimed that the taiwanese infringed patents. it was a software for automatically recognized phone numbers and e-mails and converting them into links. they include the decision last september to suspend u.s. imports of htc products. the latest deal is the first settlement between apple and a company that uses devices using google's android operating system. it may influence the ongoing court battles between apple and samsung electronics. china's main securities regulator says it wants to promote investment in chinese shares by foreign institutional investors. the chairman of the china securities regulatory commission spoke to reporters on the sidelines of the communist party's national congress. he said overseas investment represents just 1.2% of china's total market capitalization. he said the proportion is

significantly lower than in other emerging economies. foreign investors account for 20% to 30% in those kuntzcounr.. 20% to 30% in those kuntzcoun. . 20% to 30% in those kuntzcounns. >> translator: the chinese government want to stabilize china's stock markets and prevent plunges in share prices. >> he also said china will expand the quota for foreign investors and offer them tax incentives. experts say most chinese shares are owned by domestic individual investors. they say this is a factor behind the wild fluctuations in stock prices. cradle of culture, economic powerhou powerhouse, many enjoy the fruits of prosperity along the path to a new china, but millions are missing out at a time of growing public discontent. members of the communist party are choosing their new leaders.

"newsline" correspondents are reporting from the party's national congress. don't miss our special coverage, "china: the next generation," 8:00 p.m. japan time here on "newsline." the prime ministers of japan and india are meeting this week to strengthen economic cooperation and security ties. they'll exchange a memorandum to ensure the stable export of indian rare earth minerals to japan. the indian prime minister will make a four mif day visit to japan from thursday. it's part of the annual summit meeting between the two countries. he and japanese prime minister noda are expected to agree on the export of rare earth minerals to japan every year. currently japan depends on xworlts from china, but the chinese government is trying to divorce fi the sources. on other matters the two leaders are expected to agree to strengthen security cooperation. japan's maritime self-defense force and india's navy conducted

their first joint drill in june. noda will ask singh to aadopt the bullet railway system for an indian project to connect cities. a magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit central myanmar killing four people. the u.s. jigeological survey sa the quake occurred on sunday. it says the epicenter was about 110 kilometers north of manda y mandalay, the second largest city. it was nearly 10 kilometers deedee deep. officials said some building are damaged. a bridge under construction has collapsed leaving one person dead and four unaccounted for. the missing include construction workers. the opposition candidates in south korea's presidential election have agreed to draft a joint pledge for economic and foreign policies.

the move is part of their plan to field a single candidate. the democratic united party candida candidates disclosed the drafts as different venues. >> translator: i will ask them to talk to with the details about the policy as soon as possible. >> translator: we will discuss ways to field a single candidate to realize a change of government. that is what the people want. >> moon and ahne held a phone conference, and agreed to sbree grate their campaign processes and begin talks on how to choose a single candidate. they will explain their views this week. the two nominees plan to unite against park. she's leading the polls ahead of

next month's election. south korean lawmakers have decided to spend more on a public relations campaign for a group of disputed islands. south korea controls the islands in the sea of japan. south kor japanese lay claim to the territory they call takeshima. members of a foreign affairs committee decided to tripled budget to about $5.7 million. they say the money will be used to consult with international legal experts and to influence foreign lawmakers and media organizations. tibet's spiritual leader delivered a message to japan and the world. he says peace must be built through dialogue in the 21st century. he's currently visiting the southern japanese prefecture of okinawa. he went to see the tower, which

is dedicated to a unit of high school girls who served as nurses during world war ii. in nahi city, the dhe said many precious and innocent lives were lost in the atomic bombings of hiroshima and nagasaki. he said people must respect others with different views. >> now we should try, we should make an effort to build this century central with dialogue and peace. >> he said if each person finds peace within his or her heart and spreads that to their family and community, it should be bring about good results in 10 to 20 years.

the koala maybe the best loved animal, but in the east of the country its listed as a tleptenned species. over the past few decades the koala bear has been declining. >> this is the icon of australia, but it's a hospital where they care for injured and diseased koalas. the doctors are kept busy at this koala hospital to the north of sydney. every year around 200 koalas are brought in, most of them with injuries from accidents in residential areas. this koala was hit by a car in a residential area. it has loss his left leg and right eye. koalas are increasingly at risk, as rows and housing developments

spread into the forest, that are the koala's natural habitat. this map of an urban area in eastern queensland plots locations where koalas have been sighted. they are crossing roads and finding themselves in residential areas instead of sticking to the woodlands of their home. >> koalas get themselves in funny places. in shopping centers, car parks and then they get hit or a dog gets them. >> reporter: the koala hospital has only two full-time employees, so it depends on its team of 150 registered volunteers. this is one of the volunteers.

her job is to care for baby koalas. this one loss its mother in a traffic accident. because koalas are nocturnal, she has to take it home at night to look at it. she will act as a foster mother for three months, feeding it and watching its health. >> they love to play with you at 2:00 a.m. in the morning. so no good night sleeps anymore. i love to help them, and i'm glad i can help them. >> reporter: the time has come for one of the koalas to be released back into the wild. the woods where this koala awas living had been cleared for urban development, so the hospital decided to set it free in a remote forest. >> no cacars, no people. whoo-hoo.

>> the goal is to put the koala back so they have a life, and they can breed sxeand keep the population going. >> reporter: these are the lucky koalas, saved and nursed back to health, but steps need to be taken or there will be less forest to release them into. nhk world, port mcquarry. in the united states a good samaritan is now a lot wealthier. the man went to the u.s. east coast to help with the cleanup in the aftermath of superstorm sandy. he returned home a richer man in more ways than one. 38-year-old john turner won $100,000 in a lottery in the storm-hit state of new jersey. the former new jersey resident

runs a water removal business in chicago, illinois. he bought the winning ticket after providing free water pumping services at inundated houses. >> shocked. this is not happening and real. >> a new jersey state official says residents are thankful for his help, and that his god fortune was fate's way of repaying him for his assistance. >> a portion of that we're going to donate to someone or some family in need. >> recovery efforts continue in northeastern states. the storm claimed dozens of lives and left millions of homes wow electricity. tokyo is holding a week of events to increase public support for the bid to host the 2020 summer olympics and paralympics. the tokyo olympic bidding committee held a ceremony for the start of the 300-day countdown to the selection of the host city. he showed his enthusiasm for bringing the event to tokyo.

>> translator: i believe the power of sports will bring energy to japan. i hope you will join our efforts to win a bid to host the 2020 olympics. >> the tokyo bidding committee is concerned about the low level of public support for the capital's bid. the international olympic committee plans to choose the winner in september next year. thousands of people turned out in taipei, taiwan on sunday to show their enthusiasm for yoga exercises. a company that offers yoga courses in taiwan and hong kong organized the event. it attracted about 7,400 participants. they unfurled their mats in front of taiwan's presidential office. >> translator: i find yoga really relaxing. it helps to keep my flexible. >> it's a sure sign that yoga is

gaining popularity among taiw taiwanese people. >> time to check the weather conditions around the world. she'll tell us about people in northern japan dealing with wet weather today. >> right, strong gusts, hail and some thunderstorms are in store in northern japan. we have a couple of systems that are going to be impacting the region throughout the day. waves had high in the western seaboards, about 4 to 5 meters. dangerous waves and severe conditions, so really do be aware of the sudden weather and changes. across much of the southern half of this country including tokyo, we're looking at sunny weather across the region. tokyo will see 22 for the high today, and that's about 7 degrees higher than yesterday. across northeastern china and southeastern russia and parts of north korea, this is where we

find a winter storm impacting the region with snow. additional snowfall could be as much as a10 centimeters. across the rest of china, things look nice but very cold. beijing had minus 3 degrees in your morning hours. things are tapering off in myanmar where the magnitude earthquake hit near mandalay region. it will be above the norm at 32 degrees. it will remain dry the next couple of days. tokyo, as i mentioned, 22. really nice. do enjoy that weather. it's going to get colder and colder into the mid week. in the american continent we have a system pretty potent moving across kwee breck, you have a freezing rain warning across the region and then this cold front is sagging down in towards texas. along it you find wetd and windy continues. some thunderstorms will be on the severe side, especially

around the arklatex region with hail of a golf ball size and tornadic activity, which cannot be ruled out. across chicago where the nfl match-up takes place in and around the region, you'll find rain developing just around the kickoff time. the pacific northwest will be dealing with snow. about 30 centimeters are going to be on tap, especially in the cascades, and wirnt storm will be lingering there for the next couple of days. seattl seattle, 10 degrees and winnipeg at minus 5 for the high. denver looking better, i should say, 9 degrees. that's about 8 degrees higher than what we saw yesterday. washington, d.c. at 19 and new york on the warmer side at 18 degrees. looking at the european continent, things taper off in turkey. it's a slow-moving system soshgs at a snail's pace this is moving towards the east still bringing some severe conditions but

clearing out in the next 24. we have another system over the scandinavian peninsula across sweden. snow and mixed precipitation is found. sagging is this cold front moving towards the northern italy where we found flooding rains, especially in ven nice around some nautical. people are still waiting in the flooded water. the heaviest peak of that rain is over, but still, we have red alert across slovenia and those regions. snow is on top in the higher elevations here in the iberian peninsula, especially southern spain. madrid at 12 degrees for your temperature and rome at 22 and moscow at 4 degrees. mears yo here's your extended forecast.

our lead story this hour, syrian opposition groups have agreed on a new coalition and leader. they hope together they can topple president assad. the representatives elected a president for the syrian opposition forces. hatib was the imam of a historic mosque in damascus. authorities jailed him several times for criticizing assad. he finally fled into exile. members of more than 50 opposition groups negotiated for a week in doha. the foreign ministers of qatar and tur deand a senior official from the u.s. state department took part. opposition leaders hope the new coalition can serve as a kind of government in exile. they want to get more access to

weapons and funds from abroad. that wraps up this edition of "newsline." thanks very much for joining us.