hello there. welcome to "newsline." it's friday, june 14th. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. intelligence analysts have been working for months to determine whether chemical weapons have been used in the syrian civil war. u.s. president barack obama wanted conclusive proof. now analysts say government forces have used chemical agents against opposition fighters. white house officials say forces loyal to president bashar al assad used the weapons on a small scale. they say the chemicals used include the nerve agent sarin. they estimate that 100 to 150 people are likely to have been killed.

they say they'll share their information with their allies and with analysts at the united nations. white house officials say president obama will consider whether to provide more support to syrian opposition forces including military assistance. the crisis in syria will be one of the main items on the agenda next week at the g-8 summit. japanese government officials say prime minister shinzo abe will announce aid for syrians displaced by the civil war. the g-8 leaders will gather in the town of inniskillin in northern ireland. in addition to syria, they'll talk about the global economy and the nuclear programs of iran and north korea. prime minister abe is expected to call on countries to work together to solve the syrian crisis. he'll announce $100 million to help jordan deal with the influx of syrian refugees, and they say he'll promise $10 million in humanitarian aid for syrians displaced by the conflict. when it comes to north korea,

abe's expected to say the g-8 must send a strong message it will not tolerate the country's nuclear ambitions. officials say he will call for authorities in pyongyang to follow u.n. security council resolutions. the head of the united nations is painting a grim picture of life for children in conflict zones. ban ki-moon says children face unprecedented threats. the u.n. secretary-general releases an annual report on children and armed conflict. the latest says syrian government forces have made children walk in front of them as human shields and it says opposition fighters have forced children to fight alongside of them. the report says armed groups in northern mali have done the same thing, kidnapping boys and using them as soldiers. >> we would like to see parties take their responsibility to ensure that children are not

paying such a high price. >> the report says children are more vulnerable in recent crises because there are no clear front lines and combatants are hard to identify. turkish tayyip erdogan speech in the capital ankara on thursday. he said the government's patience is at an end. despite the prime minister's ultimatum, thousands of demonstrators in istanbul remained in the country's square and the adjoining park through the night. european union leaders are trying to implement what they learned from the nuclear

accident in fukushima. members of the eu's executive arm published a draft of their new directives. they want member states to carry out reviews every six years for all of the 132 reactors operating in the region. they want to send inspectors if countries don't do enough to ensure those plants are safe. some fear special interests can compromise the integrity of national regulators. the eu officials want to grant those regulators more power and more independence. they hope member nations will approve their proposals next year. the government agency in charge of helping victims of the nuclear disaster in fukushima plans to punish one of its senior officials for making inappropriate remarks on twitter. in march the official tweeted

that a group of citizens demanding ways to minimize exposure to radiation were damned leftist. he posted the comments after being booed and jeered while attending a meeting with him. the only thing he feels sympathy for is the lack of intelligence. he also made jokes about lawmakers, whenevavere notice o be asked in the diet, he tweeted that he'd been "unexpectedly bombed again." people in fukushima were shocked. >> translator: he should have given some thought to how people in fukushima would feel. he is not taking things seriously. >> senior vice minister for reconstruction koichi tani offered a public apology. >> translator: i find the remarks made by the senior reconstruction agency official inappropriate. >> the agency questioned the

official on wednesday who admitted to posting the comments on twitter. tokyo traders are sitting on the edge of their seats. on thursday they were flooded with sell orders and the nikkei plunged to its lowest level in two months. even so, wall street ended higher. ai uchida joins us from the business desk. good morning. what's the sentiment now? >> good morning, catherine. they seem to be focusing on positive news. on wall street u.s. stocks rallied snapping three days of declines, investors were encouraged by strong retail sales and the dow jones ended higher by 1. % at 15,176 points. let's see how scrap knees markets are kicking off this friday, we go to elene lee at the tokyo stock exchange. this marked the second steepest fall on thursday. how are investors reacting

today. >> good morning, ai. investors seemed to be very encouraged by developments in the u.s.. let's look at the opening levels for friday, june 14th. the nikkei is much higher by over 3% at 12,845 points, approaching the 13,000 level. the broader topix is also higher by almost 3%. investors are buying back shares after the news of strong economic data in the u.s.. the retail sales data which you mentioned ai was 0.6% higher than the previous month. some analysts say that was encouraging as it showed that consumers are spending more despite the uncertainty about the effect and we may get a clearer picture of what the fed is planning after the policy meeting next week. the equity might get some relief if there's no exit from the u.s. central banks program to support the american economy. and now on to some individual stocks. we may want to keep track of

kawasaki heavy industries and mitsui engineering and shipbuilding. the two companies ended their talks for a possible merger and there will be more on that later and we want to follow the shares of export related companies as they are very sensitive to the recent volatility in the currency market and speaking of which let's see how the yen is faring against the major currencies. the dollar is trading at 95.24-26 against the yen. uppern thursday and that's the lowest in more than two months since the bank of japan announced its aggressive monetary policy. the dollar rebounded as the strong economic data improved the outlook for the u.s. economy, and later today, we'll receive reports on u.s. producer price index at industrial production and we'll see how this plays into the dollar/yen. let's have a look at euro/yen, the currency pair is at

127.23-28. the market plays the euro as investors are more willing to take risk with the strong performance on wall street. so we'll continue to keep track of any developments and see how japanese shares finally end the second week of june. back to you, ai. >> sounds good, eileen lee at the tokyo stock exchange. foreign investors are net buyers they bought more than they sold during last week's roller coaster trading. officials say foreign investors bought shares worth more than 10 trillion yen or $105 million, that's $1.6 billion more than sold. they snapped up shares despite caution over the volatile market. the key nikkei index tumbled 500 points one day only to gain about 270 points the next, but japanese individuals investors

sold more shares than they bought, also a three-week first. financial institutions like life insurers and trust banks have remained net sellers since november. market sources say foreign investors were actively buying when share prices dipped. japanese executives have been working for months on a heavy machinery giant. the people at shipbuilder kawasaki heavy industries have been discussing a merger with their counterparts at mitsui engineering and shipbuilding, but their talks have collapsed. kawasaki's president satoshi hasegawa and two other members of the executive board were pushing door the feel pushing the deal. everyone was against it, so they decided to remove them. they appointed a new president. >> translator: it was a difficult decision, but we lost trust in them because they pushed the merger deal as if it were a foregone conclusion.

>> murayama said board members will not pursue a merger with mitsui. instead he said they would consider joint ventures with other firms. merger talks between the two major shipbuilders reflect the tough business climate for the industry and were designed to strengthen their marine energy businesses. tokyo's nikkei is in positive territory today. i'll leave you with the current levels. a group of farmers in the u.s. state of idaho are suing a biotech giant.

they say genetically modified wheat developed by monsanto was found in the western state of oregon. no genetically-engineered wheat has been approved for u.s. farming. farm ministry officials suspended some u.s. wheat imports after last month's discovery. japan is one of the largest importers of u.s. grain. the idaho farmers say the japanese restrictions are inflicting heavy losses on the u.s. wheat market. they say thousands of farmers have been affected. monsanto representatives told nhk the strain was only found on one farm and never entered the food chain. a consumer group and farmers in the states of washington and kansas have filed similar suits. the european union has readmitted myanmar to a trade scheme designed to boost developing countries. it of excluded in 19 the 7. the military regime was accused of violating international conventions on forced labor.

the eu says in a statement the agreement is possible given the positive developments in myanmar. it emphasizes the importance of facilitating economic growth and development opportunities in the southeast asian country. under the scheme it will be granted duty free and quota free access to european for all products except weapons. garments currently account for the majority of myanmar's exports to europe. it seems that the eu aims to foster both the economy and the democratization in the country by encouraging more trade. the foreign ministers of 17 east asian and latin-american countries have gathered for a two-day meeting in bali, indonesia. the forum aims to promote economic ties. the sixth foreign minister meeting of the forum for east asia/latin america cooperation kicked off on thursday. the forum is an association of 36 countries in latin america

and east asia including ten asean member nations. it was established in 1999 when the then-prime minister of singapore proposed measures to enhance relations. trade between the two regions has increased nearly seven-fold in the past decade. indonesian foreign minister martin natalegawa, who is co-hosting the forum, hopes to further improve mutual benefits. >> we have to acknowledge that there is still plenty room for further enhancement. we wish not to see missed opportunities as the economies of east asia, economies of latin america grow and prosper. >> the ten asean member countries participating in the forum are working toward creating an economic community by 2015. as their economies grow, asean hopes to develop ties with other emerging markets, including latin america.

emerging economic powers still struggling with poverty. emboldened citizens still demanding democracy. the threat of violence, the push for peace, the shadow of conflict. get news and insight on south and southeast asia every weekday live from bangkok only on nhk world "newsline." some professional athletes live lives many people can only dream of. they work at something they love. they can be adored by their fans and they can earn millions of dollars, but some find their fortunes, like their fame, can disappear. nhk world's tomoyoshi komiya reports. >> reporter: americans are crazy about their football. even current championship games draw well over 40,000 fans. the good players victory gain media attention. teams in the national football league or nfl draft the top

players. just by signing on the dotted line, quite a few become instant millionaires. despite all that income, an increasing number of players end up broke after they retire from the sports. the u.s. media reports that 78% of former nfl players declare bankruptcy within five years of their last game. former nfl star jamal lewis is among those who filed for bankruptcy. he retired after playing for the renowned baltimore ravens between 2000 and 2010. lewis set many records and he was named the best player in the team's history. despite all that success, he lost his home and most of his assets. he agreed to an interview in his

lawyer's home. >> just wheeling and dealing. that's pretty much it. i actually -- i do some sales work for another trading company. >> reporter: he grew up in a poor area of the south. as a high school football player, he practiced hard, hoping it might lead to a better life. the university of tennessee gave him a football scholarship. later, he signed with an nfl team. over his career, he made more than $14 million. at the invitation of friends, lewis dabbled in a lot of businesses. he invested $18 million in the construction of an amusement park and $10 million in some other companies. he also invested in financial products without knowing much about them.

lewis ended up losing everything and can't explain how. >> pretty much i know, i know what happened. >> reporter: experts say many players go bankrupt because they focus entirely on sports. they say the problem begins at university. >> it's poor educational policy. they don't develop any financial literacy. and so as a result of that, all of a sudden they have large amounts of money. >> reporter: last year, experts held a seminar for athletes, both active and retired. the aim was to help them manage their assets. more than 200 showed up for further classes in april. >> it gives us a chance to polish up on a lot of thins that we didn't know. >> reporter: lewis gives lectures to students in his home town.

he also takes education courses on how to manage personal finances. this summer he plans to launch a new business. >> i learned a lot from my mistakes and just got a fresh start. this time i got the make it >> reporter: many have learned there is more to sports than athletic competition. they must manage their money, too. gradually, many are learning how. tomoyoshi komiya, nhk world, new york. the tokyo police department has given awards to two of its officers for their deft handling of a crowd of raucous soccer fans on the streets of tokyo. the officers were on traffic

duty near shibuya station on the night of june 4th when japan's national soccer team qualified for the world cup. >> translator: police officers are also very happy about japan qualifying for the world cup. please follow traffic rules. we don't want to yell at you on a joyous night like this. >> the male officer told the soccer fans that they represent the 12th member of the japanese team which has a reputation for upholding rules and exhibiting good manners. he has become a sensation on the internet where he's known as dj police. a female officer was also given an award for her actions. the two are members of the riot squad public relations team. this is the first time for the police chief's award to be given to individual officers for crowd control.

a japanese composer wants to help the people who died in the quake and tsunami two years ago. he's written a piano sonata in their memory. mamoru samuragochi lost his hearing 14 years ago due to illness. he's often called a modern-day beethoven. ♪ intense passages express the anger and suffering of the victims. the music is rich in peaceful melodies that represent prayers for the dead. ♪ >> translator: i'd like many people to listen to this sonata to keep memories of the disaster from fading.

>> translator: i'm so happy to have discovered this wonderful piano music. it really makes me want to keep going. ♪ [ applause ] >> samuragochi hopes the people who died on march 11 can find peace. he believes performing his music will relieve their suffering and anger. time now for a check on the weather. a storm that swept through midwestern areas of the united states is now affecting people in northeastern parts. mai shoji tells us the latest in world weather. >> catherine, we have been tracking a storm system that has spawned a large number of tornadoes in the north american continent. let me show you the damages. pictures coming up from the upper midwest first. a massive storm has hit the midwestern u.s. halting traffic and forcing schools and

businesses to close. in ohio, drenching rain has caused widespread flooding and strong winds knocked over trees and power lines. meanwhile, a couple of tornadoes have reportedly touched down in northern iowa. some buildings are damaged and 1,400 homes are without electricity. no injuries or deaths have been reported, which is great news, but take a look at these damages. pulling you back the satellite picture shows you that the storm system has now traveled toward the mid-atlantic states and the new england states. it is associated with a cold front that is sagging all the way towards the southern areas, and these are the storm reports we have been seeing. there are a total of more than 450 reports of winds and hail. and the hail are in large sizes. we are still talking about this cold front sitting here and seven centimeters in diameter, large hail, damaging wind gusts and also tornadic activity

cannot be ruled out, and this includes the greatest threat in maryland, virginia, as well as north carolina. so if you see any dark, black clouds coming your way, do take shelter immediately. it will continue into the late evening hours here. to the back of that, we have some high pressure covering your area, but another system is approaching so it will be a very short break for that. the alberta you're seeing heavy patches of rain, but that will be descending down to the upper midwest. yet again another round of severe weather to come. we cannot rule out the fact that there are chances of tornadic activity once again. wichita's heating up to 37 degrees yet again. and in colorado, the wildfire has not been contained yet. and this is not going to be helping the situation. we've got heat, breezy conditions as well as no precipitation. humidity level is very low just yet. but clear skies here, which is great news for the u.s. open that's been held in pennsylvania.

friday you're going to be seeing some sunny spells and light rain. while saturday/sunday looking perfect for golfing. all right, here across eastern asia, we have a tropical depression that will be formed in the evening hours over the south china sea. this is acting like a conveyor belt of moisture supplied to hainan and macau, especially. we're seeing about 130 millimeters of rain in the past 24 hours in and around hong kong already. it is likely to be adding up to about 100 millimeters of more rain in the similar areas. rain will be across japan as well, but the topic of today is the heat yet again. yesterday osaka prefecture in region will have seen 38 degrees there yesterday, which is scorching hot, well above the midsummer temperatures. again, 35 in kyoto is expected and tokyo down to 24, but with

rain that should be dissipating in the afternoon hours. here's our extended forecast.

and that is all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. do stay with us. we'll be back with more at the top of the hour.

[ music ] >> hello everybody. i'm huell howser and here we are at the natural history museum of los angeles county. we are standing here in fnt of their gold exhibit and a fine exhibit it is, too. we are not here by accident.