hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." it's tuesday november 11th. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. the leaders of 21 countries and terrors are sitting down for the second day of the cooperation forum. they're tackling how to promote economic integration. japanese prime minister abe is advocating for a free trade agreement that covers the region. he says the free trade kra of the asia pacific agreement would deliver benefits to member states. he says that will contribute more to regional economic

growth. apeck leaders are scheduled to adopt a declaration commemorating the 25th anniversary of the forum. the chinese president will read the document to the public on tuesday afternoon. discussions are heating up on how thernd cooperate. we take a closer look at the new economic order china is trying to create. the head of the apec summit, china let it be known it was eager to play a role in setting up the framework. >> china hopes apey will facilitate dcuionso help wi a f. >> china poses the free trade area off the asia pacific. under provisions, regions would liberalize trade and investment. so far, china and the u.s. have been competing to establish their own version. the u.s. is leading negotiations for the trans pacific

partnership or tpp. the free trade goals. the high hurdles deter chi from negotiations. as an alternative to the -- comprehensive partnership. an organization that is many countries and heenlgs. in doing this, china has to take leadership in creating now order. plus, exports fear it may curb the momentum. china is also trying to set up a financial institution. in october, 21 countries exchanged memorandums on the aaib. china says the bank would aim to

serve asia's growing demand for infrastructure. the bank would be headquartered in beijing. china is expected to provide about half of the vents $100 billion capital. we would highly effective and well to boost economic cooperation in asia. >> has been the leader in helping to develop region infrastructure. the u.s. and japan play a central role and a japanese serves as its prosecutor. china appears to be trying to insert greater influence. >> china is trying hard to realizize frameworks.

i believe aaib is one of the elements in the bigger picture. >> many are pinning their hopes on the investment bank, but lead rs of some countries remain weary. >> it was completed this month. it's called the china bridge. it was built with assistance from the chinese government. four years ago, china was a source of aid. >> translator: i'd like to thank the chinese and cambodia's government for building this bridge. >> reporter: many asian countries have high hopes for

the aaib, because china approaches infrastructure support differently from the japan and the u.s.-led atp. this project was studied eight years ago using aaib loans. it was scheduled to be completed last year, but it remains unfinished. the cambodian government said there are people living along the route. some toilets have been built, but no housing facilities. so most residents chose to move. to get the project moving again, they asked the cambodian government to consider the human issues. meanwhile, this road is being built using loans from china. china prioritizes the cooperation with its projects.

and doesn't place as much importance on environmental and safety issues as the atp. >> translator: i get a lot of dust in my eyes in the evenings. there's nothing i can do but put up with it. >> reporter: it's not unusual for them to be complaining about the time it will take. some welcome china displays in backing these projects. >> translator: speed is the key. if loans are delayed by a year or two, the development of the country is delayed by a year or two. >> reporter: but the united states and japan have expressed

concern about the transparency in the aaib framework. >> as it relates to the infrastructure, as we've said before, our view is that it would need to be done in a transparent manner with high standards. >> reporter: australia is in the difficult position regarding the aaib. the australian government has been strengthening its economic ties with china. it intended to join the aiib for the building in asia. but its ally the united states has tried to put a stop to this. according to an australian newspaper, john kerry asked the prime minister tony abbott not to work with the aiib. but the world has yet to see what he will do.

>> with ewould like to join, but it's got to be a multi-lateral institution with the kind of transparency and the kind of governance arrangements that the world bank has. >> reporter: the u.s. and japan are worried about china using its bountiful financial resources in asia. tomoki matsuda, nhk world. people in japan have been seeing imports outweigh exports, still, the measure of trade and investment is in the black. >> japan has been racking up trade deficits for 27 months, but overseas investments, actually, they've been doing really well and that's helped push the current account into the black for a third month in a row. ministry officials say the current surplus is $8.4 billion. that's despite a trade deficit

of $6.2 billion. strong overseas sales of cars and steel pushed up exports by 11.6% in yen terms from a year ago. increases in purchases of liquefied natural gas and communications equipment boosted imports by 10.4%. but returns on overseas investment made up for the trade shortfall. the primary account is how much japan earns from the foreign investment. the surplus in the account is about $17.7 billion. the russian ruble has fallen 14% against the dollar in past month. it's been hitting record lows in the last few days. officials say it's time to let the ruble float freely. the officials say they'll remove its daily fluctuation limits p against the dollar and euro. they say those limits and market

interventions have done little to prevent the ruble's slide. western sanctions over ukraine, falling oil prices and speculative trading have caused the currency to lose value. bank officials have been using reserves of foreign currency to support the ruble when it breaks through, but sibs the beginning of the year, those reserves have shrunk by about $80 billion. the officials say letting the ruble float will ensure price stability, but they'll still be able to intervene if needed. vladimir putin says the new policy will stop speculative trading. let's see how other currency pairs are trading. do dollar higher against the yen. angel cysts say traders are buying the dollar due to confidence in the u.s. economy. now, it is the same situation with the euro. the dollar buying it pushing the

single currency lore against the green back. euro dollar is mow at the lower 14 level. the weaker yen is making exporter shares attractive and this is pushing the nikkei index heyer. up two-thirds percent higher than monday's close. a higher performance on wall street is also giving tokyo a boost. le's take a look at what's happening on other markets. and in australia, we are seeing the benchmark index lower this morning. right now, it is down 5,511. atlantic blue fin tuna may no longer be op the brink of extinction and delegates are set to increase fishing quotas for the atlantic and the met terrain yan. members of the commission for

conservative vegas of atlantic tunas are -- earlier this month that it would be acceptable to increase the quota by 70% in the next few years. that works out to about 10,000 tons. it would be the first increase in the fishing quota in two years. the european union supports the plan as does morocco and other members with industries. >> the next issue is sustainable fishing. >> japan is the largers consumer of blue fin tuna. delegates are planning to explain that the country will study and responsibly manage fishery resources. i'll leave you with a check on markets.

officials in jordan are seeing fewer people come to visit. their tourism efforts are being hampered by the political situations in neighboring countries, so they teamed up with some japanese exports to help guide visitors back. >> this town was once the capital. the the history dates back to the 16th century. it's known for beautiful buildings, but not for any significant tourist attractions.

for two years he's been supporting tourism promotion. he's from western japan. for many years he has worked on projects aimed at stimulaing hagi tourism. >> the information you provide to first-time visitors is important. >> hagi was destroyed and preserved. the old district of hagi city still keeps its historical appearance, which dates back to the 17th century. they present the entire town and that attract more visitors. now they are applying their know-how to revitalize tourism. >> did you make this?

>> yes. it's handmade. >> the group is planning to create a tour that enables the visitors to interact with locals. he is determined that the tour focus on the city's history. so he might feature this 17th century church near the the statue of the blessed virgin mary, there is a space for muslims to pray. in many parts of the city, there is evidence of peaceful existence between christians and muslims. >> this is an ancient cultural heritage that people keep alive. it's important to emphasize that. >> they hosted a tourism training center in hagi city. 25-year-old asir experienced hagi by joining the creative

city tours. she went from door to door looking for people to support the project. she found a musician two can play traditional instruments. at this house, she came across at tire that is 70 years old. it's more than three meters long. it's an important object. the team decided to let tourists try it on. >> it exposes the bride's neck, showing her femininity. >> at first, many were hesitant to get involved in the project. but eventually there was some

interest. >> we learn to appreciate what they have. >> since the two municipalities have started collaborating, the number of business has increased. residents have also rediscovered their town's history and that the people themselves. a suicide bombing in nigeria has killed at least 47 people. police say they suspect a member of boko haraam staged the

attack. local media reported at least 47 died, including students. witnesses said many students gathered for an assembly, then a bomb went off. they say a man wearing a school uniform detonated the explosive. they have targeted schools that provide western style education. in april, they kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls. but the group later denied that a troop was in place and militants have continued their attacks. many are critical of the government's response. that could seal political unrest before the next political election in february. chinese fishermen suspected of poaching coral are showing no sign of letting up. coast guard officials say on monday, they spotted more than 140 boats on the area.

they say the vessels were dpatherred near the islands in the pacific and more than 30 were in japanese territorial waters. many were displaying chinese flags and some had gear used for collecting coral hanging off the side. people in china pay high prices for jewelry and ornaments made from red corral. they charge more than $20,000 per kilogram. a chinese fishing boat was stopped last year in okinawa. they arrested the same man again in october. they say on monday, half of the vessels off the island chain were sailing away from the area. authorities say they're closely monitoring their movements. the leaders of japan and china have agreed to improve ties in the spirit of a strategic relationship.

prime minister shinzo abe and chinese president xi jinping held talks in beijing. it's the first time they've met one on one since they took office. the meeting lasted for about 30 minutes. the onset of the talks was open to the media. it was the first summit between the two countries in two and a half years. bilateral relations have been tense over a group of islands in the east china sea and perceptions of history. abe said china's peaceful development is an opportunity for japan and the international community. he said he wants to work with china to make use of the opportunity as the world's second and third largest economies. >> translator: the talks became the first step for japan and china to improve ties in the spirit of a strategic relationship that is beneficial to both sides. many countries, not only in asia, were expecting the japan-china summit talks. i was able to respond to such expectations.

>> abe said specific matters between japan and china as neighbors should not harm their overall relationship. he called on xi to work together for better mutual understanding among people, stronger economic ties, closer cooperation in the east china sea, and a more stable security environment in east asia. president xi replied he will work to improve bilateral ties. he hopes japan will maintain its stand as a peace-loving nation. he referred to a government statement that gave a heart-felt apology for agregs in asia. he said it's important to face history squarely and advance toward the future.

abe said his cabinet upholds the stance of past governments on the perception of history. the two leaders agreed to prepare for a communications mechanism in order to avoid unexpected incidents at sea and in the air. the president of south korea also met with xi. park geun-hye said she's keen to resume high-level talks with japan. park and xi said all prime ministers should get together before the end of the year. park is reportedly eager to keep the momentum going. leaders used to hold a summit once a year, that foreign ministers also met annually. but they haven't held any meetings for two and a half years. people in parts of eastern india are dealing with rain and fishermen there aren't able to do their jobs. the fishermen are not

getting a break at all. we have another low pressure system pulling into the eastern coast of india. let me show you a video coming out. last month, the east coast of india was hit by an intense cyclone. it killed at least 25 people and leaving many strangling for basic necessities. like food and water. the recovery effort has been delayed because of strong winds and low pressures in the bay of bengal. most recently, the meteorological department has issued new warnings to fishermen. there are little signs of the 40 to 50 kilometer per hour winds near the coast relaxing anytime soon and i'm afraid unfortunately ample moisture will be pulled in. it is now impacting much of the peninsula as well as southern bangkok and it has already provided about 90 millimeters of rainfall. as the system pulls in towards the eastern coast, it can be a bit of trouble again.

100 millimeters or more could lead to flooding and a lot of that rain will full in, so anywhere along the eastern coast to where fishermen really depend on venturing out for the next few days, it's not going to be happening. high pressure is dominating the peninsula. air is quite stagnant in beijing. rural areas are seeing quite bad weather, bad excuse me, pollution. towards the islands, we have a landslide advisory in place due to the stationary boundary. that's likely to pull up towards the contar region, so these are the areas we see excite chilly rain. the temperature is only going to be up to about 15 degrees, same here in seoul and to our freezing mark at minus 5 degrees. talking about the cold. it's extremely cold across the u.s. well, this is due to the jet

stream sinking down towards the south, so kansas, oklahoma city, these are the areas where you're seeing hard freeze warnings. still november and then the arctic blast, which has opened the doors, will make its way towards the eastern sea boards. the temperature difference will be about 15 degrees. and some of these locations saw a 25 degree celsius drop in just three hours. that's like having fun and enjoying the sun in hawaii and the next minute, you're in alaska and then for your wednesday, that's going to be shifting all the way towards the east, so we're likely to see a lot of snow piling up to 30 to 40 sent great lakes region and the temperatures, really chilly ones, are going to be continuely into the latter half of the weekend. it may go into early next week. now, across of the european continent, we have been seeing unsettled questions for quite some time. they'll accumulate in venice

where the flooding still continues and rome, also. switzerland has been b receiving about 100 millimeters of rainfall and 100 secentimeters snow, as well as tornados, large hail and strong dwuss. meanwhile, the eastern half looking nice. 17 in warsaw. now for our extended forecast.

and ta concludes this edition of thus line. thanks for joining us.

>> hello and welcome "euromaxx highlights" where we select the top reports of the week for you. here's a look at our top three reports. berlin's festival of lights attracts more than two million spectators. using quadrocopters for stage performances. and amateur photographers are making a splash with instagram . as you can see behind me, the annual festival of lights is still underway here in berlin. it is celebrating its 10th anniversary and every year you get to see the german capital in a completely different light. many of the famous sights and monuments like the brandenburg gate have become a backdrop for spectacular light and video projections.