welcome to "newsline." this is thursday, december 11th. i'm katherine koayashi in tokyo. police in hong kong are preparing to remove barricades at a demonstration site on thursday saying it will start the operation shortly. despite the warning thousands of protesterers are gathering in the area. some may try to remain at the site and resist the police action. authorities announceded earlier this week that they will remove protesters' tents and barricades near government headquarters in the district. the eviction could come as early as thursday morning local time. police plan to work with a bus

operator to clear the area following a court order that bans sit-ins. around 7,000 officers are scheduled to be deployed. despite the plan, several thousand protesters gathered on wednesday at the site. >> translator: removing the barricades will only fuel our anger further. i hope every citizen stays here. >> they have come prepared with helmets and protective gear for possible clashes. the activists have been staging sit-ins for more than two months. they are calling for a democratic election for hong kong's next chief executive in 2017. we'll keep monitoring the situation there in hong kong and bring you details as they come to us. we take you now to stockholm. three japanese-born scientists have been handed one of the world's most prestigious honors. they have been presented with their nobel prizes in physics.

they earned the work for l.e.d.s. professor akasaki, professor hiroshi amano and professor nakamuru of the university of santa barbara share the honor. >> you have been awarded the nobel prize in physics for your invention of efficient blue light emitting diodes which has enabled bright and energy saving white light sources. ♪ >> swedish king carl gustav awarded the medals to the scientists. a member of the nobel committee praised them for their efforts in creating gall yant crystal which allowed for the development of blue leds.

the three winners attended a banquet after the ceremony. >> our friend wanted his prize to be awarded based on the invention or discovery in physicses that joined the preceding year had the greatest benefit on mankind. therefore we are deeply honored that the dream of led lighting has now become a are reality and is greatly benefitting mankind. >> nakamura hopes leds will provide affordable lighting to poor people around the world. the two winners of this year's nobel peace prize want people around the world to do more to protect children. pakistani teenager malala yousefsai and another made the call at a ceremony in oslo

norway. the two share the prize for supporting children's rights. she's the youngest ever nobel laureate. she was shot by a taliban militant in 2012 for speaking out for girls' rights. >> i had two options. one was to remain silent and wait to be the second was to speak up and then be killed. i chose the second one. >> she called on the global community to take action so that children will never again be deprived of an education. >> why is it that giving guns is so easy but giving books is so

hard? why is it? why is it that making tanks is so easy but building schools is so hard. let this be the last time that we see a child out of school. let this end with us. let us begin this ending together, today, right here, right now let's begin this ending now. thank you so much. >> diarte has been campaigning for three days. the 60-year-old has helped establish a network of international civic groups working for children 's rights.

>> every child is free to be a child. free the grow, eat, sleep, and see the light. free to laugh and cry. free to play and learn. free to go to school and free to dream. >> he says every child should have the right to life, freedom and health. japanese officials aimed to announce targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions as early as possible. the comment was made at a u.n. peru.ng onlimate change in it would take effect in 2020. participating countries will have targets by the end of

march. the united states and china last month outlid the goals. the countries emit more greenhouse gases than any other in the world. japan's work on drawing up the target was delayed by the fukushima nuclear accident three years ago. he said officials will consider various things in making their decision. >> we'll look at what other countries are doing. how discussions on the framework proceed and craigs about japan's mix of sources. we'll present our target as early as possible. >> he suggested japan is willing to help developing nations through financial and technology call support. it would replace the kyoto protocol. people in japan have are a crucial decision to make before they close out 2014 they are voting in a general election on sunday. prime minister shinzo abe and

his liberal docratic party returned to power less than two years ago. he put his sizable majority in the lower house on the line. our special coverage, japan decides, will look at the key issues ahead of election day. abe handled relations with the thab neighbors. they will rate him during his second term in office. they are deciding whether to support the course he's been steering the country in what he calls a rapidly changing security environment. >> reporter: about a week before prime minister shinzo abe dissolved the lower house he made a visit to a foreign country, this time to china. the world was watching. ties between the two countries have frayed since 2012.

in september of that year japan nationalized the senkaku islands in the east china sea. japan controls the islands and the government maintains they are a part of japan's territory. china and taiwan claim them. soon after, coast guard officials saw chinese government ships intruding in japan's waters. there was a spike in 2013 of 188 vessels. that number dropped to 81s this year. abe's visits to the shrine last december further froze relations. the shrine honors japan's war dead, those remembered include those convicted of war crimes after world war ii. chinese leaders say the visit aims to qualify japan's militarism and aggression. but this handshake looked to be the start of a thaw in relations. in november, prime minister abe

and president xi jinping held the first summit. >> translator: neighbors should maintain dialog. i believe we can find ways to resolve any kind of challenges through frank discussions between leaders. >> reporter: but there's another neighbor to mend relations with. south korea. japan and south korea also have disagreements over history. north korea's nuclear and missile development is another concern. authorities in pyongyang launched ballistic missiles into the sea of japan multiple times this year.

and amid what abe is calling a changing security environment, his cabinet approved a landmark change in policy. in july, they decided to reinterpret the constitution to enable the country to use the right to collective self-defense. it allows japan to defend a closely related country under attack, like this scenario where japan's maritime self-defense force ships defend a u.s. naval vessel. past leaders interpreted the constitution to mean japan cannot take such actions. but abe says the country must change course. >> translator: making all possible preparations will in itself serve as the power to thwart and wage war on japan. this is deterrence. >> reporter: some opposition parties are critical of abe's

defense policies, saying it's against the constitution. abe wants a strong mandate to enact it. and so he turns to the voters. nhk world. it's decision time again in japan. prime minister abe has called a sthap election just halfway through his four-year term. thousand voters will give their verdict on his record. from abeonomi cs and diploma in east asia to decisions on tax hikes and the future of nuclear energy. don't miss japan decides, sunday, december 14th on "newsline"ment voters are wondering what to make of the prime minister's economic policies. abe no miracles has taken stock markets to multi year highs. the economy isn't growing at a rate people hoped to see. here's more from the business desk with more on that.

>> we did see the economy contract. surprising leaders and analysts. managers may be holding back from buying new commitment until they are more confident about business conditions. officials at the cabinet office say domestic companies placed orders in october worth about 6.6 billion with major machinery makers. that's down 6.4% in yen terms from september. machinery orders fell for the first time in five months. the officials don't factor in orders for ships and power plants because they fluctuate too much. economies in europe and asia are showing signs of slowing down and analysts say it will weaken demand for crude oil. members of the organization of the petroleum. demand for oil will drop to 28.9

million barrels a day next year. that's down 280,000 barrels from the previous forecast. the official site u.s. government data that show rising shale oil data is causing an increase in stocks of crude oil. the demand proyexs caused the west texas intermediate tole fall to $60 a barrel, a new five-year low. falling oil prices are change ing the stands of many investor. they are avoiding risk and seeking what they regard as safe haven assets like the yen and government bonds. traders are pulling the dollar back from seven-year highs. the dollar had climbed to the upper 1211 yen on monday. the dollar is currently changing hands in the mid to upper 117 yen levels. the euro is weaker against the yen, too. that's in the upper 146 level

looking at stocks the nikkei trailed overnight losses. it was off more than 300 points. 270 points, a stronger yen is driving the weak er than expect ed data on machinery orders is another factor weighing down on the stock market. the index as a level we haven't seen in more than three weeks. 17,139. let's look at what's happening on other markets in this part of the world. south korea's kospi lower by more than 3/4%. in australia we are seeing the benchmark index trading lower by more than half a percent. pretty negative start to the morning in the asia pacific. tokyo leading the way with a 1.5% decline. analysts say weak domestic demand is slowing down the market for new cars in china.

sales were up in november. not as much in previous months. officials at the china association of automobile manufacturers say dealers sold more than 2 million new cars. that's up 2.3% from november 2013. it's the slowest rise so far this year. sales fell 0.5% taj points from last month. from october. that's the third straight month when sales have risen by less than 3%. japanese awesome sold theerly 290,000 passenger cars. that's down about 11% year on year. their market share was 1.2%, down 0.2 points from october. german companies had the top share among foreign car makers at 17%. u.s. awesome had just over 12%. south koreans, 9%. the market share of both american and south korean companies rose. analysts say car makers don't expect high demand for new

models in the market and are making bigger price cuts as a result. that's the latest in business. catherine has more news for you. >> thank you very much. it hasn't been an easy year for south korean president park. her approval ratings have plunged. actions allegedly taken by a former aid are only adding to her problems. he's been accused of meddling in state affairs, something he denied. last week he filed a libel suit against a south korean newspaper after it reported he had instructed officials at the presidential office to replace park's chief of staff. president park herself has criticized the newspaper and denied the allegations repeatedly. her' approval ratings have

dropped below 40%, a level she had maintained since the sewol ferry disaster in april. she has less than 40% of the public's support. south korea's opposition parties are stepping up criticism of the administration. in august, the japanese newspaper posted rumors about a relationship between park and jeong on its website. the paper's former seoul bureau chief who wrote the article is standing trial for defamation. tunisians are preparing to go back to the polls. they voted in october in the north african nation's first democratic presidential election. now the top two candidates are in a runoff and people must decide who can bring prosperity and stability to the nation that sparked the arab spring. nhk world has more. >> reporter: sidi bouzid a city

in central tunisiap. four years ago this man set himself on fire in protest against police harassment. his death triggered a movement that toppled tunisia dictatorship and led for calls for democracy across the arab world. most have mixed feelings about the arab spring. this 27-year-old was a university student at the time of the uprising. she spent many days protesting against the regime. she expected the protests would end chronic corruption and high unemployment. >> translator: at the time, i thought if we got rid of the dictatorship, everything would get better. >> reporter: since the collapse of the dictatorship in 2011, there have been steady moves to create a democratic process. in january, the provisional government enacted a new constitution, guaranteeing religious freedom and equality of the sexes. but the economy has stagnated since the revolution.

the key tourism industry has not recovered to previous levels. foreign investment is declining. and food prices are now 50% higher than before the arab spring. more than 30% of young tunisians are jobless. an increasing number of them sympathize withes extremist islamic state fighters in syria and iraq. after wala graduated she joined an ngo promoting democracy. she had high hopes for the changes the arab spring would bring, but now she feels betrayed. >> translator: socially, economically, and psychologically, the young people of this country have been driven to the wall. some are in such despair, they are committing suicide. >> reporter: one of the candidates in the runoff election held a top post in the

former regime. wala is alarmed that so many people are giving him such strong support. wala's father is one of those who support him. >> translator: essebsi has experienced an ability. he has the know how to run the country. tunisia is in a period of transition, and we need someone with knowledge and experience. >> reporter: wala has set up a website to share information about the election. she wants young people to stay informed about the candidates' policies. >> translator: the arab spring has disappeared. it no longer exists. the important thing now is to

keep making progress in tunisia as it is today. our present efforts will determine whether we have really been successful. >> reporter: the challenges facing tunisia's next government will be to try to restore the hope born in the arab spring. nhk world, tunisia. it's time now for the weather. people in northeastern areas of the u.s. are being hammered by a storm, seeing heavy snow and rain. here's more. it's not rare to see a nor'easter or the northeasterly winds take shape across the northeast. it 's bringing the snow a cumulation and travel is behindered. look at the video from new york city. this is what's happening there. the intense northeaster is bringing hazardous conditions to thousands in up state new york. in syracuse the snowfall became so heavy at interstate 81, a

busy highway. in the area it was forced to shut down. the state governor warned residence dents not to travel unless it was necessary. the power outages have been reported due to the heavy snowfall and high winds downing tree s and power lines. advisories are in effect in the area. it will be tapering off into thursday afternoon. so that's going to be a relief out there. already, so many cancellations and delayed flights are taking place as we speak. this is already bringing gusts up to 100 kilometers per hour. likely to pull in toward the north ooe. the coastal rainfall, the accumulation, for example, in new york already hit the new daily record for the maximum amount. that's traveling all the way out here due to the cold air dominant in the northeast. much of it in the inland areas are snow which is up to about 30 centimeters in some loeks. across the flip side of the continent we are also seeing heavy precipitation, significant

amounts of rainfall will be falling over the area where it's really dry. it has been a very dry winter so far. the drought out here across the california area is still extreme. on that very dry land it's a relief with the precipitation. but too much, of course, would lead to flash floods. we are talking about a hundred millimeters or even up to 230 millimeters just throughout thursday. that's enough to cause flooding and trouble. up to 160 kilometers per hour. this storm definitely is not welcomed. out here in the bigger picture we see conditions with double digits in denver, oklahoma city. across japan, cloud cover. you can't really see the archip eric lago.

there is 40 centimeters of snow and gusts up to 126 kilometers per hour. both combined bringing blizzard conditions here. you can see the system engulfing much of japan bringing thunderstorms and high waves as well as gusty conditions. likely to pull out by evening. the winter pressure pattern will be left behind. tokyo seeing 15 degrees. not bad but a wet and windy event. out here across the southern hemisphere, a low pressure system is slamming into the southeast. new south wales. these are the areas we'll probably see bad weather continue. especially in and around brisbane. likely to hit saturday. now the extended forecast.

we'd like to remind you of the lead story this hour. police in hong kong are preparing to remove the barricades at a major pro democracy demonstration site on thursday. they say it will start the operation shortly. despite the warn withing, thousands of protesters are gathering in the area. some may try to remain at the site and resist the police action. now authorities announced earlier this week that they will remove the protest er tents.

the eviction could come thursday morning local time. police plan to work with the bus operator to clear the area following a court order. despite the plan, several thousand protesters gathered on wednesday at the site. removing the barricades will fuel anger further. i hope every citizen stays here. >> they have come prepared with helmets and protective gear for possible clashes. the activists have been staging sit-ins for more than two months. they are calling for a democratic election for hong kong's next chief executive in 2017. we'll keep a close eye on the situation there in the district of hong kong and bring you details as they come in.

we'll be right back at the top

♪ today's asian voices comes from nagoya in central japan. we will look at globalization. >> earlier this month, unesco held a world conference here. the theme was education for sustainable development or esd. the aim of esd is to nurture people who can tackle global challenges, such as the environment and poverty.