glad to have you with us on this edition of "newsline." hong kong has dismantled the main prodmoksy and arrested more than 240 activists. students pledged to continue their protests in other ways. thousands of police officers removed tents and barricades on thursday from a roadway in front of the government headquarters. they evicted demonstrators and arrested hundreds who have led students for more than two months. the activists have been demanding a fully democratic election. a senior police officer said

operations went smoothly and added other encampments could be dismantled. >> we will reopen at an appropriate time. >> thursday's police operation is expected to bring to an end the massive sit ins, but they demanded people would return. >> translator: participants will show society that we will not give up. if our hearts don't die, protests will continue to grow. >> students are concerned the mainland growing influence will threaten the one country two systems governance. it is intended to guarantee hong kong a high degree of autonomy. president putin has

reaffirmed ties with one of his county i try's most important allies to sign beings of dollars worth of energy deals. they met in thursday in new delhi. they've agreed to examine the possibility of laying a pipeline to transport gas and will push ahead with a plan to build more than ten neek lehr reactors in india with russian expertise. >> translator: despite our close friendship, our coalition in the sector has been disappointing. today, we have made a new start with a few important agreements. >> translator: we're going to do everything for the development of russia-india's relationship for the sake of our two great nations. >> indian leaders have chosen not to join western powers to impose sanctions against russia in relation to ukraine. experts believe mori is trying

strengthen ties with russia to secure supplies of energy and he's looking for help to balance the force of neighboring china. a report says attacks by islamic militant groups around the world killed around 5,000 people last month. bbc and the research institute conducted the joint investigation. they found 664 jihadist attacks in 14 countries killed 542 people last month. it says nearly half the deaths were caused by the islamic state militant group in iraq, syria and other areas. the report notes that civilians bore the brunt of the attacks, accounting for more than half of the death toll. iraq suffered the largest number of civilian deaths at 1,770, followed by nigeria, afrg and syria. security forces in afghanistan have seen a new wave

of violence. a suicide bombing in kabul has killed seven on thursday incl e including a foreigner. ten others were wounded. authorities say the taliban had claimed responsibility for the attack. they say a man blew himself up in the french cultural center. they say it was during a theatre performance and film screening with the theme of human rights. the facility is run by the french government and they say the suicide bomber was likely a teenager. taliban leaders said in a statement that a western propaganda film was being shown at the center and they warned what they call foreign invaders not to hold activities at the center. the french facility is close to the afghan presidential office. police are investigating how the attacker brought explosives into an area under tight security. officials in okinawa has launched a formal complaint against a united states police

officer. authorities say a 67-year-old japanese man was found lying unconscious on a roadway. they say he had apparently been in an accident while riding his motorcycle and they say a card found at the scene helped them track down the vehicle involved. police say a marine major has confessed his involvement. they say the major admitted his car hit the motorcycle and that he left the scene without attending to the victim. he visited the u.s. marine headquarters. >> translator: i strongly demanded that u.s. forces fully cooperate with our police investigation. i also requested the implementation of a rigorous discipline program so that an accident like this will never happen again. >> senior marine official robert eldrich promised to comply fully with the investigation. the mayor made a separate visit

to the headquarters to launch a formal complaint. raises questions about the credibility of the american military's disciplinary program. leaders in china are worried their model for economic growth has run its course. they're rethinking the way they do things. what can you tell us? >> for decades, leaders in beijing have relied on cheap labor and heavy investment to run the country, but now, they're starting to see the cost of the approach. they're seeing there's a divide between rich and poor and are seeing a major environmental toll, too. they're no longer getting the dazzling growth of just a few years ago, so they say from now on, they'll prioritize quality and efficiency over quantity and speed. top officials of the government and ruling communist party met for three days of talks to talk about the economy.

they talked about how to help firms that are struggling with the downward pressure on the economy. they said china has to adapt to what they call the new normal where things are slower, but quality is higher. government officials will focus on industries that produce more than they sell. they'll urge firms to merge and consolidate to efficiency. they'll also push energy saving measures and other policies and they'll adopt a monetary policy. the leaders -- cut the 2015 growth target from 7.5%. traders are expecting the oversupply of crude oil to last their futures and dragging the oil price down to levels not seen for years. traders reacted to news that -- oil minister won't allow a cut in production.

they dumped futures and put a dent in the intermediate. it tum principled at one point to less than $60 a barrel. they regarded the mark as an important psychological barrier. they say if the benchmark dips below that, there's no telling how far it will go. they say it's falling so fast it will start to hurt financial institutions in energy firms. every with new retail is taking hold. sales were up by more than people expected. analysts at the u.s. commerce department says retailers rang up nearly $450 in sales. that's up nearly 7% from october. for the second month in a row, the situation has improved. retailers reported sales of cars and auto parts increased by

1.7%. managers at clothing and department stores said they had a better month in the lead up to the holiday season. analysts said sales from online shopping rose, too. they said the drop in gasoline prices is leaving more money in people's pockets. and they expect the trend to continue. well t the robust retail sales boosted prices on wall street and the positive sentiment is carrying over to tokyo. the nikkei now trading higher by more than three-fourths percent. many are buying on shares of exporters on the yen. traders are buying the dollar against major currencies as they're expecting further economic growth in the u.s. now, the euro, that's trading lower against the dollar this morning, some are speculating more monetary easing from the european central bank early next year. and look iing at some other markets in the asia pacific, south korea's kospi trading higher this morning. up by more than a quarter

percent. let's see what's happening in australia. the benchmark index trading lower. a bit of a mixed start to our friday morning in asia. japanese electronics firm sew any has announced the launch of its latest game consoles. the first japanese developer to enter the huge untapped mark. sony announced on thursday it will roll out play station 4 and vita on january 11th. chinese authorities imposed a ban on the sale and import of game consoles and software. they claimed the products could negatively effect the mental growth of young people -- has official sensorship guideline federlines. sony will be competing with

microsoft, whose x box went on sale in september. many smuggled titles have been circulating in china before the ben was eased. >> all the play station game software will be available in chinese and we will offer a two-year warranty so our customers can play worry free, which will be a big sales point. >> sony plans to attract chinese gamers by introducing software popular in japan and abroad as well as titles specifically designed for the chinese market. more headlines for you in business next hour. for now, i'll leave you with a check on markets.

pakistani and indian supporters of the noble prize winners were deleichted to see them receive the awards. they're celebrating the achievements of the 17-year-old schoolgirl and indian human rights activist. she was shot on her way home from school two years ago by islamic militants.

she made a full recovery and resumed her campaign for educational rights for women and children. in the capital, members of the organization watched the awards ceremony on a screen. sfrz >> translator: malala came back from the brink of death. i hope she will overcome difficulties and continue her work. we will always support her. >> people released white and blue balloons wishing for malala's further success. she has her sights set on political office and wants to one day become the prime minister of pakistan. >> i want my country to go forward and i'm -- that's why i decided that i'll join politics and maybe one day people will vote for me and i get the majority, i become the prime minister. >> malala described former

pakistani prime minister bhutto as a role model. she was pakistan's first female prime minister and she also stressed the need for women to go into a variety of fields, including politics. people in japan have something to add to their to do list this weekend. they'll be voting in a general election. prime minister abe and his liberal draekt party returned to party less than two years ago, but he called the snap pole because he wants them to weigh in. japan decides is focusing on the key issues ahead of election day. abe enacted a last minute bill on regional revitalization before he resolves the lower house. they have been searching for a way to solve the demographic dlim ma and the crisis is hitting rural areas the hardest.

many voters there are looking to change the way the election may bring. >> farmers in the western prefecture are known as the top producers of various kinds of fruit. but their industry is shrinking. >> i don't have young ones to take over my business, so my wife and i are the only ones to do the harvest. >> farmers have been growing oranges for hundreds of years. the farmers here are now over 65 and many more are quitting. that just one of the issues affecting this population. more than one million people used to live in the prefecture. over the past decade, the population has decreased by 7%. deaths are outpacing births and

the young people are moving to cities. farmers who are carrying on say their income has become unstable, mainly because fruit consumption nationwide is decreasing. they can no longer rely on the domestic market. in order to survive, they're trying to increase their sales overseas. ten years ago, they began targeting asia's emerging economies. they started exporting processed orange products to china, singapore and malaysia. sales of oranges overseas are still small. farmers are trying to boost their profile by getting involved in events like trade expos. >> translator: if we plan many things and a label to expand our business, i have a strong feeling the younger generation

will get interested in this industry. if we succeed, we bring life to the whole community. >> but there's only so much farmers can do by themselves. many residents say the new government should face the reality happening in rural areas and offer more support. >> translator: i hear leaders talking about decentralizing, but all in all, all the benefits have gone to tokyo and other cities. they have to have a solid vision to reverse this trend. >> translator: i hope the government carries out policies for all farmers to have bright prospects for the future. other rural communities are facing a similar problem. they want the new government to come up with policies to change t --

>> it's decision time again in japan. prime minister abe has called a snap election halfway through his four year term. now, voters will give their verdict on his record. from abenomics in east asia to decisions on tax hikes and the future of nuclear energy. don't miss our special coverage, japan decides, sunday, december 14th, on "newsline." more and more women in japan are breaking with tradition and entering a male dominating. they realize the perks outweigh the challenges. >> reporter: one company looking for female drivers is located in

central japan. all of the companies administrative staff members are women, including the ceo. she started working at the company this year. she works from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and overtime is rare. trucking companies usually carry freight all over the country. but this company provides only local services. the drivers don't have to work such long hours and they can balance work and family. the company actively promotes the use of forklifts which make loading and unloading heavy cargo easier for women. >> translator: there are a few things that i can't do because i'm a woman, but i still think working here is a positive experience for me. >> reporter: the company once had problems securing sufficient

personnel as its drivers grew older and retired. but these innovative efforts have begun to pay off. >> translator: we give our drivers the responsibility of completing their own shipments. >> reporter: the transport ministry estimates that the trucking industry will face a shortage of 140,000 drivers by 2015. to cover the shortfall, hiring more female drivers is inescapable. they currently make up just 2% of this workforce. another transport company is reviewing its working conditions in an effort to make them more amenable to women. this woman has been driving a truck for about a year. a single mother with a child in junior high school, she says the

work suits her because she doesn't have to work on sundays. she can take a day off if there's an emergency. this distributor takes orders from only a few companies. its trucks pick up and drop their shipments at fixed locations, even if a driver calls in sick, another can immediately take up the job. >> translator: at other companies, drivers take irregular days off but here we usually get sundays off so it's easier to schedule private appointments. >> reporter: this shipping agency has started a daycare service for its employees. right now, it's looking after four young children ranging in age from 1 to 3. the company's aim is to attract more women with children by providing a more attractive working environment.

>> translator: we need to improve our infrastructure to create a woman-friendly working environment. we have a lengthy to do list to that end. >> reporter: as the driver shortage intensifies, truck companies are coming up with a variety of ways to get women behind the wheel. it's time now for our check with the weather. people in southern brazil are being drenched by pouring rain >> the reason has been seeing ongoing severe weather, severe flooding has happened across southern romania. we have some pictures to show you. remo romania has been hit with back-to-back storms for week and are resulting with one of the longest streaks in over 30 years

for this country. the rainfall has saturated the soil resulting in overflowing rivers and banks. including homes as you can see in this picture. i'm afraid to tell you that the rain will be continuing across some of the areas, clearing out in romania, where the video is come coming from from, but upper trough and this low pressure system combined are bringing us conditions. we have three waterspouts reported around greece and precipitation will then take you to turkey. we have a second level highest level of warmings for heavy rainfall across western turkey today as we speak, but as you can see, the winds and rain will be tapering off, but take a look at this. this massive system is still an ongoing event. we have reports of about 70 to 80 kilometers per hour in and

around the scandanavian peninsula. we still have a potential for 100 kilometers per hour gusts that could be a potential across denmark and the heavy rain patches could be across the british aisles with up to ten meters of rainfall and five centimeters even down towards the lower glounds. the system will pull in that cold front into the iberian peninsula. it's going to get quite stormy, but 13 for now with with cloudy skies. you still have that chance of storms on your friday. now, across japan, the winter pressure pattern is again strengthening, an on top of that, i want to mention about this cold surge. it's going to be really cold. from thursday to friday, you can see them pulling down and by saturday, engulfing much of the korean peninsula.

already some minus 5 degrees for the friday morning low. it's going to be a little bit dry for the daytime high and you can see the -- and in japan. especially will have the really heavy bulk of snowfall. 40 sent meters will be climbing up, so that fresh snow piling up in a very short time span will be creating risks for avalanche. out across here, will soon be potential flooding across southern areas. so that's going to be something to watch out for. pacific side of japan, looking really clear and fine at 11 degrees in tokyo. still to talk about here in the eastern coast, more than 100 flights have been canceled in and around new york, but it's wrapping up, so that's good news. we have about 40 sent meteeters

snowfall, but this big mess, over 400 flights have been canceled already in and around san francisco and we still have that potential for flooding across the coastal locations. we're looking at double digits in place in this section though, denver at 19 degrees.

that wraps up thi eofline." thanks for joinings.

steves: the dramatic rock of cashel is one of ireland's most evocative sites.

this was the seat of ancient irish kings for seven centuries. st. patrick baptized king aengus here in about 450 a.d. in around 1100, an irish king gave cashel to the church, and it grew to become the ecclesiastical capital of all ireland. 800 years ago, this monastic community was just a chapel and a round tower standing high on this bluff. it looked out then, as it does today, over the plain of tipperary, called the golden vale because its rich soil makes it ireland's best farmland. on this historic rock, you stroll among these ruins in the footsteps of st. patrick, and wandering through my favorite celtic cross graveyard, i feel the soul of ireland.

all smiles at the pump. but oil could be a mixed blessing for asian economies. japan's prime minister asks voters to give their verdict on economics. first joyner then the world. this bridge maker says it's just getting warmed up. hello. you're watching asia news forecast. i'm yuko fukushima. they used to call it black gold. not so much these days. crude oil at the commodity has lost much of its glitter. the price of oildropped to its five years.