hello. welcome to "newsline." it's wednesday, january 7th. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. the new u.s. congress has convened after midterm elections in november. the republican party has a majority in both the senate and house of representatives. the gop will likely step up its confrontations with president barack obama over key policies. the house reelected john boehner as its speaker on tuesday. republicans are against obama's plan to begin talks on economic sanctions ond normalizing diplomatic relations with cuba. they're also trying to block p reforms.

they'll soon introduce a bill to approve the construction of an oil pipeline. obama is cautious about the project due to environmental concerns. the white house says the president will exercise his veto if congress passes the bill. >> i can confirm for you if this bill passes this congress, the president wouldn't sign it either. >> obama says he intends to issue executive orders to promote policies opposed by republicans. but he also says he's ready to seek their cooperation in matters such as the transpacific partnership free trade act. two years remain in president obama's tenure. hong kong is still facing criticism over its political reform process. the government will launch its second round of public consultations for electing the territory's next chief executive. the current leader said public feedback will resume on wednesday. the announcement came after hong kong submitted a report to the chinese government on the

student-led protests. they continued for more than two months until december. >> translator: intimidation cannot make anything legal that is outside or inconsistent with hong kong's constitution. >> a student representative criticized the report. >> translator: the report is meaningless because it fails to touch on why such massive protests occurred and where the core of the reform lies. >> the remarks were apparently aimed at protesters. they're opposing the mainland state council's decision that effectively excludes pro democracy candidates from the first direct election for chief executive in 2017. south korean defense officials express concern about

north korea's ability to make nuclear weapons. the report points out that the north is presumed to have secured some 40 kilograms of nuclear weapons grade plutonium. ministry officials said the north is unlikely to have already deployed nuclear weapons, but its technology to make smaller warheads has advanced significantly. the north's first nuclear test was eight years ago. the ministry believes the north has missile capabilities that could threaten the u.s. mainland and could develop submarines with ballistic missiles. president park wants to sit down for talks after kim jong-un suggested dialogue could be possible. kim said in his new year's address that he can no longer tolerate the tragedy of a divided korean people. he said he wants a turn-around in relations, on the condition

that seoul stops causing tensions. park welcomed kim's remarks, but she also called on north korean officials to show a commitment to improving ties through action. >> translator: i hope north korea will come forward promptly to enter dialogue. i hope pyongyang will cooperate and make substantial contributions to specific projects toward peace and unification on the korean peninsula. >> last month the park administration proposed ministerial talks in january. she wants to discuss issues including the reunion of families separated by the korean war more than 60 years ago. government officials in china have dropped their limits on exports of strategically important minerals that are widely used to make smartphones. they've seen high-tech companies around the world reduce their reliance on chinese supplies and will give more access to materials known as rare earths. developers in china produce

almost all of the world's supply of the minerals until now they've been bound by export restrictions that the chinese government said is designed to preserve the country's natural resources. representatives from japan, the u.s. and european union in 2012 filed a complaint. they said china was violating trade rules. members of a world trade organization panel last year ruled in their favor. the panel members said china had not shown the export quotas were needed to preserve stocks of the rare earths. president xi jinping is key to show china the respects of the international trade and supports fair competition in the marketplace. japan's prime minister says he'll release a statement on the 70th anniversary of the end of world war ii. maintaining the stance of past cabinets on historical issues. diplomats from china and south korea say they'll keep a close watch on what he has to say. >> translator: china is

interested in the attitudes and signals japan's government and leaders will express about the past aggression. >> he also said he hopes japan will remain true to what it has pledged regarding historical issues and take the path of peaceful development. in 1995 then prime minister moreyama expressed what he called deep remorse and heart-felt apology for japan's colonial rule and war aggression. and expressing sincere apologies to those referred to as comfort women. south korea has called on abe to uphold the positions of the previous prime ministers. >> translator: we hope the japanese government will act in good faith for a correct awareness of history in order to gain the trust of neighboring countries and the international community.

>> he stressed that the south korean government will pay close attention to what japan says in the statement. falling oil prices may be good news for consumers. but investors have a different take on the situation. ai joins us now from the business market. how are the markets reacting? >> pretty negatively. crude oil prices on monday fell below the $50 bench mark. that rattled market players. and they don't see prices bottoming out anytime soon. continuing oversupply briefly pushed crude oil prices in new york on tuesday to the lowest level in nearly six years. the benchmark west texas intermediate at one point fell below $48 a barrel the lowest it's been since april 2009. oil futures were sold heavily on expectations that prices will slide further as russia and iraq increase output. reports that saudi arabia has cut oil prices for european

customers also prompted selling. market players see the possibility of greece leaving the eurozone slowing growth in europe. that could mean lower demand for oil. the plunge in oil prices made investors on wall street nervous. share prices in new york tumbled. the dow jones industrial average lost more than 200 points but it later made up for some of those losses on buybacks. it did close down at 17,371. a loss of about 3/4% or 130 points from monday. investors here in tokyo also don't like what they see. the nikkei opened down 0.4% tracking the overnight losses that they saw on wall street. but it has recovered some of the lost ground as bargain hunting kicked in. that's after the punch yesterday of more than 3%. the benchmark index is trading in a tight range this morning, going in and out of negative territory. analysts say investors are worried about weak oil prices

and the political uncertainty in greece. now, currency traders are also worried and pushing the dollar lower against the yen. this morning in tokyo, the dollar is trading at the upper 118 yen range. it's traded as low as 118.04 in overseas markets. the yen is also higher against the euro. the single currency is at two-month lows against the yen. right now, right around the 141 yen range. investors are also moving their money into what they consider safer assets like government bonds. the yield on the ten-year japanese government bond posted a record low for a second straight day. dipping to 0.265% at one stage. in other markets in the asia-pacific region south korea's kospi down just a touch. let's see what's happening down under. australia's benchmark index trading lower below .6%.

many japanese business leaders say the private sector should raise workers' wages to boost consumption and end deflation. the head of the leading furniture maker and retailer agrees. he wants to raise mothly wages of the firm's employees by more than 3%. that meeths all employees would see a basic pay increase. wages would also be raised based on seniority. labor and management at the firm last spring reached an agreement on a monthly pay raise of more than 2%. he said raising wages will boost consumption and help the overall economy. officials at mcdonald's japan say there haven't been any more reports of foreign objects in a popular chicken dish. a customer last week discovered a piece of blue vinyl in a serving of chicken mcnuggets. the object was found on saturday in an outlet in the northern

prefecture of aomi. mcdonald's halted sales at a plant in thailand the same day as those containing the vinyl. they recalled about 190,000 orders. the officials say the menu item had been supplied to outlets in 852 stores across the country, and they say almost all of them have been sold. officials at the fast-food chain asked an outside body to examine the vinyl object. they want to confirm whether the material was used at the factory in thailand. more for you next hour in business news. i'll leave you with a check on markets.

every morning investors draw their attention to asia. the tokyo market leads the way. and markets around the world follow. >> from the decisions that could change the course of an economy. >> to the companies at the forefront of change. >> up-to-the-minute market reports. >> and analysis by specialists from around the world. >> get all the latest business news and insight here on "newsline." makers of electronic gadgets are gathering in las vegas. they're rolling out their latest projects at the international consumer electronics show. the biggest names in televisions are showing how they put a new spin on a familiar device. here's our report.

>> reporter: asian manufacturers dominate the global market for tvs. many of them have come to see the show armed with tvs that contain new features and technologies. sharp of japan has unveiled a high-definition 4k model. it has four times as many pixels as current high-definition tvs. company representatives say the set even makes recording images look better. it does that by showing the images at the equivalent of 8k resolution. sharp is positioning the tv as a flagship model for the higher end of the market. executives aim to begin selling it in japan and in the u.s. this year. >> translator: we can't raise profitability merely by engaging in a price war. it's important to launch any

products with our original technology at the core. >> reporter: lg electronics of south korea is showing off their televisions. the company has also rolled out a new product using quantum dot technology. company officials say the name refers to particles used to backlight the liquid crystal display. they say the tvs generate more colorful, life-like images than other 4k models. >> this year features color prime technology in several series which will expand the color gamut up to 30%. >> reporter: tcl of china also unveiled a quantum dot tv. it's extending its global reach and became the world's third largest maker of lcd tvs in 2013. they said they'll beat their rivals by offering their

products at a lower price. >> we're taking the leap, one, two, three. >> reporter: the show is a chance for industry executives to promote other products, too. some of the items on display this year include wearable computers and audio devices offering better sound quality than regular cd players. manufacturers say they're confident technologies like these will sell. many of the gadgets are due to hit the store shelves soon. and then it's up to consumers to decide which one will come out on top. nhk world. the people who run japan's railway service are looking to raise the bar. they've seen their bullet train service set the pace in speed and safety in more than 50 years. they're now looking to give passengers an even better experience. >> just two months to go until

these attendants will be serving customers for real. >> you can't reach from the front. so serve sideways like this. >> the instructor used to work as a first-class cabin attendant on international flights. now she trains train attendants. over 100 so far. >> translator: i want the attendants to aim to take our level of service even higher. >> reporter: the new line will leave tokyo in two and a half hours. they're fitted with grand class cars. that's where the attendants will be working. a one-way ticket in grand class will be about $230. although food and drinks are included in the price, it's still almost twice as much as an ordinary ticket. these luxurious cars were introduced four years ago on

another bullet train line. the attendants welcomed the passengers onboard. serve them food and provide other amenities. takahashi has been in charge of the class from the start. the manual covers all details from the job, from fares and running times to how to respond in the event of an accident. >> translator: i've been writing and re-writing this manual since the start. i wonder if it will ever be finished. >> reporter: the training will continue until the trains go into service in march. one thing that takahashi makes sure her students remember. >> translator: smile. smile. you're not smiling enough. >> reporter: she understands that to provide the upper level

of service, the biggest factor of the attendants is to smile, and create the atmosphere of traditional japanese hospitality. >> translator: the passengers lking at you the whole time so you shouldn't look too serious. you need to smile. >> translator: she says my good points and that makes me want to work even harder. >> translator: i criticized you a lot. >> translator: yes. but sometimes you praise me, too. and that makes me very, very happy. >> translator: i just want to hear the passengers riding in the grand class karsay it was a great experience. that's my only goal. >> reporter: for takahashi, she has a hometown connection

offering service with a smile. a female suicide bomber has detonated explosives at a police station in istanbul's historic district. a police officer was killed and another was injured. the attack took place on tuesday afternoon near the blue mosque near the museum. it was the second attack against police in a week in istanbul. turkish police detained a man last thursday. he threw a hand grenade and began firing at officers near the prime minister's office. no one has claimed responsibility for the latest attack. but police suspect it was carried out by the same leftist group. tens of thousands of people in germany have taken to the streets. some are calling for tighter controls on muslim immigrants. others are promoting a message of tolerance.

members of a group campaigning against what they call the islamization of europe have been holding rallies. but monday's gathering in the eastern city of dressden drew a record crowd of 18,000. many say they're concerned about terrorism on home soil. more than 500 people from germany have reportedly joined the islamic state militant group. demonstrations were also held in berlin and hamburg. they oppose the anti-islam movement. people appealed for an end to discrimination. in could loan the lights of the cathedral and the city hall were turned off to make a statement against racism. chancellor angela merkel said in her new year's address that hostility toward foreigners has no place in german society. a salvage team in britain is trying to save a ship and its precious cargo. it's carrying hundreds of luxury cars. the cargo ship began listing soon after leaving port on

course to germany. officials of the shipping company say the captain decided to ground the 180-meter-long vessel on a bank to prevent it from overturning completely. all 25 members of the crew were rescued. the ship is tilted at a 45-degree angle, creating a challenge for salvage workers. >> it's quite substantial and will be quite difficult for going onword to walk on the vessel. >> a team has boarded the ship to assess damage and make a salvage plan. local media report the cars onboard include luxury brands such as jaguar and rolls-royce. the cargo is estimated at over $50 million. it's time for a check of the weather. people across much of turkey are bundling up as they deal with extremely low temperatures, and snow. mai sho ji has the latest. >> over turkey this is creating heavy snowfall and winter

wonderland. he have pictures coming up from here. this is what people are dealing with right now, the first snowfall of the season which swept over the capital of turkey on tuesday. the heavy snowfall was accompanied by a chilly air mass with temperatures dropping to about minus 17 degrees. in istanbul the governmental offices were closed on tuesday. further south in israel heavy snowfall is falling there. this is the heaviest seen in this area since december 2013 when the worst storm in 50 years swept over the eastern mediterranean. i'm afraid to tell you that the residents across this area will be dealing with more heavy snowfall, and they're going to be having to dig up this snow. not so much in istanbul but ankara will see more snowfall up to 9 centimeters now in additional amounts. so avalanche risk roofs will be very dangerous. athens will possibly see some snow there as well. there are actually some water spouts and lightning, damaging

lightning that has been reported from greece. now, ankara the snow will be tapering off. the temperatures down to minus 10 degrees on your friday. jerusalem, you'll likely see snow and sleet on thursday. back to snow on your friday. sophia also see some snow. and very cold temperatures. talking about the arctic air, this area is also dealing with biting cold. especially the northcentral where winter warnings are in place. and parts of eastern canada has extreme cold warning in place out there. these are the temperatures that people are dealing with. the three-day forecast are as follows. bismarck minus 32 on wednesday. in louisiana, that's minus 3 for your overnight hours. and actually the windchill factor is what you actually feel like. it's not the actual temperature on the mercury, but this is what you'll likely feel. minus 26 on your wednesday in new york. even in the daytimes, these are the temperatures that you're going to be feeling.

so it's dangerous life-threatening biting cold air mass that's going to be coming through. frostbite is in a matter of minutes and possibly hypothermia if you stay out too long. apart from the snowfall combined with the cold is going to be created around the great lakes region. the lake-effect snow will be up to about 60 centimeters in the heaviest spots. about 45 centimeters generally speaking. the clipper will be pulling into the new england states. 8 centimeters in the pacific northwest. not too much this time of the year. down below you'll likely see warm conditions prevail. in los angeles, 26 degrees. likely to continue on into your friday. across here in japan, winter pressure pattern is intensifying in northern locations of japan, seeing gusty conditions up to about 130 kilometer gusts.

snowfall up to 80 centimeters additionally. and the gusts really strong as well. so traveling will be very much behindered. seoul, minus 2. hanging on to the double-digits here in tokyo on our wednesday. i'll leave you with the extended forecast.

we have one more story to share with you before we go. tokyo firefighters held a drill in preparation for a possible major earthquake at their annual new year event. the massive quake that hit kobe and western japan nearly 20 years ago serves as a safety reminder. more than 2,700 firefighters and fire corps volunteers took part in the drill on tuesday. >> translator: this year marks the 20th anniversary of the great hanshan earthquake.

we've been working to upgrade earthquake preparedness by cooperation with regional groups. >> the drill was staged on the scenario that a powerful quake hit central tokyo, toppling buildings and leaving many injured. rescue workers from south korea took part in the event for the first time this year. they joined the tokyo fire department's hyper rescue team. the drill ended with fire boats spraying water tinted with the five colors of the olympic rings in anticipation of the 2020 tokyo games. that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thank you for staying with us. xxxx

>> welcome to a new edition of global 3000. how will the world's premier corporate tax-haven re-position itself once the eu's financial loopholes have been tightened? join us for the next half hour which is looking something like this. rebranding luxembourg.

the ever-enterprising grand duchy sures up new ways to keep the money flowing. tlc, elephant-style. some hard-earned time out for laos' endangered beasts of burden. australia, "no way!" the onetime immigration nation goes to new and drastic lengths to discourage refugees. another year is almost over. and another tax year too. a good time then for the european union to tighten up