hello and welcome to nhk world "newsline." muslims across pakistan are protesting against "charlie hebdo." they gathered to show their anger about the latest edition's caricature of mohammed. eight people got hurt. about 200 protesters tried to approach the french consulate. police fired on them using water can a none and tear gas. someone shot and wounded three people including a photographer with the afp news agency. five people got injured by

thrown rocks. pakistani prime minister had criticized "charlie hebdo" for depicting the profit mohammed. freedom of speech should not be used to hurt the religious sentiments of others. authorities are on alert for possible terrorist attacks. they want to prevent anything like last week's attack in france. police arrested a group they suspect was preparing to launch a wave of violence in belgium. officers believe the group was planning attacks in the capital of brussels and an eastern town. they killed two men in a gunfight. officers arrested 15 people. some of the group's members had fought in syria. investigators who took part in the raids found four automatic rifles materials for making bombs and police uniforms. >> all i can confirm that there were plans to assassinate

policemen in the street or at the police buildings. >> german authorities arrested two men in berlin. they were attempting to recruit young men. french media say authorities are intear gating 12 people detained in connection with last week's incidents. authorities want to establish how the three gunmen got the weapons and vehicles they used. japan's prime minister is on a tour to meet leaders in equip, jour dan and the palestinian territories. he is expected to announce support for the global fight against islamic state. >> translator: based on our principal of proactive contribution to peace, i will tell the leaders japan will provide support in the non-military field. i hope my visit contributes to peace and stability in the region. >> he will speak about his

national security policies in his first stop egypt. he will call on world leader to take steps to create stability in the wake of the terrorist attacks in france. he is expected to promise financial support to egypt, jordan turkey lebanon and other countries destabilized by islamic state insurgents. japanese foreign minister and indian prime minister are looking for ways to build a closer partnership. they sat down together in new delhi and agreed to strengthen economic ties. he hopes the economic policies of the japanese and indian governments will work together. modi wants closer ties and praised edd prime minister abe. they want japanese firms to

invest more easily. they confirmed japan and india will work together to try to reform the u.n. security council. both countries want permanent membership. foreign direct investment in china last year inched up from the previous year. investment from japan and the united states plummeted. officials at china's ministry of commerce say total direct investment by foreign firms in 2014 was nearly $120 billion. that's up 1.7% from the previous year. foreign investment has risen for two straight years but the pace has slowed. analysts blame high labor costs and the strong money. direct investment from japan was $4.3 billion down nearly 40% amid strained ties and the weaker yen. investment from the association of southeast nations and the united states was down more than 20%. south korea invested 30% more.

in other news travellers will soon have a new way to fly in and out of the tokyo area without paying sky-high fares. officials at narita airport showed off a terminal for low-cost carriers. construction crews have almost finished work on terminal three. they are working on the interior d core. the people who run the airport want to keep down their landing fees as a way to attract carriers. so they have kept construction costs low. the ceiling is only half as high as those in other terminals. the builders needed fewer materials. the terminal has hardly any windows. less heat will escape so the operators will pay less for air conditioning. officials will open the terminal in april. they will handle flights by jetstar japan, manila air and spring japan. next let's take a look at the market figures.

people in western japan are marking the 20th anniversary of a deadly natural disaster. they are gathering in and around the kobe to remember the victims of the great earthquake. people offered silent prayers at 5:46 a.m. the exact time of the quake. communities have been holding memorial ceremonies for 6,434 people who died.

the government has spent over $130 billion on reconstruction. the region's population has grown back to the level before the quake. nearly half the residents in the city of kobe did not live through the disasters. survivors are trying to convey lessons they learned to the next generation. but they are aging. half the residents of public housing for survivors are 65 or older. homes and infrastructure have been rebuilt. but the emotional scars of people who lived through the disaster are not so easily healed. >> reporter: at 5:46 a.m. on january 17 1995 a magnitude 7.3 earth quake occurred under this island, very close to japan's sixth largest city kobe. almost 640,000 buildings were destroyed or damaged by the quake and resulting fires.

more than 6,400 people died. the government budgeted over $100 billion on reconstruction. the local economy has rebounded fully to the same level as before the disaster. the railway lines and office buildings have been rebuilt along with people's homes and shopping streets. a stretch of elevated expressway that collapsed became one of the most vivid images of the quake. the section that collapsed was behind where i am standing now. workers managed to finish rebuilding it by september of the following year. the road has become one symbol of kobe's survival. residents haven't forgotten the disaster. some have not gotten over the sorrow of losing loved ones.

others say it took years for them to find the strength to move on. this man was eight at the time. the apartment building where he lived in kobe was destroyed, killing his mother and 18-month-old young brother. he said that ever since that day, he has carried his grief for his loved ones and found himself weeping constantly. >> translator: i never thought they would just disappear like that. i have so many regrets about things i could have done. >> reporter: in the years that followed, he was unable to speak about what he had gone through. but last january, he was asked to talk about his experience at a memorial event organized by the elementary school where he teaches.

he had very mixed feelings about doing it. but after giving his speech he read the children's reactions. they wrote that his speech reminded them of their feelings toward their own loved ones. >> translator: they told me that they felt they should appreciate their families more. it was so good to hear that. it made me realize that if i can communicate what is important, even young children who never experienced the disaster can understand what i went through. [ applause ] >> reporter: he joined a volunteer group that is giving talks on the firsthand accounts of the great earthquake. >> translator: in one instance i lost my mother and my brother. up to then i had just taken them for granted. i asked myself over and over why i hadn't been nicer to my

mother why i hadn't played more with my brother and why i hadn't shown them what i feel for them. i want to ask you to speak to the people who are close to you and important to you and let them know how much you appreciate them. >> translator: i haven't been good at showing my appreciation to my family and friends. so i will make sure to tell them thank you all the time. >> translator: 20 years have passed but we must remember this tragedy forever. i feel that i can make a contribution by telling my story, and that can be significant. >> reporter: he says that marking this 20th anniversary does not mean he can leave this tragedy behind. he will continue to cherish his

loved ones just as he has done every day for the past two decades. pope francis has called on filipinos to work together to end poverty and corruption. here are the details. >> pope francis addressed a crowd of devotees at his first public mass since he arrived in asia's most populous catholic nation. he called on the philippine people to unite and tackle the challenges they face.

the service took place at manila cathedral friday. the pope said the catholic church has a responsibility to heal social divisions. >> the church in the philippines is called to act and combat the cause of the inequality and injustice which mar the face of filipino society. >> the economy has been performing well yet one-fifth of the 100 million people there live in poverty. speaking earlier at the presidential palace pope francis delivered his message of social justice to the country's political leaders. >> the duty to hear the voice of the poor.

the bonds of injustice and oppression which give rise to the scandal of social inequalities. >> the president has stepped up efforts to eradicate corruption since he took office in 2010. the philippines came 85th in a corruption index compiled by an ngo last year an improvement from 94th the year before. the survey looks at the ethics of politicians. on saturday the pope will visit an island which was devastated by a super typhoon in november 2013. his five-day visit will end on monday. the association of southeast asian nations plans to launch an economic community in december. international firms are eyeing this huge cross border market of 600 million people. hopes for deregulation are

running high in the thailand myanmar area. >> reporter: this town in northwestern thailand is home to 100,000 people. the local economy is booming. trucks carrying exports are backed up at the border with myanmar. the loads include tractors and construction materials. the value of the last year's trade was about $1.7 billion. that's an increase of 30% from the previous year. >> translator: there are a lot more vehicles from myanmar than there used to be. the border is always congested. >> translator: exports and profits are growing, thanks to hopes for the economic community. i'm happy about earning more money. >> reporter: exports include the

unexpected. like these used bicycles. nearly all of them come from japan. >> translator: our exports have doubled in the past three months. that's a record for this company. >> reporter: shopping centers and condominiums are mushrooming, pushing up land prices. the condominiums are priced at about $84,000 each. 80% have already been sold. the owners are business people and investors. some of them are from china and south korea. they are confident that trade will continue to grow. >> translator: this town will benefit most from the foundation of the economic community.

the growth will continue. >> reporter: myanmar's government is trying to encourage business development. it has boosted the capacity of its customs office to handle the growing number of freight and document applications. thailand's deputy minister inspected the facility. both countries agreed to keep working together to further boost trade. >> i think the impact of aec is not only for trade for thailand but for our neighboring countries. not only for myanmar. we can travel to india. you can see that we are expecting more investment to this border land. >> reporter: setting up an economic community by the end of

this year will not be an easy task. but many people are becoming excited about the bright prospect for business. >> that wraps up our bulletin. police in hong kong have detained some organizers behind the protest and their move could spark further action. they arrested a student protest leader. he pledged to continue to demand a free election for the city's top official. >> i'm still confident and

optimistic for further action and further movement and fight. >> authorities have issued summons for 30 others. their family tried to warn them in taking part in further demonstrations. some people are still camping out on a sidewalk near the legislative council building. they set up about 100 tents. >> translator: people here may take on the role of leading the demonstrations if we have another chance. our protest is not yet over. >> reporter: pro democracy groups plan to hold a march involving tens of thousands of people on february 1st. they occupied months until late last year. they are critical of a decision by leaders in beijing to vet candidates in the first direct election for hong kong's chief executive in 2017. people in china enjoy the rich tastes of everything from

duck to shark fin soup. but they have been turning to more traditional dishes. their dinner plate looks greener and healthier. >> reporter: this restaurant in beijing is a little bit different from the average eatery. there's a reason it is very popular with female office workers. at first, the food looks like typical chinese cooking. but that's where it's different. the sweet and sour pork has a firmness and a smooth tasting on the tongue. it actually tastes very much like meat but it's made out of soy beans. the menu here is localery and healthy. that's because everything is made from vegetables and tofu.

it's inspired by the diet of buddhist monks who never eat animals. meat eaters think of vegetarian food and flavorless and dull. but a menu like this will satisfy even sophisticated pallets. this taste of fish is authentically spicy with plenty of chilies. the ingredients, that looks like white fish is actually grated yum. the part that looks like skin is seaweed seaweed. this restaurant plans to open another branch soon. >> translator: i often choose to eat vegetarian. i don't exercise so much. and i feel as if i can't digest rich food well.

>> translator: we have many food items with very similar textures to meat dishes. if people would just try a range of our foods, i believe they may begin to love vegetarian cuisine. >> reporter: this woman works at a television station in beijing. she says she began to eat a mainly vegetarian diet about a year ago. that was when she noticed an increasing number of news stories about food safety issues. now she regularly cooks her own meals. her vegetarian repertoire is growing. >> translator: the media is full of scoretories of dangers with food. i believe there are hidden risks with meat. that's why i like vegetarian. vegetables are safer in comparison. >> reporter: a vegetarian diet is also believed to aid

longevity. this temple manages a nursing home. the residents eat traditional vegetarian meals three times a day. the menu was originally created for monks. they suggest that rather than declining with age, many of the residents appear to be improving. the cooking became so famous that the waiting list for new admissions has grown long. >> translator: the condition of our residents, many of whom had high blood pressure and a diabetes improved because of our vegetarian diet. >> reporter: against a background of rapid development, the virtues of the traditional chinese lifestyle are finding a new expression through contemporary dining.

next on to soccer. the afc asian cup is under way in australia. japan faced off against iraq. the second match for both teams in the tournament. the sumamurai blue got off to a fast start. in the 22nd minute, the midfielder gets close to the net but comes up short. honda gets pulled down and is

awarded a penalty kick. and honda comes up big putting japan on the board. in the second half honda looks for goal number two but his shot finds the cross bar. he gets another opportunity but hits the post for the third time. now they look to fine the back of the net. but the shot is blocked. it didn't matter. the japanese squad moved closer to the round of eight through their second straight victory. in another group d match, jordan

scored four goals to win over palestine. jordan will play japan next in a bid to pass the group stage. five countries have now secured spots in the quarterfinals. australia demonstrated its dynamic offense collecting eight goals in two matches. south korea and iran made it through to the knockout phase. the three-day outlook on the weather around the globe.

that's all for now on this edition of "newsline." from all of us at nhk world thanks for watching and have a good day.

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>> she's been called the first lady of musical comedy having spent over 5 decades on the broadway teenage creating roles such as lorelei lee and dolly leafy and hello dolly. but the stage couldn't contain her and she took larger than life persona to the silver screen. appearances on tv variety talk and game shows but always been her unique voice

and sparkling personality that has made her a standout in a galaxy of stars. our conversation with oscar nominee and three-time tony winner cheryl channing. -- carol channing.