hello, and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm ross mihara in tokyo. aviation officials in taiwan are closer to understanding how a transasia passenger plane crashed into a river. they suspect the pilot lost power in one engine, then throttled down the other. investigators have been piecing together the plane's last moments since it came down on wednesday. they say the flight data and voice recorders show both engines lost power soon after takeoff. the right engine triggered a fault alarm that then lost power. the left engine lost power soon after. a voice recording suggests the pilot throttled it down. the plane crashed minutes after taking off in taipei.

it was carrying 58 people. 35 are confirmed dead. 8 are missing. the foreign ministers of japan, china and south korea could soon get relations back on track. they haven't gathered for nearly three years partly because of disagreements over perceptions of history. now, they are laying the groundwork for a meeting next month. xi jinping and his south korean counterpart park gun hay got the ball rolling in november. they agreed to resume talks with japan at an early date. the vice foreign ministers of all three countries will meet to make preparations. fumio kishida said he needs to meet his counterparts for the sake are future oriented relationships. officials in tokyo hope the talks will pave the way for a trilateral summit. a japanese journalist indicted for defaming president park has filed a lawsuit against

the south korea government. he is demanding the authorities allow him to leave the country. kato is the former seoul bureau chief of the former chinese newspaper. he wrote an article in august questioning president park's whereabouts on the day of a deadly ferry accident. he quoted a south korean newspaper that referred to rumors of a relationship between park and a man. he said he had no intention of defaming the president. authorities hit him with a travel ban. he filed a suit on friday. he says freedom of movement and resident is a fundamental human right. he says he said suffering enormously. he says the justice minister is abusing his power by imposing the travel ban since there is no danger he will destroy evidence or run away. legal experts say a ruling on his case isn't likely for several more months. officials at japan's space agency have begun work on a

challenging task. they are trying one last time to put a troubled venus probe into the orbit. nhk world reports. >> reporter: japan's aerospace exploration agency jaxa launched a probe nearly five years ago. scientists wanted to put the probe into orbit around venus. they were hoping to observe the atmosphere and surface of the planet. but one of the main engines failed, and the probe began circling the sun. jaxa officials say the engine was more badly damaged than they thought. now they say they will try again when the probe approaches venus in december. they say the probe doesn't have much fuel left. so this will be their last shot. they will use smaller engines to drive the probe into an orbit that circled venus. they have been taking a similar path around the sun.

but the probe is moving faster. on december 7th, they will be closest to each other. >> translator: we're lucky that our team is getting another chance to do this. we hope to proceed calmly and steadily to complete the mission this time. >> reporter: venus lies within the orbit of earth. the planets are similar in size. scientists say closely examining venus will not only shed light on its many mysteries but also provide clues about earth's environment. jaxa officials say even if they are successful this time, the probe will be higher than originally planned. so they won't be able to see everything they wanted to. but they will push ahead hoping it will send them back new insights into our galaxy.

the man who spearheaded east timor's fight for independence from indonesia and became prime minister has handed in his resignationia. roselyn debhavalya has the story. >> he is well-known around the world as a former rebel leader. his successor has not yet been decided. east timor was annexed in 1975. guzmon led the struggle against the ruling suharto regime. he was arrested in 1992. a notice on the government website said guzmon sent a letter of resignation to the president. the reason was not given. for more than a year the 68-year-old guzmon has reportedly hinted that he thought it was time to hand over

the reigns of leadership to a younger generation. he was elected the first president of east timor in a landslide victory in 2002 when indonesian rule ended. after he left the post, he served two terms as prime minister. in 2007 and again in 2012. east timor is rich in natural resources. but 13 years after gaining independence, half of its 1.2 million people still live in poverty. a lack of industries and high unemployment continue to plague the country. the first step has been taken in what could see a car bearing the label made in asean. the leaders of malaysia and indonesia have agreed to a joint study on manufacturing a vehicle from proton. the car would be built in indonesia. the malaysian prime minister announced the agreement after meeting with the president of indonesia on friday. indonesia is the biggest market

among the ten-member group producing proton vehicles. it could provide them with a life line. >> translator: later in the afternoon, we will sign the memorandum of understanding regarding proton, expanding their business in indonesia and making the proton and asean car. >> proton was established by the former prime minister mahatir mohamed in the 1980s. it was initially successful because of the government's protectionist policies and japanese technical support. a decade ago, the company enjoyed a market share in malaysia of about 50%. but sales have fallen off in recent years because of greater free trade and increased competition from foreign automakers. by last year, the company's market share had fallen to slightly over 20%.

cambodia is a country with a troubled past but also a potentially bright future. tourism is helping fuel a booming economy and people who are once desperate now have opportunities. a circus near the famous temple offers underprivileged children a new start. and a woman from a very different background has made it a personal mission to help. yhk world's yasuka morie reports. >> reporter: the circus is full of action. the show happens every evening at the theater in front of an audience of up to 300 people. >> very good. >> i really loved the show. it was the best show ever. >> reporter: almost all the performers endured hardship when they were young. this man lived on the street

collecting garbage after being separated from his family. this woman started selling sweets to support her family when she was 6 years old. they are just 2 of about 50 people with similar back stories who are now receiving stable incomes. ♪ monoko has been working as a representative for the circus for the past two years. she came across the cambodian circus in japan and became fascinated by the performers and inspired by their stories. she moved to cambodia and took a job with the company. >> translator: sure, cambodia is

poor and has seen bloody civil war in the past. i just want people, japanese people especially, to know that these things are not all cambodia is about. >> reporter: the target is to visit six travel agents handling foreign tourists. she wants to convince them to add the circus to their tours. >> are you going to put us in the program, or are you just going to recommend? >> in the meantime, what we do is we propose case by case. the ticket is only 15. they compare for one whole day even from 4:00 in the morning until, say, 1:00 in the evening, they pay $20. >> reporter: she had trouble persuading the agent. she worked her way empty-handed.

this is one of the most popular tourist spots in the world. but with so many things to see in the area, the circus is a tough sell. looking for a new strategy, she visits a circus school. more than 100 children from low-income families train hard studying every morning at 8:00. she met the principal. >> translator: all these children have a difficult past. we tell them not to give up and to surmount those dark memories. that way they can surely find success in life. >> reporter: inspired by their

passion, she found new strength. in herself. >> translator: my job is not all about how many tickets i sold. this circus is driven by people with passion, and i take pride in being a part of it. now i feel energized. i should be doing all i can to contribute. >> reporter: working with people who have achieved so much. ikeuchi's mission to convince more people to see the cambodian circus will continue. yasuko moriya, nhk world. >> that wraps up our bulletin. i'm roselyn debhavalya. emerging economic powers still struggling with poverty.

emboldened citizens still demanding democracy. the threat of violence. the push for peace. the shadow of conflict. get news and insight on south and southeast asia every weekday live from bangkok on nhk world "newsline." members of jordan's air force have launched new air strikes targeting the group islamic state. they're carrying out the king's promise to avenge the pilot by waging a harsh war against the militants. jordan's state-run television broadcast video of f-16 jets taking off from an air base and striking ground targets. officials say dozens of planes bombed the group's training centers and depots. officials did not discuss where their air strikes took place. media reports say they happened in the northern syrian city of raqaa, a major syrian stronghold. people joined in amman to commemorate the pilot. they expressed their anger against his killers and demanded retaliation.

>> translator: we are not afraid of islamic state militants. we will win, absolutely. >> translator: jordan should go all out against islamic state. >> a u.s. state department spokesperson welcomed jordan's move. >> jordan, which suffered this horrible loss themselves, is not only clearly comfortable continuing to fly mission, which really shows the strength of the coalition, but has intensified their efforts and doubled down on their commitment to defeat isil. two key european leaders are pushing a new peace plan for ukraine. chancellor angela merkel are taking their proposal to moscow for a meeting with president putin. still, western goths are working

on other strategies should the conflict continue to get worse. more from nhk's craig dale. >> reporter: the leaders of germany and france are using their diplomatic muscle to try to stop the bloodshed in ukraine. merkel and hollande presented a new highly confidential peace plan to ukrainian president poroshenko before she meets with president putin. poroshenko outlined his expectations. >> immediate cease-fire, release hostages, closing the border -- the recognized border, withdrawal of the foreign troops. >> reporter: those terms are part of a failed cease-fire signed five months ago between ukraine, pro-russian separatists and russia. ukrainian soldiers have been struggling to hold the country together. the separatists work to carve out territory in the east. despite denials from officials in moscow, most agree russia is fueling this war with arms and troops. >> we are not fighting with

so-called rebels or guerrillas. we are fighting with the russian regular army. >> reporter: caught in the middle, civilians have seen their towns and cities destroyed, lives turned upside down. we were in a shop and there was a blast, says this woman. in a few seconds, another one. the fighting tapered off in december but has now worsened. evidence can be seen in debaltseve. ukrainian soldiers are trying to maintain their positions as the separatists close in. residents are fleeing. we will not leave anyone here who does not want to say says this official. the continuing conflict has prompted more action from the nato military alliance. defense ministers are launching a response force that would deal with russia and other potential threats. they are setting up command and

control centers in six nations surrounding ukraine and russia. >> if a crisis arises, they will ensure that national and nato forces from across the lines are able to act as one. >> reporter: u.s. leaders are debating action of their own. after meetings in kiev, john kerry explained they are reviewing their options. >> among those options is the possibility of providing defensive -- defensive assistance to ukraine. >> reporter: defensive assistance means giving weapons to ukrainian soldiers. it's something president obama is debating and key u.s. lawmakers are encouraging. the russians have warned against it. many fear it could make the conflict even worse. so there's more riding on the peace plan being pushed by germany and france. most nations want to help ukraine defend its sovereignty and help end a conflict that claimed more than 5,000 lives and created deep divisions between russia and the west. craig dale, nhk world.

people in the united states are seeing more job opportunities. the number of new openings last month came in higher than analysts expected. department of labor officials say employers created 257,000 jobs. economists had been expecting 230,000. americans saw more than 200,000 new openings for the 11th month in a row. officials revised up their numbers for job growth in november and december. the jobless rate last month inched up a tenth of a point. it came in at 5.7%. analysts say that's because unemployed people came back to the workforce. economists are studying the data and trying to figure out when fed policymakers will raise interest rates. we spoke with john stofas at oppenheimer. he says he is focusing on the impact of wage increases. >> within the jobs number, what

we particularly like to see was an increase in jobs in construction, in retail, as well as an improvement in other areas in health care. we did notice that there was a decline in jobs, for example, in mining and in the energy sector. but we think that would be expected based on indications that global growth remains slow at this point. our thoughts are that the federal reserve, under the leadership of janet yellen, will likely delay raising rates at least until the middle of the summer this year or perhaps as early as the end of june. much of that will be dependent upon the next month's non-farm payroll number, initial jobless claims and, of course, most importantly, what increases we get to see in wages. right now with wage inflation extremely low overall, the fed will be very cautious in

adjusting its policy rates upward. here are the latest market figures. people who run guest houses across japan are seeing more and more foreign tourists come to their cities. they're competing to attract the visitors with a range of new services. the owner of one guest house in tokyo is offering his customers an authentic taste of daily japanese life. >> this guest house in tokyo

opened five years ago. although it's small, it's earned a good reputation thanks to the internet and word of mouth. foreigners from more than 60 countries have stayed here. the secret behind its popularity is an original service the owner watanabe brought up himself. >> i take you to the place that there's -- >> the service allows visitors to experience the life of ordinary japanese by exploring the neighborhood around the guest house. on this day, the owner had guests from five countries and territories, including germany and hong kong. he took them to a local shopping street. the kind of place few foreign tourists visit. the tourists showed an interest in a japanese-style rice cracker store that's been in business

for more than 100 years. some of the items caught their eye. an event was being held at a local park to celebrate the new year. using a wooden mallet, the locals are pounding glutenous rice. the japanese traditionally eat rice cake or machi to celebrate special occasions. rice pounding is an age-old japanese event, but it's not something visitors are likely to see at the places they usually visit. the tourists took part themselves. encouraged by the locals. pounding the rice makes it stickier.

this is their first experience to eat fresh machi rice cakes. >> very good. really great. really delicious. >> it's better than the one you see the famous ones. >> in the evening, he took one of his guests to a public bath or sento. watanabe gives the guest an instruction sheet he prepared himself and explains the proper manners for sento. >> with towel, keep it with me. with you. >> okay. >> you don't you know, put in that bath.

you are not allowed to wear swimsuits in sento. the water is kept at 41 degrees celsius, the temperature most popular among japanese people. >> it's so relaxing. these days, japanese houses are installed with bathrooms, but people still like to visit sento. they can enjoy chatting with others while soaking leisurely in a big bathtub. >> translator: foreigners are impressed by things they can't see at the usual tourist spots. i think visiting local communities and seeing ordinary people living their everyday lives is another form of sightseeing. >> more and more foreigners are visiting japan these days. to give them a satisfying experience, efforts are being made to utilize charms of the country that the tourist

industry has long overlooked. here is the weekend weather forecast.

people in thailand are getting a taste of japan. they're flocking to an event where they can experience food and pop culture. thais are heading to japan expo 2015. they're checking out the sights and tastes at hundreds of booths. visitors are discovering

character goods from japanese manga and anime, and they're sampling traditional delicacies. some people are exploring nhk's international broadcast and meeting the corporation's mascot, domokun. representatives of japanese companies in thailand are trying to recruit workers. they're shorthanded, so they're explaining the merits of joining them. >> translator: i didn't know so many japanese companies are operating in this country. i found it very useful to come here and get information. >> the expo is running for three days. organizers are expecting up to 100,000 visitors. that's all this hour on "newsline." i'm ross mihara in tokyo. thank you for watching, and have a good day.

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ife took him on a wild ride that eventually delivered him to hollywood, where he consciously created the smooth, debonair image that we still identify him with today. with a rich body of work in film and television, he has starred in such productions as “the

light in the piazza,” "love at first bite,” and “zorro, the gay blade.”. but he is probably just as well known for his exploits as a ladies' man, having escorted such high profile women as actress elizabeth taylor, first daughter lynda bird johnson, and model alana stewart. these days he is crisscrossing the country once again, this time starring in the broadway tour of “la cage aux folles.” hello, i'm ernie manouse. coming up on innerviews, our conversation with the suave and perpetually tanned golden globe-winning actor george hamilton.