♪ hello there. welcome to "newsline." it is thursday february 19th. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. the nikkei is hitting a milestone. it is trading at a 15-year high. more on that in our business segment in just a moment. but first we take you to ukraine, where separatists there backed by russia say they've taken full control of a key railway hub in an eastern part of the country. they've seen government troops ordered out of the city of debaltseve. they hoisted their flags on rooftops to show their initiative in the truce process. they also began to withdraw heavy weaponry from the seized area in an apparent gesture to abide by the arrangement that

took effect on sunday. ukrainian president petro poroshenko made an unexpected visit to the region and praised the efforts of soldiers there. he stressed their withdrawal was to comply with the truce. he also spoke with key cabinet ministers and military leaders about ways to deal with the separatists and russia. and he's decided to ask the u.n. and e.u. to dispatch personnel for a peacekeeping operation. debaltseve is considered a strategic location for both sides. it's a railway hub linking the rebel-held cities of donetsk and luhansk. fierce fighting had continued in the area soon after both sides declared a truce. experts say debaltseve holds the key to whether or not the ceasefire will stay in effect. well tokyo markets are rallying, as we reported earlier. investors are taking the leading indices to multiyear highs. let's get ai uchida from our business desk to join us and tell us more ai. what's going on?

>> catherine, investors are happy that bank of japan policy makers have decided to continue with their monetary easing. as you mentioned, the nikkei is hitting a milestone this morning. it is trading at a 15-year high. height now the benchmark nikkei index trading at 18,318. that is a gain of 2/3 percent from wednesday's close, and it is at the highest level since may 2000. investors are buying a wide range of shares on strong corporate earnings but some are selling to take profits from recent gains. now, let's take a look at currencies. the dollar is actually trading lower against the yen. the minutes of january's federal reserve meeting showed that the fed remains in no rush to raise rates. most of the asian stock markets are closed for lunar new year holidays. the australian exchange is open. yesterday the main index hit the highest level in almost seven years. right now it looks like some profit taking is taking place.

japanese finance ministry officials say the country posted another trade deficit in january, but it was down substantially from a year ago. the officials have released preliminary figures showing the trade deficit last month was about $9.9 billion. japan has now racked up trade shortfalls for 31 straight months. that's the longest run of deficits since comparable data became available in 1979. the balance has been in the red since july 2012. strong shipments of automobiles and semiconductors and other electric parts helped push up exports 17% in yen terms. that is the fifth straight monthly rise. and falling oil prices were the main reason for a 9% decrease in imports. finance ministry officials say that they expect falling oil prices will continue to improve the trade balance, and they say the lower yen will help exporters. well, the governor of the bank of japan says the impact of last april's consumption tax hike is easing.

hiroki kuroda spoke to reporters after the bank's policy meeting ended on wednesday. >> translator: corporate output is recovering and downward pressure in the form of a reaction to the front-loaded surge before the tax hike is easing. the economy is becoming stable again. >> kuroda says corporate earnings are recovering. he says the employment and income situations are improving and consumer spending is stable. kuroda also says he expects annual wage negotiations now under way to result in pay rises. well policy makers at the u.s. central bank have kept its key interest rate near zero since the 2008 financial crisis. they've been waiting for what they say is the right time to raise it. but many of them are reluctant to make that move. minutes of the federal reserve's policy meeting in late january showed that bank officials can't

agree on when to raise the rate. many think doing that too soon might dampen the recovery including in the labor market. but some policy makers want to increase the rate. they're worried about the risk of an economic bubble. market players think the earliest the rate could be raised is the middle of this year. the rates also show policy makers are worried about financial uncertainty in greece and economic slowdowns in europe and in china. another concern is a drop in u.s. exports due to a rapid rise in the value of the dollar. japan post bank hopes to go public in the second half of this year. its president says the bank will boost investment in foreign securities to improve profitability ahead of that move. taizo nishimura says it will hire financial specialists to form an investment team. >> translator: we are certain that as a corporate investor we can increase profits through

more skilled asset management and thorough risk management. >> the bank held nearly $918 billion, or 53% of its assets in japanese government bonds as of december. the focus is now on how the change in its asset management policy will have on financial markets. the prime minister of greece plans to ask the eu finance chief to extend a bailout program set to end later this month. but alexis tsipras has made it clear he'll continue to reject austerity measures as a prerequisite. analyst say it's uncertain how eu officials will react or whether they'll accept any changes to existing arrangements. greek officials says tsipras will make the request on thursday to eurozone finance chief joeren dice'llbloom. he says he's prepared to convene another meeting of finance

ministers on friday if greece asks for an extension. but the finance ministers from the 19 eurozone countries have already met twice to discuss the loan agreement. both meetings failed to narrow differences between the two sides. greek opposition party leaders say they've already not briefed by tsipras about the extension request and reforms he plans to propose. government sources say tsipras is seeking a six-month extension of the bailout program but german leaders maintain greece austerity measures before asking for any more loans. well, the nikkei is trading at 15-year highs this morning. keeps extending those gains. right now it's at 18,309. that is the highest level it has been at since may of 2000. i'll leave you with a check on markets. ♪

people around china have begun celebrating the arrival of the lunar new year but the festivities are a little less bright than normal this year. that's because authorities are urging people to use fewer fireworks to cut down on pollution. officials in shanghai have restricted the number of areas where fireworks can be set off. they're also calling on retailers to cut their sales of fireworks this year by half. >> translator: fireworks are necessary to celebrate the lunar new year, but the environment is more important, so we set off fewer this year. >> the authorities say the air in shanghai is currently relatively clean, but in beijing it's a different stories. officials there say the density of pm 2.5 fine particulate

matter is the worst on the country's scale of 6. people in china usually spend the lunar new year holidays in their hometowns, but a growing number are choosing to travel abroad. and for many japan is their preferred destination. nhk world's kuehne heero yamamoto reports. >> reporter: this travel agency in shanghai is full of customers making plans for the holiday. during the long break, many people like to travel abroad. the number of chinese tourists heading to japan in the holidays is projected to almost double this year. thanks to the drop in value of the yen and an easing of visa requirements. another factor is the growing variety of tours available. many people are traveling to japan on cruise ships now. last year over 400,000 chinese

people arrived in japan by sea. more than twice the figure in 2013. recently a promotional event was held for a six-day trip to kyushu and okinawa in japan. it's aimed at tourists who want to look further afield than the usual destination, tokyo, osaka and kyoto. >> translator: a cruise is a convenient way to take elderly people and children along with you. you don't have to book meals or hotel rooms. >> translator: the yen is weak now, so i will be able to buy lots of souvenirs. >> reporter: for around $700 per head, passengers can enjoy a range of amenities such as spas and movie theaters. tours like there are increasingly popular as a way for extended families to travel together. >> translator: now we're also considering a tour of the

settings for japanese manga comics, which are popular with chinese readers. >> reporter: travel agencies are also seeing more repeat customers, and some are even bringing their friends. ujenda is a former banker. he and his wife yao wening, are big fans of japan. they decided to discover more of the country after being charmed by the politeness of the japanese people they met in kyoto. >> translator: it is easy to get a visa now. so we've been visiting often. >> reporter: this spring 19 of their neighbors will be joining them on a tripe to fukuoka to see the cherry blossoms. their interest has been piqued by the stories they've heard from wu and yao. today the group drew up a list of the electronics and cosmetics

items they want to buy while they are in japan. >> translator: i'm going to take my parents to japan. they have never been abroad. so i want to be there to accompany them. >> translator: i've heard from them that japan is a beautiful country. i want to see it for myself. >> reporter: experts expect this japan fever will continue for the foreseeable future. >> translator: as incomes rise, the number of chinese travelers heading abroad is expected to grow 10% per year for the next three to five years. japan will continue to grow in popularity because its proximity to china. >> with the number of visitors from china growing, there are high hopes in japan that this will translate into a substantial economic boost.

kunihiro yamamoto, nhk world. japanese lawmakers are questioning a call by their prime minister to push through some historic reforms. they're debating shinzo abe's proposal to overhaul a range of diplomatic and security policies. and they're look at how those changes might affect regional relations. the leader of the junior ruling coalition party komeito said japan's focus should be on ties with its neighbors. >> translator: this year we mark the 70th anniversary of the end of it's important to make it clear where japan stands to show we'll continue to be a peace-loving nation and keep contributing to the peace and stability of the international community. >> translator: i held talks with the chinese leader in beijing in november. we agreed on the principles of the mutually beneficial strategic relationship between our countries, and we took a big step toward improving ties. there are difficult issues between japan and south korea. that's why leaders should have

frank discussions without any preconditions. the door for dialogue is always open on my side. a communist party official asked about talks with the u.s. on the transpacific partnership free trade agreement. he referred to reports the government might make concessions on tariffs for five contentious categories of farm products including rice. >> translator: i demand japan withdraw from any tpp negotiations that could threaten our economic sovereignty. >> translator: our negotiations with the u.s. are at a final stage and we're now seek a landing point. it's inappropriate to suggest withdrawing from the talks. we'll make our case clear and try to gain whatever we can. we'll pursue what we consider to be the best outcome for the national interest. >> an official from the main opposition democratic party questioned abe on environmental policy. he asked how the government plans to set a reduction target for greenhouse gas emissions.

the prime minister said the issue depends on how japan combines its energy sources. >> translator: we're keeping a close watch on how many nuclear plants we start, how much nuclear energy will be available, and how international negotiations will proceed on global warming. >> abe said he's determined to contribute proactively to global peace as the international community fights terrorism. he said he'll expand humanitarian aid for that purpose. myanmar's president has declared martial law in the eastern region of kolkan. clashes between government forces and ethnic minority militants have reportedly killed dozens of people. the military has ordered people to evacuate the regional capital of laokai, apparently to prepare for a sweeping operation. a statement from president than

sein was read on tuesday. it says regular law is not effective to control chaos in the region adding that the lives and property of civilians are under threat from conflicts. it is the first use of martial law since myanmar made the transition from military rule to a civilian government four years ago. a 90-day state of emergency has also been declared for the kolkan region. security in the region and surrounding areas has deteriorated. on tuesday a convoy of cars marked with the red cross emblem was attacked by gunmen. two people were injured in the shooting. on february 9th, a clash broke out between government forces and ethnic minority militants. the state-run news agency says at least 47 government troops and 26 ethnic militants died in the fighting. the chinese government has asked myanmar to stabilize the situation in border areas. more than 30,000 people fleeing conflicts have entered the

chinese province of hunan. for over half a century myanmar has been plagued by conflicts between the government and various ethnic minorities. the recent violence casts a shadow over the president's efforts to build peace with all minority groups across the country. officials with the united nations assistance for afghanistan or unaa says the death toll in the country is rising. they say last year 10,000 people were killed or wounded in fighting. >> civilian casualties increased once again by 22% to those -- in comparison to those of 2013. unama documented more than 10 240u civilian casualties in 2014. the highest number of civilian deaths and injuries recorded in a single year since 2009. >> most of the u.s.-led international troops withdrew

from the country by the end of last year ending nearly 13 years of combat missions. u.n. records show 511 civilians were killed in december alone. as the taliban steps up its offenses. analysts say it's not clear if afghan forces are capable of maintaining the nation's security. some japanese experts are lending a helping hand in egypt as the country carries out one of its greatest cultural projects. they're teaching people better ways to collect and restore ancient artifacts. >> reporter: in the city of giza another historical attraction for tourists is in the works. here are pyramids in giza, and next to the pyramids a museum is under construction.

curators plan to amass more than 100,000 of egypt's precious cultural assets. artifacts will include tut kammen's 3,000-year-old golden mask and mummy. japan has supported the project. it provided a loan of about $300 million for construction costs. a number of assets were damaged in the chaos of the arab spring. now they need to be restored. some papyrus is in bad shape. ancient egyptians used it for writing and drawing. much of it has degenerated or been torn. to restore p staff rely on

japanese washi paper. it lasts a long time and is well suited for repairing papyrus. a large piece of it is bonded to the papyrus. it prevents fading and further damage. the egyptian technicians who are in charge of the maintenance were trained in japan. another big concern is the transport of ancient assets. they will be transported to the museum from around egypt. japanese transportation experts are training local staff. before now the egyptian team had never transported so many

cultural objects. using replicas they trained repeatedly. the japanese gave them detailed guidance throughout every step of the process. the experts taught them how to use packing materials according to the shape of the artifact or what they are made of. >> translator: the packing and shipping methods we learned from the japanese during training have been very useful. >> egyptians are doing their best to build a world-class museum. japanese experts are helping to preserve its valuable contents. ayumi nagasawara nhk world, giza egypt. scuba divers off the coast israel have stumbled upon about

2,000 medieval gold coins. officials say the coins date back more than 1,000 years. officials of the israel antiquities authority announced on tuesday that amateur divers destroyed the gold coins near caesarea. the divers found the coins by chance on the sea bed at a depth of 12 meters earlier this month. at first they thought the coins were toys but experts have confirmed that they are in fact the real thing. officials say the coins were minted by the fatimid dynasty that ruled egypt and other parts of north africa from the 10th to the 12th centuries. fatimid caliphs controlled the port city of caesarea and stationed troops will. the coins had been intended to pay soldiers' salaries or taxes to the fatimid government. >> probably belonged to a shipwreck but brought the horde from caesarea to cairo but was on the way and sunk in the area of caesarea harbor.

>> the officials say the coins are in excellent condition and are priceless. expectations are high for more finds in the area. it is time now to get a check of the weather. people in many areas of turkey are seeing snow. roads have been blocked. and many flights have been grounded. mai shoji joins us with more. >> snow in western russia not too uncommon. and snow in turkey not so rare. however, consisting for a long period is actually quite rare with this much snowfall this amount of snowfall. it's actually really wreaking havoc across people in ankara and istanbul. we have some pictures coming out from istanbul today. a snow storm from istanbul paralyzed much of the city on wednesday. hundreds of flights were canceled and traffic around the city was halted due to slick conditions. according to local officials icy roads led to over 800 traffic accidents since tuesday.

most commuters in the city walk to work in the 60 centimeters of snowfall that fell throughout the city. the busy boss frus straight the only navigable waterway to russia in winter was shut down due to low visibilities. it affected travelers to russia aalso. we're looking at snow clouds in athens. that's another rare sight when it's a prolonged event. you can see the snow still developing across turkey finally tapering off into the next 24 hours but another round of snowfall into the weekend. on top of the 60 centimeters you saw from that picture it's going to be another additional amount of white stuff piling up. out to north africa the low pressure system is still being very active and we're likely to see some lightnings and also some thunderstorms in store with high winds and heavy rain also. heavy rain and also very -- you can see the lines close to each

other so high winds are going to be active in the british isles and norway as well. about 72 kilometers per hour gust is likely. but meanwhile, sandwiching this high pressure system predominant making it very cold for moscow just at freezing point for your high. and then on toward athens again. snow in the forecast. that rain is already pulling into london at 7 degrees. out here across the americas this is another topic with snow again falling across the mid-atlantic and the new england states. likely to see another round of that heavy stuff. about 25 centimeters in new england and about 13 centimeters additional snowfall across the mid-atlantic. lake effect snow is also going to be quite intensified. but the real main topic is the wind chill. winnipeg minus 18 for your high and then down toward the south. even wind chill advisories are posted in florida and georgia. it doesn't look that bad from this picture compared to winnipeg, but minus 3 for your high out there is really cold and then your actual

temperatures minus 9 for your low. winnipeg minus 20. your windchill factors are going to be beyond that. minus 30 minus 40. minus 45 degrees is what you're going to be feeling. and that's going to be continuing throughout your wednesday daytime as well so do be prepared for this. if you must go outside, really watch out for those layers and wear more clothes. out here across eastern continental asia high pressure system is predominant in northern china. that's actually responsible for the hazy conditions in beijing. the. 2.5 level is on the hazardous today. here across southern areas of china we're looking at thunderstorm activities. finally tokyo reaching up to double digits today with 11 degrees and partly sunny skies. i'll leave you now for an extended forecast. ♪

♪ ♪ and that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.

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today asian voices comes to you from lahore pakistan.

an activist trying to protect the rights of many. >> hina jilani is fighting to improve human rights in pakistan for more than 30 years. it was here in pakistan that malala yousafzai who shared last year's nobel peace prize