glad to have you with us on this edition of newsline. i'm katherine co buycatherine kobayashi in tokyo. a tv exit poll shows it's a close race between benjamin netanyahu's party and the zionist union. the party has 28 out of 120 seats in the parliament. the zionist union is expected to win 27 seats. netanyahu is running for his fourth term in office he has

adopted a hardline stance against the palestinians. he has attacked netanyahu's policies. netanyahu claimed victory in front of a large crowd in tel aviv aviv. >> against all odds we achieved a victory many. >> the result allows us to go back to power. we will wait for the real result because this is just a projection. everything is still open. >> it's still not clear yet who the president will order to form the next government. the zionist union are seeking the support of centrist parties.

negotiations to form a coalition are expected to be tough. >> three men who used a psychedelic image of buddha wearing headphones to promote their bar have been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for their advertisement. the men were arrested in december after posting the depiction on facebook. international human rights groups condemn the verdict, they say it's an assault on freedom of expression and called for their release. about 90% of myanmar citizens are buddhists. monks are not allowed to drink alcohol or listen to music. the case comes as myanmar grapples with a surge of religious nationalism, including violence against muslims. government officials in myanmar have resumed talks to try to end a bitter civil war that's lasted half a century. they're sitting down face to

face with ethnic minority groups to work toward peace. >> representatives for 16 major groups met for the first time in six months with military and government leaders. >> we are determined to realize a cease-fire across the country in this round of talks. if hatred and distrust between ethnic groups deepens, resolution of the conflict will become even more difficult. now is the time to achieve peace. >> fighting has intensified,

officials say they'll focus on other matters during this round of discussions. myanmar president says making peace with minorities controlling the country's border regions is a top priority. >> annual wage negotiations are in their final phase. corporate managers are due to respond to union demands in the coming hours. we've been talking about this for quite a while now. what are they expected to say. >> some major companies have announced bigger raises already. automakers, for example. workers at nissan they're going to be seeing more than $40 on average added to their monthly pay slips. that's a much bigger raise than they got last year. at toyota the figure is $33. that's their biggest wage increase ever. now we're learning honda will be following suit. managers there will give a hike of nearly $30. the trend isn't limited to the car industry. managers and labor leaders at japan's six major electronics

makers have agreed to raises in base pay. the companies include hitachi and panasonic, workers there will be getting paid an extra $25 a month on average. negotiators at skylark have wrapped up their work. workers will be receiving a hike of $35 in base pay. that's more than double the raise that they got last year. let's check on markets now, global investors were bearish on tuesday, due to concerns about a possible rate hike over in the united states on wall street markets ended mixed as investors wages are headed for further clues. the dow jones ended down 7/10 of a%. the tech heavy nasdaq was boosted by gains in apple shares. tokyo stocks have so far shrugged off the u.s. rate jitters, to see how markets are

reacting this morning, good morning rahmin. >> a bit of a mixed open here. investors have been pretty much immune to concerns about a u.s. rate hike in fact the topix we saw that hitting the highest levels since late 2007 yesterday. marketplace now waiting to hear any language by the fed after it wraps up his meeting later today. let's have a look at the opening levels for the nikkei and topix. the nikkei trading lower, the topix in the positive. boosted by hopes of wage growth and indications from the bank of japan that it would stick to its current monetary policy. a rally in the dollar has helped a lot of exporters here in their biggest market the u.s. much is going to depend on the tone of fed chair janet yellin's statements following the policy meeting later today. analysts say there still may be

a good reason for the fed not to raise rates just yet. as they still need to look at a lot of key economic data coming through, that's going to be a big focus. >> what about here in japan 37 there seems to be some developments to watch for in the gaming sector. tell us about that. >> a lot of developments there, a big focus, i wanted to follow on with nintendo and its plans to make aggressive moves into the mobile gaming market by teeming up with dna, which is one of japan's major mobile gamemakers, the two plan on developing mobile applications or applications for mobile devices. to move away from really relying mainly on consoles for nintendo. that's a big focus for that sector. >> give us an update on currencies, the dollar is still going strong. weighing on commodity prices it looks like. >> big focus there on what the strength of the dollar is doing to commodity prices.

and dollar yen right now. really analysts saying the pace of the rise in the dollar is the second biggest in 40 years, right now the dollar is holding steady ahead of that fed announcement, the price of wti crude oil has slipped to a six-year low. look at that. strong dollar has led to a fall in gold price as well to the lowest level since november of last year. now, across asia, we also need to check how those falling oil prices will affect resource rich asian markets and their stock indexes as well. as they bear the brunt of lower oil prices. i'll have more in a few hours. that's all for me back to you. >> we'll talk to you in a few hours time. three more european countries say they are on board with a new development bank proposed by china. officials in france germany and italy have given a joint statement saying they intend to

become founding members of the investment bank. 28 countries have already announced their intention to participate. they include southeast asian nations, india and new zealand. until the latest announcement britain was the only g-7 member. the officials in the three european nations say the new bank could work with other existing institutions to plan an important role for addressing funding needs for large infrastructure projects in asia. observers say those countries plus britain are keen to build closer ties with the world's second largest economy. officials at china's finance ministry say they welcome the announcement for the europeans. japan and the united states are skeptical about the new development bank. they question the transparency of its management. more headlines for you in business next hour. for now, i'll leave you with the check on markets.

south korea is accusing north korea of cyber attack ss. a team of police and prosecutors is investigating the computer leaks at korea hydroand nuclear power. the virus attached to e-mails was similar to one used by north korean hackers. they also say the hackers ip address resembled those used by

the north in the past. earlier this month, hackers posted what they claim are phone conversations between south korean president and u.n. secretary-general. the team says it's investigating how the data leak occurred. north korean hackers are also suspected of a cyber attack on 50,000 computers at financial institutions and broadcasters in south korea in 2013. the attack temporarily disabled automatic teller machines. aid workers are starting to help people get back on their feet after a powerful storm struck the south pacific nation. officials say they're still struggling to assess the full extent of the damage late last week. aerial footage shows the devastation on the main island. they have revised down the death toll to 11. it's hard to get information from some remote islands in the country. many survivors don't have electricity. more than 3,000 people have lost

their homes. and are staying in shelters. they say they don't have enough food. >> translator: that's why. there's no more food. >> hospitals are busy treating injured people. doctors are asking for medical assistance from around the world. >> we badly need this help. we need to get food, supplies and set up a mobile hospital to accommodate the influx of patients coming. >> some people have already started rebuilding their communities. workers are fixing roads. and repairing homes. more and more aide workers are arriving. a team sent by the japanese government is being sent to plan relief work. >> what's important for us is to send help to where it's most

needed. we'll discuss that with the government, an international organization. >> officials at unicef say tens of thousands of children need special attention. the officials say they're the most vulnerable people when disaster strikes. more and more syrians are fleeing their homeland as the civil war rages on. those who look to japan say the door is closed. now four of them are suing the japanese government demanding they be recognized as refugees. nhk world reports. >> reporter: yousef and his lawyers gathered to file a suit

. he lives near tokyo with the help of a charity that supports asylum seekers. he took part in pro-democracy demonstrations. government forces wanted to arrest him. that could put his family in danger. he felt he had no other choice but to flee his home country. japanese immigration officials gave him special permission to stay on humanitarian grounds. and he was allowed to bring in his wife and two children. but the tentative residents permit needs to be renewed every year.

she applied for refugee status to get a five-year visa. it will give him japanese language lessons and access to public services. >> i handed in proof that i took part in protest ss. >> officials said they couldn't find any reason for his persecution, they denied him the status. >> i don't know what will happen to us once we lose our right to live in japan. >> judy says he wants to get a stable job to support his family. and he's most worried about his children's future. western nations accepting greater numbers of refugees from syria. the policy varies in each nation. sweden granted full support to 12,000 people in 2013. germany follows with nearly

9,000. the number is much less in japan. 60 syrians have sored to refugee status. only three have been recognized. japanese laws are designed only for those fleeingthis man is a former representative for the united nations refugee agency. >> translator: japan should broaden its interpretation of the law to accept more syrian people. that will also increase the nation's global presence. >> immigration officials issued a statement saying they would look into the matter. the world health organization has held its first ministerial talks on dementia. the head of the who says a comprehensive plan is needed to tackle the issue. delegates from about 80 countries took part in the two-day conference in geneva.

two of these countries are experiencing rapid population aging. the world is the cplex problems of dementia. >> dementia has a large human cost cost. it has a large financial cost. both of these costs are increasing. we do not have a comprehensive, affordable plan for coping with the tidal wave of dementia. >> the w.h.o. says 47.5 million people have cognitive impairment. and 60% of them live in low or mid income countries. the number of sufferers is estimated to reach 75.6 million. the conference aims to raise awareness of the need for action ementia in less developed nations. the delegates explained how medical and nursing care for affected people can make their lives easier. the w.h.o. plans to establish the organization to enable

countries to share information and know how about dementia. specialists in mental health care have long used dogs and cats as part of the healing process. the animals put patients at their ease. now some therapists have started introducing people to other kinds of creatures. >> reporter: these children attend nursery school in the suburbs. today they have a guest ceasar the giant lizard. lizards like him are from south america's rainforest. you might think dogs and cats would be more therapeutic than

cesar. after all, he won't win any beauty contests. and let's not talk about that tongue. brazilians are becoming more interested in reptile therapy. it's effect on people is said to be unusual. cesar is shedding his skin. the children have never seen anything like it. the goal is to teach them they're surrounded by all kinds of life forms. the children benefit from interacting with animals they don't usually come in contact with. >> translator: i'm not afraid of cesar. i love him. >> his skin was softer than i expected. and it felt good. >> i think the children will cherish these interactions with unfamiliar animals for the rest of their lives. >> reporter: it's a busy day for

cesar, he's visiting the seniors at a nursing home. he's with his sidekick lady the snake. children and the elderly are easy to get along with they don't scratch or resist. >> translator: it was soft when i touched it. it made me feel good. >> translator: when i ask elderly people to move their hands, sometimes they can't do it. but when i ask them to pet an animal, they try really hard to move. this therapy can be miraculous in rehabilitating people. >> this professor has proposed a useful therapy in elementary schools. she's considered one of brazil's leading experts in animal therapy research.

they think the snail's slow movement calm children. and help them learn how to concentrate. after taking snail therapy, this boy improved his behavior. >> translator: when it's on my hand it stretches out all of its antennas. >> until last year he couldn't concentrate for long and often distracted classes. but the aftermath, he has a snail at home. he behaved much better. snails are ideal for this purpose, they're easy to care for. he's calmed down and studied and engaged with his teachers and friends. >> a snail is an interesting animal, i've learned many things from it. it's a pretty deep subject.

>> snails can be very effective at calming people down and nurturing the mind. if you take the time to interact with them. >> animal therapists have taken an unusual approach and they're welcome. people help the therapy will be used for a wide variety of situations. it's time now to get a check of the weather. harsh winter weather conditions continue to grip the northeast, some rivers have frozen over. mai joins us with the latest. >> the winter is still gripping parts of the northeastern u.s. and that actually made some rivers freeze the recent warming trend has caused ice jam flooding. we have some footage coming up from western pennsylvania. large chunks of ice caused structural damage along the

kbanks of allegheny river in western pennsylvania on monday. in parker about 60 kilometers northeast of pittsburgh an ice jam took out a deck damaged homes. the river rose a meter higher than the flood level. there are chances of this ice jam flooding to occur across these areas. and then we still have that cold air dominating parts of these areas. another round of winter precipitation again especially in nova scotia even maine will see a round of 25 centimeters of snowfall. when it gets to the eastern extreme end of canada. about 40 sentimenters in nova scotia. driving will be treacherous out there. across the other picture, we are going to be seeing winter precipitation again here across the northern rockies, that will be about 10 centimeters in the

higher elevations. in the valleys, 2 to 8 centimeters. precipitation will be in the norm of rain into your tuesday night hours, however, starting over night and into wednesday. that's going to be changing to snow and some patches of freezing rain. that's another area where traveling will be difficult. down below we're seeing a sign of spring. right here across texas we're seeing a lot of that heavy rainfall and scattered thunderstorms, that's going to continue to pound similar locations for the weekend. san antonio has thunderstorms in the forecast for you at 23 degrees for your high. oklahoma city recovering you to the double-digits. from the double-digits, to single back again in new york. despite the sunshine at 6 degrees. here across the eastern continental asia we have been monitoring bavi. it poofed up before making landfall into the philippines. it's not going to be affecting the area which is good news it's downgraded to a tropical

depression already. the high surfs are a little higher than normal about two meters high that's something to watch out for. it could give some beneficial rain to the drought stricken area. to the north we have this system with a stationery boundary that is making rain to fall about 90 millimeters of additional rainfall on top of the 100 millimeters we saw. that pulls into the korean peninsula, dropping as much as 120 millimeters of rainfall in the island. you can see it engulfing much of japan, except for hokaido. tokyo will see the rain come in from the evening hours into early morning. they might not even affect temperatures too much. down toward hong kong another foggy day for you in the morning hours. the daytime should be clearing out at 25 degrees. across the southern hemisphere,

we're still monitoring this. i'll talk more on this as we progress through this week. likely to become a category three, and make lawful by friday. the stormy conditions will be seen around friday and into the weekend. dropping as much as 300 millimeters, we'll keep you updated with this one. i'll leave you now for the extended forecast.

that wrap us up this edition of newsline. thanks for staying with us.

>> garrison keillor: maxine kumin lives on a farm in new hampshire where she breeds arabian and quarter horses writing poetry, four novels, more than 20 children's books. she says, "i don't want to write poems that aren't necessary. i want to write poems that matter." >> this is a little one called after love. afterward, the compromise. bodies resume their boundaries. these legs, for instance, mine. your arms take you back in. spoons of our fingers, lips admit their ownership. the bedding yawns, a door blows aimlessly ajar and overhead, a plane singsongs coming down. nothing is changed, except there was a moment when the wolf, the

mongering wolf who stands outside the self lay lightly down, and slept. ( applause ) thank you. >> hello and welcome to global 3000. your weekly check on the global issues that support the world. tens of thousands of people had to abandon their homes in

nicaragua. here is what is coming up. blessing or curse? nicaragua's plans for a strategic waterway. power or water? kenya looks for ways to make efficient use of its river. how japan is sailing its women in the world place. canals are a vital component of