hello there. welcome to "newsline." it's thursday, april 2nd. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. >> thailand's interim prime minister lifted martial law after 11 months. but he's invoked a new security clause that means the military will retain broad powers. he made the announcement in a televised address. the military imposed martial law last may just before it took control of the country in a coup. he issue ad new order which retains significant powers for the military. it bans political gatherings of

more than five people and the military would be able to detain people without charge. he says the new order is based on an interim constitution in order to maintain security. observers say the lifting of martial law is design to diffuse internal criticism of human rights violations and eliminating concerns about the effects on the economy, especially the tourism industry. negotiators from iran and six world powers have extended their marathon round of talks for a second day. they are hoping to reach a deal on demands from iron. the negotiations between iran and the five permanent members of the united nations security council plus germany have not concluded as of midnight wednesday well past the tuesday deadline. the foreign ministers or their deputies have tried to find a compromise through various channels, including a u.s./iran bilateral meeting, observers say differences remain how sanctions should be lifted.

mohammed jahvid said it's up to western nations to decide. >> as i've said all aalong recognition by all parties they need to exhibit political will and flexibility in order to move forward. >> the german foreign minister suggested that more time is needed in negotiations. he said the delegates would discuss a new proposal on wednesday night. u.s. officials say secretary of state john kerry will remain in luzanne at least until early thursday morning. german airline officials are still trying to understand the mental state of a co-pilot who is thought to have crash ad passenger plane in the french alps last week. the head of lufthansa and germanwings visited the crash site where all 150 people on board lost their lives. police briefed the ceo of

lufthansa of the low cost carrier of germanwings about their search activities. the two men held a moment of silence. investigators believe the co-pilot crashed the germanwings plane he was flying into a mountain side intentionally. lufthansa executives earlier disclosed new findings about the co-pilot. they said he submitted medical documents six years ago that showed he had suffered from severe depression but was recovering. this took place when lubitz resumed his flight training after a break of several months. the executives say they think it will take a long time to under what led to the fatal crash. >> we're just very very sorry that such a terrible accident could have happened in lufthansa. we want to help as long as help is needed. that's also my promise. >> he declined to answer

questions about to what extent the airline was aware of the mental health of the co-pilot. china is calling on countries to join its plan to establish a new development bank. applications are coming in one after another. so it seems the appeal of the new bank is growing. >> absolutely. they are interested in the possibility of greater business opportunities and two more countries have applied to join the china led asia infrastructure investment bank. this brings number of applicants to 50 nations and one territory. the chinese government said portugal and israel applied for membership on march 31st. participants includes countries in southeast asia and the middle east as well as britain and other european nations. russia brazil south korea and australia have also applied. the bank is intended to fund infrastructure projects for developing countries in asia. chinese officials have said countries that applied for

membership before the end of the march deadline will become founding members. this will enable them to participate in creating the bank's basic policies. china is calling on nations that have not yet applied to join the bank, japan and the united states are holding back saying that the bank's governance lacks transparency. let's check on markets. weak business sentiment here in japan had dampened tokyo stock prices then overnight on wall street shares also suffered losses as investors sold after seeing weak factory activity and the private-sector report on u.s. jobs. the dow jones industrial average fell .4 of a percent as did the nasdaq. the dow jones ending at 17,698 and the nasdaq 4880. to see how markets here are regarding stocks here. >> we had a little bit of

sentiment inn u.s. markets yesterday and tokyo. the manufacturing index the pole a 12 month low. it's the fifth successive fall. adp private sector jobs also fell short of expectations and markets are now looking forward to the main jobs data in the u.s. on friday. let's see,000 nikkei and topix are doing. nikkei yesterday traded below 19,000. for manufacturers it sparked a little bit of profit taking but seeing a bounce back from those levels right now. today, also however, there might be a little bit of negative sentiment in the tech sector. micron technologies reported weaker earnings forecast. analysts say the outlook for chip makers is a strong barometer for the pc sector and

related sectors. so keep a close eye on those areas. one bright spot may come from the auto sector. u.s. auto sales come out at the beginning of every month. sales figures beat estimates. we'll watch out for the likes of to it and nissan which had pretty good numbers. stronger dollar. clearly helping these exporters. yen has been moving in a tight range this week ahead of that main u.s. jobs report tomorrow. what can you tell us? >> exactly. right now let's have a look at the $yen. 119.58-60. no major change. dollar is like try to remain strong despite the sluggish private sector jobs figures but economists remain bullish on the overall growth trend. expectations remain supportive for the fed to raise rates at some point this year although unexpected declines in wage growth and inflationary pressures may cause a little bit of hesitation among market players with regards to the

fed's expectations to raise rates. >> we did see positive manufacturing data from the eurozone. >> that was pretty positive. the final reading actually for pmi hitting its highest level since may 2014 analysts say that may spur growth in the gdp. euro/dollar 1.0766. concerns over the greek debt is keeping it in a tight range. in asian markets we noticed some positives. china boosted the shanghai composite back to fresh seven year highs. it was up 1.6%. on wednesday we'll see how that develops today. all in all a lot of market players looking out for the jobs data on friday in the u.s. but also some volatility in oil and energy sectors so we'll watch out for that and how it may affect asian indexes. that's all for me. >> thank you for that update.

bank of japan has shown a growing number of firms in the country are experiencing a worker shortage. central bank official released the result of the survey on wednesday. they measured the percentage of respondents who reported excessive employment amongst those of insufficient. it fell two points to minus 17. the worst reading in about 23 years. minus figures were seen in both large and smaller manufacturers as well as nonmanufacturers. this implies there's a labor shortage regardless of business size and sector. for workers this could mean higher pay but for managers at smaller businesses higher labor costs could put pressure on earnings. it also showed large manufacturers expect to increase business investment by 5% but large nonmanufacturers expect to decrease investment by 4.1%. managers who are able to find enough help are hiring as many as they can and they are

changing the way they recruit. as nhk world found, they now want graduates with job ready skills. >> managers at toyota motor welcomed new employees at their headquarters in central japan. 1500 new workers joined the company this year. that's about 250 more than last year. >> translator: let's keep on taking on new challenges to make further improvements. we should set goals for 30 years, 40 years, even 100 years into the future. >> executives are expecting their highest ever operating profit for the fiscal year that just ended in march. >> translator: i want to make cars that are safe and fun to ride in. >> translator: i want to make appealing cars that are cute as well as stylish.

>> bank of japan survey say they slashed hiring graduates. now managers are trying to catch up. companies are also changing the way they recruit. a food company is holding a ceremony for new recruise at this farm east of tokyo. executives want new employees to see where their products come from and what farmers have to do to produce them. eight recent fwraus sgraduates attended the event. the recruise tilled the soil and uncovered certificates welcoming them into the company. they also learned how to harvest crops.

>> translator: it's sweet. >> one of the new recruits is a web designer. the company once hired only people with real world experience. but that changed this year. with web designers in short supply managers were eager to hire someone with the right skills, even if shelak lackedlak lacked work experience. >> translator: i can leverage what i learn. i want to make designs that highlight the company's strength. >> translator: the competition with our rivals is intensifying so we wanted a person who could help us right away. >> one analyst says japanese managers used to look for enthusiasm in new recruits because newly trained employees in the skills they need. but firms are now looking for people who are able to hit the ground running. >> translator: firms are

competing not only against rivals in the industry but in other industries as well. managers feel the urgency to hire people with expertise in a variety of fields to beat the competition. >> as the japanese economy recovers, company managers are accelerating their efforts to land talented recruits. they are counting on them to be the next engine of growth. good luck to them. that's the latest in business news for this hour. i'll leave you with a check on markets.

people in malaysia will now be paying more for many items. officials have introduced a consumption tax to improve government finances but economists worry it could hurt consumer spending. 6% goods and services tax or gst was launched on wednesday. it's part of an effort trim the nation's fiscal deficit. officials expect it will raise around $6 billion in annual revenue, about 10% of the money the country took in last year from all sources. government wants to shift reliance on income from petroleum industries amid declines. the industry provided 30% of the nation's tax revenue. >> after this maybe once a month i watch a movie. >> the gst will not be less viaed on food health care expenses or tuition but some are critical say it will deal a blow to people living in poverty.

concerns raised it could dampen consumption and drag down malaysia's economy. most economies have consumption tax. the philippines have the highest at 12% fold by indonesia, cambodia and laos with 10%. the rate changes in varm depending on the purchase. in singapore and thailand consumption tax is 7%. people in a town in southern nepal had to run for their lives after the arrival of an unexpected visitor. a rhino found its way in. elephants chased it back into the forest. the rhino proceeded to chase people around the marketplace. motorists used their horns to drive the animal away. it took several hours before animal experts with four elephants succeed in guiding the

rhino back home. a woman died after being gored several others injured. the rhino strayed from the national park. the palestinian authority has become the newest member of the internal criminal court despite strong opposition from the israeli government. >> we formally welcome the state of palestine as the 123rd state party. >> the palestinians have been working to recognize statehood. >> in the face of the great injustice our people are enduring and the repeated crimes committed against it palestine has decided to seek

justice not vengeance. >> they said the israeli campaign last summer violated internal law. they hope charges will be brought. in january a prosecutor said that the court had opened a preliminary examination to decide whether to proceed with the full investigation. palestinian leaders have brought israel's settlement activities in the west bank to the icc. they see their actions at the icc as a way to put pressure on israel after peace talks between the two sides broke down last year. israeli government officials do not have to comply with an icc investigation as the country is not a member of the court. iraqi leaders are claiming over islamic state militants, following a month-long battle for control of a strategic city. government troops have driven

the insurgents out of tikrit. officials say they now want to launch an offensive to win back territory north of the city that is still held by the militants. troops have recaptured key facilities in central tikrit. the rebels have controlled the city since last june. state-run tv showed prime minister haider al abadi parading through the city, accompanied by the provincial governor and military leaders. abadi says they will work to have the thousands of people had fled the city return to their homes as soon as possible. >> translator: we are now in central tikrit. god willing, iraq will be liberated from the criminals and their atrocities. >> interior ministry officials say hundreds of rebel fighters are still holed up about 10 kilometers north of the city center. they say government forces are determined to flush them out. the iraqi troops launched the operation to recapture tikrit in early march with support from iranian forces and shia militiamen. they were recently joined by fighter pilots from u.s.-led coalition forces who have been bombing targets.

iraqi forces say their next mission will be to take back mosul, the country's second largest city. >> many rice farmers in northeast japan are still recovering from the massive tsunami that flooded their land in 2011. salty water contaminated the soil making rice difficult to grow so farmers in myi myagi teamed up with researchers to grow a different crop. >> reporter: this beer has a rich flavor and a faint scent of lemon. it's named recovery ale, in the hope of cheering up survivors of the disaster. its major ingredient is barley grown in miyagi prefecture. during the tsunami four years

ago, saltwater covered rice fields along the prefecture's coast, making it difficult to continue growing the crop. some farmers decided not to grow rice again. two years ago researchers began a project to plant barley that withstands salt in the soil and can be used to make beer. okayama university's institute of plant supplies the barley seeds. the institution is one of the world's largest barley seed banks. it holds about 15,000 types from around the world. professor sato is a key figure in research and development. he's been experimenting with barley genes to produce a more delicious beer. it took him five years to develop a new type of barley seed.

he provided them to areas hit by the tsunami. >> translator: it affected areas rice can't be grown, but i thought it might be possible to grow barley. i sure hope beer has the power to bring everybody together. >> reporter: two years ago sato started an experiment on a farm, untouched by seawater. he observed how the new barley grew. >> translator: we can expect a good crop. >> reporter: with the professor's advice, farmers have adjusted the timing of the planting. they also improved the soil so the crop is expected to increase. >> translator: i never imagined things would improve so much this year. i think the barley is growing really well. >> reporter: brewers and local people help make the beer. >> translator: of course selling

the beer is our final goal, but we want to rebuild the local community by bringing everybody together to play a role in our project. >> reporter: sato has been working to develop a type of barley that resists excess salt and moisture. his research is expected to enter the final stage soon. >> i want to help rebuild the farming sector by turning the into a small center for beer production, then to celebrate, i want to drink beer with everybody. >> sato's research hit farmers make a living again, and the beer giving people in struggling communities something to hope for. nhk world. it is time now for a check of the weather. people in many areas of central europe are dealing with damaging

winds. >> that's right, catherine, we have been talking about powerful windstorms after another one has actually killed one person in germany and caused many power lines to be completely shut off. take a look at some video coming up. these videos are from germany and poland. well, these are the images we have been seeing. a powerful wind storm continues over central europe causing one death in germany and disrupting travel. calls were made to fire departments for help during the heart attack-strength winds on wednesday. major travel delays have been seen not just to trains but trains and roadways. roads became completely blocked by falling trees due to the very strong winds. in munich, train services were completely shut down. this is the coming easter holiday weekend, so i know a lot

of people will be traveling. unfortunately, well, the winds will be on a weakening trend, however it won't be wound down enough for it to not hinder traveling. the isobars are still close to each other, and that indicates strong winds, up to about 105 kilometers, winds still really likely in and around germany, poland as well as the czech republic. there will be a risk of isolated tornadoes as well, and frequent lightening along with that. the brish -- british isles will see a break. we have a warm front that is stretcheing all the way into the central locations, and north of that, we are seeing a lot of that cold air still dominating much of these locations. the precipitation, as you can see, is in the winter side, very much like winter, about 5 to 10 centimeters of snowfall will be accumulating in the mountainous areas here, but down below here in italy as well as the iberian peninsula, things are looking like summer.

lisbon at 28 degrees with gorgeous sunshine. london has partly sunny skies, escaping from the windy countries. unfortunately by friday there's another system that will bring wet and windy conditions. across here, we are tracking this type of -- you can clearly see that eye right there. now it's heading toward the eastern philippines. good news is we're not getting injuries reported from the micronesian islands, but thus far that's what we're getting. we will be getting updates soon. this is going to be building into eastern coast of the philippines, possibly as a typhoon. as you can see, it has dropped from the violent status, but a very strong typhoon. packing gusts of 252 kilometers per hour. if it does hit, it will be moving into metro manila. a lot of people will be traveling for the easter holidays here as well, so we'll keep close attention on it. the winds will be very strong,

and the waves already up to about 4 to 5 meters high. now, to the bigger picture, we have a low pressure system here creating some thunderstorm advisories and warnings across much of central china, about 100ers of rainfall will be falling. that's going to be traveling into the korean peninsula. good news is that this area has been experiencing severe drought. so this could be some beneficial rain. that's going into japan. as you can see, tokyo is reaching at 18 degrees, same as seoul. this is going to be your three-day outlook for your cherry blossom viewing. here is your extended forecast.

>> that wraps up this edition of "newsline". i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thank you for staying with us.

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hello. and welcome to the fifth season of "latin view." i'm sherri vasquez. now, immigration is a complex national issue that