hello there and welcome to "newsline." it's tuesday april 14th. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. people in nigeria are coming together the mark nor than one year since 200 female students were kidnapped by the islamic extremist group boko haram. they gathered on monday to demonstrate in the nigeriian capital. many put tape on their mouths as a show of salolidarity with the victims. >> i want them back healthy and

alive with no trauma, with no heart ache. >> extremists kidnapped the girls from a school last year. they said they would sell all the girls as slaves. pakistani nobel peace prize laureate malala use receive subsidy is calling on authority to do more to free the girls. she has travelled to nigeria to offer her support to the families. >> we cannot imagine the full extent of the horrors you have endured but please know this we will never forget you. we will always stand with you. >> boko haram members have escalated their acts of violence against nigeriians since the mass kidnapping. nay have also taken more children. boy are reportedly made to become soldiers and girls are forced into marriage. some of the girls are believed to have been sexual abused.

officials with the united nations are calling for emergency assistance to save 800,000 young people who have been displaced following extremist attacks. chinese officials are denouncing calls to free activists. chinese foreign ministry spokesperson -- referred to u.s. secretary of state john kerry urging for their mediate and unconditional release. >> translator: china is a nation ruled by law. people are equal under the law. judicial officials will deal with the matter according to the law. >> he says leaders in beijing are calling on officials in the u.s. to respect china's sovereignty and not to interfere with their international affairs. the activists had planned to

ratty for measures to prevent sexual harassment on international women's day on march 8th. but officials detained them. south korean president park geun-hye has ordered an investigation into allegations of bribery. the accusations surfaced when officials discoughed what appeared to be a list of people who accepted bribes. it was found after a ceo of a construction committed suicide. he was under investigation for suspicion of corruption. he was involved in resource develop projects. names on the list include the former chief of staff for the president and the mayors of two cities. he had also told south korean media he provided funds to south korean politicians. park's approval rating is below

40% on a recent opinion poll. japanese leaders are hammering out a compromise to cut greenhouse gases by the year 2030. they are targeting a reduction of 20 to 30%. the new plan comes as leaders disagree on how much to cut. environment ministry officials want a 30% decrease but officials with the ministry of industry say that's too high. they want a reduction of 15% instead. they say a higher number will put too much pressure on industry. they are trying to negotiate a compromise of 20% or more. observers say it will require more power from renewable energy sources and nuclear plants. but officials say renewables could lead to higher costs and there has been strong opposition to nuclear power. officials from japan and other countries must submit their targets to the u.n. before a year-end conference. the united states and all european union members turned in their plans. the eu goal calls for at least a 40% cut by 2030.

investors are looking into cybercrime are facing an increasingly daunting task as more and more data goes online. so interpol has teamed up with cybersolutions companies. ai uchida has all the details. >> reporter: cybercrimes are becoming increasingly sophisticated and global making it difficult for investigators in one country to deal with cases on their own. a u.s. subsidiary of sony was hacked last year and the twitter account of the u.s. central command was broken into this year by a group of people claiming to be militants from the islamic state group. interpol has opened a cybercrime center in singapore to bolster international policy efforts against international cybercrime. it brings together investigators and computer engineers from more than 50 countries including japan. the center will collect and

analyze information onion line crime. its officer will help investigators from interpol strengthen monitoring of illegal arms and the drug trade on the so-called dark web. many engineers from private security companies are also cooperating. -- stresses the importance of the public/private cooperation. [ speaking foreign language ]. a japanese national police agency official nobo ruchld a a nakatani heads the singapore center. he says cross border cooperation is necessary.

let's check in on markets. wall street ended lower. the dow jones down more than 4%. the nasdaq closing lower by more than .1%. investors are waiting for first quarter earnings reports from major companies. ramin mellegard joins us from the tokyo stock exchange. how are markets look so far? >> with earnings season going to be in full swing in the u.s. a little surprise there is hesitation in the markets we saw in the u.s. also with the slightly weaker dollar against the yen we may get head winds against exporters in japan as well. let's look at how the nikkei and topix are kick off for tuesday april 14th. both in the negative in the first few minutes of trading. the nikkei was flat on monday. also a negative sentiment with regards to growth in china as trade figures showed exports

fell 15% in march from a year earlier in china. that underscored the global concerns for growth in china but it's there is an old market saying that bad news is good news. that is playing into the markets here and analysts suggesting that investors are encouraged because they may get stimulus measures coming from china. if you look at the gains from the hang seng you are look at the graph right now. it has risen 17% right now. with the market capitalization setting a new record at $4 trillion u.s. that is beigea big move. >> the dollar is steady. what can you tell us there? >> hesitation on the dollar as well. it's holding just below 120 yen. and analysts say there may be concern about the strength of the dollar. investors are going to be

focused on earnings forecasts or outlooks. many big names are due with earnings this week. there is also going to be big data releases. retail sales and producer price index and consumer price index later in the week as well. >> in the bond markets the yield gaps seem to be given further support for the dollar. >> definitely. let's look at the differentials there. the ten-year yield was 1.92% right know. and japanese ten-year yields around 0.34% and german yields around 0.15%. so really some caution in the markets. analysts say there could be room for further gains for the dollar and for stocks should earnings and guidance and outlooks come out a little bit better than expected in the u.s. and let's not forget in japan as well in the next couple weeks.

back to you. >> talk to you in a few hours' time. more people in japan are turning away from green tea. makers of the drink are looking for ways to brew up new sales. some are heading overseas and taking new products with them. >> reporter: managers at this tea company have been recruiting international students for three-month internships. they want the students to learn about green tea and take their knowledge back home. company instructors teach them how to cultivate the tea. >> this is new sprout. baby, baby sprout. he is preparing to grow up. >> reporter: company instructors tell them everything they know about green tea. this includes the best way to brew it and serve it. >> even the seam tea leaves on

different temperature and the taste is different. >> reporter: 35 students from 13 countries have completed the internship. four former interns are importing tea leaves to their countries. >> i would like to open a coffee shop and sell japanese tea. >> reporter: company managers have hired s i mona from lithuania after her internship ended. the website explains how different seasons and tea breeds change the taste of the drink. simona has spareearheaded an increase of international tours from visitors. they visited tea fields and tasted several varieties of the drink. >> we notice that the number of

people who are interested in japanese green tea is growing. i really want to expand japanese tea even more to bring to the world. >> reporter: so far, the internship program has been a success for the tea company. last year sales to overseas customers quadrupled with shipments going out to 65 countries. >> translator: our mission is to bring japanese tea to the world. we want to convey the appeal of authentic green tea to customers overseas. other companies are fighting shrinking demand for green tea by developing new products. this company has invented a new seasoning that uses green tea.

it is a green chili and salt mixture. in the company cafe chefs serve up a pasta that uses the seasoning. >> translator: pasta with tomato sauce is heavy but green tea pasta is light and delicious. >> reporter: the company has developed cosmetics infused with green tea. the key ingredient tea seeds. they are rich in nutrients that keep the skin moist. the cosmetics have been a hit. a luxury spa in a major hotel in japan will soon feature the product. >> translator: we want to create a greater variety of tea products. we hope to sell them in japan

and overseas. >> reporter: a traditional japanese drink that's getting untraditional treatment, from the farm to laboratory, green tea producers are making every effort to survive. >> and that's the latest in business for this hour. i'll leave you with a check on markets. engineers at fukushima

daiichi in northeastern japan have been trying to locate melted nuclear feel inside a damaged reactor. they sent in a robotic camera last week which they had to abandon after it got stuck. but it was able to send back helpful data, the first ever pictures of the interior of the containment vessel. tokyo electric power company engineers inserted the remote controlled robot into the number one reactor through a pipe. the snake-like machine is designed to nav gaft around obstacles. it got stuck after moving a little more than ten meters, but not before capturing important footage. debris and machine parts can be seen. the temperature is reading at 20 degrees and steam can be seen rising. experts say water at the bottom of the vessel is evaporating due to the heat generated by the melted nuclear fuel. the radiation is reaching 10 sieverts in some places. the dose is deadly after 40 minutes of exposure. at one point it shoots above 20 sieverts.

tepco says they will analyze the footage to try to find ways to remove the molten fuel. the reactor melted down following an earthquake and tsunami four years ago. people in japan appear to sound more satisfied with the country's leaders. approval ratings for prime minister shinzo abe's cabinet are on the rise. nhk conducted a telephone survey from friday to sunday. more than 1,000 people responded. support for abe's cabinet is up 51%. that's up 5 percentage points from a march poll. 34% do not support the cabinet, a drop of 3 points. people were asked which issue they think the country should tackle first. over a quarter of respondents chose a review of the social security system. more than 20% said stimulus measures aimed at reviving the economy. 15% chose nuclear plant issues. just over 10% said foreign policy and national security followed by fiscal reform at 9%. pollsters asked participants

about the government's plan to relocate the u.s. marine futenma air station within okinawa. officials want to move the base away from a densely populated area but the governor opposes the plan and says the relocation doesn't lessen the burden on the prefecture. over quaerf e respondents said y to the relocaon plan. more than 20% said no. 44% are not sure. another question concerned the chinese proposed asian infrastructure investment bank. japan's government hasn't decided whether to join citing a lack of transparency regarding its planned organization. 43% said the stance is appropriate. 11% said it is not appropriate. and 31% said they are not sure. chinese leaders have vowed to put top priority on tackling the environmental problems that

have long plagued the country and residents in one southwestern community are holding them to that promise. they say a housing project is destroying family farmland and they want government support to stop the construction. more from nhk world's -- >> reporter: kuming has been nicknamed spring city. residents enjoy clean air thanks to the high elevation. the community is growing in size and people are relocating here. in the south of the city is this lake. it's a popular tourist spot but until a few years ago, this fresh water lake was severely polluted with algae -- was born and grew up near the lake. he used to run a pig farm here but decades ago he noticed the water he was using for feed was

rapidly disappearing. he looked into the problem and told the authorities the chemical fertilizer plant was releasing sulfuric acid into the lake. >> translator: i gathered evidence and sued the company that was polluting the lake. i won the case and the plant was forced to stop operations. people were grateful for what i did. >> reporter: local officials took measures to improve the water quality and their efforts paid off. over the past five years the amount of algae lessened and the water became much clearer but just as the situation was improving a new problem arose. there are a lot of projects

underway at the lake. here they are filling the lake to make new houses. china's state-run media has extensively covered the development. it reported the work to fill in the lake has damaged the surrounding farmland and it says that trees in the surrounding area are being cut down with no concern for the environment. [ speaking foreign language ] . >> reporter: construction crews are wasting no time building the vacation homes west of the lake but residents are concerned. >> translator: farmland passed down from generation to generation has been ruined. we started to see the effects as soon as the real estate

developers began their work. >> reporter: the villagers also said the rivers they depend on for drinking water dried up when construction began. they turned to zhang for help. he began to investigate the damage to the river. the villagers also gave zhang on the damage from the construction work. he plans to make a formal complaint to the authorities. >> translator: if nothing is done our homes will be sold off. the mountains will lose their trees. everything will be lost. all we'll have left will be disaster. >> reporter: efforts to preserve china's environment haven't been

proceeding as smoothly as officials would like. zhang says he will fight on to protect the lake and save his hometown. k umd nihiro yamamoto nhk world, kumming. time now for a check of the weather. residents of the u.s. south are getting hit with heavy bouts of rain. mai shoji has the details. >> it has been continuing on since late last week. severe weather has been battering part of the u.s. thunderstorms and hailstorms have been reported since late last week. we have images coming out from kentucky. we talk about severe weather all the time but we don't have a chance to show you the conditions during a storm. this is how people actually feel inside a storm. this is why taking shelter as soon as a warning is issued in your area is important.

no tornado was in this storm. a tree toppled on to a van as the man filmed inside. the vehicle was completely destroyed. the video shows you how destructive the phenomenon can be. we are seeing chances of unstable conditions yet again. we have gulf of mexico pulling in the humid air and clashing with the cold northerly air up here in the upper level. and due to the frontal system it will be drenching these areas with extensive amounts of rainfall. so flash flooding is going to be certainly an issue for yesterday and today. and we're looking at these conditions. we have some video coming out from texas. this is

dallas/fort worth. several areas suffered minor flooding but no injuries so far. this is likely to happen again with chances of 100 millimeters of rainfall and widespread thunderstorms across much of the areas all the way down from the great lakes and into texas. out to the north this is where we need the rainfall but we are not getting any at call due to the relative humidity down to 10% and the gusts as strong as 80 kilometers per hour is creating critical fire weather across these locations. that will spread fires widely if they happen and hard to contain. out here in the west we are looking at an incoming system likely to bring up to 40 centimeters of late spring snow into the cascades and 10 centimeters in the rockies. and blizzard conditions is likely in the mountains.

looking at showers here. not too severe in new york and in washington, d.c. but severe weather will be happening across much of japan especially in the pacific side. that includes tokyo as well. we have unstable condition that will be prolonging throughout the day today with a chance of hail frequent lightning, strong gusts and tornadic activity cannot be ruled out. if you have thunder roaring go indoors. shut off electronic devices. pull out plugs from your wall and do not take a shower or bath during the storm system. in the korean peninsula we have showers that could produce thunderstorms in tokyo. and down in bangkok, 34 degrees with chances of severe thunderstorms. i'll leave you now for your extended forecast.

we have one more story to share with you before we go. this may surprise you. buyers in japan have done serious bidding at a fruit auction vying to snap up the first mangos of the season. [ speaking foreign language ]. top quality mangos went on sale in the southern city of

miyazaki. farmers there have been growing them for 30 years. the highest bid was for a box of two mangos that sold for $2500 u.s. that tied with the record price set last year. the wholesaler who placed the bid says he wants to thank the farmers for growing great-tasting fruit. >> translator: we farmers do our best to raise mangos as if they were our own children. i think the high price reflects our efforts. >> the average price for a box of two mangos was around $170. that's about $26 more than last year. and that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for staying with us. we'll be back at the top of the hour.

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packed full of exciting events and news from all over europe. here's what is coming up -- man and machine. computer-controlled robots. and the future of design. streetsmart -- a portuguese artist creates sculptures from trash.

and island idyll -- the natural beauties of fuerteventura. these started out as polystyrene cubes and within minutes were cut into these computer generated designs by robochop. this cutting-edge piece of technology was on display at