hello there and welcome to "newsline." it's tuesday may 5th i'm keiko kitagawa in tokyo. japanese officials are hoping that the country will soon have more sites on the unesco world cultural heritage list. the 23 sites in eight prefectures across the country date back to the industrial revolution in the late 19th century. they include the yahata iron works and nagasaki mitsubishi shipyard. the sites were inspected in

september. the council placed the sites at the highest of four levels of recommendation. that paves the way for a formal decision at the meeting scheduled to start late june in germany. however, south korea one of the 21 countries on the committee opposed the nomination because korean people were forced to work at some of the facilities in world war ii. japan will explain the historic significance of these facilities as part of the effort to get them designated as world heritage sites. japanese embassy officials are delivering 350 tents and 2,500 blankets to authorities in the capital kathmandu. >> this area is a very cold area. and these blankets will be more useful in their daily use.

>> more than 7,500 people have been confirmed dead in neighboring countries following the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck late last month. the severe tremor destroyed or damaged more than 360,000 houses and buildings, forcing a large number of people outdoors. japan's finance minister has pledged to boost the country's investment in quality infrastructure for asia. he spoke at annual meeting of the asian development bank in azerbaijan. >> japan is developing a new initiative for promoting a quality infrastructure investment which will contribute to desirable growth in asia in the medium to long term. >> aso added japan will make use of its investment expertise and experience in carrying out the

initiative. he praised the adb's decision to boost its lending capacity by 50%. he said that will meet the increasing need for infrastructure funding in asia. aso said is it the most innovative step in the history of the adb or of any financial development bank. the finance minister of china said the increase is not enough. he called for further expansion of the lending capacity. >> translator: i think it's too conservative. the adb should provide as much funding as possible in order to support economic growth in the region. >> he also said there's enormous need for infrastructure in the region, and china's upcoming asia infrastructure investment bank and existing international development banks should be complementary rather than competitive.

and before we go, britain's newborn princess has been named charlotte elizabeth diana. the choice is seen as a tribute to her grandparents and the queen. representatives at kensington palace announced the name chosen by the parents, prince william and his wife kate. the couple had kept the world guessing about the name until both sides of the family got the chance to see the baby. charlotte is the feminine form of charles, in tribute to prince william's father, prince charles. the middle names honor queen elizabeth and the late princess diana. people in london reacted with delight to the announcement. however there was some emotion at the choice in particular of diana. >> diana is interesting. it's pressure put on her. >> i thought it might be charlotte. i wanted charlotte or sophia. so i like charlotte. it's nice. it's nice to have diana in there. >> princess charlotte is fourth

in line to the throne after charles, william and her older brother, prince george. japan's government says the number of children currently in the country is the lowest on record. the figure has been falling for 34 straight years and the ratio of children to the rest of the population has been decreasing since 1975. officials at the ministry of internal affairs say the number of people under 15 was an estimated 16.17 million as of april 1st. that number represents a decline of 160,000 in one year. the figure from 2014 was already the lowest since records were first kept in 1950. children aged up to 14 represented 12.7% of the entire population. that proportion was down by one-tenth of a percent from a year earlier and the lowest since 1950. the only prefecture with a year-on-year increase in children was tokyo, where the

number went up by 14,000. the child population in every other prefecture was down or largely unchanged. members of families in nooempb japan are finding good use for something often thrown away. they are recycling peach pits into kitchen tools and passing the special crafting techniques on to younger generations. >> yamagata prefectures is one of the country's leading peach producing regions. and the town of oe knows a thing about peaches too. noria sakuda and his son run a business based on the fruit but they're not involved with food. they're nope for their hand-crafted products like tea caddies. made out of peach pits.

the bumpy surface gives rise to a unique texture. the pits come from a nearby canning factory. they're not ready for use, though, until they've had more than eight years to dry. first, the pits are cut in half. and glued together one by one. to form cylinders. then the surface is shaved. >> translator: these tea caddies are steepd in natural elements such as sunlight and the natural oil from our hands. that's what gives them their luster. >> nor. yasu's father started the business. once he was a wood worker. but when he noticed the pattern

and sheen of the pits he used them for tea caddies. noriyasu went to work under his father's guidance and now he is building on what his father began, an array of products expands by the year. dishes, chop stick rests and tooth pick holders are part of the line-up. >> translator: i'm always thinking while i work and when i'm drifting off to sleep. my antenna is always on. so when inspiration comes i'm ready to incorporate into the my work. >> reporter: peach pit craftsmanship is not practiced anywhere else. so if it is to continue the responsibility will fall on a successor in the family. noriyasu is look to his son keita to take on that task.

keita began learning when he was 18. in the nine years since, he has proven himself to be competent at the basics. keita recently went one step further producing objects suitable for exhibitions. more than 500 peach pits went into this platter. >> translator: making something from scratch. i think this breathes life into even ordinary products. >> reporter: with keita coming along, noriyasu is released that the practice will continue for at least one more generation. >> translator: i imagine my own father must have felt the same

way. he must have been pleased when i took over. >> reporter: from father to son and then grandson. for this family peach pits are the heart of the matter. members of a non-governmental organization in china are trying to save some of their country's youngest people. they're seeing more and more parents abandon their babies largely because of poverty. so they're doing what they can to give those children a future. nhk world's -- yamamoto has more. >> reporter: this baby arrived at hospital with severe burns to more than half of his body. it thought the child was abandoned after an accident who couldn't afford a doctor.

>> translator: is there any hope his legs will heal? will he be able to walk? >> translator: yes he will be able to walk. the ankle joints are still okay. >> reporter: the baby was found in a forest in yunan province. he was taken in by an ngo whose staff brought him to receive medical care. chinese media is paying close attention to the growing social problem of abandon, injured or handicapped children. most cases involve poor parents leaving those children at public institutions or in some cases by the roadside. [ speaking foreign language ].

statistics show more than 100,000 infants are deserted every year. this ngo based in shanghai is called house of small hope. its mission is to save abandoned babies and help them to a baby life. the ngo receives almost daily concerns about babies in need. currently they take care of eight babies. since opening its doors last august people here have looked after nearly 40 infants. right now they are caring for babies aged one month to two years. all of them have an illness or serious injury and need constant medical care. -- is a writer who founded the ngo. she started helping children three years ago after hearing of babies who had starved to death. house of small hope is supported by donations from around the country.

>> translator: the government has no system to help these children. that's why i decided to set up an organization to save them. >> reporter: this two-year-old boy was abandoned by his parents after an operation to treat water on his brain fald. when he arrived at the home he was blind. he still had holes in his skull from the operation which had been performed at the rural hospital. after another procedure at the specialist hospital the boy regained his sight and began to use his right hand, which had been paralyzed. his medical bills were picked up by the charity. house of small hope has a staff of just ten. two of them including a nurse, stay at the facility every

night. but resources here are limited. the home cannot accept any more children. and the problem of abandoned children gets worse, the government is finally stepping in with support. chen says her ngo may qualify for panel assistance but in the meantime it needs much more help. >> translator: we need more members. we're not social workers or child psychologists. we have to train staff quickly and we need more money. >> reporter: china's economic growth seems to have outpaced the social welfare system with medical care out of reach for many people some of the poorest and youngest members of society are slipping through the cracks. kunihiro yamamoto, nhk world, shanghai.

myanmar is enjoying a new era of openness but decades of conflict have taken a toll. 200 children who lost parents during the fighting are under the care of a buddhist nun who has dedicated her life to protecting them. nhk world has the story. >> reporter: here is a town in central myanmar. this orphanage cares for some 230 children. the children cover their faces with a traditional type of sunscreen. most of them are from ethnic minorities. the founder is a buddhist nun. shocked by the plight of the orphans, she resolved to care for them herself.

>> translator: it was heart break when i first saw them. they arrived without anything. they were dirty and messy. seeing these children speaking a different language and staring hopelessly at the ground made me terribly sad. >> reporter: today's lunch is curry. every meal is funded by donations. meat and fish are luxuries. without the sound of gunfire, everything tastes good. >> translator: when we lit the wood to start cooking the children would ask when will this village be burned down? i felt retched hearing that. i decided i would raise them myself no matter what. >> translator: this girl comes from the kempen ethnic group. she remembers how she used to hide in the woods to escape the

fighting. >> translator: i'm grown up already. but i long to call my mother mom, and my father, dad. just once. >> reporter: she believes that education is the key to the children's futures. she set up an elementary school on the compound. the children speak different languages but they all study a common language to bring them together. they also learn the importance of participation. at weekly meetings everyone is encouraged to speak. >> translator: there have been problems regarding the toilet in the school.

does anyone have any comment? >> translator: it isn't just the job of the people who clean the toilet. the ones who use the toilet are also responsible. everyone needs to pour a bucket of water down the toilet before and after using it. >> reporter: she says talking about issues stops the children from arguing. >> translator: i let them use their imaginations freely make choices and negotiate based on their own wishes. i set up everyone agrees and is satisfied with the decision. >> reporter: having a new future doesn't mean forgetting the post. the children sing and dance for each other to remember their old heritage and to respect other peoples. nhk world, myanmar.

children in japan are getting some hard lessons in a fun way. they're learning life saving skills about how to react to earthquakes and avalanches. and their teacher is part natural disaster expert and part superhero. >> translator: i'm a scientist. in fact i have a ph.d. you don't believe me? >> this character will make you a believer. he goes by the name dr. nota ranger. he is a super hero who teaches kids about natural disasters. his powers include simulating an avalanche using a plastic bag. [ speaking foreign language ].

scary enough to remember. the doctor hopes children will recognize the dangers while having fun. nota ranger's alter ego is -- a specialist in snow disasters who has been with japan's national research institute for more than three decades. about 20 years ago he started holding workshops on natural disasters. he donned the costume to attract kids' attention. since then he has presided over 2,000 conventions in the country. >> translator: if a funny looking man says something you want to challenge him. that desire to challenge is the first step to desiring an interest. >> reporter: noguchi maintains a secret laboratory in the institute. it's where he prepares his presentations.

a plastic bottle simulate lick we faction. he is on a quest to find examples that children can comprehend. the good doctor paid a visit to an elementary school in a suburb of tokyo. >> nota ranger come in. [ laughter ] he brought with him an experiment showing how quakes affect buildings of different heights. noguchi expanded his scope after the great east japan earthquake. liquifaction can be dangerous.

when he shook it land soaked with water moved at the bottom like a liquid. the vibration caused balls with lower specific gravity than the sand to pop up. >> translator: we need to spark children's curiosity. they also might help people around them during disasters. knowing the laws of nature will make them better prepared. >> reporter: nature is the power that dr. nota ranger uses in his travels. and some day the children may become heroes themselves. >> an entertaining way to learn about natural disasters. let's learn about the weather with meteorologist robert speta. many people are enjoying time off work for the golden week

holiday. some people outdoors are popping up sun umbrellas but we are seeing cloudy skies this morning. what can we expect for the rest of the holiday? >> that does speak the truth today. we have been seeing warming temperatures but also the skies really starting to cloud up and temperatures cool down here on tuesday morning. that's really what you expect to see this time of year. the temperatures go up and back down. the good news is what we have been seeing is high pressure coming from the west. they will go back up tuesday and wednesday. improving conditions if you are celebrating the golden week holiday. that is the start of may in japan. back in the north we have been look at the low pressure area bringing rain showers and gusty winds. parts of hokkaido 108 kilometer per hour winds reported out here. the high pressure will come in and make for clear, sunnier

skies. a variety of things people will be doing out here. people will be checking out the flowers and head doing to okinawa and looking at the beach weather out there for you. this was taken on sunday in kagura in niigata, the ski resorts are still open out there. the diverse weather in japan today. that is on top of the mountain. i do want to specify that. you look at the bottom of the ropeway the snow is melted off. now if you don't want to go near the snow and are thinking it's spring and i want to enjoy the warmer weather, don't worry. if you are in japan in most of the cities the temperatures are in the 20s. by wednesday, 25 in tokyo. you could be wearing short sleeves in naha 27 for you. we do expect some showers to work back into the forecast by thursday. main culprit for that is a new low developing out here to the

west out of southeastern china. it has brought reports of 100 millimeters of total rainfall. that will continue to develop and even work its way there to the east. down to the south in the tropics, afternoon thunderstorms flaring up for those of you in the philippines. but the big topic is this our tropical storm, the sixth storm of the season just at the start of may here. this is storm noel and it is working to the west impacting the state of yap at this time. but it is going to potentially impact the philippines by the weekend. a lot of time to watch this. it could waver in his direction and miss you there and pull off to the north or move on to luzon. will keep you updated on that. in the americas thunderstorms flaring up in the central plains today. unsettled weather. on wednesday this isn't going

anywhere fast. in the east you need the rainfall. we have showers in the forecast in new york. but the winds will be kicking up. any wildfires that do start could spread fairly quickly. in europe let's talk about this. let's look at the satellite picture. a massive storm system dominating the forecast here. impossible to miss on the frontal analysis here. some areas have winds over 130 kilometers per hour. a threat of hail and damaging winds and potential for tornados. if you have travel plans in the british isles be ready for this. more in the east in germany. ahead of the low the temperatures are warming up. look at rome. 31 for your high on tuesday. i'll leave you now with your extended outlook.

and that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm keiko kitagawa in tokyo. thanks for staying with us.

' 'l. anne: hello and a very warm welcome to "euromaxx highlights," where we put together the best bits of the week for you. let's have a look at what's coming up. dynamic designs -- danish architect bjarke ingels is in big demand all over.

traveling man -- gunther holtorf spent 26 years driving around the world. and living sculptures -- artist willi dorner presents performance art of a different kind. "think big" is his motto, so it's no wonder architect bjarke ingels has won numerous accolades and awards for his work. the dane is one contemporary architect with a plan to make sustainability practical and easy to do.