five. agency officials are warning climbers to keep out of the areas around the crater. they say a possible minor eruption may impact the valley

on the northern slope of mt. hakone. on monday local authorities banned entry to the area around the valley. they say the region has been experiencing a growing number of earthquakes originating near the mountain since april 26th. officials have confirmed slight crustal movements. the region is a popular destination for tourists. a u.n. envoy has started meeting delegates from the syrian government, opposition groups and other parties. the consultations are part of the efforts to resume peace talks. he began his work in geneva by meeting representatives of the syrian government under bashar al assad. he will hold separate talks with the delegations from the u.n. security council members as well as iran and saudi arabia. >> we must do something. we cannot just wait. and perhaps by trying to find

out from everyone whether they do have realized that we cannot continue we may get some ideas how to end it. >> the civil war in syria is showing no signs of ending as various militant groups have joined the fighting. islamic state militants have put wide areas of northern and eastern syria under their control. they've also seized part of the palestinian refugee camp in the suburbs of damascus. local media say the militants continue their offensive around the capital and southern cities on tuesday ppdz the turmoil that began more than four years ago has killed over 220,000 people. about 4 million have fled to jordan turkey and other neighboring countries. members of a japanese medical team have begun operating on severely injured survivors of the earthquake that struck nepal late last month.

bahrabise is 75 kilometers from the capital kathmandu. the town's only hospital collapsed in the quake. over 90% of its buildings were damaged. a japanese team has been working at a makeshift base. doctors began carrying out surgery on tuesday. they had received equipment for general anesthesia and tents from japan. one man was waiting for surgery after being transported from a mountain village. his son had heard japanese doctors could help out. >> translator: it took seven hours to come all the way here. >> translator: some patients could suffer from after-effects or even die if they can't have the operations they need. i think it's very significant to make medical support available to this community. >> the earthquake left more than 7,500 people dead in nepal and neighboring countries. over 360,000 houses and other buildings were damaged in nepal. this is forcing many survivors

to live outdoors. japanese defense officials are considering the deployment of new ground self-defense force units to quickly respond to contingencies on remote islands in the country's southwest. they've been working to bolster defense capabilities for these islands as china increases its maritime activities. the defense ministry plans to station initial response units op miyako and ishigaki islands in okinawa prefecture. around 600 personnel are likely to be deployed on miyako island. the ministry plans to equip them with surface-to-ship missiles. chinese vessels are repeatedly entering japanese waters off the senkaku islands. they plan to set up an amphibious rapid deployment brigade in sasebo city in 2018

and plan to put a unit on the western-most island of yonagani by the end of next march and scheduled to organize an initial response unit with about 550 members on amami oshima island in kagoshima prefecture around 2018. the officials say the presence of the units on remote islands will help improve readiness for contingence es. they say this will also enhance deterrents against intrusions into japanese waters. the islamic state militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack on an exhibition of caricatures depicting the prophet muhammad. it took place on sunday near the u.s. city of dallas. the militants made the claim in an online audio recording. [ speaking foreign language ] two gunmen opened fire near the

venue where the cartoon contest was being held. police shot them dead after exchanging fire. the statement suggests there will be more attacks in the united states. authorities are investigating whether the suspects had any connection with the militant group. southeast asia's biggest economy is slowing down. indonesian government officials say growth is the lowest it's been since the country started feeling the effects of the global economic crisis. they say gross domestic product grew 4.7% year on year in the january to march period. that's the lowest since the third quarter of 2009. the officials say china's slowing economy is the main reason. the country is one of indonesia's biggest trading partners. they say another factor is the decline in prices of coal and other resources that indonesia exports.

president joko widodo set a growth target of 7% when he took office last october. he's trying to make indonesia less dependent on exports of natural resources by developing industries like manufacturing. the president also plans to build new roads, port facilities and other infrastructure to attract more foreign investment. people at a global consulting firm say self-driving cars will be a common sight on the roads of the future. they say the vehicles will comprise a quarter of new car sales worldwide in 2035. researchers at boston consulting group have been studying development programs at major automakers. they expect cars that can automatically change lanes on expressways to go on sale in 2018. the researchers also say in 2025 manufacturers will launch cars that go straight or turn according to traffic signals. they predict such vehicles will make up 13% of new car sales

that year and 25% in 2035. >> tralator: safety is a very important issue, especially regarding self-driving cars. it will be necessary to clarify legal responsibility when there are accidents. >> japanese and european automakers see driverless vehicles as the key to expanding sales in industrialized countries. the people who run japan's tiniest airline are thinking big. the small crew has tasks from takeoff to touchdown, but their work doesn't end on the tarmac. they're busy ensuring their presence looms large. >> reporter: ten times aday the ama kus is a airlines transfers passengers from the island for which it's name and the cities of kumoto and osaka. you're looking at the whole fleet.

one propeller-driven plane that seats 39. the entire workforce totals only 58 people. it's the country's smallest scheduled airline. the one attendant on each flight operates on a tight schedule inspecting safety equipment and carrying out other responsibilities. >> translator: i complete the tasks even when we're under time constraints because they're all important. >> reporter: the ceo doesn't sit behind a desk either. he's busy on the tarmac handling the luggage. everyone's job description is flexible. >> translator: since we're tiny we can't operate like the large airline, but we can give our customers a good experience. and hold the costs down, too.

>> reporter: one way of keeping prices under control is asking the flight attendants to edit the airline magazine. the issues feature staff members and provide maps so customers can enjoy the scenery. they also offer information about amakusa tourist sites and the cuisine. passengers like the publication all the better because it's not too slick. >> translator: i always read the magazine. it's really heartwarming. i've even taken a copy home because it had information i wanted to save. >> reporter: the flight attendants take turns at the helm of the magazine. they understand that the contents are more than just a way for passengers to pass the time. people act on what they read. >> translator: they pay attention to it. sometimes i see them writing down the addresses and phone numbers of places that we've

highlighted. when that happens, i'm very happy. >> reporter: last year about 80,000 people flew with amakusa airlines. even so about 40% of the seats are empty on an average trip. so the company is spreading the word about what it has to offer. residents of amakusa who tune in to the local cable tv channel can find out about what's up at the airport, and that of course, includes the airline. flight attendants make this part of their job, too. they introduce products that will be available at markets and fairs near the airport and offer behind the scenes clips of working at the facility. if viewers see the airport itself as a fun destination, they might be inclined to take a flight.

>> translator: i think the selling point is that we're close by. i want to do this more often so people know even more about us. >> reporter: other airlines are bigger but the flight attendants of japan's smallest want customers to remember nothing is better than the airline that feels like home. a young japanese man is helping to heal divisions in the north african nation of sudan. he's using one of the world's oldest martial arts to bring people together. nhk world reports. >> reporter: a festive atmosphere, and people are getting excited. the event is wrestling, a sport

thought to be more than 3,000 years old. there is one japanese face in the crowd. it belongs to kosuke a wrestler who placed fifth in the world championships. he came to sudan at the invitation of the sudanese government. sudan's civil war is over but there is still deep-seated hostility between various ethnic groups. one common interest for these divided people is wrestling. the government hopes to send a sudanese competitor to the tokyo olympics. >> translator: i think it would be good if instead of fighting the entire country would move in a positive direction by bonding through sports like wrestling. >> reporter: sunagawa has

trained 20 hopeful athletes. one challenge he faces is the differences between nuba and olympic wrestling. in nuba the match is over when one of the wrestlers touches the ground with his shoulder backside or back. in nuba the two wrestlers get in close right from the start. in olympic wrestling, on the other hand, there is much more stress on getting the best position. opponents maneuver before they start to grapple. another program is that many sudanese wrestlers skip practice. sunagawa went to visit one of his students. he has high hopes for him. he is from the southern part of

the country where there is still active fighting. he left his family in his hometown. they depend on him for financial support support. >> translator: i want to go to practice so that i can be good enough to compete internationally. >> reporter: sunagawa was shocked to learn of the extreme poverty his students have to endure. he later appealed to the sudan olympic committee who agreed to offer financial support. sunagawa continues to train khamees. he focuses on positioning. >> translator: you have to make your opponent move more by using a variety of patterns and moves. >> reporter: khamees took part in a nuba wrestling exhibition

so he and sunagawa can test their progress. can he handle the tough wrest wrestlers? he starts by creating some distance. then he maneuvers for position looking for an opening. he has practiced his move with sunagawa. the match ends in a draw. khamees has held his ground against a tough wrestler. >> translator: nothing could make me prouder than such a dramatic change in the country since i've been here. >> reporter: sunagawa's olympic dream is not only to pursue a medal. he is a man fighting for peace. kosei takeno nhk world, khartoum, sudan.

a photographer is looking through his lens at the past to help preserve the future. he spent 20 years capturing images of stone carvings at an ancient temple in cambodia. and he's hoping his photographs ensure the site is never forgotten. a massive face carved in stone dating from the days of the khmer rouge empire. there are 259 faces like this in the ankghor ruins each with a different description. the photographer is the first person to create photographic record of all these faces. he began working on the project over 20 years ago. >> translator: they're carved into ordinary stone but their expressions feel so human. no matter how many times i come

here i never feel as though i'm seeing the same faces. >> reporter: in the early 1990s, cambodia was starting to emerge from its long civil war. its historic sites had been left abandoned and many were falling into ruin. saito was captivated by the carvings concerned by their poor condition, he joined a japanese government team set up to preserve the site. this marked the start of his photographic project. the faces, each about five meters high are carved into the four sides of numerous towers in the anchorkh angkor wat ruins. he sees it in the mysterious faces. >> translator: their faces are huge but their expressions are amazingly detailed in their nuances.

these faces were carved a thousand years ago and we're still looking at them today. they must be preserved properly. >> saito realized that photographing each of the faces head-on would be useful for researchers and it could help prevent further deterioration. but even the lowest of them are 15 meters above the ground. some are 45 meters up. so he had to reassemble his scaffolding for each of the faces. the scaffolding was precarious and would move even if the slightest breeze. it was a major challenge. >> translator: when i was shooting, i'd ask everyone to get down but even so the deck would sometimes shake. if one of the workers ten meters below was jiggling his foot it would cause the top to sway wildly.

>> thanks to his efforts to position himself directly in front of the faces, he made many new discoveries. sometimes a face might seem gentle, but at other times angry. the more he photographed them the more he saw this. he never got tired of working with the same subject. >> translator: depending on the light or the temperature of the air, their expressions seem to change. over the course of 20 years i've been there about a hundred times, but i'm always amazed every time. >> reporter: saito's photographs of the stone faces have been compiled by unesco for use as a reference material. the images will also be kept at a new museum opening this summer.

saito hopes they will inspire the local people to protect the ruins and feel pride in their cultural legacy. it's time for a check of the weather with our meteorologist robert speta. robert good morning. people on yap island in the western pacific are feeling the effects of a tropical storm. what's the latest there? and where is this storm heading? >> well yes, actually in the southern portions of the western pacific that's really where this is. and right now it is continuing to linger as you mention. actually winds have already been reported here gusting well over 100 kilometers per hour. max at 112 and that occurred in the overnight hours. good news is the storm is headed away from yap here. you still have the typhoon warnings in place and definitely any travel via boat around the island not recommended at all. seas continuing to kick up. but it is headed off on that westerly projection. it is going to continue to improve the conditions there for those of you in yap. but for you in the philippines

you need to be watching this closely. moving west at 15 kilometers per hour, severe tropical storm status, not quite a typhoon just yet but another 10 kilometers per hour it will be up to fi toon intensity. it moves over the warm waters of the philippine sea pushing closer and closer to the islands here. and it does look like it could be impacting those of you here by saturday into sunday. still some time to watch exactly how bad the impact will be but if you are along the eastern seaboards of the philippines, you do want to be making those preparations now for the potential of being hit by a typhoon as we head into the weekend. now, i do want to pull back the picture and show the rest of you out here in eastern asia because you are also being impacted by some rough weather if you are in southeastern china we have this frontal area continuing to linger. that's expected to develop and push off towards the east impacting japan as we head into your thursday. north of that another low moving through eastern china, that's bringing widespread showers even thunderstorms. big issue here is that it is

really developing because of its interaction between the colder air towards the north and we have that warm air in china. this is a prime example of what i'm talking about. look at ulan bator, you were in the 30s. talk about an early spring. back down to the freezing point there in central mongolia. even snow in forecast. but south of that in beijing, a big difference 25 for your high on thursday. heading over to japan you're looking at warm temperatures but still the passing showers for those of you commuting on your thursday heading home from your golden week holiday out here. let's see what's going on in europe now. big topic still today that low pressure area that's centered over the british isles, but this cold front is bringing in widespread travel disturbances but weather. one casualty has been reported here in germany and widespread damage on a town in northern portions of the country because of a tornado that ripped through. you can see overturned cars damaged numerous buildings.

and the tornado threat i think that's tapering off in germany as we go ahead through your wednesday, but it's still moving off towards the east. there is that threat into wednesday into thursday for those of you across parts of poland. tornadoes not just a central u.s. matter out here. it does occur quite often here into europe especially once we get into the transition season. you get the cooler temperatures over towards the west. look at all that warm air in the southeast. athens up to 30 for your high. do want to wrap things up here in the u.s. i mentioned tornadoes not only a u.s. thing. they are still occurring out here. into new mexico we had a report on your tuesday. the threat is still there wednesday and even thursday as this is continuing to linger. it will bring the threat of damaging winds, hail and maybe even tornadoes. also still have some thunderstorm potential into the mid-atlantic states. main reason temperature contrast. d.c. at 27 new york at 19. i'll leave you with your extended outlook.

we have one more story to share with you before we go. people in japan celebrate children's day on may 5th. they display colorful carp streamers to express their wishes for the health and well-being of children. residents of a city devastated by the earthquake and tsunami in 2011 have put a new spin on this tradition to remember victims of the disaster.

local residents flew over 700 blue carp streamers in the city of higashimatsushima in northeastern japan. people from all over japan donated them. university student started the project to remember his younger brother. he died in the tsunami. >> translator: i launched the project to mourn my younger brother. i'll always remember him. >> he was engulfed in tsunami waves while trying to escape with his mother and grandparents. he was 5 years old. his body was found and his brother discovered a blue carp streamer near his home. it was covered in mud. >> translator: i found it around here. >> reporter: he was very fond of

it. kanto said he wanted his brother to see it from heaven. he launched a project to fly blue carp streamers near the former site of his family's house. he says he wanted to console the children who died in the disaster. many people liked his idea. three times as many blue streamers were flown this year compared to the first year of the project. this is the last time the event will be held at the current site as reconstruction work is due to start there soon. kanto wants to hold the event at a different location in the future. >> translator: it would be meaningful to raise the streamers even at the different location. people have big smiles when they look at the streamers. victims will smile, too. that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. do join us again. we'll be back at the top of the hour.

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will be long- gone. now that makes sense! host: hello and welcome to "global 3000." today we focus on india, the world's largest democracy, which is currently treading on the tail of the dragon, as its economic growth is set to overtake china's. but just like in china, the gap between rich and poor in india is also getting ever greater. and here's what's coming up. on the way up india and its fast-growing economy. first exploited, then unemployed

the plight of tea pickers in darjeeling. tracking down poachers