welcome to "newsline." it's tuesday may 19th. i'm catherine kobayashi. in tokyo. european union leaders have been under pressure to solve a crisis on the mediterranean. they've seen a surge in the number of deaths of migrants trying to reach europe's shores. they've agreed to set up a naval mission to crack down on human traffickers at sea. foreign affairs and defense chiefs from 28 eu nations spoke in brussels. they want to dispatch navy personnel to intercept smugglers and destroy their boats. >> there is a clear sense of urgency in this respect also because we all know very well that june is the beginning of

summer and in this operation, seasons are important. >> eu leaders want approval from the u.n. security council to enter libya's territorial waters where smugglers are concentrated. they've already announced plans to introduce refugee quotas for member nations and they've increased funding for rescue missions. officials from across southeast asia are facing a similar problem. they say more than 2,000 refugees have landed in malaysia and indonesia after fleeing oppression in myanmar and poverty in bangladesh. nhk world's roselyn debhavalya reports. >> reporter: on friday more than 800 refugees came to the region of acheh. a warehouse is being used as a makeshift refugee shelter. government officials are worried about deteriorating hygiene conditions there. >> translator: logistically speaking, we have enough food.

what we lack are bathing facilities and toiletries. >> reporter: at least 1,400 boat people have reached acheh since sunday last week. many are minority rohingya muslims who are fleeing myanmar in the hope of settling in malaysia or indonesia. >> translator: indonesia or malaysia are both muslim countries. if all these people want to stay here, i'll stay here, too. if they want to go there, so will i. >> reporter: hohingyas are denied citizenship in myanmar and suffered in deadly clashes with buddhists three years ago. since then, the u.n. estimates at least 80,000 rohingyas have been smuggled out of the country. thailand serves a major staging point for the massive exodus of the refugees. dozens of bodies of people believed to be victims of human trafficking were recently unearthed at different locations in a jungle in southern thailand. malaysia's foreign ministry announced on monday that the foreign ministers of thailand,

malaysia and indonesia are to meet on wednesday in the malaysian city to discuss their response to the issue. on monday, the government of myanmar met with ambassadors from other countries in yangon to explain its response. >> our position is very clear. but first we have to set up a verification process to determine the status of these people. if they are coming from myanmar and they have enough evidence to prove that, myanmar will be ready to bring our people. >> speaking on friday, the minister referred to those who have reached indonesia and malaysia and cast doubt on their status as refugees from myanmar. he said some are claiming to be rohingyas because they think this will help them get assistance from u.n. organizations. roselyn debhavaly, nhk world, bangkok.

iraqi leaders are preparing to take back the key city of ramadi from the islamic state militant group. but there are worries that deployment could fuel sectarian violence in the predominantly sunni city. this footage was posted online on monday. the vice governor of anbar province told nhk that the city has fall into the hand of the militant group. he said all government troops have withdraw. local media say islamic state fighters are search for remaining soldiers and setting their homes on fire. an civilizational 8,000 residents have fled city. the iraqi government called on shia militias for support. a local lawmaker says 4,500 fighters have gathered outside the city.

but people in anbar may express opposition to the use of shia forces. the u.s. military will cooperate to take back ramadi. an accident in hawaii involving a u.s. marine corps aircraft is raising concern in another part of the pacific. one marine died and more than a dozen were injured when the mv-22 osprey crash landed. the u.s. military keeps a fleet of the aircraft in japan. this footage was taken moments before the osprey hit the ground. the tilt rotor aircraft slowly descends then kicks up a thick cloud of dust.s scatter. marine corps officials say 22 personnel were on board. they were taking part in routine training on the island of oahu. 24 ospreys are stationed in the southern japanese prefecture of okinawa at the u.s. futenma air station.

>> translator: the aircraft are stationed in okinawa, too. i want them gotten rid of quickly. >> translator: i want accidents to be minimized as much as possible. >> the governor of okinawa says he will consider asking the u.s. military to suspend osprey flights in the prefecture until the cause of the accident is established. >> translator: my prefecture opposes the deployment of ospreys. we have urged the japanese and u.s. governments to withdraw them. >> japan's top government spokesperson says he's requested information from american officials about the accident. >> translator: the japanese government has been urging the u.s. to prioritize safety in operating the aircraft. we will continue to emphasize this point. >> last week, u.s. defense department officials announced plans to deploy ospreys at another facility in western tokyo starting two years from now.

u.s. secretary of state john kerry wants japan and south korea to improve ties. he's called on leaders in both countries to resolve their historical issues. >> we urge both japan and the republic of korea to handle these sensitive historical issues, as i said, with restraint, and continue to engage in a direct dialogue toward a mutually acceptable resolution. >> kerry held talks with south korean foreign minister yun byung-se in seoul. he spoke on the issue of those known as comfort women. kerry called it the trafficking of women for sexual purposes by the japanese military during the war. he said the u.s. has said many times it was a terrible violation of human rights. kerry also noted japan's prime minister shinzo abe upholds the past statements by leaders in tokyo on the issue. in 1993, then-chief cabinet secretary yohei kono expressed

sincere apologies and remorse to those referred to as comfort women. in 1995, then-prime minister tomiichi murayama expressed deep remorse and heartfelt apologies over japan's past aggression and colonial rule. >> translator: the japanese prime minister failed to meet south koreans' expectations in his remarks during his recent visit to the united states. south korea expects him to uphold the historical perceptions of past governments. >> yun reiterated the call for abe to offer an apology when he issues a statement to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of world war ii. it is time to look at what's happening on the markets. recent data out of the u.s. have been weak but stocks on monday hit new highs on wall street. ai uchida joins us from the business desk. good morning. what are investors reacting to here?

>> yeah data has been lackluster. retail sales is failing to impress investors. but it led investors to believe that the federal reserve will wait longer to raise interest rates. that is usually good news for equities so the investors bought stocks. the dow jones renewed its previous record from early march. it's the fifth time this year that the index has broken records. and the nasdaq was up 0.6%. the s&p 500 rose by .3%. some corporate merger news also boosted the sentiment. there to see how wall street performance is affecting markets here in tokyo, ramin mellegard joins us from the tokyo stock exchange. how are things looking? >> positive here. record highs set in the u.s. and higher bond yields and the dollar rose as well. that should be a boost for

exporters here. let's have a look at the nikkei. we are reaching levels we haven't seen since april 28th and i'm talking about just about touching the 20,000 level. we were one point shy of that. we'll see how that develops in the morning session. the nikkei ended at the highest level in three weeks on monday. investors looking more to returned talking about dividendance buybacks as a sign of strength. insurers propelled on monday and today might be the turn of non-life insurers media reports said all three major non-life insurers in japan including tokyo marine holdings are expected to show record profits. analysts pointing to stronger returns in auto insurance, lower benefit payouts and a lot of overseas acquisitions by non-life insurers in japan. also in the tech sector apple

shares rose 1% in new york. carl icahn urging apple to buy back its own stock. so manufacturers here will be a key focus as well as in taiwan, south korea and china which also has component makers for apple. >> we saw a rally in the dollar and bond yields. >> we saw that pop higher in the dollar. it's gained against the yen. pushing the pair up close to the 120 yen levels. the dollar also had its biggest one-day gain in around two months against the euro over increased concerns over greece. and the treasury notes rose after sliding on friday. and the yield on the german bond also rose. the yields on the two-year greek

bonds rose to 24% as the government struggles to repay a lot of its debt by the end of this month. i want to focus on asian indexes, china-linked indexes had a down day on monday. we'll see how that develops in the morning session. but we're one point shy of 20,000 on the nikkei right now. back to you. >> exciting stuff. we'll talk to you in a few hours. a major japanese life insurer will hire external board members and this comes as many companies are making a move to improve corporate governance. the company is looking to create an independent entity to boost oversight of its executives. more than half the members of the committee will come from outside the firm. the members will include senior business managers and lawyers.

it is aimed as improving transparency and speedier decision making. 60 companies out of 3500 listed firms in japan have introduced this kind of system. this arrangement will give external board members considerable authority. sumitomo life is a mutual company and doesn't issue stock. some have expressed concern they lack sufficient oversight to keep management in check. sumitomo officials are expected to finalize the move in july. people living in japan's countryside have seen their communities wither. the residents of one village are rethinking the way they use a natural resource to harvest a brighter future. >> reporter: the village is surrounded by forest. about 1,500 people live there.

timber harvesting once provided the village's income. but the foresters could not compete with the cheap materials from overseas. daisuke maki is a forest consultant. six years ago, he founded a company in partnership with the village. it makes use of resources that once had little or no value. >> translator: this floor and desks are made from small cedars and cypresses thinned from the forest. >> reporter: the company processes the wood into value-added products and sells them over the internet. this is one of the company's most popular offerings. it's flooring made from 100% wood. a rubber pad on the bottom holds

it firmly in place so there's no need for nails. it's thicker and retains eat better than other types of flooring. since 2011 sales have grown to 60,000 tiles and more than $800,000 a year. >> translator: our vision of generating economic activity from our woodlands is finally starting to take shape. >> reporter: maki's approach integrates forest management to sales. local officials organize the owners of individual parcels of forestland. maki also asks people outside the community to invest in harvesting machines and other equipment. he raised nearly $400,000. the new system transforms what was once low-value scrap into high-value products which are then sold directly to consumers. and money that one left the

community is now circulating within it. 11 new businesses have been launched. together they've created 120 new jobs and generate about $6 million in annual sales. the effects are spilling over into other parts of the local economy as well. hotels that had gone out of business have reopened. >> translator: about 60 people have moved here. new industries are been born and the village's economy is getting stronger. >> reporter: this village hot spring also benefits from the new system. in february the operator switched from a care seen-powered boiler to one that runs on firewood. daisuke -- is the supplier. he sells the business wood that cannot be used to make furniture. he delivers it four times a day.

the new boiler is good for the environment as well as the economy. wood ash is used to enrich the soil in local farm fields. the operator of the hot spring estimates that the switch to firewood will save more than $40,000 a year. >> translator: they used to heat the water using care seen. by using wood the money stays here. >> reporter: with help from the village, izutsu plans to broaden his customer base to hotels and homes. it could help provide communities throughout japan with a path through the economic wilderness. >> i'll have more headlines for you in business next hour.

here's a check on markets. people in a town in northern italy are hoping to revive their community with the help of a new local specialty and they're turning to a master sake brewer in japan to give them a hand. nhk world's rua tamea reports. >> reporter: a tiny sake brewery nestled in the mountains of yamaguchi prefecture. the workforce numbers, just two. -- is the owner and the brewmaster. every month he produces a new limited edition sake.

recently, he started making a different kind of brew using rice from italy. he's using same rice that is usually eaten as risotto. >> translator: italian rice is a similar shape to japanese rice, but it's a completely different size and color from the rice we usually eat. >> reporter: the rice comes from northern italy. an area famous for rice growing. it's also famous for its water. high quality rice and gorgeous water. these are the two essential ingredients of japanese sake. -- took a holiday there. she's a sake promoter. on learning the local people wanted to promote their town, she persuaded them to create their own brew.

the plan agreed with this group of six italians including an architect who decided to come to japan to study how to make sake. she put them in touch with sintani. it turns out he is the per forget person to help. >> translator: its brewing is highly regarded so that's why i contacted him. >> reporter: but it's not easy working with the italian rice. it is harder than japanese rice and doesn't absorb water so well. shintani carefully adjusts the lid of his team's rice. he reduces the pressure so the rice turns out softer. >> translator: because it's harder than i'm used to, i've had to adjust my process to make it a bit softer.

>> reporter: to make the koji the starter for the sake fermentation shintani uses fewer of the spores and cultures it for 50% longer. he will make many other adjustments over the next month or so. one of the trickiest parts will be getting the rice mash to dissolve just right and limiting fermentation. >> translator: i want to stop it from fermenting too much. instead of becoming too dry, i want it to retain some of its sweetness, just like sake should. >> reporter: finally, it's time to press the sake. it's been brewing for 42 days. that's twice as long as usual. one by one, sintani

hintani places the bags of mash into the press. as the sake starts to pour out, the aroma fills the brewery. >> translator: it tastes good. it's developed into a very light sake. if it becomes popular and helps to revitalize the town of biella, then i'll be very pleased. >> reporter: a new sake is born, and all the signs are good. in italy, the brewers are now taking their first steps. rie tamiya nhk world, yamaguchi. people in tokyo are seeing gray skies this morning. meteorologist robert speta joins us with the latest in world weather. robert, good morning. it was raining when i was coming in to work this morning. the rain has stopped, but where's the sun? >> oh, it's not quite there yet, catherine. by the afternoon, though, some

good news if you are in tokyo, if you're traveling and visiting the sun will return. it's not going to stick around too long as far as these cloudy skies are concerned. the culprit is this front we have been seeing pushing over head. it has been bringing some widespread showers across parts of western japan, even extending off here toward the east during the overnight hours. the front will continue to drift off there towards the east. also good news with it, we have our typhoon just here toward the south. see it on the satellite picture. it's going to kick it off there toward the northeast. not really worried about this impacting much of honshu. the ogasawara islands will be impacted. could be seeing winds out there, 180 kilometers per hour and seven to eight meter high waves. definitely going to be a rough day there in some of these outer islands just toward the south. but you're going to be seeing improving conditions as well at least as we go ahead into wednesday and thursday because this whole front will drift off to the east. high pressure is going to be setting in behind it definitely making for much sunnier skies as we look ahead in the latter part of the week. not the case down toward the

south, though. if you are in southeastern china, parts have reported upwards of 140 millimeters in the past 24 hours. you still could see an additional 190 millimeters as we look ahead into your wednesday. the reason is this frontal area which is setting up and it doesn't look like it's going very fast. probably going to be seeing the start of the rainy season the next several days out here not only for china but across much of the southern japanese islands. big thing that sets this up is a difference in temperatures. look at hong kong at a high of 30 there. nice and warm for you. taipei, 34. seoul, 22 with partly cloudy skies. let's talk about the severe weather threat in the u.s. as well. we have been seeing these thunderstorms flare up in missouri, oklahoma, texas, back on saturday. sunday, similar situation. the storm rolled off there toward the east. we have video coming out of iowa

now, we have what it looks like some tornado damage or at least straight-line wind damage rolled through here sunday. a series of tornadoes just cut off power, damaged the structures, the roof blown off a building. thunderstorms in iowa destroyed several farm buildings, knocked down these trees. take a look at this. winds reported up to 145 kilometers per hour blew a dozen train tracks, freight trains, these are heavy, off their tracks in clark county. still an investigation if that was a tornado or straight-line winds. regardless of what caused it, the winds were high enough to cause that much damage. definitely pretty impressive there. all storms going to be moving off there toward the east. thunderstorms still impacting the areas around the great lakes. even extending down there toward the south. we have flash flood watches in effect across the deep south. another big thing with this, see the white there on the map. we've got snowfall in parts of ontario. already been seeing some tornado warnings out there. once that cold air wraps in, some areas could see as much as 30 centimeters of snow accumulate up. temperatures going down as well. chicago high of 11. toronto, 18 for you. we have another round of wet weather kicking in across the mountains and eventually into the central plains as we go into the latter half of the week. some areas in colorado could see

snowfall come out of this as well. do want to mention here in europe we still have some wet and windy conditions across the low country. we have this cold front pushing through going to be making more severe weather. definitely behind us, temperatures dropping as well. the iberian peninsula, if you're on vacation here you're enjoying the weather, 10 degrees above average. not going to be the case as we look ahead the next 24 hours. continuing to drop. also severe weather still kicking up in the balkan peninsula. a cutoff low for you. athens, high of 26 there on your tuesday. i'll leave you now with your extended forecast.

and that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. do stay with us. we'll be back at the top of the hour.

>> here is your host. host: hello, and welcome to another "euromaxx highlights" coming to you straight from brandenburg gate. let's kick off the show with a look at the topics. prehistoric paintings -- featuring a replica of cave artworks in southern france. feathered friends -- fly like a bird with a swiss-built simulator. luxury living -- a new

exhibition opens at the v and a museum in london. well, france is certainly blessed with a wealth of natural and historic sites, not to mention pretty incredible food. the chauvet cave with its prehistoric paintings is just one of their many riches. it's located in the ardeche region in the south of france.