this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. tension between israelis and palestinians is running high. police in israel shot dead a palestinian man who stabbed a woman near a bus terminal in central jerusalem. the israeli woman fled into a bus and was taken to a hospital. the incident took place in an area often crowded with tourists and locals. our correspondent in jerusalem says four or five gunshots were heard at the nhk office about 400 meters away. in a separate incident, israeli security forces fatally shot another palestinian man wielding a knife at damascus gate in the old city.

violent also flared betweenance palestinians and israeli troops in the town of bethlehem and other parts of the west bank. seven israelis and 32 palestinians have been killed in clashes since the start of this month. a white house spokesperson has expressed concern about the fighting. >> all of this underscores the continuing deep concern we have here in the united states about escalating. tensions. we continue to urge all sides to take affirmative steps to restore calm. he says secretary of state john kerry plans to travel to the region in the near future. in an effort to ease tensions. officials with the swiss based international organization are offering services. the international humanitarian fact finding commission says it

can only act on the state of concerned states. the body says it is waiting for replies. the hospital run by doctors without borders was hit by an air strike in the city of kunduz on october 3. the group says more than 20 people were killed. u.s. president president obama pledged to conduct a full investigation. white house spokesperson josh earnest said wednesday that the administration is confident the investigation by the defense department will provide a full account of the situation. he did not say whether the u.s. will give consent to the inquiry by the fact finding commission. workers at a nuclear power plant in southwestern japan are poised to restart its number two reactor.

it will be the second reactor in the nation to go back online since stricter regulations after the fukushima disaster. plans to start removing 32 control rods at the reactor at 10:30 a.m. on thursday. plans to have the number two reactor generate and transmit power next wednesday and resume commercial operations in mid november. the number one reactor at the sendai plant was restarted in august. the plant was the first to clear the new regulations. the world trade organization has dismissed china's appeal in a dispute over high performance stainless steel tubes. tell us the details about this. what is happening? >> a lot of issues here.

a lot of minute details. why don't we go into them now. japan filed a complaint against china over position of additional duties used at thermal power stations. china applied extra import duties on the tubes on the grounds that low prices were hurting chinese competitors. a dispute panel ruled against china on the case back in february but china appealed. the appellate body ruled that no chinese competitor produces similar sttubes and concluded tt it told china to make necessary adjustments. japan's exports of high performance stainless steel to china were worth nearly $140 million. they say this required japanese makers to pay more than $4.4 million in additional duties. this is the second time the

w.t.o. upheld a claim by japan against china. japan previously complained on rare earth exports. japanese cabinet ministers are drafting a basic plan for developing the arctic circle. global warming is causing the ice to recede raising interest in access to natural resources. japan plans to join talks on setting new international rules to avoid friction over natural resources. government officials say japan needs to play an active role in arctic development. they say new reserves of natural resources may be discovered in the area. a new sea route could shorten navigation distance by about 40%. calling for cooperation to exploit the benefits. arctic development could cause disputes. the officials say japan should engage in discussions to

establish new rules and promote dialogue with russia. the cabinet minister is there to decide on a basic plan on friday. time to check on markets. u.s. stock prices dragged down by a plunge on wal-mart shares. shed to 16,924. now for more on this let's go to the tokyo stock exchange. so we saw a lot of corporate news from the u.s. how is that playing into stocks? >> well numbers came in from the u.s. both good and bad and earnings from wal-mart was pretty ugly. japanese markets opened about five minutes ago. let's look at opening levels. it is october 15 here. yesterday the nikkei closed below 18,000 for the first time

since october 2 and the topix is down 0.2%. we saw the dollar tumble after a batch of disappointing u.s. economic data. the dollar was above 120 yen but slipped to a seven-week low steering near the level around 118.76. analysts said the dollar is weakening as weak u.s. retail sales and producer prices raised fears that the policy makers may have missed their chance to raise rates. the stronger the yen is definitely weighing on japanese stocks. >> so let's switch back to corporate news. recent sluggish figures have been triggering worries about global growth. tell us more about the companies thinking? >> some are very worried about their future. wal-mart released a very weak guidance report predicted up to

12% drop in annual profits saying it has to make a massive investment in stores and pay higher wages. wal-mart stocks were slammed suffering the biggest one day loss in 27 years and rare to see a stock like wal-mart fall 10%. netflix said total revenue at $1.74 billion in the third quarter which was lower than estimates. streaming subscribers in the u.s. was much fewer than estimates so stocks tumbled about 14% but it recouped losses as international subscriber base was much stronger than expected. in the financial sector wells fargo beat estimates of revenue and profit but shares are a little bit sluggish fell 0.7%. performance of american companies does effect business here in japan so a lot of focus is going to be on the upcoming earnings season here in japan as well as asia. speaking of asia let's take a

look at other benchmarks. kospi is slightly higher and so is australia asx. we are seeing a mixed open. that's it for now from me. i will be back with an update in a few hours. >> a lot of focus on earnings. thanks reporting for us live from the tse. designers of security technology are always looking for ways to stay ahead of those aiming to spread terror and suffering. this week many are in tokyo to show off innovations they say will keep people and businesses safe in the future. nhk world reports. >> reporter: the products on this way here all have to pass through strict security check as they enter. representatives of over 130 companies are showcasing technologies in the three-day

events. most of the visitors are from security companies. >> translator: i came here to check the latest security products and gather information. >> reporter: representatives from japanese giant are touting a system that have limited -- they say it uses audio censors and other technology to track suspicious movements. >> translator: people are aware of security risks in the ocean but i think preparations to counter the risks are not progressing. our solutions can be applied in a wide range of fields. >> translator: this company sells security devices. it has developed a mist spraying machine as part of a security system.

it blocks visibility of an intruder by spraying white mist without damaging computers cht once the mist is sprayed it can block visibility for half an hour. company officials say this product is becoming popular among banks and julie shops. >> translator: we have been focusing on detecting intrusions as soon as possible. now we want to develop products that can obstruct the activities of intruders. >> reporter: officials from this company selling a radar system that can detect drones. more and more people are embracing drones as a fun way to take photographs and panoramic video footage but also it is safe they pose a security threat. in april a man landed a drone on the roof top of prime minister shinzo abe's office. the incident prompted the

government -- this japanese asian company sells a drone detector made by an israeli firm. it identifies flying objects using special radars and infrared censors. they say the system is effective with a range of up to five kilometers. >> translator: people in japan have come to realize that drones can be used in crimes. many security firms now are competing to enter japan's new security market. >> reporter: people across japan are looking ahead to major events. so security authorities will be looking carefully at the latest in technology as they try to keep the public safe. nhk world, tokyo. and that's all for business

news for this hour. i will leave you with a check on the markets. japan's foreign minister is laying the groundwork for a deal that could open up a world of business opportunities. met leaders to discuss a pack that could give access to a promising market. nhk world has the story. >> reporter: met with iranian

president. they agreed to plan a visit by japanese prime minister shinzo abe. earlier met with his counter part. they plan an agreement to make it easier for japanese governments to invest in iran. we have reached a substantial agreement on an investment deal. japan welcomes this extremely meaningful development. joining representatives of more than 20 representatives. japanese embassy for iranian government officials and executives. >> translator: the visits by the foreign minister show japan has very good timing.

>> translator: iran is rich in natural resources and has a big population. the market here has huge potenti potential. i hope it develops. >> iran has the world's fourth largest reserves of crude oil and a population of nearly 80 million. but foreign firms have been enabled to do business there due to tough economic sanctions. in july the leaders of the middle eastern country and six world powers reached a deal to curb new nuclear program. in return government and world bodies could start to ease their sanctions. government officials and executives from europe are also lining up to take advantage of new opportunities. many attended the international

trade fair earlier this month. representatives from 18 japanese firms also took part. >> translator: working in u.s. urmz if not just their firms but governments, too. i hope we can catch up. >> iran is one of the best. many people say made in germany. >> reporter: japanese leaders are working hard to make up for the slow start. prime minister abe made the most of a meeting with president rouhani. one expert on middle eastern policy says japan has done well maintaining a relatively neutral stance. >> everybody knows the competition in terms of influence and in terms of the policy, respective policy.

so japan has to be very j and not and could for investors. he said japan and other major powers should team up to ensure they get the best terms. nhk world. > in this new corner we'll be spot lighting women in japan who is influencing society and challenging the prevailing norms. today we meet film director. her career is full of firsts.

she was the first japanese woman to win the grand prix award and this year she became the first japanese female director to be named of the order of arts and letters. but these honors have only been achieved in the face of some hard challenges. nhk world spoke about her latest work and her inspirations. >> reporter: this is her favorite place, the farmland where she grows rice and vegetables. it's where she was born and has lived her entire life. every morning she comes here to commune with nature. >> translator: i feel so happy here. i love it. every living thing is full of

life force and people, too. every cell is striving to live. >> reporter: life has been her main theme throughout her career as a film maker. her latest work features an elderly lady. she is a former leprosy patient who tries to find work at a small she manages to land a job there. it's actually the first time that she has had real contact with the outside world. until now she has been forced to live in a san torium where the japanese government isolates people. her jam becomes an instant hit

drawing in customers but good times don't last. after the word spreads about the past she is pressured to leave. >> translator: in my films the main characters are usually people on the margins of society. i believe there is a story of emotion in every person's life. that is what i want to portray. >> reporter: says the reason why she chooses characters of this kind -- her parents separated before she was born. she was raised by her mother. says she always wondered why she was born and that led her to explore the meaning of life through film. >> translator: i grew up not knowing my parents. i was adopted and raised by

people who were not my blood relations. i started filming because i wanted evidence of my own existence. >> reporter: but then her foster mother began to develop dementia. spent years as a caregiver to the person who raised and cared for her. the pain of seeing someone she loved fading away led to the creation of one of her best-known movies. it is about the bond that develops between a young woman and a man with dementia. making it helped her through the difficulties of being a caregiver. the film won the grand prix at the film festival. now her life has entered a new phase. much of her time is devoted to

raising her 11-year-old son. her life as a woman, a caregiver and a mother has not been easy. but she feels these experiences have helped expand her view of life as expressed through her films. in her latest movie the hard reality is that the elderly woman has been forced to live isolated from society, but that doesn't stop her from making the most of what life has to offer. >> translator: my perspective on life is naturally going to be different from that of a man. the underlying theme of all my films is life, what it means to be alive. my aim is to create films that give people the strength to live their lives to the fullest. >> we only do have one life to live. it's time now to get a check of

the weather. people in romania are dealing with severe flooding and now they are experiencing heavy snow. mai shoji joins us with the latest. we have been showing you the images of the severe flooding that has been occurring in southern areas of romania. the north is getting hit with thick snowfall. take a look at a video from this resort. it looks really pretty but up to 25 centimeters of snow blanketed this resort. the mountains of central romania. despite how pretty authorities started clearing the roadways jammed with the white stuff and fallen trees and sudden cold also surprised drivers who were not ready or properly equipped to traverse the slippery roads because this came earlier than normal. unfortunately, we are likely to see another round of snowfall because temperatures are low. 3 degrees for the overnight

hours. gradual warming trend for your friday. another drop here and you may see sleet and also even in bucharest could turn to snow. kyiv almost freezing temperatures. this is almost mid winter-like temperatures. there will be a lot of thunderstorms and excessive precipitation with another round of the storm system with wind gusts reaching about 70 kilometers per hour especially in the central areas where flooding is going to be of huge risk once again. so that is traveling into the northern balkens. we are seeing more snowfall in germany. five to ten centimeters will be likely there. if you are one of the drivers out there you should be wearing snow tires instead of normal ones now. behind it looking pretty nice. paris is down to 8 degrees for your high on thursday. rome, system bringing thunderstorms with just 19

degrees on your thursday. we are still watching these two systems are pulling into the philippines and could intensify into a severe tropical storm by friday making typhoon status before hitting eastern coast of lou zan. this is feeding the system to become more stronger. this is going to be bringing 200 to 400 millimeters of total rainfall accumulation on top of the highways which is about 3 meters high already so fisher men are not advised to be venturing out. fishing will be slow for the next few days. another storm bringing typhoon watches in places. and this looks like it will be pulling into the islands into the next coming days. these are the two storm systems

we will be really monitoring into the coming days. but to the north of that high pressure systems are predominant here. that is making for very nice skies and cooler temperatures. also hazy conditions across beijing. you are looking at fog and pollution air out there with 25 degrees for the high today. you are seeing the high teens. earlier this was actually really warmer than normal. that is a drop to about three degrees for your high on your saturday. i will leave you now for an extended forecast.

and that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining usz.

>> hello, and welcome to a brand new issue of your favorite health magazine here on dw. great to have you with us. for most of us, going on vacation is something we look forward to the whole year. but getting sick during your holidays is a nightmare. how to stay fit while traveling is the topic of our studio talk. and here's what else is on the show. how chronically ill people can enjoy traveling. how early diagnosis of alzheimer's can be crucial.