hello and welcome to newsline. it's thursday november 12, i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. early election results in myanmar point to victory for the national league for democracy and the party leader is laying the ground work for a historic transfer of power. aung san suu kyi is expected to hold talks with the president and military chief after the votes are officially tallied. the election commission announced that aung san suu kyi had won a parliamentary seat. the commission has so far released results for 60% of the contested seats. the nld has opened up a big lead, with 256 seats. the military-backed governing union solidarity and development

party has 20. nld said that by its own count, the party has won more than half of the total 664 seats in the lower and upper houses. the media are predicting a change of power, but people are feeling uneasy. they remember when the nld won an election 25 years ago but the military regime ignored the results and held on to power. >> translator: i'm worried about the handover of power. we had the same bad feeling during the 1990 elections. we always have the same concerns and it won't go away. >> translator: the power handover won't be easy. the present government and the elected one will have to negotiate and cooperate, understand each other and be big-hearted. i hope this happens. >> aung san suu kyi sent letters to president thein sein and the military chief requesting talks on national reconciliation.

the president sent a message to the nld saying he will attend a meeting once the election commission has finished its work. he congratulated the party on its lead in the race. but a win won't mean aung san suu kyi becomes president. she is barred by a constitutional hurdle. the military retains strong political influence. the constitution stipulates that three to be cabinet posts -- ministers of defense, home affairs and border affairs -- be held by members of the military. the constitution also gives the military the right to retake control of the government in certain circumstances. a. the foreign ministers will sit down in vienna to discuss the syrian kriez.

at a similar meeting in october they failed to agree. it points to the need for the countries involved to agree on which syrian opposition groups will take part in the political talks. russia and iran support the assad administration while western nations and want him out of power. security forces in afghanistan have fired warning shots at a rally in kabul leaving ten people injured. they were trying to disperse a protest over the recent abduction and killings of ethnic minori minorities. local media report more than 20,000 people gathered around the office. security forces fired into the air after some demonstrators tried to enter the compound.

the shots sparked chaos. >> many of the protesters called for security against militant groups. the beheaded bodies of seven people were found on saturday in the southern province. it's where fighting between taliban factions have escalated. the prime minister for japan. >> a pretty busy week and a half. he is scheduled to be at the group of 20 summit in turkey. he plans to use the events to announce a commitment to contributing to regional economic integration. the g-20 leaders will discuss

anti-terrorism measures, refugees and ways of achieving balanced growth. the summit will discuss moves to further integrate economies that includes plans to create the so-called free trade area of the asia pacific. abe will tell colleagues his government is aiming to raise japan's gdp by around 20%. he will say a bigger economy at home will are is global benefits. these come after the agreement on the trans pacific partnership. abe says he will use it for a springboard for bigger agreements and with the asia pacific countries. figures out from the cabinet office this morning give us a hint on how company managers are viewing japan's economic prospects and the numbers show an upbeat trend. the managers have been spending more on upgrading their commitment and facilities. government officials say japanese companies placed

machinery orders worth about $6.7 billion in september up 7.5% in yen terms from the month before and the first pickup in four months. the numbers don't include the ship building and power sectors which tend to see large fluc chagzs. manufacturers cut back. improvements by nonmanufacturers were up 14.3%. company managers have been paying less for their goods. bank of japan officials have released data on the price trends of goods traded among companies in october. the corporate goods price index fell 3.8% from the same month last year, the seventh straight month of decline. the officials say the fall is mainly due to prices plunging more than 27%. another factor is a decline in prices for scrap and waste. those were down by about 35%.

chinese retailers on wednesday offered their customers huge discounts to mark a special date. it's called singles day and it generated a sales surge for online retailers. singles day took its name from the date, november 11. written in numbers it is four ones. the idea is to inkrmg single people to treat themselves. online retailers have been holding massive bargain sales on this day over the past several years. the campaign has been drawing huge numbers of young shoppers. officials at alibaba say sales this year topped a record 91.2 billion. that is up nearly 60% from the same date last year. china's state run news agency reports 460 million orders for door to door delivery services up 65% from 2014. and it is expected to give a big boost to the economy.

the chinese government wants to increase personal income and urge the company to one led by personal consumption. sales have been increasing but some remainconsumption outlook the economic slow down becomes clear. let's get a check on markets. a slow start to trading due to profit taking on recent rallies. currently trading lower by 0.3% at 19,631. energy sector shares are weighing on the index following lower crude oil price. currencies, sluggish trading keeping the dollar in a narrow range. but traders could become more active later as several federal reserve policy makers speak today. analysts say any comment about an interest rate hike could boost the dollar further. the dollar/yen pair at

122.78-81. the euro recovered from a 6.5 month low. the single currency against the dollar now trading at $1.07. let's take a look at other markets across the asia-pacific region. sydney shares down 0.15%. the site of japan's roads are becoming increasingly common. people are pedaling for their health. the country's largest bicycling event bikes powered by electricity and bikes empowering local economies.

>> reporter: a bicycle that turns into a shoe shining shop, a bicycle that fits into a suitcase. bicycles were on show. the event attracted about 30,000 people. a bicycle gaining popularity, a power assisted one. this year the expo has dedicated a whole section to these e-bikes. electric bicycles like this model are more stable and tailor made for the elderly. the power assist function cuts off once the bike reaches 50 kilometers per hour. seeking style and function? one manufacturer has launched this electric sports bike aimed at urban riders. the small battery means it

weighs just 15 kilograms. >> translator: i never seen a stylish power assisted bike before. it's really cool. i'm happy i was able to test ride it. >> translator: since it is light it can travel smoothly, even in the power assist mode. if more bikes like this take off it will help broaden the customer base. >> reporter: several tourist associations are offering visitors virtual rides using a mobile app connected to this training machine. this virtual setup lets you ride through landscapes captured on video and uploaded by cyclists from around the world. researchual bike tours are sparking interest and can generate revenue for local economies. okinawa is one of several

prefectures organizing more bike-related events to draw in tourists. one annual cycling event generates economic spin of more than $80 million. >> the peak tourist season in okinawa is summer. we need to devise ways to attract tourists during the winter. i think bicycles might help. >> reporter: for a spa resort in central japan is another place trying similar strategies. the bullet train started operating in the region earlier this year. that has brought new visitors to the area. the local tourism association helps extend trips with rental bikes modelled after the bullet train. travelers can bring rentals on to local trains, a special measure in a country with tough restrictions on boarding trains

with bikes. >> translator: the models are very popular with foreign tourists and young men. our aim is to encourage people to go out and spend their money. >> reporter: the latest bicycles are creating a lot of opportunities for business growth. nhk world. and i will have more for you in business news next hour. i leave you now with a check on markets.

china's expansion has been causing concern among countries and seems to have plans for the indian ocean. a chinese state-run firm has obtained land near a pakistani port to develop the area. delegates from china visit the site in southwestern pakistan. factories and warehouses for imports and exports will be built in the area. the chinese government plans to connect the port by road, railway and pipeline. the link would allow to shorten

the route from the middle east to the country. the reform minister says plans to connect china and pakistan with a corridor have entered a new phase. officials in indonesia have been key keeping an eye on maritime disputes in the south china sea. they're concerned over china's increasing assertiveness inside their exclusive economic zone. nhk world's metalia has more. >> reporter: indonesian northern most island are in the south china sea. more than one thousand kilometers from jakarta. about 70,000 islanders earn their living mostly by fishing but in recent years they've had to share their waters with unwelcome outsiders. the wrecks of this boat captured by indonesian authorities are abandoned here at the port. the vessels which local residents fear most are the ones

from china. >> translator: chinese fishing boats are escorted by chinese navy ships. wherever they come near our island. the escort ships would sink our vessels if we tried to catch the fishing boats. >> reporter: chinese ships are large and use dragnets to catch huge volumes of fish. local catches have dropped sharply. >> translator: we used to earn more than $200 if we worked for three days. but our income has dropped to one-sixth that amount. >> reporter: indonesia lacks the manpower and resources to fight china. the single boat sent from a naval base 500 kilometers away patrols the water.

two years ago, armed chinese vessels surrounded an indonesian government ship and demanded the release of chinese fishermen arrested on suspicion of poaching. indonesia complied. local residents fear china may seize their islands if nothing is done. >> translator: now china is demanding fishing rights but we're afraid it will claim sovereignty next. >> reporter: indonesian defense minister visited the islands in december. he said there would be a plan to deploy ships and fighter aircraft. >> translator: we'll send more military equipment to the area. this will allow us to quickly deploy our forces in case of contingencies. >> reporter: amid china's growing presence, indonesia is trying to beef up the defense of its remote islands and local communities remain on alert. metalia, nhk world, natuna

islands, indonesia. if you want to see japan's dance you usually have to go to tokushima prefecture and time your trip for the summer. this fall, however, the streets of paris looked like tokushima. nhk world reports on how the dance crossed the ocean and why. >> reporter: the sounds of drums go through paris as dancers move to the music. >> translator: awesome! >> translator: i want to learn

that dance. >> reporter: a frenchman organized the dance. arnaud admires the open nature. he feels that exactly is what the french people need right now. each year he organizes some 80,000 dancers for this festival in japan. everyone is welcome. age and ethnicity are irrelevant. groups form spontaneously and then converge, bringing complete strangers together. >> translator: we can transcend race and religion by taking part even if just for one night. this experience could move everyone in the world.

>> reporter: arnaud thought his country could use a reminder of open mindedness. in recent years, many immigrants have come to france. these days, refugees are arriving from war torn countries like syria. the sudden influx of people with different backgrounds and customs is making french society more complex. >> translator: it's not easy to live in a place that contains people from all over the world. >> reporter: this man understands how the dance can bring people together. he's been involving people for over 74 years. >> translator: i want to show that dancing can be fun. i'll be glad when people see the

smiles of the dancers' faces and feel their joy. >> reporter: he appears in a square in paris and performs to the crowd. >> translator: let's unite our hearts and enjoy our autumn. everyone join in. >> reporter: hands and feet started to move as the number of participants grew. >> translator: dancing with everybody was great fun. >> translator: in the midst of dance ago feeling of unity came over me. i'm going to tell all my friends about this experience. >> reporter: more than 5,000 people took part, filling the square with excitement.

>> translator: there are no national borders. we are united. peace. >> translator: i hope every frenchman and woman will have a chance to experience this. it's wonderful proof that we can all be as one. >> reporter: diplomats and politicians have approaches of their own for promoting understanding, but if people are willing to dance together, they are one step closer to learning how to live together. nhk world. time now for a check of the weather. people in tokyo are seeing their skies. meteorologist robert speta tells us what is ahead in world

weather. >> we are looking across much of japan is high pressure really making for a much fairer weather. we have showers to the west there. that is just the leading edge of a new storm system developing in out of southeastern china. we have this area of low pressure. you can see the cloud cover stretching across the region nice 24 hours you can see an additional millimeters. and it does continue heading into the weekend going to be working its way towards -- and into saturday and sunday across the tokyo area. i want toenti mention maybe snol pretty widespread across much of northern japan heading into latter part of the weekend. so something to look forward to. partly cloudy skies.

down towards the south showers across much of china. still into the mid 30s into the tropics towards bangkok. 34 on your thursday. let's look towards the south specifically across southeastern australia. we have going on the developing low pressure already bringing rain showers and thunderstorms out here and it does look like it is going to continue. but one of the big things is that this is developing off the coast of tasmania and will push towards the east eventually towards new zealand. it does look like a migrating storm pushing in by latter part of the weekend. definitely gusty winds i think will be coming in. for now sydney expecting rain showers and thunderstorms as the front does continue to linger behind. the low lingering out towards thursday. into new zealand as the storm

system approaches northerly winds kick in. looking at warming temperatures out to saturday rising up to five to seven degrees for some of you heading into your weekend. here into europe high pressure still dominating the mediterranean. that is really great news if you have outdoor activities. it is well above the normal average temperature going through the next several days definitely warm and dry. not the case towards the north. we have the storm system coming in towards the northern areas. a named storm called abigail. and back towards the east another system pulling across into western areas. that is going to bring gusty winds and a rain/snow mix maybe accumulating snow for some of you including those of you into moscow. your high of 3 expected with the snowfall there in your forecast. kiev a high of 12 and staying nice and warm towards the south

across the mediterranean. here in the americas the big topic is the storm system. a developing low. it is intense already. several tornadoes reported in iowa. some of them causing trees to topple over and damaging homes. pretty severe weather maker. something you want to keep in mind as we head into thursday anywhere here in yellow something to watch out for. i'll leave you with your extended outlook.

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

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