hello, there. welcome to "newsline." it's tuesday, december 8th. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. >>. >> there are signs of compromise at the u.s. conference talks in paris. they've been trying to narrow the gap between developed and developing nations. one sticking point is financial aid to help cut greenhouse gas emissions. developing countries have called on richer countries to increase assistance from the current level of $100 billion a year. >> i do see a growing consensus on the part of industrialized countries to recognize that the $100 billion will be understood as a floor and not a ceiling, and that there is going to be

the requirement for more finance. >> sources close to the negotiations say eu delegates expressed their willingness to increase funds. the u.s. says aid should be provided in return for developing countries' efforts to cut emissions. it claims emerging countries with robust economies should share the cost. japan's environment minister outlined japan's financial assistance. she said her country plans increases the annual contribution to more than $10.5 billion in 2020. nhk world has been following all the developments from the climate talks in paris and has this report. >> reporter: ministers and top officials have been attacking this for a decade. the main goal is to keep the rise of the world's average

temperature below two degrees compared with preindustrial levels. scientists calculated the total amount of greenhouse gasses emitted since then must not exceed 750 billion tons. mankind has already emitted 2/3 of that number. most of it came from the industrialized world. developing nations such as china and india are now among the world's top emitters, but on a per capita basis, it's a completely different story. one person in yand emits on average 1 ton per year. in japan the figure exceeds 9 tons. the higher the living standards, the more a nation emits per capita. developing countries say imposing emission ties that are too strict is asking them not to improve that are people's lives

and they are demanding financial assistance from richer nations. >> we share common commitment to address the climate challenge. we achieve our goal of limiting temperature rise to safe levels while at the same time allowing flexibility to developing countries to pursue their sustainable development priorities. >> reporter: the experts i spoke with say developed countries will have to make concessions in order to create a new effective framework. the talks will continue until friday. the negotiations is now in the hands of the political decision makers. nhk world, paris. the german government is facing a bigger challenge than expected in dealing with the migrant crisis. the country has taken in more asylum-seekers than any other

european country. interior minister thomas de maiziere says germany already accepted about 965,000 people this year, more than the 800,000 it had planned for. >> translator: the current situation is a major test for the government and local municipalities. >> people from syria account for nearly half of all asylum-seekers. afghanistan and iraq make up the majority of the rest. at the end of last month, 350,000 people were waiting for the applications for refugee status to be assessed by the government. critics in germany say government officials have been too slow in dealing with the refugee crisis. the interior minister says the government plans to add new immigration officials in the new year. syrian government officials are accusing a u.s.-led coalition air strike of targeting one of their army camps. they say three soldiers are dead and 13 others are wounded. the foreign ministry said jets fired missiles at the camp in

derazore. the province in the eastern part of the country is largely controlled by the islamic state militant group. military officials say aside from the casualties, an arsenal depot and military vehicles were destroyed. they have criticized the campaign, saying the bombings hamper efforts to fight terrorism, and they've urged the united nations security council to take measures to prevent a recurrence. the u.s.-led coalition began air strikes in syria in september last year, focusing their fire on islamic state militants. france and britain have since joined. irish rock band u2 has paid tribute to the victims of last month's terror attacks in paris which killed 130 people. the band returned to the french capital for a concert that had been postponed in the wake of the attacks. >> tonight we are all parisians. [ applause ]

♪ >> lead singer bono expressed solidarity with the french people. the group played a 27-song set and ended the concert with an inspiring rendition of "people have the power." >> we have to follow up your life as if -- not like if nothing happened, but to show there is a resistance. >> security was tight at the event. armed police officers were stationed around the venue and bags were screened at the entrance. france's far right national front party has made major gains in the first round of regional elections. the anti-immigration party could be on track to dominate some regions. after vote-counting was complete, interior ministry officials said the party led by marine le pen has come out on top with about 28% of the ballots. in second place, former president nicolas sarkozy's republicans party got about 27%.

the left-leaning coalition led by president francois hollande's socialist party is trailing with more than 23%. >> translator: this evening we represent an incredible and patriotic dynamism. i'm sure this dynamism will be reinforced in the second vote. officials say they are leading in four others. if the matches that performance in a run-off next sunday, it could become the leading party in some regions. the elections were the first since the paris attacks and seen as a warm-up for the 2017 presidential vote. seats in the regional councils are up for grabs. next weekend's run-off will be between parties with more than 10% of the vote. no party has been able to secure an outright majority. authorities at japan's national police agency are bolstering antiterrorism

measures after a series of high-profile global attacks. in an annual security report, agency officials reference incidents involving japanese citizens overseas. they include the beheadings of two citizens claimed by the islamic state militant group. three others died when gunmen stormed a museum in tunisia earlier this year. agency officials noted the islamic state group has named japan as one of its targets. they also say they're supporters of the group within the country. the security concerns come at a time when japan is preparing to host the group of seven summit in may. japanese police have been practicing intelligence-gathering efforts in cooperation with foreign security organizations. they also plan to maintain heightened surveillance at ports and airports. well, japanese government officials have just announced an upward revision of gdp data. ai uchida joins us now from the business desk. the data came in negative, what's changed?

>> that's right. initially officials said during the july to september quarter, the economy contracted by 0.8%. now they say the economy grew on corporate investment. third quarter growth marks the first expansion in japan's gdp in two quarters. officials at the cabinet official released the revised numbers, and they now say the japanese economy grew by an annualized 1% in real terms during the three months. that is a 1.8 percentage point upgrade from the preliminary figure announced last month. growth in corporate investment was revised up from the initial minus 1.3% to plus 0.6%. housing investment also improved slightly to 2%. japanese officials have also released the latest current account data that is the broadest measure of trade and investment with the rest of the world. the balance for october remained

in the black for the 16th straight month. finance ministry officials say the surplus in october totaled nearly $12 billion. the trade account stayed in the black with a surplus of about $1.6 billion. the number was up from a year earlier as falling crude oil prices reduced energy imports in value terms. as for overseas investment, the primary income account shows how much japan earns from its foreign investments. that account showed a surplus of about $14 billion, down 14.4% in yen terms. the current account surplus came in slightly below what analysts expected. the row advised gdp growth was much stronger than estimates. let's see what the market reaction is. tokyo shares are down slightly this morning. 19,688 at the moment. some investors are taking a buying cue from the strong gdp data. oil-related shares falling on a

slump in crude oil prices. in new york, the benchmark wti futures dipped to the lowest level in nearly seven years. let's see what's happening with currencies. the u.s. dollar moving without clear direction against the yen this morning. the pair had gained after the solid u.s. jobs data strengthened projections that the fed would soon raise its key interest rate. on monday, the atlanta fed president said the markets are well prepared for a rate increase. the euro is edging lower against major currencies. let's take a look at other markets across the asia pacific. we are seeing mostly negative picture at the moment. sydney share prices trading lower by 0.5%. in seoul, down now by 0.3%. we'll keep track of market trading throughout the day.

>> bic camera made the announcement monday during a signing ceremony in beijing. the event marked a tie-up with the chinese retailer. bic camera will offer about 450 items on the chinese company's e-commerce website including cameras and beauty products. when an order is placed, bic camera will ship the item from japan to china using logistics network. the japanese retailer will pay a handling fee for the transactions. both companies will consider offering repairs and other after-sales services, as well as a line to transfer and use of customer points at each other's stores. >> the e-commerce site has 120 million members, almost the same size as japan's population. it's a propsing opportunity for our company to expand its business overseas. we'll do our best.

>> we'll provide cost-effective japanese products to consumers through the website. >> the business environment is becoming tougher for electronic retailers in japan due to the low birth rate and aging population. sales are increasing thanks to chinese tourists visiting japan on massive shopping sprees. well, founders of fast food chains overseas are setting their sights on japan. they say weak spending by consumers is no obstacle to their ambitions. nhk world's akiko okamoto went to investigate. >> reporter: employees with one of america's best-known fast-food chains recently launched their second outpost in tokyo. staff at taco bell served quick and cheap mexican cuisine. they offer dishes such as burritos and tacos, popular in the u.s. but unfamiliar to many in japan. it's not the first time taco bell executives have launched here. they opened stores in the '80s, but they struggled to market their food, so they shut up

shop. things are different this time. managers have been able to use social media to push their brand. the company has returned at a time when an influx of foreign visitors is helping to globalize japan's fast-food industry, and they've come up with a new strategy. they are offering office workers breakfast dishes with ingredients such as sausages and bacon, already popular among japanese diners. >> translator: i rarely eat mexican food, but the burrito has scrambled eggs inside, something i eat all the time, so it's a good breakfast meal. >> reporter: a senior manager at taco bell describes japan as a crucial market. >> japan has such a huge power and influence to others, especially the asia market, the

trends coming from there, the new way of eating and the food are delicious and very transcending to our industry as well. >> reporter: managers at other companies from the u.s., australia and taiwan have launched in japan this year. american burger chain shake shack opened its first asian location in tokyo, not far from the site of the 2020 olympic stadium. it built a fan base with burgers that contain beef free of hormones and antibiotics. in japan, the price starts at about $5.50. >> translator: it's organic, healthy and delicious. and on top of that, i think it's reasonably priced. >> reporter: shake shack tokyo has plenty of outdoor seating just like the original burger

stand in new york city. in 2004, the founders opened their flagship store in madison square park. they say one of their strategies is to serve high-quality food in picturesque settings. the ceo believes his business will prosper in japan just as it continued to grow in the u.s., even after the financial crisis. >> we helped redefine what people, what traditional fast-food used to be. it's a new place of quality, fun but still approachable pricing. and i think that's what's made it so special. and i think that's good in any economy. >> reporter: with so many restaurants popping up, the race to capture the hearts of consumers in japan is on. akiko okamoto, nhk world, tokyo. >> more in business news next hour.

i'll leave you now with a check on markets. authorities in beijing have the first time issued the city's highest air pollution alert. they are restricting vehicle traffic and factory operations. beijing's government issued a red alert at 7:00 p.m. on monday. the warning means severe pollution is expected to last more than three days. the density of hazardous pm-2.5 particles in the air topped 200 micrograms per cubic meter in many areas on monday.

starting at 7:00 a.m. on tuesday, use of privately owned vehicles is to be restricted based on their license plate numbers. factories causing pollution are required to shut down. others must reduce their power consumption. authorities are advising that children, the elderly and those with respiratory diseases remain indoors. they have urged closures of kindergartens, elementary and junior high schools. the government has also taken measures that include shutting down coal-burning power plants. china's president has a pledge to pump $60 billion into africa's economy. xi jinping rolled out a three-year development plan for the continent at a forum in johannesburg. the commitment comes as china underlines its role as a leader of the world's developing nations. nhk world reports from began guan-jo.

>> reporter: president xi announced the package to the leaders of 50 african countries at the forum on china/africa cooperation. he drew applause when he said china wouldn't interfere in affairs on the continent. >> translator: we've been treating each other equally and sincerely. we have worked together for win-win cooperation and joint development. >> reporter: many african leaders are embracing beijing's growing influence. >> our relations go much deeper than the extraction of resources. we are committed to strengthening the courant and multifaceted and multidimensional relations. >> reporter: china is africa's largest trading partner. xi said his country will boost its investment, despite its slowing economy. private enterprise is following his lead. more than 3,000 chinese companies have african operations.

this firm in southern guangdong province is extending its sales network in west africa. this woman flies it africa almost every month. her company exports florissant lamps from china and now has a factory in nigeria. >> translator: we've been particularly successful in nigeria, sierra leone and cote d'ivoire. >> reporter: she recently sealed a $30 million deal to install solar power in sierra leone. her firm sales totaled $30 million last year, ten times its earnings before it started doing business in africa. guangdong officials have asked

her to encourage other business leaders to invest in africa, where cheap labor is one key advantage. >> translator: the government will support our business by providing funds. that will be a great help to many companies. >> reporter: many africans are also seeking business opportunities in the world's largest consumer market. it's not just natural resources and farm products that are being exported. ♪ firms from ghana and kenya showcase cosmetics among a collection of african items at a recent trade fair. the goods sell well to china's growing middle class. governments in africa are hoping the china connection will help

the industry. >> we can say the chinese like it. it's a big market. it's very, very good and a perfect thing for business people in china moving forward. >> reporter: china's growing bond with africa comes as it faces diplomatic conflict in the asia-pacific region. xi's message for cooperation and the win-win relationship with africa is resonating well and elevating china's status as a global power. tomoki matsuda, nhk world, gone joe. we'd like to take you to iceland where people there are dealing with major windstorm. authorities are advising residents to stay indoors as hurricane-force winds stay in the country.

the government has been telling people to stay inside. particularly this one wind report, 216 kilometer per hour gusts. typhoon-strength winds is 130 kilometers per hour. you are looking at an intense storm system here. pressure now down to 947 hpa. we talk about these gradient lines when they're close to each other you have the higher winds. across this area, this is about as tight as you are going to be getting it outside of being in the middle of a typhoon. you are seeing those winds out there right now. definitely very intense. does look like it's going to stay this way through the rest of your tice, even heading over there towards wednesday, as well before this shifts off to the east. for the time being, definitely very limited travel going in and

out of there if at all. earlier we have a storm hit norway. that is a house being pulled away. this is winter storm desmond when it rolled through sunday. this did cause severe damage here. we had power outages and landslides. the same storm system hitting iceland and bringing very rough conditions is going to shift off to the east. eventually, those of you towards norway will feel conditions with the high winds which could be over 100 kilometers per hour sustained, plus the heavy rain and snow in higher elevation. this storm system having a wide-reaching impact. you are still recovering from this severe flooding this past weekend. london with a high of 13. rain showers in your forecast on your tuesday. let's look over toward india now. i make mention of this. we have been talking about the every day for nearly the past month now.

the flooding out here in chennai, finally looks like this rain band drifted farther south. drainage is allowed to happen. the airport there closed for nearly a week because the tarmac was flooded. finally reopened. take a look at the rainfall accumulation. could still see upwards to 100 millimeters of precipitation heading into your thursday and friday. let's look over towards japan. hokkaido seeing sea effect snowfall. above-average snowfall for some areas out here. that's tapering off. still sunny skies toward the resorts and the higher elevations. this area is going to be moving in. that's bringing sunny skies across much of japan. unfortunately, it does bring problems in northeast china.

those red alerts are still in effect out there in beijing. many schools are closed and businesses, as well. high of 3 still cold on tuesday. here is your extended outlook. one more story to share before we go. japanese conductor has been honored for his contribution to american arts and culture. he's the first japanese to receive the kennedy center honors. a white house reception celebrated ozawa's achievements

along with four other artists. "star wars" creator george lucas and rita moreno were honored. he directed the boston symphony orchestra 25 years. >> he was fixing audiences with passionate, concise performances conducted entirely from memory using his whole body, elbows, fingers, knees, hair as a baton. >> translator: i think i've been recognized together with my friends, my fellow musicians in boston where i spent 29 years. >> the john f. kennedy center for the performing arts presented the awards every year since 1978. that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.

announcer: "euromaxx highlights" and here is your host, karin helmstaedt. >> hi there and a warm welcome to our highlights edition, coming at you straight from the heart of berlin with the following topics: guys only -- a danish brewery launches cosmetics for men. hot location -- it's party time in a berlin supermarket. medieval magnet -- carcassonne is a favorite destination in southern france. often you find that the best parties are the ones you weren't expecting or even the ones in places you were least expecting. which is why party organisers