. welcome to newsline, it is wednesday, february 17th. i'm catherine co bosh yee is tokyo. president bashar al-assad to implement a cease-fire agreed to last week. they made a surprise visit to damascus as fighting intensified after the deal. they held two meetings syria state run news agency reports he explained the cease-fire agreement from friday and urged the the assad administration to cooperate. global powers urged them to have

a cease-fire by friday, and other aid to besieged areas. approved access to seven besieged areas. >> humanitarians are going to depart in the coming days. >> but it's unclear whether the assad government will implement the cease-fire. air strikes on monday hit hospitals and schools, killing about 50 people across the country. it's not clear who carried out the attacks. space researchers are in japan are set to a new astronomical satellite. the astro h, which scientists hope will unravel the mysteries of the universe. launch scheduled for just before 6:00 p.m. local time wednesday. the rocket carrying the satelli satellite transported to the space senor it southwestern

japan. observatory in space, it's capable of detecting x-rays that cannot be observed from earth because the planet's atmosphere absorbs most of the rays. it's up to 100 times more sensitive to such rays than a conventional satellite. it uses the rays to observe activity around black holes that cannot be seen by eye. it is time to tack a look at the latest of business news. the latest indicator of business sediment shows an uptick. >> quarterly contraction in gross domestic product and that was way down by weak consumer spending. this morning, we're seeing company managers are more optimistic in investing in new equipment and facilities. machinery orders for december increased the officials at the cabinet office say the orders

were worth nearly $71 billion in december. that's up 4.2% in yen from the month before. the numbers do not include the ship building and power sectors which tend to see large fluctuations. manufacturers decreased their spending by 3.4%, but the number for non-manufacturers was up 5.8%. the outlook for january to -- the outlook for january to march period, up 8.6% from the same period a year ago. four oil producing nations, including saudi arabia and russia say they will maintain output at january levels, that is a bit to shore up prices. they doubt whether it will trigger a rebound. other oil producers to come on board and that includes iran, which is planning to boost

output. oil ministers from petroleum saudi arabia and russia have met in dohai. they've been expanding production with the aim of securing market share. they've apparently decided to tighten the tops now, since they've been inflicting pain on their economies. >> we want to meet the man and we want a stable oil price. >> but challenges lie ahead. the four nations stopped short of agreeing to reduce output, and iran is unlikely to join the pact. it's leaders are looking to expand production, after western government lifted economic sanctions. iran and iraq are to meet soon in tay roon. they've said the country global share. despite the agreement, crude oil

prices fell on tuesday in new york, trading the bench mark wti futures initially rallied on hopes for reduction in output, but it settled blow $30 a barrel, wti still triding in the $29 range next tenlded hours. following these moves, share prices in tokyo opened slightly lower, analysts say lower oil prices and stronger yen are casting a shadow on market sentiment, but the ne-nikkei is now higher been 0.6%. core machinery orders is also fueling investor sentiment. let's move on to currency, the dollar weakened more than 0.5%. 114.23-25. many traders have regained their risk appetite on news of the oil

agreement. but the dollar retreated as it appears the deal will not cut productio pro investors are left dissatisfied. speculation of further easing by the european central bank in march. now let's take a look at markets currently open across the asia pacific region. mixed picture with australian shares slightly lower and seoul's shares higher. japanese government officials will soon sit down to figure out ways of improving working conditions of non-regular workers. these employees typically learn less than their full-time colleagues doing similar work. since they weren't paid bonuses, and other benefits. they also have less job security. the officials plan to discuss a measure of pledging equal pay for equal work that will be included in a road map. the government plan outlines the principle of realizing a society where every citizen can play an active role, ends quote.

it's expected to be compiled by the end of this spring. prime minister abe told the committee he would consider bringing non-regular workers in line with those of regular workers. he said he wants to create viable measures to make that happen. the government may also work on legal revisions for temporary workers. this could involve including the employees in a law that prevents unfair treatment. the government will also study whether to draw up a guideline showing conditions under which employers would be allowed to set different salaries for different employees. well, almost 20 million foreign tourists visited japan last year, a record. tokyo and kyoto were the top destinations, but tour operators hoping lure more visitors by showing them life and culture rarely found in standard site sight seeing courses.

>> the district in western japan is mountains, about 3,000 people live here. a party of 30 americans is vitzing the district. the foreign tourists have started to come here, and increased in numbers two years ago. they are here to see scarecrows. they're made by female residents to live inn n up the community. tourists interest was when a german young visitor put it on the internet. hundreds of people began joining tourists annually to see the scarecrows. >> this is such a wonderful treasure that we've never seen before. >> japan, tourism companies have been expanding their repertoire.

tokyo and foreigners on what tourists might like. over half the staff are non-japanese. the company has organized more than 1,500 tourists, that's more than 30 travele,000 travelers l. harvest sugar kane on an island island in southern japan. >> translator: i'm surprised such tours sell to japanese people. they're just normal dale ily events. but for foreign travelers, they're unique, in-depth experiences. >> today, a group of four filipinos is on the tour. they shall taken to a

caligraphy. >> very nice. the brush is made of animal >> time flies, and we love the activity, really. >> japanese tour companies are learning that daily life and rituals that many local people take for granted are attractive to foreign tourists. yoshirro, nhk world. here is another check on markets.

japanese police have arrested a former worker at a nursing care facility in connection with the deaths of three residents. the case has left people shocked and concerned for the safety of loved ones who stay in care homes. nhk world has more. >> on monday, police arrested 23-year-old, who was working at the facility when the three died. he reportedly admitted to throwing an 87-year-old man to his death. investigative sources say he has also admitted to murdering two others. the death occurred over a two month period, in 2014. the news has rocked the local

community. >> translator: i was shocked that such tragic incidents occurred so close to me. i will never feel at ease to receive services at that care facility. >> this is a nursing facility where he worked. his arrest shocked the families of those staying here. they're briefing the media how the facility will respond. >> translator: i'm truly sorry for the matter. i've heard that he was on ordinary man with no specific distinction. >> this case is obviously an extreme example. but he was nonetheless hired to care for the elderly. and abuse directed towards the he wou elderly is not unusual these days unfortunately. reports show that case of elderly abuse by nursing care

workers is increasing year after year in japan. >> translator: when we become frustrated and overwhelmed by the excessive amounts of work, some workers beat the elderly. people were pushed to their limits. >> experts say the underlying problem, too few high quality nurses. >> translator: the problem with the short tabage of quality wor won't be solved unless we pay higher wages to ensure such tragic incident isn'try re-peted, society needs to -- excessive workload day in, day out. >> he worked taking care of the elderly. he has admitted to murdering three people in his care. if he is found to be guilty, this case raises an important question for anyone with a relative in a nursing home.

just who is taking care of our loved ones? nhk word. a court has decided a trial involving u.s. tech giant apple and a japanese subcontractor will continue in japan rather than the u.s. the decision has been made in spite of an agreement between the two companies to settle all dispute in the u.s. shinona filed for compensation from the court and will he r he duesed its orders shortly after the japanese firm invested in facilities and equipment to meet apple's request to meet production. the lawyers said the court found the settle the dispute too broad in the u.s. the expert says it's rare for that kind of agreement to be other turned. he says this could help japanese subcontractors of foreign firms of any trials abroad.

officials the japan's nuclear authority put a high price tag on moth balling a troubled fast breeder plant. $2.6 billion. it has been revealed that the atomic energy said dismantling the reactor in central japan could cost two or three times what it cost to decommission a regular reactor. the plant is located in p. disassembling the reactor was about $1.1 billion. maintenance and management was priced at $1.3 billion. while removing spent nuclear field was projected to cost $175 million. the estimates did not include the cost of transporting nuclear fuel and the reactor. officials point out that it's larger than conventional

reactors so the decommissioning cost is greater. japan's first female astronaut has been tapped to lead discussion on space research and international cooperation at the united nations. jackie mukaie on the peaceful uses of outer space. >> translator: space is a common resource for everybody. i hope to contribute to make everyone able to access it. as a peaceful symbol. >> she also says she will take advantage of the personal connections she has developed as an astronaut. she'll the first japanese person to assume the post, and says her appointment signifies japan's growing presence in the field of space research. her term will run for one year starting in february 2017.

prime minister, japan is one of several nations quoting her national lead for democracy party, as it prepares to form mynamar's government. public and private sectors offer her incoming government full support. japanese officials say she expressed a desire to visit japan soon. communi china had close relations with the former military government. two suspects in the deadly

bombing of a bangkok shrine, the lawyer for one of them claims his client was tortured to get him to confess. mohammed and riley yusef, explode bombs and commit premed dated murder. ethnic weakers from china. the attack on august 17th killed 20 people and injured more than 120. no progress has been announced in the hunt for 15 other suspects thai police believe a smuggling ring escape in china and get to turkey through thailand was involved in the blast. bamboo is one of the world's most versatile materials. intricate as a woven basket.

the work comes from the city of bedpo. what's being done to train a new generation of r artsans. >> bamboo is nature's paradox. bamboo is responsible for all of these works. bamboo art is in the united states and europe. american visitors took a tour of beppu, expressly for the purpose of buying objects made of bamboo. people working in the industry have come up with products to appear to overseas customers, including accessories. beppo is known as a bustling

resort. bamboo for several hundred years, travelers who came to town for the healing water often went home with bamboo souvenirs. 25 years ago, the bamboo products exceeded $4 million. more recently, over just $1 million. prefecture where its located, the training center for bamboo class. people spend two years learning the skills. once they finish, making a living can be a challenge. >> he decided to give it a try. the beauty of bamboo work moved him when he first encountered it as a tourist. he quit his job and set out to learn how to make it himself. the object, bringing less than

$900. >> translator: i knew making ends meet would be tough. i'm dipping into my savings. it's unavoidable. >> bamboo requires ability to work with precision of one millimeter or less. long pieces are especially difficult. they involve peeling the surface. he honed his skills through repetition. he applies for first year student at the national contest in 2014. >> translator: making a piece turn out the way you would like is no easy matter, but it's interesting. the challenges are never ending. >> the learning continues too. these days, he gets distraction from class workers. his teacher has 35 years of experience, and impressive resume. >> one of the leading figures in

bamboo. his works can be found at museums in new york and the museum of fine art in boston. he has strong hopes for the next generation to carry the tradition forward. >> translator: the industry needs to foster skilled artesians in order to expand. i hope more young people will be drawn to the work and add to the vigor of our occupation. >> translator: i want to continue doing this work and i will certainly do so. my teach certificate my ideal. i want to do everything i can to approach his level. >> he is committed to bringing one of those who make it happen. he understands that the past is not straight and the out come is certain. like bamboo, he will have to be flexible to succeed. nhk world. beppo. beautiful work there.

central argentina dealing with severe flooding. meteorologist robert speta joins us with more. >> yes, this week, we have been seeing the persistent rainfall. it is the rainy season across the area, but when you get the storms that just lineup back-to-back to back, it causes some pretty severe flooding. let's go to some videos in cordova, there were four reports of casualties here due to flooding, others to traffic accidents, swept away on their motorbike trying to drive through the flooded roadways. that's why we say if you see a flooded roadway, try to avoid it if at all possible. you cannot, it's very hard, especially at night, judge how swift the current is, and you may be washed out. so definitely, an ongoing situation. as far as the forecast is concerned as well, this is not over with. we still have another area of low pressure pushing down

towards the south. going to spark up more storms across the region and as we head into thursday, it could be afternoon showers. by friday, the next severe weather, thunderstorms in the forecast. a lot still ongoing much of this the region. looking back towards the north, area of low pressure across the great lakes, moving into the new england area, over towards part of the canadian maritimes. one of the other big situations has been farther down the south there, we had reports of damaging tornados over louse yan n -- louisiana, miami florida. so still an ongoing storm system with this, but as that pulls away, one of the other big topics, northwesterly winds being pulled in behind. temperatures cooling down and seeing some spots of that

lake-effect snowfall starting to crank up winter weather advisories in place across the region. toronto, a high of 1, snowfall there in your for kastz, new york, partly cloudy skies. the other thing i want to know, loss ang jealo los angeles, low 30s, very warm out. the low pushing through, rain showers on wednesday, only a high of 22 now. let's take a look over here towards new zealand. potent storm system coming in from the west. pumping the mioisture. 300 millimeters of precipitation. severe flooding. gusty winds, well to specifically. winds definitely very gail force across much of this region on wednesday into thursday. over towards christchurch, rains taper off by thursday, but much of the south island, looking at

the thunderstorms at least until the end of the workweek. over towards northeast ash yeah dominating much of china and this is going to keep things on the clear and relatively dry side. temperatures looking cooler, beijing with a high of 9, sunny skies for you. tokyo 13, partly cloudy skies, keep in mind, along the pacific coastline japan. snow, west, happy snow advisories and warnings. some areas, could see as much as 50 centimeters going into thursday. here is the extended outlook.

and that is all for this edition of newsline. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for staying with us.

>> it is a blame game that the member states of the european union are playing when it comes to the refugee crisis. it's always the others that are to blame for everything that's going wrong. the refugee crisis is putting the european union to the test and may cause it to unravel entirely. time to look at the eu from a completely different perspective. welcome to this edition of "global 3000." here's what we have coming up for you. robots to the rescue. taking care of elderly japanese style. how going organic is opening up new markets for zanzibar's spices. and, how huge areas of rain