"newsline." it is thursday, march 26. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. belgian authorities deadly attacks, and they've named two brothers as the suicide bombers. 31 people died and 270 were wounded. explosions tore through an international airport near brussels and a subway station downtown. islamic state militant group. >> identified by his fingerprints. it was khalid bakraoui, im brahim's brother on the 12th january, 1989 of belgian nags falty.

>> ibrahim blew himself up at the air porlt and khalid at the subway station. an arrest warrant for khalid, investigators believe he rented a house in southern belgium that was used by the paris attackers. they found a computer on the trash can they believed belonged to i objebrahim. they believed he may have carried out the attack after feeling cornered. a belgian public broadcasters quotes a source saying another bomber was likely najim laachraoui. investigators have been searching for him. he visited an area near the hungarian border along with salah abdeslam, one of the suspects in the paris attacks. earlier, our anchor spoke with the security expert in brussels, via skype.

dean at the college. >> what has the last 24 hours been like for you? >> well, it has of course been as everyone here in brussels and beyond very difficult. while, since the paris attacks more or less, everyone feared something would happen, it's always of course still a massive shock when finally it happens, and you know, we get through to you, how the extent of the destruction and the suffering. so it's been quite a difficult, also for us as a scholarly community, and also from the political elite in the country to come to terms with such a large scale attack on belgium soil. >> police and security officials have been on high alert since the paris attacks. how were the bombings possible. >> right, of course, that's the big question, security forces

and an allis lists. we had a huge presence of military also also deployed, since the paris attacks, heightened activities in the police services. there are two points being discussed now. on the wund hand, it's difficult at the end of the day to prevent an attack as such, as it happened both at the airport and the metro station, even though, you know, information sharing could have been better. the second point is that some now point towards the need some gaps in corporation between the federal and the local levels in belgium, which have always been rather problematic, efforts have been made to improve it, but clearly, there are still some, yeah, gaps and problems in effective cooperation between the security sources, the police and both federal and local level unfortunately. >> and in your eyes, how will

that effect security measures being taken across the e.u.? >> this is also an ongoing debate. since the london attacks, madrid, europeans evaluate the impact of 9/11, what happened in the u.s., it's extremely difficult for european countries to pool their analysis, exchange information, even france and belgium, which are bordering, restraints on sharing information to a full extent. this is something that has been debated for years now. there have been strong calls by the security community, by many of my colleagues as well, that corporation at the e.u. level, it needs to be stepped up and hopefully, we don't have to see another tragic event to really speed up now the cooperation at the e.u. level, and also,

between european countries. >> thanks for sharing your insight with us during such tense times. >> you're welcome. thank you. all right, we take you to turkey now, where the media there are reporting that a japanese man has been detained in turkey on suspicious of seeking to join the islamic state militant group. they say the 24 year old was detained in turkey southeast by heading by car for ckarkamis. he said he got to know him during social media, and attempted to cross the turkish border to join the militant group. he the media said the man will under going more questioning in court and will likely be deported from turkey. his motives for joining the group remain unknown. the japanese embassy in ankara is trying to confirm the

reports. a new giant arch intended to contain the remaining radioactive materials at the site of the nuclear disaster has been shown to reporters. the 30 year anniversary is approaching. on april 26, 1986, a reactor under going a test run exploded, releasing massive amounts of radioactive materials into the atmosphere. the reactor was covered with a concrete and metal serofogas. it may leak from the aging shield. the european bank for reconstruction and development, or e.b.r.d., has administered the financing of the arch. the structure will be about 100 meters tauld and more than 250 meters wide. it will be moved to the accident

site some 300 meters away by the year, ahead of its scheduled completion next year. the arch will cost more than $1.5 billion. it's expected to confine the radioactive materials for 100 years. >> on the one hand, handle huge structure element of the old one, the same time, capability to deal with the high operations needed for waste management. these are key, key elements. >> but the cleanup work is not expected to be easy, as radiation levels at the site remain high. members of a japanese government panel have started discussions on how to introduce equal pay for equal work.

awe >> regular and non-regular employees, they've held their first meeting, they will discuss guidelines and laws needed to usher in the reform. >> translator: the government should create truly effective strategies to realize the equal pay system among workers. >> one member says they will study the differences in wages among workers who have differenting employment status. he is the state minister for promoting the active engagement of all citizens in society. he says it's important to know how countries in europe have used regulations to implement the reform. the government plans to compile an implementation schedule, as early as may. all right, let's check on markets now. stock prices over in the u.s.

ended lower on the back of a decline in crude oil prices. the dow jones industrial average fell for two sessions in a row. that's two sessions in a row. closing down just about 0.5%. nasdaq five days of ramin joins us. >> good morning. well, actually energy stocks in the u.s. were some of the worst performers, so i'll keep track of oil and gas field developers and some of the trading companies. but actually, one area which may actually help has been the dollar, holding pretty firm so far, we'll come to those levels in a second. let's see how the nikkei and topics is below the 17,000 level. and just a reminder, actually, the the average at 0.34%, closed

on wednesday, over the terror attacks in brussels. hit the lowest level for this year, and so now, we're below that 17,000 level again. oil prices had a bit of a sharp pull back affidavit at that showed u.s. stockpile record high for six weeks. w.t.i. was down more than 3%. brent, the international crude benchmark was down 3%. both of hovering around that $40 a barrel level. now, analysts suggest that because the remains hold for earlier rate hikes in the u.s., given the economic indicators, and also the selloff in the year have been quelled somewhat, central banks are trying to move to ease the concerns, hopes for extra growth measures in china that we might get further bounces. >> and ram mein, what can you t us about that? >> the dollar/yen,

interestingly, at one stage, rose to 112.45. to april as being viable for rate hikes. recently, some federal reserve officials giving out hawkkish comments on interest rate hikes. that's leading to the dollar being stronger against some of its major peers holding steady. let's look at how the other indexes are trading. seoul kospi down 1/3%. china, all markets open in an hour and a half. now, domestically, investors will also want to take in the latest monthly economic by the cabinet office. it downgraded its assessment for japan's economy for the first time in five months. today, again, finance minister

and doj gov awill be grilled. some are urging caution about raising the consumption tax next year. so a lot of focus on that sector as well. back to you. all right, thanks a lot for that update. from the tokyo stock exchange. a japanese telcom, kddi signed a partnership deal with a japanese team, taking part in the lunar probe project. the members include reseerchers and engineers from universities and private companies. >> translator: our more than 50 years of experience in satellite communications will be invaluable. >> 16 international groups are in the contest. the goal is to land a rover on the moon, travel 500 meters an transmit high-definition video and images back to earth. k.d.d.i. officials say it will provide technology and equipment

for the images. service temperatures on the moon hit over 100 degrees celsius during the day. and plunge to minus 150 at night. muslims account for about a quarter of the world's population, and some of them live in japan companies here have been looking into the customer base, and learning to follow the strict rules governing what muslims can and cannot consume. known as halalah. reporting on the japanese cosmetics firm leading into halalah businesses. >> at a recent cosmetics fair in tokyo, one both attracted the attention of visitors from the m middle east and southeast asia. it displayed halalah, made without alcohol or animal extract. in accordance with islamic law.

>> translator: we can accept orders of ten items. >> now she is president of the company that developed these products. >> translator: japan's domestic market is limited we would like to add muslims to our clientele. >> she learned that muslim women use makeup more often than non-slims, because they remove it to pray. take these mosques, before prayers, they wash their faces to clarify themselves. a survey by a japanese local government has found that more than 80% of female muslims in japan follow this practice. since prayers are said five

times a day, she felt the women must be heavy cosmetics users. >> i really want the halalah products. i can't use every time, but to take care of my face. >> her firm began developing it two years ago. >> translator: this is the lab for testing inspections and r&d. the halalah products are developed here. >> but the task was far from easy. most is used with alcohol, which is ban under islamic law. researchers looked for alternatives. they eventually found a plant based moisturizers. when the ingredients were mixed, and left for a few days, they

developed tiny lung, creating the required smooth creamy texture was a struggle. the researchers spent 18 months of trial and error, experimenting with different concoctions before getting it right. >> translator: we had to restart the process over and over again, so it was like we did it, when we finally got the right prescription. >> the firm plans to start selling its makeup remover, april. >> translator: we hope muslims around the world will use safe, halallah, made in japan cosmetics. that's my dream. >> the global hallalah market is

growing rapidly. even small japanese firms are vying to make their presence felt. nhk world, tokyo. and that's the latest in business for this hour. i'll leave you with a check on markets. taiwan ese apparent effort

or an parent attempt to reaffirm taiwan's claim of sovereignty over it thai ping island is about 1,600 kilometers from southern taiwan. it's also known as the -- they also claim sovereignty over the island. taiwan controls the island and has used an airstrip that can be used for military planes. foreign reporters for the first time. the taiwan showed everyone a well and a facility. stationed on the island, personnel min jo called the visit extremely unhelpful, and said it would not do anything to resolve disputes over the water way peacefully.

people in japan have a new option to care for their aging pets. elderly canines can now live out their final days at nursing homes. nhk world has that story. >> reporter: these dogs are too weak to walk. cataracts has made this one blind. like some humans, they need constant attention. 11 elder dogs live in a canine nursing home in sagia prefecture. the director came up with the idea when his dog died of old age. he wanted elderly dogs to spend their last days in peace, after a lime time of devotion to their masters. >> translator: they motivate me

to work hard. when i see a dog that has lost its appetite, trying to eat as much as it can, i feel uplifted. >> feeds the dogs, changing diapers and helping with exercise can keep him busy until midnight. or later. he doesn't charge the owners all that much, though. the fee for around the clock care is less than $270 a month. he checks on the patients often. because their physical condition can change quickly. each one gets individual attention. at the end of the day, he posts updates on the blog. he hopes the information will help the owners feel close to their dogs. even though they are apart. >> translator: i hope to act as the middleman between owners and

their dogs by fostering communication between them. >> translator: his service gives people like me peace of mind. >> she entrusted her pet to the facility. she has lived alone since her husband passed away three years ago. she works at an agriculture co-op. her dog showed signs of dementia, and had trouble walking. she cared for him as best she could, but his barking kept her up at night. she eventually reached a hearbreaking decision. her companion would take up residence at the nursing home. >> translator: i felt tremendously guilty, because i raised him like my own child. it seemed like i was abandoning him. honestly, i didn't want to be apart from him. >> even now, the mixture of love

and guilt. she visits the home every other week to see her old friend. >> translator: tim, are you aware. >> tim tried hard to answer. >> translator: hi, hi. yes, yes, he is saying something. hi. >> translator: he eats very well. >> tim, looks much better than before. he was content for him to sleep peacefully with his head on her knees. >> translator: i still feel sad, but i'm relieved to see him happy here. i think made the right choice. i feel at peace, knowing he is here. >> like people, many dogs live through their vast years just

fine. but for those like tim, that struggle, a nursing home may be just the home they need. nhk world, saga. it's time now for a check of the weather. air travelers in the u.s. state of colorado are having a hard time getting around. meteorologist robert speta explains. >> yes, actually we've had this storm system bringing these blizzard conditions out here, and really, specifically there into denver. that's where you're seeing the worst impact there. you have the metropolitan area, but of course, many roads have been shut down and the airport, just at a standstill. let's go ahead and show you video ut of the area. i want to mention the airport has been completely closed it. more than 1,200 plights have been canceled, or delayed on wednesday. most roads across northeastern colorado have been completely closed off. to put it into perspective, this is the first time in ten years,

since 2006 that the airport there in denver has been closed completely due to snow fall. they can still expect more snow, 15 to 25 centimeters out here. that's going to be causing additional problems, even schools have been closed across the region, as well as businesses. as far as your forecast is concerned, still looking at more snow, the cool northerly wind continuing to wrap around and also come mined with gusty winds, blizzard warnsings. western great lakes, over there to wisconsin, into michigan. in fact, into wisconsin, you could be seeing wind gusts up to 70 kilometers per hour. 30 centimeters of snowfall. with blizzard conditions, it's not just how heavy the snow is, but also that combination of the winds, which reduces visibility, and also makes for dangerous wind chill. the storm system is not over yet.

impacting ontario, quebec, seeing the freezing rain, power outages in areas like toronto, the south, severe thunderstorm threat, areas looking at major issue heavy rainfall, but also that threat of some hail could be large at times, coming out of this as it charges across the mississippi river there to the deep south. dynamic storm system across the u.s. and also could be causing significant travel conditions for those of you heading out ahead of the easter holiday week end out here. slr issues there into the br british isles there as well. left side of the screen, a storm system moving in. blustery conditions, u.k., one storm bushes by, by the weekend, another one charges right in here. back-to-back systems, making for travel weather out there, dublin, actually looking at a

high of 10, up to 12 by friday, showers moving in by saturday, before things finally start to clear off by sunday, unfortunately, still lingering. wrap things up here across easte eastern asia. what we have been watching is the storm system in china, continuing to bring rain showers. worst is over with, but the big issue now is we've already been seeing it reported out here. 3 to 400 millimeters have been seen, you just see the swath of precipitation. more rain is going to be causing problems. for the most part, the storm will stay south of japan, passing showers, especially on the pacific coast, winter pressure pattern. the heaviest snowfall there in northern areas, and also towards hokido as well.

here is your extended outlook. and that wraps up this edition of nus lib"newsline" in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi.

thanks for joining us.x0

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