hello there. welcome to "newsline." it is tuesday, march 29th. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. people in brusse have mashed one week since terrorist bombings rocked the city. amid the search for suspects, belgian authorities say they have freed a man detained in connection with the attacks for a lack of evidence. authorities now say the bombings have killed 35 people. officials on monday confirmed the deaths of four more victims who had been hospitalized. 340 were wounded. the islamic state militant group has claimed responsibility for the deadly attacks. officials say three men blew themselves up in attacks at the airport and metro station.

they've been searching for another man who was scene at the airport. investigators have been questioning a suspect detained two days after the bombings on suspicion he was this man. but authorities said monday that they freed the suspect. they said there wasn't enough evidence to justify holding him. officials have released video from the airport. this ehope it will generate new leads about the man. people in brussels are still living with the effects of the bombings. the airport remains closed as some subway and railway stations. many are hesitant to resume life against tightened security measures against potential attacks. a shooting at the u.s. capital complex in washington, d.c., congress is currently in recess. the suspect was allegedly taking out a weapon, and was fired on by police monday at the capital visitors center. a female bystander suffered a minor injury during the incident. the shooter was immediately brought to hospital in custody.

officials are trying to reassure the public. >> we believe that this is an act of a single person who has frequented the capital grounds before and there is no reason to believe that this is anything more than a criminal act. >> the white house and the capitol complex were put on temporary lockdown. police say the order has been lifted for the complex, but it's still in effect for thvisitors center. >> it's scary. you know, you don't expect to go through something like this. i have my kids with me. it's a scary moment. >> the incident came amid tight security ahead of the nuclear security summit that opens in washington on thursday. and will bring together leaders of more than 50 countries. japan's new national security laws have come into effect. six months after lawmakers enacted them last september. the legislation allows japan to use force to examinercise its r

to clek tf i self-defense. that means japan will be able to defend other nations with which had has close relations if its territory or people are in danger. they can carry out new duties including logistic support for foreign troops. in the past, that required special legislation. japanese self-defense forces doing u.n. peacekeepinging positions, it could apply to japanese forces in south sudan. they're expected to draw up new rules of engagement over the next three months. drills based on these rules are expected later this year. to enhance maritime defense capabilities in the country, japanese officials are deploying a self-defense unit to the western most island. an attempt to keep an eye on chinese activities.

the island of onaguni is 500 kilometers from the main island. 150 members held an inaugural ceremony on the island. a lieutenant general handed a flag to the unit's leader. >> translator: establishing a strong defense setup in the southwestern island chain represents japan's commitment to defend. >> their mission is to monitor nearby vessels and aircraft, mainly from china. defense officials plan to deploy about 2,000 person in el to neighboring islands, including land-to-ship missile units, and create a brigade of around 3,000 members within two years. japanese officials have just released some indicators that show how the country's economy

is doing. ai uchida joins us from the business desk. >> they tell us about people's spending habits, the employment situation. let's start off with household spending. now, the data shows that consumers in japan are loosening their purse strings. household spending in february posted its first increase in six months. officials at the internal affairs ministry say spending by all households with two or more members was up 1.2% in yen terms from a year ago. on average, households spent about $2,400 a month. meanwhile, the average monthly income for workers households stood at about $4,200, down about 2.4% from the previous year. the ministry officials say the unemployment rate in february was 3.3%, marking a 0.1.increase from the previous month.

officials at the labor ministry say the ratio of job offers to people looking for work was at 1.28, meaning there were 128 job openings for every 100 job seekers. the figures unchanged from the previous month which was the highest ratio in about 24 years. now let's check how markets are digesting those numbers. and whether investors have any cues from wall street. stocks in the u.s. ended mixed as investors returned from their easter holiday. the dow jones industrial average ended up .10% at 17,535. the nasdaq lost a little more than .10%. let's see how the reaction is here in tokyo this tuesday morning. for that, woo el go to ramin mellegard. he joins us from the tokyo stock exchange. >> good morning, ai. economic indicators leaving investors with slightly mixed signals here. as consumer spending closely

watched figure by the federal reserve, and actually we had that edging up slightly in february. but then the january one was actually revised lower. now, let's have a look at how the nikkei and topix are opening up here. march 29th. 17,000, dipped below the 17,000 level temporarily. but the nikkei and topix are trading lower. now, the nikkei end higher on monday. most investors most likely sidelined ahead of the key u.s. jobs data. let's not forget the sentiment survey here in japan, otherwise known as the tancan. that survey is large and small manufacturers, as well as the nonmanufacturers to gauge the state of japan's economy. a lot for investors to take in this week. and all of it piling up on friday. now, we may also see lower volume in domestic issues here. most of the shares have gone ex-dividend as of today, meaning investors will not be entitled to a lot of the dividend

payments that come out for the year ending march 31st. in fact, yesterday we saw frantic trading on high volume, just because of the investors wanting to lock in some of the dividends. for instance, a & a holding, volume twice the average for the previous year. so a lot of activity there. but maybe it's just slowed down a little bit today. we shall see. ai? >> okay, ramin. in currencies, we saw swings in the dollar. tell us about some of the levels this tuesday morning. >> exactly. as we mentioned before, a little bit of mixed signals there. but the dollar fell a touch after the sluggish personal spending. dollar/yen 113.38, to 43. we also need to keep an eye on crude oil future prices as well. the likes of brent crude fell below $40 a barrel, wti also fell lower. industrial metals as well as gold also seeing volatility.

investors wet betting on growth projections for china. let's look at the stocks that are open right now. obviously china markets will open in an hour and a half. but seoul's kospi is trading up .25%, and australia down almost .4%. we'll see how that fares. the australian stock exchange is up and running after a long easter holiday. we'll keep track of how some of the markets open up for the rest of asia. but for now, that's all from me. >> ramin, thank you. we'll talk to you in a few hours' time. japan's pro-soccer league just kicked off its new season. it's known as j league, and it has grown steadily since it was launched in 1993. but in recent years, organizers have struggled to grow attendance at games and boost profits. so many teams are turning to a new market. here's the story.

>> reporter: the excitement with the start of another j league soccer season. attendance at games has been flat for a decade. the managers of j league clubs are looking for new ways to grow their fan base. and they're hoping to score big in the southeast asian market. a soccer team in osaka is boosting its business by partnering with a brewer from thailand. this is the new business partner. the beer maker is no stranger to soccer. the company has partnerships with english premier clubs like manchester united. in january, they played a friendly match in bangkok, which is also sponsored by singha.

spectators were led in free of charge and about 6,000 people came to watch. >> we hope that the beer can be -- pretty much a local beer. that is our aim. and football is a good thing to start with. >> translator: we want to deepen ties with other asian countries by exchanging good players and raising the technical level of the younger generation. we hope to benefit from promotional events. >> reporter: another j league team has a different approach to build its presence in the southeast asian market. this is a star striker from vietnam. the 21-year-old is the first southeast asian player to join the team. he's so good, he's called messi in his own country because of his speed and tep as ti in front of the goal. a member of the top squad, he's

been playing on the national level since joining the under 19 team. >> here playing very quickly in vietnam. technique better. and play very special. >> reporter: he's fighting with the japanese team has been a hot topic on vietnam's state-run television. the reporting that the club's coaches are raving about his techniques and potential. the decision to find a striker is already paying off. a japanese internet service company that does business in vietnam started sponsoring the club this month. >> translator: we can provide broadcasting in vietnam this season. we hope fans from vietnam will buy our uniforms and visit our stadium. >> reporter: in fact, the vietnamese people living in japan came to the home games in

hong kong. >> translator: we're very happy to see him. >> translator: we'll show the picture to our friends. >> reporter: the managers say they also want to improve the quality of soccer asia wide. they hope the right play in the business arena will help accomplish that goal. nhk world. that's the latest in business news. i'll leave you now with a check on markets.

pakistan's prime minister has addressed the nation, vowing again to keep up the fight geps terrorism. his comments come after a park bombing that killed at least 70 people and injured about 300 others in the city of lahore on sunday. >> translator: we will not allow the terrorists to play with the lives of the pakistani people. this is my resolve, my government's resolve, and the resolve of 200 million pakistani people. >> the explosion took place near a playground in a region of the country seen as the prime minister's political heartland. many mothers and children were among the victims. >> translator: i was standing there near the seasaw when the last went off. the explosion was very loud. as we rushed over there, we saw pools of blood and people lying here and there. >> in the wake of the attacks, security sources say the

government is set to begin a military operation against the group responsible. a faction of the pakistani taliban said it carried out the assaulted. its spokesman said the target was christians, although reports say many of the dead were muslim. sunday's attack with pakistan's deadliest since december 2014 massacre of more than 140 people at a military-run school. after that attack, the army stepped up its offensive against militant groups. we spoke to the director of an independent islamabad based think tank for his analysis. >> lahore is a prime attractive target for multiple type of terrorist groups. even in the past. because this city is considered the heart of the country. and if something happens in lahore, it gets more headlines

and hurts more to pakistanis. are think there are strategical issues at the heart of lahore. now it basically has replaced the central tpp, or pakistani taliban faction. they are getting inspiration by isis, and through al qaeda chapters, or the affiliates in parts of the world. what we have seen in the global context, that these terrorist groups learn from each other's tactics, and in many cases their objective converge on the strategy. >> he said pakistan needs to keep a high level of vigilance. >> we cannot rule out that these attacks, in pakistan may reaction of this -- these

controversial positions, that are going on in the mainland of pakistan. so efforts are going on, in many cases security forces are taking the lead. they are willing. but whenever terrorists find the space, they try to be exploited. foreign ministers from the group of seven countries will gather in hiroshima next month. japan's top diplomat will chair the meeting. we sat down with him to see how he intends to navigate some pressing issues. >> during the meeting, i wish to have intensive discussion on urgent issues of a growing international concern, such as terrorism and violent extremism, refugee crisis, and the ongoing

situation in the middle east and ukraine. the g-7 ministers meeting will be held in hiroshima, where an atomic bomb was dropped. i wish to deliver a strong message of peace, seeking a world without nuclear weapons. with my g-7 counterparts from hiroshima. >> in november, paris was hit by a series of coordinated terrorist attacks. then last week, the belgian capital, brussels, site of the headquarters of the europe union, became a target, too. >> translator: i feel the most important issue to be discussed at the g-7 foreign ministers meeting will be measures to

fight terrorism and violent extremism. this is a matter in which all the g-7 countries need to fully cooperate. first, each country must prepare its own measures, putting its own unique advantage to its best use. i'm hoping to send out a strong message to lay out such an overall strategy at the meeting. >> another challenge for the g-7 foreign ministers is the urgent need to deal with civil war in syria. 4.8 million people have fled the country. as many as 6.6 million are estimated to be displaced. >> translator: in syria and iraq, there are many more internally displaced people than refugees who have left to other countries, and these internally displaced people are in dire

situatio situations, for humanitarian asi tans. it's crucial. we need to discuss how we should proceed to deal with these matters with all the members of the g-7. >> reporter: this is the first time that the g-7 foreign ministers meeting will be held in a place hit by an atomic bomb. the united states, france and the united kingdom will be paying their first official visit to hiroshima. >> translator: if many more countries become aware of the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons, and if we can share this awareness with them, i believe it will be the prime force to achieve the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons.

we are hoping that the g-7 foreign ministers meeting in hiroshima will be an opportunity for this. we are now arpging schedules of relevant events. we have been asking world leaders to come to where the atomic bombs were dropped. if they do come, it can certainly boost our aim to achieve the world without nuclear weapons. >> the g-7 foreign ministers meeting will be held on april 10th and 11th. shifting gears now, we take you to china where people there are showing an overwhelming interest in the mainland's first disneyland. the park's ticket website crashed after being accessed millions of times. the resort will open on june 16th in shanghai.

advance ticket sales started just after midnight op the park's official website. people scrambled to get passes on the site, causing it to go down after just 30 minutes. it later went back online, but chinese media reported that opening day passes had already sold out. tickets for after opening day cost $56 for week days and $76 for weekends and holidays. scalpers have been reselling opening day tickets for more than double the price. chinese media warned the push lick to be on the lookout for scams. local business owners are anticipating the park's opening. they hope it will bring more visitors and more sales. people in the uk are dealing with the aftermath of a powerful wind storm. one person has died, and many homes have been damaged. here's the latest. >> it's a potent storm, affecting much of the british

isles causing lots of problems. a man was killed, and also, several homes were damaged. and traffic was halted severely. let's go to the media from the southern uk. the storm hit large areas of the southern uk from sunday night into monday. gusts of about 130 kilometers an hour were reported. dozens of flights were canceled. high winds from the storm damaged power lines, leaving thousands of people without power. a man was killed when his car crashed into a safety barrier and plunged into a river below. it's pulled away from the british isles, but hit the southern portions of the scandinavian peninsula being hit by the storm on tuesday. strong winds will likely happen across this area on your tuesday. along this cold front, there's a threat for severe thunderstorms. and a risk for tornadoes across france, germany and across the

low country. looking quite dry across many portions of the british isles at this moment, but due to another system it's going to be quite unstable on your tuesday. london, you may see light showers, 12 degrees on your tuesday. temperatures are going to be in the double digits for many areas of europe and unseasonably warm across kiev and moscow on your tuesday. let's go to japan. weather was very unstable yesterday. we saw some hail and thundershowers, and heavy rain at times across the country region yesterday. today is a different story. it's dry and calm and going to be quite warm, thanks to the nice southerly winds. the temperature is going to be quite high, compared to yesterday in tokyo today. 19 degrees for the high and it's going to be quite warmer on wednesday as well. the high could be 22 degrees. it's going to be more like early may. and quite warm as we go into thursday. that could speed up the blooming of the cherry flowers. that could raise the potential

for avalanches, and rain is expected on your wednesday as well as thursday. now, northeastern china, lowering visibility. mostly dry for the southern areas. there is a disturbance causing rain and snow over southwestern china, that will likely head to the east while weakening. temperatures for asia are as follows. 22 in shanghai and about ten degrees higher than normal in beijing. the warmth continues throughout this week. now, let's go to the americas. there are two snowmakers, one here over towards the northeast that will cause heavy snowfall for eastern canada, and the new england states. heavy rain is expected for the coastal locations. then across the opposite side of the continent, two disturbances cause heavy snowfall for the month. we have winter storm warnings and advisories for the rockies. we have blizzard watch in effect for wyoming, from late tuesday into wednesday, blizzard

conditions may happen up to 40 centimeters of snow plus strong winds. that could cause whiteout conditions. don't travel. driving is going to be extremely hazardous. still on the warmer side in denver, but that could go down to only 5 degrees as we go into wednesday. here's your extended forecast.

that wraps up this edition of tltd tlt. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thank you for joining us.

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>> here is your host. >> thanks for tuning in and welcome to this show and to a range of topics. here is what we have coming up for you. hidden treasures. exploring europe's largest underwater museum. charttoppers. a book focusing on one hit wonders. and port of call. a day out in the northern german city of hamburg. diving trips usually consist of looking at fish and coral. not off the coast here. you have seen a glimpse of the seabed and the number of sculptures.