hello there, welcome to "newsline." it's thursday, may 30th. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. saudi arabia has confirmed five new cases of infection with a new strain of corona virus. the virus has already killed three people in the country. the world health organizations says five men and women have been confirmed infected with the

middle east respiratory syndrome. their ages range from 56 to 85. the virus has been spreading rapidly in the middle east and europe since april. it belongs to the same family that causes sars or severe accuse respiratory syndrome t killed 830 people around the world. france reported the first death from the corona virus on tuesday. 49 cases have now been confirmed in eight countries. 27 people have died. >> the novo corona virus is not a problem that any single affected country can keep to itself or manage all by itself. the novo corona virus a threat to the entire world. >> w.h.o. experts are urging authorities around the world to test the for the virus on people that returned from the middle east. researchers in china have

found a drug-resistant strain of the h7n9 bird flu. it's the first time the virus has shown resistance to antiviral treatment. researchers at the shanghai public health clinical center published their findings in the british medical journal "the lancet." they studied 14 patients in shanghai last month. all of them had developed pneumonia despite taking tamiflu and other antiviral drugs before being admitted to a medical facility. three patients had to be placed on life support. two of them died. scientists found a mutation in the virus contracted by the two. the world health organization recommends taking tamiflu and other antiviral medicines to treat n7h9. they researchers say they're concerned about the drug-resistant strain, but they still strongly encourage early treatment of suspected or confirmed case. the leaders of japan and india are strengthening ties by

focusing on an energy source that has been the subject of heated debate in this country. they've agreed to move forward with negotiations to sign a nuclear power pact. the deal would allow japanese companies to export atomic energy-related technology. prime minister shinzu abe and prime minister manmohan singh signed a joint statement after a meeting in tokyo. the countries will speed up negotiations so they can conclude a deal soon. indian leaders want to build more nuclear plants, and they're looking to japan for help. the statement also calls for mutual efforts to work toward the abolition of nuclear weapons, but some japanese are reluctant to commit to this pact. india has nuclear arms and has yet to sign the nuclear nonproliferation treaty. the leaders have also agreed to promote joint exercises involving japan's maritime self-defense force and india's navy. government officials on both sides are expected to appoint representatives to a working group to look into exporting

japan's u.s. to rescue amphibious aircraft to india. prime minister abe is set to announce a $30 billion plan to develop economies across africa. leaders from across the continent will gather this weekend at the tokyo international conference on african development. abe is expected to unveil plans in his opening speech to extend aid over five years. the government will provide about $14 billion. the private sector will provide the rest. japanese officials hope to invest in projects to help grow african economies, improve agriculture and create jobs. they hope to upgrade power grids and build roads linking inland regions to the coast. abe is also expected to announce plans for an internship program so african students can study at universities in japan. africa, a continent of promise and plunder. more than a billion people in more than 50 countries form a cultural mosaic. many live in lands rich in

minerals, a source of economic growth and conflict. "newsline" is looking at the challenges and the opportunities on this continent in a lead-up to an international conference in tokyo. don't miss our coverage all this week, 8 p.m., japan time. investors are keeping people on their toes, whether to buy, to sell or to move. >> with the ups and downs it is anyone's guess. if wall street is any indication, u.s. stock prices fell wednesday. that's on continued uncertainties about the federal reserve stimulus program. the dow jones lost nearly .7, ending the day at 15,302. for more on the markets here, let's go to elean lee, at the tokyo stock exchange. how are the losses in the u.s. affecting japanese markets

today? >> good morning. given those losses, investors are currently selling shares here at the opening levels for may 30th. the nikkei is shortly lower by 3% at 13,905 points, below the key 14,000 level. the broader topics is down by 2.5%. as we can see, investors are taking cues from the weak performance on wall street. overnight in the u.s., investor sentiment was weighed down by continued uncertainties on whether and when the federal reserve will table its quantitative easing program. here in japan, a lot of focus is also on its own central bank. the recent spine in volatile knit government bond yields have been raising concerns about the effectiveness of the bank of japan's plan to boost the japanese economy. and now the central bank plans to increase the frequency of its bond chances and at the same time, increase the amount of

each purchase. this is aimed to reduce the recent volatile knit interest rates and we will see how this plays into the bond market today. we also have some news on individual stocks. we have -- we will be tracking a bank in particular. sprint, the third largest wireless carrier in the u.s., has reached a final security agreement with the u.s. government. and these helped to clear a major obstacle in the bid to acquire sprint. now let's have a look at currencies. the dollar is now at 100.69 to 71 against the yen, falling from the 102 level on wednesday. the latest uncertainties about the fed prompted investors to take profit from the dollar's recent rise. the euro/yen is 12r5ig9d tradin3 to .8. the oec downgraded the economic

forecast for the eurozone on wednesday and urging the ecb to take more action to lift the eurozone out of recession. so, global banks are still a big focus here and investors will be looking out for any developments there. back to you. >> all right, thanks a lot for that update. eileen lee at the tokyo stock exchange. the nikkei still under that 14,000 level. now, the european union has softened its demand for austerity. france, spain and four other states have been given more time to bring their deficit levels under control. the move is prompted by fears of declining growth and rising unemployment. the eu commission, the 27-nation bloc's executive arm, issued its country-specific policy proposals on wednesday. >> we recommend for belgiums, the netherlands and portugal, an extension by one year and for

france, poland, slovenia and spain, an extension by two years. >> the commission noted that france, the eurozone's second largest economy after germany, is in recession. that mean it is will struggle to meet an eu target for bringing down its deficit to below 3% of the country's gdp. europe's debt crisis in late 2009 triggered tax rises and massive spending cuts, as governments sought to rein in the debt. but austerity came with pain. the commission now accepts that struggling countries need more time, but it's also urging policy overhauls to accelerate labor and pension reform to create more jobs. analysts with the organization for economic cooperation and development like what they're seeing from the japanese economy. they say stimulus measures have sparked a rebound and they have raised their projections for growth. >> the japanese economy is picking up and looking better.

>> the analysts raised their outlook for gross domestic product in 2013 from 0.7% to 1.6%. and they have revised their forecast for 2014 from 0.8 to 1.4%. but they warn the recovery is shrouded by uncertainty, given japan's high levels of debt. they say japanese leaders must spell out their plans to reduce the deficit to maintain confidence. eocd analysts say the global economy is moving forward but they say they are seeing uneven progress from different regions in recovering from the economic crisis. more headlines for you in business next hour. here's a check on markets.

a u.s. drone pounded a target in northern pakistan, killing the pakistani taliban's number two leader. the strike killed six other people and wounded four. it's the first drone attack since the general election earlier this month when some candidates criticized the u.s. defense tactic. local security officials in the north waziristan district say an unmanned american aircraft fired two missiles into a house outside the town of miranshah. the district is known as a militant stronghold. the pakistan taliban's deputy commander, wali ur rehman, is among the dead. drone strikes have caused civilian casualties in the past,

fueling anti-u.s. sentiment in pakistan. nawaz sharif, the man expected to become the next prime minister, has condemned the strikes as a challenge to his country's sovereignty. but u.s. president barack obama said last week the use of drones is legal, according to domestic and international law. and he said his administration will continue with the strikes, prompting further criticism within pakistan. government officials in islamabad stated they have serious concerns about this latest attack. they added drone strikes caused the loss of innocent civilian lives and violate the principles of national sovereignty, territorial integrity and international law. israeli soldiers are carrying out their duties with threats on all sides. some fear they could be dragged into the civil war in neighboring syria. they've staged a mock chemical attack as part of civil defense drills. israelis take part in the annual

exercises to prepare themselves for emergencies. even school children take part. this time, they practiced washing chemical substances off dummies at a hospital in jerusalem. commanders say they did not organize the drill with any specific threat in mind, but they're growing increasingly wary of what's happening in syria. united nations investigators are trying to figure out how chemical weapons might have been used in the civil war there. and earlier this month, syrian forces attacked an israeli army vehicle. they were retaliating for israeli air strikes on targets inside syria. chinese media say police have found the mother of a newborn baby flushed down the sewer. footage of the baby being rescued from the sewer line was picked up by the internet and went viral worldwide. the 22-year-old mother reportedly says she did not mean to lose the baby. the incident occurred on the fourth floor of a building in jinhua, zhejiang province, last

saturday. a resident called firefighters after the baby was heard crying. the firefighters pulled apart the sewer pipe and found the newborn boy trapped inside. the boy was freed about two hours later. police are questioning the mother, who has not been named. reports say she lived in the same building and the baby fell into the toilet by accident after she gave birth. the baby weighs 2500 grams. he suffered minor bruises and is being treated in a hospital. doctors say he is healthy, despite having a slower heartbeat than normal babies. chinese bloggers have reacted to news of the baby's ordeal with a mix of outrage and sympathy. members of a government panel have a suggestion of how to keep water from seeping out. build a wall around the reactor

buildings. panel members have been trying to figure out how to stop the flow n april, workers found pools used to store contaminated water were laking. some have suggested pumping up the ground water before it reaches the site then releasing it into the ocean. but fishermen don't like that idea and the panel members say the workers were challenged to contain 400 tons of ground water every day. they recommend burying cooling pipes and freezing the ground around the buildings. they say that approach would create a sort of ice wall. they say they have not worked out all the technical details. they hope to finalize their plan later in the day. three months after being dropped from the 2020 olympics, wrestling has won a reprieve. the international olympic committee has put the sport on a short list for inclusion in the games. >> wrestling. baseball. and softball. and with apologies to the others, squash. .

and softball. and with apologies to the others, squas and softball. and with apologies to the others, squasand softball. and with apologies to the others, squash. >> the committee's executive board heard closed-door presentations on wednesday from eight sports federations. that's in st. petersburg, russia. the board dropped wrestling from the 2020 games in february. in an attempt to get back in, the international wrestling federation has announced reforms and changed the sport's rules to make them easier to understand. men's baseball and women's softball were dropped after the 2008 beijing games. they have merged into a single federation to improve their chances of competing in 2020. they've also made the games shorter, playing seven innings instead of nine. only one sport can return in the 2020 games. the full ioc assembly will choose the finalists in buenos aires in september.

more and more diners around the world with digging into bluefin tuna. in 2002, japanese researchers succeeded in growing the fish from eggs. more than cae world's first 100% farm-raised bluefin are on restaurant menus. here's nhk world's sachiyo sugita. >> reporter: people in osaka flock to the opening of this shopping mall late last month. a restaurant inside is first place in japan where customers can taste one of the most valued fish, bluefin tuna, that's been farmed from the egg stage. >> translator: it's incredibly fresh and just delicious. >> translator: this is why i came here today. and i'm totally satisfied.

>> reporter: the bluefin have been farmed at the university fishery's laboratory in wakayama prefecture. there are about 5,000 tuna in pens like this. the bluefin can grow up to two meters long and weigh over 200 kilograms. >> translator: this is the first fish that we cultivated fully in 2002. he's 11 years old now. >> reporter: tokihiko okada has been growing tuna since the start of the project. he's raised the fish from their incubation periods. he says the time he most worried about them was just after their birth. for a month after they hatched, young fry crashed into the walls of the tank. they were unable to recognize the barrier. many of them died by breaking their spines or jaws. okada and his team placed a sheet in the tank away from the walls so serve as a cushion.

although many fish now hit the sheet, it has improved the survival rate by 3%. >> translator: why can't the young fish see the wall? we may have to try and improve their optic nerves just after they are hatched. >> reporter: as they grow, the fish are moved to a tank in the sea where the researchers continue to closely monitor their health. diet is key to making them taste as delicious as wild tuna. the researchers created two formulas of feed around the vitamins and amino acids the tuna need to survive. the mixtures are fed to them at different stages of growth. protein is also crucial. by altering protein in the diet,

the researchers can control the researchers can control the fish's weight. when they want them to gain fat, they need them oily mackerel. when they want them to be leaner, they feed them a less fatty fish, like horse mackerel. finally the day comes when the cultivated fish make their debut >> translator: we have been raising these fish for three or four years, from day one. it becomes like they're your own children. i just want to hear that people like them. >> reporter: the researchers have also successfully recaptured bluefin they've cultivated and released. they're hoping by monitoring and learning from such fish, they can help replenish wild stocks of one of the world's most fished-for delicacies.

sachiyo sugita, nhk world, wakayama. wednesday saw a special celebration in nepal to mark the anniversary of the conquest of the world's highest peak. mount nears around the world gathered in kathmandu to honor the climbers who followed in the footsteps of edmund hillary and ten zig nor gay. among them was italian reinhold meissner who made the first solo ascentzig nor gay. among them was italian reinhold meissner who made the first solo ascent of everest. gay. among them was italian reinhold meissner who made the first solo ascent of everest. >> i'm full of energy for this country. >> new zeal lander hillary and norgay of nepal reached the summit of the mountain on may 29, 1953. since that initial ascent, hillary spent decades fund-raising for nepal through his himalayian trust charity, building hospitals and health

clinics. nearly 4,000 people have now stood atop everest. among them, an 80-year-old japanese climb here last week became the oldest to summit. together with countless thousands of trencher, the incoming climbers drive a mountaineering industry that's essential to nepal's economy. >> we are very pleased today. should be proud that two great people have opened the door, not just to climbing everest, but the entire tourism for the nepalese people. >> at wednesday's event, the nepalese government honored some of the climbers who recently achieved everest records as well as many who have contributed to the promotion and development of mountain tourism in the country. time now for a check on the weather. people in southern mexico are dealing with severe weather conditions. we are joined with the latest in weather by sayaka mori.

>> yes, catherine. the hurricane made landfall on the coast of mexico around wednesday noon. lots of heavy rain, strong winds and dangerous waves and storm subjects. now it is packing winds of 120 kilometers an hour, gusts of nearly 150, moving towards the north while weakening, then head out to sea by thursday as a low pressure system. winds could ease, however, rain will remain on the high side. as much as 250 millimeters of rain and locally 500 millimeters likely, which is enough to trigger flooding, so landslides and mudslides will be another issue for the time being. now, over the u.s., another day of severe weather and tornadoes. ten tornadoes and hail the size of a golf ball and very strong winds so far on wednesday. here's the outlook on your wednesday. the most severe area is going to be found from northern texas up in to nebraska, even further tornadoes are highly likely. the system will continue to head toward the east quite slowly into the weekend. now, we're also seeing a risk of severe weather in the northeast but conditions will ease within

the next couple of hours bunch behind it conditions are completely different. we're seeing a risk of wildfires in new mexico and parts of arizona. similar situation for southern california. this is from simi valley on tuesday. the fire affected even the residential areas on tuesday. however, conditions could get even worse because of no precipitation is in the forecast and temperatures are continuously going up for the next few days. los angeles at 26 degrees on thursday. but on saturday, it could go up to 34 degrees. meanwhile, already hot across the east. 33 degrees in new york city, 34 for you in washington, d.c. keep hydrated and take precaution against heat stroke. all right. in asia, lots of heavy rain for southern china once again, but rain will ease today. however, it will redevelop on that friday afternoon. across the west, we have a tropical depression over the

northern bay of bengal. it will continue in the northeastern section of india for the next few days. finally in europe, a stubborn low pressure system is in effect in europe because of a temperature difference between the sky and the lower ground. we're seeing lots of extreme weather. this is the picture from italy. now, a rare tornado ripped through the town, 25 kilometers from milan on wednesday. you can see debris flying into the sky. the town was completely destroyed and several vehicles were overturned. fortunately, no injuries have been reported. however, we could be seeing the risk of a tornado for the next few days. unfortunately, rain is coming down quite heavily, particularly in germany. we have the highest alert for rain continuously posted into your sunday. and out west and dry, most of the british isles, however, a new system will be moving in within the next 24 hours or 48 hours. now, temperatures will be extremely cool up towards the northwest. only 15 degrees in london and

15 degrees also in paris. because of the cold temperatures, we're seeing late season snow in the alpine region, but out towards the southeast very hot, 30 degrees for you in athens. here's the extended forecast.

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

macneil/lehrer productions >> woodruff: a white house spokesman said today the u.s. economy is on a stronger path as signs of recovery continue to paint a better fiscal picture. good evening, i'm judy woodruff. >> ifill: and i'm gwen ifill. on the "newshour" tonight, home sales are up-- the fastest gains in seven years. we examine what that means for the broader economy. >> woodruff: then, jeffrey brown reports on the first suspected u.s. drone strike since president obama laid out new g