welcome to nhk world "newsline." i'm gene otani in tokyo. here is a look at some of the stories we're following this morning. u.n. officials are calling for more emergency aid as millions of people in the typhoon-hit areas of the philippines are without food, shelter or medical care. following demand from other asian nations has put the brakes on the growth of japan's economy. a frenchman is doing his

best to promote a japanese stable many foreigners find more than late unappetizing. according to the latest report by the philippine national disaster agent seerks 2,357 people have been confirmed dead and 350,000 injured as a result of typhoon haiyan. officials at the u.s. office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs say more than 540,000 people have been forced from their homes. over 160,000 of them have no shelter and are living outside exposed to the elements. roads and communications remain severed in high foon hit areas. the philippines is a country of many large and small islands making the scale hard to assessment some areas are hard to access even under normal conditions. since the typhoon an acute shortage of vehicles and boats

is hampering distribution of relief supplies. the philippine military has sent people to the disaster areas but they're struggling to cope. >> food, water, hygiene kits, shelters, also medicines and medical equipment. these are very much a priority at this stage. also debris clearance is important so that we have roads cleared to go to the outskirts. >> the united nations is calling for international aid to help the country with 2.5 million people in urgent need of food. many survivors are trying to escape from the disaster zone. some have fled to nearby islands like cebu in search of safety. others have managed to rich manila. nhk world's tra tina gao son has the story. >> reporter: this morning i met eduardo gonzalez, a survivor

from the town of gee want on assume march island where the typhoon first made landfall. he was visiting his family when the disaster struck. >> translator: 100% of houses were destroyed. people can't buy anything because the stores have been ransacked. the problem people face is that there is no more food, no electricity, no water and no rice. there's nothing left. anything that wasn't ruined by the water has already been looted. >> reporter: gonzalez and his family rushed to the airport to escape but the military aircraft allowed only one person to board. the family decided he should go first because he was familiar with manila. he has no idea what happened to them after he left and no way of

communicating with them. >> translator: it's not like tacloban where communication has already been restored. there's no way of reaching them. i haven't had any contact since i left. i'm sad and always thinking about what they will eat that d day. >> reporter: the devastation on assume march island is just as bad as on late tea. the island that has attracted most international assistance. bun y'all less says he hopes more can be done to help survivors on assume march. >> translator: people in assume march are waiting for assistance. they need help from anybody who is willing to give it. i hope the international media will reach my community and highlight the situation. in our next edition, draw tina gao son will bring another direct report from manila.

efforts to help survivors are spreading to all parts of japan. some schoolchildren are raising funds for a friend. elementary school kids in fuk yuma city called for donations on thursday morning. they were motivated by their friend show tara akehira who now lives in tacloban. >> i want to give money to the affected people as soon as possible. >> the children plan to hand over the money they collect to shotaro when he visits jop pan so he can donate it to recovery efforts in the philippines. this is really a reflection on what we're seeing with the stock markets these days.

the three major japanese banking groups posted big profits. two reported record high rerngs for the half year through september. mitsubishi rose 82% in yen terms to $5.3 billion. net income for assume tomorrow many financial group was up 52% to $5.1 billion while ms. hur row surged up 133% to $4.3 billion. stock market rallies over the past months boosted capital gains on stock sales. strong business also contributed. the mega banks reduced bad loan reserves as an improving economy eases credit risks. the postal service unit of the japan postal group shows the first increase in revenues since the whole group was privatized

back in 2007. the postal business arm reported its midyear results. the operating revenue, this unit rose to $8 billion, up 1.6% in yen terms from the same period last year. the company says the uptick is due to high are demand for regular parcel deliveries. contribution from the services offset a dedlin in the volume of letter and postcard deliveries. the japan post corporate group showed an ordinary profit of about $5 billion, this is down 9.2% from the same period last year. let's get a check of the markets now. global stock rallies are boosting risk appetite prompting selling in the safe haven yen. the dollar rose for the first time in more than two months. right now we've got it at just below that 99.97. traders are eagerly waiting for what the fed chief nominee janet yellen will say at the meeting on thursday.

the euro fell against the dollar after data showed the your zone's economic data slowed. euro dollar right now at right around 1.3431. moving to stock markets now, here is what's going on in europe. we've got london up by .7%. frankfurt's dax gaining by .8%. paris's cac 40 is up by .65%. prepared marks for yellen suggested the u.s. economy needs to be supported by the fetd's stimulus policy. also asian markets climbed higher. tokyo's nikkea surged more than 2% to nearly a six-month high. india's main index rose more than 20%. 20,399. it god a boost from comments by the reserve bank of india governor who said it will carry out a bond purchase next week. the gains were tripled after october's key inflation figure rose 7% from a year earlier.

japanese have seen public works projects go up all around them. they're seeing new buildings and infrastructure. those investments have helped the economy grow in the latest quarter but not quite at the same pace as earlier in the year. the cabinet office says gross domestic product rose .5% in real terms in the july to september period, translating to 1.9% down from 3.8% in the previous quarter. those investments in public works shot up 6.5%. the government is spending more and more and reconstruction in northeastern japan as well as other projects. investment in housing also up 2.7%. japanese consumers are bracing for an increase in april in the consumption tax. some of them are hurrying to buy homes before that tax comes into effect. consumer spending edged up just 0.1% as gains in the stock market seem to plateau. capital investment rose 0.2%. economies elsewhere in asia lost

team. exports dropped .6%. that was the first decline there in three-quarters. government officials are also trying to kick start growth and end deflation by getting consumers to spend more money. one way to reach that goal is for companies to pay workers higher salaries. an nhk survey, though, shows businesses are cautious about raising wages despite improving earnings. 100 major japanese firms took part in the survey. nearly three-quarters say they expect higher profits this year. 4% said earnings will be flat, while 14% said they've drop. survey takers asked the companies how they would respond to a request for increased wages. more than 40% said they could consider such a move. about a third said they wouldn't. nhk asked the companies who are considering pay raises how they would implement them. in the multiple choice survey the most popular responses were increasing bonus payments and offering incremental wage hikes. more than 60% of companies said

they were considering one or the other. just over 10% said they could implement across the board hikes in base pay. such a move would inflate longer term labor costs. we did ask an economist for his take on survey results. he says many companies are uncertain about the recovery of the japanese economy and whether their earnings will improve in the medium to long term. >> translator: we need bold structural reforms and reinforced growth strategies to prompt companies of all sizes to raise salaries or to see pay scale increases. >> that is going to wrap it up for biz tonight. i'll leave you with the markets.

the u.n.'s annual report on pope yum production say it is amount of area under poppy cultivation in afghanistan has hit a record high. the report says officials have confirmed poppy crops in 19 of the country's 34 provinces. the area under cultivation has increased by 36% from last year to more than 200,000 hectares. it is the largest figure since data tracking began in 1994. the u.n. report attributed the rise to higher prices for opium than for other farm products. the report suggested farmers may be trying to make money ahead of

the departure of most international forces by the end of 2014. the officials at the u.n. office on drugs and crime have emphasized that it is necessary to act quickly. >> we do have a scared responsibility. at this moment of transition we need to make sure that the international and the regional communities are helping afghanistan. >> opium is an important source of funding for taliban insurths. u.n. officials are concerned that the increase in pope yum production could further worsen security. scientists at the u.n. climate agency have combed through decades of data about the weather. they have concluded that this year will be one of the hottest ever recorded. a report by the world meteorological organization details their findings. they compared the earth's average temperature during the first nine months of this year with the average between 1961 and 1990. they found it was nearly half a

degree higher in celsius terms. that's the seventh highest temperature observed since 1850 when scientists began keeping records. >> to stop the kind of human activity that contributes to greenhouse gases would be one way in which an important milestone will be taken to ensure that five future climates do not evolve even more radically than they have up to now. >> the report say it is typhoon in the philippines was one of the most intense ever recorded. the scientists say more study is needed to clarify the relationship between global warming and tropical cyclones. they predict the number of extreme weather events will increase. a new skyscraper has opened at the site of the september 11, 2001 terror attacks in new york. the building is part of a larger redevelopment project. the office tower is about 300 meters tall. japanese architect joined new

york mayor michael bloomberg in celebration. maki included japanese art works and materials in the interior. >> translator: i made the front of the building transparent to emphasize its integration with the memorial park. >> 4 world trade center is one of several towers planned for the area. people who breed ornamental carp knee the sea of japan coast have seen their industry come back to life. an earthquake 9/11 years ago in the city of nag ohka nearly wiped out their livelihoods. many breeders have recovered and they're celebrating a rebirth. >> reporter: this is the yam

kochi district of nag ohka city. the area is the tra dearth birthplace for coy, a major producer for 200 years. recently the breeders were preparing for a competition here. this man grows coy. the growth of his fish reminds him of how much his district has recovered from the disaster. the niigata earthquake struck nine years ago. it was a major setback for coy growers. all the breeding bonds in the yam koesh she area were destroyed and many coy were lost. tanaka lost about 5,000. >> translator: both the bond and my home were destroyed. it was enough to make me weep. >> reporter: tanaka tried to

spawn and hatch eggs while living in temporary housing. for tanaka this represents a new beginning. tanaka hoped that his coy would help him win first prize. >> translator: wow, they're big. >> reporter: they started out as fries just five millimeters long, but they've grown to more than 80 centimeters, more than tanaka had hoped for. he was sure the first were big enough to contend for top prize. >> translator: i want lots of people to see the coy and it would be great if everyone thought they were beautiful.

>> reporter: in october the 60th anti competition took place. japanese breeders export roughly 70% of their coy. the ones from yam koesh she are world famous. judges from around the world were keen to see how well the local coy breeding industry had recovered. tanak showed him the koi that give him so much pride. the judges carefully examined each fish's shape and coloring. tanak's koi won two first prizes. judges praised the fish for their size, appearance and brightness of color.

>> very good. first time i've come here. >> koi quality, many, many good koi. >> translator: my goal is to put even more effort into breeding these fish. i want them to be the very best in japan. >> reporter: tanaka will keep raising koi and selling them at home and abroad as a sign that his district is back on its feet. many japanese love to dig into a bowl of natto or soy beans fermented with bacteria. many visitors have trouble getting used to its gooey appearance and a smell some find unappetizing. but natto appears to be catching on in fran ch thanks to the

dedication of a frenchman. nhk has his story. >> reporter: at a supermarket in northern france. customers are tasting natto, although french people are familiar with japanese food, they don't very often come across natto. >> translator: it is sticky, but it looks like it's good for your health. i'll buy some. >> reporter: the supermarket didn't import it from japan. a frenchman makes it in france. a package costs about $5.00. sales have doubled over the past year as more french people demand the food.

it's here he makes natto. he set up a small factory at his home. he makes natto by hand. the only soy beans he uses are organically grown. the home discovered natto 40 years ago. at first he was taking the pack by the smell. but it gradually won him over. he started eating the food every day. 17 years ago he returned to japan because he wanted to learn how to make his own natto. he chosic back ki prefecture where most natto is made.

>> translator: it was really complicated. it took me a lot of time actually to master the cooking, everything. >> reporter: initially he sold the food to the japanese living in france, but the number of french buyers has been going up. he likes to experiment and trying now grand natto which is less sticky and easier to eat. he invites friends for a taste. laurent's paste spreads it on bread, they add tomato, radishes. a new kind of salad. >> translator: when i saw the natto, i didn't like the way it looked, but when i tasted it i thought it was delicious.

it goes well with bread. >> translator: my dream is introducing natto to the people of france. some day i want to be called the king of natto. >> reporter: laurent says he hopes the french will come to consider natto as part of his own dream. we'll see where his dream furments. we have the latest weather forecast. we start with the philippines. rachel ferguson is standing by. what can you tell us? >> things are gone back to the regular weather pattern we see across the philippines. we've got scattered showers and thunderstorms here. the really heavy mass of rain is starting to affect portions of vietnam. this is the tropical depression we're starting to see. it's spreading moisture to the

north of vietnam. this is a place that has already had considerable amounts of rain in the last week or so. there will be increased flooding and landslides. another tropical system is expected to strengthen to a deep depression before making landfall and bringing heavy rain in across southern india. over the next three days you can expect anywhere in the orange which is just there on the coast, if you can see getting the worst of it, about 200 millimeters of rain is possible. elsewhere, let's go to the americas. things have been looking wintery here all week with the snow up in the northeast and up in the northwest as well in the mountains. strong high pressure is keeping things very clear and very cold in the early hours of the morning on thursday. but your daytime highs will be improving in fact, getting back up to double figures for many of you suffering from a cold blast over the last couple days. up towards the northwest, we have a few showers here. it's not toward the weekend that you'll get your powerful wintery

system coming in. the air is going to be very cold and you will get a good few centimeters, about 30 centimeters of snow in the upper elevations of idaho from the cascades and the rockies as well. things are going to be really starting to deteriorate from the weekend. for now in vancouver we've got nine degrees. you can even see some snow in the weekend in the city if not some sleet. seattle, 11 degrees for you. looks like summer in los angeles. no problems there. 27 degrees. denver 13 for you. oklahoma city, 13 as well and 13 in d.c. after you had snow a few days ago. on into europe, things are going to sort of split here. we'll have rain and wind up towards the north, snowshowers possible as well as this atlantic system rolls into northern scandinavia. this cold front is going to come down into the central mediterranean. you'll see the rain and instability here. one very stubborn system has just passed and is now going to be affecting turkey. you'll have another one coming

down here bringing the storms, bringing, of course, the wind as well as well as that on going wet weather. the sweet spot is going to be in the middle of the continent, from the british isles right through france and germany, towards western russia, it's been a while since you've had any kind of really calm weather. you'll be feeling a little bit cooler. the tradeoff is it's going to be pretty calm for you into the weekend. nine degrees in london on your thursday. three in stockholm. warsaw, a good sunshine, too. fairly chilly to the east. single digits in moscow and kiev. 19 degrees with thundershowers in athens. the iberian peninsula, plenty of sunshine, temperatures in the mid to upper teens. here is your extended forecast.

that's "newsline" at this

hour. i'm gene otani in tokyo. from all of us here at nhk world, thanks for joining us.

in thesure grows philippines to speed up the distribution of aid. an aircraft carrier heads into distribute much-needed food, medicine. defense ministers from russia ad asia in talks for potential military collaboration between their countries. we will have more on this new warming of ties following a scale back on aid to egypt by the u.s. kidnapped inst is northern cameroon. we will begin with that de