welcome to nhk world "newsline," i'm gene otani in tokyo. here's a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. north korean analysts are trying to determine who's gaining favor in pyongyang after a week of turmoil. chinese media say at least 16 people have died after a confrontation between police and an armed group in the uyghur region.

and a school for the blind is using a 3d printer to help visually impaired people envision all kinds of things for the first time. people who watch north korea are wondering who will fill a hole in the power structure. last week authorities executed the uncle and mentor of leader kim jong-un. now analysts are trying to figure out who's gaining favor at the top. kim paid his condolences at the funeral of a senior member of the ruling workers party. the party's newspaper published a photo of him who two top officials. kim won hong led the tribunal that sentenced young to death. some analysts say he's playing a greater role. they say the people who lead the regime are trying to show it remains solid. authorities in pyongyang are expected to hold a ceremony

later in the day for former leader kim jong-il, and state media showed kim jong-un over the weekend inspecting a ski resort in the eastern part of the country. u.s. secretary of state john kerry says kim is ruthless and reckless. kerry says the execution shows the young leader is making erratic decisions. kerry made the comments in an interview with abc news. he says kim's actions underscore a need for the united states stand against north korea. >> we need to factor that into the urgency of getting china, russia, japan, south korea, all of us, to stay on the same page and to put as much effort into the denuclearization as possible. >> kerry said that kim is worried about his place in the power structure and is maneuvering to eliminate any potential adversaries.

a chinese media report says clashes between the police and uyghur autonomous region have left 16 people dead. police apparently shot and killed 14 people and two police officers were killed. an official news website said a mom attacked police in an attempt to arrest suspects on criminal charges. the muslim uyghur ethnic minority makes up about 90% of the local population. protests have been reported in the region by uyghurs. some members of the ethnic minority are frustrated with a domina dominant political leadership. in october, a car crash near tiananmen square in beijing killed three people in the vehicle and two bystanders. chinese authorities said a group seeking independence for the autonomous region was behind the

incident. south africans paid their final farewells to nelson mandela. the former president was laid to rest in qunu, the village where he lived as a boy. about 4,500 people gathered for the ceremony. they included leaders from across africa and dignitaries from around the world. military officers, both black and white, moved mandela's coffin to the family burial plot. the funeral was steeped in tradition. it was the last in a series of services across the country. south africans will mark the anniversary next year of one of mandela's achievements. they have lived without apartheid for 15 years, but all this time later they still face challenges. joining us from johannesburg with more on this. cho, how do south africans envision their future now that

mandela is gone? >> right, well, nelson mandela's dream is that all people live equally, regardless of their race, and, of course, regardless of the color of their skin. many believed him, but some are less than enthusiastic when it comes to things about the future. the wealth gap has grown here, as it has elsewhere. more black people have joined the middle class and are enjoying a better lifestyle, but they are still among the select few. for equality, rights have not translated to equality in the standard of living. the poverty rate stands at more than 50%. one in four is unemployed. the crime rate is still high. and there have been some social unrest. security forces opened fire

striking miners, mining workers, in august of last year. 34 died and 84 were wounded. i spoke with some yesterday, i spoke yesterday with some miners, and they said the shootings made them feel as though they were back in the apartheid era. >> how do south africans view their current roster of leaders? >> many see some as corrupt and incompetent, as well. the current president zouma also has not been freed from allegations of scandals. the recent one involves an allegation that he used public funding to expand his private mansion. many showed how unhappy they were with president zouma at mandela's memorial ceremony. they booed instead of cheered when he stood up to speak.

next year, south africans will be voting in parliamentary elections. with mandela gone, supporters of zouma's party, the african national congress, may not feel the need to stay loyal to the ruling party. there are some opposition parties working to represent the voice of the poor and discontented. this will be a big test for the current president zouma and the leadership of anc, the african national congress. some analysts say that political instability could lead to social unrest, and it could weigh down discontent in the economy. >> thanks very much for that, sho. nhk world's sho beppu in johannesburg. engineers at the international atomic energy agency are testing a remote

control aerial device for use in fukushima. it's built to measure radiation levels in areas considered too dangerous for humans. the prototype was designed based on a drone to inspect post disaster sites around the world. an unmanned helicopter made by the japan atomic energy agency now monitors levels around the damaged fukushima plant. but the prototype is much smaller and easier to maneuver. it can fly close to buildings and even electric cables. the device is radio controlled and equipped with a camera. operators can preprogram it with data about the topography and buildings in the area. they hope to make the device available in two years. the mayors of hiroshima and nagasaki want u.s. president barack obama to visit the cities and are asking ambassador caroline kennedy to help. the two mayors met kennedy at

the u.s. embassy in tokyo. the mayors noted that former president john f. kennedy called on international leaders to sign a treaty banning nuclear testing. they say his daughter's position gives them hope this can become a reality. they thanked her for going to nagasaki last month and asked her to visit hiroshima next. ambassador kennedy said president obama would visit if the mayors asked him directly. they plan to send a letter of invitation to president obama. >> translator: i understand, the ambassador is hoping for a nuclear-free world, too. >> matsui hopes kennedy will become an important bridge between the two countries. companies in japan say they are confident about the economy. ron madison is here to explain

one of japan's mosted looked at quarterly reports. >> seems like the optimists are outnumbering the pessimists yet again this quarter. in fact, some areas showing a positive number for the first time in years. executives are growing more confident about the state of the economy. a gauge of business sentiment has improved now for the fourth quarter in a row. the weaker yen is spurring exports and boosting overseas earnings. bank of japan officials released the results monday. the report measures confidence among managers at about 10,000 companies nationwide. the sentiment stood at plus 16 points. that's a gain of four points from the previous survey. three months ago, firms' domestic consumption is also raising earnings. officials also said sentiment has strengthened among

nonmanufacturers. the index rose six points from the previous survey. the improvement is thanks to last-minute demands on homes. the figure for small manufacturers also rose, entering positive territory for the first time in six years. the index for small nonmanufacturers also turned positive for the first time in more than 21 years. meanwhile, estimated capital investment by large companies for this fiscal year is up 4.6% from the amount they spent last year, but the figure is actually down about a half a percentage point from the previous survey. officials say many companies are still cautious about the economic outlook ahead of that planned consumption tax hike in april. let's get a check of the markets now. european equities are higher after a pickup in the eurozone's business activity. markets are higher now. london is now up by nearly half a percent. frankfurt pulling ahead, while

paris is up by 0.8 of 1%. 52.1 in december, its highest level in 31 month months. earlier in the day, trading is higher ahead of the federal reserve's two-day policy meeting. shanghai sank to a one-month low following the chinese manufacturing data. in mumbai, the index slipped by a drop of 3% over the past four sessions. india rose to a 14-month high in november, fuelling worries about inflationary pressure. euro/dollar around 1.3774, moving higher on german manufacturing numbers. in addition, traders are waiting for a manufacturing survey out of new york state as a trading cue. dollar/yen right now is around

103.03. tokyo electric power company plans to cut electricity rates gradually over the next decade. the company wants to do this by restarting nuclear reactors at its plant in central japan. after the nuclear accident at the fukushima daiichi plant in 2011, tepco raised the rates to cover losses. the hike averaged about 8.5% per household and 17% for companies. the utility plans to lower electricity rates in stages and say the cuts will total about $10 billion a year in about ten years. tepco officials think they will be able to reduce the electricity bills by reactivating all seven reactors at a plant in niigata prefecture in the next seven years. all reactors there are now offline. officials also plan to replace old thermal power plants with more efficient facilities. tepco aims to include these steps in a ten-year business

strategy it plans to draw up by year's end. ministers and business leaders from japan and 20 arab league states are meeting in tokyo at the japan economic forum. trade and investment between japan and those countries does remain at low levels, except in the crude oil and natural gas industries and both sides want to change that. nhk world reports on some of the challenges that they face. >> people from japan and arab nations are taking part in the forum. our nations are an important source of crude oil and natural gas for japan, and the country is hoping to strengthen ties with the region as nuclear power plants have gone offline after the earthquake and tsunami two years ago. >> translator: stronger ties between arab nations and japan mean a win-win relationship, and we hope to take the first step

at this forum. >> reporter: one of the areas japanese companies are focusing on is medical and health. a maker of medical instruments is displaying a high-tech scale for health management. wealthy arabs are becoming more health conscious as their lifestyles. the machine can quickly measure how much people weigh and how much body fat they have. >> this is the first time we see here and it's very practical for our country. >> translator: we have a product that can measure body fat in 30 seconds. very useful for health management. we want to let the arab people know about our product. >> reporter: japanese companies are also trying to sell farm products and technologies. some arab states have little

land, so they are relying on imports. he runs a venture business that develops factories. he says his company's system needs only 5% of water, usually used to grow crops. and he uses energy efficient l.e.d. that helps vegetables grow fast. last year, he set up business in singapore, a country that has a shortage of farming land and water. now, he's eyeing other markets. >> translator: i have to do some research and find out how to set the price over there, because i'm still not that familiar with things in arab countries, and that includes how much people

are willing to spend for our product. >> reporter: companies around the world have been flocking to the region with growth potential, but japanese businesses have been shying away and our people say they want more of them to get involved. >> i think the opportunities are very massive between japan and the arab gulf and the arab countries, as well, and it is like a reservoir untouched. >> translator: japanese product are now more competitive than before due to the yen's decline, and japan is capable of helping the region significantly to start new industries and develop new skills, and this, in turn, may enable japan to secure a stable supply of energy. >> reporter: arab countries are

expected to achieve economic growths of about 4%. it's crucial for japanese businesses to take a proactive stance to explore the region's market potential in the shifting economic environment. daisuke azuma, nhk world, tokyo. all right, with that we're going to wrap up tonight's look at biz news. let's get another check of the markets.

a new technology that's revolutionizing how we manufacture goods is offering visually impaired people a chance to see, not with their eyes, but with their hands. a school for the blind is using a 3d printer to make replicas of everything from mt. fuji to a hippopotamus and is allowing children to feel what these things look like for the first time. >> translator: just tell this futuristic machine what you want to touch, and it will make it. who wants to play with it? >> translator: a 3d printer hooked up to the internet, this technology was developed by a major i.t. company. now the machine has been loaned to this school for the blind. the children tell the machine what they want to touch.

>> translator: mt. fuji. >> reporter: after a bit, a three-dimensional model emerges. >> translator: i've made so many things. now i know what shape they are. it's great. >> translator: this is the first time i've felt a hippopotamus. now i can picture what it looks like. i want to touch more things. >> reporter: when you say the name of an object, data is gathered from the internet and sent to the printer, which then creates a 3d model out of resin. already this machine can print out more than 300,000 objects. the school says there are many things that blind children cannot picture in their minds, even if they know the words. >> translator: in our textbook,

it said he sold a tomunal. you didn't know what that looked like, right? >> reporter: he's in the third grade, he's completely blind. often teachers bring in objects for their students to touch so they can understand their shapes. >> translator: keep pulling. a tomunal is a bail of kimono fabric. it's rolled up like this to make it easier to carry. >> reporter: when the real thing isn't available, the teachers sometimes make models. often, though, it's hard to answer the students' questions immediately. but now they've got this machine, there's one thing cole wants to touch. tokyo's newest broadcasting tower opened in may 2012.

it's mentioned in the news almost every day. >> translator: wow, it's triangular shaped at the bottom. >> reporter: for the first time, cole understands what the tower looks like, thanks to this model. >> translator: the long, narrow tower part feels round. this is so great. >> translator: i think blind children need this machine most, because it produces objects they can actually touch, compared to using the internet alone. >> translator: they understand the shape of an object by touching it, just like we do by looking at it. using this machine gives them a new level of understanding. it dramatically changes the learning experience. >> reporter: this technology will soon be available to other schools for the blind, for both

teachers and children, the possibilities of the classroom are expanding fast. there's a storm in southeastern china, and it's heading towards japan. our meteorologist robert speta has the latest. robert? >> this one is out here and already bringing heavy rain showers. take a look at the satellite picture. you can just see that big, wide swath of cloud cover. under that, some areas have seen over 100 millimeters of rainfall in the past 24 hours alone. look at all that moisture surging in from the south. this has been bringing widespread thunderstorms, even flooding in the southern philippines, but towards the north, clear, dry air, warm moisture, cold, dry air, and it starts to fuel the storm system, and this is going to be rapidly intensifying the next 24 to 48 hours. you're looking at thunderstorms, then moving off towards the east, see that area in the pink pop up, you could be looking at

severe thunderstorms going through the day here on tuesday. that's going to head off farther towards the northeast and i think this is the big topic, it could be bringing mixed precipitation or snowfall into the tokyo area. this is what happens when you get storms tracking in from the southwest like this, it voids the mountains so you have enough moisture and temperatures may just be cold enough by wednesday evening. something to watch out for, but it will be raining out here. the other good news with this storm system, though, it's bringing rainfall in and around the shanghai area, stirring up the atmosphere. you like that because it's going to be improving the air quality. high pressure still will be dominating there and unhealthy to hazardous air quality levels still in place for you. temperatures remaining on the chilly side, so let's go farther towards the south and talk about some warm weather, actually a little bit too hot out here. some areas, heat wave in the central portions of australia. it's the middle of summer, you got to remember that.

low pressure area over towards the bite, high pressure off the eastern seaboard, both work together to pull in the warm air towards the southeast and if you're out here, you're going to be looking at a pretty decent warmup in the next several days. melbourne, 40 for your high, nearly 15 degrees above average, so it is going to be staying on the hot and warm side there for you. back to the snowfall, and it has been coming down out here. we just had a storm system push off the eastern seaboard this past weekend, brought severe weather towards the southeast, heavy snowfall in the northeast. photos coming out of massachusetts here on sunday and people getting their cars out of the snowfall there and it really was piled up. snow plows out in full force. some areas saw over 45 centimeters of accumulation in a 24-hour period. if you want a white christmas, it's going to be there, because

temperatures don't look like they are going to be warming up any time in the near future out here, so still staying cold. traveling, black ice is going to be a problem. still going to be seeing snow around the lakes, but it's really going to be cold here. on the flip side of that, take a look at this, fire weather conditions in los angeles, winds up to 80 kilometers per hour, santa ana winds, low humidity. any flames that do develop, they are going to be spreading rather quickly. up towards the northwest, british columbia, around vancouver, i suggest bringing an umbrella, gusty winds and heavy rainfall expected through the next several days. that's a look at your world weather. here's your extended forecast.

that's "newsline" for this hour. i'm gene otani in tokyo. from all of us here at nhk world, thanks for joining us. have a great day, wherever you are.

>> a curfew has been declared in south sudan. the country's president says a coup d'état has been defeated after fighting on the streets. and it is a year to the day of a studentg rape on a bus in new delhi. father said that the assault truck not just us, but the entire country. -- shook not just us, but the entire country. also coming up over the course of the next hour, we are going to washington to see