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. chinese officials are shutting down live poultry markets to try and stop bird flu from spreading, just days after new year's celebrations in the country. the egyptian military leader who ousted the nation's first democratically elected president has been given permission to run in an upcoming election. and officials from a

japanese city are promoting homegrown water supply know-how to countries in asia trying to improve what comes out of their taps. people in china are dealing with the rapid spread of avian influenza or bird flu. cases of the new h7n9 strain first recorded in china last march have been found in the eastern and southern parts of the country. nhk world has more. >> reporter: friday will be the start of the lunar new year. many chinese families will buy live poultry from their local market and cook it for family gatherings. live birds killed fresh taste much better. but this year will be different, because of bird flu. >> translator: a market in hanju was shut down.

>> reporter: the agricultural department has banned keeping live poultry at home. >> reporter: health officials in china are reporting that 103 patients have been diagnosed with bird flu in china alone. of these, 49 cases are in the eastern province. others have been found in the southern provinces like guangdong. so far 22 patients have died. the hospital in zhejiang is crowded with people who fear they are infected by bird flu virus. health officials have been shutting down markets that sell live poultry for fear the virus may be passed on to people through contact with live birds. but about 30 minutes drive from downtown shanghai we found an illegal vendor. he was selling chickens and pigeons.

clients would choose which ones they like and he will kill them. the price is about 20% cheaper than the normal market price. >> translator: our market was shut down by the government. we had to kill 2,000 birds by ourselves. but we did not get any compensation. we have no choice but to sell our birds in the street. >> reporter: a few days ahead of the lunar new year, the demand for chicken meat picks up, and loads of them are being transported all across china. during the new year celebration more than 3 billion people move around the continent, too. the world health organization claims there has been no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission of the virus. but the authorities remain vigilant, asking people to avoid contact with live birds. nhk world, shanghai. cases of human infection

with h7n9 strain have also been reported in taiwan last year. a japanese expert on influenza viruses and a former adviser at the world health organization hitish shi oshitani says medical officials should prepare for an outbreak. >> translator: there's no doubt that this virus has the potential to mutate into a new influenza strain. so we must plan ahead with what measures to take in case the virus became a new flu. anti-government demonstrators in ukraine will find out later in the day if new legislation they have fought against will be scrapped. members of parliament will now decide whether to approve a

proposal to appeal some anti-protest laws. the president made the deal with opposition leaders in an effort to end a growing political crisis. nhk world reports. >> reporter: president viktor yanukovych met with three main opposition leaders to try to find a way forward. they agreed to abolish parts of anti-protest laws the president has pushed through nearly two weeks ago. they're trying to stop this. anti-government demonstrations that have all but spun out of control. the arrests started last november. president yanukovych angered ukrainians by abandoning free trade deals with the european union in favor of closer ties with russia. many citizens had hoped signing the deals would be another step towards joining the eu. the crisis deepened after the president pushed for the anti-protest laws.

demonstrators occupied public buildings and they fought with police. some were arrested. some died. hundreds were hurt. >> translator: we hope our government will finally make the right choice. that they will stop this mess, and relinquish their power. because there is no way forward for them. >> reporter: president yanukovych reached out last weekend. he offered opposition leaders key posts in the government. and he offered to talk. but they agreed the anti-protest legislation needed to change. a statement on the official presidential website says, a political decision has been made to abolish the laws adopted been january 16th that caused multiple discussions. the deal provides amnesty for detained protesters.

but only in case of vacation of all seized premises and roads. now, the responsibility for calming these demonstrations is in the hands of members of parliament. but that's just the beginning. the opposition has also demanded presidential election, stitching ukraine back together will require more talk, and more time. nhk world. egypt's top military council has given the country's army chief permission to run for president. defense minister abdel fatah al cissy is expected to soon announce his candidacy. sisi ousted islamist president mohammed morsi in a de facto coup last july. the military backed interim government is planning to hold a presidential election in the spring. sisi said this morning that he would consider running if authorized to do so by the

military. egyptian generals issued an announcement monday saying sisi should respond to the people's call and seek the presidency. instead voters want the military to take a leading role in stabilizing the country. sisi appears all but certain to win. but observers fear he could follow in the foot steps of former president hosni mubarak and install a police state. the interim government has imposed restrictions on speech and gatherings. its leaders have cracked down on the muslim brotherhood, which supported morsi and branded it a terrorist organization. u.s. officials are applauding political progress in another north african country. members of tunisia's parliament have approved a new constitution. officials with the ruling islamist party were able to reach an agreement with secular groups. the constitution guarantees freedom of speech and religion and also assures gender equality.

>> this is a historic moment for the people of tunisia and represents a significant achievement as tunisia continues in its political transition. >> state department spokesperson jen psaki said officials are looking forward to a date being set for elections so tunisians can choose their own leaders. anti-government protesters took to the streets three years ago leading to the resignation of the president. the uprising sparked the interim spring pro-democracy movement around the middle east. analysts say u.s. officials are looking to support democracy in tunisia, as they believe it will bring regional stability amid the ongoing turmoil in egypt and syria. india is trying to prevent its economy from overheading. >> the reserve bank of india unexpectedly raised a key interest rate in an attempt to stem inflation. india's central bank decided to lift its key lending rate to 8% from 7.75% at its policy meeting

on tuesday. it's the third rate hike in five months. the country's battling high inflation with the consumer price index of almost 10%. the central bank had recommended last week that the bank should make managing inflation its main policy objective. all right let's see what's going on with the markets. european equities are rebounding from recent losses. frankfurt is now up by 0.75%. london is gaining just over 0.4%. paris' cac 40 by 0.8%. the latest data out of land and shows that the british economy expanded 0.7% in the fourth quarter of last year. and that was in line with what many economists had estimated. and didn't affect the market all that much. now earlier, asian bourses ended mix, waning worries about emerging economies helped improve sentiment but many market players were cautious ahead of the fed's two-day policy meeting which ends on wednesday. tokyo's nikkei closed at a level not seen since mid-november.

in mumbai the sensex edged down to finish at 20,683. that was a third straight daily loss. the central bank's rate hike decision did not have that much of an impact on the market. moving on to currencies now the dollar is regaining momentum against other currencies. the dollar/yen at 103.12. analysts expect it to continue to trend despite recent jitters over emerging economies. the dollar is also moving higher against the euro. euro dollar is trading at right around 140 -- 1.3638 i should say. prices of corporate services here in japan rose at their fastest pace in more than five years last month. officials at the bank of japan said the corporate services price index stood at 97 against the base of 100 set in 2005. that was up 1.3% from the same month in 2012. and marked the eighth straight year-on-year increase.

rents for tokyo offices rose, as did shipping fees for tankers to china. prices for trucking and air cargo transport also went up due to an increase in demand ahead of a consumption tax hike in april. the index for the whole of 2013 stood at 96.3. that was up half a percent from the previous year. it's the first jump that we've seen in five years. boj officials will monitor prices to see if they continue to rise following the tax hike. japanese telecom giant ntt has developed a vehicle that provides wireless service for smartphones and tablets. company officials say it's designed to restore communication quickly during a time of disaster, like the 2011 quake and tsunami. ntt officials unveiled the vehicle they developed together with researchers at tohoku university. it's equipped with an antenna for providing public wireless network service. it allows smartphone and tablet users of any carrier to make calls and send text messages within a 500 meter radius of the

car. the vehicle stores information on local residents such as their photos, names, and health conditions. and creates a database to make it easier to locate them. the project began after the quake and tsunami struck japan's northeast in march 2011. at the time, many people were unable to get in touch with family and friends in wide areas for a long time. that was because circuits were washed away, and communication bases did not function due to power failures. well another japanese company has joined the global competition for the development of wearable computer devices. people can use the latest product as regular eyeglasses, and also watch movies and video clips. seiko epson and its affiliate demonstrated the new device on tuesday. it weighs about 90 grams. it receives video images wirelessly from dvd players, and other equipment. and then projects them on two small screens between the two lenses.

the device also takes picture with a small lens fitted on the frame. >> translator: smartphones have given us a greater freedom to move around. and i think people are now waiting for something new. we will focus on the market for wearables from now on. >> electronics makers are racing to come up with wearable devices these days. google has developed a pair of glasses that also provide internet connections. sony has unveiled a wrist-worn health check device. okay. that is going to wrap it up for biz tonight. i'll leave you with a check of the markets.

japanese education ministry officials want students to have a clearer idea of what makes the country's territory. they've revised instruction manuals used with school curriculum guidelines. the authors and educators use the manuals when writing textbooks and teaching classes. they will used the revised ones for junior high school social studies classes, and in senior high school geography, history, and civics classes. the revised manuals say that textbooks should clearly describe the senkaku and

takeshima islands as an inherent part of japan's territory. teachers should explain how the islands came to be incorporated into japanese territory in accordance with international law. the revised manuals point out that the senkaku islands are under japan's valid control, and that there is no issue of territorial sovereignty. china, and taiwan, say the islands are part of their territory. as for the takeshima islands the revised manuals say japan has been protesting their illegal occupation by south korea. ministry officials will tell education boards across the country about the revisions. they will also urge pb lishers to reflect the content of the new manuals and textbooks from the 2016 school year. education minister says it's important for children to have correct knowledge of their country's territory. >> translator: there's no incompatibility between clearly teaching children about the country's territory, and

maintaining friendly ties with neighboring countries. >> shimomura said he will work with the foreign ministry to explain japan's position to neighboring nations. china and south korea have reacted strongly. chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said that her country has launched a protest about the revisions with japan. >> translator: we demand that japan recite historical facts and teach its young generation a correct view of history. they should stop such provocation and work hard to improve relations with neighboring countries. >> in south korea, first vice foreign minister summoned japanese ambassador to the ministry. he strongly protested against the revised manuals. the foreign ministry leader accused japan of planning to teach false claims to its young people.

china and taiwan are preparing to hold meetings that could lead to expanded tie log between the two sides. the taiwanese minister in charge of mainland affairs will visit china next month for the first-ever ministerial level talks. the head of taiwan's mainland affairs council will make a four-day trip to nanjing and shanghai from february 11th. he'll meet with china's taiwan affairs office director. they'll discuss establishing their own bureaus on both sides of the taiwan strait. until now, cross-strait dialogue has been conducted through privat institutions, and has focused on economic areas. analysts say he aims for a summit between ma ying-jeou and chinese president xi jinping at an asia pacific economic forum in the mainland this year. xi has been pressing taiwan to

agree with political discussions with an eye toward eventual unification of the two sides. asian nations with underdeveloped public water supply systems are beginning to turn to japanese technology to provide them with safe drinkable tap water. one japanese municipalty is enjoying success in promoting its water supply technology overseas. >> reporter: regional municipalities operate almost all the waterworks systems in japan. western japan provides clean tap water to the city's 490,000 households. the city developed a water purifying machine with a private company 15 years ago. microorganisms attach to activated carbon to clear out pollutants. the machine is half of other

technologies. its uses less chlorine to disinfect the water. officials started promoting the technology with private firms from 2010 to emerging economies in asia. >> translator: we have a long history of the city of technology and manufacture. it's our mission to take action. that's something we must do. >> reporter: officials are now turning their attention to vietnam. haifong is the country's third biggest city. raw sewage and industrial waste water is discharged into rivers. the river water is purified for use as tap water by adding lots of chlorine. but that combination can generate harmful substance. citizens boil tap water for drinking and cooking. they want clean water that their children can safely drink. >> translator: i don't feel safe using tap water.

i feel uneasy because i have small children. but i don't have any other choice. >> reporter: officials told their counterparts at the haifong water authority about their water purification technology. the vietnamese officials liked what they saw and decided to start using the japanese system. it went into operation last month. the haiphong officials placed their decision on the low cost of the japanese system and the fact that it uses less chlorine. the machine succeeded in eliminating most of the pollutants. the japanese system has caught the attention of officials in ho chi minh, they started testing it this month. that could lead to a deal worth almost $20 million. seven other vietnamese cities have also asked kitakyushu officials to do on-site surveys.

>> translator: providing people with a safe water supply is one of our biggest goals. i hope their technology will bring us good results. >> translator: if we want to get orders from abroad, we need to go in to the field with local officials, and talk with them about what needs to be done. >> reporter: kitakyushu officials have high hopes for their work in vietnam. they hope it will encourage japanese companies to work together to design water resource management systems, and win orders from overseas clients. there's an ice storm in u.s. southern states, including georgia. our meteorologist robert speta has more on this. robert? >> oh, yeah, gene. take a look at this. the satellite picture, that cold

front continues to push all the way down here towards the south, and what we're having is a widespread freezing rain event. that super cooled rain, the minute it hits the ground, it starts to freeze on contact and the problem is, this is starting to accumulate and there's a high risk of power outages, not just that, very slick roads out here due to low pressure system which is now pushing off towards the east. anywhere you see here in the green, not just georgia, but over towards the carolinas. extending even as far west as texas. starting to taper off there as it pulls east but it is still coming down and definitely very dangerous conditions. north of that, about five centimeters of heavy snow, very well going to be seeing extending out towards the carolinas as well. north of that, we have this just absolutely cold blast of air that is coming in, do bundle up if you're going out and about because temperatures are going to be freezing. even extending back towards the west, snowfall in some of the higher elevations. gusty winds coming in to the pacific net. i think the big topic, once again, are these temperatures.

denver at minus 2. remember this is the high. chicago at minus 17. even farther towards the south in atlanta, at minus 2. now the key thing, i do want to mention we're talking about where that freezing rain is, is because of the cold front. right through here, look at atlanta, minus 2. just several hour plane ride down to miami, 27 degrees. night and day difference here just separated by that frontal boundary. now as far as your temperatures, farther towards the north, it is slowly going to be warming up. it's not going to feel like miami any time soon. but, minus 6 there in new york. we'll be getting up to about minus 1. so closer to average for this time of year. but not quite there just yet. meanwhile above average temperatures across much of eastern asia today. we have high pressure dominating. look at all that clear air across the philippines over towards the indochina peninsula down into thailand and also malaysia, making for some drier conditions, at least for the time being. also, cold front pushing across

northern japan. this is bringing some snowfall, about 40 to 50 centimeters of the white stuff could be seen here from hokkaido down through tohoku over the next 24 hours. that will be tapering off. the high is going to come in, also pump in some warmer air. behind that, another low, though, by the time we see that, looking at the risk of some rain, as well. as far as the temperatures, though, it really couldn't be any warmer at least for this time of year. shanghai with a high of 14. rain showers. tokyo to 11. back into the midteens later on in the week. see what's going on in europe where we have several storm systems. two spots we're continuing to watch. one in the eastern mediterranean and then at first i want to talk about this. a low pressure system just spinning there over the british isles. but this is bringing in some gusty winds. reports of 70 to 80 kilometer per hour winds out here. you're seeing snow in some of the hilltops. about five centimeters could accumulate. and not just the winds, but that also creates high waves, seven to eight meters high along the coastal areas.

so definitely something to watch. but these chilly temperatures that come in with the circulation, any rain that does fall, it will be freezing through the overnight hours. slick roads. and then, that storm we have in the eastern mediterranean, a very stubborn storm. this is still bringing the risk of flooding. even severe thunderstorms out here are possible. and then farther towards the north, we're looking at snowfall. why? it is just chilly out here. vienna with a high of minus 1. kiev at minus 10 here on your tuesday. that's a look at your world weather. here's the extended forecast.

that's "newsline" for this hour. i'm gene otani in tokyo. ÷g99ñwc

>> hello. it is 1:00 p.m. in paris. let's look at what is making news -- the ukrainian government backs down and scrubs the controversial anti-protest law after the prime minister resigns. eeo-ons are high at the russia summit -- eu-russia summit. for rejection president mohammed .orsi hacking court the former leader of the muslim brotherhood appears on charges in connection with a mass jailbreak in 2011.