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. clashes between police and anti-government protesters in kiev are causing more deaths and injuries, as both the president and the opposition dig in their heels. tokyo prosecutors have searched an affiliate of pharmaceutical giant novartis on suspicion that the company deceptively advertised one of its drugs. and a curator from tokyo is

finding some gems of contemporary art and sharing them with the world. anti-government protesters and police show no sign of backing off as clashes intensify in the ukrainian capital of kiev. the worst violence in months of unrest has left 25 people dead and more than 500 injured. the situation escalated into brutal violence on tuesday when police tried to stop demonstrators marching. police stormed the protesters stronghold of independence square in central kiev. the people there responded by throwing firebombs. health ministry officials say the victims include police officers, demonstrators, and a journalist. protests began in november after president viktor yanukovych said he would seek closer ties with russia, rather than make efforts to join the european union. protesters have seized government offices, and raided the facilities of security forces in western ukraine. president yanukovych met with opposition leaders early wednesday to attempt to resolve the situation.

he rejected a call to withdraw police from the square. he said on tv that opposition leaders crossed a line when they called citizens -- or called on citizens to take up arms. officials in the u.s. and germany have condemned the violence. u.s. vice president joe biden phoned president yanukovych to express his concerns. biden urged him to exercise restraint. white house press secretary jay carney pushed yanukovych to restore peace. >> we also urge him to restart a dialogue with opposition leaders today to develop a consensus way forward for ukraine. >> german -- foreign minister frank stein myer said germans are shocked by the violence. >> translator: i condemn any use of violence and whoever should be of the opinion that the use

of violence in the ukraine could be a way out of the present situation is misjudging the situation. >> steinmeier says european leaders are considering sanctions on ukrainian leaders responsible for the violence. prosecutors have raided the tokyo office of drugmaker novartis pharma and a japanese university. they suspect a local arm of the swiss-based company exaggerated claims about one of their drugs and broke the law. officials with japan's health ministry say novartis pharma used manipulated data in their advertising and violated the country's pharmaceutical affairs law. they filed a criminal complaint last month. they say marketers promoted a blood pressure drug, diovan, as a way to prevent strokes and angina. professors at five universities conducted studies on the drug's effectiveness. a former company employee was involved in several clinical

tests. three institutions, including kyoto prefectural university of medicine say their results may have been incorrect. but they haven't determined who rigged the data or how. novartis pharma used the studies to promote sales of the drug that has topped $11 billion. company officials claim they were not aware of any manipulation in research papers. rescue workers in indonesia are expanding their search for a missing japanese diver. the woman is one of seven who disappeared on friday while diving near bali. nhk world has a report. >> reporter: five other divers were rescued on monday afternoon. they were found on rocks about 20 kilometers from where they set out. diving instructor was one of those rescued. she says the group was diving for the third time that day when they returned to the surface,

their boat was gone. the captain says poor weather was to blame. >> translator: it was raining, and also windy at that time. and we lost them. >> reporter: she says the group spent friday night in the sea, holding hands, and waiting for rescuers. they sipped milk from coconuts floating in the sea. a tugboat passed nearby the next morning. she swam toward the boat, but couldn't reach it. she was separated from the others, and managed to reach the rocks that evening. four others reached some nearby rocks. >> translator: about three people were standing and waving their hands, asking for help. >> reporter: the rescue raised hope of finding the remaining two women alive. but on tuesday, rescuers recovered a body from waters

south of bali. authorities confirmed it belonged to one of the missing women. indonesian officials are looking for a 35-year-old diving instructor. residents and divers from bali are helping with the search. nhk world. the japanese government says prices are rising moderately using the expression for the first time in more than five years. pulling the economy out of deflation tops prime minister shinzo abe's agenda. the cabinet office made the upward revision of its assessment for prices in a monthly economic report. cabinet officials cite the consumer price index that continues to increase at over 1%. but the economic revitalization minister stopped short of stating that japan has climbed out of deflation.

>> translator: we have to make an overall assessment to congress firm that economic fundamentals are strong enough so japan will not slip back in to deflation. >> amari said the government will pay special attention to the price trend after the consumption tax hike in april. that's to determine whether japan has pulled out of deflation. the monthly report kept its economic assessment unchanged from january's report, saying the nation's economy is recovering at a moderate pace. it says private consumption is increasing, backed by strong sales of cars and home appliances. ahead of the consumption tax hike. the report upgraded the assessment of exports from n a weak tone to flat noting growth in auto shipments. japanese consumers are spending more at department stores ahead of the consumption tax hike. sales rose in january for a third straight month, compared with the previous year.

the japan department stores association says sales at 242 outlets nationwide were up more than 2% last month, to about $5.5 billion. demand for big ticket items such as fine art and jewelry rose more than 21% amid an economic recovery. strong sales of furniture, men's clothes, and cosmetics were another factor. shopping by foreign visitors also boosted the sales. an association official says that sales in february and march may be higher than a year ago, as demand is likely to surge just before the tax hike. >> >> u.s. treasury secretary jack lew wants japan to do more to boost domestic demand. that's a key item on his agenda for this weekend's meeting of g-20 finance ministers and central bank chiefs in sydney, australia. lew says domestic demand has powered japan's economy in the past two years but he's worried whether it can continue to drive

the country's growth. and says japan should push structural reforms. lew made those comments in a letter to fellow delegates attending the upcoming g-20 meeting. he says the u.s. wants g-20 delegates to discuss what japan can do to minimize the effects of the sales tax hike. officials attending the talks will also discuss how the tapering of the u.s. fed stimulus program is affecting currencies in emerging markets, and how that may impact the world economy. lew dismisses those concerns. he says the u.s. economic recovery will have a positive effect on global growth. now let's have a check on the markets. european equities are actually trading lower at this moment. london's ftse is down almost 0.3%. paris is trading lower, as well. and frankfurt down 0.35%. investors waiting for more cues to trade on later in the day, the u.s. federal reserve is going to release the minutes of

the latest policy meet being. and on thursday, manufacturing data out of china will be a focus. now, many asian equities closed higher, as you can see there coming up on the screen. shanghai composite rose 1.1% to post a fresh high for this year. that was helped by receding concerns about monetary tightening in china. tokyo's nikkei retreated from a two-week high down 0.52% there. moving on to currencies, dollar/yen currently at 102.07-08. little changed from the levels in tokyo trading hours. analysts say traders will be closely watching the fed's minutes, as well as housing data due out later in the day. bottom of the screen, euro yen 140.28 -- 140.31-35. japan welcomed the highest number of overseas visitors for the month of january. this was helped by chinese travelers during the lunar new year holidays. officials at the japan national

tourism organization estimate more than 940,000 visitors came to japan last month. that's up over 40% from the same time a month -- from the same month, beg your pardon, a year ago. they say the rise is due to a surge in the number of travelers from mainland china and hong kong. visitors from south korea also rose for the first time in four months. japan relaxed its visa requi requirements and the country is welcoming more people from southeast asian nations. the number of travelers from overseas in 2013 topped 10 million for the first time. that's all for the business news for this hour. i'll leave you with a look at the region's markets.

curators are finding more and more people in japan who appreciate contemporary art, but they have to put each piece in the correct place if they're to put the works in the right light. one of the best is bringing modern art to japan and sharing it with the world. >> reporter: yuko hasegawa is a curator at the museum of contemporary art, tokyo, one of the largest museums in japan. this exhibition was organized to commemorate the 400th anniversary of relations between spain and japan. it's called marvelous reality. the works on display are intended to arouse a sense of mystery in between fact and fiction. hasegawa has carefully selected

50 works by spanish-speaking artists. she personally decides on the exact placement of each piece. and just before the doors open, her staff are still asking her one question after another. >> translator: the works speak to me and say, "put me here." i love to hear that. >> reporter: she is deciding where to display the work of enrique malti who is visiting japan. he made three life-size casts of a friend, and then scaled them down for the exhibition. >> this is supposed to be what people look at. >> reporter: this work will appear right inside the entrance to the exhibition. hasegawa always wants to shock visitors with the first thing they see.

>> she really gets a very good interpretation of the works. the dialogue should be intense between the artist and the curator. it's like the two sides of the coin. >> reporter: last friday lots of people braved the snow for a sneak preview of the show. the first piece on display is marty's sculpture. >> translator: people are very attracted to sculptures of the human body, because they look like us. in this case, the sculpture has been downsized and mutated. that makes it even more interesting. >> reporter: just as hasegawa hoped, people are taken aback as soon as they walk in.

she maps out the exhibition to produce a journey of new experiences for visitors. furniture that has been cut in to pieces is designed to give the viewer a sense of the insecurities of everyday life. next is the largest piece in the exhibition, called the family. it's a casual scene, but it echoes with vibrations of something eerie. finally, they're in the last room. >> translator: this room is quiet. overwhelmingly quiet. that's extremely important to me. i always make the last place a spot where people can think deeply, a place of contemplation. >> translator: it felt like i was being pulled in to the space. i wasn't just passing by. it made me stop at each picture and think.

>> translator: i have feedback today from a visitor who said the show had a huge impact on him. i could tell he was saying that from deep in his heart. that makes me very glad. >> reporter: hasegawa's carefully curated exhibitions are a source of fascination for many and are helping to create a new pathway for those seeking pleasure in contemporary art. >> and if you want to hear more from hasegawa, nhk world will air an extended program this saturday as part of our series, the creative women. opposition forces in south sudan have taken control of parts of an oil hub leaving a cease-fire in tatters. it was the first fighting in a major town since they signed a truce with the government last month. local reporters say forces loyal to the former vice president

riek machar attacked government troops in the town of malakal. machar's reporters say they were retaliating for a government air raid. president salva kiir criticized them for violating the cease-fire. the two sides started fighting in december after kiir accused machar and his supporters of plotting a coup. negotiators sat down last week for a second round of peace talks, but they're divided over the constitution, among other things. and the latest fighting could further complicate the negotiations. authorities from russia and estonia have signed a treaty formally settling their common border. the deal resolves a dispute stretching back to the end of the cold war. russian foreign minister sergey lavrov and his estonian counterpart signed the agreement. the treaty formalizes the border drawn up during the occupation by the former soviet union. the soviet's annexed estonia

during world war ii. the country won independence in 1991 and its leaders started negotiations to restore its former border. now estonian authorities have given up claims to 2300 square kilometers of land. they agreed to the treaty at the urging of officials from the european union and nato. russian president vladimir putin has resolved border disputes with china, norway, and other nations. but russian officials still haven't resolved the dispute with the japanese over four islands off hokkaido. japan maintains that the russian-controlled islands are part of japan's territory, and were illegally occupied after world war ii. experts at unesco have issued a warning. they say by the end of the century, 3,000 languages could disappear. hawaiian is one language on that list. but thanks to some outspoken

locals, the tide is turning. nhk world reports. >> reporter: hawaiian is spoken by native polynesians. and tourists don't have to wait long to catch its melodious sound. arriving on the island, it's the first thing they hear. around honolulu visitors will hear and see more evidence of the indigenous language. one of the oldest in the world. but not long ago, hawaiian was close to extinction. at the end of the 19th century, when hawaii became a part of the u.s., hawaiian was banned from all public places, including schools. by the 1970s, only 2,000 people still spoke the language.

concerned locals began a revitalization movement, and in 1978, hawaiian was designated the official state language, along with english. larry teaches hawaiian at the university of hawaii. he played a leading role in winning recognition of hawaiian as an official language. he is the third generation japanese-american, but his grandmother was a native hawaiian. he was proud to get involved in the revitalization movement by changes that took place while he was a student. >> my hawaiian grandmother died when i was a sophomore in college. that generation, grandparent generation, went, as well. they were very old. and then when they went, there was no more.

>> reporter: since then, kimura has spent many years interviewing elderly people to create a database. in 1984, kimura founded a hawaiian language emergence school. he felt that it was important for children to be surrounded by hawaiian from an early age. about 30 schools are now teaching classes in hawaiian, and the number of people who speak the language has risen to 10,000. five years ago a new station started broadcasting in hawaiian only.

anchor amy khalili helped to set up the station. she is also a former student of kimura. no matter where a story takes her, she reports all the news in hawaiian. the station is now watched in 220,000 households. >> and i think having hawaiian language tv moved us towards normalizing our language here in our homeland. so i think that's what we're trying to accomplish and working on it every day. >> reporter: people like khalili and kimura are working hard to preverve a unique cultural heritage. thanks to their efforts hawaiian is once again a living language. nhk world, honolulu.

there's severe weather, including more snow in the northeastern parts of the united states. our meteorologist robert speta has been following the situation. robert? >> yes, gene, we have been seeing out here is not just one particular storm but yet again another low pressure system following another one in the northeastern u.s. you're used to snowfall. but the problem is, what we have been seeing is the snow accumulating over a period of time. and this most recent one still dropping some snow on top of what is already accumulated out here in parts of new england. that one is moving off there. you can see the center of low pressure moving in to the canadian maritimes. but behind it, another one is coming in across the great lakes. and this is bringing in an additional amount of snowfall. even some severe weather with this cold front moving down towards the south, across the ohio river valley. that's going to continue to push east, and that is not the end of it, though. watch this. this one moves out. then from the west, another one comes in. that cold front that's going to be developing off of that, that

really is bringing the risk of some severe weather going into thursday and even over towards friday across much of the deep south. we're talking about these squall lines that are going to be setting up out ahead of it. we're going to be seeing some very damaging straightline winds even hail forming in the areas of the red, and the possibility of tornadoes. we're starting to get closer and closer to severe weather season. and this is just one of those first signs. heavy knowfall towards the north, though, across the western great lakes with this next system as well and even extending across ontario and eventually over towards quebec. the big difference, temperatures towards the south and towards the north. oklahoma city where you have the thunderstorms in place, then over towards chicago, 2 there actually, nearly a 20-degree difference from north to south here on your wednesday. let's see what's going on over towards europe. western europe, specifically. to start off with, at least. across the british isles you have been seeing a little break in the weather. but another low pressure system is coming in off the atlantic, and this is going to bring another shot of widespread rainfall across the british

isles. some areas 15 to 20 millimeters on top of what's already fallen, really adding to the risk of flooding. also winds near the coast sustained around 50, could gust up to 130. inland less but rain on the immediate coastline as this low comes ashore. it is going to be breezy, at least for that matter. meanwhile, down towards italy, over towards the balkan peninsula, some rain showers and some severe thunderstorms possible here. rather strong at the very least, and then out ahead of this front that's pushing through, though, mild weather flowing in from the south. what i mean by that, take a look at bucharest, nearly 20 degrees above your average. budapest at 11. your average right around 5 for this time of year. kiev at 7. talk about mild weather. look over towards sochi where the winter olympics are going on right now. absolutely beautiful here on your thursday. friday, some rain showers moving through in the city. higher elevations, you could see some snow out of that. and then even over towards saturday temperatures climbing all the way up to 16 degrees. over towards eastern asia the big topic really has been this

front that is lingering in southeastern china over towards taiwan and the southern japanese islands. sea effect snow as well in northern parts of japan, mainland japan being dominated by high pressure. as far as that front, though, that's improving, as well, because this is going to drift south and then drift east as a high comes in from the north. that means, well, big bubble, no trouble, like they say and clear weather coming in as well. 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. a7guc

"franceme back to the 24 two newsroom. situationcus on the in ukraine. targeting sanctions against ukrainian leaders by thursday so stop francois hollande says he wants a reaction as quickly as possible. the president view cain -- of ukraine is blaming the opposition on the deadly violence that left 2500 dead. hundreds more have been hurt in fighting between riot police and protesters.