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. officials with the tokyo based bitcoin exchangement gox have filed for bankruptcy claiming all of their firt yule currency has gone missing. hopes rise that red cross talks with north korea to return the remains of japanese who died there around the end of world war ii may open the door to

further discussions. and lawmakers in ukraine have put their country on a new path. but legislators to the south want to head somewhere else. senior officials of a major bitcoin virtual currency exchange in tokyo have made their first public appearance since the company halted all deals three weeks ago. they say they have filed for bankruptcy protection. ceo mark karpolous of mtgox said their lawyers held a news conference on friday. >> translator: we had weaknesses in our system and our bitcoins vanished. we have caused trouble, and inconvenience to many people, and i feel deeply sorry for what has happened. >> translator: the amount of

trading of online users totals about 750,000 bitcoins. in addition, the firm itself owned about 100,000 bitcoins. we found out that almost all of them were gone. >> they said the company has lost all bitcoins and deposits that they were keeping for their customers. the officials said customers bitcoin losses total more than $400 million with friday's exchange rate. they added it's possible that someone illegally gained access to the trading system to steal the assets. they said an investigation is continuing. mtgox officials said they have filed an application for protection from creditors at the tokyo district court. mtgox is the world's biggest bitcoin exchange, holding more than 1.1 million accounts both inside and outside japan. on february 7th, it suspended bitcoin transfers due to what officials described as a system glitch. on wednesday, the site went down. government leaders in tokyo

say they hope an upcoming meeting between japanese and north korean red cross officials will lead the way to further discussions with leaders in pyongyang. red cross officials are sitting down next week to discuss returning the remains of japanese people who died on the korean peninsula during the period of japan's surrender in world war ii. chief cabinet secretary yoshida suga said the meeting will be held from a humanitarian perspective. he said he's not aware of any other issues on the agenda. >> translator: the government will try to ensure that the meeting leads to a positive north korean stance towards other bilateral issues. those include the abductions of japanese nationals by the north. >> the government says at least 17 japanese were abducted to north korea in the 1970s and '80s. five people were returned in

2005. diplomats from both nations will attend the meeting scheduled for monday in the chinese city of shenyang. foreign minister fumio kishida said he will closely watch how discussions will unfold. talks between the two governmengovernment s have been suspended for more than a year. officials at japan's environment ministry say an unexpected earthquake and tsunami off the country's pacific coast could produce up to $350 million tons of debris. that's about 11 times the amount from the march 2011 disaster. the estimate covers a quake and tsunami along the so-called nankai trough. the officials came up with the figure after studying disaster scenarios involving possible large quakes. they then estimated the volume of debris and simulated disposal based on the 2011 quake and tsunami in northeastern japan. they say getting rid of the debris from such a disaster could take between 11 and 19 years. a fisherman's group in japan

is demanding to know what caused the latest spill of highly radioactive water at the crippled fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. the group says last week's leak is causing them grave concern. officials at the national federation of fisheries cooperative associations submitted a written request to vice industry minister kazuyoshi akaba and urged him to launch a swift investigation. fishermen are asking the ministry to ensure a full recovery of the spilled water and calling for stepped up monitoring of the effects of the spill on seawater and seafood. aqaba apologized for the incident to the fishermen and pledged efforts to prevent a recurrence. >> this is extremely deplorable because the leak was caused by human error. >> tokyo electric power company that operates the plant says someone may have left tank valves open causing about 100

tons of contaminated water to overflow to the ground. many people attempting to recover from the physical effects of the two,000 eleven disaster in northeastern japan are also struggling with depression. a recent university survey indicates that over 1 out of 4 residents may suffer from the disease. a team from tohoku university conducted a survey. members interviewed yearly 3800 residents of miyagi prefecture. the project's leader says results suggest depression is even more widespread than expected. he said the outcome could have been even worse if more people had participated in the survey. university officials say they plan to work with medical specialists and other organizations to combat the problem. they say they will continue to provide telephone counseling by clinical psychotherapists. jobs are still not coming back to the eurozone. ramin mellegard has more on this

story. >> thanks, gene. two important economic indicators are out in europe. first job figures. unemployment in the eurozone stayed very close to a record high. eu statistics office euro stat says the jobless rate in the 18 nation single currency bloc stood at 12.0% in january. that's the same level as in the previous month. starting in january, latvia is included among the members. spain's unemployment showed a slight improvement, dipping 0.1 percentage point from a year earlier to 25.8%. euro stat officials have also released inflation data for february. the annual consumer price index stood at 0.5% unchanged from january. that was far below the european central bank's inflation target of 2%. the index has stayed below 1% for five consecutive months. meanwhile the eurozone's latest inflation data matched market expectations and investors are buying back the euro.

single currency rallied to its highest point this year against the dollar, and is currently trading at 1.3794-3795. analysts say market players are expecting the european central bank to provide further stimulus to prop up the region's falling prices. ecb policymakers are scheduled to meet next week. meanwhile, the yen is keeping the strength against the dollar. dollar/yen top of the screen right now 101.88-92. let's check some other currencies as well. the yuan dropped to its lowest level in about ten months against the dollar. traders are speculating that the people's bank of china is trying to weaken the local currency in an effort to stem huge capital inflows in to the country. many markets ended higher. investors were hoping that the federal reserve will continue its asset buying program for some time. chang shy reversed earlier losses it suffered following a sudden plunge in the chinese currency yuan.

meanwhile tokyo's nikkei declined on a stronger yen. let's take a look at european stocks as well. bench mark indexes in the region are trading lower, london's ftse is down 0.2%. frankfurt's dax is trading lower as is paris' cac 40. japanese government officials say many of the country's regional economies did better than they thought in the final three months of last year. they say brisk sales of big ticket items ahead of the tax hike gave a boost to different regions. the cabinet office revised upward its quarterly economic assessment for eight of the 11 regions in the country. the improvement is traced to strong demand for cars, and the stepped-up production of semiconductors and liquid crystal panels for smartphones and tablets. officials predict the sales and production will continue to climb due to firm domestic demand. japanese automaker mazda has

celebrated the official opening of a new plant in mexico. the company chairman called the factory mazda's most important global base. takashi yamanouchi was joined by mexican president enrique pena nieto at the opening ceremony in the central state on thursday. >> translator: mazda is taking its future of this new plant. it's our most important global production base. we are determined to make it a success and begin a new chapter in the company's history. >> the plant began making cars for north america in january. in april, it will start production for the mexican market. mazda is hoping to raise the plant's annual capacity to 230,000 vehicles in about two years. mexico has free trade agreements

with the united states, and south american countries that allow car exports to these market with low tariffs. mazda's japanese rivals, nissan and honda, have also built plants in mexico. that's all for business news for this hour. i'll leave you with a look at the region's markets. legislators of the capital kiev have approved an interim government has has a decidedly pro-western slant. this has left ukraine divided as people in the south want the country to move closer toward russia. nhk world's mitsuko nishikawa reports.

>> reporter: members of parliament have endorsed a cabinet headed by arseniy yatsenyuk. the decision has done little to bring stability to the autonomous southern republic of crimea. masked gunmen have seized government buildings in the regional capital simferopol. media reports say dozens of armed men have taken over the airport. most people in crimea are ethnic russians who favor closer ties with russia. local lawmakers have voted to hold a referendum to decide whether to break away from ukraine. they scheduled the vote for may 25th, the same day ukrainians will head to the polls to choose their next president. top u.s. and russian officials have discussed the crisis over the telephone. >> this morning i called foreign

minister lavrov, and we talked at some length about the transition and the events in ukraine and in the region. and i asked specifically that russia work with the united states and with our friends and allies in order to support ukraine to rebuild unity, security, and healthy economy. >> reporter: but the two countries seem divided on future moves. kerry says they talked about russia's ongoing large-scale military drills near the ukrainian border. he says lavrov assured him that the drills were planned earlier, and have nothing to do with the fast-moving events in ukraine. the russian foreign ministry says lavrov has called for the implementation of the february 21st agreement signed by ousted ukrainian president viktor yanukovych and the country's opposition. lavrov's remarks are seen as an

expression of support for yanukovych and an indication of doubt over the legitimacy of ukraine's interim government, formed by political forces close to the u.s. and european countries. amid the current turmoil, yanukovych is reported to have taken refuge in russia. sources say he will speak to the media later on friday during which he'll outline his future plans. mitsuko nishikawa, nhk world. and as the political uncertainty mounted, investors are pulling their money out of assets in ukraine's currency. the ukrainian currency is gaining some ground after plunging to a record low against the dollar. market players are speculating that the country's central bank is refraining from taking any action to stop the currency from falling due to its shrinking foreign reserves. a group of muslim extremists in syria says it will impose a

tax on christian residents in a city it controls to be paid in gold. the group the islamic state in iraq, and the levant posted a statement online saying countries livesing in the northern city of raka will have to pay the tax in return for protection. it also said christians will stop renovating churches and ringing church bells or risk being attacked. the militant group is part of the opposition fighting the forces of president bashar al assad. many members are from other countries, including saudi arabia and kuwait. the group has taken control of cities in northern and eastern syria, and is expanding its influence. the lawyer for a prominent uighur academic arrested by chinese authorities is worried his client may not get a fair trial. he said he was not allowed to

ilham tohti when he tried to visit him on thursday. the lawyer says he was told the case involves state secrets. tohti was arrested last week on suspicion of promoting separatism. he has criticized the government's ethnic policies through the internet and overseas media. tohti is being detained in the uighur autonomous region. his lawyer says if tohti is found guilty he may face at least ten years in prison. chinese president xi jinping is trying to strengthen control over what people can see and say on the internet. he's heading up a group looking in to online security. statement cod caster cctv says members of the group held their first meeting. xi told them cyberspace needs to be cleaned up. he said the government should guide people who want to access public opinion online. more than 600 people in china use the internet and a growing number of them use it to complain about corruption and other wrongdoings by the

government officials. xi's administration has been on alert to these developments, analysts say the new group will tighten control over anti-government views. analysts in the u.s. state department have expressed their concerns. they outlined them in an annual report. a state department released its country reports on human rights practices. more than 100 pages refer to china. it describes crackdowns by chinese authorities on politically sensitive organizations. activists with the new citizens movement, for example, have complained about corruption among government officials, and they're pushing for more transparency. the report says authorities have arrested at least 29 people associated with the group. the report also expresses concern about yu shia, the wife of liu xiaobo. she remains under virtual house arrest. the report says the government has used the law to restrict freedom of speech among its

critics and to punish them. >> a nation of 1.3 billion. a wealth of views, perspectives, and problems. chinese leaders examine the issues at their annual national people's congress. president xi jinping faces a long list of challenges. find out how he plans to tackle them. don't miss our special coverage, "china: road to reform" at these times, right here on "newsline." to many mongolia evokes images of sweeping plains and blue skies. but people in ulan bator have seen rapid economic growth that's changing the face of the capital. and they're choking on clouds of bad air. >> reporter: a felt belt can be clearly seen between the blue sky and the ground. it may look mysterious. but it's actually a layer of airborne pollutants. in winter, thick smog engulfs ulan bator.

it even slows down traffic, as visibility falls to less than 20 meters. >> sometimes i find it so hard to breathe in the morning that i can't go outside, and my mouth and nose get sore. >> reporter: naturally, the main factor behind the smog is the growing concentration of people in the capital. the number of households is increasing by 10,000 every year. now, ulan bator accounts for almost half of the nation's entire population. most of the newcomers from nomads from rural areas seeking jobs in the city. they move in one after another with their traditional portable houses known as yurts. the heaters typically found in these structures are soviet made. they were designed to burn logs and animal dung but cheap coal is also used. it does not burn properly, which generates massive amounts of pollutants.

the increasing number of traditional dwellings increased with this type of heater in and around the city is accelerating air pollution. household heaterses cause 60% of the contamination. people are also concerned about the impact on children. the waiting room of this hospital was full of children suffering from respiratory conditions. >> translator: my child has asthma. we came here to get it treated. >> reporter: a health ministry survey found that the number of children developing asthma has increased 1.6 times over the past five years. health officials also say the condition is hitting them at an earlier age. this has led the government to step in with a project to promote the replacement of the environmentally unfriendly heater.

officials say an efficient low-smoke alternative can cut harmful emissions to less than one-tenth of the current level. although normally costing about $250 each the heater can now be bought for much less, around $20. that's thanks to a world bank backed public subsidy program. project staff also go from door to door persuading people to replace their heaters with the cleaner model. >> translator: hello. i'm with the clean air project. did you get the new heater? >> reporter: thanks to efforts like these the eco-friendly heater is gradually finding its way into the traditional roving houses. but with a steady inflow of people from rural areas

continuing the government is still struggling to keep pollution in check. and whether or not it can really solve the problem remains to be seen. there's more severe weather in parts of the u.s. our meteorologist robert speta is here with that. robert? >> yes, gene. it's not just one particular area, either. what we are seeing is parts of the western u.s. looking at rough weather today, and also off towards the east. i'd start from west and go towardses east when we're talking about this, though. right now we do have a very potent low pressure area spinning just off the western seaboard. this is pushing ever so slightly towards the east but the big thing is it's just funneling that moisture onshore and you have already been seeing heavy rainfall out here. even considerable amount of snowfall in the higher elevations, up about 30, 60 centimeters. already seeing and still yet more rain is in your forecast as that does continue to push onshore. so it's not just that. also the risk of flooding, good news, it is breaking the drought just a little bit.

so at least there is an upside to what is occurring out here. now that's in the west, absolutely massive low going on there. but then off towards the east we have this high pressure area coming in from the northwest, and this is ushering a very cold, chilly weather, plus a low following field, and that's creating some very windy conditions. so we are seeing is absolutely gusty winds. up to about 80 to 90 kilometers per hour. combined with these frigid temperatures, even the snowfall, 10 to 15 centimeters very well likely with this and that eventually severe weather down towards the south. that is ushering in those very dangerous windchills. now, if you are outside for an extended period of time, especially not suited up to be out in the cold weather, this could lead to frostbite rather quickly. minus 31 is what it's going to feel like there on friday, in minneapolis. buffalo down to minus 29. highs at minus 12. that's without the wind. just absolutely cold out here, and definitely you want to bundle up through the coming days. meanwhile in eastern asia, japan

has seen its warmest day yet here in 2014. temperature rose up to about 19 degrees on friday. unfortunately, that is not going to be lasting very long. and once again, cold high coming in from the northwest. that's going to be ushering much cooler temperatures, and temperatures will be dropping down, as well. meanwhile behind it, also another low developing here in southeastern china, widespread area, 30 to 50 millimeters. but it's going to be moving east. and as it does so, we're going to be seeing those showers push over toward western parts of japan, and then a rain/snow mix very well likely with this. don't be surprised if you're in tokyo on sunday, you see some sleet and maybe even a few flurries coming out of this. definitely the higher elevations will be feeling that, as it does push overhead. here's a look at your temperatures. tokyo on saturday, high 10 only. definitely going to see some rain showers, shanghai, chongqing as well, ulan bator at minus 9 on your saturday. let's finish up talking about the tropics. guam, you are dealing with a

tropical depression. this very well likely is going to be become a tropical storm sometime here on friday going into saturday morning. you've already seen some mudslides reported out here due to a considerable amount of rainfall. 16 millimeters in the last 24 hours. this is going to drift north staying east of guam likely. but still you're looking at heavy rain showers come out of this. the southern hemisphere on the other hand, you're also looking at some heavy rain fall. flooding has already been reported in parts of fiji. the military already having to be called here to help with assistance. this isn't even a named system yet. still developing. likely going to become a tropical cyclone over the weekend as it does push down there towards the southeast. all right. that's a look at your world weather. here's the extended forecast.

and our final story on "newsline," a sheep farm in hokkaido, northern japan, is enjoying a baby boom. more than 120 lambs have been born at the farm since mid-february. newborns spend the first several days in their lives in barns with their mothers. the two only leave after they can identify each other in a flock. >> translator: this year we have many twins, and even seven triplets. so mothers are having a harder time than usual. they're exhausted from producing milk and paying close attention to their health condition. >> the lambs will be let loose to graze in early may.

>> here in the french capitol, let's take a look at what is mack headlines this hour. tensions are on the rise between ukraine and russia after two men entered two airports. u cran is describing it as an invasion. the country's parliament is calling for extradition of the leader. >> the french president in the central african republic this friday some three months in into a mission aimed at halting deadly sectarian violence. >> and in a rare move, the world bank has frozen some $90 billion worth of aid to u gan ga over a signing of