keizo. hello and welcome back to "newsline" i'm shery ahn. let's get started with the headlines. chinese delegates have closed this year's session of the national people's congress by endorsing their leader france for the year ahead. more countries are sending team to assist in the widening search for the missing malaysian airliner. president obama and other leaders warn russia it will pay a price if it makes moves to

annex the ukrainian republic of crimea. delegates from across china have wrapped up a once-a-year political gathering that finished up the national people's congress. they addressed complaints about corruption, pollution and the gap between rich and poor. the delegates met for nine days in beijing to approve plans for the year ahead. leaders set an economic growth target for 2014 of around 7.5%. they included the target in their budget. the increased spending on defense by more than 12% to about $130 billion, but some delegates didn't agree with the approach to tackling corruption. prosecutors submitted a report on bureaucrats who abused their power. about 17% who cast ballots either voted against or abstained from approving the report.

tran tran china is a country ruled by law regardless of his or her rank, everyone is equal under the law. anyone who violates the communist party's discipline or the law will be strictly investigated and punished. >> they also touched on air pollution. clouds of air pollution have cast a haze over beijing and other cities. >> translator: when we say we declare war against pollution, it doesn't mean we declare war against mother nature. it means we have to change our careless ways of living and producing goods. >> li said authorities will redouble their efforts to combat pollution. he say it is government will punish those who violate emission laws and harm the environment. a u.s. state department spokesperson has criticized china for blocking philippine ships in the south china sea. general saki called the act a

provocation that raises tensions. she said the u.s. was troubled by the report that chinese patrol vessels on sunday forced two philippine supply ships to turn away from waters at that time spraltly island. the island are at the center of a territorial dispute between the philippines and china. they were supposedly taking supplies. saki noticed the philippines has maintained a presence there since 1999 and say there is should be no interference with efforts to maintain the status quo. china and acian countries signed a declaration aimed at peacefully resolving territorial issues in the south china sea. china has been increasingly active in the sea claiming most of it as its own. search crews have been sent to check a spot where satellite images found what could be

debris from the missing malaysian jetliner. they have been scouring the ocean for almost a week looking for the passenger plane. officials at a chinese space development agency say their satellite on sunday captured images of three objects floating on the south china sea. the fragments range in length from 13 to 24 meters, floating some 200 kilometers southeast of where contact with the plane was lost. the airliner carrying 239 people left kl for beijing early saturday. 50 minutes later it vanished from radar screens over the south china see. the search has been extended to the strait of malacca as the team may have turned westward. teams from japan and india have joined the search that is a joint effort with 12 countries. crews are trying to determine if the debris is part of the missing jet. western leaders are piling the pressure on counterparts in

russia, warning president vladimir putin to make no moves to annex the autonomous republic of cry mere yeah. u.s. president barack obama and others say they're prepared to punish him with additional sanctions. more from nhk world's craig dale. >> reporter: president barack obama is leading the diplomatic push to keep russian leaders at bay and keep their hands off crimea. >> not only us, but the international community, the european union and others will be forced to apply a cost to russia's violations of international law. >> reporter: obama threatened additional sanctions against russia after meeting with ukraine's interim prime minister who went to washington seeking support. >> mr. president, it's all about the freedom. we fight for our freedom. we find to our independence, we

fight for our sovereignty and we will never surrender. >> reporter: still the russian military and pro-russian forces control most of crimea. leaders in russia say they want to protect the russian-speaking majority from the political unrest in ukraine. the autonomous republic has become the setting for a tug of war between those in ukraine who favor closer ties with europe and those who want stronger links with russia. crimean citizens will weigh in on sunday when they vote in a referendum. they must decide whether to join the russian federation or whether to essentially declare independence from ukraine. both options could lead to the same outcome. >> translator: i think the majority of people are for russia, that's why there are no pro-ukrainian posters. >> reporter: some in crimea plan to boycott the referendum.

leaders with the group of seven industrialized nations say the result will have no legal effect. german chancellor angela merkel says the eu will impose sanctions if russian officials don't hold direct talks with their counterparts in ukraine. she's been reluctant to penalize them because of her country's economic ties with russia. japanese leaders are also push for dialogue. prime minister shinzo abe sent a top bureaucrat to sit down with foreign minister sergey lavrov. lav ron will meet with u.s. secretary of state john kerry who is expected to lay out a proposal forl ending the standoff. the message for russian leaders is clear, pull back or pay the price. craig dale, nhk world. an explosion in new york has destroyed two apartment buildings. at least four people were killed

and nine are unaccounted for. the explosion shook a residential area near central park. residents say they smelled gas 15 minutes before. some people complained about the same smell the previous day. >> i heard a big explosion, boom. i thought it was an earthquake. i thought the train derailed. i didn't know what to think. >> officials with the japanese consulate general say they have not been able to contact one of three japanese who lived in the buildings. authorities are checking the gas pipes in the area. let's now get the latest business stories from ron madison. >> invaefters around the world have been watching china's national people's congress which just ended in beijing and on the last day of the meeting some economic data were released from the country. among them, retail sales rose 11.8% in the two months before february compared to the year before. the country's industrial out put in the same period saw a rise as well of 8.6%.

the figures fell short of market consensus. investors are becoming more worried about the health of the chinese economy. here is how the day finish, tokyo and hong kong reversing earlier gains. shanghai managed to end in the positive though. here in tokyo the nikkei average down today about .1%, 14,815 for a second straight day of losses. it stayed in positive range for most of the session, but just before the close it did erase all of the earlier gains and this came after china's data was released. the day's total value posted a fresh low for this year. meanwhile the shanghai composite climbed over 1%, finishing at 2,019. investors are hopeful the chinese government will beef up regulations on its financial system. that's based on comments from premier li at the end of the people's congress. in sydney the s&p asx finished

up higher .5%, 5,412. the number of jobs created in australia was the most in 13 months. this gave a boost to market sentiment. gold prices are surging in tokyo on worries about china's economy as well as the similar herring tensions in ukraine. gold futures rose to 4,545 yen, that works out to about $44 per graham at one point, a level not seen for nine months. gold prices are also rising in other markets like new york and london. analysts say investors are putting shefrm funds into gold as a relatively safe asset. they're hoping to avert risks amid global economic uncertainties. new zealand's central branning raised its key interest rate for the first time since a major earthquake hit the country three years ago. policymakers increased the rate by 25 basis ports to 2.75%. they kept the rate at a record low of 2.5% since march 2011.

that was a month after the quake devastated the southern city of christ church. central bank officials said they tightened their group on credit because the country's economy has been picking up steam. they noted inflationary pressures have been increasing. new zealand's economy has been growing due to brisk exports of dairy products and reconstruction efforts. they say the inflationary pressures are likely to remain strong over the next two years. negotiators from japan and the united states are still struggling to move forward with the transpacific partnership free trade pact. japan's chief negotiator hero she oe and acting trade representative wendy cutler ended talks in washington. the japanese offered to lower tariffs on five categories of five products including beef and pork. u.s. negotiators reportedly stood firm on their principle that the tariffs be removed on

almost all agricultural products. the two sides agreed to continue talking. >> translator: opinions on both sides are still wide apart. you could say our goal is not yet in sight. >> officials are hoping the set the date for the next working level talks soon as president barack obama is scheduled to visit japan in late april. japanese customs officials sized a record number of counterfeit brand name products last year. finance ministry officials reported more than 28,000 incidents in 2013 where items were confiscated. that's up by 5.7% from a year earlier. the highest number since record taking on this began back in 1987. the trade and counterfeit goods is rising as consumers can now purchase them online. the items include fake brand name bags and clothing, smart phone cases and copies of fitness dvds.

the ministry says they'll tighten controls in cooperation with chinese customs officials. more than 90% of the goods come from china. business managers in japan are trying to stake out territory at a market that's worth nearly -- more than $1 trillion. they're working to cater to saging populations. and they've designed technology and services for domestic use. some of them are hoping to spark some interest abroad. >> the city is located on japan's northeastern coast in iwate prefecture. a doctor carries a tablet pc when he visits patients in their homes. many are elderly. more than 40% of the population are senior citizens. >> translator: does it hurt here? >> reporter: the doctor uses software his clinic jointly developed with major office equipment maker. patient's medical records and prescription drug records are

accessible anywhere at any time. with many hospitals and clinics ruined by the 2011 disaster, home care has become more important. this clinic provides care for as many as 360 patients. the doctors visit as many as 20 patients in a single day. thanks to the software they no longer need to carry around a lot of bulky medical documents. when patients call in sick at night or during weekends or on holidays, the doctors don't have to rush to the clinic to fetch their medical records. >> translator: having the data on hand greatly enhances the quality and safety of the treatments we provide doing routine and emergency at-home care. >> reporter: the company that developed the software is hoping to find more customers.

as the number of elderly people continues to increase, hospitals throughout japan are often filled to capacity. this is increasing the burden on doctors that provide home medical care. health care professionals are seeking measures to ease this problem. >> translator: the system and services were established by combining what doctors need with what we can provide. i think the system can be used in many areas around the country that have medical care problems. >> reporter: other industries are also catering to the special needs of depopulated areas. elderly people make up 44% of the residence of jean sick keoghan town in hiroshima prefecture. the town has a convenience store, the first to be opened jointly by the local government and a convenient store chain.

the convenience store now offers atm and mail delivery services that were not previously available in the area. the convenience store sales vehicles visit communities that are far from the town's center. a sales clerk delegated by the town office makes a tour of these communities twice a week. >> translator: do you have cooking ingredients? >> eggs and ham. >> translator: it's very convenient because there are no stores nearby. >> reporter: the sales clerk also checks on the residents' safety. >> translator: good morning. how are you? i hope you didn't catch a cold. >> reporter: he visits home specified by the town office and

reports on residents' conditions in detail. at this convenience store chain, managers think their outlets will play an important role in supporting people's livelihoods. >> translator: we want to increase our product range and become a store that provides support to local people. as aging continues, i think we can pursue business opportunities with the concept of the familiar neighborhood store. >> managers are hoping that they can use their experience to cater to seniors in other markets as well. that is going to do it for business this hour. i'll close things out with the markets.

every morning investors turn their attention to asia. the tokyo market leads the way, and markets around the world follow. >> from the decisions that could change the course of an economy. >> to the latest business trends. >> up-to-the-minute market reports. >> and analysis by specialists from around the world. >> get all the latest business nuts in "insight" every day here on "newsline." japanese regulators have decided to fast track the safety screening process for a nuclear

facility. the sendai plant in southwestern japan could be the first in the country to pass the test for a restart. officials with the nuclear recreation authority say they'll speed up screening for the two reactors at the plant. it's operated by kyushu electric power company. all of japan's 48 commercial reactors are now off-line. they must pass a screening before they can resume operation. sendai is one of the six plants in the advanced stages of a safety review. the regulators discussed whether to give priority to the screening process of these six plants. they want to make sure the facilities can withstand more powerful earthquakes and tsunami. the regulators will issue a report on the results of their review. they'll asked experts for their opinions and hold public hearings. managers at kyushu electric hope to resume operations at the sendai plant before demand surges in the summer. still ahead for the utility is a future on-site inspections and persuading local residents that

restarting the reactors is safe. japan's pro soccer league has ordered the urawa reds club to play a home game with no fans in attendance as a penalty for a controversial banner displayed at the stadium. it's the first time officials have handed out this type of punishment. the banner reading "japanese only" was displayed at the sat ma stadium when they played a match against sagan tosu. j league executives reprimanded the club and ordered their march 23rd home game to be played without any fans in the stands. >> translator: any foreigner seeing that language would have taken it as discrimination. i think it was discrimination, too. >> he says ur rawa officials

failed to remove the banner until the end of saturday's game. the club had been informed about the banner about an hour earlier. the league also says the club bears grave responsibility because its support es have repeatedly caused trouble including a similar problem in 2010. the world soccer body fifa adopted a resolution for calling for stronger actions again racism and discrimination. tokyo police believe they may have a lead in their search for the person who defaced books related to ann frank and the holocaust. they're questioning a man who has reportedly admitted to vandalizing books. staff at eight tokyo libraries discovered pages torn or cut out of ann frank's diary. someone also damaged biographies of the jewish teenager and other books. staff at other libraries in japan have discovered similar

attacks. last friday police arrested a man on suspicion of unlawful entry into a bookstore in tokyo. the suspect is in his 30s. they say surveillance video from last month showing the man walking around inside the shop. police say some of what he has to say is incomprehensible. but they say he has admitted to ripping pages from books at libraries. they're still trying to figure out whether he vandalized the ann frank books. let's bring in our meteorologist robert speta. pretty depressing weather out there. dark and wet here in tokyo. please tell us you have good news for us. >> at least going into friday it will be improving out there. we'll look at sunnier skies. before that happens, we'll be seeing throughout the evening here on thursday is yet more cloud cover and the showers are actually expected to pick up across much of central japan. already this similar pacting western japan. in kochi prefecture we've seen reports of 362 millimeters of

rainfall, all of that occurring in a one-hour span up to about 50 millimeters. it's broken a few records as well. it's not just the rain. we're also looking at sustained winds near the immediate coastline about 60, gusting to 100 kilometers per hour. a few gusts as high as 126. we've already seen reports up to about that level. furthermore, a few isolated areas could see about 200 millimeters of rainfall. there is a risk of flooding. this is going to continue to work its way off to the northeast into thursday evening. by friday, improving conditions on the pacific coastline of japan. up to the north, tohoku, hokkaido, the sea of japan coastline, still looking at more heavy snowfall. we just saw rain in the higher elevations. now we're looking at a fresh coating of snow. we got that fresh snowfall, that rain ha that has turned to ice which has piled up here. and that's on top of this loose layer of snow. you get all these factors in

place, that's what happens. we get avalanches in some of the higher elevations. if you're a skier and looking for a late season ski trip, be careful in the coming days. there's definitely going to be a high risk of that occurring. as far as the lower elevation, it will improving out here, tokyo with a high of 14 on your friday. temperatures will be cooling off but clearing out by your saturday with some partly cloudy skies. let's see what's going on in the southern hemisphere, cyclone lucy continues to drift towards the south and right now this is a category three cyclone. if it was in northern hemisphere it would be the equivalent of a typhoon. winds about 148 kilometers per hour. it's continuing to drift towards new zealand. that's going to be the big impact in the coming days. already disaster management officials are getting ready for the storm system. christ church, last week you saw record breaking floods. this won't be helping at all. the good news is it looks like it will be on the north island and western sea boards.

still that rain will be impacting most of you throughout your week and accompanied by those very high winds. something to keep an eye on through the coming days. also over towards north america, you can seeing improving conditions where you have been seeing very rough weather the last several days. still the storm system is moving off towards the northeast. see the lines really close together. that indicates gusty winds. in the canadian maritimes 30 centimeters of snow is very likely, but pales to what's happened in upstate new york. i want to show you this video where up to about 60 centimeters in the past 24 hours in a few locations. current blizzard warnings were issued. the governor of new york issued state of emergency warnings there for 14 counties in western -- in upstate new york. blowing snow just created very dangerous conditions. most schools were closed and that kept the buses off the roads and allowed for road crews to get out there and help clean up the snowfall. as far as the forecast is

concerned, we're seeing some improving conditions. that's the good news. also a bit of warming trend by friday. it will cool back off by saturday. that's due to this system coming through. that's going to cause a roller coaster ride of these temperatures for many of you across the northeast. that's a look at the world weather. here is your extended forecast.

that's all for this hour on "newsline." i'm shery ahn. thank you for watching. >> a warm welcome for theguc

interim prime minister of you came -- ukraine. as thousands of russian troops remain in crimea. did for tat gunfire in the jobless -- gaza strip. militant strike back with rocket fire on southern israel after warplanes blitz the region overnight. the search for the missing malaysian airlines flight is now in its sixth day. india has joined the mission to find the aircraft and 239 people on board. you are