welcome to nhk world "newsline," i'm gene otani in tokyo. the fallout from russia's moves to annex the autonomous republic of crimea continues to spread. the eu and the united states have announced additional sanctions against russia, which has responded by announcing its own sanctions. the leaders of the 28 eu member states discussed the annexation issue in brussels. they announced they're adding 12

individuals in russia and ukraine to a list of people subject to travel bans and asset freezes. >> the european council has decided to expand the list of individuals subject to visa ban and asset freeze. some of them are really high ranking. >> this raises the total numb kwer of people subject to eu sanctions to 33. the numbers of the 12 have not been released. the eu leaders say they're canceling a summit with russia scheduled in june, while individual member states say they'll call off bilateral summits with the country. for its part, the united states is also taking aim at russian individuals and corporations. the measures include freezing assets in the u.s. held by 20 top businessmen and officials. >> we're imposing sanctions on more senior officials of the russian government. in addition, we are today sanctioning a number of other individuals with substantial

resources and influence who provide material support to the russian leadership. >> the new sanctions also punish bank rosea. the bank has the 17th largest asset value in russia. u.s. president barack obama says he signed an executive order penalizing key sectors of the russian economy. they include financial services, energy, natural resources, and defense. russian leaders have responded with retaliatory measures of their own. they've banned nine u.s. bureaucrats and lawmakers from entering the country. officials in russia's foreign ministry say they've repeatedly warned the u.s. that the use of sanctions is a double-edged sword that will come back and hurt the u.s. like a boomerang. people in the west may be critical of the russian president's stance on crimea. but in russia, putin remains popular. a new poll puts his support rate at above 75%. that's the highest it's been in five years.

the two-day survey was conducted by the russian public opinion research center last weekend. it took place as people in crimea were voting in a referendum on whether to become a part of russia. the poll targeted 1600 people. of the respondents, about 76% said they approve of putin's performance. analysts with the government affiliated pollsters say putin's hard-line stance on the annexation of crimea has pushed up his rating. the leaders of japan and south korea have agreed to hold a summit meeting. the occasion will be an international conference in the netherlands next week. they'll be joined by u.s. president barack obama. it will be the first formal talks between japanese prime minister shinzo abe and south korean president park geun-hye. they both took office more than a year ago. u.s. officials proposed the meeting to be held on the sidelines of the nuclear security summit in the hague.

the obama administration has been concerned about the tensions between its two major asian allies. japanese officials agreed to the talks, and after further consultation, so did their south korean counterparts. last week, abe made clear that he has no intention of revising a 1993 statement regarding the so-called comfort women. in the statement, japan's then-chief cabinet secretary yo hi kono expressed apologies and remorse. park has welcomed abe's announcement. japanese officials say north korea's nuclear development and the issue of nuclear nonproliferation will be on the agenda at the summit. they say the abe administration hopes this will mark the start of better relations with south korea. officials at tokyo electric power company have been told to place greater priority on the crisis at the crippled fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. the request came in a briefing with commissioners from japan's

nuclear regulation authority. they say tepco officials should focus more on decommissioning the reactors and dealing with radioactive water. more than 100 tons of contaminated water has recently leaked from one of the storage tanks. a malfunction in a water filtering system caused highly radioactive water to flow into treated water tanks in the meeting nra commissioner said the troubles could have been prevented. he also said tepco should be spending more money on safety measures at the plant. nra chairman kanaka said tepco should improve working conditions to ensure the safety of the more than 4,000 workers at the plant, and to maintain their morale. after the briefing, the president of tepco told reporters he has not been trying to save money, but that he sincerely accepts the instruction.

>> translator: as pointed out in the meeting there are things we should have realized earlier and acted on. as an organization, we are deeply sorry for that. >> he said that he'll work hard as the top executive to restart the malfunctioning water treatment system and reduce the amount of tainted water. residents of northeastern japan are debating how best to remember the past. they have different opinions about structures that survived the earthquake and tsunami three years ago. some survivors are deciding, on their own, to safeguard what they can. nhk world has one man's story on today's edition of "the road ahead." >> reporter: he has lived his entire life here. it was a community of 23,000 in

iwate prefecture. but the city he knew is no longer here. the tsunami swept away most of the district. the waves topped his three-story retail business. he had to be recused from the roof the next day by helicopter. >> translator: my store is about one kilometer from the sea. it shows how far inland the tsunami reached. >> reporter: his parents and his brother died in a nearby community home. the hall is long gone, demolished, along with other structures that remained after the disaster. some wanted to keep them, but city officials decided to take down every building in which people died.

now his building is the only one standing in his area. yoen dow wow is determined to preserve it. he hopes it will help people remember the destructive power of the tsunami. he shares his experience with anyone who is interested. he has put up a sign to let people know how high the tsunami reached. >> translator: i climbed up here, and while i was up here, the water came to this level. it came up to here. >> reporter: yonezawa thinks walking through the building allows people to understand more

vividly what happened on that day. >> translator: i hope some of the buildings will be preserved so that we can visit and learn and pass on those lessons. i am grateful to people who are willing to conserve them. >> reporter: yonezawa's daughter tai was born just a month before the disaster. he hopes the remains of his store will also help him pass on what he learned to her generation and the generations after that. >> translator: i want my daughter to be able to come here and look at this building, to visualize how high the tsunami reached. and to imagine how terrifying it was. i want her to be prepared and to be able to protect herself.

that's my greatest wish. >> reporter: the damaged structure needs to be reinforced in order to withstand future earthquakes. but he does not expect funding from the city. they wanted him to demolish the building. so yonezawa is thinking of turning to crowd funding to raise money, as well as awareness, around japan, and across the world. nhk world. japan and the european union are calling on the united nations to take a closer look at alleged human rights abuses in north korea. they've submitted a joint draft resolution to the u.n. human rights council, and want those responsible for abuses in north korea brought to justice. the draft resolution was

submitted three days after a u.n. special committee presented its report on human rights in the north. it urges pyongyang to abolish political prison camps and immediately return all people abducted by north korean agents. the document asks the security council to take steps to punish north koreans responsible for crimes against humanity. it also calls for new sanctions against them. the report is based on a one-year investigation. it concludes that systematic and widespread human rights violations are still taking place in north korea. the u.n. special committee reports as abductions of foreign nationals and political prison camps constitute crimes against humanity under international law. a u.s. state department spokesperson has expressed support for the draft resolution. >> we look forward to supporting a strong human rights council north korea resolution that pursues actions that lay the groundwork to hold north korea accountable for its continuing and systematic violation of human rights.

>> the u.n. human rights council plans to vote on the draft resolution next week. the council has also adopted a report on china. it suggests more than 250 ways in which the country could improve its human rights record. the recommendations range from ending the harassment and arbitrary detention of human rights activists to guaranteeing freedom of expression. they also call for the protection of the rights of ethnic minorities such as tibetans and uighurs. the chinese delegate objected to the recommendations. he denied there's an arbitrary detention or harassment in china and said the recommendations are contrary to the facts. the u.n. council adopted the report on china and beijing's objections at this -- and beijing's objection at the same time. members of nongovernmental organizations criticized china's rights situation at the meeting, and were repeatedly interrupted by chinese representatives.

marketers have pitched electronic cigarettes as a less harmful way for smokers to get their nicotine fix. but many lawmakers in the u.s. aren't convinced. nhk world's sand california baron has the details. >> reporter: letting off steam in los angeles.r california baron has the details. >> reporter: letting off steam in los angeles.a california baron has the details. >> reporter: letting off steam in los angeles.alifornia baron has the details. >> reporter: letting off steam in los angeles.lifornia baron has the details. >> reporter: letting off steam in los angeles.ifornia baron has the details. >> reporter: letting off steam in los angeles.fornia baron has the details. >> reporter: letting off steam in los angeles.ornia baron has the details. >> reporter: letting off steam in los angeles.rnia baron has the details. >> reporter: letting off steam in los angeles.nia baron has the details. >> reporter: letting off steam in los angeles.ia baron has the details. >> reporter: letting off steam in los angeles.a baron has the details. >> reporter: letting off steam in los ange baron habaron has te this is an e-cigarette bar where customers blow vapor, not smoke. the steam comes from a tiny chamber of liquid in the tip of the cigarette. when the user inhales an electric charge converts the liquid in to vapor. bar staff mix flavors into the liquid. melon, strawberry, the menu offers more than 150 aromas. >> it's with s'mores and

chocolate so it's very, very good. very good flavor. the vapor disappears instantly. it doesn't stay around. >> reporter: the sight and smell of e-cigarettes is spreading in america. people smoking normal cigarettes have to indulge their habit in designated areas. not so e-smokers. most states have no restrictions on puffing steam in public areas. >> you don't have to leave your friends to go outside. you can smoke next to your friends that don't smoke. so it's very nice. >> reporter: this e-cigarette ad is running on tv featuring a hollywood star. >> lets me enjoy smoking without it affecting the people around me. because it's vapor, not tobacco smoke. it's time we take our freedom back. >> reporter: the u.s. banned tv ads for normal cigarettes over 40 years ago. the number of smokers has steadily declined. with sales lagging the tobacco

industry is focusing its energy on e-cigarettes. >> last year's sales we were approximately 1.6 billion dollars. there's a lot of room for the transition of people from traditional tobacco cigarettes to this technology. >> reporter: but, the industry is facing a headwind. in march, lawmakers in los angeles banned the use of e-cigarettes in public places. l.a. council member proposed the new law. the problem, he says, is that many e-cigarettes contain nicotine. he says that makes them as harmful as tobacco cigarettes to everyone standing near the smoker. lawmakers in new york city and in the state of new jersey have passed similar rulings. officials elsewhere are following suit. one of their concerns is that the nicotine in e-cigarettes poses a danger to minors.

one survey suggested that 10% of all high school students have used e-cigarettes. a figure that has doubled in the space of a year. >> it looks better in different -- just different varieties of it. you're not going to find a pink cigarette anywhere. >> reporter: authorities are worried that minors who are exposed to nicotine through e-cigarettes may eventually end up smoking real cigarettes. there are growing calls to impose an age limit on users. >> it is incredibly important that we not allow children to be marketed to. we want to be very careful that we don't create a new trend in our society that results in more people using e-cigarettes. >> reporter: e-cigarettes are catching on fast. but as their popularity rises, so does the heat over regulations.

sandra barron, nhk world, los angeles. international search crews are scouring waters in the southern indian ocean, but they have still not located any wreckage from the missing malaysia airlines jet. the search is being concentrated off the coast of southwestern australia. the australian government says satellite images taken on sunday detected two large objects floating in the ocean. one measured about 24 meters long. the other about 5 meters. australia and the united states have sent patrol planes to the waters. about 2300 kilometers southwest of perth, on thursday, and friday. australian maritime safety officials say the visibility has improved, and that the crews on board the planes are now searching for the objects visually, but no new findings have been reported. search planes earlier dropped marker buoys equipped with transmitters to collect current and wind data in the area where

the objects were spotted. officials say the on jets could have been carried away by the currents. the data from the buoys will be analyzed to relocate the pieces. >> we will move the search area according to where the weather has moved. sorry, where the water has moved. overnight. >> the malaysia airlines plane carrying 239 people left kuala lumpur for beijing on march 8th. it disappeared from air traffic control radar screens over the south china sea. almost three quarters of the world's wild rhinos live in south africa. but poachers who want their horns are picking them off one by one. they killed more than 1,000 last year alone. now conservationists are trying to fight back. nhk world's aattorney shi nishikawa reports. >> reporter: a consignment of

rhinoceros horns has been intercepted by airport officials. >> translator: we confiscated nine rhinoceros horns. here in thailand they have a street value of about $30,000 u.s. dollars per kilogram. in vietnam and china, they would have sold for a much higher price. >> reporter: trading rhinoceros horns is banned under convention of international trade in endangered species. but their great value makes them the target of international criminal syndicates. since ancient times rhino horn has been prized as an important ingredient in traditional chinese medicine. recently, demand has risen in vietnam and china, after rumors spread that drinking an infusion of rhino horn will cure illnesses, and even cancer. in vietnam, an environmental group has posted this message on its website, telling people that rhino horn has no medicinal benefits. one place where rhino poachers

continue to operate is the madikawa game reserve in the northwest of south africa. in the last two years, animals have been killed here for their horns. the reserve operation's manager is set on halting the poachers. >> find the animal dead, with its face cut off, is incredibly distressing. >> reporter: he realized the guards at the game reserve needed better training to combat the poachers. so he brought in a former british special forces soldier who previously saw military action in iraq and afghanistan. now, they're equipped with powerful rifles as part of their training, they simulate tracking and halting intruders. >> get down! move away! >> reporter: the guards are not allowed to shoot or arrest the

poachers. but they believe the more aggressive stance will help deter them. >> get up. >> it's evident that without control, without very serious and positive action, we're facing a wildlife crisis. >> reporter: rhinos still roam free in the zulu waters game reserve. here, too, rangers are worried about poaching. so they are taking preemptive action. first, they go out in helicopters to search for rhinos. then they shoot them with tranquilizing darts to put them to sleep. now they're poisoning the rhino's horn.

the poison is harmless to the rhino but can be harmful to humans. a toxic agent is injected into the horn. it doesn't hurt the rhino but it makes the horn worthless as a supplement. in one day, the rangers caught three rhinos and injected their horns with the toxins. signs have been put up to warn the poachers the horns are poisonous and no longer have any value. >> we must believe that we can win it. and all of our little efforts are maybe just a drop in the ocean. but, in conjunction with each other, they can definitely make a difference, i'm convinced of it. >> reporter: they monitor the rhino until it recovers and moves away. most of south africa's game reserves and protection programs are funded through donations. which means their budgets are limited. and so is their ability to protect these endangered

animals. it may take a lot more ingenuity to ensure the rhino's survival. nhk world, south africa. the sun is back in tokyo, albeit it's windy. robert speta sheer with the forecast as we head into the weekend. robert? >> yes, gene, those winds continue to gust out there. it's all from the tail end of the storm system that came through on thursday. you can see on the satellite picture it moves off towards the northeast, and really it did bring some gusty winds. actually one report in southeastern hokkaido, take a look at that, 124 kilometers per hour. that's pushing the equivalent of typhoon strength winds. shows you how strong it was out here. that was combined, as well, with about 64 centimeters of snow in iowa toy. a lot of the white stuff came down combined with the heavy rain. the good news is as we go ahead into friday night and throughout the day on thursday, those winds

are going to taper off. that's really just due to the high coming in from the west and that pressure gradient starts to loosen. you see a lot clearer skies. the winds are going to be a lot less. and actually the temperatures are going to be on the rise throughout the weekend not only across japan but also over towards korea and much of china, as well. you're still going to be seeing some showers if you're out here in the southwestern and southern parts of china. the big problem there is there is the risk of flash flooding because you recently had some forest fires. you have those burn scars. you get that combined with the rain causes a risk of flooding. the other big topic today, and i do want to quickly mention it, is our tropical depression out here. i know if you're in the philippines tropical warnings are in place right now for northern mindanao. and the big factor with this is going to be that heavy rainfall. we are looking at gale force winds but the rain will be persistent throughout the weekend. few areas could see as much as 200 to 300 millimeters. so a high risk of flooding. even land slides, and i would definitely would avoid traveling by ferry or boat out here in much of the southern half of the

philippines over the next several days. manila, partly cloudy skies on your saturday. you're north of the bulk of that messy weather. taipei you're going to see some rain showers. tokyo with a high, 15 partly cloudy skies. see what's going on over towards the americas today, as well, where we are watching a quick-moving low pressure system. you can see it right here. it's racing off there towards the east. still expecting about 5 to 10 centimeters of snowfall into southern parts of ontario, over towards quebec as well, windy conditions to be expected. isolated areas could see as much as 15 to 30 centimeters. really, though, i want to pay attention to this cold front and that arctic high coming in from the north. because that is going to be the big topic with this storm system. this is drawing in absolutely frigid, and i know friday, it's the astronomical first day of spring, and with this high coming in, it is not going to feel that way. the other big thing, we have cold air, and we have still relatively warm air across the gulf. and that's going to interact when you see right here, that's the start of a new storm system

and next week we're going to be talking about a severe weather event. keep an eye on that. before that happens, though, like i said, it is not going to feel like spring. you want to have those winter jackets back out. new york, only with a high of 2 on sunday. minus 3 in toronto. atlanta, even pushing 13 for your high. your low will be in the single digits. across well eastern half of europe, the big topic out here, it's warmer, and calm out there. actually, moscow you're going to be about 10 to 15 degrees above average over your weekend. meanwhile, back towards the west, though, we are watching this cold front come through and that really is, well, being exactly what it's called, a cold front, it is separating that calm weather towards the east, and behind it messy, cooler temperatures. some snow in some of the higher elevations. windy conditions, as well. it is just going to be foul if you are in london, paris, berlin. although, like i said, take a look back towards the east, temperatures above average here on your friday. here's the 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. gg99ññwççñmw

theanctions over crimea -- eu adds new names on the list of restrictions against russia as it kinds an agreement pack with ukraine. patrolling the waters of the southern indian ocean -- authorities search for detected satellite debris in the hunt for the missing malaysian airlines plane. and goodbye twitter. turkey bans the social network. the prime minister of the country vowing to wipe out the scandal a corruption plaguing his government. those are the headlines here on "france 24." in