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tv   Newsline  LINKTV  March 25, 2014 5:00am-5:31am PDT

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hello and welcomeback to "newsline" i'm shery ahn. let's get started with the head lines. fishermen in fukushima have approved a plan to release groundwater into the ocean, bypassing contaminated areas of the crippled nuclear plant. u.s. president barack obama and his allies are pressing ahead with plans to ice late russian leaders for their annexation of crimea. and malaysia's prime minister says satellite information shows a malaysia
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airlines flight ended in the indian ocean. fishermen near the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant have agreed on a plan to tackle accumulating radioactive water. workers will pump up groundwater before it becomes contaminated then release it into the pacific ocean. representatives of fishermen's association signed off on the project. but they asked government and tokyo electric power company officials to make sure the work is carried out safely. they requested continued compensation for fishermen affected by the nuclear accident. and they asked if they chose to do what they can to stop rumors about the fishing industry. >> translator: we aren't willing to allow groundwater to be released. but if we only think about ourselves and oppose the plan there won't be much progress in the decommissioning process. so i think the bypass project is necessary. >> every day, hundreds of tons of groundwater mixes with water used to cool melted nuclear
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fuel, and becomes contaminated. workers hope the project to bypass the plant will reduce that amount by 100 tons per day. u.s. government officials are highlighting the importance of the g-7's decision to stop collaborate i collaborating with russia. and their emphasizing the role president barack obama played in building an international consensus. a senior u.s. official said obama hosted the g-7 conference and led the discussions. he said the leaders made a powerful statement about the consequences of russia's annexation of crimea. the leaders condemned that takeover as illegal. they said the boycott a g-8 summit in sochi this june unless the russians change course. it warned they may work together to impose more sanctions that would hurt the russian economy. the u.s. official said the g-7 leaders are ready to ice late russia financially and politically. analysts say u.s. leaders do not want to ice late the russians
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completely. they say the americans want to leave room for a political solution. families of those on board malaysia airlines flight 370 are trying to come to terms with an announcement about the fate of their loved ones. authorities say the plane likely went down in remote areas west of australia. more than 150 of the 239 people on the flight were chinese. the relatives have reacted to the news with disbelief, anger and protests. nhk world reports. >> reporter: relatives of chinese passengers who were on board the missing plante weren't able to contain their emotions. some yelled. some needed medical assistance after learning the fate of malaysia airlines flight 370. others lashed out with criticism.
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the prime minister of malaysia confirmed their worst fears with this announcement. >> it is therefore with deep sadness and regret that i must inform you that according to this new data, flight mh370 ended in the southern indian ocean. >> reporter: prime minister najib said new analysis of satellite data showed the plane's last location was in the middle of the indian ocean west of perth, australia. >> this is a remote location. far from any possible landing sites. >> reporter: flight mh370
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vanished from radar on march 8th, less than an hour after taking off from kuala lumpur. it was en route to beijing. crews from malaysia scoured the sea alongside those from other nations. they gradually widened the scope of their search. then, possible debris was spotted 2,500 kilometers southwest of perth. now, investigators are trying to find any trace of the plane so they can figure out why it strayed so far off course. but finding the flight data and voice recorders is expected to be difficult in such a harsh environment. bad weather and rough seas forced the temporary halt on tuesday. the ordeal has frustrated relatives of the chinese passengers. they protested outside the malaysian embassy in beijing to voice their anger over how the
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country handled the investigation. chinese authorities also aren't pleased. they've demanded malaysia hand over all relevant satellite data analysis so they can carry out their own probe. nhk world. let's now turn to the latest business stories with ron madison. carmakers here in japan are trying to cushion the possible impact of a sales tax hike next month. they're rolling out new models to try to whet consumer appetite. ♪ germany's bmw group has unveiled a new mini cooper in tokyo. the car's set to go on sale april 12th. it has an automatic braking system. the driver can also use social media networks like facebook without touching a smartphone. its price will remain unchanged from the previous models, starting at about $24,000. >> definitely the market might go down, as, in fact, all of you
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are predicting. so this we cannot judge here. we will only see by fact when it's happening. nevertheless, because we have such a strong new product, we do believe that it will attract a lot of new customers into our showroom, and definitely it will be a success. >> fiat chrysler japan will put a new sport utility vehicle on sale in may. and fuji heavy industries, which makes subaru brand cars, is planning to launch a new minivan. let's get a check of the markets. investors stayed cautious on a slowing pace of growth in the world's biggest economies. the downbeat sentiment stems from poor readings on manufacturing activity in the united states and china. major bourses in the region closed lower as profit taking has emerged after rallies the previous days. the nikkei average here in tokyo fell just about 0.4%. did finish 14,423. a pause in the yen's weakness failed to boost overall sentiment. and in australia, the s&p asx 200 index also with declines of
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about 0.2%, 5336. that did snap two days of gains there. shares of gold miners took a heavy beating on falling gold prices. meanwhile the shanghai composite with very slight gains today, there you see up just a fraction, 2,067. investors bought shares of companies that are linked to shanghai's free trade zone. that's due to reports regulators may further relax restrictions in that zone. senior officials of japan and australia are holding talks on a free trade deal wednesday. they're aiming to hammer out a basic economic partnership agreement by early next month. japan's agriculture minister stressed his hope to make progress in the negotiations. >> translator: we will try to reach an agreement that will be beneficial for both countries. we will make an effort to work out a compromise through various talks. >> he will meet australian trade and investment minister andrew robb in tokyo.
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they want to pave the way for prime minister tony abbott's visit to japan in april. but the two countries still have to narrow their differences. the focus of the upcoming talks will be on the tariffs that japan levies on imported beef. trading on the tokyo stock market has remained lackluster so far this year but in 2013 the nikkei surged more than 50%. that pushed up the total amount of financial assets held by japanese households to a record high. bank of japan officials said in a report that these assets came to just over $16 trillion at the end of december. that's up 6% in yen terms from a year earlier. it does mark the highest levels since comparable data became available in 1997. the value of stock holdings climbed more than 38%. mutual funds were up more than 28%. boj officials said japanese households continued to hold more than 53% of their assets in cash and bank deposits, though. the ratio of that did fall nearly 2 percentage points.
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officials noted that overall, people still opted for safer assets like deposits. some of japan's top executives from the nuclear industry are being brought together to tackle the crisis at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. officials at tokyo electric power company are drawing on the managerial expertise at the country's major manufacturers to help oversee the decommissioning of the crippled reactors. the new body will have one executive from hitch atty ge nuclear energy, toshiba and mitsubishi heavy industries and will serve as senior officers. in the past these firms have helped tepco with separate tasks such as removing spent fuel and developing robots to probe highly radioactive areas. from next month, though, the executives will be involved in the entire decommissioning process. they'll provide their know-how to help solve problems related to containing polluted water and cooling nuclear fuel. tepco and government officials want to start removing melted fuel from the damaged reactors in about six years. the new body is under strong
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public pressure to ensure the decommissioning work proceeds smoothly. business managers around the world are digging in to smartphone data and online information to try to learn a bit more about their customers. and japanese entrepreneurs are helping them to make sense of it all. they're turning big data into pretty big business. >> reporter: smartphone applications are making it easier and easier for people to find their way around towns and cities. the first step is for users to give the app permission to access their location information. this tokyo-based firm developed one such app. >> translator: it finds me using my phone's gps data. >> reporter: the app collects about 300 million pieces of user location data each month. in november, the firm began selling the information to other businesses.
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monthly subscriptions start at about $7,800. companies can use the data to improve their marketing strategy. >> translator: data is a resource. what's critical is how to analyze it and help boost corporate earnings. >> reporter: officials in some cities have begun using the information to try to increase tourism. one of them is japan's ancient capital of kyoto, the city attracts about 50 million visitors a year. on this day, representatives of the app developing company gave a presentation to business leaders. they described some of the data they collected from users. this shows the areas where people who travel to kyoto come from. the parts in red indicate their starting points. it suggests that most people arrive from just a few major
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hubs. this shows how tourists move around once they're in kyoto. the information was of great interest to business owners in one shopping district. they believe they can use it to lure more people in to their stores. >> translator: we can figure out the best way to provide our customers with information, and promote our businesses. >> reporter: many japanese business leaders have also become interested in the behavior of online shoppers. about 120 people attended a seminar on the topic organized by digital shopping mall. an official from a body silk manufacturer visited the company to learn more. this chart shows the order that consumers placed goods in their shopping cart. it suggests that customers who
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added soap as one of their first items came to the mall specifically to buy that product. >> translator: basically it ranks among the first four items that people put in their carts. >> translator: online shoppers tend to purchase household goods almost as an after-thought. i was surprised to learn it had dedicated customers. >> reporter: company officials now plan to revise their sales strategy. but some privacy experts have raised concerns about big data. they cite the potential for abuse, and say companies must put the needs of customers first. >> translator: businesses need to obtain the consent of consumers, or at least notify them that their information might be used. >> reporter: more and more people are feeling comfortable sharing their lives online. business leaders are hoping that
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they, too, can be part of the growing social network. >> okay. that is going to do it for biz this hour. let's see what's going on in the markets. every morning, investors turn their attention to asia. the tokyo market leads the way. and markets around the world follow.
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>> 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 news and insight every day, here on "newsline." scientists and government officials from around the world have gathered in a city south of tokyo to talk about the state of the planet. they're attending the latest session of the intergovernmental panel on climate change or ipcc. it's the first time japan has played host. participants are discussing how people can better prepare for extreme weather and other challenges. nhk world's kurando tago reports. >> reporter: about 500 scientists and government representatives from more than 100 countries have come together to talk about a problem many feel is only getting worse.
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they're going over the latest report by the intergovernmental panel on climate change. >> this report would equip not only national and subnational governments with an understanding of how and in what manner to adapt to the impacts of climate change, but also make it possible to go right down to the local level in providing a basis for decisions and initiatives on adaptation. >> reporter: scientists see the impact of climate change everywhere. from record rainfall and flooding in britain, to heavy snow and bitter cold in north america. to drought in africa. these types of extreme weather events used to occur once every several decades. they're now happening with greater frequency. participants at the ipcc meeting are discussing the second of a three-part report on climate
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change. it deals with how humans will need to adapt. the ipcc released the first part last september. it's a bleak assessment of what will happen if nations don't reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. the report says the average temperature could increase by, at most, 4.8 degrees celsius by the end of the century. and ocean levels could rise by a maximum of 82 centimeters. an expert from tohoku university says 91% of beaches in japan could disappear. ipcc researchers say it's extremely likely that human activity caused global warming since 1950. government leaders and officials have struggled to craft an agreement to tackle the problem. they haven't come up with a framework to replace the kyoto
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protocol which set emissions targets. ipcc participants have watched it all unfold. the panel does not make direct recommendations, but some would say, its forecast should be enough to spur action. >> translator: the new report will show us the precise picture of the earth's condition based on in-depth scientific research. we should be brave enough to take another step in making policy changes in order to overcome the crisis of climate change. >> reporter: participants will meet all this week to talk about the ipcc findings. they'll gather in berlin next month to discuss the third and final part of the panel's report. that document will offer ideas for how humans can counter the impact of climate change.
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kurando tago, nhk world, yokohama. afghan intelligence officials have accused their pakistani counterparts of being involved in a deadly attack on a hotel in kabul. nine people, including four foreigners, were shot dead by taliban militants. officials said the attackers hit pistols in their shoes to bypass hotel security, and called the raid sophisticated. they also said a number of foreigners took photos of key facilities inside the hotel before the attack. pakistan's foreign ministry call s the claims disturbing, and denies any involvement. analysts say the dispute could damage relations between the two nations, and hinder the restoration of peace in afghanistan. a spokesperson for the u.s. state department has called for a peaceful resolution to protests in taiwan. some taiwanese are angry about a trade deal with china. they say u.s. officials view their demonstrations as a sign that democracy is working.
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>> we certainly support taiwan's vibrant democracy, which allows for this kind of robust political dialogue on a range of issues. >> opponents of the trade agreement have been occupying taiwan's parliament building for a week. hart said u.s. officials hope the protesters and government officials can discuss the matter peacefully, and civilly. representatives of taiwan and china signed the trade agreement last june. lawmakers haven't approved it. but it would open up trade ak s across dozens of service sectors. protesters fear it would threaten smaller businesses and they worry it would mean fewer jobs for graduates. they're demanding that the deal be canceled. a japanese architect has made this mark with innovator designs using paper tubes and other everyday materials. now he has been awarded this year's pritzker prize known as the nobel of the architectural
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world. jury members announced their decision on monday. the u.s. prize honors living architects who make a significant contribution to humanity. his works include the center pompidou mets in france. he's designed other cultural facilities and residences in countries around the world. but jury members made special note of his creative designs for disaster situations. he used paper and wood, for example to build a temporary cathedral in christchurch, new zealand. the original building was devastated by an earthquake three years ago. the same year ban turned shipping containers in multistory housing units for people in northeastern japan. they had lost their homes to the earthquake and tsunami. pritzker prize jury members said pan creates quality architecture to serve society's needs. >> reporter: the prize has given me encouragement to continue the work i've been doing.
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>> japanese architects have won the prize five times before. let's now bring in our meteorologist. we're already seeing cherry blossoms blooming here in tokyo. spring seems to have officially arrived but can we expect this warmth to last? >> well, shery it's more like going to be a different story. it's going to be a bit cooler and wet. but today the high rose to 22 degrees and cherry blossoms have started to bloom today, as you mentioned. take a look at some video. the official observation tree at the yasukuni shrine blossomed one day earlier than normal. observers gathered to welcome the start of this annual event. other kinds of cherry trees are already blooming. the blooming season is expected to last for the next two weeks, followed by a week of the flowers at full bloom across japan. very beautiful scene out there. now, these are the places where
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the cherry blossoms are already blooming. western japan, central japan like nagoya and gifu city. tokyo the flowers started to bloom today. as far the northern areas for example sendai, it will be by mid-april, so spring is just around the corner for you. temperatures are going to be on the warmer side on your thursday going into the weekend, so that will enhance the blooming of the cherry trees. but on wednesday, as i mentioned, it's going to be a bit chilly and then rainy weather for us. because the low pressure system near the korean peninsula is likely to move into the southern half of japan, so widespread rain is likely for the southern half of the country. now, across the americas, we can see a swirling cloud just off the west coast of the u.s. and canada. this is going to be producing very stormy conditions for the northwest by tuesday. we're talking about heavy rain for the coast and heavy snow showers for inland locations. and windy conditions, as well. nasty weather here will continue
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for the next several days. so that will enhance -- that will -- excuse me, that will increase the risk of flooding, as well as landslides. gusty conditions in northern california will raise the risk of blowing dust so that could cause some low visibility. now as for the east, we have a low pressure system right here. this is a very troublesome one. it's not as strong at this moment, will likely intensify within the next couple of days and move along the east coast. so widespread rain is likely for the east. snow, as well. rain is not going to be too heavy but winds are going to be very strong along with very high waves up to eight meters. so watch out for high waves as well as a very windy conditions in to your wednesday. and temperatures are much, much lower than where they should be this time of year in the northeast. like boston, chicago, new york, subzero temperature for you on tuesday for the high in chicago, and in new york city, 3 degrees, on wednesday, snow is on the menu on the hump day so please do bundle up.
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now finally, europe. we have a couple of storm systems, and these are very strong, enough to cause significant snowfall, as well as strong wind gusts up to 90 kilometers per hour likely and waves up to seven meters causing coastal flooding. but very different story across the east. temperatures are much, much higher than average. may-like conditions are possible in many areas like kiev and bucharest, going up to 17 degrees on thursday. that's more than five degrees higher than average. moscow double digits for you on wednesday. all right. up next your three-day outlook.
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and that's all for this hour
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on "newsline." i'm shery ahn. thank you for watching. óñógg99c
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>> the search for the missing malaysia airplane is on hold due to bad weather after authorities announced monday all lives on board had been lost. the g-8 group of developed nations shot rush out over the crisis in ukraine. ministeran foreign calls it no tragedy. cairo.rial in the head of the muslim 700herhood is in court with others on charges of sabotage and

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