welcome to nhk world "newsline." i'm gene otani in tokyo. pro-russian activists in eastern ukraine are not giving up their plan to hold referendums on expanding autonomy. clashes are escalating between them and interim government forces. eight government soldiers died of violence in the city of kramatorsk in the donetsk region. russia's state-run news agency

says one pro-russian activist died in the luhansk region. they ins cyst they'll hold referendums on may 11th. a pro-russian leader in charge of the poll in donetsk told nhk on sunday that preparations are under way. >> translator: we already finished doing 70% of the ballots and will complete the work by the day after tomorrow. >> he said the ballots will ask voters a yes or no question on whether they will support donetsk's becoming an independent as a state. but he said no condition has been set for the referendum to be valid. pro-russian leaders are occupying a tv station in donetsk. they filmed a program there calling on residents to participate in the poll. the interim government claims the referendums will have no legal basis. but pro-russian protesters hope to gain the approval of voters to justify their demand for greater autonomy. interim prime minister arseny yatsenyuk visited odessa to try to ease tensions. 42 people were killed on friday

in the southern city when supporters of the interim government and pro-russian activists violently clashed. on sunday, yatsenyuk visited a local hospital where injured people were being treated. he said the violence was a tragedy not only for odessa, but for all of ukraine. yatsenyuk criticized russia for its alleged involvement. he said ukraine is fighting russian special forces who have military expertise. more children are being caught up in the fighting in syria. their plight has made many to seek refuge in neighboring nations. foreign ministers from countries in the region want the international community to do more to help. the ministers made the appeal on sunday at the largest camp for syrian refugees in jordan. jordanian foreign minister nasser judeh says there's only one way to end the crisis. >> as i keep reminding, there is no humanitarian solution to the political crisis in syria.

there is a political solution that will end the humanitarian crisis, and the humanitarian suffering. >> there are now more than 2.7 million refugees. half of them are reported to be less than 18 years old. some children have been diagnosed with depression after being away from their homes for so long. about 4.2 billion dollars is needed to support the refugees this year. but donors have raised only a quarter of that amount so far. bomb attacks on two buss in kenya have killed at least three people and injured more than 60 others. the blasts occurred on sunday when the buses were traveling on a busy highway in the capital city of nairobi. local media say the two vehicles were going to separate destinations. the explosions come a day after someone threw a grenade at a bus stop in the coastal town of mombasa. four people were killed. no one has so far claimed responsibility for the attacks. but authorities say militants are likely behind them.

kenya blames a series of similar attacks on the islamist militant group al shabab, based in neighboring somalia. the attacks include last year's deadly siege at a nairobi shopping mall. that left more than 60 people dead. afghan authorities have ended search and rescue operations for survivors of a landslide in the northern province of bara shan. they estimate friday's disaster killed more than 500 people. 2,000 others are still missing. the government sent soldiers and police to look for people who survived the landslide. but officials say it's not possible to remove mud that's dozens of meters thick. they also say there could be more landslides. the government on sunday decided to call off the search. the japanese government is

providing humanitarian aid following a request by afghan authorities. it includes 100 tents and 300 blankets that will be sent through the japan international cooperation agency. at least 18 people died and more than 100 others were injured when a train derailed in western india. the accident happened on sunday, about 100 kilometers south of mumbai. local authorities say the engine and four of the train's 20 cars jumped the tracks soon after leaving a tunnel. about 1,000 people were on board the train at the time. rescue workers are trying to reach passengers trapped inside the derailed cars. but tilted and overturned cars are making their work difficult. police are looking into the cause of the accident. a stone bridge under construction has collapsed in china's southern guangdong province. 11 people died and 2 others were seriously injured. china's state-run xinhua news agency says the 24 meter long

bridge collapsed suddenly on saturday in a village in gaozhou city. all of the casualties were among the construction crew working on the bridge. the village reportedly was trying to build the bridge over a ditch, but failed to get permission from the local government. local officials had ordered the construction to stop several times. the village leaders secretly restarted work on the bridge over the three-day may day holiday from thursday to saturday. police are investigating four people, including the village mayor and a construction company representative. japanese prime minister shinzo abe is hoping to hold talks with chinese president xi jinping at an economic summit in beijing later this year. liberal democratic party vice president masahiko koumura and other leaders are visiting

china. koumura met former minister tang jiaxuan on sunday. he wants to hold talks with xi during the economic summit in beijing. tang promised he will convey the request to the chinese leadership. tang referred to ongoing discussions in japan over whether the country can exercise its right to collective self-defense. that allows japan to use armed force to defend allies under attack. he also asked koumura whether japan's cabinet is trying to radically change the security policy. koumura replied he doesn't see china as a threat but added japan and other countries in the region worries tat china keeps spending more money on defense. the japanese delegates are expected to meet a high-ranking official on the chain east community party on monday to try to improve relations between the two nations. japan's finance minister taro aso is promising to help improve infrastructure in asian nations to stimulate regional growth. aso made the commitment on sunday at an annual meeting of

the asian development bank. finance ministers and other officials from 67 countries and territories are meeting in kazakhstan's capital astana. aso said developing countries in asia need infrastructure improvements to unleash their potential. he said roads and power plants are the foundation for such growth. >> we will not only provide -- but will also mobilize japan's technology, knowledge, and experience. >> japan's finance minister also suggested that japan should host the adb's 50th general conference in 2017. organisms are crossing the pacific ocean on debris from the tsunami that hit japan in 2011. officials at japan's environment ministry want to find out how they could affect ecosystems on north america's west coast.

the tsunami caused about 1.5 million tons of debris to wash out into the pacific ocean. ministry officials say almost 400,000 tons of that could reach the west coast of the u.s. and canada by october. people in the region have already found shellfish and algae made it to japan on debris that has washed ashore. ministry officials worry about how the organisms could affect local ecosystems. they'll carry out research over three years starting next month with experts from both japan and north america. survivors of the northeastern disaster have found that a key to the recovery effort has been the kindness of strangers. more than 1 million volunteers from japan and around the world have helped out in the affected area. some of them have even come to help the people in towns, not so far from the damaged nuclear plant. nhk world's nikki inar ra has the story.

>> reporter: kate doesn't understand all the customs of this place. but she's trying to hard to learn them. he she was 18 she spent three weeks as an exchange student and now she's putting down roots here. >> having you be like my japanese grandma. >> reporter: she is from pendleton, oregon, a sister city. three years ago she was shocked to learn about what happened to her friends in japan. it prompted her to organize a charity dinner. they raised thousands of dollars. little by little, she learned more about the problems there. the tsunami killed more than 600 people in the city. and the nuclear accident forced many residents to flee. nine months after the disaster, oberg decided to pick up and head to japan.

>> i needed to do something. i just couldn't sit there and not do something. >> reporter: o'berg joined other volunteers, cleaning debris, digging up gutters, and handing out food to people living in shelters. >> eight, nine, ten! >> reporter: she also volunteers teaching english to children. she's got used to the name they call her. kate-o. all foreign language teachers in minamisomo fled the city right after the disaster. many feared the effects of radiation. so when o'berg turned up her japanese colleagues were delighted. >> translator: people were saying she moved here despite

fears of radiation. not just me, but everyone appreciated her coming here. >> reporter: o'berg admits that at first she, too, was nervous about radiation. she carries a device to monitor contamination. but she's confident about the information she sees about the levels in her neighborhood. and she says as long as she stays away from areas designated off limits she feels safe. o'berg wants people to know that the media portrayal of fukushima as a wasteland is wrong. so she shares stories and photos about her life online. and she hopes the locals get her message, too. >> i hope i'm able to give them hope that, you know, not everyone is afraid to come here. >> reporter: o'berg's efforts have brought her close to one local family. they are farmers.

but they can't work their lands because it's inside the evacuation zone around fukushima daiichi. and they've been forced to live in a shelter. still, the couple says o'berg has inspired them. >> translator: i saw her carrying heavy things to all the housing shelters where old men and women are living alone. just watching her do that made me really happy. >> reporter: o'berg says she feels like she has a lot of work left to do. >> you know, there's too much here that is not finished. i always, you know, have a home here and i'll always have people to see, and people that love me, as well, and people that i love so much. >> reporter: o'berg has been with the people of minamisoma through tears, smiles and

lafters. she now calls the community her second home. nhk world, fukushima. many people worried about elderly relatives who live alone. they fear their parents or neighbors could get sick or injured with no one around. but japanese developers are experimenting with water meters as a way to help. >> reporter: gujo city is in the mountains in central japan. its population is rapidly aging and declining. isao is 85 and in good health. he lives alone and does all the household chores by himself, including taking a bath. since june last year, he has been part of an experimental project that uses water meters

to monitor his activities. a flow meter has been installed outside his house. every time water is used the meter notifies a database server over a mobile phone network. the server sends a message to his family and the npo every morning, letting them know he has used his first water of the day. if there is no water used for 12 hours, the server issues a warning. his daughter, who lives far away, gets these e-mails in the morning. >> translator: we have to use water every morning. so it's very reliable. >> reporter: in the event of a warning, a local npo volunteer rushes to the scene.

>> translator: my life hasn't changed at all. but i'm grateful that i'm being watched over. >> reporter: the monitoring system was thought up by a local npo. he is the npo's executive director. he works for the city water department. that gave him the idea of using water meters to keep an eye on the city's seniors. the data from the meters can even help identify health problems. this is a chart showing daily water use. it shows consumption during breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner peaking with the evening bath. suno says any sudden change in this pattern could signal ill health. >> translator: if he hasn't taken a bath for awhile, for example, he might be suffering from dementia. or if he goes to the toilet more frequently, he may have developed diabetes.

>> reporter: a development of the system is supported by an i.t. firm in tokyo. the firm is upgrading the system to cope with the rising number of users in the hope it can expand. elderly residents being monitored are shown on this map. if something goes wrong, the color turns yellow, and an explanation pops up. >> translator: it's a matter of life and death so we have to perfect the system. that means many people monitoring, ready to rush to help if anything happens. >> reporter: monitoring technology has advanced very quickly in the last few years. this new approach bolts that technology onto relatively old infrastructure to provide security to senior citizens and their families. 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 reports. >> reporter: 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 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 the 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 game reserve in the northwest of south africa. in the last two years, 30 of the animals have been killed here for their horns. the reserve's operations manager is set on holding the poachers. >> find an 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! >> reporter: the guards are not allowed to shoot or arrest the poachers. but hoffner believes the more aggressive stance will help defer them. >> it's evident that without control, without very serious and positive action, we're facing a wildlife crisis. >> reporter: rhinos still roam free from the zulu game reserve. here, too, rangers are worried about poaching. so they're 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 dprrop 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 rainy season has started in okinawa. our meteorologist robert speta has more. robert? >> yes, gene. we are seeing out here is that season that started up and it's coming quite hard here on monday. actually, one location, okinawa

prefecture saw about 234 millimeters in the past 24 hours and that same location saw 94 millimeters in a one-hour period. needless to say that has caused some problems. there has been reports of flooding and also landslides and there is still that threat through the coming days. what we mean by that rainy season is the big band of cloud cover that set up. it started just a few days earlier than normal. may 9th is typically average. last year was on may 10th. now this is going to be continuing through the next several weeks. and it's really just going to be bringing this big band of rain showers across much of japan, even extending back towards southeastern china. rain now in the next 72 hours. you can see those showers are extending off through some areas as much as 80, 90 millimeters could occur. off towards tokyo you're going to miss the bulk of the rain showers but i still would have a umbrella ready going through the day on tuesday with a few isolated light rain showers could occur but nothing too serious. like i mentioned that big band of cloud cover does extend back there towards the west. so southeastern china even

extending out towards western china you're still looking at some areas as much as 50 to 70 millimeters occurring over the course of the next 24 hours. more so back towards the west where a new low is going to be developing along the western periphery of this high pressure and eventually work its way along that rainy season front and work its way off towards hong kong and taipei by midweek. something to watch out for. hot, muggy if you are down towards the tropics. afternoon thunderstorms popping up in manila towards bangkok. north of that front, sunny and clear in beijing. over towards seoul a high of 20 on your stus. let's look over towards the americas. the pacific northwest, some showers out here for you. it's going to be rather wet and windy through the coming days. but eventually this low in this area of instability, that's going to work its way off towards the east through the central plains by wednesday. and that is going to be bringing that threat of some severe thunderstorms, even some large hail possibly out of this. and don't be surprised if we have the threat of tornadoes by midweek. a few things contributing to this. in the southwest we're looking at warm and dry conditions

across much of texas, over towards oklahoma. actually some wildfires still burning out there in that state. still remaining cold into the northeast, though. frost advisories possible through into michigan through the early morning hours. chicago you're just seeing a high of 10 on your monday with those rain showers. you probably would rather have that heat. you don't like the cold, take a look at oklahoma city. high 36 on monday. only cooling down to 31 by wednesday. st. louis staying rather hot. into denver, you're going to start to see that front push by. by tuesday, that new low developing out of the northwest. and that's going to bring some cooler temperatures. but unfortunately, by wednesday, many of you out here are going to be seeing that threat of that severe weather. definitely want to continue to watch out for it. let's take a look over towards europe. really clear, actually, across much of central and western europe for the coming guys. you can see that clear area on the satellite picture. but we are still looking at a cutoff low. it's already brought some heavy rainfall across italy. now it's working its way slowly off towards the east so western ukraine, portions of greece, even extending off towards

romania, you're going to be looking at the threat of some large hail and heavy rainfall through the coming days. even a few severe thunderstorms could come out of this. then back towards the west, the british isles, keep a umbrella ready throughout the day on tuesday. looks like passing showers could occur. in london, partly cloudy skies for you. staying cool in stockholm. high of 8 on your monday. here's the extended forecast.

nasa has designed a new space suit for future mars missions. the u.s. space agency aims to send a manned expedition to the red planet by the mid 2030s. the next generation outfit features patches on the chest that emit blue light. the idea is to help astronauts see each other in the dark. it's also designed to be more durable to protect astronauts during long periods of activity. the new space suit allows more flexibility. nasa plans to start performance tests for the z-2 in november. they'll take place in a mars-like environment at the johnson space center in houston. that's "newsline" for this hour. i'm gene otani in tokyo. ñaa7guc

>> you are watching "france 24." here are the headlines -- hundreds of pro-ukrainian protesters march in the southern city of odessa after pro-russians storm a police station to free some 60 of their members arrested friday. the evacuation of the besieged foran city of homs is set tuesday. that is after a deal is struck between the government and opposition. government response to the kidnapping of close to 300 earls in nigeria prompts major protests. that has pushed the nigerian first la t