hello and welcome back to "newsline." i'm shery ahn. let's get started with the head lines. syrian president bashar al assad is expected to win another term in an election critics claim is a farce. north korean officials say they're ready to accept an investigative team from japan to look into the fate of abducted japanese nationals. and ukraine's president-elect faces big challenge

challeng challenges to armed insurgents when he takes office this week. syrians are heading to the polls in a show of democracy. president bashar al assad's seven-year term is set to expire next month. many believe the election was called to give him an air of legit maes. voters who took part in two previous polls found assad was the only option. this time they'll be able to choose from multiple candidates. hasad al nuri, and hajar, a member of parliament, are in the running. but opposition and western leaders describe assad's two rivals as token candidates and voters in opposition controlled districts are excluded from the process. critics say the election is a farce. people are voting in the middle of a civil war in which more than 160,000 people have been killed. assad is expected to win easily, and use his victory to claim that his administration has popular support. representatives of two palestinian political factions

have put aside their differences, and joined a unity government. palestinian president mahmoud abbas administered the oath of office to the ministers of his new cabinet. he says they will bring col darety to a people split by seven years of friction. the cabinet brings together members of a faction fatah and islamist group hamas. abbas says the groups' past differences have greatly damaged the cause of the palestinian people. he pledged that his government will try to realize the dream of an independent palestinian state. forces loyal to hamas seized the gaza strip from fatah in 2007. the leaders from the two factions administered separate governments ever since. but in april they reached an agreement to form a unity government. israeli leaders opposed the move. they consider hamas to be a terrorist organization. palestinian leaders' ability to work in unison will be put to the test. one of their first challenges will be organizing presidential and parliamentary elections.

a u.s. state department spokesperson says the u.s. plans to work with the new unity government. jen psaki pointed out that none of the cabinet ministers seem to be affiliated with hamas. >> we will be judging this government by its actions, based on what we know now we intend to work with this government, but we'll be watching closely. >> a spokesman for the u.n. secretary-general also welcomed the unity government. he said he hopes it will unify the west bank and the gaza strip, and provide momentum towards a two-state solution for israel and palestine. a north korean official says the country's leaders are ready to move forward on an agreement with japan. authorities in pyongyang have promised to probe the fate of abducted japanese nationals. an official has told nhk the

government is prepared to accept japanese investigators at any time. japanese government officials say north korean agents kidnapped at least 17 people in the 1970s and '80s. five of them returned home in 2002. representatives from the two sides reached an agreement last week to find out about the others. the north koreans will also look into other japanese who are missing. the official who spoke to nhk said as part of the agreement, a delegation of japanese investigators will visit north korea. a date has not been set. the official indicated the group would be accepted without any problems. north korean leaders promised six years ago to launch a probe but they failed to follow through. observers say leaders in pyongyang want to rebuild trust by stressing that this time they'll be more transparent. billionaire businessman petro poroshenko will be sworn in saturday as ukraine's new

president. and right away he'll face tough challenges. fierce fighting continues in the east between government forces and pro-russian rebels. nhk world's kurando tago has more. >> translator: we confirmed mr. poroshenko as the ukrainian president. >> reporter: ukrainians went to the polls last month to elect a new president. petro poroshenko won with nearly 55% of the vote. the president-elect is already scheduled to meet with world leaders. on wednesday, he will join u.s. president barack obama in warsaw. the trouble in ukraine's eastern regions will likely be at the top of the agenda. on monday a group of pro-russian rebels clashed with ukraine's border guards in luhansk. both sides said five militants were killed.

in the same region, local media said at least seven people were killed in an explosion at a government building. for months, russian leaders blocked any security council action on ukraine. but now, a russian ambassador has called for an emergency meeting at the conference. he introduced a draft resolution. it requests humanitarian corridors and a cease-fire. >> there are going to be more casualties, more hostilities. so it's going to make the political dialogue in ukraine more difficult. >> reporter: but ukrainian and western leaders are skeptical about the proposal. >> the very fact that the resolution on ukraine is tabled by russian federation is cynical and immoral. a country that has recently occupied and annexed a part of the territory of ukraine, a

country sponsoring terrorism and unrest in the eastern regions of ukraine, now offers a settlement plan. >> reporter: meanwhile, negotiators from russia, ukraine, and the european union, are trying to solve another matter. ukraine owes russia about $5 billion for gas. and an eu mediator said that russia confirmed receipt of a partial payment. he said negotiators agreed to discuss a new price and a payment plan. ministers will try to seal a final deal later this week. on saturday, the u.s. vice president will attend poroshenko's inauguration in kiev. but a kremlin spokesperson said president vladimir putin had not been invited, and his schedule does not include a trip to ukraine any time soon. kurando tago, nhk world.

and japan's largest business lobby has a new head. ron madison joins me with the latest on that. >> yeah, that's right, shery. he is chairman sadayuki sakakibara of toray industries. sakakibara has stressed in a speech that the business community will strengthen its ties with the abe administration. the 71-year-old was chosen new chairman of japan business federation or keidanren as the group's general meeting. he replaces hiromasa yonekura who held the top keidanren post for the past four years. >> translator: i will work more closely with the government, and make constructive suggestions. i will also do all i can to help build a strong economy, and a strong japan. >> sakakibara is known for having turned toray into one of the world's leading makers of carpet fiber for aircraft. he also turns on a government panel that's improving measures to improve japan's industrial

competitiveness. let's get a check of the markets. japan's benchmark index topping the key 15,000 level for the first time in two months. the nikkei average gaining more than 0.6% finishing at 15,034. investor sentiment got a lift from a weaker yen as well as wall street's rally. export linked shares and financial stocks posted solid gains. some traders continue to buy back shares, but others did take profits. as the nikkei hit the key threshold. the main index had climbed over eight of the past nine trading days through tuesday, gaining 7%. other markets in asia finished mixed. chinese manufacturing data released over the weekend lent support as the mainland chinese and hong kong markets came back from a public holiday. the shanghai composite slipped into negative territory just before the close. the hang seng finishing higher 0.9%, 23,291. the highest close there in five months. shares of chinese banks gained on a recent announcement by the government that it will cut the reserve requirements for more

banks. meanwhile, sydney's s&p asx 200 index declined 0.7%, 5,479. investors were cautious about australia's economy because of filing iron ore prices. investors are waiting for the release of first quarter gdp data on wednesday. japanese prime minister shinzo abe and his aides are putting the final touches on plans to revamp the economy, and drive growth. they believe lowering corporate taxes will help make japanese companies more competitive on the global stage. but some people don't buy that idea. including members of abe's own party. more now from nhk world. >> reporter: this major tokyo based pharmaceutical firm sells its products worldwide. managers face fierce competition from foreign rivals. they also have to deal with japan's corporate tax break. it's the second highest among g-7 countries, 35%. >> translator: we want the government to create a more

level playing field. it doesn't pay to keep investing in japan when we're trying to expand our business globally. >> reporter: countries around the world have been reducing their corporate tax rates to attract direct investment. singapore has a 17% rate. germany's average rate is 29%. only the u.s. has a higher rate than japan. abe thinks japan also needs to cut taxes so the country doesn't fall behind in the race. >> this year, we will set about further reform on corporate tax. >> reporter: economic revitalization minister akira amari says the corporate tax should be lowered to under 30% over five years, from fiscal 2015. one expert backs such a move. >> translator: japan has no choice but to lower corporate

taxes to prevent businesses from moving out. japanese companies may start to invest more in other asian countries if the government doesn't act now. >> reporter: but finance minister taro aso and some of the members of the liberal democratic party say a 1% cut in the rate would reduce annual tax revenues by some $4.6 billion. >> translator: where can we find the financial resources to make up for the revenue shortfall? >> reporter: another expert says lowering the taxes won't help boost corporate investment. >> translator: a tax cut would mean a larger cash flow for many businesses. but they aren't refraining from facility investment because of insufficient cash flow. they have more than enough cash at the moment. >> reporter: officials are entering the final phase of discussions, under pressure to balance growth and fiscal health. and kyoko fujita joined us

earlier to talk about abe's plans, as well as what could become of them. >> abe made a very public pledge to cut taxes at the world economic forum in davos, so there's no doubt that it has been included in his growth plan. but the question is how fast and how big will it be? abe is aiming to start soon, as early as next year, and he wants a substantial number to send a clear message to the markets that japan is the place to do business. the finance ministry officials say they're worried about going along with the plan before abe decides whether to gain the consumption tax. they say even if they leave the corporate tax rate as it is right now and hike the consumption tax to 10% it will be still difficult for the government to hit its target of achieving a primary surplus by 2020. policymakers are deeply divided on where they can get the extra revenue.

some say lower being taxes will help companies to make more profits, thus boosting tax revenues. but others argue that incentives, and deductions through the business sector, should be scrapped first. both sides agree on one thing. lowering corporate tax is just a symbolic beginning to show that japan welcomes foreign businesses. experts say struck oral reforms are needed, and abe must come up with a strong growth plan to show that the nation is determined to win over global competition. >> all right. well officials at apple have announced a new application for its mobile devices that will allow users to keep a closer eye on their health. the app will be included in the operating system for the iphone and ipad. ceo tim cooke introduced the company's new ios 8 at the world developers conference in san francisco. apple officials then unveiled an app that will give users more accurate data about their well-being.

the move comes as the growing popularity of wearable computers is prompting developers to create health management applications. apple officials say the health kit app will track the users' blood pressure and heartrate as well as fitness and sleep related data. they say the kit will be able to consolidate data collected on wearable devices and use that information in combination with apps created by medical institutions. all right. that is going to do it for biz this hour. here's the markets.

the people who led china's cultural revolution in the 1960s wanted a red cal break with the past, and that included worship. but the past is now back in fashion. more and more chinese people are spending time and money tracing their family history. nhk world looks at this new trend. >> reporter: 800 people gather at the village in china's hunan province. they all have one thing in common.

their family name cai. visitors have come to this grave site from as far away as thailand in south korea. it contains the remains of cai zhu du. it said about 3,000 years ago he became the first family in china to take the name cai. >> translator: i'm honored to attend the ceremony that brought together so many people named cai. >> reporter: 56-year-old ca cai tumichin came from about 500 kilometers away. he worked at construction sites. he says after turning 50, he became keen on tracing his family line.

>> translator: now that i've more spare time i realized i don't know much about my ancestors. >> reporter: but cai has traveled finding documents or other sources that can help him. one reason for that is the great cultural revolution in the 1960s. zealots made traditional culture taboo. so they destroyed many academic documents, archaeological ruins and even diagrams of family trees. about five years ago, cai started searching for clues that would lead him to his ancestors. on this day, he visits a community elder who has an old family tree.

>> translator: this diagram was spared because it was hidden during the cultural revolution. >> reporter: finally, cai has come across some vital information. a it lays the possible that he could be a 100 generation descendent of caizhu du. his search for ancestors gave him an opportunity to deepen ties with people who have the same family name. on this day, he hopes other people named cai. some might not be biologically related, but that didn't deter them. >> translator: people named cai are now like a family and they can help each other. >> reporter: local government officials are setting their

sights on the first growing social networks of people with the same family name. so in the area where the 800 cais have gathered held a meeting with the group. the officials hoped they can help in the economic development of the region. >> translator: we're pinning our hopes on your investments. let's all pitch in and do our best to develop this region, built up by our ancestors. >> reporter: in china, expectations are mounting for new networks in which people connect to each other through their names. nhk world.

qatar made history four years ago when it was picked to host the 2022 world cup. the first middle eastern country chosen to hold the event. but now allegations of bribery by a disgraced qatari official have sparked calls for a revote. a british newspaper published a report over the weekend about mohammed bin hamam a former member of the board. the sunday times says classified documents show he paid african soccer executives $5 million to support his country's bid. he was found guilty two years ago of attempting to buy votes from other officials in the fifa presidential election. he's been banned from soccer for life. british deputy prime minister nick clegg said if the report is true fifa should hold another vote to decide which country should host the tournament. england has been in the running. members of fifa's ethics

committee are investigating the vote buying allegations. they expect to release their findings within a few weeks. parts of east asia entering the rainy season. our meteorologist jonathan oh is here with the forecast. jonathan, maybe we'll see some relief from the heat. >> hello, shery. i certainly hope so because we have been seeing temperatures into the 40s in some places in east asia. definitely in japan where we're seeing temperatures in the upper 20s to lower 30s. so definitely seeing a very warm period for areas not seeing rain. we were talking about the rainy season down towards southern china. during the weekend the rain spread toward the north and east into places like beijing and shanghai. let me show you some video coming out of this area of the central and eastern portions of china. saw torrential rains over the weekend. it alleviated the extreme heat wave, but it did cause traffic disruptions, and damage in several regions. those heavy downpours accompanied a thunderstorm inundating beijing streets, canceling flights, and damaging

crops. but the rains did help out with the temperature. highs on friday, 41 degrees in beijing, down to 27 on sunday. let me show you what's happening on the board here, and we are seeing the low pressure system that was responsible for the rain in the northeastern corner of china shifting toward the east so the korean peninsula, since monday, has been seeing some rain, more rain is expected for you as we go in to tuesday and wednesday. and now the rainy season is kicking in for the western portio portions of japan. kagoshima saw rain in 24 hours. more rain is expected. in the next few weeks it is going to be very wet and yes, southern china continues too see more precipitation so for the rest of this week it looks like we'll be dealing with the rain. here's a look at what we're expecting in terms of the rain fall amount. 100 to 120 millimeters of rain fall is possible into places like western japan in kyushu. also down into hong kong, and areas in the guangdong province,

120 millimeters of rain fall are possible. you can see here that the forecast calls for more precipitation for hong kong and high pay. highs from the upper 20s to lower 30s and also some cloud cover maybe some shoers into seoul with a high of 28. also a high of 28 in tokyo for our wednesday. we take a look at europe. we are seeing a low pressure system in the eastern portions of europe bringing some more precipitation into parts of st. petersburg and moscow and also seeing another low pressure system bringing rain for the balkan peninsula. i know we don't need any more rain but it looks like more of it will be in the forecast as we go throughout our tuesday. another low pressure system developing over the british isles. that is spreading some rain influence into france. meanwhile high pressure is controlling the iberian peninsula. great conditions down there. highs near 30 degrees coming up for our tuesday but yes rain from london into paris, and also into the southern portions of germany, and also more rain for warsaw and kiev as we go throughout our tuesday. i am concerned about a weather system developing in the americas.

low pressure is near the border of canada and the united states, we see the extended cold front wrapping around down into the ohio river valley. another low pressure system developing further back to the west so we're focusing on areas like iowa, illinois, into nebraska, where we are going to see the moderate risk of severe weather. we have some strong storms on sunday, weakened a little bit on monday. now we're going to see the redevelopment of the system as we go throughout our tuesday, and also looking out for some fire danger weather for the desert southwest. here's the forecast, high of 32 degrees in denver with sunny skies. but the eastern coast of the united states seeing rain and thunderstorms. hope you have a good day wherever you are. here's your extended outlook.

before we wrap up, daytona beach in the usa of florida is a well-known vacation spot where

people can hang out and relax. well, a wild bear was spotted in a neighborhood there, doing just that. a man found the american black bear lying in a hammock in his backyard. he said the animal stayed for about 20 minutes, and the furry visitor appeared unfazed even while having his picture taken. >> got in the hammock, laid back like he was a tourist or something, and something spooked him. and he ran right through there. fast. and then i said, well he's gone. half an hour later, he come back and there he is in the hammock again. >> residents have spotted the bear knocking over trash cans the day before. some say he may have been exhausted, and just wanted a nap. the bear caused no damage or injuries, but the homeowner removed the hammock to discourage him from coming back. that's all for this hour on "newsline." i'm shery ahn. thank you for watching. a1x1x