here in japan it's wednesday evening, i'm james tengan in tokyo. welcome to "newsline." here are some of the stories we're following this hour. palestinians in gaza are celebrating a cease-fire with israelis, as both sides prepare for what could be a difficult stage in their negotiations. the russian and ukrainian presidents have met face to face for the first time over the fighting in ukraine.

and workers in hiroshima continue a grim search for people buried by landslides a week ago. people living in the gaza strip and parts of israel are leaving shelters and hoping they won't have to return. israeli leaders have agreed to an open-ended cease-fire with hamas, the group that controls the palestinian territory. the truce at least for now ends a conflict that has stretched on for nearly two months. nhk world's craig dale reports. >> palestinians in gaza rushed into the streets to celebrate. they've been running from israeli air strikes for seven weeks. now they seem confident it's safe to be out in the open. >> translator: i feel happy and joyful, like all palestinians do. our family welcomes the truce agreement. >> reporter: hamas leaders took a moment to boast. >> translator: we are here today to announce gaza's victory said

a hamas spokesperson, to declare we have won over the destructive israeli power. that power exacted a steep cost. israeli attacks flattened building after building. more than 2100 palestinians died, the vast majority civilians. militants in gaza fired off thousands of rockets at israel, they killed more than 60 israeli soldiers and several civilians. >> i want to come back to a regular life. i don't want to go to the centers. >> reporter: the roots of the israeli/palestinian conflict go back decades, but more recent incidents triggered this war. israeli leaders blamed hamas for killing three israeli teens, bitterness deepening. three israelis are on trial for what's considered a revenge killing. and so for weeks, they traded fire. israeli leaders said they were working to dismantle hamas

rocket launch positions and command centers, along with tunnels militants used to attack their country. temporary truces came, and went. both sides finally signed off on an open-ended cease-fire after mediated talks by egyptian officials. they agreed to halt attacks. and israel and egypt will ease restrictions on the border in gaza to allow in humanitarian aid and building supplies. the palestinian authority, which controls the west bank will administer the crossings, not hamas. the israelis also agreed to expand a fishing zone for gaza fishermen. negotiations will resume in a month to talk about longer-term issues, such as israel's demand for hamas to disarm and a palestinian request for the release of prisoners. hamas leaders also want to talk about building a sea port in gaza and rebuilding the territory's airport. and the israelis want the remains of their soldiers to be returned. u.s. officials admit this cease-fire is just the beginning.

>> certainly, there's a long road ahead. and we're aware of that and we're going into this eyes wide open. >> reporter: the israelis say hamas end up approving an agreement it rejected a month ago. >> ultimately so much bloodshed could have been avoided. >> reporter: the palestinians are keenly aware of all they've lost. still, hamas leaders will continue to paint this as a victory. they fought three wars against israel since 2008 and say they're ready for another battle. maintaining a lasting calm will be a complicated undertaking. craig dale, nhk world. the presidents of ukraine and russia have held their first one-on-one talks over the crisis along their border. petro poroshenko and vladimir putin met to try to end the conflict in eastern ukraine. they were not able to reach a deal, but they agreed to keep talking. poroshenko and putin have been trading criticisms over the fighting. they've seen more than 2,000

people killed in fighting since april. sat down together in belarus behind closed doors. they also took part in discussions with the leaders of belarus and kazakhstan and the european union's foreign policy chief. eu leaders have been pushing for a cease-fire. putin said they discussed ways to stop the bloodshed. but he said the ukrainian government should negotiate a cease-fire with the separatists. >> translator: violence in ukraine is the country's internal matter. we can't discuss conditions for a cease-fire. >> poroshenko said the separatists need to disarm before ukrainian officials hold any talks with them. putin has been explaining why some russian paratroopers were found in ukrainian territory. he said they may have crossed the border accidentally. putin says he was told the ten soldiers were patrolling the border and may have strayed across. he said in the past ukrainian servicemen have entered russian

territory in armored vehicle without incident. he said he hopes this case will not cause problems, either. ukrainian defense officials announced on sunday they had detained the paratroopers in the eastern region of donetsk, they say it's proof that leaders in moscow are drengtly intervening to support pro russia separatists. aviation experts have been looking at ways to keep civilian airplanes and the people on board safer. they say they want to provide better warnings about conflict zones. officials at the international civil aviation organization say they'll try to improve the way urgent information is shared and try out a new system that sends out prompt notices about risks. icao officials and members of the aviation industry began reviewing the procedures after a malaysia airlines plane was shot down last month. governments already use a notice to airmen system to warn operators about risks. but the system failed to warn

about the dangers of flying over ukraine. u.s. military pilots are getting ready to begin surveillance flights over syria. the flights could help u.s. leaders set targets for potential air strikes against sunni militants. media reports say president barack obama gave the go-ahead over the weekend. pentagon officials told "the new york times" that both manned and unmanned aircraft would take part in the operation, including drones and possibly u2 spy planes. commanders have been trying to track the movements of militants in the group islamic state. the militants have seized control of lands straddling syria and neighboring iraq. "the new york times" says the flights would be a significant step toward direct u.s. military action in syria. but the pentagon's press secretary, john kirby, declined to discuss the operation. >> don't talk about intelligence matters, tony, i'm not going to start doing that today. we're planning organization here. we have to be prepared for all

kinds of options. >> kirby said u.s. officials are not coordinating with syrian leaders on u.s. operations or efforts to combat islamic states. laums have been calling for air strikes since they saw this video of a murder of u.s. journalist by sunni militants. we coming to you from our studios in tokyo. up ahead in "newsline" stories from here in japan, but first, ron madison brings us up to speed on the latest in business news. leaders of japan's biggest business federation will channel more money into political parties, namely the ruling liberal democratic party. analysts say the move is intended to give big business more influence in the economic policies of the government led by prime minister shinzo abe. officials at the japan business federation are expected to make a final decision on the matter as early as next month. they are expected to instruct member companies to start donating funds. the move will revive a practice that the group abandoned five

years ago after the ldp lost power to the democratic party of japan. officials have been discussing restarting the donations since june when the chairman was appointed. the officials concluded the money would enable closer ties with the abe administration. keyeden ren used to advise firms on political donations after reviving the policies of different parties. but this time, federation officials are expected to let member companies make their own decisions. japan has a target of doubling the number of visitors from overseas by the year 2020. and to achieve it, government officials are to tap the power of information tech jixt they will analyze vast amounts of information called big data to learn more about tourists. people at the agency say they will ask foreign visitors to download a application for a gps

on to their smartphones. researchers plan to find out the destinations tourists went to, as well as the routes they took. they want to gather data on what the visitors are posting about their experiences in japan through social media like twitter. the tourism officials plan to share results with regional governments as well as business people in related industries, they can develop new sightseeing routes, organize attractive events and improve facilities for overseas visitors. the tourism agency plans to ask for a budget allocation for about $1 billion in the coming fiscal year. to the markets, investors in asia responding to recent upbeat economic data and a strong performance on wall street. most main benchmarks in the region finished positive. but gains were limited as many indices are already at high levels. also, a lack of fresh trading cues failing to trigger further buying today. here if tokyo, the nikkei average seeing gains about .1%,

finishing at 15,534. profit taking capped the momentum. traders shifted interest to small-cap stocks as many didn't trade bellweather shares actively. the best performer in the region today is taiwan, the taiex index kleining 1%, the highest close it's seen in five weeks. leading the advance was shares in the technology sector. especially those who make components for apple products. investors are anticipating a good response to the new iphone, which is expected to be announced soon. and in hong kong, the hang seng index did see declines, it was down .6%, 24,918. many were on the sidelines today, in the middle of the earnings reporting season there. and others booked profits as the index has been approaching this year's high. french president, francois hollande is hoping to regain his popularity by pointing a new cabinet member. a 46 former banker has been

named the new economy minister. emmanuel macron has been serving as the president's economic minister. the french cabinet resigned en masse following a member's departure. hollande hoping to regain the public support. macron is said to have a vast network in the business sector. now hollande has been criticized about his economic policies. his approval ratings are in the teens and that's a record low for a french president. u.s. hamburger chain, burger king set to become the world's third largest restaurant group. company executives announced a merger with canadian coffee and doughnut chain, tim hortons, only two companies will be bigger, that's mcdonald's and yum brands, operating kfc. the new company is expected fof annual sales of $23 billion.

both burger king and tim hortons are planning to kep their brand names. they expect the merger to give them an advantage in procuring food supplies. the merger was motivated by tax concerns. the new company will be based in canada, with lower corporate tax rates. automakers from around the world are seeing a lot of promise now in africa. those from japan are trying to increase their share with a focus on service. nhk world's fujino has more. >> reporter: poor road conditions across africa often cause vehicles to break down. these mechanics have travelled to japan to learn how to provide better maintenance in africa. the program is run by mitsubishi

motors. company officials say after sales, service is part of the strategy for african markets. the mechanics learn computer skills, needed for advanced car maintenance. >> the things we are learning here, first of all are more advanced than what we are used to in kenya. so hopefully i will learn them and take the knowledge back to kenya, train my other colleagues. >> after-sales service, is not just about maintenance. communication is also important. mechanics in japan talk with customers when they bring their cars in for maintenance. >> translator: we offer tire coating for about $5, it

protects the rub frer ultraviolet rays which can cause deterioration. let me know if you're interested. >> translator: can the tires begin to deteriorate within a year? >> translator: if you leave them unprotected, they can. >> today i have experience of knowledge that technicians should not always be cautioned about their job, they should always be aware about other people. >> translator: we're trying to provide the same level of customer support in africa as in japan. we hope that will help us sell more vehicles. >> reporter: mitsubishi isn't the only company trying to gain a foothold in africa by taking good care of customers. this tokyo-based firm exports used cars. just five years ago it only sold a few vehicles in africa.

but last year they shipped some 100,000 units there. quite a few cars break down before they even reach buyers in africa. some of the parts get stolen, too. the company avoids such problems by using its own delivery service. making it an attractive choice. company workers drive cars to buyers. even if they are several kilometers away. if the vehicles break down along the way, the worker repairs it for free. >> translator: we deliver the cars directly to our clients. they're very grateful for this kind of service. >> translator: we'd like people in africa to feel secure by buying cars from us with quality vehicles and customer support they deserve.

>> reporter: competition is heating up in africa's auto markets. japanese companies are hoping to get an advantage by offering high-quality service to match high-quality cars. shinpei fujino, nhk world. that's going to wrap it up for biz this hour, let's check the markets. search teams in hiroshima are still combing through the

mud, a week after heavy rain triggered landslides. authorities have confirmed the deaths of over 70 people. more than a dozen people are still missing. and approximately 1300 are living in temporary shelters. nhk world's noriko okada has the latest. >> reporter: about 3,000 police officers, firefighters and self-defense force personnel have been looking for people missing since the disaster. they are using heavy machinery to move boulders out of the way, and to scoop up mud and debris. much of their work has been focused on a certain district. more people died here than in any other area. landslides buried these homes beneath the mud and rubble. four members of one household were all reported missing after the disaster. these two people were found dead

hours after the landslide. searchers looked for the wife and daughter for days, but couldn't find them. >> translator: the house is completely gone. i think it's all but impossible to find them. but hopefully they are in the same spot. i just feel sorry for them. >> reporter: another relative was anxiously waiting for news on the two women. >> translator: toshio was found around there. i heard he and his wife were sleeping on the same floor. so her body must be around here, too. >> reporter: six days after the disaster, aso finally got some news. police officers told him that they found the bodies of

toshio's wife and daughter. >> translator: i can't find any words to say. i just can't stop my tears. but at least i should take comfort in the fact that the family is finally together again. >> reporter: frequent rain has forced recovery teams to halt their operations again and again. but workers aren't giving up in their search to find every missing person. noriko okada, nhk world. "newsline" will keep you updated on that story. people who live along the sea of japan coast are always on the lookout for tsunami. now they have a better idea of what to expect. members of a government panel studied the potential heights. they say the town of setana in hokkaido faces the possibility of tsunami more than 23 meters

high. they say waves of five meters or more could hit flat land areas from hokkaido down to ishikawa prefecture, central japan. tsunami could exceed ten meters in some areas. residents of the city of suzu in ishikawa prefecture could see one more than 12 meters high. panel members say tsunami could hit some areas within a minute after an earthquake. >> translator: an earthquake epicenter could be near the coast. in this case, a tsunami would arrive faster than expected. >> the panel chairman said even quakes with smaller magnitudes could cause tsunami that are relatively high. authorities will look at the estimates to see if they need to revise emergency measures. travelers returning to japan from overseas sometimes bring home an unwelcome souvenir -- deny gi fever. japanese health authorities have

reported an occurrence of the disease who has never left the country. the first case of a person becoming infected within japan in 70 years. >> officials say the patient is a teenaged girl near tokyo. the girl was hospitalized last wednesday after complaining of fever and severe joint pain. she's in stable condition. the viral disease is transmitted by mosquitos, not from person to person. it usually occurs in tropical and subtropical areas in southeast asia a and latin america. about 200 people in japan develop symptoms of dengue fever each year. usually after being infected overseas. last year saw a record high 249 cases. ministry officials are instructing municipalities to immediately report suspicious cases of infection to local health centers. okay, we here in tokyo are

pleasantly surprised at the sudden drop in temperatures. it's currently around 22 degrees celsius, or about 71 degrees fahrenheit. our meteorologist sayaki mori joins us now, will the cool weather continue? >> well, james, cooler temperatures will likely stay with us for the next three days in central japan. yes, the high was 22 degrees today, that's the lowest in two and a half months. i know your bodies are not ready for the cooler temperatures, so take care of your health. the reason for the cooler temperatures is that we have this high pressure system over hokkaido that is sending cooler air from the north and also creating a sheer cover of clouds. the reason for the lower temperatures, temperatures will stay quite cool for the next three days, at least into your saturday. tokyo high is going to be 25 on thursday, 26 degrees on your

friday. that's four degrees lower than average. but starting sunday, heat will come back. so summer has not gone yet. but definitely cooler season is approaching us. cooler weather is also dominating most of the northern half of the continent over europe. we have this low pressure system in the front, bringing quite cooler air from the north. so many areas from the iberian peninsula, the british isles through central europe into western parts of russia, you're experiencing much lower than average temperatures and due to the low pressure system there's a risk of thunderstorms in the northern areas and the southern areas as well we have a possibility of hail as well as gusty winds. and across the west, we can see some afternoon thundershowers for the eastern areas of the iberian peninsula. but the western area staying sunny. and temperatures higher than average. madrid at 34 degrees for the high on wednesday, 27 degrees in lisbon and dryness and high temperatures, wildfires

occurring in central parts of portugal. this is the scene. more than 500 firefighters battled the forest fire on monday in central portugal. the temperature was around 36 degrees celsius at the time the fire broke out. now the fire is under control, but there are other blazes out of control in the southern areas. of the country. well, not just portugal, but also parts of california are dealing with some blazes due to high temperatures and windy conditions. but quite heavy rain is falling across the western areas over the sea, this is due to hurricane named marie. marie is staying over the waters the next several days, continuing sending dangerous surf conditions for western areas of the baja peninsula. so watch when you go to the beaches. now across the opposite side of the u.s. there's another hurricane named cristobal, a category 1 system, a stationary system, will likely

get close to bermuda within the next 24 hours. moving to the northwest. dangerous surf and rip currents are going to be happening over bermuda as well as the atlantic coast of the u.s. for the next several days. there's a line of thundershowers extending from eastern canada down towards the four corners region. there's a possibility of flooding rains as well as thunderstorms. this is a boundary of cooler air and warmer air. so temperatures are very, very different between the north and the south. take a look. in the southern areas, are in illinois, your high is going to be 32 degrees on wednesday, but just to the north, chicago, your high is going to be 22 degrees. 22 in buffalo and in new york, 33 degrees. and in the southern areas, humid air is flowing in. could you feel more like 40 or 45 degrees in some places. here's the extended forecast.

and that was this hour's news and weather. for all of us here on "newsline," thanks for watching.

>> these are today's top stories. it is the first day on the job for france's newly reshuffled cabinet after the prime minister fired several top left-wing ministers critical of the government's austerity campaign. gaza celebrates as a long-term cease-fire takes hold. that open-ended truce with israel is meant to stop seven weeks of fighting, but no real solutions have been found for the core long-term issues that separate the two sides. cease-fire in ukraine, however. face-to-face talks between russian and ukrainian prid