welcome to nhk world "newsline," i'm gene otani in tokyo. here's a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. breaking down barricades. hong kong authorities plan to remove the main protest sites that have blocked the city's financial district for more than two months. crude oil futures plunge to the lowest level in several years, prompting a major u.s. developer to cut investment. and as people in japan prepare to vote in sunday's general election, we'll look at the mixed blessings that have

come with prime minister abe's economic policy. hong kong authorities plan to remove barricades that pro-democracy protesters have set up near government headquarters. a local bus company h won an injunction against the demonstrators in the hong kong high court. police say they'll clear the area on thursday. the road near the government offices is one of the two main streets where students and activists have been holding sit-ins. a lawyer for the bus company urges demonstrators to cooperate. >> translator: we want the protesters to clear the barricades voluntarily, because many people will be affected. >> hong kong media say police may evict the protesters from the road and surrounding areas. that would mark a big shift in the pro-democracy movement. its members have been demonstrating for more than two months. they oppose china's policy of screening candidates for the election of hong kong's chief

executive. but some students seem reluctant to obey police orders. there are concerns about possible violence. oil prices continue to drop, and ron madison is here with more on this latest trend. ron? >> great news for people filling up at the pump, gene. for producers, though, not as great. we're seeing crude oil futures continuing their dive. traders expect supply will exceed demand for some time. the benchmark wti tumbled at one point to less than $63 per barrel. that's the lowest level that we've seen in more than five years. traders have watched the price fall more than 40% from this year's high. that was set in june when crude oil commanded $107 per barrel. analysts cite a range of factors including growing shale oil production. they also cite last month's decision by opec countries to leave output unchanged. now, those falling crude oil prices are forcing a major u.s. oil developer to backtrack on its plans. executives at conoco phillips

say they're slashing capital investment. the executives say the company's capital budget for next year will be $13.5 billion. that's down 13% from this year. the cut mainly affects drilling programs. they say they'll focus on developing shale oil in north dakota and texas but putting off investment in canada and elsewhere. technological advances have helped lower production costs of shale oil in the u.s. but some projects in difficult-to-drill areas are still set to be unprofitable. falling oil prices are dragging down energy stocks. that's putting some pressure on investor sentiment today. major benchmarks in europe are all in negative territory. you can see london and paris are down more than a percent. ankfurt declining about 0 pain 75%. taking a look at the asia pacific region. tokyo's nikkei snapping a seven-day winning streak pulling back from 7.5 year highs due to profit taking. china's shanghai composite

really led the region lower today, down nearly 5.5%. the biggest drop there in about five years. moving on to currencies, dollar/yen is now at 119.92. traders are adjusting their positions and buying the yen. meanwhile the dollar briefly hit the highest level against the yuan since july. traders sold the chinese currency against the dollar as they were feeling less pessimistic about the outlook for china's economy on the back of weak economic data. officials at the bank of japan are preparing to release their latest quarterly survey on business confidence next week and economists say the tankan is expected to show confidence worsening among smaller firms and nonmanufacturers and the weaker yen is the key reason. the head of the tankan released next monday 11 private research institutes have published their forecast. the institutes are split pretty evenly on business sentiment for major manufacturers. five of them are expecting improvement, while five think

sentiment will worsen. their estimates range from plus 11 to plus 15. compare that to the previous survey result of plus 13. seven institutes are predicting worsening sentiment. as for small and midsize companies most expect worsening across the board. the predictions reflect the different impact of the weakening yen. the weaker currency does help exporters but raises costs for small and midsize firms, and also for the nonmanufacturers. japan's minister in charge of the trans-pacific partnership is pushing for an early conclusion of the free trade talks. akira amari has expressed hope that ministers from the 12 negotiating countries will be able to meet early next year. >> translator: unless the ministers reach an agreement early next year, the schedule for the entire negotiation process will become unclear. >> the chief tpp negotiators from japan, the united states,

and ten other countries, have been holding meetings in washington since sunday. they're now trying to narrow differences on issues like protecting intellectual property rights and curbing preferential treatment for state-run companies. well sony officials say their computer systems in the united states have suffered another cyber attack. sony officials say the tiber attack rendered some of its online games temporarily inaccessible on monday. but they say the problem has been fixed and services have returned to normal. last month, a cyber attack disrupted the computer systems of sony pictures entertainment in the u.s. the officials say unreleased films and employees' personal data were apparently leaked onto the internet. sony says there's no evidence of a link between the two attacks. the fbi is investigating the incidents. that is going to wrap it up for biz tonight. i'll leave you with the markets.

protesters in more than a dozen u.s. cities are back on the streets. they're calling for an end to police violence. they're angry over the killings of two unarmed black men, and the decisions by grand juries not to bring charges against the officers. the demonstrations have spread to at least 15 cities. protesters are demanding that police review their use of force. hundreds of people in new york took part in a march. some went inside stores and asked shoppers to join them.

most of the protests have been nonviolent. but some demonstrators in california looted shops and attacked a police car. police fired tear gas to break up the crowds. they say two officers were injured, and eight people arrested. the protests have spread after a grand jury in missouri failed to indict a white police officer for a shooting and killing -- shooting and killing an unarmed black teenager. and a grand jury in new york decided not to indict a white police officer for choking an unarmed black man to death. meanwhile the u.s. justice department has issued guidelines that ban federal law enforcement officials from profiling suspects based on race, religion, and gender. the announcement came on monday as part of a review compiled more than a decade ago. the guidelines also ban identifying suspects in terms of race and other profile data unless there are eyewitness accounts, or other highly

reliable pieces of information. analysts believe the announcement is aimed at showing the obama administration is actively addressing the problem. this year's nobel peace prize lawyer yets are prepared to accept the honor in oslo, norway. malala yousafzai, from pakista , has arrived in the norwegian capital. they will share the prize for their work to end the oppression of young people and to secure rights of all to an education. at 17, yousafzai is the youngest nobel winner ever. >> i am happy that people are here to welcome me, and to give me more courage. >> a group of norwegian teenagers interviewed the young lawyer yet. a 15-year-old girl yousafzai told her she believes her stay in oslo will be a memorable one.

>> she's a very good person, and stands for what she means, and she's a very tough girl. >> satyarthi and yousafzai will attend the award ceremony at oslo city hall on wednesday. ceremonies for nobel prizes in five other categories will be held in stockholm, sweden. officials at the u.n. say conflicts and disasters are leaving more people worldwide in need of humanitarian aid. ey've launched a multibillion dollar appeal to help those most vulnerable. officials say people's needs are outpacing the u.n.'s capacity to respond. the u.n. has told donors next year it needs more than $16 billion in funds. officials plan to use the money to help about 58 million people across the globe. they've identified 22 countries in need of aid, including iraq, syria, and ukraine. >> responding to people's suffering must be a shared responsibility.

and there must be a determined, collective effort through 2015 to close the growing gap between needs and resources. >> a u.n. agency has already warned of funding challenges. last week officials with the world food program said they will have to temporarily suspend food aid for about 1.7 million refugees in syria. people in japan have something to add to their to-do list this weekend. they'll be voting in a general election. prime minister shinzo abe and his liberal democratic party returned to power less than two years ago. but he called the snap poll because he says he wants voters to weigh in on his economic policy known as abenomics. our special coverage, "japan decides" is focusing on the key issues ahead of election day.

and when it comes to abenomics, people are debating the costs and benefits. some investors made a bundle when the stock market surged. exports have been riding high because of the weaker yen. but, the currency slide has had the opposite effect on business that rely on imports. nhk world's kyoko fujita reports. >> reporter: japanese exporters have watched overseas sales rise with the fall in the value of the yen. >> translator: the yen weakened more than we expected. >> reporter: executives at toyota say that's led to outstanding sales, and record operating profits. the value of the yen against the dollar has dropped 40% since prime minister abe took office at the end of 2012. bank of japan policymakers share part of the credit. abe looked to them to help drag the country out of deflation.

they flooded the market with cash, causing the yen to plunge, and stocks to surge. >> translator: i'm really stunned, but i hope this continues. >> reporter: some analysts say the weaker yen has been good for the economy. >> translator: consumer and corporate sentiment have really improved, and japan is starting to emerge from deflation. if we look back over the past 20 years, i think we can say abenomics has delivered positive results. >> reporter: others take a different view. the people running this shoe company in northern japan say the weak yen is hurting their business. they import about half of their products from asia. executives say they're now paying 30% more for those imports compared to 2012. they cut costs. still, they had no choice but to raise some of their prices. they say that's caused sales to

tumble by 10% compared to last year. >> translator: if the price of imported goods goes up, then surely our sales will gradually decline. >> reporter: staff at this food and beverage producer in this rural northern area are also worried. about 30 workers make apple juice here. the weaker yen has made imported oil more expensive, driving up packaging and shipping costs by about 7% in the past year. but they're mindful consumers are spending less. so they decided not to raise prices. they're forecasting a 40% profit slump. >> translator: abenomics helps big companies. it doesn't do much for smaller companies in rural areas, like us. >> reporter: some economists

point out, it may take time for the effect of abenomics to percolate through the economy. they say bigger companies could help. >> translator: companies that have done well due to the weaker yen should take the initiative to increase capital investment, employ more workers, and raise wages. that will spread the benefits around among all people. >> reporter: abenomics has given some of japan's largest companies a windfall. the challenge now is ensuring decides," y the benefits of the sunday, december 14th, on "newsline." the international olympic committee officials are changing the way games are hosted. they've approved a plan to allow local organizers to stage events beyond their city borders. and they're also giving them the freedom to add more sports. nhk world has the details.

>> reporter: about 100 members voted in support of ioc preside president's 40 proposals. among the approved measures, they've decided to stop the current limit of 20 sports in the games. and they've green lighted allowing host cities to include one or more additional sports. >> it shows the great determination of the members. for this reform. very happy with the unanimous decision on all the 40 recommendations. >> tokyo. >> reporter: tokyo will host the summer olympic and paralympic games in 2020. and local organizers are aiming to bring back baseball and softball. both sports were dropped after the 2008 games in beijing. japanese teams have been powerhouses on the diamond,

winning several medals. >> translator: i'm glad that the sport may be revived at the tokyo games. but the final decision is yet to come. >> reporter: karate and squash could also be included. fans have been pushing hard to see both events added. and the ioc could officially include them as part of the tokyo games as early as next july. >> translator: japan's olympic committee and the organizers of the tokyo games welcome the approval in order to make the games a success. >> reporter: bach's sport recommendations come as host cities have been facing problems with rising costs. organizers of the sochi winter games spent about $15 billion for infrastructure and facilities. and money issues have forced officials in several cities to withdraw their bids for the 2022

winter olympics. only beijing and pakistan are left in the running. the new changes will break the tradition of keeping the games in one location. organizers will now be allowed to hold some events in the other cities, or even other countries. it raises the possibility of officials in the south korean city of pyeongchang looking abroad when they host the 2018 winter olympics. they've been facing financial difficulties, and they could now ask japan or other neighbors to stage some of their events such as sliding competitions. analysts say nagano would be a good location. the city hosted the 1998 winter games. and bobsleigh and luge venues are still operational. organizers in tokyo may choose to speed up a review of their

plan, and they may look at moving some events like basketball and swimming to venues outside of the city. tokyo is now seen as a good test case in the changing world of multisports events that have been struggling with finances and attracting new audiences. chiaki ishikawa, nhk world. top players in the game of shoji or japanese chess belong to one of the world's most exclusive clubs. only four players can turn professional each year, and the age limit for turning pro is 26. but, one man has kept his dream alive for more than 30 years. nhk world's yuji osawa has the story. >> reporter: kenji is 41. he's facing off against a

professional shoji player nearly 20 years younger. if he wins he'll become the oldest player in the post-war era to earn the pro ranking. when he was 8, his father taught him the basics of shoji. he didn't go to high school so he could spend more time training. by the age of 20, he was one step away from earning his professional ranking. but his progress stalled. >> translator: i was arrogant. and didn't have the courage to face up to my weaknesses. >> reporter: he failed to become a pro by age 26. he thought he'd have to give up on his dream. but his passion for shoji never faded. the only way to reach the top level was to win amateur tournaments, and take part in a

special competition against professional players. no one had ever done that before. ♪ four years ago, he moved back to his parents' home in hiroshima and took a job at a nursing home. he felt encouraged by the support of the people around him. away from the intense pressure of the shoji battlefield, his winning rate has improved. >> translator: i'm not fighting alone. everyone is behind me. >> reporter: he wins again. and joins the professional world. >> translator: it's unbelievable! i'm really happy. [ applause ]

>> translator: after decades of persevering, he finally did it. i really respect him. >> reporter: he says his journey isn't over. >> translator: i believe i can do whatever i want, as long as i don't limit myself. so i'll keep trying my best. >> reporter: he says he wants to make his mark as a professional player for all the people to believe in his dream. yuji osawa, nhk world. people in the philippines are still contending with the tropical storm as flooding rains continue to fall in parts of the country. our meteorologist jonathan oh is here with the latest. jonathan? >> hello, gene. yes, we are continuing to monitor this system, as it slowly tries to part from the philippines. now, the center circulation has secondically now moved west of

the philippines but you know, of course, that the clouds continue to surround that center of circulation, so it continues to produce rainfall for the northern portions of the philippines, into luzon. it is going to depart as we go throughout the next 24 hours. i think that the clouds will finally leave the area, and it will start to dry things out. we are expecting the system to float over toward vietnam by the end of this week, and by that point weakening into a tropical depression. now elsewhere in east asia we have high pressure controlling the korean peninsula. that's creating some dry air advisories into south korea, and it will also start to dry out the northern portion of japan in an area that's been contending with some snowfall. now it will start to dry out we should see temperatures up to 11 degrees in tokyo under sunny skies coming up on wednesday, 5 in seoul with some rain coming in later on during the afternoon hours. the instability toward the south will bring some showers from shanghai to taipei and also into hong kong. let's take over the forecast for north america.

western portions of the united states, we have this constant series of low pressure systems moving by the pacific northwest, bringing rain and some very windy conditions. and we are going to see the possibility of some snow as we go through tuesday. rainfall amounts up to 115 millimeters possible as we go throughout the next 24 hours. gusts up to 120 kilometers per hour. and again a rain/snow mix with some heavy -- heavy snowfall possible in these pink shaded areas. elsewhere, lots of rainfall possible. now, we switch sides to the eastern side of the united states, we have a low pressure system developing here that's bringing in the moisture from the atlantic ocean, moving toward the north, tapping into the cold air from the northern portions of the united states, and that's creating a little bit of a mess and we're looking at the system to extend into waens and thursday as well looking at freezing rain possibilities making the roadways really, really nasty in the process on top of some of the snowfall. some areas may see snowfall up to 30 centimeters and up to 80

kilometer per hour gusts and waves as high as five meters as we go throughout tuesday. again extending into wednesday and thursday, as well, because this is a slow-moving low pressure system. so, keep an eye out for this situation as we go through this week. 6 in new york and d.c. dry toward the central portion of the u.s. with highs in the teens for oklahoma city and denver. now wrapping things up with a look at europe we have a couple low pressure systems at the balkan peninsula and also into the italian peninsula producing windy and very wet conditions. look out for some possible isolated severe thunderstorms. another low pressure system whipping its way into the british isles and that's going to bring a chance for some rain in places like london on tuesday. now i want to take you down toward the southern coast of france. let's take a look at some video where people are getting ready for the holiday season here. 360 people in christmas costumes gather at the mediterranean coast monday. swimmers enjoy a plunge in the cold water. this is an annual event organized by the sport's service

of the region. it was sunny but keep this in mind. daytime temperatures were in the mid teens. a little bit chilly. hope you have a good day wherever you are. here's your extended outlook.

that's "newsline" for this hour. i'm gene otani in tokyo. from all of us here at nhk world, thanks very much for joining us. until next time. good-bye. cnónóñóñóñóñóqm?xq/p

>> the last french hostage held by a terrorist group has been free.] serge lazarevic was held by al qaeda in north africa 2011. u.s. facilities around the world are on high alert as a report on the cia's use of torture comes out today. peace talks in ukraine are postponed. and one day cease-fire seems to be holding. the economy