a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. egypt says it carried out airstrikes in libya in retaliation for the killing of its citizens by islamic state militants. police in copenhagen are on high alert as they try to determine if their prime suspect in a deadly shooting rampage acted alone.

and he lifted japan out of the ashes of world war ii through design. kenji ekuan has passed away but his legacy lives on. egyptian military personnel say they have hit back at islamic state militants. they launched air strikes against targets in libya. they're retaliating for the apparent kimllings of egyptian christians shown in a video by the extremist group. egypt's state-run tv reports the airstrikes hit the group's training sites and arms depots in the eastern city of darna. libya's air force also joined the operation. its commander said at least 40 islamic state fighters were killed. the 21 victims appearing in the video are coptic christians who were working in libya. militants claiming loyalty to the islamic state group had been holding them for weeks. family members of the hostages have been demanding their release. the libyan insurgents who have pledged allegiance to the group

are intensifying their activities. they attacked a hotel in january and occupied a radio station this month. u.s. government officials condemned the purported killings. they say the militant group's barbarity knows no bounds. white house press secretary josh earnest issued a statement. he called the killings despicable and cowardly. he says the heinous octobers underscores the urgent need for political resolution in libya. he added the continuing conflict there only benefits terrorist groups and he urged libyans to unite in opposition to terrorism. secretary of state john kerry spoke with his egyptian counterpart over the phone after the video emerged. state department officials say kerry offered his condolences and agreed to work to the against the militant group. concerns over the security situation in the middle east are affecting the world of sports. officials of japan's modern

pentathlon association have decided not to send a team to the world cup in egypt. the second world cup event of the year will be held next month in cairo. the association had planned to send eight athletes. the competition helps decide qualifiers for the 2016 olympics in rio de janeiro. earlier this month, a japan table tennis association canceled plans to send players to events in kuwait and qatar. the japanese olympic committee says it has received queries from several other sports associations regarding participation in overseas events. islamic state militants claim they killed two japanese hostages and issued a threat against others from the country. police in a northern german city say there is a threat of an islamic extremist attack on the city's carnival parade. they've canceled the event. police in brunswick announced the cancellation less than 90

minutes before the start of the festival on sunday. >> translator: i think it's very, very sad that terrorists managed to cancel our carnival. >> safety first. >> the police spokesperson said a reliable national defense source warned them of a threat. the carnival parade is the largest in northern germany. up to 250,000 people were expected to attend this year. security is tight in germany after shooting incidents in denmark on saturday. authorities received information in january that terrorists were planning atacks in the capital berlin and the eastern city of dresden. world leaders are tackling another extremist group in the middle eastern country of yemen. the u.n. security council has unanimously adopted a resolution demanding the withdrawal of shia militants from government institutions. hoouth think militants based in northern recommenden took control of the capital sanaa earlier this month. this led to the collapse of the government security has

deteriorated as the houthis clash on the arabian peninsula. council members are calling on the houthis to engage in u.n.-led peace talks. they also expressed concern that the militant group al qaeda in the arabian peninsula may gain ground from their power base in the country. sunni majority nations in the area such as saudi arabia are calling for military intervention in yemen. danish police are looking into the background of a man they believe attacked a synagogue and an event to promote free speech. they say the suspect opened fire on saturday in copenhagen and killed at least two people. and they're now investigating if he acted alone, and his motives. nhk world's nishikawa reports. >> reporter: police officers remain on high alert in the

capital of denmark. >> i think it's horrible. and it's so close. you know our children just play at the garden over here. but it's strange and it's not really real. >> reporter: investigators say their prime suspect is a 22-year-old danish man who was shot dead early sunday morning. police have not released the suspect's name yet. but danish public broadcaster is quoting a lawyer as saying the suspect's name is omar el hussein. reports say hussein was freed two weeks ago after serving time for stabbing a man in 2013. the shooting rampage started on saturday at the cafe. people have gathered for an event to discuss freedom of speech. they were supporters of swedish artist lars vilks. vilks had received death threats from yemen-based militant group for his 2007 cartoons of the

prophet muhammad portrayed as a dog. he was not injured. but the gunman killed one participant, and three police officers were also wounded. >> we feel certain now that it is a politically motivated attack. and thereby it is a terrorist attack. we take this situation extremely seriously. >> reporter: eight hours later, another shooting took place in a synagogue about three kilometers away. a family had gathered there for a ceremony at the time. one guard was shot dead. many people in the country are shocked to experience this type of violence again. >> i feel very sad. and not altogether unexpected. one would say it was a matter of time before something like that would happen. >> reporter: in 2005 a local newspaper posted a satirical cartoon of the islamic prophet

which led to terror attacks targeting several danish embassies around the world. and the attack last month on the french magazine "charlie hebdo" led police in copenhagen to step up their security measures. leaders from the international community are expressing outrage and their determination to fight against terrorists. >> translator: these attacks were about people personifying freedom of speech. personifying public authority, and danes of the jewish faith. we can see the similarities with those who are targeted in paris. and this is the reason why we stand together through this ordeal. >> reporter: u.n. secretary-general issued a statement. he said there's no justification for attacks against civilians, and that the world must stand strong for freedom of expression and tolerance.

investigators are now trying to determine if the suspect had any kukzs to islamic extremist groups. mitsuko nishikawa, nhk world. japan's economy is showing positive growth for the first time after the consumption tax hike last april. ron madison is here with the latest on this story. >> gene growth not really meeting analyst expectations but no real complaints here. that's because the expansion for october to december is the first that we've seen in three quarters. the officials say a recovery in personal spending gave some momentum to the gdp figures. officials at the cabinet office say the fourth quarter figure grew in real terms by 0.6% compared with the previous period. that translates to annualized growth of 2.2%. and they say consumer spending rose 0.3%. people are loosening their purse strings after holding back since the consumption tax hike last april. capital spending by companies picked up. that figure grew by 0.1%.

now the officials say strong demand from abroad contributed 0.2% to gdp. the weaker yen helped to lift the country's exports to the united states and asia. still, they're a bit concerned by housing investment. that figure was down 1.2%. the consumption tax hike still seems to be weighing on the housing sector. well the weaker yen has helped make japan's major exporters more competitive. it's also encouraging smaller firms to sell more abroad. this tokyo based venture company is one of them. the firm sells cosmetics and other products. and it's trying to expand foreign business. this eye shadow product, for example, carried a wholesale price of 1100 thai bot last april when the yen was higher. the local buyer wanted it priced below 1,000 bot. well now the same product is 970 bot and the japanese managers have started discussing a contract. >> translator: i want to take advantage of the weak yen by marketing our products

aggressively abroad and continue even if the currency strengthens again. >> she says negotiations are also going pretty well in greece. even though the japanese economy is showing signs of growth, many consumers are still being careful with their money. more than 100 shoppers lined up in front of a supermarket in tokyo for a special sale. consumer spending is still below what it was before the consumption tax was raised. >> translator: it's tough to stand in line in this cold weather. but i'm here because i'm looking for bargains. >> translator: people are trying to save money because prices have gone up due to the rise in the sales tax, and the weaker yen. >> the store holds a special sale every week. the manager says he's worried that business will suffer if it doesn't offer shoppers some bargains. to the markets now, investors are waiting for a meeting of eurozone finance

ministers in brussels to see if they can find any common ground with the new greek government. here's how major bench marks in europe are looking at this hour. we're seeing declines across the board. london is down a quarter percent, frankfurt losing 0.4%. the paris market is down just about 0.1%. here in asia the nikkei closed above 18,000. the first time that's happened since july 2007. japan's fourth quarter gdp figures failed to live up to expectations. but investors do think low crude oil prices and signs of wage increases will boost japanese shares. in australia the main index there hitting a seven-year high rising nearly 0.2% 5,888. the resource heavy market rose on gains in the energy and mining sectors. taking a look now at other asian markets shanghai posting a six-day winning streak by rising 0.6%. hong kong closed up just about 0.2%. disappointing economic data from china boosted expectations that the central bank will take further stimulus measures.

here's a look at currencies now. the euro is slightly gaining ground against the dollar and the yen. euro/dollar at 1.1413. while euro/yen is at roughly 118.59. market players expect greece and its international creditors to reach a last-minute deal in brussels. all right. that is going to do it for biz tonight. i'll leave you with the markets.

u.s. regulators have proposed rules for flying unmanned aircraft and drones in the country for commercial purposes. the u.s. federal aviation administration announced the rules on sunday. they would allow drones weighing 25 kilograms or less to fly up to 150 meters above ground at speeds up to 160 kilometers per hour. operators would have to keep their aircraft within sight, and fly them only during the day. drones will be prohibited from approaching airports or the travel routes of conventional aircraft. flying over populated areas will also be forbidden. the faa plans to finalize the rules by 2017 after public consultations companies have been urging the government to lift the current near-ban on commercial drones. u.s. president barack obama has told commerce department

officials to draft rules for protecting privacy and commercial drone use is also outlined principles of privacy protection in the government's use of drones for border security and disaster monitoring. demand for online filtering services has been increasing in japan since islamic state militants uploaded videos of the apparent killings of two japanese hostages. the online security firm digital art said demand has surged since the footage of the apparent killing of the second japanese hostage kenji goto was released on february 1st. the company says its staff search for videos with extremely violent content and limit user access to the providers. it says a minimum of 1,000 problematic sites are discovered every day and the figure sometimes rises above 3,000. it also says violent videos are spread by online recommendations and are copied by people who want more advertising revenue for their sites. police have arrested three senior members of a major yakuza

crime syndicate in western japan. they're suspected in connection with a 17-year-old murder case that kudo-kai syndicate is considered the most dangerous in the country. police say they have security camera evidence and witness statements linking the suspects to the attempted murder of a dentist last year. the victim is the grandson of a fisheries chief who was murdered 17 years ago. the gang's leader and other members of the group were indicted in that murder last september. the u.s. treasury department has blocked financial transactions by the kudo-kai syndicate and its two leaders. it cites their involvement in drug trafficking, arms smuggling, money laundering and other criminal activities. japan lost one of its poster pioneers this month. kenji ekuan died at the age of 85. he spent more than half a century creating products that were useful and beautiful, too. and it all began with his dream of lifting his country out of

the ashes of the second world war. nhk world's minori takao spoke with him a couple of years ago when his works were on display in tokyo. >> reporter: ekuan worked on projects both large and small. the norita express trains linking tokyo and the airport bear his stamp. so does a crossing that incorporates signals and lighting in one big circle. best known of all, the bottle that instantly links the product with a particular producer. by all means, your most well-known work is this soy sauce table dispenser. it's really handy. lifting it at the neck is a breeze. >> translator: it has the shape of a water drop. it's meant to look natural. >> reporter: more than 50 years an tables around the world, and still unchanged.

it's practical, too. let me pour some. >> translator: usually the soy sauce is drippy and can mess up the table. the salt in it makes it sticky. >> reporter: ekuan tested more than 100 prototypes before settling on this shape for the spout. the optimum angle to prevent dripping. the bottles and the sauce they contain are now sold in over 80 countries. ekuan has dedicated himself to changing lives through design. but he didn't start out with that calling in mind. he was born in 1929 the son of the head priest of a buddhist temple in hiroshima. his early education was intended to prepare him to succeed his father. but the devastation of hiroshima after the atomic bomb explosion set him on a different course.

>> translator: street cars, bicycles automobiles, everything was destroyed and burned down. glass has melted away. faced with that nothingness i felt a great nostalgia for something to touch. something to look at. the existence of tangible things is important. it's proof of humanity. evidence that we are here as human beings. >> reporter: ekuan entered a fine arts university to pursue the profession of designer. goods were in short supply right after the war. so he began to design articles for everyday life. japan's recovery proceeded with great speed. the country's success caused ekuan to turn his attention to items that reflected abundance.

abundance, however, bred wastefulness. people started discarding things with abandon. ekuan came to believe that beauty could change those habits. give people something worth cherishing, and they'll hold onto it. the burst of the economic bubble, however, criated yet another set of challenges. ekuan began emphasizing quality of life and designing ways of harmonizing with the natural environment. >> translator: do you think we're again at a time where we have to consider our relations with things from scratch? >> translator: japan is positioned itself as a world leader in producing items of excellence. but from now on we have to engage in philosophical thought as to what such things mean to us. otherwise we'll be unable to maintain leadership.

>> reporter: well that would seem to apply both to users and designers. what approach do you have in mind? >> translator: well, take a knife, for example. you use a good knife all the time. tools become intimate to you. they practically become part of you. and you come to feel close to them. with that you're able to use them in many more ways. then you'll love them. that's what i strive for. >> reporter: ekuan believed creating an object meant imbuing it with its own spirit and with that his legacy lives on. minori takao, nhk world. powerful storms hit hawaii as the pineapple express setup

continued near the islands. our meteorologist jonathan oh is here to explain. jonathan? >> hello, gene yes. every time around this time of year we have this pineapple express setup. what that means is the jet stream layer is set up to where storms develop near or around the hawaiian islands, and it gets picked up and moved toward the pacific northwest of the united states, and so that's the reason why, moving over hawaii they have dubbed this the pineapple express. sometimes, though those storms roll right over hawaii and causes a little bit of a problem in the process. let me show you what i mean by looking at some of the video coming out of this area where an intense pacific storm hammered oahu island with drenching rains and fierce winds saturday and about 80 kilometer per hour winds were reported at weaver airport. you can tell on top of the damage, power outages were reported all over the place and several houses were damaged. now, thankfully at least the winds have backed off, but because it's still remaining with some of the winds from the

waters, we are now seeing those high wave warnings still in place. the good news is as we go forward over the next three days it looks like that the rain that trail, that pineapple express is going to be north of the hawaiian islands and moving toward the north and east and looks like hawaii will remain relatively dry. now an area where we're looking at some weather concerns in north america is the deep south. low pressure system that has picked up a lot of moisture and continues to gather itself as it moves toward the east. here's the problem though. we've been talking about a lot of problems in the great lakes area, and also in the northeast, because of the constant cold air and the moisture bringing some of these historic snowstorms. now we have enough cold air dropping far south with the moisture combination to where we are seeing the possibility of that only winter storm conditions with snow but also potentially ice and freezing rain because that cold air has not moved all the way down toward the south.

just enough to where places like tennessee and kentucky you're looking at winter storm warnings in areas further down toward the east and also toward the south. so look out for some snow and be prepared to be dealing with possibly freezing rain conditions. those are quite dangerous when that happens. d.c. with snow expected even into atlanta looking at some flurries and some snow with the high of only two degrees into oklahoma city and denver looking at some very chilly conditions. warmer down toward houston, thankfully, enough of a warm flow has allowed the temperatures to stay relatively warm in that area. now, we're talking about lots of rainfall as we go to europe. we've been talking about these waves of low pressure that slowly track toward the east. another low has developed right over italy. and it's still bringing all of this moisture in to the country. that's going to produce not only heavy amounts of rain but also some thunderstorms. looks like we're going to see a lot of that trying to move further toward the south. but, as the system slowly pushes toward the east looking at a chance for some more rain fall. rome a high of 11 degrees on this monday. rain coming in for the western side of the continent as another

system tries to move in to europe. wrapping things up with a look at east asia. we had some very windy conditions reported from the northern portions of japan. sliding toward the east as that low pressure system responsible for that. that's not the end of the story. another pair of low pressure systems coming out of the korean peninsula and into western japan. bringing some rain maybe some snow fall into places like south korea as we go in to the next day. so looking out for that with some instability reported down toward the south of china, so looking out for some showers into places like taipei. chilly weather for tokyo. high of 6 on tuesday. hope you have a good day wherever you are. here's your extended outlook.

kei nishikori of japan has done something no male tennis player has ever done before. he's become the first to win the memphis open tennis tournament for three straight years. nishikori number five in the world rankings faced kevin anderson of south africa. he won 6-4, 6-4 but he struggled to reach the finals. he dropped the first set in each of his previous three matches but managed to advance. this is his first tour victory this season and his eighth atp tour title. and 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. ?w?w

denmark. airstrikes from egypt hit islamic state group targets in libya after a new video came out showing the beheading of 21 coptic christians. ukrainian soldiers are killed in attacks by pro-russian separatists despite a new cease-fire put in place this weekend. also, a scoop for shoppers or a worry for workers?