. welcome to nasdaqhk world "newsline." i'm gene otani. tackling terrorism. american religious leaders, educators and government officials are meeting face to face to find ways to stop youth from being radicalized. pro russian separatists in eastern ukraine say they have seized control of a railway hub. and japanese experts are

helping people in egypt set up a new museum for ancient treasures. american religious leaders, educators and government officials have gathered in washington. they're meeting to discuss anti-terrorism measures and they're trying to to find a way to stop young people from being radicalized. >> reporter: u.s. president barack obama has convened a three-day meeting that many people around the world will be closely watching. american leaders say the growing number of global terrorism threats must be stopped now. >> the global terrorist threat is more decentralized, move diffuse and frankly more complex. isil is prominent on the world stage these days. >> reporter: u.s. officials estimate more than 150 americans have gone to syria as foreign

fighters. and delegates here are also turning to each other to find ways to stop home grown terrorism within their borders. and they're using minneapolis as an example. the city has a high population of immigrants from somalia. police and local community groups have started working together to watch over young people and look out for any suspicious signs. president obama says cities and towns across america should adopt a similar approach. >> i want to challenge all of us to build new partnerships that unleash the talents and creativity of young people young muslims, not just to expose the lives of extremist but to power the service.

>> reporter: he stressed the importance of leaders around the world on working on this issue. he said his government will create a special envoy in charge of counterterrorism. rashad hussein will work with his counterparts from various countries to expand partnership to counter violent extremism. delegates from more than 60 countries and anti-national organizations will join the last day of discussion. they'll add their voices to the call to stop the violence. nhk world. people in nigeria are scheduled to go to the polls next month to choose their president. members of boko haram are threatening to disrupt the election. the group's leader appeared in a video posted on the internet. abu bah car shah car says the militants will prevent a

peaceful protest even ifelection even if it costs them their lives. members of the group have staged attacks in neighboring cameroon and chad. nigeria's presidential election was initially scheduled for february 14th. but election officials postponed the vote because of security concerns. they now plan to hold it on the 28th of next month. arab diplomats are teaming up to try to deal with the group islamic state in libya. they're calling on the u.n. security council to lift an arms embargo on the country. so its military can join the fight. militant groups have been battling for control of libya's cities and oil wells since the 2011 fall of the omar gadhafi regime. egyptian forces this week

carried out air strikes in eastern libya against the militants. they were retaliating for the apparent killing of 21 egyptian christians. libya's foreign minister stressed in an emergency security council meeting the need to build up his country's army. >> translator: libya needs to know the stance of the international community on helping us build up the capacity of our national army. this would come through the lifting of the weapons embargo. >> egypt's foreign minister says his country supports that request. >> translator: the international community must shoulder its responsibility for fighting terrorism and this requires strengthening the libyan national army. >> but observers say some western nations remain wary of easing the arms embargo in libya. japan's prime minister vowed full efforts to prevent acts of terror in the leadup to the 2020 tokyo olympics and paralympics. shinzo abe was speaking at a

lower house committee meeting. >> translator: working closely with the international community, we are vigorously strengthening our information gathering and analysis capabilities to detect at an early stage any signs of disturbing trends. we are also tightening border controls and cooperation with relevant agencies to prevent terrorists from entering the country and boosting security at key facilities like airports and public transportation. >> abe spoke about the national security council's response to the recent hostage crisis in the middle east involving two japanese nationals. abe said the nsc discussed the local situation before his departure for the middle east in

january and twice conducted an in depth examination of the crisis once it began. he said this although the outcome was regrettable, the nsc functioned well. the sport of soccer has been called the beautiful game. but officials with soccer's world governing body have condemned a group of fans for some ugly behavior. supporters of english premier league club chelsea were in paris for a champions league match. they pushed a black man off a train and declared they were racist. another passenger captured the incident and posted the video on the internet. chelsea issued a statement calling the fans' behavior abhorrent. it said such actions have no place in football or society.

fifa president sepp blatter took to twitter to denounce the incident and chelsea fans in london also expressed their anger. >> i like it. it is a couple of idiots doing it. >> french prosecutors launched an investigation. pro russian separatists in eastern ukraine are facing more pressure to respect a cease-fire now that they captured a strategic town. ukrainian soldiers retreated following a battle that raged on days after the truce took effect. now many are waiting to see if the agreement to end more than 10 months of war will actually work. nh nhk world's craig dale reports. >> reporter: ukrainian soldiers embraced happy to be alive after a harrowing few days. they're among the thousands of troops who retreated from the eastern town after a sustained

assault by pro russian separatists. there are no words to describe it, says this soldier. along the way we were blanketed with shots. some died some are wounded, much like ukraine's national pride, perhaps. president petro poroshenko visited the front line to praise the soldiers for their courage. he and his military commanders called this an organized withdrawal but it bears all the signs of a defeat. separatist fighters raised their flag saying they overpowered the ukrainian military. both sides fought for days despite a cease-fire that was supposed to start sunday. the rebels argued they encircled the town before the truce went into effect so it wasn't technically part of the front line. taking control of the railway hub allows them to link two stronghold strongholds, but the pride is a damaged one. look at this aerial video. guns, tanks and other weapons caused heavy destruction.

even surrounding communities have been hit hard. we have no idea what's going on says this man. there is no electricity, no water, nothing. ukrainian leaders seem to have sacrificed to save the agreement drafted last week. both sides are supposed to stop fighting and pull back weapons from the front line. then there are difficult discussions about the autonomy or independence the pro russian rebels want with ukraine's desire to regain control of its eastern border. moving forward, many say russia needs to do its part if the deal is to survive. >> russian separatists do not implement the agreement, the fighters and equipment continue to flow into ukraine from russia, more costs will be imposed. >> reporter: more costs means more economic sanctions, though eu officials say that's not a foregone conclusion. >> if the situation on the ground follows the commitments that are taken in the minsk last

week, this would not be an accessory. >> reporter: they have deterred vladimir putin but it has hurt the economy. he dismiss everyone knows by now that peace in ukraine depends on russia. president putin is being pressured to use his influence to keep the separatists from breaking the cease-fire. the president of ukraine, though has little faith left. he wants international peacekeepers in the east to ensure this war that has claimed more than 5,000 lives comes to an end. craig dale nhk world. markets in europe have been volatile as investors closely watch the new leadership in grease. ron madison is here with the latest on the markets. >> leaders in greece may be closer to ending weeks of difficult negotiations over their bailout package. they submitted a request for a six-month extension on their loan agreement with the eurozone. investors are waiting now how the creditors respond.

here's how major benchmarks are looking at this hour in europe. we're seeing a fairly checkered performance. london is down by a tenth of a percent. we're seeing gains of .2% for frankfurt. paris is also gaining about .3%. many investors in asia taking a break for the chinese new year holiday. things in tokyo have been busy indeed today. the nikkei rose to levels not seen in nearly 15 years. it ended at 18,264 a gain of .4%. many traders saw encouraging signs in japanese export data and corporate earnings. meanwhile, in australia, the s&p asx 200 saw declines, 5,904. turning to currencies euro dollar is at 1.1398. investors are keenly awaiting new developments in the greek debt talks. dollar yen is at 118.91.

they will look for the latest data on u.s. unemployment and insurance claims due out later today. some economists expect the good times to keep on rolling for japanese stocks. one says there is a strong chance the nikkei will top 20,000. >> translator: if we see a positive economic cycle take shape, in other words if wages go up and corporate investment increases, then stock prices will likely rise to the next level. >> another takes a different view. he says the late surge is not supported by real economic factors and he warns monetary easing measures created a global surplus of cash. >> translator: unless there is a swift and strong recovery in personal spending or a rapid increase in exports led by a global economic upswing, share prices are not likely to continue rising this year or

next. every month government officials in japan look at a range of factors before delivering their verdict on the economy. this month they say things are improving in one important area. they say for the first time in a year exports are picking up. the officials approved the report for february at a ministerial meeting. they say the economy as a whole is continuing to recover at a moderate pace. that's been their assessment for five months now. they also say there has been some weakness in consumer sentiment but that personal spending is holding firm. the officials warn household earnings are failing to keep pace with the rising prices for every day goods. they say there is good news for exports and they credit that to increase shipments to the u.s. and asia. the officials also upgraded their assessment for the employment situation for the first time in three months. they say it shows a trend toward improvement. they he do expect the economy to continue recovering moderately and say the employment situation and wages will continue to

improve. managers at japanese department stores say their poor run of sales dragged on for ten months. they reported disappointing figures every month since the consumption tax went up last april. officials at the japan department stores association surveyed 240 outlets nationwide. they say in january sales came to roughly $4.6 billion. that was down just about 3% from the same month last year. managers at some stores said big crowds of foreign tourists boosted new year's sales but periods of bad weather kept people away and also hit sales of women's clothing and other products. the association officials are banking on the chinese new year holiday to turn things around. and they say the likelihood of wage increases may also encourage people to spend. all right, that is going to wrap it up for biz tonight. i'll leave you with the markets.

the foreign ministry is encouraging japanese firms to do more to provide goods and services to the united nations. the u.n. says japanese companies accounted for less than 1% of its organization's overall procurement in 2013. the ministry made a pitch to representatives of 70 companies at a seminar in tokyo. kiyohiro mitsui says japanese companies can help in food medicine, construction and transport. he said the high quality of the offer will be welcome. he also explained the paperwork involved in registering for such activity. >> translator: japan has not been supplying much in the way of goods and services despite the high level of funds it

contributes. i believe we can provide more to the u.n. >> the u.n. says the overall procurement volume of u.n. organizations in 2013 was $16.1 billion of which japanese firms accounted for just 0.8%. the first passenger plane to be built in japan in half a century will soon take to the skies. mitsubishi aircraft corporation completed the mrj last year. sources say a ground test to check the plane's strength are progressing smoothly. they say the company is therefore aiming to carry out the first test flight on may 29th. the sources say the mrj will take off from nagoya airport and return after about one hour in the air. the successful flight will bring the aircraft a step closer to commercial use. any problems can lead to a fourth delay in delivering the jet to airlines.

scuba divers off the coast of israel have stumbled upon a medieval treasure trove. they found gold coins dating back more than 1,000 years. officials say the find was made near caesarea. the divers found 2,000 coins by chance earlier this month. they first thought they had discovered toys but experts have confirmed the gold is in fact real. the officials say the coins were minted by the fatimid dynasty that ruled egypt and other parts of north africa from the 10th to the 12th centuries. fatimid kalives controlled the port city of caesarea and stationed troops there. the coins are believed to have been intended to pay soldiers salaries or taxes to the government. >> probably belonged to a shipwreck that broke the hold from caesarea that was on the

way and sunk in the harbor. >> the officials say the coins are in excellent condition and are priceless. expectations are high for more finds in the area. some japanese experts are lending a helping hand in egypt as the country carries out one of its greatest cultural projects. they're teaching people better ways to collect and restore ancient artifacts. nhk world explains. >> reporter: in the city of giza another historical attraction for tourists is in the rocks. the pyramids in giza and next to the pyramids a museum is now under construction. curators plan to unmask more than 100,000 of egypt's precious

cultural assets. artifacts will include a 3,000-year-old mummy. japan supported the project. it provided a loan for construction costs. a number of assets are -- some were damaged in the chaos of arab spring. now they need to be restored. some are in bad shape. ancient egyptians used it for writing and drawing. much of it has degenerated or been torn. to restore it staff rely on japanese wash paper. it lasts a long time and is well

suited for repair inging. a large piece of it is bonded to the papyrus. it helps prevent fading and further damage. the egyptian technicians who are in charge of the maintenance were trained in japan. another big concern is the transport of ancient assets. they will be transported to the museum from around egypt. japanese transportation experts are training local staff. before now, the egyptian team had never transported so many cultural objects. using replicas they train

repeatedly. the japanese gives them guidance throughout every step of the process. they learned how to pack packing materials to the shape of the artifact or what they are made of. >> translator: the packing and shipping methods we learned from the japanese during training have been very useful. >> reporter: egyptians are doing their best to build the museum. japanese experts are helping to preserve its valuable contents. nhk world, giza, egypt. >> dangerously cold conditions are sticking around in the u.s. deep south and more frigid weather is on tap for the rest of the week. our meteorologist jonathan oh is here with the details. jonathan? >> hello, gene yes. we're talking about temperatures

that are bitterly cold even in the deep south. we're seeing below freezing temperatures for daytime highs. and that air mass along with the windy conditions is still in place as we continue throughout thursday and even into friday. to show you the effects of that i wanted to take you first to georgia in the u.s. deep south where a blast of cold air blanketed the region in gainesville on wednesday and because there is so much icing taking place it ended up taking down trees and power lines, tens of thousands of people were without electricity. then that cold air continues to hit boston. we talked about a lot of snowfall, here in boston harbor we're talking about frozen water ways in the harbor so coast guard boats had to move through the ice and break it up so that other boats are able to travel through the area. this cold weather, it is going to last for a while. i want to show you another impressive picture. this is in baltimore on

wednesday because a water main broke, we had water gushing out, because it was so cold. the water froze right over this car. this car is not going anywhere anytime soon. not only for the fact it is iced over, we're not expecting the temperatures to warm up to help melt any of the ice away. there is the high pressure system. we had that reinforcing shot of cold air that boundary move through the eastern side of the united states, all this cold air pouring down from the north and we're going to see even more cold weather continuing on and because of the windy conditions windchill advisories to the deep south meaning temperatures are feeling close to negative 10 degrees in some spots when it comes to -- what it feels like because of the wind. so we are expecting these temperatures to be with us for a couple more days. negative 18 for the high in winnipeg. negative 16 chicago. negative 15 in toronto. atlanta, you're going to see a high of negative 3. miami, in the teens, with windy conditions as we go through thursday. now, we're talking about a much milder weather pattern as we

look at the forecast for east asia. high pressure controlling the eastern side of china. we have a slight northerly flow and seeing some precipitation for the sea of japan side of japan, mainly seeing pleasant conditions for the pacific side. we're going to see that continue. now over to the southern portion of china, that flow coming in from the east will bring some showers, chongqing, hong kong shanghai, weather on friday. down in australia, two big storms to talk about. tropical cyclones severe tropical cyclones. both of them are powerful. we have a category 3 storm moving to the south and west very slowly which means we're looking at some flooding conditions, up to 300 millimeters of rainfall to talk about. marsia a category 4 storm coming on shore over the overnight period. rainfall from brisbane and sydney before it starts exiting out of australia. possibly up to 300 millimeters

of rainfall through the next couple of days because of severe tropical cyclone lam. now a look at what is happening in turkey and over near europe. lots of cold weather and wrap around low that is not moving anywhere. we're looking at some continued snowy conditions for turkey and also balkan peninsula, 8 degrees in athens as we go through thursday. hope you have a good day wherever you are. here is your extended outlook.

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>> that's "newsline" for this hour. i'm gene otani in tokyo.

he key town of debeltseve prompting the president to call for u.n. peacekeepers to keep the cease-fire in place. a no confidence vote to be held on the french government, as it pushes for a new plan to free up labor rules and regulations. chelsea football club asks supporters to help identify fans videoed singing racist chants and pushing a black man off the metro in paris. could a new greek