hello and welcome to "newsline." . we start off with a quick look at the hour's top stories. governments in eight agencies are rushing doctors, volunteers and equipment to nepal in the wake of a deadly earthquake. japanese prime minister abe has started an eight-day tour of the u.s. he will meet with president obama and address congress during his visit.

lead ers of asean nations have begun their talks. and as global car makers fight for market share, japanese firms are in the fast lane. they are adapting to changing tastes and new rules. international. rescue workers in nepal are not waiting for the dust to settle. they are racing against the clock to save possible survivors trapped after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake. relief teams are trying to deliver much-needed aid among powerful aftershocks. authorities say more than 3,200 people are dead and 6,400 injured in nepal. they say over 80 people in china, india and bangladesh also died. rescue workers are combing through the wreckage in nepal's capital kathmandu in search of survivor survivors. more than a dozen countries have

dispatched relief and medical crews or pledged financial assistance. japan has sent a 70-member team to join the efforts. a german climber on mount everest captured the moments the avalanche struck the base camp. 17 people were killed more than 1,000 people were on the mountain at the time. a romanian climber said in a twit er twitter message that more than 100 people are stranded above the base camp. thousands of people in kathmandu have fled their homes. many are hesitant to sleep inside fearful of the next aftershocks. more than 900,000 children need immediate assistance. >> so that i am coming here to

save my life. >> aftershocks have been rattling the country. one of the biggest was on sunday. many homes and historic buildings have collapsed in the old city world heritage site. commercial districts usually filled with tourists are now empty. one is living in kathmandu and experienced the quake. she spoke about current conditions in the country and what kind of help is needed. >> reporter: the initial tremor was not so bad, so i thought it would end soon. but then long and powerful horizontal shakes continued and we couldn't stay standing up. things fell and glass was shattered. the downtown area was heavily hit and there was a shortage of tents. people were crammed into small

spaces and food and water hasn't been delivered to many of those places. i think what's needed the most now and for the foreseeable future are tents to keep people covered as well as water and food. >> experts believe several factors explain why the devastation was so extensive in kathmandu even though the epicenter was dozens of kilometers away. >> reporter: the earthquake occurred in the area where the indian plate meet. earthquakes are frequent occurrence there. the epicenter is believed to have been about 80 kilometers northwest of kathmandu. an associate professor is a assessing data from the quake indicating that there was movement around the fault within this yellow area.

seismologists estimate that the earth shifted up to 4.1 meters near kathmandu. the soft ground and the city contributed to the destruction. >> translator: the most serious damage was concentrated in kathmandu. the area used to be a lake a layer of soft clay several hundred meters thick have built up so a quake there will be strong and long. >> reporter: the he conducted a survey of buildings in kathmandu last year. he says many were not designed to withstand strong tremors. >> translator: there are many

brick houses in the area. some of them were built by the owners themselves. such unauthorized buildings have poor earthquake resistance and are likely to suffer greater damage. >> reporter: a sharp increase in population is another factor. >> translator: the population here has nearly doubled in ten years. people are concentrated in four and five-story buildings along narrow roads. we're concerned that collapsed buildings block roads and make it difficult for emergency vehicles to get through. >> reporter: experts say that aftershocks will continue for the next few weeks and as rescue

operations move forward, people here must also be concerned about preventing a second disaster. nhk world. >> thank you for that report. prime minister abe is set to meet with u.s. leaders later this week in washington. he will sit down at the white house with president obama and he will be the first japanese leader to address a joint session of congress. abe will speak to law makmakers on wednesday. he will pledge a more active role in maintaining peace and stability in the asia-pacific region. this is the first official visit by a japanese prime minister in. nine years. his trip to the u.s. will last eight days. he plans to use his speech to congress to stress the significance of the close japan-u.s. alliance. abe plans to state that japan has followed a pathd of a pass vis nation and vibted to regional development. he will likely show his attention to work toward bring an early conclusion of talks on

the trans-pacific free trade pact. the prime minister is also expected to express his full support for the rebalancing of u.s. foreign policy toward the asia-pacific region. he's expected to express his hope to strengthen the bilateral alliance in an effort to secure peace in. asia where the rule of law is respected. and he will pledge japan's commitment to taking on global issues such as terrorism, infectious diseases and natural disasters in cooperation with the u.s. political observers say leaders will be paying close attention to the speech. abe will issue a statement later this year reflecting on japan's in the 70 years since the end of world war ii. foreign affairs and defense chiefs from japan and u.s. are getting ready to meet. they are will review guidelines for the first time in 18 years. japan

japan's foreign minister and defense minister will hold talks with secretary of state john kerry and ash carter on monday. the guidelines will bolster defense cooperation over remote japanese ieslands in the event of an armed attack. this is in response to china's stepped up activities in the east china sea and elt where. the new guidelines will a apply to cases in which japan exercises right to self-defense. they include japan's participation in mind sweeping operations and response to ballistic missile launches. the proposed changes reflect the government's ongoing review of its security legislation. russia's president accused u.s. leaders of helping separatists more than a decade ago. vladimir putin says u.s. intelligence officials and the separatists were in contact during the early phase of his presidency. putin made the allegation in a television documentary aired on russian state television. the program looks back on his 15 years in office. putin said russian intelligence

agencies intercepted direct contacts between islamic separatists and intelligence ap operatives. he said the americans were providing help. they sent troops to fight the separatists. putin said a hostage crisis in the region was one of the toughest moments of his presidency. islamic militants stormed a a school 11 years ago. more than 300 people were killed. leaders are holding a summit. chi chinese project hs in the south china sea are among the issues on the table. >>. asean must address these issues in a positive and constructive way. >>. he said at the opening ceremony that the task will be to draw up a road map. that would lay a foundation for stronger unity among member

states. philippine leaders that they halt work on the islands. the chinese are reclaiming land on seven reeves. china, the philippines and other countries claim the islands. it's unclear if the members will agree to act together. a proposed regional economic block is another topic on the agenda. officials have been looking at setting it up by the end of the year. a u.s. naval commanding officer wants self-defense force aircraft to take part in surveillance in the region. >> u.s. and japan have the same interest. s in this region and they extend to the south china sea. >> the u.s. navy flies there every day. they have increased the number of patrol aircraft e deploy eded in japan by 25% over the past three years. he spoke about china's reclamation of several reeves

around the islands and expressed concerns saying that is a unilateral action without collaboration with other countries in the region. japan imports just about all of its crude oil, most of it from the middle east. now a major japanese energy developer says it's going to establish a r more direct channel with one major supplier in the region. >> saudi arabia is japan's largest supplier of oil. officials at the trade ministry have just announced that the company has taken a 5% stake in an oil field in alabama da by. the deal is worth $1.1 billion and will involve the production of more than 80,000 barrels a day. officials earlier said it planned to open 40% of its 15 on shore oil fields whose rights were due to expire.

japan's trade minister called the deal a milestone saying it's based on the close relationship between the two countries. >> translator: i think this deal will make a huge contribution to secure u a stable oil supply for japan. >> 11 international. firms are participating in the bidding. total has already taned a 10% stake. executives at the world's largest maker of manufacturing equipment say they have given up plans to merge with a u.s. rival. the deal was planned between tokyo electron and applied materials. the company claims the world's top market share. the president says problems cropped up when they asked for approval from anti-trust regulators in the united states.

he says he disagrees with the u.s. officials saying he believes the people who worked on the merger followed proper procedures. they disclosed their plan. a merger would have given them a 25% global market share for equipment used to make semi conductors. industry analysts say machinery makers are in a race to keep up with growing demand from the manufacturing of smart phones and other communication devices. and checking the markets, investors in tokyo pulled down the stock beloew the 20,000 mark. it shed .18%. investors held back from active bets ahead of central bank poll policy meetings in japan and the u.s. they are also waiting for more cues from corporate earnings reports. moving on to the chinese markets, the shanghai comp soared 3%. it rose above the 4,500 mark

for. the first time in seven years. many market players are expecting the government to take measures. it briefly touched the 10,000 mark for the first time in 15 years. investored bought shares followed. speculation about a stock trading with shanghai boosted sentiment. in other asian markets, 1.3%. seoul was down .1%. some investors were lacking in profit from the set last week. indonesian shares 3.5%, a lower than expected earnings reports. japanese consumers died out less in march. sales at major restaurant and fast food chains fell for the first time in two months. officials at the japan food service sorks say march sales were down 4.6% from a a year

earlier. they say food safety scare at mcdonald's was a major factor behind the slump. sales there fell nearly 30% after a series of incidents at which foreign objects were found in mcdonald's meals. sales at fast food chains dropped 10% overall but family restaurants and other chains saw sales rise. higher grade items on the menu were popular. customers were ready to spend more if they thought the food was worth it. car makers are looking to drive their products into one of the world's most lucrative markets. they are trying to cash in on the more than 23 million vehicles sold each year in china. some japanese companies are shifting gears to keep up with a rapidly changing market. >> reporter: nearly 2,000 companies are taking part in this year's show.

but regular participants notice something was missing. this is what the event looked like two years ago. but this year companies have been told to hold off on the performances. >> translator: i have absolutely no tolerance for corruption. >> reporter: the president has made cracking down on corruption a priority. and leaders in beijing have pledged to improve public morals. organizers here are trying to stay in line with the government's new policies. >> translator: there's no excitement this year. there are no stars or models. >> reporter: but the new move of austerity isn't the only obstacle for car makers. >> translator: environmental

pollution is a disease and a pain in chinese peoples' minds. >> reporter: starting next year car makers will be required to meet tough new efficiency standards in vehicles. a step meant to reduce air pollution. . officials at toyota are pushing awareness through new technology. the japanese auto maker began. making hybrid models in china ten years ago, but sales were weaker than expected. even so toyota is now bringing its hybrid models to the front of its showrooms. with the earlier models, the key components were made in japan. toyota has since switched its production of models and batteries to china to hold down prices. this is a first time for this component to be manufactured

outside japan. >> translator: this is to address environmental concerns. i believe that demand will grow r for such vehicles and the trend will change. >> reporter: china's old market is starting to flow as beijing implements a series of new regulator registrations -- regulations. r for nissan the solution is to target arch rivals with cars. the design of this model is meant to catch the eye of young chinese looking to impress. nissan assigned a team of chinese workers for the first time. they were asked to get input from people in their 20s and 30s.

>> reporter: nissan also entrusted its design to a local employee in his 30s. >> translator: i focused on the front. design because chinese people attach importance to their status and prestige. >> translator: the preferences of young chinese change quickly. it's difficult to keep track of their needs from outside the country. >> reporter: japanese auto makers are trying to move into the fast lane as they adapt to quickly u changing moves in a a

highly competitive market. nhk world, shanghai. >> that's it for business news. i'll leave you with the markets.

japanese tennis player has taken top honors at the barcelona open for the second year in a row. he's now won more international tournaments than any tennis player from japan. he faced pablo from spain in sunday's final. he struggled with his serve in the beginning and lost the first game, but he found his rhythm and won the opening set. he dropped the first and second game. s of the second set but some crisp returns helped him regain his momentum. he was the tournament's top seed. he won 6-4, 6-4. he's ranked fifth in the world. this was his second win of the season and his ninth career title. now here on "newsline," we turn to world weather. strong storms slammed the u.s. southern plains on sunday with more severe weather ahead for

monday. our meteorologist is here with the forecast. >> hello, we are keeping an eye on a couple low pressure systems rolling over texas and because of that, we're looking at the possibility of seeing some more strong thunderstorms. keep an eye, too, the satellite picture here. you can see here the white clouds bubble up very quickly. what that means is we have a lot of moisture moving into the area. the clouds are expanding very quickly. when that happens, it opens the potential for strong thunderstorms. that's what happened on sunday. we had around 18 reports of tornadoes around the southern plains. and that system is continuing to push to the east and in addition to that we have another low pressure system to the south and that's feeding in the moisture and cold air. that combination opening the possibility of more severe weather as we go into monday. look at this outlook as e we go throughout monday the orange areas down to the coast of mississippi and louisiana looking at enhanced risk for

severe storms. the yellow areas extending into. alabama and down toward areas like houston. a slight risk for severe storms. now with these storms as we have been watching for the past couple of weeks because of the way that the weather is set up, a lot of warm moisture coming in. that collision is producing not only strong thunderstorms but also tornadoes are developing from this. we'll be keeping an eye out for that. heavy rainfall possible. some areas may see up to 80 millimeters of rainfall in a short period of time. especially along the gulf coast and places like the panhandle of florida as we go throughout the next couple days. make sure you pay attention to the weather situation. thunderstorms from denver into houston and miami and we're seeing another area of rain toward new york and washington, d.c. we'll see a high of 17 with some showers throughout monday. we're seeing unstable weather as we go look at the forecast for europe. we have a low pressure system that's now coming on shore from the peninsula into france.

that's bringing in. a lot of rainfall and also some cooler conditions. meanwhile, warm moisture from the mediterranean sea, so the combination creating symptomtrong storms. the possibility of unstable weather for monday from berlin to paris wet weather in the teens. contrast the warm temperatures in the taens and also into moscow. this will change as we go through the week. the colder air will sweep eastward and drop to the teens by tuesday and wednesday. i want to take you to nepal where we're keeping an eye on the weather because of the efforts that are taking place after the strong earthquakes that took place during the weekend. we're looking out for the possibility of more avalanches. the reason why is more rain in the forecast with very warm temperatures. so look out for this possibility as we extend into tuesday and wednesday. temperatures around 20 into the 20s with rain in the forecast. further to the south, we're looking at temperatures in the

40s. it's going to be a lot warmer and still looking out for dangerously hot conditions. now wrapping these up with a look at japan, we're seeing warm temperatures here. in fact, some of the warmest temperatures ever recorded this year. in the 30s. we are looking at summer like conditions to continue with dry weather. 26 for tuesday. 22 by wednesday. hope you have a good day wherever you are. here's your extended outlook.

and that wrap ups this

edition of "newsline." more to come on nhk world so stay with us.

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l in nepal rises above 3700. the 7.8 magnitude earthquake has devastated cap men do after -- kathmandu forcing tens of thousands of people to abandon their homes and sleep in the streets. international rescue efforts are underway. french teams are in the capital to join chinese and indian teams on the ground here it desperately searching for survivors. police in burundi are trying to silence antigovernment protesters. more