a warm welcome to you all. this is "newsline." i'm james tengan in tokyo. here are some of the stories we're following this hour. thousands of shia milititiamen have gathered to try to retake ramadi from state militants. stocks in china are hitting multiyear highs. young people are piling into the market, aiming for a piece of the action. and a japanese sake maker is brewing up a new product to help

a rice-growing community in italy. iraqi leaders are preparing to make an attempt to take back the key city of ramadi from the islamic state militant group. they're getting help from several thousand shia militiamen to launch an offensive. but there are worries that could fuel sectarian violence in the predominantly sunni city. this footage purportedly showing ramadi was posted online on monday. the vice governor of anbar province told nhk the city has fallen into the hands of the militant group. he said all government troops have withdrawn. local media say islamic state fighters are searching for any remaining soldiers and setting their homes on fire. local authorities say the fighting left some 500 military personnel and residents dead. an additional 8,000 residents have fled the city. u.s. defense leaders say the loss of ramadi does not mean the tide of the campaign has turned. they say the coalition will support iraqi forces to take

back the city from the islamic state group. which is also known by the arabic acronym daish. >> the campaign against daish is a long one. it's going to take a long time. we've already said that. overall in iraq daish has been driven back. >> the iraqi government called on shia militias for support. a local lawmaker says 4,500 fighters have gathered outside the city, but people in the sunni-dominated province of anbar may express opposition to the use of shia forces. ramadi has been one of the key cities in the campaign. last month iraqi forces retook the northern city of tikrit with the help of usairstrikes. their big goal is mosul, the islamic state group's main stronghold in the country. but before advancing north, they must regain control of ramadi to cut the militants' supply line from syria.

an nhk crew traveled to the scene of the fighting to see what's holding up the operations. nhk world's keiko yamamoto has the story. >> reporter: the accompanied militiamen who have been fighting alongside government forces. >> translator: enemy fighters are still in those woods, beyond our front-line trench. we'll be launching an operation to get the forest back. >> reporter: last month security forces retook this village from the militants. >> translator: we found two or three snipers around here. >> reporter: militants have hidden in this trench. the militia commander says hundreds of the fighters split up into small groups before opening fire on his troops.

he says another major threat was improvised explosive devices planted on the side of the road. >> translator: this one was difficult to find. >> reporter: the bucket was turned into a bomb. and so was this. >> translator: explosives were stuffed inside the hose. it would blow up when someone stepped on it. >> reporter: other am bos were disguised as simple building materials. militants have used these improvised weapons to kill many iraqi soldiers and militiamen. the commander says that even though they were able to retake the village, the explosives are making it difficult to move forward. the bombs are difficult to find

and even harder to get rid of. keiko yamamoto, nhk world. >> thanks, keiko, for that report. officials at the u.n. are appealing for a break in the fighting in another part of the region. a humanitarian cease-fire in yemen ended on sunday. pilots belonging to a coalition that by saudi arabia have resumed airstrikes against members of the houthi militia. >> the secretary-general regrets that despite repeated calls by the united nations, the five-day humanitarian pause in yemen was not extended when it expired yesterday. >> the saudi foreign minister has reportedly accused houthi rebels of breaching the truce. state-run media quotes the minister as saying a new truce would depend on the rebels' actions. the houthis have been battling troops. saudi-led forces are supporting yemen's military with airstrikes. the fighting has intensifies over the past two months. u officials say more than 1800

people have died and more than 7300 have been injured. the u.n. warns that 16 million people are in need of supplies and humanitarian assistance. department store operators in japan are pleased at what they're seeing in their cash register. gene otani is here with the latest data. gene. >> james, you and i go to department stores these days and you see a lot of tourists probably. >> you certainly do. >> and we're starting to see that on the top line. sales at department stores in japan grew by double digits in april. that's the first year-on-year increase in two months. officials of the japan department stores association say sales at about 240 stores across the country last month topped $3.9 billion. that's 13.7% higher than a year earlier. the rise in the consumption tax from 5% to 8% in april 2014 tightened pursestrings. the officials say an increase in the number of people visiting japan to view cherry blossoms

led to record sales to foreign tourists. they also say several days of warm weather boosted purchases of summer clothes. the association says it hopes that rising stock prices higher wages and increased bonuses will keep consumers in a buying mood. checking the markets, tokyo's benchmark nikkei index returned to the key 20,000 mark for the first time in three weeks following the record highs on wall street. the nikkei average rose nearly 0.7% closing at 20,026. analysts say investors were happy that many companies are announcing greater shareholder returns including higher dividends. over in china, the shanghai composite jumped more than 3%. that's the biggest one-day gain in four months. many investors welcomed the government's economic reform plan approved on monday. it includes streamlined administrative procedures. seoul's kospi added 0.3% led by samsung electronics company. shares rose after a u.s. appeals court ruled that samsung

wouldn't have to pay part of the damages to apple spelled out in a 2012 patent lawsuit. in other markets in the asia-pacific region hong kong ended up 0.4% following a rally in shanghai. financial shares supported the rise. sydney was down nearly 0.8% on lower commodity prices. u.s. senators are now debating so-called fast-track legislation. it's aimed at giving president barack obama greater authority in negotiating the transpacific partnership free trade pact. lawmakers began deliberation on the trade promotion authority bill on monday. after passing a motion last week to proceed with the debate. majority republicans who support free trade want the is that the to take a vote on the bill before the weekend. >> the senate will finish its work on trade this week. and we will remain in session as long as it takes to do so. >> but many democrats are calling for thorough debate out of concern that the tpp deal

would take jobs away from americans. still some democrats have reversed their stance and are now supporting the legislation. officials from the 12 countries participating in the tpp talks are closely monitoring the bill's progress as its passage is considered vital to accelerating trade negotiations. farmers in japan are keeping a close eye on the tpp talks. they want the government to maintain tariffs on key agricultural products. farmers and lawmakers from around the country held an emergency meeting in tokyo. they urged the government to stick to a diet resolution that calls for keeping tariffs on five categories of products. they include rice, beef and pork. >> translator: agriculture is the base of a nation. the diet resolution is necessary to give farmers hope and incentive. >> the head of liberal democratic party panel on the tpp backs that position.

>> translator: we take a firm stance in protecting the resolution. i believe the government is negotiating based on the resolution. >> moriyama says the ruling coalition and the government will listen closely to what farmers have to say and will work hard to protect the agricultural forestry and fishing industries. china's economy is slowing down, but you wouldn't know that by looking at the country's equity markets. stocks are jumping. indexes on the shanghai market have more than doubled over the past year. the boom is drawing in plenty of newcomers. many of them young people. nhk world has the story. >> reporter: more and more people are coming to brokerages like this one in beijing to buy and sell stocks. the numbers in red indicate rising prices.

>> translator: the prices will keep going up. >> translator: i'll keep buying during the bull market. now's the time to make a profit. >> reporter: the shanghai market's composite index had been in a slump. then at the end of last year it surged hitting a seven-year high at the end of april. much of it is due to china's loose monetary policy. the central bank has been lowering interest rates, giving equity the edge over bonds when it comes to returns. meanwhile, real estate remains sluggish, making stocks all the more attractive. individual investors are flooding into the market. the number of new investment accounts rose to about 8 million in the first three months of this year alone.

that was a fullourfold increase from the same period in 2014. 60% of these account holders are young people born after 1980. >> translator: it's safe to say we have left the era of real estate investment and jumped into being sos. >> reporter: universities have started to take notice. one in beijing held a contest to see which student could make the most money in a month. the students managed a 60% return in the mock trading competition. more than 100 students put their investment skills to the test. they used daily stock price quotations. the students also heard from a specialist on how to buy and sell shares.

>> translator: we've entered an era where the majority of chinese people are trading on the stock market. and for young people this will be a lifelong activity. >> reporter: more and more university students are piling into the market. this business major learned about trading from a simulation app on her smartphone. she started doing the real thing six months ago with success. now she's managed to further her investment account. as part of her daily routine, she checks stock prices and decides whether to make any trades. >> translator: i've learned a lot since i started trading on my own and gotten really interested. now i think i'd like to get a job doing stock-related work in the future.

>> reporter: meanwhile, experts are pointing to enormous risks that novice investors can face. >> translator: the higher the expectations people have for the market, the more investment it attracts. but if investors begin to pull out, stock prices may begin to fluctuate. the more prices go up the wilder the fluctuation. >> reporter: the authorities welcome young people entering the stock market but they are also reminding this new generation of investors of the risks and urging them to exercise restraint. nhk world, beijing. >> that's it for business news. i'll leave you with the markets.

japan and its neighbors are haggling over the wording of a final outcome document of a nuclear disarmament talk at u.n. headquarters. japanese officials want it to include an invitation to world leaders to visit the atomic bomb cities of hiroshima and nagasaki, but delegates from china and south korea don't support the idea. the nuclear nonproliferation treaty review conference is now under way in new york. the initial draft contained japan's proposal but chinese

representatives asked for it to be deleted. >> there are various ways to raise awareness, but one of the most effective ways to that end is as was proposed by my foreign minister sometime before to visit hiroshima and nagasaki. >> china's ambassador said his country has no hostility towards the japanese people or atomic bomb survivors, but he and the south korean representative made their positions clear. >> translator: we can't tolerate the japanese government's attempt to use the treaty review as a tool to distort history. >> we think that the invitation of world leaders to visit hiroshima and nagasaki seems to be less related to the objective of this leader conference. >> ansaid seoul agrees on the need to raise awareness of the human consequence of the use of nuclear weapons.

u.s. president barack obama has moved to ease tensions between authorities and minorities. he's banned law enforcement officials from using certain military equipment and combat style gear. the decision follows the killing of several african-american men by police. >> we've seen how militarized gear can sometimes give people a feeling like there's an occupying force as opposed to a force that's part of the community that's protecting them and serving them. can alienate and intimidate local residents and send the wrong message. >> obama's ban prevents the u.s. military from providing some equipment to local police. the military will no longer provide tracked armored vehicles and weaponized aircraft as well as large-caliber firearms and ammunition. authorities used armored vehicles to control protests and riots after african-american men were killed by police in ferguson missouri last august and in baltimore, maryland, last

month. the obama administration is implementing reforms to build trust between police and minority communities. major leaguer ichiro suzuki has caught up to a baseball giant on the all-time hits list. the 41-year-old veteran miami marlin has tied legendary slugger babe ruth. suzuki started in the eighth spot in the lineup against the arizona diamondbacks. in the third inning, he cracked a single. >> and it's in there for a hit. >> and in the fifth, he took a fastball and sent it into left field for his second hit of the game. >> ichiro lifts it. >> the japanese star has now reached the milestone of 2,873 in the major leagues. suzuki and ruth are currently

tied for 42nd on the all-time list. pete rose is at the top with 4,256. among active players, suzuki stands second behind the new york yankees' alex rodriguez. people in a town in northern italy are hoping to revive their community with the help of a new local specialty. and they're turning to a master sake brewer here in japan to give them a hand. nhk world's ria tomea reports. >> reporter: a tiny sake brewery nestled in the mountains of yamaguchi prefecture. the workers' number is just two. this is the brew master. every month he produces a new limited-edition sake. recently he started using rice from italy. he's using the same rice that is

usually risotto. >> translator: italian rice is a similar shape to japanese rice but it's a completely different size and color from the rice we usually eat. >> reporter: the rice comes from northern italy, an area famous for rice growing. it's also famous for its water. high-quality rice and water. these are the two essential ingredients of japanese sake. she took a holiday. she's a sake promoter. on learning the local people wanted to promote their town she persuaded them to create their own brew. the plan appealed to this group of six italians including a wine sommelier who decided to come to japan to study how to make sake.

he put them in touch with him. >> translator: the brewery is small and its brewing is highly regarded, so that's why i contacted him. >> reporter: but it's not easy working with italian rice. it is harder than japanese rice and doesn't absorb water so well. he carefully adjusts the lid as he steams the rice. his experience tells him to reduce the pressure so the rice turns out softer. >> translator: because it's harder than i'm used to i've had to adjust my process to make it a bit softer. >> reporter: to make it the study for the sake fermentation he uses fewer spores and cultures it for 50% longer.

he will make many other adjustments over the next months or so. one of the trickiest parts will be getting the rice mush to dissolve just right and limiting fermentation. >> translator: i want to stop it from fermenting too much. instead of becoming too dry, i want it to retain some of its sweetness, just like sake should. >> reporter: finally, it's time to press the sake. it's been brewing for 42 days. that's twice as long as usual. one by one, he places the bags of mush into the press. as the sake starts to pour out, the aroma fills the brewery.

>> translator: it tastes good. it's developed into a very light sake. if it becomes popular and helps revitalize the town then i'll be very pleased. >> reporter: a new sake is born and all the signs are good. in italy, the brewers with tutelage are now taking their first steps. nhk world, yamaguchi. >> mmm, italian sake. curious to see how that tastes. thanks, ria, for that interesting report. turning to weather now, sayaka mori is here to tell us how typhoon dolphin is affecting southern japan. >> yes, we have been watching a typhoon named dolphin. clouds are engulfing the okinawan islands. it's moving at a very slow pace. right now moving at 15 kilometers per hour towards the northwest. i think the worst conditions

will likely occur sometime between late tuesday into the early part of wednesday across the islands. waves are going to be up to eight meters along with very strong gusts as high as 180 kilometers, strong enough to cause structural damage. but the system will not affect mainland japan. a rain band has shifted towards the south. so it's nice weather across many parts of the country at this moment. the rain band is now affecting the southwestern islands of japan including where the rainy season has started today. there was eight days later than normal and also two weeks later than last year. i think the okinawa region will start to see the rainy season kicking in today or tomorrow. the seasonal rain band is also affecting the south of china. we have numerous reports of floods and mudslides from china. more rain is expected at least into the weekend. take a look at this forecast. lots of rain marks on the menu into saturday. places like taiwan as well as

hong kong. you see rain continuing. the risks of floods and mudslides remain extremely high. now, it's a rainy season for northwestern portions of colombia. especially sunday and monday. so heavy rain that caused fatal floods and landslides. take a look at this video. at least 52 people have been killed with 37 people injured after a landslide in northwest colombia in the early hours on monday. heavy rains caused a ravine to overflow, sending mud and water onto neighboring homes. dozens are still missing and skperch rescue efforts are under way. streets and buildings are covered in mud, and some homes were completely destroyed. it's in the valley so very prone to floods as well as mudslides, and may is the second peak month -- peak wettest month of the year. so more rains expected for the next several weeks for colombia. floods mudslides, all of them are going to be a continued risk. now, we have flood warnings in

place for the southern plains due to heavy rainfall. and also risk of severe weather for texas and new mexico. severe weather that means thunderstorms, gusty winds as well as tornadoes may happen across these areas as we go into tuesday. and severe weather can be found over northeastern portions of the united states. the primary threats will be large hail as well as damaging winds. and widespread heavy rain for the south of the united states and east because two different air masses are colliding. one is cool air, dry air for the north. the other is warm and wet air for the gulf of mexico. severe weather will happen over two spots of the united states on tuesday. temperatures are going to be extremely different between the north and the south. take a look. 31 degrees in the u.s. capital on tuesday. but just to the north, about 20 degrees difference. chicago only 11 degrees for the high with sunny conditions. toronto in the teens on tuesday. all right. that's it for me now. up next is your three-day forecast.

thanks for watching this edition of "newsline."

i'm james tengan in tokyo. more to come here on nhk world, so stay with us.

counterattack against islamic state militants in ramadi the city captured over the weekend. the u.n. says thousands of people were forced to flee as a result. election watch -- yingluck shinawatra in court, police not guilty. burundi's army deployed on the streets. the president sacked several officials but failed to calm her test -- protests