he stories we're following this hour. wikileaks says u.s. agents have been eavesdropping on the last three french presidents. american and chinese officials are meeting in washington for their annual talks known as the strategic economic dialogue. and stock investors went on a buying spree as concerns of a

greek debt crisis averaged. the nikkei averaged a six-month high. wikileaks has published more documents about the u.s. spying on leaders of its allies. materials show american intelligence agents eavesdropped on the last three presidents of france. the whistlelowing websi says the u.s. national security agency wiretapped jacques chiraq nicolas sarkozy, and francois hollande. they published materials that say show classified nsa documents. one of them leveled as top secret said hollande approved the clandestine meeting in 2012 with german opposition members to discuss the eurozone crisis. it says hollande was concerned with angela merkel's unwillingness toward providing financial aid to greece. the news agency says the french

government will hold a defense council meeting to verify the documents. in 2013 documents provided by a former nsa contractor showed the agency had tapped merkel's phone. american and chinese leaders are stressing the need to settle their disagreements through better communication. they are meeting face-to-face at the annual u.s./china strategic and economic dialogue in washington. u.s. vice president joe biden alluded to the work on the disputed spratly islands in the south china sea. >> the notion of sea lanes being opened and protected is even more crucial today than any time in human history. nations that discard diplomacy and use coercion and intimidation to settle disputes or turn a blind eye to others only invite instability. >> chinese state counselor says the freedom of navigation around

the world is necessary for the two nations. he says it's needed to develop the economies and trade. and he says china will ensure that freedom. yang did not directly mention the south china sea, but reiterated that the reclamation work is legitimate. the u.s. delegation is cochaired by secretary of state john kerry and treasury secretary jack lew. the participants will discuss a wide range of topics during their two-day meeting. people around the world think china is set to eclipse the united states as the dominant global superpower. >> reporter: the washington-based pugh research center polled people in each of 40 countries. respondents were asked about what they thought about the u.s. and china. america has a positive overall

image. people in europe asia and africa have favorable views. but almost half the chinese respondents and 81% of russians have a negative view of the u.s. we searchers also asked about china. more than hal of the respondents expressed a positive opinion. favorable views are held in africa latin america, and pakistan especially. but americans are less likely to express a positive response. no divergent opinions in asia. japanese people have the most unfavorable view of all. 89%. that view is shared by a majority of vietnamese. half the respondents overall say they see the u.s. as the world's leading economic power. even in china, 44% say the u.s. is number one. germans, russians and the french are more inclined to view china as the top power. and australians are largely

convinced china is leading the way. people around the world think china will eventually replace or already has replaced the u.s. as the leading superpower. while most european union residents see china becoming the world's top power, people in the asia pacific have the most diverse opinions. the pew research center's richard wike. >> they have some anxieties about china, you know wanting to be tough with china and dealing with territorial disputes and other issues. but also recognition that china is very important to the economy of the region. >> reporter: researchers also asked people in southkorea, the philippines, and japan about what they thought the u.s. would do itheir countries were drawn into a military conflict with china. most believed they would use military force to defend them.

>> in those countries, there seems to be a fair degree of confidence in the u.s. military commitment to those countries. a majority of americans also say that if japan, south korea, or the philippines got into a serious military conflict with china, the u.s. should use military resources to deal with that sipgs. situation. so on both sides of the equation, there seems to be a pretty solid commitment to dealing with a threat from china militarily if something like that were to occur. the united states is to deploy tanks, artillery, and other equipment in eastern and central europe. u.s. defense secretary ash carter says the move is necessary to counter threats posed by russia. countries in the region are concerned about possible russian intervention after it unilaterally annexed crimea from

ukraine last year. carter met with his counterparts from the baltic states in estonia on tuesday. he said they will bring tanks and other vehicles across the states of bulgaria poland and romania. >> they need to move more quickly and easily to participate in training and exercises here. >> carter traveled on monday to germany. he said the united states will provide weapons to nato's new rapid reaction force to help bolster european security. he said that u.s. support would include intelligence surveillance, and reconnaissance assets. russian president vladimir putin said this month his country will add more than 40 new intercontinental ballistic missiles to its arsenal.

investors pushed the japanese stock prices up to highs. gene otani joins us from the business desk with the details. >> markets rallied today. investors are feeling less nervous about the greek debt crisis and they're more willing to take their chances on stocks. here in tokyo the nikkei average hit its highest level in 18 years and 6 months. past the peak it reached in the dotcom bubble. it grew 20% so far this year on the back of improving corporate earnings monetary easing measures are also encouraging investors to shift money into stock markets. on wednesday the nikkei index closed the day up 0.3% at 20,868. it extended its gains to a fourth day. a weeker yen continued to boost export-related sres but gains were capped as profit taking kicked in after the index hit

the 20,900 level. asian markets are also higher. in shanghai the composite ended up nearly 2.5% at 4,690. kospi extended the winning streak to a sixth day. the index gained 0.2% to 2,085 hitting its highest close in three weeks. investors supported the rise. hong kong added .25%. philippines rebounded 1.2%. sydney ended nearly flat but managed to hit another high. board members at last month's bank of japan policy meeting agreed that private consumption is increasingly resilient. policy makers upgrading their view on activity. the bank had previously expressed consumption as sluggish since the tax hike in april 2014. board members noted that sentiment had gotten a boost from the steady improvement on

people's employment and income situations. they also remarked on the increase at stores. however, durable goods have lacked momentum recently. some board members suggested this might be due to continued resistance to price increases as well as their search for lower prices. central bank projections have prices starting to rise in the latter half of the current fiscal year. private consumption is a major requirement for the boj to reach inflation target of 2%. the u.s. senate has moved a step closer toward voting on a bill that would give the president fast track authority on trade deals. barack obama is aiming to clinch a transpacific partnership free trade pact. senators have passed a motion to put the trade promotion authority or tpa bill to a vote. the measure won 60 votes, the bare minimum needed for its passage. fast track authority means congress can approve or reject

international trade agreements but it cannot amend or block them. >> we just had an important victory forhe american people on a bipartisan basis when we achieved 60 votes on cloture on tpa. that will clear the senate tomorrow and go to the president for signature. >> legislation is likely to be put to a vote on wednesday. it's expected to be approved because it only needs a simple majority in the 100-member chamber. the u.s. trade representative in charge of the tpp talks has welcomed the motion's passage. michael froman said in a statement that congress has made clear the united states intends to take the lead on trade. he said washington will be able to speak with one voice as it negotiates the trade deal. japan's minister for the tpp amari has called it a major step forward. he says he aims to have ministers from all 12 participating countries meet next month toward concluding the deal.

>> translator: the ministers much reach agreement on the tpp by the end of july. i believe it's possible. >> amari said the ministerial meeting will be held after talks by top level negotiators of all 12 countries. he said japan will move as quickly as possible to try to solve remaining bilateral issues with other countries including the u.s. renewable energy is under the spotlight. and reviewing the purchase of power utilities and other energy. officials say some are paying too much. under current rules, power utilities must buy renewable energy at deflated costs. officials on the economy and industry ministry's panel say they're concerned that some renewable energy businesses are delaying power generations as they wait for costs to come down. members have called for review of the prices paid for solar

power from such businesses. the officials are seeking legal advice on the feasibility of cutting the fixed prices. many people in south korea are no longer finding the busy city life attractive. the number of those moving to country areas to live off the land is on the rise. nhk world's kate kanji has more. >> reporter: this 20-year-old moved to this village five years ago from seoul where he was born and raised. now he grows blueberry plants and employs two people. he sells his blueberries fresh and also processes them into health foods and products such as jam and juice. he also provides tourists from the city with the opportunity to experience life on a farm. his annual revenue amounts to $150,000. >> translator: there are all kind of agriculture-based businesses. i want to show young people

there are many opportunities in agriculture. i hope i will become a role model for them. >> reporter: the number of people like lee has been increasing every year. last year 44,000 families moved to the country areas. that's a tenfold increase in five years. earlier this month the minister of agriculture held a seminar in seoul for those interested in moving to the countryside. >> translator: i came because i wanted to know more about the opportunities offered by agriculture. >> translator: we're wondering if there's some way to escape the busy city life and live at our own pace. >> translator: people see the potential in agriculture. especially combined with tourism and related businesses.

>> reporter: farming villages around the country have seen their populations decline and are now encouraging city people to relocate there. gochan gochang is leading the way. for the last three years it has been the popular destination for those taking up the farming life. here in gochang county they started offering incentives for new home construction. 100 houses have been built for those moving in and they're going for less than half the price of comparable houses in seoul. the government thinks if people have no worries over accommodation, they can concentrate on farming. the county government offers an extensive cultural training program. local farmers showed the newcomers the techniques involved in cultivating crops.

>> translator: the experienced farmers teach me every more than i hoped i would learn. that's very helpful. >> reporter: the government also provides those settling in with the opportunity to interact with the local people. newcomers gather once a month to visit local elders. they help repair damaged houses and they treat the elders to a delicious meal. currently more than 90% of those settled in gochang have stayed. >> translator: so many newcomers are staying in our county. this is encouraging more people to come. >> reporter: people are finding there's more to life than the busy city. more urban people are likely to start packing away their briefcases and picking up shovels. kim chan-ju, nhk world, seoul. that's it for business news.

i'll leave you with the markets. kurdish fighters in northern syria say they are making deeper ingrowns. they have taken another key town putting them closer to the militant stronghold of raqqah. the kurdish troops are in control of ain issa on the turkish border. fighters captured that town last week. pilots in a u.s.-led coalition

have been supporting them with air strikes. the conflict in syria has grown more complex since islamic state militants got involved. they have seized control of large areas of northern and eastern syria. now members are reportedly strengthening their defenses in raqqah. a representative for the group has released an audio recording. it calls for increased attacks against militant enemies during the holy month of ramadan. the 29-minute message released on tuesday is read by a spokesperson. he celebrates the start of ramadan, then he urges listeners to bring what he calls calamity to shia muslims and christians. the spokesman also says the militant group is undeterred by u.s.-led -- undeterred by u.s.-led air strikes and other military operations. the united nations has opened an office in seoul to

monitor human rights conditions in north korea. officials in pyongyang have responded by accusing the u.n. escalating tensions on the korean peninsula. the u.n. high commissioner for human rights traveled to seoul for the launch. south korean foreign minister joined him for the opening ceremony. north korean's foreign ministry issued a statement. they called the office a provocation. the statement said the north will take the toughest counteractions. on the same day, north korea sentenced two south korean men charged with spying to life sentences of hard labor. health officials in ghana are turning to japan to help feed some of the youngest members of their population. and they're hoping a product developed by a japanese company can boost nutrition for babies. nhk world's kaho izumitani has

the story. >> reporter: nine health officials from ghana checked in at this major japanese food company. they're learning about the firm's products. they've traveled here to take part in two weeks of training seminars sponsored by the japan international cooperation agency or jica. on this day, ghana officials came to learn about the company's efforts to improve the health of babies through a fortified food product called koko plus. this is the fortified food powder. it's made of soybeans vitamins calcium,nd sugar. and has a sweet taste. it was specifically developed to be added to ghana's local porridge called koko which has a sour taste. in ghana the first solid food for most babies is koko a porridge made of corn.

but it's not a balanced diet. nearly 30% of the children under the age of 5 in ghana suffer from stunted growth. so the japanese food company joined in a project to tackle this issue. they worked with ngos and scholars at the university of ghana and created this fortified powder to add to koko. the officials from ghana learned first hand about the past two years of experiments with the powder. produced by a local ghana company, one pack sells for less than 10 cents. a little expensive, but still an affordable price for the country's people. at least 10,000 mothers have used the powder so far. sales are handled by local women who directly explain the importance of investing in the children's health. it is also sold in mom and pop shops. but reaching a wider range of mothers has presented a challenge. government health officials hold events to explain to mothers how to best care for their babies.

participants say they want the opportunity to explain the product at such events. >> we want to create sustainable business for better nutrition of children. and this is possible only when we have a good collaboration. we think that this new collaboration at the next stage already essential to achieve this goal. >> so the health worker is seeing this product a good. then you know mothers are more likely to use it. so endorsements from the health sector is something that's in addition to education on using foods like the koko plus will go a long way. >> reporter: a jica official agrees that working together can help improve ghana's food

situation for infants. >> translator: in ghana each village has a health clinic that provides not only treatment but also activities to promote health. i think there's a great possibility in these activities where essential services and information can be delivered to mothers and infants who need them the most. >> reporter: the mission to raise healthier babies in ghana is still only half complete. but good will and cooperation are spreading internationally and it is hoped that the goal can be achieved soon. kaho izumitani, nhk world. it's time to check in on the world weather. strong storms hit the united states causing travel problems and power outages. let's go to meteorologist jonathan oh with more. >> hello. we have been watching this cold front that's been moving across the united states. it has a history of causing some problems. earlier in the week we had a

cold front pushing into the east bringing tornadoes. not good for the chicagoland area. now the front is pushing towards the east and now it's slamming into warm air from the south. that produced even more problems as we went through the day tuesday. let me show you video. very ominous looking clouds here as powerful thunderstorms impacted the region tuesday. here in new jersey you can see here the rain just pouring down in voluminous amounts. this caused problems for train travel flights, and also power problems. thousands of homes lost electricity because of this. the storm also causing some areas up to 25 millimeters of rain per hour at 113 kilomer per hour gusts. also including baltimore and washington. and also seeing the risk of seeing severe weather continue.

but look at these clouds. just really a scary picture to talk about. we will continue to see this concern as we go into the day wednesday. that cold front is continuing to push toward the east. high pressure driving that northerly wind. and so this instability will continue to linger around as we go throughout the day. we are still keeping an eye on the area south of chicago to the west where we have an enhanced risk of severe weather. looking for the possibility of hail lightning, also into -- possibly tornadoes and damaging winds. all a part of the equation. so looking at the forecast for the eastern side of the united states, new york and d.c. may be a break. but toward the south, atlanta, miami seeing thunderstorms. chicago, winnipeg and denver also seeing the possibility of thunderstorms as you go throughout the day. now, looking at the forecast for europe, we're also seeing a low pressure system.

this one not causing the problems like in north america. we are seeing the tail on the cold front bringing rain and thunderstorms into italy and southern portions of the continent. back to the west high pressure is creating sunnier conditions. so we are looking at some drier weather as we go through wednesday for paris with a high of 24. 22 in london. 30 in madrid. 24 in lisbon. rain expected from stockholm to warsaw and sneaking through the balkans toward italy throughout the day wednesday. now, wrapping things up with a look at east asia. we have that rainy season front continuing to extend from the western portions of japan to china. we will see this rain continue as we go throughout the day thursday. meanwhile, the tropical storm is bringing a lot of rainfall into northern portions of vietnam and the southwestern portions of china. looking at flooding concerns. some areas may see close to 150 millimeters of rainfall in a very short period of time. so flooding is of concern. then unrelated to that the southwest monsoon bringing a lot

of rainfall from cambodia into thailand. look out for flooding concerns there as well. 30 degrees in beijing thursday. 33 in shanghai. drier into japan. 27 in tokyo with partly cloudy skies. hope you have a good day wherever you are. here's your extended outlook. and that concludes this edition of "newsline."

i'm keikichi hanada. on behalf of your team, thank you for staying with us. óxóxóxóx

ay the u.s. continue at least bite on the last three presidents. francois hollande slams the claims as acceptable. nato defense ministers deployed heavy arms and eastern europe. and the european union demands a nation as hungary stops accepting asylum-seekers. also coming up for you this hour, is greece's debt deal on the rocks? prime minister alexis tsipras lashes out