hello and thank you for joining us on this edition of "newsline." i'm raja pradhan in tokyo. tens of thousands of people have visited the imperial palace in tokyo to offer very special birthday wishes. akihito turned 82 on wednesday. many visitors had already arrived by the palace gates opened at 9:30 a.m. local time. the emperor greeted the well

wishers in person and gave an address looking back on the past year. other members of the imperial family joined the celebration. they included the empress, crown prince, princess and a prince and princess and their daughters. the emperor said he hopes the coming year will be a bright one for everybody. emergency workers have pulled a survivor from the rubble more than 60 hours after a massive landslide hit the southern chinese city of shenzhen. rescuers are rushing to beat the 72-hour deadline that's seen as crucial to saving more victims of the disaster. state-run media say the survivor is a 19-year-old man who was buried under a dormitory.

he's reportedly conscious and told rescuers another survivor was nearby. the landslide was caused by a pile of dirt and construction debris that gave way. officials have confirmed that one person died, and 76 are still unaccounted for. military personnel and police officers continued rescue operations overnight on tuesday. china's state-run tv has been providing constant coverage of the relief effort. now, authorities in guangdong have taken into custody. residents who live near the site say they warned the situation was dangerous, but nothing was done because profit is given priority over safety. they say the detention is to prevent criticism from being aimed at the government. iraqi government forces and the islamic state group are engaged in fierce fighting over the militant stronghold of

ramadi. the city fell to the militants in may. iraq's state-run television reports the troops entered by crossing the euphrates river and its tributaries. the u.s.-led coalition is carrying out airstrikes to support the offensive. the reports said the troops killed about 30 militants but lost about 10 personnel in suicide car attacks. a spokesperson for the u.s.-led military coalition says the fall of the city is inevitable, but it will take time to recapture it. the officials said the islamic state group appears to have ordered its soldiers to disguise themselves as iraqi security forces to discredit the iraqi troops. ramadi is located along the main route linking the syrian border with baghdad. the government forces launched an all-out offensive on tuesday to fully recapture anbar province. united nations officials say young people in africa are suffering at the hands of

islamic extremists. they say violence by the militant group boko haram has forced more than 1 million children out of school in nigeria and neighboring countries. unicef officials say the fighting has caused more than 2,000 schools to shut down. the group has asked the international community to support its efforts to get children back in the classroom. last year boko haram fighters abducted more than 200 school girls in northeastern nigeria. unicef has expressed concern that the militants are planning to use children as suicide bombers. the officials say schools have been targets of attack so churn are scared to go back to the classroom. u.n. officials say fighting between yemeni troops and shia forces is causing a humanitarian crisis. they say millions of people do not have access to enough food. >> at least 2 million people are malnourished including 320,000 children who suffer from severe malnutrition.

>> kang told a meeting of the security council that more than 7 million people need emergency food assistance. the u.n. high commissioner for human rights also addressed the council. al hussein said the fighting has claimed the lives of 2,700 civilians this year. 600 of the victims have been children. hussein accused the saudi-led coalition suppting the yemeni government of violating international law by failing to protect civilians. he said the conflict has destroyed hospitals and schools. and he said most of the damage has come from coalition airstrikes. u.n. officials warned the fighting is allowing extremists such as the islamic state group to expand their influence. representatives from the warring sides were unable to agree on a cease-fire deal at u.n.-mediated peace talks. in other news, australian authorities have arrested two more men on suspicion of plotting to mount terrorist attacks. they say the suspects were involved in a plan to hit a naval base and other targets in

the heart of sydney. police arrested the men aged 20 and 24 in predawn raids in the suburbs of australia's biggest city. earlier this month, they charged five others including a teenager over the same plot. investigating officers say they're trying to determine whether the suspects were motivated by extremist views. australia's attorney general separately revealed authorities detained a french man at melbourne airport two days after the paris terror attacks. the man was reportedly carrying cans of mace and extremist material. authorities deported him back to france. the minister for immigration said the incident served as a reminder of the dangers of extremism. >> the public should be assured particularly at this time of year that we are putting everything possible to our front-line officers to provide them with support to stare down this threat. >> australian customs officials have tightened screening at

airports in the wake of the paris attacks. japanese leaders have settled months of controversy over the centerpiece of the 2020 tokyo olympics and paralympics. they've chosen a new design for the main stadium after scrapping the original due to a cost blowout. >> this architect and his team submitted the new blueprint. one of two options that were under consideration. it features terraces decorated with plants and a roof made partly of wood. it also incorporates aspects of traditional japanese architecture. prime minister shinzo abe said the design meets all the criteria for a national stadium and is quintessentially japanese. >> translator: the government will continue to make an all-out effort to impress people around the world with the main stadium.

i hope the stadium will become a legacy future generations can be proud of. >> reporter: in july, abe announced the government would cancel plans to build the original winning proposal. that design was the work of london-based architect zaha hadid. it featured two huge arches that could only be built with costly technology and materials. the price tag f the stadium ballooned to about $2 billion. nearly double the initial estimate. it was also five times the cost of the main stadium for the 2012 london olympics, and it was more than the cost of the main stadiums for the last five olympics combined. the plan sparked an outcry from politicians and the public alike. four out of five people who took part in an nhk poll were opposed. the new design will cost an

estimated $1.2 billion, coming in below the limit set by the government. >> translator: we plan to move forward steadily on this to ensure the games are a success. >> reporter: the governor of tokyo welcomed the decision. >> translator: we will continue our debate with government and organization officials about how to best construct the facility. so it can be useful even after the olympic games. >> reporter: some people on the street had mixed reactions. >> translator: to be honest, i don't think they should spend too much money on it. >> translator: i was getting a little frustrated, so i'm glad it's finally settled. >> reporter: the stadium is due for completion by november 2019, eight months before the games.

70 years after the end of world war ii, the battlefields still hold untold story, but one mystery has recently been solved. our reporter reports on the finding in okinawa. >> reporter: japanese forces while locked in fierce fighting in 1945, some of the most intense action took place in the middle of the main island of okinawa. the imperial japanese and locals used the case as hiding spots during the war. he thinks they belonged to japanese soldiers and returned them to their family. >> translator: here's in batteries perhaps used in a

radio for communication. and here's a bullet from the former japanese military. >> reporter: the insides of these caves were undisturbed for seven decades. he found an ivory in the far corner of the cave that had been used for military operations engraved with a name. further investigation revealed it belonged to a soldier from saga prefecture in okinawa. >> translator: i'm glad we can hand this over to his family after all this time. >> reporter: the brother traveled to okinawa to receive the seal in november. he was less than 2 years old when the war ended. he has no memory of it or of his brother, but the discovery inspired him and other family

members to trace his footsteps in the last days of his life. they entered the cave where it was found. >> translator: it's covered with a black smudge. something must have burned it. maybe a flamethrower. >> reporter: letters also turned up nearby. >> translator: has anything changed? >> translator: the boots were left here when the soldiers rushed out of the cave. >> reporter: thick-soled socks before charging at the enemy. and at that point, he may have known he was marching towards his death. >> translator: why else would he left the seal that he had kept with him all the time right here? he took the trouble to bury it as he left. i'm sure he wanted to return alive, though.

>> reporter: the only object retrieved after his death was a lock of unknown origin. they buried it as a full reminder of his life. hiroshi said he hopes the discovery of the belongings of his brother and parents. >> translator: i don't know whether he wanted to leave a piece of him behind by burying the seal, but my heart breaks when i think of how he must have felt when he took off his boots and left that spot. >> reporter: hiroshi says the fear is evidence of both his brothers' life and the circumstances that led to his death. he will use it to make sure his children and grandchildren know what happened to avoid any such

tragedy in the future. nhk world. auctioning fish is a big business in japan with the most flavorful making their way to top-tier sushi restaurants. but at one particular auction, some buyers are paying big bucks to keep them alive. nhk world's reporter explains. >> reporter: overseas workers get out of their cars to take in the auction lot. some carp go for $12,000. their colorful patterns have earned them their nickname. boyers account for 95% annually.

he says he's seen a shift in nationalities. >> translator: i used to have a lot of european buyers. >> reporter: this graph shows export sales of these and other aquarium fish. over the past ten years, the biggest increase has come from hong kong. the doorway to china. that market has started to shrink, though. this man is from china. he buys carp at this auction every year, but he says healthy chinese aren't spending like they used to. >> in china, now not so good. >> reporter: on the other hand, he's eager to buy. he's a broker from malaysia.

>> indonesia, at the market, i think now slowing. >> reporter: but his country has been enjoying economic growth. sales are up compared to other parts of southeast asia. indonesia is a huge market with the fourth largest population in the world. many well-to-do young people are moving from jakarta to the suburbs. where they have longed to build big houses with gardens. koi add to the atmosphere. >> some developers design offer to everybody who want to buy this house like this and then put a koi pond there. >> reporter: he was keeping an eye on the large carp going up for auction, but he wasn't the only one. >> maybe this is more than 1

million, maybe. >> reporter: bidders sent the price up. he got what he came for with a 1 million yen bid. more than $8,000. he went on to pay an even higher price for another carp. >> the auction is good. think it's a good price. >> reporter: this man from hong kong was shopping in the $2,500 range. his strategy was to leave it to younger customers. he bought 35 carp, more than any other buyer. >> i can get my koi for my project. and the china economy is going bad. the koi market, no problem.

>> reporter: all together, volume and money following the economies in asia. nhk world. french ballet star has a long and enduring connection to japan. she's about to perform for the final time and has chosen to do so in tokyo. our reporter met her for an exclusive interview. ♪ >> reporter: gilleum's final world tour began. she's ending her career with sold-out shows in japan, the place where she first danced overseas 35 years ago. >> it's nice to be here again

performing in japan. it's always fantastic very warm, and also i know them for a long time. i came here the first time i was 15. so it's a long story. it's a long love story between the audience and me. ♪ >> reporter: it's choreographed with a strong rhythm building to a passionate pace. >> translator: i was moved to tears during the bolero. >> translator: i think she looks like an artwork herself. it's a real shame she's retiring. >> reporter: fans wish gillem would dance for another 10 or even 20 years. >> unfortunately, that's life. you need to stop at one point. and you need to know when to

stop. and i wanted me to decide. i didn't want my physique, an injury or someone else to tell me, you know, you have to stop. i wanted me to decide. so with age i'll stop. >> reporter: when she was 19, gillem became the youngest ever principal dancer at the paris ballet and has been called the greatest dancer of the century. but even with her worldwide fame and a packed schedule, she's kept coming back to japan. in fact, nearly 50 times in the last 35 years. >> i think that the way people live together here is respectful. and i like that. and also, i like all the -- i find it very refined, almost philosophical. and i like the simplicity of it and the feel of it, and i like

pottery, i like many, many things. >> reporter: four years ago, after japan's massive earthquake and tsunami in the tohoku region, she visited the affected areas. >> it was important for me to do it. i was far away when it happened, and i felt powerless, but i was happy to come to tell people that if my -- me being here could help, good. ♪ >> reporter: gillem will perform in several other japanese cities this month. but there are so many shows left. >> i mean, on stage, i don't feel any different. a show is a show, and i always try my best at that moment. i am happy because i'm doing a show that i like very much. but i am also sad that it's

going to end. it's a mixed feeling. i try not to think about it. i prefer to make it -- happy. sad but happy. >> reporter: gillem will dance the bolero at the new year's eve show. when the bell tolls midnight, it will be the start of a new career and the end of a great career. nhk world. and in other news, authorities in japan have been using november 5th as a day to remind people of the threats posed by tsunami. now, the united nations has officially designated the day as world tsunami awareness day. delegates from japan submitted the resolution to the u.n. general assembly. it was co-sponsored by more than 140 nations, and assembly members voted unanimously to adopt it.

>> it is so decided. >> among the co-sponsors are countries in southeast asia and south america that are at high risk of tsunami. the resolution notes the u.n. has made it a goal to reduce the damage caused by natural disasters and to promote measures such as early warning systems. japan's ambassador to the u.n. said his country hopes to help in those efforts by conveyi ini its experiences to people around the world. it's time for a look at the latest in world weather with our mete meteorologist, jonathan oh. it was a soggy day in tokyo on this national holiday. are we looking at a wet christmas eve here? >> hello. i think we are going to see part of the day christmas eve to be a big wet, and then we should see a nice rest of the day and even a nice christmas for most of japan. we have been monitoring a system that was coming out of china. a lot of that moisture pushing toward the east. so we saw a lot of rainfall,

especially in the afternoon hours, and those showers do continue. we are expecting them to linger through the overnight period. the stationary front, though, was responsible for that moisture has developed into what we call a low-pressure system. the area is riding and circulating around the center point. and so it's continuing to pick up moisture as it moves north and east. you want to have the umbrellas handy for the morning hours on thursday. and then by the afternoon, we may see the system move relatively quickly. may even see sunshine as we go through the afternoon. and temperatures should be decently warm as well. now, in terms of the volume of rainfall, the good news is i think most of that will stay south of the coastline, more of the heavier rainfall falling over the ocean is just going to mainly be a scattered pattern as we move forward through the day on thursday. now, here's a look at the forecast for christmas in japan. we are looking at a wet christmas eve. and then coming up on friday, some snow possible with a high of three. everywhere else looking at

partly cloudy to mostly sunny conditions. look at the high on christmas in tokyo. 16 degrees. and then a little chilly coming up on saturday for sapporo, a high of one below with some snow also in the forecast. now, for the rest of east asia, we are looking at a relatively dry weather pattern except for the stationary front south of shanghai, looking at a calm weather pattern. and temperatures will be relatively normal for this time of year. four in beijing, sunny skies. five in seoul. wet to taipei, you'll need your umbrella. morning rain followed by partly cloudy skies in the afternoon on thursday in tokyo. now, i do want to draw your attention to north america. this is a little more of a serious weather situation. we have a very complicated setup where we have a couple of low-pressure system moving out of the central united states. here's the problem. it's been really, really warm for the eastern side of the united states, the way that the jet stream pattern has been taking place. it is now dragging a lot of very warm tropical moisture.

and we are now in winter. when you have that much warm air coming in and cold air from the north slamming into each other, we have a very unstable weather situation. and in fact, we are looking at the possibility on wednesday to see an enhanced risk for severe storms extending from indiana, illinois, mississippi and arkansas. so you want to pay attention to the weather situation as you go throughout the day on wednesday. this will also bring a lot of warm air and some complicated weather situation for christmas eve. a lot of people traveling during the next couple of days. this is not going to be very helpful. back toward the west, snow will be in the forecast which means probably a white christmas for many folks here. christmas eve in vancouver looking at a little bit of snowfall. wet for the eastern side of the united states. also extending into portions of canada as we go through the next few days. now, wrapping things up with a look at europe. a tale of two very different weather patterns. toward the north, we are seeing windy conditions and wet conditions down toward the south, calm conditions. and that means we're going to see sunny skies for places like

athens. highs near 20. rain everywhere else from london into rome as we go into christmas day. hope you have a good day wherever you are. here's your extended outlook.

and that's all for now on this edition of "newsline." i'm raja pradhan in tokyo. and from alló

genie: you are watching "france i'm genie godula. these are today's headlines. the french government will go ahead with contested plans to strip dual citizens of their french nationality in terrorism cases. project int of a new part of the state of emergency in the new french constitution. a push to retake ramadi from the islamic state group leader the iraqi army