hello. i'm james tengan in tokyo. welcome to this hour's nhk "newsline." people in japan are remembering the more than 3 million people who died in world war ii. august 15th is the day when the country marks the 71st anniversary of the end of the war. a government-sponsored memorial service was held in tokyo with nearly 6,000 people attending. among the dignitaries were

emperor akihito and prime minister shinzo abe as well as family members of the war dead. abe paid his respects to the war dead and said the people of japan have never forgotten that the country's current peace and prosperity was built on their sacrifices. >> translator: we humbly face lessons from history in order to contribute to world peace. we will do our best to realize as a society where everyone can live peacefully and hopefully. >> at noon, the participants observed a minute of silence. the emperor expressed his profound sense of remorse over the war. this was his first public appearance since the video message was released earlier this month in which he indicated his wish to abdicate.

>> nearly 80% of the family members who attended the ceremony are 71 years or older. the number of war widows remains at seven. earlier in the day, prime minister shinzo abe sent a ritual offering to tokyo's yasukuni shrine. honoring the war dead. they have since made the offering on the anniversary. the offering came from abe's private funds and was delivered by his aide.

those remembered at the shrine include leaders convicted of war crimes after world war ii. the aide says he delivered the offering in the name of the president of the ruling liberal democratic party, a post abe also holds. >> translator: i visited the shrine and delivered a ritual offering on behalf of the prime minister. >> meanwhile, two ministers from abe's cabinet made their visit to the shrine. they are the internal affairs minister sanae takaichi and tamayo marukawa. in charge of the 2020 tokyo olympics and paralympics, they say they offer their gratitude for people who lost their lives in the name of the states. lawmakers from seoul visited disputed islands on the day that marks the end of japanese rule of the korean peninsula. the takeshima islands have been a bone of contention between japan and south korea. south korean public broadcaster

kbs reported ten lawmakers from the governing and opposition parties disembarked on monday morning. the politicians offered encouragement to personnel stationed on the islet in the sea of japan. south korea controls the islands. japan claims them. officials in tokyo maintain they are an inherent part of japanese territory. late last month a prominent opposition lawmaker visited the islets. moon jae-in is widely believed to be planning to run in next year's presidential election. japan's top governmement spokesperson criticized the move. >> translalator: the visisit is unacceceptable in light of japas position on the island. it is deplorable that the visit took place despite our prior protests and demands for suspensionon of such moves. >> suga said the government had lodged a strong protests with seoul and demanded measures to prevent a recurrence. japan's latest gross

domestic product figures are out and investors have learned the numbers are worse than many had expected. government officials have announced the country's real gdp in the april to june quarter was basically unchanged from the previous three months. that works out to an annualized growth of 0.2%, marking two consecutive quarters of expansion. housing investment was up 5%, but other areas didn't fare so well. consumer spending, which accounts for about 60% of gdp, was up only 0.2%. and business investment was minus 0.4%. external demand pushed down gdp by 0.3 points on the back of a stronger yen. one of japan's economy ministers has responded to the gdp data. nobuteru ishihara hopes the government's new fiscal plan will boost growth. the measures were announced earlier this month.

>> translator: steadady implemementatition of stimulusu measures can enable a recovery backed by private sector demand. but we need to pay attention to the downturn in emerging economies. the effect of the uk's exit from the eu as well as geopolitical uncertainties around the world. >> ishihara added a series of earthquakes in southwestern japan in april dampened consumer sentiments. earlier catherine kobayashi spoke to our correspondent. she started by asking what's behind japan's sluggish growth. >> the main factors are the continued weakness in consumer spending and exports. many consumers kept their pursestrings tight on the back of global uncertainties and increased social security costs. the stronger yen has hurt sales at department t stores as forei visitors cut back on shopping. the british vote to leave the eu dampened sentiment, and china's economic slowdown weighed on exports.

a series of earthquakes in southwestern japan has also been hindering production and exports of cars and semiconductors since made april. >> many uncertainties there. what are the prospects and risks for the economy? >> many economists are forecasting moderate growth of around 1% for the rest of the year. since policymakers have ruled out stimulus measures. prime minister shinzo abe is trying to introduce a new fiscal package worth more than $270 billion. the bank of japan is continuing on with its aggressive monetary easing measures, including a plan to double the purchase of etfs. postponement of a consumption tax hike is also expected to prevent consumer sentiment from worsenening. even so, the stronger yen and slowdowns in economies overseas are eating into corporate earnings and keeping private investments at a low level. and that could further dampen personal spending. many analysts also point out the

government stimulus may not be enough to boost the economy as many of the measures will take time to generate a significant impact. policy options seem rather limited. the central bank has already been buying up huge sums of government bonds and has lowered the key interest rate into negative territory. the fiscal debt is ballooning, and labor market reforms that could lift the nation's productivity are likely to take more time. so many economists and investors seem far from optimistic as they keep a very close eye on the country's economic path. checking the markets. tokyo stocks moved in and out of negative territory following lackluster gdp. our business reporter has more from the tokyo stock exchange. >> following the gdp numbers and with trading volumes thin during the holidays, tokyo indexes ended in a narrow range. the nikkei closing at 16,869

down 0.3% and the broader topix, 1,316, down 0.5% for this monday, august 15th. some stocks stood out on positive corporate news. sharp was one of those, and it confirmed last friday y that it had received cash infusion of about $3.8 billion from taiwan's hon hai precision industry also known as foxconn. shares were up 10.38%. shares of toshiba also in focus surging on the back of profits from the last quarter up 6.28%. this compares to losses from the same time last year as the company went through restructuring and cocost-cututt measures. metal sector shares like hitachi metals and jfe holdings did not have a good day, as you can see there declining. overall demand from china and emerging economies remains sluggish. many people in japan are taking summer holidays this week so trading is expected to be thin. ramin mellegard, reporting from the tokyo stock exchange.

and moving on to other markets in the asia pacific region. the shanghai composite soared 2.4% to close at 3,125. speculation the government would soon announce details of stock trading link between hong kong and shenzhen boosted sentiments. in hong kong hang seng extended its winning streak to a fourth day. investors picked up financials, which may benefit from the new trading link. the benchmark in sydney edged up. banking shares erased losses in the resource sector. the south korean market was closed for a holiday. thailand's economy has grown at a faster pace for the second straight quarter. officials credit higher spending by consumers and the government. officials at the national economic and social development board said april to june gdp expanded by 3.5% from the same period last year. that's up from 3.2% in the january, march quarter. sales of automobiles and home

appliances rose. consumer confidence improved as anti-government protests ended. the number of foreign tourists increased about 8% from the previous year, and the government ramped up investment in highways, irrigation and other infrastrucucture. officials said the growth foforecast for the year remainst 3.5% leaning towards the upper range. we're into the final week of the rio olympics, and japanese sports fans have been tuned in to tennis. they watched kei nishikori power his way to japan's first tennis medal in 96 years. nishikori is ranked seventh in the world. he faced fifth ranked rafael nadal in a playoff for bronze. he beat his rival two sets to one winning japan's first

olympic medal since 1920. there was jubilation in the hometown of western japan. >> translator: i'm overjoyed. i feel proud of him, as if he was my son. >> translator: i was a bit nervous when he dropped the second set but i thought he would make it. >> wrestler shinobu ota added to japan's medal tally with a silver in the greco-roman 59-kilogram class. the 22-year-old beat london's gold medalist from iran in his opening match. he met his match in the final losing 8-0 to the reigning champion ismael borrero molina. of cuba. still silver is his first medal greco-roman wrestling since sydney 2000. in athletics, usain bolt

made o olympic history once aga. he became the first man to win the 100-meters at three consecutive games. later this week he'll try for the triple in the 200-meters and 4x100 meters relay. and bolt wasn't the only record-breaker on the track. south africa's wayde van niekerk ran the fastest ever 400 meters to take gold and smashed michael johnson's 17 year world record. here are the medal standings for day ten. the united states tops with 26 golds and japan stands at eight with seven. officials at the world anti-doping agency say hackers have accessed the account of the russian whistleblower yulia stepanova. wada officiaials say hackers obtained the password for its computer system. the 800-meter runner is a former member of the russian track and field team. wada requires athletes to register their locations so they can be contacted for a doping test at any time.

the system also stores test results for athletes around the world. agency officials say no other accounts have been illegally accessed. after exposing the doping program, stepanova fled to the u.u.s. with heher husband. reports sasay they moved to a n address on friday after being notified of the hackining. the international olympic committee refused to allow stepanova to compete in rio as a neutral athlete. newspapers around the world are shutting down their presses because of falling circulation. a japanese newspaper in the u.s. could meet the same fate, and more than a century of community ties may not be enough to save it. nhk world's reporter has the story.

>> reporter: in los angeles, one of the oldest newspapers published in the united states serving the japanese american community. the paper was all in japanese when it launched in 1903. an english-only section was added later. this special edition report on japan's attack on pearl harbor in 1941. the paper also advised readers. it also carried advertisements for japanese businesses and other useful information. over more than a century, it has made itself an indispensable part of the japanese-american community. >> the japanese community over the years became more diverse and more dispersed geographically.

for me, it was kind of like the glue. >> reporter: but this march the "rafu shimpo" announced d out o the blue it may shut down in december. the publisher says at its peak in the 1980s, "the rafu shimpo" printed 23,000 copies, but circulation has now dropped to one-third that figure. manager -- the younger generation do not read newspapers. they add americans of japanese descent are less interested in joining the japanese-american community. >> i don't really know much about japanese culture. >> reporter: this man and his grandfather before him were publishers. he works with a popular store that's run by a

third generation japanese-american. he plans to sell a new line of t-shirts featuring photos the paper has printed over the years. >> even a little revenue from the t-shirts, besides the recognition, you're helping us take a step here and a step there. >> my grandfather reading the newspaper and myself and my parents read the newspaper. i try to do my part. >> reporter: at a meeting, he frankly describes the paper's financial situation and asks for support. >> translator: if people ask their children and grandchildren to subscribe to the paper, i believe that will be a great help in the long run. >> we want to stay around. we know we need to change. i consider it a long journey uphill. and you go one step at a time and you have to be patnt. >> reporter: "the rafu shimpo" has helped japanese-americans navigate u.s. society for more

than a century. as their community changes, the paper must evolve to survive. nhk world, los angeles. japan's traditional garment, the kimono, is being used as a canvas to highlight the history and culture of each of the teams that will compete in the 2020 tokyo olympic games. we focus on the kimono representing palau and the artisan whose contribution is an expression of his desire for world peace. nhk world has more. >> reporter: a woman in kimono dyed crystal blue. it represents the e island nati of palau in the south pacific. 82-year-old norihito sakai created the kimono. the kimono master whose career stands seven decades has long been acclaimed for his fine technique and creative ideas.

when it comes to designing and painting japan's signature silk garments, he's without doubt one of the nation's top artisans. one event inspired him to create a special kimono for palau. the emperor r and emprpress of n visited the nation last year to pay tribute to those who died there during world war ii. his long-forgotten wish was revived. he decided to make a special kimono to commemorate all those whwhsacrificeded their lives. he chose a sheer fabric normally used for summer clothing. he mixes several colors to create images in the mind's eye. sakai wanted to re-create the colors of the tropical ocean and the emerald green of palau's jungles. the sheer fabric is extremely thin, which makes it easy to dye. it takes great technical skill to draw a perfect gradation of

colors for the design. >> i wanted to create a gradation of color in the kimono from emerald green to crystal blue. the gradation eventually reaches the base color of deep blue. >> reporter: he took a break while he was making the kimono. he visited his hometown. he wanted too rediscover his creative purpose in making the kimono. the young man in the photo is sakai's cousin. he was drafted into the army and died when he was 23 years old. sakai recalled that he had a secret crush on sakai's sister. on the day he went to war, he had his picture taken with her. >> translator: there m must hav been many youngsters like my cousin who wanted to build a family in peace. i wanted to soothe such souls who couldn't fulfill their dreams. >> reporter: sakai resumed painting the kimono withth rened fervor.

keeping in mind the romantic image of the national bird. he drew the birds flying and nesting. he wanted to honor the memory of of those who could not realize their dreams. after six months, sakai's mission was finally accomplished. the national birds cuddle together in windmill palm trees are against a backdrop of the beautiful south pacific ocean. by expertly working with the sheer two-layered fabric, sakai magically conjured up an animated vignette from the flat cloth of the kimono. sakai named the kimono "eternal peace in blue." sakai showcases his latest artwork to officials at the embassy of palau. >> the design element in the kimono shows the unification between the world and peace through the symbolism of our birds.

>> translator: many spirits peacefully sleep in palau. i want to dedicate my new kimono to them. >> reporter: sakai dreams that one day he will visit palau, carrying the kimono with him to pay tribute to the war dead. nhk world. and you're watching nhk "newsline" from tokyo. we're in the middle of the summer vacation season here in japan, but a tropical system approaching the country may dampen outdoor plans this week. jonathan oh joins us with the details. jonathan, is there any reason to be worried? >> hello, james. yes, there is a reason to be a bit worried in terms of the heavy rainfall that's coming up. we've been dealing with rainfall during the past 24 hours. so in different portions of japan because of a low-pressure system that was over the sea of japan. you can see the clouds associated with that moving over the northern portions of the country. we also had a tropical system that's now departing away from hokkaido and down toward the south, this is going to be the big story, at least for the next

few days as we go into tuesday, wednesday, and thursday. chchlt hanthu wilill be moving n dealing wi s stronr r winds and gher w waves. in the meantime, the moisture remaining from the low-pressure system bacack towardrd the westl contntin to moveo northehern portions of ththe cotrtry. a lot of cloud cover ahead of the rain that will be coming. speaking of the system, let's get a little closer look at it. notice the nice spin that's associated with the severe tropical storm. we're not expecting it to officially become a categorical typhoon. nevertheless, it's packing winds of 90 kilometers per hour, gusting up to 126, moving to the north at 15 kilometers per hour. as we go forward in time, notice the storm warning area may be limited to the south, but the system will continue to move toward the north, brushing past tokyo, right over the chiba prefecture before it moves to places like sendai. and over hokkaido before moving to russia. lots of rainfall starting late

wednesday for the konto region. then it will conontinue to expa up to the north. some areas could see anywhere from 150 to 200 millimeters of rainfall as we go forth in time. again, wet for the next t few days. here's a look at the forecast. tuesday, wednesday, and thursday for sendai and tokykyo all looking at wet weathther. wewe go into friday, tt't's whei thk the e system w will finally depart from the area. until then, you'll need to have the umbrellas handy. be on the lookout for heavy downpours from time to time. you may notice t these areas of yellow and orange toward the north. that's where we're going to see some of the quickly falling rain areas. so be on the lookout for that for the rest of this weeeek unt friday, when i think we'll see a little bit of a drier pattern as the system departs from the area. speaking of very wet weather, i want to focus our attention to north america now where down toward south louisiana we've been dealing with serious flooding in baton rouge on sunday. at least five people have died because of this weather situation. rivers are seeing historic levels in terms of the flooding problems.

not only that, just so many people impacted by this. the rivers have crested in the southeastern portions of louisiana. that is the bright spot. it looks like that allowed the focus of the rain to move toward the northwest then the northeast because of a low-pressure system and a cold front associated with it. the reason why we've been seeing so much rain is because of the southerly flow that is coming in. that's a lot of moisture and unstable weather. wewe're going to seehe i impact into portions of texas, into places like hohouston, san antonio, extending thrgh arkansas into missouri, southern portions of illiis, , and indianana. you'll be dealing with some of the heavier rain amounts. flash flood watches are in place for manyf f these arareas. some places may be dealing with rainfall totals s as high as 12 millimeters during the next couple of days. so if you're in these areas such as san antonio, st. louis, indianapolis, and kentucky, dealing with rain from monday through wednesday sometimes you'll be dealing with thunderstorms as well. so be on the lookout for that. the eastern side of the united

states looking at active weather with some rain and thunderstorms on monday. high pressure back toward the west. however, we'll bring some of the calmer conditions with sunny skies as we go through the day. hope you have a good day wherever you are. here's your extended outlook. ♪ ♪

the annual festival was held north of tokyo to mark the midsummer period known as obon. about 1600 people performed a dance on sunday. it includes moves portraying the reeling of silk threads. the town of minano is the birth place of the dance, which is based on various dancing styles in the area. silk farming was once a local industry. >> translator: it doesn't feel like the bon season has arrived until this comes along. it's fun. dancing makes me feel younger. >> the participants included people who had returned to their hometown for the summer holiday season. and with that, we conclude this hour's nhk "newsline."

more to come here on nhk world, so stay right there. ú

>> hello there. "ou are watching "live in paris on "france 24." usain bolt speeding to another 100-meter sprint goal. his sights are set on the historic trouble trouble. mournings of national have begun in the democratic republic of congo for the 42 civilians killed in a massacre.

hundreds of soldiers and police to projectrafted in an estimated 20,000 catholic the south african capital. this monday. hello there. thanks very much for being with us. he says that he came to prove he is one of the greats, and that this is the olympics where he will do it. usain bolt has won gold in the 100-meter sprint in rio, setting himself on the path of historic three golds at three successive olympics. he said he will retire after this games next up for him before that is qualifying for the 200 meters on tuesday.

then he will face the 4 by 100 meter relay later in the week. that here is what fans said on sunday. >> unbelievable, unexplainable. one of the best things in all my years. usain bolt, the greatest. the greatest. wish we won, but it was great to see usain bolt win again. >> one of the reasons -- historic. the greatest ever. boltth the latest on usain 's latest when, here is our sports editor from rio. >> usain bolt is once again the world's fastest man after a difficult season. the jamaican superstar brought his a game when it matters most to win the olympic gold-medal in the men's 100-meter sprinting

event. he did so by finishing in 9.81 seconds, ahead of his longtime gatlin.merican justin this is his third olympic gold medal in the 100-meter event, making it a historic achievement for the jamaican. he will be looking for a third gold medal in the men's 200 meter event, and that he will be looking for a third gold meter in the men's 100 meter relay. a triple triple of olympic crowns that have never been achieved before. but there is another extraordinary performance weight as south africa's funding for 10 -- olympic goldthe medal in the men's 400 meter event, but he also crushed the world record, a world record that had been standing for the

past 17 years. the world record that was set back in 1999 by the great michael johnson. >> the one russian track and field athlete at the games has won her appeal and will compete in rio. evidence of widespread state-sponsored doping have left around a third of russia's planned olympic squad from taking part in the event. our correspondent reports on what made the difference for a long jumper. russia's only track and field athlete in rio. daria has been given the green light to compete in the olympics. the long jumper had been suspended by the iaaf on saturday after new information on her doping record emerged. her name adding to the long list of russian athletes banned after an independent investigation. reports revealed a state-sponsored doping program in russia.

>> her name was mentioned on the report. the report was published it long ago. why do they wait until the beginning of the competition? what kind of information are they getting? there is no answer in this situation. >> the commissioner appealed her band because she has been living in the united states for the past three years and has been subject to regular international drug tests. the court of arbitration announced monday it would let the athlete take part in the rio games, just in time for the women's long jump competition, which starts on wednesday. , thingsirst weekend have been moved around a bit. let's show you the latest standings. team usa are still there at the top. great britain is now in second place above china. that is partly thanks to the five golds the team notched up on sunday.

the depleted russian squad is currently in fourth place, and following we have germany in fifth, france in sixth place. some other top international news -- three days of mourning are starting today in the democratic republic of congo after 42 people were killed in the east of the country over the weekend. the army says an islamist group calling itself the allied democratic forces carried out the massacre. thomas lowe has the latest. thomas: crying for their friends and loved ones, sadness quickly turned to anger. 80 fighters killed dozensns of fighters. others -- some with machetes, others burned alive. the government has not been able to protect people from more islands in the region. came ont joseph kabila friday and promised peace. senior officials are calling for help.

i think the international theunity should recognize difficulty we have here. this is a bitter and long conflict, but we will win in the end. massacre took place in the northeast region. is government says the adf responsible. the group has killed some 600 people in a series of massacres during that time. ,t carries out kidnappings torture, and executions to terrorize the population and aims to overthrow the neighboring uganda government. a handful of militias have been active in the region. a force was established in 1999 to quell the violence, working alongside troops. they've taken on the adf and number of times in the last decade but have not been able to defeat the islamist group.

catherine: the parents of school girls kidnapped or the two years ago in nigeria are waiting for official confirmation of whether their daughters are indeed in a new video. the undated taped message is purportedly from the boko haram militants, showing a group of 50 girls in islamic dress sitting and standing around a masked man. he is armed with an assault rifle. a spokesman for the bring back our girls movement reports as many as 10 of those girls are recognizable. nigeria plus government says it is in contact with those claiming to be behind the video. the first major city to be overrun by the islamic state group two years ago. there is a new push underway to retake muscle. kurdish peshmerga forces began heavy shelling and airstrikes from the us-led coalition. the militants are reporting the

a news service they have issued -- they have injured some peshmerga. mobileom in france -- police units, soldiers, bomb squad's, sniffer dogs, and more are mingling with 20,000 catholic pilgrims today. the security presence has been addressed that has been aggressively raise this year for the annual pilgrimage, less than a month after two self-declared islamists murdered a priest as he celebrate mass in a normandy church. it is one of the most pilgrims -- must -- it is one of the most important pilgrimages in modern catholic life. for many pogroms, the killing of a cap greece -- of a catholic priest has made the journey all the more important. >> it has reawakened a solidarity among catholics and renewed our faith.

faith becomes a shield, and we you go to just when mass. >> it is impossible not to knows that this year's pilgrimage looks very different from years past. the celebration hidden behind armed soldiers and mandatory checkpoints. the priests here are well aware, and they ask for forgiveness. >> this pilgrimage must be a springboard to forgiveness. thesee this when you enter sanctuaries. everyone is affected. >> this will -- these women have come to pray, having spent all night on a bus from paris. before the attack, they had not planned to come. >> if we are here, it is above all to pray for the people who did that, because us as christians, we must first reach out and learn to forgive. >> over 20,000 are expected to attend under the eyes of god and french security. >> three courthouses in istanbul

have been raided by police. this is being reported by a news agency. earlier, detention warrants were issued for 173 personnel as part of an investigation into last month's failed coup attempt. since then, 45,000 people have been detained, half of them are arrested. the ruling ak party has made a public show of its nationwide support as it celebrates its 15th anniversary. the man who founded the party is now president. under the turkish constitution, that job is officially nonpartisan. our correspondence report. -- our correspondents report. >> exactly one month after the

attempted coup, crowds here are celebrating the ak party, celebrating 15 years since its creation. the party history played out on large screens. the man himself is not here in person, instead addressing supporters by video link. even if as president i have officially broken ties with my party, my link to those with whom i founded this party remain and will always remain intact. [applause] ratingsan's approval soared by 20 percentage points following last month's failed coup. part withinue on a what he gives us. >> the akp represents people's

struggle for muslims everywhere. aired again is a leader who knows how to reunite us. >> they said they can imagine -- they say they cannot imagine a future without erdogan. hopeen as president, we that god will give him a long life so he can remain leader during the entirety of our party's lifespan. >> with the opposition weekend in turkey -- with the opposition weakened, the political alternative in the country seems for now difficult to imagine. kidnapped aho newborn baby from a hospital in south africa to 19 years ago and then raised the girl as her own has been sentenced to 10 years in jail. stephanie was reunited last year with her biological parents.

they were brought back together -- a police investigation and dna tests show the girls were sisters. the older of them being the missing child. stephanie's father was in court for the sentencing today and is looking forward to rebuilding the relationship with his daughter. the city of mills what -- the city of milwaukee in wisconsin is picking up the pieces after the second night of riots following the police shooting of an armed suspect. multiple arrests have been made. governor scott walker has activated the national guard, meaning they could be called in to help quell unrest should it re-erupts. brian quinn has the story. a second night of unrest in milwaukee. tensions flared between protesters and police. following the police shooting of an unarmed suspect saturday. in the sherman park neighborhood, peaceful rituals during the day at night turns to

crowds throwing rocks and bottles come with shots fired. despite the for attic -- despite the sporadic violence, saturday a gasriders set fire to station and several local businesses. sunday morning began with sherman park cleaning up after the riots. state and local officials prepared to call in the national guard should the situation deteriorate further. >> the national guard will be activated, but it will not be deployed unless chief flynn decides to deploy it. 120 five members of the national guard are on their way to milwaukee as we speak. >> disturbances began after 23-year-old sylville smith was shot and killed by a black police officer when police say he fled his vehicle with a handgun and refused in order to drop the weapon. >> there was a body camera the officer was wearing. at the appropriate time, the state of wisconsin will make

available that body camera. were made and four officers were injured during saturday night's riot. catherine: one of the young belders of hong kong's re revolution says he would still commit acts of civil disobedience. our correspondent has the latest. united, three student protest leaders avoided -- walking away with community service or a suspended sentence leading in the legal rally in hong kong years ago. but determined to keep up the fight. i will sue you civil disobedience to show the fight for human rights and democracy and freedom in hong kong. but we longtime battle,

are still willing to pay the price for it. 2014, quarter students occupied the district, calling for free elections rather than seeing a beijing appointee take the reins. the arrests sparked outcry and far largrger demonstrations erupted. it became known as the umbrella movement, after crowds used them to shelter from water cannon and tear gas, with police trying to move them on. traumatize the hong kong city center for two months, with protesters remanding -- protesters demanding greater autonomy from china. >> they should really think about why the hong kong people self-determination, hong kong independence.

that is out of their frustration and a hope for a better hong kong. >> for these activists, democracy -- they are attempting to take their message mainstream and to found a new party in the wake of elections next month. >> let's move on now with a look through the day's business stories with will hilderbrandt. will: hello. catherine: we will start off with disappointing news from japan. will: growth has come to a halt. it had a really good start, but then we saw in the second quarter it drops down to 0% from half a percent. that is on a quarterly basis per year on year basis even worse, 2% at the start of the year, to -- .2% currently. the story behind the numbers is that exports are falling. there has also been a weak corporate investment.

what is striking about all of this is that the economy would have contracted if it were not for a massive public investment program, notably some infrastructure projects during the quarter. catherine: we have had recent news about the prime minister trying to get the economy going again. this will be adding more pressure to him, wanting? l: yes. a lot of experts are wondering if that just will not happen. we saw earlier this month he announced another stimulus program, $276 billion, which includes handouts to some 22 million low-income people. but with stimulus leading the way in japan, some people say it is not enough, that they want to see deep structural reforms. 3.5 years in, they say it might be time for a bit of a change.

catherine: how has this played out in the market? will: we saw some student reaction outside japan. in japan, a different story. the nikkei falling about a 40th of a percent. the hang seng up three quarters of a percent. european markets, about midday c,ading -- the ftse, ca and the frankfurt dax trading up to half a percent. >> let's move on to china, a country where the economy has been doing better than japan in recent years. they now face a $1 billion mining problem. >> and this is one reason their economy was performing so well. back in the boom of energy demand, china became the world's top coal producer. over 30 years, the production

ran and demand is dropping. the firms that put all of this money into the sector -- now that infrastructure is crumbling and cities are sinking. here in china fund heartland hartline, local residents are fighting a losing battle. after the ground beneath them crumbled. >> these cracks opening up in places are completely or related to the digging of coal in the mines underground. these places become completely unlivable. across china, hundreds of sinking villages have been abandoned. it is estimated as much as 10,000 square kilometers of land have been affected by over size ofan area the cyprus. a government program is underway to relocate hundreds of thousands of residents. governmentthe local said the people affected by --

was 2.3 million. but the number of people who make the move will be higher than that. >> a top priority for the chinese government is also to diversify the economy. a downturn in the price of coal, --ing has rendered the land authorities are investing in solar energy in a bid to create more jobs. >> solar power does not require too many land resources. is developing a new solar project here so we can offer sustainable employment to local residents and produce clean energy for the whole come jury -- for the whole country. >> it is very little compared to what is needed. national spending on remediation reached 12 billion euros in 2015. funding is in can -- funding is insufficient. lead with news from the

biggest automaker, volkswagen, still working to clean up its image after the emissions scandal. >> they will be doing that for some time to go. the transport authority earlier today giving up the green light to remedy the problem in form and 60,000 vehicles, bringing the total to 5 million who have been affected by the emissions cheating software. there is still a long way to go. currently some 11 million vehicles have been affected by the in missions cheating scandal. >> one of my favorite subjects is food. in food delivery services here in paris. are catching up with other cities. will: this is something we have percent -- we have perhaps see more in london. the traditional french dining scene -- i myself have taken advantage of it -- but we cannot

feel guilty about being lazy havere because we now great companies at home, bringing typical restaurant fare to your home. the london-based startup is now worth $1 billion. our correspondent takes a closer look with the lay of the land. phone, and asmart whole lot of leg power. that is what we need to start delivering food to homes in paris. john philippe is one of deliverer's 1300 artists, and he like the others is self-employed. it's time he makes it delivery, he is paid to billion euros. he has to pay for his own pensions and health insurance. but there are benefits. >> i have a lot of flexibility. i can work as many hours as i want. that is a real plus. >> the london-based startup has just raised 250 billion euros to expand further.

the business is developing quickly. >> the advantage of using self-employed workers is that we have flexibility as we grow. much easier to send off independent delivery people than to employ them as we go along. these freewheeling entrepreneurs have taken france by storm. along -- but one large belgian company filed for bankruptcy last month because he could not find the investment it needed. that is despite registering 30% growth each month this year. some of its former riders now say the system is deeply unjust. >> this shows the limits of being self-employed. there are no guarantees of being paid, no guarantees of employment. we need change. these self-employed cyclists are at the whim of the market, and they just have to make sure they are ready to roll when the next order comes ringing.

catherine: i don't know, i still like getting up and going out to the restaurant myself. that is it for now. one of the most dangerous countries in the world is venezuela. this is a curious one. it is changing how people play pokemon go. about people heard wandering into traffic. the hazards in venezuela are different. president nicolas maduro did not give an outright ban to ella -- two pokemon go, but he did blame it for bringing capital's .orture of death 500 people in the country were killed for not giving up their mobile phones when they were robbed on the street. to get around that problem, people who are sort of fanatics with pokemon go are going out on the streets in massive groups to deter any would-be robbers.

you can listen to one of them who spoke earlier about his joy of playing pokemon go. theven with the crown and this with the crime in the úbq

>> hello, i'm john cleese. have you heard of the 13th century sufi mystic whose poetry outsold all other poets in the united states for over a decade? when unesco declared 2007 as "the year of jalalududdin rumi," they rightfully recognized his contribution as an advocate of interfaith tolerance and respect. they described rumi as "one of the great humanists, philosophers, and poets who belong to humanity in its entirety." the u.n. recognized that the spiritual evolution and, quite possibly, , the surrvival ofof our very y worlds directly tied d to the ideas tht lie at the e heart of rumi's poetry. so, let us now join our trusted guide and host, phil