. line from tokyo, this is nhk "newsline," i'm james tengan. police looking into the suspected murder of half-brother of north korea's leader think his alleged attackers carried out a practice the day before. he died op the way to hospital. a south korean intelligence officials believe he was poisened. malaysian police is detained two

women. an indonesian national and one with a vietnamese passport. they can be seen in surveillance footage recorded at the airport. a local media report says that imams taken the previous day show what appears to be a group rehearsing the attack. it says two women and four men can be seen spraying liquid at each other. the report says police suspect they were testing airport security. the detained women have reportedly told police they were asked to appear in a prank video. malaysian authorities have not released the results of an autopsy on kim's body and a police official says there's been no request from kim's family to hand over his remains. a japanese journalist who knew kim says he was critical of the way power is transferred in north korea. >> translator: he said the inheritance of power is counter to a socialist system. he also said a chinese-style

reform and open-door policy is the only way north korea's economy can survive. >> gomi says kim was brave enough to risk his life to criticize the north korean regime. to south korea where the country's biggest business figure has been arrested. a court approved the warrant for samsung group's defacto leader, lee jae-yong and kim chan ju joins us to tell us more. >> in his briefing, the prosecution spokesperson said lee will be sumped for questi s questioning as early as tomorrow. >> translator: we're aiming to indiet him in the future. >> the court said it recognize

the the necessity of lee's arrest after it considered new evidence. he's accused of paying $37 million of bribes to organizations linked to a long-time friend of the suspended president. and its alleged in return lee received political favors. one of those was approval of a merger of two samsung affiliates. it's believed that helped lee cement power inside the conglomera conglomerate. >> the allegations are tangled up with those of president's park geun-hye. how will lee's arrest ease the probe into her? >> there's no doubt the special prosecutor will try his best to obtain a statement linking the to park's friend choi joong-kyung -- choi soon-sil. on that, the spokesperson for the prosecution would only say

there's been little progress he can't give any exact date. the special prosecutor is very sensitive to when and how it will be carried out. because the presidential office has criticized his team. it says it's intentionally leaked information to the media. >> the court's decision must have sent shock waves through the company. how is it reacting? >> well there's a deep sense of shock, lee jae-yong has effectively become the first south korean tycoon to be arrested in connection to the political scandal. he's the first in samsung's 79-year history. his father was convicted of tax evasion, but later pardoned. the conglomerate of south korea's economic growth. you about it's in crisis with the turmoil and now the absence of leadership. 200 of its executives called an emergency meeting to deal with

the situation. samsung group says it will do its best to try, tell the truth during the eventual trial. we'll keep watching the story, but for now i'll hand it back to you. as we have been reporting, there's been a major development in the corruption scandal that's gripped south korea for months. authorities arrested the head of the country's largest conglomerate. he's accused of giving bribes to an associate of park geun-hye's the country's sus spended president. one south korea says the arrest serves as important step. >> clearly the decision to call in lee jae-yong, the scion of the family that established samsung is a milestone, it suggests there are no sacred cows here and definitely opens the door to the possibility of a

more thorough investigation, inspection of the blue house and perhaps each bringinging in president park, if she refuses to cooperate. that part we have yet to see. but i think there's a certain bridge which, river that's crossed. >> he also says the arrest could shake up the status quo. >> there has been traditionally an argument made, even very recently, that to arrest ceos, top figures of major korean corporations would have a negative effect on the korean economy. i think public opinion now is such that people feel thehe korn economy itself is sufferinging terribly and any accusations of wrong doing against ceos or heads of corporations is not seen as something that would

have a negative impact. it might have a positive impact. management at a strugglinging japanese electronics maker have made a decision to further tighten their belts, gene otani has that and more. >> officials at toshiba have notified employees of a plan to cut pay. the move comes as the giant reels from a predicted loss of over $6 billion at its u.s. nuclear power business. toshiba managagement plans to reduce the staff overtime rarat. the daily allowance for business trips and cut bonuses. cuts started last year after the bubusiness was hit by a scandaln 2015. sources say the labor union has expressed a degree of understanding and will begin talks with management. and it's not just ordinary workers losing out. managers, includinging 34 executives will be takinging pay

cuts. turning to the markets, tokyo stocks fell on a weaker dollar. uncertainties over the u.s. president donald trump's policies are cappinging the bounce on the greenback. our business reporter has more from the tokyo stock exchange. >> investors are feeling the political risk in the yuan that's dragging down u.s. treasury yields and the dollar and weighing on japanese exporters, the nikkei 225 finished at 19,234, extending losses for a second session. as for a week, the index fell 0.7% and the topix ended .4%. the dollar weakened to a one-week low after expectations for a march rate hike abated as fed officials are suggestinging gradual rate rises. toshiba shares fell 9.2%.

the company is reeling from a $ billioion loss. toshiba is asking its union for emergency salary cuts. on the flip side. sharp rose 2.8%, after the electronics maker upgraded profit forecasts for the fiscal year. in all, shares in tokyo marked a weakly loss, many investors became cautious. reporting from the tokyo stock exchange. moving to other markets in the asia-pacific region in south korea, samsung electronic shares fell by a fraction, .4%, leading the kospi to 2080, after the head of samsung was arrested. as we see the stock prices ended almost flat for the end of the day. singapore bucking the trend, rose for a third day.

closinging at 3107. after the fourth quarter gdp figures were revised up. the shanghai composite slipping .85%, retreating from a two-month high and indonesia down by .5%. last week leaders of japan and the u.s. met for the first time since president trump's inauguration. they agreed to launch dialogue between these deputies to deepen economic relations. japan's deputy prime minister said he hopes to start economic talks with u.s. vice president mike pence as soon as april. taro aso said he hopes to conduct discussions in a wide range of areas, including economic policies and infrastructure investment. >> translator: we plan to talk about areas where we can reach an agreement promptly. and not issues like the tpp. where agreements take a long

time. >> aso said he would launch a framework for the dialogue as soon as possible. the head of the united auto workers has suggested that the union will be culle upon to boycott ca.. uaw preside made t remks on thursday he said dcussionsre under way for an adampaig to encourage american consumes to buy american cars. the move doesn't seem to be targeted at japanese cars. donald trump has suggested imposing higher import taxes and has highlighted the trade deficit and is urging americans to buy domestically produced goods. one big concern among investors and businesses as donald trump steps into the or stepped into the white house, is the possibility of a trade war between the u.s. and china.

it's been almost a month since his inauguration and analysts continue to wouldn't weather lies ahead for the world's two biggest economies. my colleleue talalked to the chf chinina economist i in hong g kd she e asked him about the trump policies he's focusing on. >> i think it's quite important to look closely, how large the u.s. fiscal stimulus could be. and generally speaking, it's going to be a positive to u.s. economic growth as well as to the global economic growth. hence it should be part for the external dmant for china. -- demand for china. we need to focus on the border tariffs towards the input of u.s. if they do charge quite harsh tax to other goods going to the u.s.

that could hurt significantly the global trade and hen, the global economy. >> there's been signs that things might not go so smoothly earlier this week u.s. agency decided to impose anti-dumping duties on chinese products, for the third time in the short period that trump has been in office. some analysts say the president's picks for his key, three key trade officials are china hawks, what do you make of that? >> i think that just reflects the u.s. stance to reduce deficit inn trade with china. overall i think the impact is not an impact to the chinese policy should be limited. right now the trade surplus is not a major driver for china's growth. it's below 3% of gdp. the deficit of u.s. from china's input should be even less than that. so it won't hurt china very much. at the same time i'm not so sure

it can be positive for the economy, u.s. economy, because testify to reign in the inflationary pressure in the u.s. if these reducing deficits from inputs to china, it's under policy then may not be a good policy for the u.s. >> what about a possible trade war with china? as you know, trump did recognize the one-china principle. that made some people think the u.s. president is softening his foreign policy a bit. how likely is a trade war between the two countries? >> i think the risk of a trade war between the two countries is now rising. but it is still not the baseline scenario in our analysis. i mean eventually the two largest economies in the world need to be realistic. from china's ainge many.

i think china will show some friendly gesture to start negotiations, to further the financial market and try to increase inputs from other countries. and from the u.s. angle, i think need to be realistic to negotiate a positive, generally positive contract between the two countries. >> struggling electronics maker sharp has revised upward its latest earnings outlook for fiscal 2016. the manufacturer has been trying to rehabilitate its business under taiwan's honhai precision industry, also called fox con. sharp executives upgraded the profit forecast to $418 million. say changes in contracts related to purchases of raw materials. sharp's net loss is expected to

shrink to $23 million. here's a look at some other business stories we're following. an event featuring popular culture prododucts, including manga comics and anime. at comic-con anime goods are on sale. entertainment is one of the industries that t the saudi arabian government picked for development. the comic convention is being held for the first time as part of the saudi's government's measures. officials at the japan national tourism organization held an ceremony to c celebrate their new office in moscow. to promote people-to-people exchanges. visa requirements were eased, and the number of visitors between japan and russia stands at 150,000 a year.

both governments aim to boost the number to 250,000 by 2019. japan hopes the new officee in moscow will attract russian tourists to japan. and you can catch our report again online together with a full transcript. look for nhk world and business wrap. i'll leave you with the markets . foreign ministers from japan, the u.s. and south korea have condemned north korea's recent missile test. they issued a statement demanding the country stop what

they call this provocations. the three are in germany for a g3 meeting. >> translator: we made a concrete inclusion in the joint statement, t that japapan, the united statetes and south korea will work together so ththe security of the asia pacific region. . >> the ministers demand pyongyang abide by the nuclear missile agreement. questions are still swirling over the deal with russia. in the midst of that his cabinet members with taking a guarded approach to the country. the secretary of state told his counterparts to respect the cease-fire in ukraine. he says moscow is violating international law. >> we are not in a position right now to collaborate on a military level, but our polilitical leaders will engage

and try to find common ground or a way forward where russia living up to its commitment will return to a partnership of sorts here with nato. >> mattis was speakinging to reporters after a nato defense ministers meeting. he said that moscow must prove itself by abiding by international law. the comment comes after president vladimir putin suggested russia is ready to work with the u.s. to eradicate terrorist groups like the islamic state. >> u.s. president donald trump has been overturning the foreign policies of his predecessor, one after another. among the affected countries is ally, australia. and its refugee resettlement deal. and as nhk world's kieran watson reports, that means life is in limbo for hundreds of detained asylum seeeekers. >> a done d deal is h h trump described the 2016 agreement object twitter. an earlier phone call with his australian counterpart had

called it into question. the agreemement was signed by t obobama administraration. and it stipulated the u.s. would accept more than 1200 people seeking asylum in australia. the country has strict laws governing who enters and is particularly tough on those who attempt to enter the country illegally. >> since 2013, operation sovereign borders an initiative that began under the prime minister and that i've reinforcrced has stopped the bu and restored integrity to our borders, we're working with other countries, including the united states to resettle ththe. >> australia s stirred controvey by resing to accept refugees, most o of whom arrrrived by boa from afghahanistan and iraq. >> refugees are being held within a detention center located within the new guinea base where even locals have limited access. fences surround this facility

that houses more than 800 people who fled conflict in search of freedom. media are not granted access. but a few refugees did share their stories when they were allowed outside. gillami had been a studentnt in afghanistan but he escaped the taliban rule for australia's shores. and he had been holdinging out hope until trump came into power. >> as we hear last night from the news, the homeland security of amemerica they stopped inteterviewingng every 24 hours news is changing. one d day they're announcncing the deal is happening and the other they said it's canceled. so we don't know any more. >> within australia, people are growing more critical of their

government. >> we want a political leadership that is willing to stand up to donald trump. but malcolm turnbull won't stand up to donald trump. he is so wedded to his disgraceful xenophobic policy. >> one expert on foreign relations is raising an alararn for u.s./ausustralian relations down the liline. >> that's no way to treat a close ally such as australia. that has supupported the united statates in e every major war. if he keeps making these kind of mistakes, it will undermine the relationship between washington and canberra. >> in addition, trump's dumping of the trans-pacific partnership agreement is making some observers worry with the austraralia/u.s. relations goal. kieran watson, nhk world, sydney. the u.n. is preparing to draw up a treaty to ban nuclear

weapons. the general assembly is expected to begin negotiations next month. the first preparatory session was attended by representatives from the nuclear powers china and india. there was also a delegation from austria, which led talks in december. paving the way for the treaty. not attended were the two largest nuclear powersrs, rusus and the u.u.s., as well as japa which relies on u.s. nuclear deterrence. costa ricann disarmament envoy elaine white was elected as president of the conference. >> we're going to work in an open mooner in order to to achieve results everyone can accept. >> rules were drafted, including nongovernmental associations to join the party. white will draw up a framework for negotiations beginning in march. nhk "newsline" comes to you from our studios here in tokyo.

let's start off with the world weather. >> we are looking at rainfall to be a big part of the story, for north island and northern portions of south island. it has been very dry, especially over south island so we are seeing the rain coming into the area. let me show youou some videoeo coming out near christchurch where firefighters are trying to battle blazes, at least it is under control at this point. bush fires scorched 11 homes and forced n numerous people to evacuatete in parts of new zealand. the fire vspread to the city of port hill, at this point the cause of the fires are still quite unknown. and the i investigation willl continue. and s so we'll have to wait and see what actually happened. nevertheless r rain will help i this situation and we will continueoo seeee rainfall takin place near christchurch and areas north. i want to mention what's happening in australia, sydney

you've been dealing w with hot temperatures for the past few weeks. ththis week we're seeing the cooling trenend, rain s should . we're expecting highs down into the 30s as opposed to the 40s. we also want to point out what's happening in the northern areas of australia, we're keeping an eye on the tropical low. the system is trying to gather itself together. i don't think it's going to gather so quickly enough to be named at least for the next couple of days. but as it comes onshore near queensland and northern territories, we're expecting gale-force winds in the next 24-48 hours. once it turns out to sea that's when we're looking at the possibility of a name being attached to the system.. as it continues s ts toto go o sea. it's packing quite a bitit of rainfall, we're concerned about the fact that flooding may be an issue. er in fro 100 to 200 millimeteters of rainfall throughout the weekend. so be on the lookout for this as we go into saturday and also into sunday. meanwhile, here in japan, hello,

it's warm and windy as we wept throughout the day. i mean we saw highs getting close to the upper teens, which was nice if you're outside running you're really facing some headwinds in you're in the wrong direction. as we go throughout the weekend, cold air is coming in from the nortrth so we will see a changen the weather pattern to more of a snowy kind of situation for those of you located into hokkaido. sapporo, you're dealing with snowfall as we go into saturday and cooling off into the teens here, 10 in tokyo. 11 in osaka. we'll see a surge of moisture and warmth. that's just about it. but snowfall into sparro over saturday and back into sunday. back toward the west, high pressure is helping to push the cold air down into the korean peninsula and also into china, so be on the look outfor 10 in tokyo. rain with a high of 21 into the weekend. now i want to point out what's

happening in the western portions of the united states and also into canada. we have a big band of moisture coming into california with cold air from the north, warm air ahead of it. we're concerned about flooding. that would be concern through friday, saturday and sunday. extending into san francisco and further south into san diego as well. here's your extended outlook.

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anchor: hello and welcome to "live from paris." it is 1:00 in the french capital. let's look at what is making headlines this hour. the sister of the spanish king is found notot guilty of being accessory to fraud. however, her husband is sentenced to over six years in jail. dozens are dead and scores injured after a bomber blew himself up in one of the deadliest attacks ever carriedd out in pakistan. islamic state group having cld