hello, welcome to "newsline." it's thursday, october 11th. i'm catherine kobayashi in >> some of the shoppers are getting down to business of the international monetary fund and the world bank. they're hashing out possible solutions to a myriad of problems. our reporter is there with us again today. it looks a bit busier than what we've seen in the past few days. >> that's right. you can hear more of a buzz

rising up from the meetings down below me. bumping into more people in the hallways as well. the lineups for all the information we're gathering here just a bit longer, not to mention the longer lines really getting through security today. the delegates to these meetings have been up in northeastern japan. they were talk about and visiting areas affected by the disaster last year. now they're back and refocused on the problems that they share. >> so what are they saying? >> really the head of the imf today drawing an analogy between the recovery from the disaster and the recovery from the global economic downturn. christine legard talked about the resilience of the japanese people. she's calling for that same type of drive from the world's financial leaders. . >> we expect action and courage os and cooperative action on the part of our members. >> she repeated her view that the global economy continues to recover, but she said the pace

is slower than expected. what she called a veil of uncertainty covers various parts of the world. so she's urging policymakers in europe to act now. legarde encouraged them to follow through with plans to create a banking union. then she turned her attention to the friction between japan and south korea over territorial issues. she's calling on leaders from both countries now to patch up their relationship. she said it's critical for asian economies and for the global economy. japan of course locked in another territorial dispute with china. some chinese delegates as we know have stayed away from these meetings. legarde said they're missing out on a great opportunity. she says she hopes the problems between the two however long-standing could be resolved. the head of the world bank says the uncertainties in countries that we've been talking about are leading people in developing nations more vulnerable. kim jung in says it's making

things worse. >> increasing food prices often force the poorest families to make terrible choices. either feed my children or send the girls to school. you have to choice one or the other. >> kim went on to say he and his colleagues stand ready to provide emergency loans and grants for nations that are hit by the food crisis. he did stress, though, that what's neated are long-term plans for agricultural sustainability. droughts of course have dried up fields across the united states. the price of corn and soy beans hit record highs. world bank experts are warning that prices could stay high for some time to come. now, kim and the other people meeting down there aren't the only ones with an insider's perspective on the world's financial challenges. central bank governors and finance ministers from leading economies will be meeting later on not too far from here. finance ministers from the group of seven nations last met in april. that was in washington.

they too are considering ways to shake off the weight of the debt crisis and stimulate steady growth. representatives of eurozone countries are expected to look for support fortre thfor the re they launched. they want it to help their economy and other markets. >> europe's problems have spread to other places, china notwithstanding and emerging economies. we're going to be hearing more about the g-7 ministers meeting later in the day. we heard from the leaders of the imf and world bank. one political leader we spoke to says the world lacks leaders right now. ian bremer wrote the book entitled "every nation for itself." he says countries leaders are turning inward and that's creating a power vacuum. we sat down with bremer to talk about leadership or a lack of it. >> nice meeting you.

>> you say we live in a world without a leader. the g-0 world. we have the g-7 meeting taking place on thursday. are we going to see any concerted action, any results? >> when you start talking about g-7 governments, really they're overwhelmingly focused on domestic issues. s europeans are dealing with nothing but crisis in europe for the last three years. that's going to continue. that's occupying everything. the americans have an election coming up in four weeks. and there's much less interest in the united states in being the world's policemen or lender of last resort. japanese, you have prime minister every week. i mean, the level of consistency in governments here is just not feasible. and so really that does limit what can be done in any of these four. look, the longer the g-0 persists the more dangerous. so the persistence of the g-0

does lead to the creation of a new system. this is not a new world order. this is in between. precisely because you can't deal with the middle east conflicts in a g-0 world. you're not dealing with climate effectively in the g-0 world. new things will emerge. looking at the nape of the middle east right now, looking at how deep the european crisis is, how unwilling americans are to look outside their borders today, how much transportation is required within china to main stain stability, how much unwillingness there is in japan to get their own house in order, it's very clear the g-0 will be with us for at least a few more years. >> you're saying smaller governments are better in dealing with the problems that we're facing. at the same time, the problem that we are facing are actually global. we are having this big annual event with world leaders coming to tokyo. what can they do? >> i think what they can do this week they can talk very clearly

about both what they're doing in their own countries as well as what will be helpful for them in others. the importance of transparency in communication does matter. you know, what exactly can't americans expect from the germans and the europeans to get the eurozone in order? again, the americans won't fix europe. they're not going to write checks. the chinese sarkozy when he was president of france asked china for help. china said no it's not going to happen. but the your europeans can tell the americans, can tell the japanese what they're doing. they can give them a road map expectations for now to move to fiscal union to get the europeans out of crisis. that's important. the americans can talk about what they're going to do to resolve the fiscal cliff, democrats or republicans. that's important, too. the japanese can talk about reform processes. that's really the most you can ask for in this environment this week. >> all right. as you can see their opinions here definitely spanning the spectrum. we'll have more of those opinions throughout the day. we'll be back here live at 8:00

japan time with the prospective from the g-7 finance ministers point of view and we'll have lots more. so do please stay with us here. >> all right. thank you very much. and do come to our web site to see all the conversations ron and his team have had with top economists at the imf world bank meeting. the address is right there on the bottom of your screen. now hardly any of the talks at this week's conference begins or ends without mention of europe's financial troubles. they seem to worse within each passing day. spanish leaders are facing even more complications. a u.s. credit ratings agency has downgraded the country's sovereign bonds putting them on the outskirts of junk territory. standard & poors cut spain's rating by two notches. it's gone from triple b plus to triple b minus. that's only one notch above speculative status. s & p analysts blame the downgrade on further economic contraction. they also point out a fear that worsening unemployment and austerity measures may heighten

social discontent as well as friction between the central and regional governments. the s & p says prospects for the bonds were negative, suggesting further downgrades could follow. spanish leaders asked the e.u. in june for financial support to boost the capital of domestic commercial banks which are weighed down by bad loans. they may have to request more bailout funds because the country's regions are asking the central government for financial assistance. the planned measure between the europe's major aerospace and defense companies has collapsed in political deadlock. officials of franco german airbus owner eads and british based -- say in a statement the deal is canceled. they say the firms decided it was in their best interests to terminate the discussions and focus on their respective strategies. the statement came on wednesday after days of negotiations involving the british, french and german governments. u.s. central bank says the economy in the u.s. is still

growing but at a modest pace. the federal reserve's latest report on economic conditions across the country shows some improvements in consumer spending and the housing market. the feds report is based on surveys conducted by its 12 district banks. it says consumer spending in the last six weeks was generally flat to up slightly with rising gasoline prices weighing on sentiment. the report states housing starts and home prices are on the rise in many regions. but the fed remains cautious about employment conditions. it says the report that employment changed little during the period. the u.s. jobless rate in september improved to below 8% for the first time since january 2009. asia's largest film festival is in full swing in south korea's second largest city. organizers aim to lead the

region's film industry and the event is to be getting more popular every year. nhk world's annajong reports. >> reporter: come and see a movie in bustling britan. i'm outside a venue for the busan film festival where dozens of screens are lighting up every day. the red carpet event that opened last week attracts more than 150,000 film fans to plunge into movies, or lounge on the beach. in the 17 years since it started, busan has grown into the major stop on the world film circuit. and this is the main events space. the busan cinema center. it's a $115 billion complex commissioned by korean government officials after they spotted busan's potential to be asia's film hub.

37 theaters, including this one, will screen 304 films from 75 different countries and regions. the unique thing about busan is its focus on asian films. the organize ers' ambition is to take those movies to the world. the festival opened with a bang on october 4th. a lot of korean movie stars and asian stars were seen on the red carpet. the opening feature was a hong kong thriller, within of the world's favorite charmers to close the festival, organizers have chosen the bangladesh film "television" an ironic take on the role of tv in modern society.

this year for the first time, there's a special screening of six films from afghanistan. they are not the sort of movies you can easily catch anywhere. >> translator: this is a fantastic opportunity to see smaller films being made in countries other than america or kor korea. at busan, asian filmmakers can connect with the world. about 180 international distributors have set up sales booths creating opportunities to talk with filmmakers the organizers say that every year here about 100 films get a business deal. >> it's a good place on the one hand to meet with distributors, to try to sell the films on the other side to try to view some

asian titles maybe from japan or korea. >> busan is not just for established industry types. 24 young filmmakers have been invited to work closely with professionals. the participants bring a script for short films which they complete with assistance during the festival. the films are screened to the public. this filmmaker is a 33-year-old aspiring director from laos where there are no film schools. >> i think it's also good for us to get together to know each other, to share ideas, maybe even in the future we can work together. so it provides opportunities so i think it's very great to be here, yeah. >> organizers are planning more

programs like this in the future. >> translator: the festival and its events bring people together to help strengthen the asian industry. that is our goal right now. >> the festival closes on the 13th of this month when the award winners will be announced. i'm anna jung for nhk world in busan. >> thank you very much there, anna. anna jung from busan. the shooting by the taliban of a 14-year-old pakistani girl is drawing international attention. malala yusde had been speaking out about the need to educate girls which the taliban opposes. she was shot and critically wounded on tuesday on her way home from school in pakistan. several men stopped a cool bus

and opened fire. she was taken to a military hospital where she's said to be unconscious and in serious condition. the taliban had claimed responsibility for the attack. a resurgence of islamist militancy in the region began about five years ago. extremists have since attacked schools for girls, forcing many of them to close. teenage activist had been writing about such illegal acts by the taliban on her british media-backed blog. the international community expressing outrage and strongly condemning the shooting. u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton praised yusdea campaign for women's rights. >> she was attacked and shot by extremists who don't want gills to have an education and don't want girls to speak for themselves and don't want girls to become leaders. >> and european union foreign policy chief kathryn ashton also denounced the attack as a vile

act of aggression and an assault on basic human rights. nato ministers say they're sticking to a scheduled withdrawal of combat troops from afghanistan by the end of 2014. the organization is under pressure to pull out early after a string of insider attacks against its troops. defense ministers from nato's 28 member nations met in brussels on wednesday on the final day of a two-day conference. about 3,000 nato-led soldiers are stationed in afghanistan mostly from the u.s. some nations want to speed up the pullout of the soldiers. but the meeting confirmed there will be no changes to the withdrawal plan. nato ministers insisted that afghan military and police control an area covering three quarters of the country's population. they also agreed to draw up plans to train afghan troops and police to handle the aftermath of the combat true withdrawal. nato's secretary general insisted the schedule is based on objective assessments on the situation in afghanistan.

>> it's not because isf partners rush for the exit. it's not because of lack of cohesion within the coalition. on the contrary. >> but relations between nato-led force and afghanistan have been strained by insider attacks. afghan military and police or people wearing afghan uniforms have killed more than 50 foreign soldiers this year. the former peruvian president is asking the government to release him early from prison for humanitarian reasons. fujimori was convicted three years ago for ordering security forces to kill peruvian citizens in the 1990s. he's been serving a 25-year prison sentence outside the capital lima. his family pled for a pardon wednesday with the justice ministry. they said the 74-year-old former leader's health has worsened since he underwithin the tongue

surgery in august. he has been hesitant to seek the pardon but his family persuaded him to change his mind. many peruvians critical of his heavy handed behavior are opposed to amnesty. they now wait to see how the judge handles the family's request. musicians from the u.s. and and japan have come together for a special collaboration. they can't communicate with words but they speak an international language, music and hardship help them to form a lasting connection. our nhk reporter shows us how. >> reporter: this isn't your average jazz festival. young musicians from northeastern japan and the state of louisiana groove together on stage. they share rhythm and a special bond that extends beyond borders.

it's a bond that formed seven years ago in the wake of hurricane katrina. the storms slammed the gulf of mexico, killing nearly 2,000 people. new orleans took a direct hit. residents lost their homes. and one school, o. perry walker high, lost its instruments. a non-profit association of jazz fans in japan immediately sent funds. and in doing so helped revive the spirit of a city with a rich jazz history. fast forward six years to march 2011. this time musicians in japan's northeast are struck by disaster. the tsunami pummelled the port of kesinuma, sweeping away boats and buildings and taking await instruments of a city's popular youth jazz band. the swing dolphins couldn't swing anymore.

but a month after the disaster, the dolphins were back on stage and playing new instruments, most of them donated thanks to the efforts of jazz musicians in new orleans. the o. perry walker high school band never forgot the help they received after katrina. they immediately organized concerts to raise money for their japanese friends. >> i was in the same predicament like five, six years ago. so it gave me the opportunity to help someone else out olympic th like they helped us >> translator: many of us lost our instruments. getting the instruments reassured us we were going to play again. i was so excited. [ music playing ]

>> these young people relate to one another through music and through the experience they've had dealing with the disaster. ♪ [ applause ] >> translator: if we didn't have music, i don't think we could have overcome the disaster. i'm so glad i have music in my life. >> translator: there are certain things you just wouldn't understand unless you've gone through a disaster. so for them to come all the way over here to play has given everyone in kesinuma a big morale boost. >> now these musicians have become each other's biggest cheerleaders. >> things will get better. you just have to keep pushing on and believing that you can do -- you can't just sit back and watch it happen. you have to take a proactive role in making it happen.

[ applause ] >> this was the first collaboration between these young jazz lovers. and they say it most certainly won't be their last. [ cheers ] >> nhk world, kesinuma, japan. >> all right. time now to take -- a typhoon of the western pacific. here are the updates. >> a typhoon has been moving at a snail pace over the western pacific and it's going to continue to do so over the next several days. right now it's a strong typhoon packing sustained winds of about

145 kilometers per hour. it's still intensifying, will likely become a very strong typhoon within the next 24 hours. it's bringing swells and seas along the coast of lusan, either taiwan and the northern islands. it's hard to predict where the system is going but it could move through the okinawa islands next week. if it hit the main island of okinawa it would be the fourth time this year. a stronger low pressure system has been moving through the northern half of japan producing stormy weather. akina prefecture has seen much rain. many locations will clear up by tomorrow but northern japan will remain wet. out west nice clear skies for much of the korean peninsula and the eastern half of china. but some showers are lingering in the southwestern corner of china today. but down towards the south lots of heavy rain coming down in

northeastern india. bangladesh as well as the northern half of myanmar. heading into the americas then a parade of low pressure system has been bringing cold preparation in canada, western quebec. while southern ontario is expected to see as much as 20 centimeters of snowfall on your thursday. but down towards the south the weather is likely across central mississippi valley on your thursday. so thunderstorms, gusting winds and even hail are possible. out west an upper cold low is drifting over southern california and nevada, bringing coastal rain and mountain snow. temperatures are above average in los angeles, only 20 degrees expected. up towards the north, chilly in winnipeg with a high of only 7. and below average along the eastern seaboard but hotter than average in the south. 29 degrees expected. i should say 28 degrees in oklahoma city and 31 in houston. all right. finally let's go over to europe.

thick clouds are approaching western europe from the atlantic. right now thunderstorms gusty winds and lots of heavy rain are occurring in iceland in part of the british isles where wet and windy conditions will then spread through parts of the south italy over the next 24 hours. out east rainshowers in northwestern russia will be decreasing from your afternoon hours. but the next storm system is on its way from turkey. temperatures out looking like this. 9 degrees expected in moscow with rain, sunny skies, for stockholm with a high of 8 degrees. out toward the west, 18 in paris and 23 in madrid and rain in lisbon with a high of 23. that's it for me now. here's your extended forecast.

and that is all for now in this edition of "newsline." thank you very much for joining thank you very much for joining us. tokyo. nato ministers say they're