development bank have downgraded their growth outlook for the asia pacific region. they say the u.s. federal reserve's possible scaleback of monetary easing is destabilizing financial markets. the officials say asia's 45 developing economies will grow 6% this year overall. the pace is slower than their past prediction of 6.6 pk announced in april. it's also less than last year's actual growth rate of 6.1%. an accurate prediction would mean the region's economy will have contracted every year since 2011. bank officials revised lower the growth rate for india from 6% to 4.7%. they cited the deficit and delays in structural reform. they lowered their prediction for indonesia. the officials also reduced their projection for china from 8.2% to 7.6%. quoting an economic slowdown. but they welcomed the chinese

government's efforts toward more sustainable growth. the officials cut their overall growth economist for the region in 2014 by half a percentage point to 6.2%. they call for structural reform to stabilize financial markets and achieve sustainable expansion. japanese prime minister shinzo abe decided to raise the consumption tax from the current 5% to 8% starting next april. but he doesn't want it to dampen economic growth. he wants businesses to hire more people and boost wages. >> translator: we will carry out bold stimulus measures to seize the opportunity for further economic recovery. we are committed to balancing economic revitalization and fiscal reform. >> government officials will create an economic stimulus package ahead of the text hike. it includes a supplementary budget.

worth about $50 billion. it offers $10 billion in corporate tax breaks. a special levy imposed to help recovery in disaster-hit regions could be scrapped one year early. the officials hope to encourage businessowners to pay their workers more and bump up capital investment. but opposition lawmakers say they are against the move unless it guarantees higher wages. the finance ministry will bring in specialists to discuss ways to secure long-term market trust for japanese government bonds. the national debt exceeds $10 trillion. we asked economists and investors outside japan for their take on abe's decision to raise consumption tax. u.s. economist adam posin praised the move. >> i think it's absolutely the right thing to do to raise the consumption tax right now. it's very important internationally. there are a lot of people, not just investors, but people in the u.s. government, other asian governments, who see this as the sign that the government in japan is moving from monetary

and fiscal to structural reform. what the bank of japan is doing and the structural reform of abe-nomics are giving more strength to the push in japan so you hope it can withstand the consumption tax rise. >> a hedge fund manager from britain chris riggs says the 8% tax isn't enough to sustain japan's fiscal health. >> it's a start. they are going to have to eventually raise the consumption tax to something like 20%, but they're going to have to continue to do it for the next 10 to 15 years every couple of years, if they won't get into a position whereby they can stop the debt to gdp ratio growing in japan. >> riggs says he think it's still possible for japanese government bond prices to fall. if that happens, he says he'll sell a high volume of jgbs.

few people have been driving new vehicles away from dealerships in the u.s. new car sales in september showed their first decline in nearly 2 1/2 years. researchers at the firm auto data say about 1.1 million units sold last month. that's down 4% from a year earlier. they say there were fewer business days than usual in september. sales during the consecutive holidays earlier in the month were included in the figures for august. ford posted an increase of 5.7% and chrysler 0.7%. compared with the previous year. general motors saw a decline of 11%. japanese automakers also took a hit. honda sales fell 9.9%. nissan's down 5.5 %. and toyota's declined 4.3%. analysts say new car sales in u.s. will continue to grow despite the drop in september and expect them to weather the impact of the government shutdown.

north korean leaders say the united states holds the key to peace on the korean peninsula. park is urging the u.s. to end what he called a vicious cycle of mounting tension. >> translator: the only way to ensure lasting peace on the korean peninsula is to bring the hostile u.s. policy to an end. >> pak urged u.s. leaders to agree to transform the 1953 armistice that ended fighting in korean war into a peace treaty. north and south korea are technically still at war. pak did not mention the six-party talks on his country's nuclear program which have been on hold for nearly five years. he said nuclear disarmament negotiations should commence without further delay. u.s. leaders say authorities in pyongyang should first live up to past agreements requiring them to take concrete steps

toward giving up on their nuclear ambitions. generals in south korea have sent a message to the north koreans. they've organized their first military parade in five years. the show of strength marked the founding anniversary of the armed forces. tens of thousands of people cheered as soldiers, special units and tanks parade through the streets of seoul. the weaponry included a new type of cruise missile with a range of more than 1,000 kilometers. one spectator said the parade gave him a sense of security. u.s. defense secretary chuck hagel attended the event, along with south korean president park geun-hye. she pledged to maintain a strong alliance with the united states. >> we have to build strong deterrence against north korea until the north abandoned its nuclear program and makes the right choice for the people of north korea and peace on the korean peninsula. park said she is giving the

go-ahead for a new missile defense system, one that will allow her country to launch a preemptive strike. north korean scientists recently carried out combustion tests for an engine that experts say could propel a long-range missile. american researchers suspect the north has also restarted an experimental nuclear reactor. the prime minister of israel is urging the u.s. and other nations to keep up the pressure on iran. benjamin netanyahu says they shouldn't lift sanctions until iranian leaders completely abandon their nuclear development program. >> rowhani is a wolf in sheep's clothing. a wolf who thinks he can pull the wool over the eyes of the international community. >> netanyahu accused iranian president hassan rowhani of masterminding a strategy to advance the country's push to build a nuclear weapon. he said rowhani's goal is the

same as his hardline predecessor mahmoud ahmadinejad. netanyahu argued the only way to peacefully deter iran is to combine tough sanctions with a credible military threat. he said israel is ready to stand alone on the issue. a representative for the iranian/u.n. delegation rejected netanyahu's accusations. he said that unlike israel, iran would not attack another nation. >> they are the greatest threat to the security of -- >> safi said israel should not even think about attacking iran. netanyahu has become even her to vocal on iran afrowani showed he is taking a different approach to dealing with the u.s. the iranian president took a call from president barack obama last week. it was the highest level contact

between the nations since they cut off diplomatic ties more than three decades ago. thousands of people were caught unaware when a giant tsunami battered japan's northeast coast in 2011. among them was a veteran diver who spent years teaching people how to survive such disasters. his experience gave him a renewed sense of purpose. >> reporter: june abe is a 54-year-old professional diver and instructor. on this day, he and his wife visited a local primary school in miiyagi prefecture. they've been teaching how to save lives in water-related accidents. this region has been hit by tsunamis several time. that's why abe and his wife have spent more than ten years volunteering to teach children how to swim with their clothes on.

the children relax and got their balance in the water using a method called survival floating. it helps people who fall into water fully clothed. the water makes their clothes heavier and they have to burn more energy to swim. the key is to lie face-up with one's mouth and nose above water and remain as still as possible to breathe without wasting energy. most of the children learn that right away. >> translator: it was really difficult to move with my clothes on. >> translator: i learned that if you fall into water, your body can float. >> translator: survival floating can help in a life or death situation. it saves not only victims, but

also people who try to help them. >> reporter: 2 1/2 years ago, abe and his wife had a bitter experience. the devastating tsunami pounded the coast where they used to live. abe says deep down, he knew that after a huge earthquake, a tsunami could hit their town. he even discussed it with local children. however, he still got caught by the wave. this video shows abe and his wife clinging to each other on top of debris. the raging torrent swept them along the river and later they were thrown into the water. but their knowledge of survival techniques helped them to remain calm and survive. >> translator: i was so lucky to

live. i was taught to evacuate, to escape tsunamis after earthquakes. so after 3/11, i felt so ashamed seeing the kids' faces again. >> reporter: abe believes he now has to fashipass on his hard-le lessons to as many people as possible. he helped train local firefighters about water-related accidents and rescues. he said he felt to put his own lessons into practice. >> translator: it's important to share my story about how i didn't make the right decision. i want people to learn from that. >> reporter: abe is also spreading the word outside japan. he's visited countries including sri lanka which was affected by

the indian ocean tsunami of 2004. there he talked about his experiences and shared the japanese method of survival floating. >> translator: we started sharing lessons with asian countries because they have serious natural thdisasters suc as flooding. that's why we have to show people they need to be prepared at all times and that simple training can save their life. this is what keeps me going. >> reporter: abe is determined to continue teaching people around the world how to prepare for the unexpected. and what to do to enhance their chances of survival. nhk world. managers of japan's damaged nuclear plant have been trying to find out how four tons of radioactive rainwater spilled from a storage tank. workers at fukushima daiichi may have been pumping it into the

wrong container. an official with plant operator tokyo electric power company says crews were pumping up contaminated rainwater. a tropical storm passed over the complex last month. rain built up inside barriers around the tanks used to store contaminated water. the crews may have transferred it into the wrong tank leading to an overflow. workers measured the level of radiation inside the tank after the leak. it was 13 times high er than th government's safety limit for release into the ocean. workers are analyzing contamination levels in the immediate area. plant workers are looking into what caused the spike. a team of arms experts has arrived in syria to begin

efforts to shut down its kem call weapons program. they plan to locate and destroy the country's stockpile. 20 experts from the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons will talk to syrian officials about how to proceed. dozens more inspectors will arrive next week. they plan to check all of syria's weapons facilities over the next 30 days. they're aiming to eliminate the stockpile by next june. u.n. experts say nerve gas was used in an attack in august on the outskirts of damascus. the u.n. security council passed a resolution last week demanding that the stockpiles be destroyed. syria's leaders have promised to comply. experts estimate that syria has more than 1,000 tons of chemical weapons. new numbers from the united nations show the sectarian division in iraq are taking on the population. nearly 1,000 people were killed last month. more than 90% were civilians.

staff at the u.n. assistance mission for iraq say along with the dead, 2,100 people were wounded. more than 5,700 people have died in the first 9 months of this year. that exceeds the total for all of last year. most of the deaths happened in the capital baghdad and other areas where many shia muslims live. sunni muslims are increasingly opposed to the shia-led government of prime minister nuri al maliki. u.n. representatives are urging iraqi leaders to strengthen their efforts to promote national dialogue and reconciliation. now, authorities in china and taiwan are taking another step to improve relations. the two sides are arranging a meeting of cabinet-level officials. chinese authorities say the meeting will take place next week. wang yu-chi of the mainland affairs council will be in the same room as zhang zhijun, head of china's taiwan affairs office. the two men will join talks between chinese president xi

jiping and a former taiwanese vice president. the meeting will happen on the sidelines of the apec summit in indones indonesia. media reports in taiwan say the cabinet-level contact could pave the way for talks at the top level. he may meet the taiwan president at next year's apec summit. japanese researchers are claims a new advance in organ regeneration. they say they have succeeded in growing tear and salivary glands in mice, for millions of people suffering dry eye and dry mouth syndromes. professor suji of tokyo university of science is leading the research. his team cultured two types of cells taken from mouse embryos and grew them into primitive glands. they then transplanted these protoorgans into adult mice that lacked tear and salivary glands.

the glands functioned properly. the next stage is applying this method to humans. the team says they can't use human embryos for ethical reasonses so they play to carry out similar experiments using ips cells which can be grown into any kind of body tissue. >> translator: we focused on glands this time. we hope this method can be used to regenerate other organs as well. >> the findings have been published in the "science journal nature communications." well, it's raining here in tokyo. in fact, we are observing a tropical storm in the area. let's turn to mai shoji for the latest in her weather report. >> here's your update for the tropical storm we have been tracking. we have a few systems over water right now. not a tropical depression yet, but we're watching this system that is now affecting the region including parts of metropolitan tokyo with wet and windy

conditions. this is moving at the speed of 30 kilometers per hour so it will be picking up its pace. as it moves toward hokkaido and picking up the high waves along coastal regions. it's also bringing some tropical moisture surging to the system and the heavy sudden burst of showers coulbe likely anywhere across the eastern half of the pacific coast. the tropical moisture in the radiation cooling will combine and make dense fog across the country. that will be making visible less than 500 meters. very difficult for shipping and operating aircrafts. down below, see another formation, the storm we have been tracking. it is a severe tropical status as of now. looks like it will be intensifying over the warm water any time soon. already packing gusts of 126 kilometers per hour. by the time it reaches okinawa ilsds, it looks like it will be gusting about 200 kilometers per hour and it is going to be intensified as a strong typhoon status in the near future. we'll keep a very close eye on this as this will be dumping

heavy rain across the southwestern islands of japan as well. to the north of that, high pressure will be predominant, and the korean peninsula will finally see clear skies as well as much of japan with temperatures rising. tokyo, tomorrow, will be likely hitting 29 degrees. now, here across north america, we are monitoring this system pooling in bringing flooding rains still to the coastal regions. and, of course, we're talking about mountain snow already. so looking quite winter-like across this area. the coast mountains as well as northern rockies will likely see first snow all the way moving into the upper midwest. that includes bismarck in north dakota as well. temperatures are quite nice and quiet across much of the states. we're looking at chicago at 25 degrees. new york at 28. a lot of sunshine, but not too good across the california regions because of these

temperatures hitting midsummerlike in the mid 30s in los angeles and on saturday. combined with this, we have santa ana winds gusting 80 kilometers per hour. critical fire danger will be likely across this area. and do watch out for that. across europe, we're seeing some first snow in moscow. let me show you a picture coming out from here. people in moscow were surprised at the unusual snowfall on tuesday. white snow fell for about ten minutes and melted quickly. the temperature dipped to zero. the season's first snow is about one month earlier than usual. these low temperatures looks like it will be continuing throughout the week in parts of eastern europe. as you can see, moscow's hitting the freezing point on your low. so overnight and morning hours, do bundle up. bucharest, take a look at that, 8 degrees for your high on wednesday. when average is around 21 degrees. so that's well below your average. i'll leave you now for your extended forecast for selected cities around the globe.

that's all for now on this edition of "newsline." i'm yuko aotani in tokyo. thank you very much for joining us.

tavis: good evening. from los angeles, i am tavis conversationt a with gloria stephan about her new cd, entitled "the standards ." it features many vintage tunes from the great american songbook

as well as some latin counterparts. gloria stephan, coming up, right now. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. >> gloria stephan has

been making hit records inter debut with the miami sound machine back in 1995. she is one of the first to cross over to bring latin music to the mainstream, on her latest cd shetled "the standards," sings in english, spanish, portuguese, and italian. let's take a look at gloria singing the great gershwin song, "how long has this been going on." ♪ how long has this been going on

on long has this been going a long, how long, how long has this been going on ♪ tavis: love him. >> i love him. he is a sweetie. tavis: i didn't believe this, and i read this, i did not realize that you're very first carson, youn actually sang a standard. >> i did, "good morning heartache." conductedg arranged, am a did everything on the record. he asked me to sit in with him and i told him that was one of my favorite tunes. i did it on carson back in the day.

there was a pnr right there where i was sitting, and i got the whole idea for the record edges pulled me in. tavis: what was happening in your world that made "good morning heartache" what you sang on your first carson appearance although singers, they were songs i listen to, records that my mom played for me in that later i bought. they wanted us to do two songs. they were a brand-new band, hadn't even hit the top 10 yet. they said we want you to do a second song, but we don't want to lose the audience, just in case. i said my piano player and i can do "good morning heartache." people can see that i do sing ballads as well, that we love serious