conference closely. many are hoping their new moderate president hassan rouhani can carve out a path to peace with the west. >> translator: iran should compromise. at the same time, europe and america should compromise, too. >> translator: the people who have just taken office are saying they can bring about positive changes. we hope they can. we hope they'll be allowed to. >> reporter: the u.s. and european countries have strengthened economic sanctions on iran over the last few years. and it's the people who are bearing the cost. people feel the effect of the economic sanctions on their everyday life. now egg is four times more expensive than it was two years ago. meat, vegetables, clothes. everything is at least double the price now. the tougher sanctions slashed the value of iran's currency by

about 2/3. iran's carpet industry took a big hit. the u.s. used to be the biggest foreign market, but that changed in 2010 when u.s. added carpets to the list of goods under embargo. >> translator: since 2010, the economic sanctions have harmed our economy. in the past, about 25% of our exports of hand-woven carpets went to the u.s., but that stopped. >> reporter: iranian people elected rouhani this year in hope he could improve iran's international standing in its economy. rouhani made his first address to the u.n. general assembly last month. he said he hoped to improve relations with the u.s. and europe. >> translator: this visit will be the first step toward improving relations with the

international community. >> reporter: iranian voters gave rouhani a mandate to defuse tensions with the west. the geneva conference will be his first real test. nhk world, tehran. a car bomb has exploded in northwestern syria. 20 people were killed. police say the bomb exploded in the city near the turkish border and went off in a busy shopping district. the force of the blast left the street covered in debris. no one has claimed responsibility for the attack. government and opposition forces have been fighting for control of the area. aid workers have been caught up in the conflict. a group from the red cross was distributing medical supplies on sunday in the northwestern city of idlib. they were on their way back to the capital damascus when gunmen ambushed them. the attackers kidnapped seven workers.

they released four of them but three are still missing. government officials blame opposition forces for the abductions. an opposition activist said he believes extremists affiliated with al qaeda are responsible. people in iraq are seeing the worst surge of violence in nearly five year the. almost 1,000 people were killed in terrorist attacks in september alone. t one region has been experiencing stability and an economic boom since the war ended. nhk world reports. >> reporter: this is the capital and largest city in iraqi kurdistan. its airport is new and spacious. high-rise complexes are popping up around the city and restaurants and shopping malls bustle until late into the evening. some call the city the second

dubai for its rapid development. >> translator: ours is the number one city in the middle east. >> reporter: but in the capital baghdad, those sites are unimaginable. it is only a five-hour drive. here, car bombs are almost aocc. it is keeping away investment and economic development. the kurdish autonomous region is heavily guarded by local armed forces. they take every vehicle arriving at baghdad at road blocks. one car bomb attack occurred last month that killed six

people. an al qaeda affiliated group has claimed responsibility. so far, this has been the only major incident to hit the region since 2007. the kurdish people are a minority. making up about 20% of the iraqi population. they have a long history of fighting against the iraqi government. during the 1991 gulf war, and 2003 iraqi war, the kurds collaborated with the united states which in, turn, supported an autonomous kurdistan. the region is blessed with large oil reserves which provides capital for economic development. the autonomous government has

relaxed border restrictions with syria. refugees, mostly kurdish syrians, to flood in. >> translator: i am relieved. it's peaceful here. >> translator: my brother lives and works here. i would like to live better. >> reporter: an estimated 30 million kurds live in iraq, syria, turkey and iran. the autonomous government aims to host the first kurdish national conference bringing together representatives from around the region. however, the governments of those countries are increasingly cautious of such an initiative. they are concerned that it might lead to a collective kurdish independence movement. that renewed vibrancy of iraqi

kurdistan is being seen as an additional element, adding to the instability of the middle east. sho beppu, nhk world. south korean officials have postponed an event at an industrial complex they run jointly with authorities from north korea. foreign investors were scheduled to visit the kaesong facility later this month. the complex was shut town in april when north korean officials abruptly withdrew their workers. the two sides resumed operations just last month. an official with the unification ministry in seoul said it reflects a lack of progress in talks about the facility. he said the situation makes it

difficult to hold event according to an agreement the two sides concluded in august. a south korean lawmaker says leaders in north korea are -- a united nations ban on the import of luxury goods and he says the numbers have soared since kim jong-un took power. the ruling party told parliament that he obtained data from chinese customs authorities. he said north korea's young leader may be using the products to bolster his regime. >> translator: kim jong-un uses the luxury goods to keep his top officials loyal. and to strengthen his grip on power. >> he said north korea imported about $320 million worth of banned items in 2009. he said the figure had doubled last year to more than $640 million. the lawmaker said there was a spike in imports of high-end

liquor, electronics and watches. he urge ed chinese authorities do more to implement the u.n. sanctions. authorities in china have begun offering certificates in a profession that was once veiled in secrecy. they're holding the first official courses in internet monitoring. chinese officials heavily censor websites. they delete politically sensitive comments. but their task has grown more difficult. nearly 600 million people in china have access to the internet. state-run media says more than 2 million people already work as online monitors, but officials at the public opinion monitoring office are looking to train more. they're offering a five-day course. candidates will learn how to analyze public opinions and went to report them to the government. city officials in shanghai are trying to make neighborhoods

there more green. they're making some areas more attractive. and as they do, they're creating new business opportunities. nhk world has more. >> reporter: birds live here. this is the rooftop of a waste disposal plant. this is top of shopping center. students grow vegetables on top of a junior high school. shanghai promotes green areas like this. the city paid half the cost of greening a rooftop. more people have become more aware of the environment. the trend is good for some businesses.

he runs this construction company. he's promoting a condo. he covers the roof and other areas. it makes city residents feel as if they are in the countryside. there is even greenery inside. he thinks the condo units will sell for 20% higher than the normal price. >> translator: this condominium is ecofriendly and comfortable to live in. it allows residents to enjoy greenery at home. my company wants to construct high-grade buildings. >> reporter: laust month, mo wa invited to a government-sponsored convention about green. he was awarded the prize for his fa firm's efforts.

chinese government officials, owners like this, the greening of other cities. >> translator: we are shifting from the economic-first policy and aiming to balance development and environmental protection. pushing for rooftop greenery will help make china more beautiful. liquor. it ages in these parts. the plant's temperature should be less than 20 degrees celsius. in the summer, the temperature could rise to almost 40 degrees. so the company uses air-conditioning. but that increases costs. the bottom line. to save money, the company turned its rooftop into a rice paddy.

the rice plants like sunshine. the paddy lowers the inside temperature by 7 degrees. the rice also helps reduce costs. the company pays half of its former power bill. >> translator: the paddy greatly benefit the operation. it has sharply reduced our energy bill. consumers will enjoy our rice because of its ecofriendly image. >> reporter: more companies in china are expected to switch to rooftop greening. in doing so, new business opportunities will emerge. nhk world. populous. prosperous. pushing ahead. china's rise brought it wealth, power, and problems. an income gap divides its people. pollution threatens their health. and disputes at sea strain

relations with its neighbors. find out about the challenges china faces, on "newsline." police in yangon, myanmar, are trying to find out what caused an explosion at an american hhotel. police say something exploded monday evening at the traders hotel. it's not clear what. the hotel is located if an area where many foreign firms have opened offices. businesspeople from western nations flooded into yangon as foreign investment and many stay at the hotel. police are investigating whether there's any link to another explosion in yangon. a bomb attached to bottom of a truck went off on sunday. two people were wounded. rescue workers in central colombia are searching for survivors in the rubble of a collapsed condominium. they found two bodies. nine other people are missing.

the 24-story building was in a residential area. construction workers were inside at the time. they were checking cracks in the structure. most residents had left the building as a safety recaution. rescuers are using dogs to try to find people in the rubble, but they're worried nearby high-rises might also be unstable. workers finished building the condominium earlier this year. investigators suspect the building had a design flaw. a motorcyclist in brazil filmed the dramatic moment a thief stole his motor bike at gunpoint. he captured the scene on a camera mounted to his helmet. the scene unfolded in a broad daylight in the capital sao palo. two men on another motor bike pull up in front of the biker. one points the gun and forces the man to give up his motorcycle, but then -- a nearby police officer shoots the robber in the leg.

police are searching for the accomplice who sped away from the scene. police in moscow have detained hundreds of people after a nationalist protest turned violent. protesters rampaged through the streets attacking shops and vehicles. the demonstrators were angry about the killing of a russian man. witnesses blame the migrant from either central asia or the caucases. they clashed are security forces. police detained around 400 protesters. about 30 people were injured. russia's interior minister ordered tighter security in the district and other areas where migrants work. farmers from different backgrounds are rolling up their sleeves and working together in russia's far east. growers from russia and japan have joined forces in an agricultural cooperation program. a group of 12 government

officials and bankers from japan inspected a plot in the region. it was about the size of 350 sports field. farmers there grow soybeans and buckwheat and the officials wanted to check the quality of the soybean harvest. farmers in the region can plant their crops in rich soil, but a decline in the area's population caused agricultural production to slump. >> translator: if japan and russia share technologies, they'd be able to boost harvest and cut down on cost in this vast farmland. >> the japanese and russian leaders helped to launch the program during a meeting in april. japanese officials say they'll consider exporting some of the produce back home. all right. time now for the weather. let's turn to mai shoji for the latest on the powerful typhoon that's heading toward tokyo.

>> a typhoon, this is set to be the most strongest typhoon in a decade, to hit the konto region is approaching us. see this massive cloud formation engulfing much of japan. looks like the stormy weather will be likely across much of tokyo metropolitan region as well. take a look at these pictures coming out from western japan, first of all. look at these waves. this will be high as 12 meterses in chiba prefecture and across the izu islands. anywhere around it, about 6 to 10 meters. i done thi't think the umbrella going to work in and around tokyo tomorrow. it's likely to set a significant stage for travel disturbances tomorrow morning as the heaviest peak of rain will be in wednesday morning commuting hours across metropolitan tokyo region as this system possibly hits the peninsula in toward the next 24 hours. the gusts are packing about 200

kilometers per hour near the center of the system. as it nears the kontu region, anywhere in the forecast circle, 180 kilometers per hour. easy enough to topple trees. branches will be flying around. it's easy to down power lines and also do protect your plants outdoors and also secure your items and belongings outdoors, in your balconies, especially. you do not want items to fall on people. do be prepared for systems to come toward us. the schools are already being canceled. drenching rainfall could top as much as 350 to about 400 in localized areas. that's certainly enough to cause any kind of flooding, landslides and mudslides. heavy rain will be continuously moving in the way toward hokkaido and northern japan will also be in the bulk of this very heavy rainfall. so really stormy weather tomorrow throughout the day into the noon and afternoon hours.

and i must tell you there's a low-pressure system over near the marianna islands over water. this is likely to intensify into a tropical depression status. another tropical development for us to keep an eye on. this is another storm system that has made landfall over central vietnam. this morning, gusts are packing 126 kilometers per hour. it is going to be winding down as the system moves over land, but the heavy rain will be conning to pound especially coastal regions in eastern idnochina peninsula. this area is very well saturated with the previous storm moving through and lingering here for about a week. so any additional rain could cause flooding and landslides. another storm to talk about across this area, too. we have storm system called octave, a tropical storm status. wind speeds, 65 kilometers per hour. look like it will be dying down. but as a low-pressure system it will be persisting to bring you heavy amounts of rainfall and

staggering amounts could top as much as 200 millimeters. certainly enough to cause flooding across this region as well, as it tracks toward the east over mexico. now, across the bigger picture here, we have a severe weather maker capable of unleashing hailstorms. numerous hailstorms in kansas and nebraska already. back behind it, snow, about 50 centimeters will be covering higher elevations across northern plains. denver just at 7 with snow in your forecast. midwinter like there, but midsummer here in los angeles at 31 degrees. i'll leave you now for your extended forecast.

and that's all for now on this edition of "newsline." i'm yuko aotani in tokyo. we'll be back with more news at the top of the hour, so do join us then. thank you very much for watching. tavis: good evening.

from los angeles, i am tavis smiley. tonight a conversation with author edwidge danticat and her new novel "claire of the sea light." it seeks to or trey haydee. then we will talk to comedian, writer, and producer, rick najera. he has a new memoir called

"almost white." we are glad you joined us. those conversations are coming up. ♪ >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. tavis: award-winning author

edwidge danticat writes about haydee. she was born in port-au-prince. countrylex view of the is at the heart. it has been praised by reviewers , using words like intoxicating and compelling. i am always intoxicated and compelled when i have you on the program. it's good to have you back. your kids are fine? >> yes. tavis: and this novel the sea is as much a are as anybody or anybody else. the sea is such an important part of our history. it's how most of us got to this lostof the world, and we so many people. this continues.

it is an incredible point of view with which to explore the environment. >> tell me about the story. whoseire is a little girl mother dies in childbirth, so her father is struggling with this decision, whether he should keep her with him or give her a way to a richer woman. decision,tory of the and it's also the story of the villa where they live and how they interact. >> you wrote part of this novel before the earthquake and the other part after? >> yes. >> how did that impact or not

the writing? >> the earthquake happened in on a and the town is based real town where my mother's seeny is from, so having the changes in the town over the years, it affects a lot of the reflection. aboutnot want to write the earthquake, because i am not ready. i was not there. there are elements that would be missing. it right before the earthquake but also have reflections about loss, about environmental challenges that have been brought about by the earthquake without having the earthquake be the center of the story. page 152 th