make their way in the ningxia hui autonomous region. among the ethic minorities in china who practice islam and turn to muslims elsewhere to try to improve their economic fortunes. >> reporter: buyers and sellers took part in the recent china arab states expo. it was the first time this event took place in ningxi hui. although the trade fair has been held in each of the past three years, this time central government authorities upgraded it to a national expo. they wanted it to help develop the inland area by tapping into the wealth of arab buyers. the government showed just how important they think this fair is by sending the communist party's number four official, yu gen shing. >> translator: the government will support us in deepening economic and cultural ties with arab nations. >> reporter: in this autonomous

region, more than 1/3 of the population belong to the ethnic group. the city is dotted with mosques. on fridays, people wearing traditional prayer caps gather to pray. chinese leaders have been encouraging the muslim residents to strengthen their ties with arab states because they have so much in common. in ningxu hui, a special building for the trade goes up. they resemble buildings in arab countries, which are starting to spread in the region. so has an interest by young locals in the arab culture.

>> reporter: six years ago, the muslim international language college opened in the suburb of the capital. 1,500 students attend classes there. they come from the autonomous region and all over china. most study arabic. during the recent trade fair, 60 teachers and students served as volunteer interpreters. most support promoting ties with arab countries. >> translator: for those of us studying arabic, the china arab states expo was a great opportunity. >> translator: arabic is required in trade. that's why i'm studying it. >> reporter: as for trade, some companies have been quick to seize the opportunity. this garment firm produces traditional attire. four years ago, it started

making clothing for people in arab countries. a saudi arabian firm ordered clothing for religious ceremonies. with local government support, foreign sales are growing steadily. the company predicts exports to saudi arabia will make up more than 10% of its total sales this year. in 2012, the firm opened a local office in saudi arabia. it's also increasing the size of its factory. >> translator: i'm planning to increase sales in saudi arabia more aggressively because we share the same culture and faith with the people there. >> reporter: chinese officials are trying to use religious and cultural connections with the islamic world to connect business to an inland region. t the project is in its early stages, but if it succeeds, the residents may find their living

standard closer to that of the people in the prosperous areas of coastal china. relief workers have fanned out across parts of the philippines to help survivors of a deadly typhoon. many have been surprised by what they're seeing. more than 1,700 people are reported to have been killed. but authorities fear the disaster could claim as many as 10,000 victims. typhoon haiyan slammed into the central philippines on friday. strong winds, rain and high tides devastated city of tacloban and other communities throughout the area. specialists with the japan meteorological society estimate winds could have reached more than 320 kilometers per hour. philippine government officials say 9 million people were affected by the storm and say more than 13,000 buildings are destroyed. >> translator: we have declared a state of national calamity. >> aquino said he and his aides would do all they can to get

help to those who need it. military personnel are struggling to deliver relief supplies. they're having trouble getting through roads that have been washed out, and communications have been severed. >> we are running out of medicines, food, water. and the aftermath of these events, there are dead patients -- dead bodies along the way, along the rubble. so it will also cause infection to the survivors. >> relief workers from japan have joined teams from other countries already on the ground. u.s. marines are busy transporting supplies. and german and australian government officials have sent in rescue crews and medical teams.with the world food program shot this video in tacloban. they arrived to find piles of debris and survivors trying to get out of the area. some organizations are relying on helicopters to get food to survivors. and those that can are trying to set up more supply stations in

remote areas. to find out what to expect in the coming hours, here's mai shoji from the weather desk. >> the once typhoon, supertyphoon, haiyan traveled to the north china sea, made landfall over northern vietnam. now it is a remnant low pressure system but still affecting southern china with hesthy amounts of rainfall. the rainfall is over 260 mill /* millimetres reported in gongxui province. widely spread will be about 100 millimeters of additional rainfall, so severe flooding will be at very high risk. down to the south, we have another tropical system that will be traveling over mindanao, making its way across these islands, again, bringing very heavy rainfall. in comparison to the supertyphoon haiyan, the winds and the gusts are not as strong as what we saw before, but it is

capable of unleashing gale-force winds, hefty amounts of rainfall, 100 to 150 millimeters of rainfall, which could collapse buildings as well as thunderstorms to be scattered across much of these areas, and that includes the worst hit area of tacloban as well, so we'll keep a very close eye on this. japan's foreign minister said a growth in the domestic economy will have far-reaching benefits for the rest of the world. fumio kishida's government is also eager to promote closer ties with other nations through free trade pacts. he spoke at the europe asia meeting in india. it brings delegates from other countries across the two continents. kishida told them the global economy needs to be put on a path of sustainable recovery. he said japan can help to do that by rebuilding its own

economy through the policies of prime minister shinzo abe. he said the liberalization of trade investment is a pillar of abe's strategy. kishida told the delegates at the trans-pacific partnership and an economic partnership agreement between japan and europe would offer vast benefits. one of the things people from the eu want as part of the epa is for japan to use the same food certification labels as theirs. they're here to explain how their system works and to showcase their agricultural specialties at the same time. producers showcased a range of foods and drinks protected by a policy that guarantees their quality. the eu issued symbols to certify their place of origin or traditional production process. items on show included fortified wines from portugal's islands and ham from france. >> in europe, the geographical location of products have not

been very strict regarding the safety of food, but also a very strict control regarding the originality of products. >> food labeling has become a major issue in japan. several hotels and restaurants have been caught mislabeling items on their menus. some claimed their products contained high quality produce or expensive fwreents ingredients when they did not. that's left a bitter taste in the mouth of some japanese consumers. scientists have come up with some solutions that could restore confidence. more from nhk world. >> reporter: a company and the research institute have developed a gene-testing toolkit to identify hybrid kishikuri rice. kishikuri is one of the most popular varieties of rice in japan, and an expensive one. that makes it a target for food fraud. genetic testing usually requires

a lot of high-tech equipment, but this toolkit makes the job easy. major food companies in rice-cleaning mills have begun using it. all you have to do is add a reagent to a sample and put it in hot water for 40 minutes. the shininess of the grains shows with another type of rice has been mixed with kishikuri. >> translator: we receive requests from manufacturers and retailers for testing food products before they are put on sale. we plan to develop more gene identification kits. >> reporter: japanese consumers want to know what type of food products they are buying and where they come from. supermarkets put labels with such information on the food products they sell.

that lets consumers judge quality and safety. one business after another has been found guilty of lying about where their products come from. this company has come up with a high-tech solution for the problem of tracing their origin. samples for testing arrive from all over japan every day. some chemical elements found in food have more than one isotope. the isotope ratio differs slightly depending on the area where the food items are produced. the company finds out where food samples come from by comparing their isotope ratios with about 80,000 samples collected from around japan. >> translator: we have the latitude, longitude and address

of each sample collection area. we also take photos of surrounding areas to get to know the field environment. >> reporter: the company has also started doing in-store spot checks. an inspector posing as a shopper buys produce at a supermarket. >> translator: when requested, i go to a restaurant as a customer and take out the dishes. >> reporter: food distributors, retailers and consumers are using the company's testing service. >> translator: if someone in a multistage distribution system substitutes some foodstuff, it erodes confidence in the system. you're not sure you have received exactly what you ordered.

an in-store spot test gives you evidence. >> reporter: the need for food inspection is growing as consumer distrust in the food industry increases. consumers are putting more trust in science than on labels that don't tell the truth about where the food we eat comes from. nhk world. the former prime minister of thailand has spent years in exile. thai senators have rejected a bill that could have paved the way for thaksin to return home. thaksin led the country from

2001 to 2006 when he was deposed in a military coup. a court convicted him of corruption. he served his jail term. they debated for more than 12 hours then they voted against it. unanimously. thaksin's sister is the current prime minister. they promised not to revive the proposal. members of the ruling party pushed the bill through the lower house at the beginning of the month. thousands of protesters have staged daily rallies since, and analysts say the rejection of the build could hurt her leadership. now, some italians call venice the floating city, but actually it is sinking and the buildings are taking a battering from all the waves. now authorities are spending billions on a modern approach to an age-old problem. more from nhk world. >> reporter: venice lies

at the farthest end of the adriatic sea. in winter, the sirocco winds blow as the winds surge. very high tides and high pressure changes, the result is a storm surge. during the last 20 years, the number of floods here doubled. the increased damage caused by this high tide is linked to the rising sea level caused by global warming. the ground is also sinking as the water table gets lower. this has caused some buildings in the center of venice to tilt. studies showed that these factors combined to cause the sea level to rise four millimeters a year. he transports merchandise by

boat. about a dozen years ago, he raised the entrance to his canal house by 50 centimeters. more recently, he installed a floodgate. >> translator: it was about 1.5 meters high. it came in over this. i had to empty it out myself. >> reporter: the full room was flooded. he had to buy new furniture. now he places them as high as possible in case of another possible in case of another flood. >> translator: it's expensive, but what else can i do? i was born and raised here, and i don't want to leave. >> reporter: the water touching some walls is enough to make them crumble. the waves from tourist boats also damage the buildings.

when waves hit the foundation of buildings weakened by flooding, they are damaged further. the number of tourists increase every year, but the number of residents has declined 10% in the last decade. to help save the city, italy's government has been working on the major construction project. floodgate that rises above the surface. the gates are being installed across three inlets that empty into the adriatic sea. this placement is intended to block high waves. the combined length of these barriers is 1.6 kilometers. when waters come, they are submerged and sit on the sea floor. during unusually high tides, they are responding to each gate. as they become buoyant, the

barrier rises. the process takes 30 minutes. government officials say the barrier will protect the city from a three-meter rise in the sea level. the project is expected to be completed in 3 years at the cost of around $7.4 billion. some residents question the project. >> translator: it might work, but i don't know how well it's going to function. >> translator: a lot of time and money is being spent. i hope we'll get positive results. >> reporter: as italians are more optimistic, they hope this modern technology will save a historic city from sinking below the waves. nhk world, venice. time now for the weather. we're seeing early snowfall this

year in japan. mai shoji joins us once again with the details. >> hello there. these clouds are often seen typically during the midwinter and it's usually associated with snow. residents in northern japan are having trouble stepping on the white stuff during the commuting hours. take a look at this video coming out from sapporo. residents in some part of japan might think december's come early. thermometers reached freezing point around 5:00 a.m. and cars and roads were covered with snow. other parts of hokkaido, there's up to 46 centimeters of that white stuff. winter weather will be remaining through thursday. we're likely to see more snow to come, but it's a good start already with 34 centimeters in honiruka. sukayu is usually where the record snowfall accumulation is. good start here at 45 centimeters already. and 33 across some of these areas as well. we're likely to see up to 40 centimeters of fresh snow to

pile up into the next 24 hours. likely see some heavy rain along with that, about 17 millimeters and strong winds as well as high waves will be across the sea of japan side of this country. so it's going to be a stormy, snowy day for us for tomorrow. tokyo is also going to be looking at a chilly day with just 13 degrees for the high. so we have to bundle up. down toward central mediterranean, italy and balkans are seeing quite rough weather. we have a report of 110 millimeters of rainfall accumulated and 100 kilometers per hour gusts reported both in italy. going to be descending down toward the south. this system is spiraling across the regions bringing unsteady conditions. you're likely to see mixed precipitation on the wintery side across norway area. stockholm at 6 degrees. despite the sunshine. paris, though, up to double

digits at 11 degrees. down toward the iberian peninsula, dry and nice. temperatures reaching 23 degrees in lisbon. all right. moving over to the americas. the coldest air of this season is blowing all the way down in toward the south. high pressure covers much of these regions, but between sandwiched with this system that's going it be bringing coastal flooding across the area and this low-pressure system, even though that will be moving offshore, this cold front is sagging all the way down toward the south. so anywhere below that we might see rain and snow. hard freeze warning is posted widely across the southern areas. oklahoma city reaching just 6 degrees, where the high yesterday was 19. do bundle up. i'll leave you now for your extended forecast.

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 smiley. and, a conversation with edward james olmos and lisagay hamilton about their new movie "go for sisters," with independent director, john sayles, dealing with a mother's search for her son across california's border with mexico. we are glad you could join us for our conversation with edward james olmos and lisagay hamilton coming up right now. ♪

by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ films thatpendent deal with complex human interaction can often get lost in the push for big-budget movies around here, and one film that i hope does not get lost in the mix is from to time oscar nominated director, john sayles starring edward james olmos and lisagay hamilton about a

mother's search for her son in tijuana. and we start with a clip from "go for sisters." >> so? >> i want him back, and if there is anyway, i do not want him to go to jail. juan.s you must still have friends on the local fours. >> no. that is a federal staying. the voice is on the tapes. taking money. you have to be careful who you do favors for. >> sergeant? >> i had to resign. >> i have money. i had such a wonderful conversation on my radio show, ay, and i said we have

to talk about this, and i do not normally do that on both mediums, and it was such a powerful story that i thought i would do it. since you are one of the producers as well as being one of the stars, i will let you tell us about "go for sisters," >> all i can say is that lisa and yolanda do excellent work. it is exquisite. it is about the love of a mother for her son and the love of friendships, and it is really a very simple theme that people will be able to understand, but it has never been done. i have never seen a movie like is in my life. never when you say it has been done, what has never been done? >> that we have people of a cultural dynamics. tavis: color. in a positionare that they need to come together in a way i have not seen before. john sayles has written a

masterful piece of work. now, will people see it? i do not even think people will know about it. is it was not for you and a few people who saw it and said, wait a minute, this is important, it will be very difficult, and all i can tell you is that the story deals with them other looking for her son and needs help, so she goes to an old friend. when they were in high school, people would say that you guys could go for sisters, and then both of them head out to try to get to tijuana and go to mexico, and they need help, and they but i am blind. did you know that? tavis: i did. counting the money. you could tell. macular degeneration at its highest form. to make people who are looking right now and understand