welcome to "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. first, a look at the headlines. vietnamese nups are reporting another skirmish between chinese and vietnamese vessels. islamic militants linked to al qaeda have moved into iraq's second largest city. and the operators of the international airport in dubai are setting their sights on becoming the world leader in passenger traffic. the captain of a fishing vessel is accusing the chinese

of more aggression. now, vietnamese newspapers are reporting that a chinese ship ram add vietnamese fishing boat, this time in the gulf of tonkin. the chinese ship charged without warning he said. he said they sprayed mens of his crew with a water cannon. the gulf is off the vietnam and china. but he says they were more than 500 kilometers from the paracel islands. crews have been locked in a stand off ever since. each side has accused the other of ramming their vessels. both sides are trying to drum up support at the united nations. they're trying to explain their positions to other member states. they hope the dispute will be

resolved peace fully. the secretary general is ready to mediate if the two sides ask him two. chinese delegates have written a document outlining their position. they accuse the vietnamese of forcefully disrupting the operation of the oil rig. chinese leaders have sent out a reminder that they still rule hong kong. activists have been pushing for greater autonomy. but leaders in beijing issued a report to prove they are in control. government leaders released their first white paper on hong kong since the british handover in 1997. it says some people are confused or lopsided in their understanding of the policy of one country, two systems. the paper says china's national

people's congress has the power to override decisions by the hong kong legislature. activists have been pushing for more rights. they're threatening to organize widespread protests if the kwhie needs don't go far enough in assuring democratic change. an al qaeda splinter group has seized control of the second largest city of iraq in a show of strength. they moved into mosul and drove security forces out. the militants launch repeated attacks over the last two days. they targeted the airport, police stations, a prison, and the office of the regional governor. they're taken control of most areas. they say security forces are prepareing to take back the city and he's urged lawmakers to

declare a state of emergency. they have been fighting in a civil war in neighboring syria. they swept into iraq and inflamed the conflict. analysts say security is the worst its been since u.s. troops completed their withdraw from iraq three years ago. about 800 people were killed last month alone. ukraine's new president has promised to give his people peace. in the meantime, he says he wants to keep them safe. poroshenko has ordered the creation of a corridor to allow them to escape fighting in the east. he's instructed them to provide food and medical services and accommodations for anyone who might want to flee. russian delegates submitted a draft resolution to the u.n. security down counsel.

it called for the creation of a humanitarian corridor. separatists in a number of eastern cities have been fighting for more a ton my. government trouops have been trying to push them out. >> officials at the world bank say the crisis in ukraine has made them do a retake on where the global economy is heading. what can you tell us? >> they say what's happening in ukraine is having a rippling effect on economies around the world. they say it will grow this year, just not as much as they'd first predicted. back in january, bank officials forecast the world economy would grow 3.2%. now they've revised that to 2.8%. for the u.s., they lowered their growth outlook from 2.8% to

2.1%. for developing nations, they down graded the forecast to 4.8%. they point to the ukrainian crisis. for japan, they also expect slower growth because of the sales tax hike in april. they revised the projection to 1.3%. bank officials say progress in japan's structural reforms is a key factor. let's check on markets now. tokyo stock price on tuesday ended below 15,000, but today the nikkei has regained that key level. an analyst says investors are buying japanese shares because they see 15,000 as a support line for the nikkei. the benchmark index is trading higher by more than a fifth of a percent. traders are buying the dollar and selling the yen and the euro. that's after the yield on

government bonds rose slightly in new york. the return on american debt is now higher than the japanese and euro equivalents. stock prices are driving dealers to sell the dollar to buy the yen. but they say the euro remains under selling pressure after they cut the key interest rates last week. let's also take a look at other asian markets. south korea trading higher now. in china, trading flat. in hong kong, we are seeing minus territory, down more than a third of a percent. trade offials from japan and the u.s. have been trying to find common ground in the automotive sector. they haven't been able to bridge the gap dividing them, but they say they're getting closer to reaching a deal. negotiators pushed ahead during two days of talks in washington.

the two sides have been discussing auto issues since last year. the main topic was whether to ease safety and environmental standards in japan. that would make it easier for u.s. auto makers to sell their cars. >> translator: japan won't do anything to endanger our safety and environmental standards. that's the principle we have to stick to. >> the officials say they'll next meet in tokyo. the people at google want to make better maps with better eyes in the sky. the u.s. internet giant is buying a satellite firm in california. they will purchase sky box imaging for $500 million. they say they can improve their mapping service and can contribute to disaster relief activities. sky box owns a small satellite that provides high quality

images and videos to businesses. researchers there also provide services to analyze the data they acquire from the satellite. the company was founded in 2009 and has about 120 employees. its head office is in silicon valley. google isn't the only business using technology to keep on ion things from on high. u.s. aviation officials have approved commercial drones over land for the first time. they say bp can use unmanned aircraft to monitor its operations in alaska. until now, aviation authorities have allowed only the military, firefighters and police forces to use drones. the move is expected to clear the way for cargo delivery firms and movie makers to put their own drones in the sky. some people say more drones could pose a threat to privacy and public safety. researchers in western japan with pushing the boundaries of

their science. they're developing artificial muscles that are thinner than any developed before. they hope one day to help lift those who can't lift themselves and they're drawing on some local know how. >> this sa model of a skeletal leg that's been operated with artificial muscles. the technologies behind it are being developed at this university. the trans lieu sent tubes on the calf are artificial muscles. they expand and contract just like real muscles. this factory is now cooperating in the development of artificial muscles. it has about 30 employees. this man runs the factory. workers at the factory make braided cord such as shoelaces

by twining several fibers together. the artificial muscle they've developed consists of a special fiber braided over a silicone tube. he says the company's braiding know how was essential in developing the technologies. >> translator: the cord is applible. it expands after it contracts. when air is put inside, it contracts. when air is removed, it expands. because those moves are similar to that of muscles, the technology can be used for artificial muscles. >> his team and researchers from the university came upon a big opportunity two years ago. a global electronics maker based in south korea asked them to join it in researching ways to put artificial muscles into

practical use. they aim to create the world's thinnest artificial muscle. they conducted thorough research from the choice of materials to the number of fibers needed. he says the most difficult part was finding the best angle at which to braid the fibers. >> translator: a difference in braid angles changes the rate of extension. a slight change in angle may affect the muscle's extension or contraction. >> he conducted numerous tests by changing the conditions little by little. finally, he succeeded in creating an artificial muscle measures only 0.8 millimeters. he says it's the thinnest in the

world. the university and the south korean company have jointly applied for patents for their technologies. they're now trying to put the new technologies into practical use in a tiny apparatus to be inserted into the human body. >> translator: without the braiding know how, we wouldn't have been able to develop the thinnest artificial muscle. >> the project team has high hopes for the super thin artificial muscle. it envisions the technology being applied to nursing care equipment and skeleton body suits that could assist people who have lost their muscle strength. and that's all for now in business news. i'll leave you with a check on markets.

suspected islamic extremists have kidnapped 20 women in north eastern nigeria. a borno state official said an armed group kidnapped the women on thursday. eyewitnesss say the women were forced to enter the group's vehicles at gunpoint. they were then driven away to an unknown location. the abduction happened close to the school where boko haram militants took the students. the nigerian government has deployed the military to crack

down on the group and rescue the school girls. but boko haram is increasing its attacks. south korean president is turning to a former jurn list to bring stability back to her government. she's chosen moon as the new prime minister. he will succeed the outgoing prime minister who took responsibility for the government's handling of the ferry disaster. his appointment is seen as a move to remain public support. he's a former chief editorial writer at one of south korea's major newspapers. the president's office said moon can properly push the state agenda. park also named south korea's ambassador to japan as head of the national intelligence service. he has shown eagerness to mend

the strained relations between the two nations. japanese government leaders have set up a new body with their counterparts in china to tackle air pollution. they've agreed to strengthen coordination to deal with an air pollutant known as pm 2.5. the work with municipal levels of government from both nations to help share resources. they'll also offer a new center next month that will be managed privately. >> translator: i hope the new organization will help clean up the skies in asia by encouraging relations between japan and china, we can help each other with the issue. >> translator: environmental issues are very important and we share common challenges. so we should work together to

resolve them. >> the new organization will send japanese experts to china. they'll help to train chinese specialists on ways to combat air pollution. some residents near the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant have begun to return home as workers de contaminate the area. but they found radiation levels in somepla places are still muc too high. it's unlikely they'll be able to return to their homes for several years. environment ministry officials carried out deacon tam nation work in the zones. they chose residential areas, farmland, roads and public facilities as sampling spots. workers removed surface oil and washed roads and buildings. and the test results showed that average radiation levels decreased by 50 to 70%.

but the levels are still more than ten times higher than the government's decontamination standard. they say it's difficult to remove substances that have penetrated minute surfaces. >> translator: i want the government to decontaminate the area so we can get our lives back. we have no other choice by to go forward. >> translator: the radiation levels are too high. i don't feel like going back even if the trial de contamination succeeded. >> officials will now consider whether to carry out full-scale decontamination in those areas. the government plans to offer financial assistance to residents who want to start new lives elsewhere.

the people who run the dubai international airport are hopeing to land more passengers. they've undertaken an aggressive strategy to expand their operations and they're betting they're in the right place. >> dubai international airport is a transit point for millions of travelers. >> i left lagos and then went to china through dubai. it was full to the brim. >> dubai is like a center connecting africa and china together. >> passenger traffic is soaring. with about 6 million travelers a month, dubai is challenging london's heathrow airport as the world's largest airport for international passengers.

airport operators now have their sites on road expo which will be hosted by dubai in 2020. they are spending 7.8 billion u.s. dollars. phase one was unveiled last year with the launch of the world's first concourse dedicated to the air bus, the world's biggest airliner. >> we think by the end of this year, early next, we will be the number one airport for international passenger traffic. >> one of the carriers set to profit from all the construction is dubai's own emirates airlines. since it was founded in 1985, emirates airlines have expanded its roots to cover the four corners of the globe. today, it serves more than 140 cities worldwide.

last year, the company pulled off a coup by establishing a strategic alliance with australia's contas airways. as a result of the alliance, 65 flights now connect in the uae. emirates has one of the world's largest fleets of a-380s, built to carry more than 580 people, it attracts a market business with a host of first class features. the airline has recruited cabin crew from around the world in a bid to improve the standard of service for international passengers. >> we've got cabin crew from 130

different countries. we're going to expand globally. our footprint is seen in many parts of the world now. >> location has helped put dubai airport on the international map. operators are now spending huge sums to ensure it stays there. nhk world, dubai. it's time now for a check of the weather. people in central europe are dealing with extreme heat. >> hello. two major factors are creating extreme weather conditions across europe. one is the heat dome that's still prevailing across central locations and even poland. take a look at this. people are actually enjoying this hot weather, but they are

experiencing exceptional heat. temperatures exceeded 30 degrees celsius in western and southern poland on tuesday. but the heat will be continuing today unfortunately. and finally, it's going to be a relief in sight into your friday. looks like the temperatures will be dropping to the normal territories. warsaw still looking at 28. and vienna hitting 35. now the other factor is this system that's responsible for creating severe weather. this is due to this cold front that's sagging into france. we have report of 8 centimeters in diameter hail that struck parts of northern germany and 3.5 centimeters in poland. so the northern location of poland are seeing the very

severe conditions. that is making it a battle zone. the highest risk for your wednesday will be from france stretching into germany. there's going to be more risk of hail, gusts, as well as thunderstorms. thunderstorms also erupting across western locations of russia as well as ukraine. finally clearing out on your wednesday in paris. grace of sunshine there at 25 degrees. let's head over to the americas. this could be a sign of a very active tropical season in the pacific. it is likely to become a hurricane. it is now a tropical storm. this is christina. likely to move away from land masses. so that's great news, but not directly hitting the land masses. however, indrekdly, it will be helping to create rain clouds, scattered heavy rains of about 60 millimeters in an hour could target these areas.

previous tropical storm has caused flooding and people are still evacuated and left homeless. so it's not going to be alleviating the situation soon. high waves and rip currents are a concern as well. we have two storm systems. this one is actually created a couple of tornados reported in indiana that's making its way towards the mid-atlantic into your wednesday. another system impacting northern plains. this is likely to descend all the way down toward the central locations on wednesday. denver is also seeing the bulk of that severe weather. and washington d.c. will likely see thunderstorms. quite active here with rain and thunderstorms across the south western islands of japan. about 40 millimeters fell in an hour. this is due to this system which is a tropical depression which is not going to be intensifying, but it is energizing this seasonal event. this is likely to move all the

way north. we are seeing risks of rainfall of this much in an hour and lightning as well as tornadic activity. more rain to be falling across the southeastern coast of china. i'll leave you now for your extended forecast.

and that concludes this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for staying with us. tavis: good evening.

from los angeles, i am tavis smiley. >> there is a saying that dr. tonight -- tonight we will put a human face on the issue with jerzy vargas who was part of the group that traveled to vatican behalf urge the pope on of those facing deportation. you joined us. a conversation about immigration policy is coming up right now. ♪