hello there, and welcome to "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. first a look at the headlines. hong kong's leader says he won't quit, but he has offered to arrange talks between his government and the student leaders carrying out pro-democracy protests. lawmakers in turkey give their government the power to launch military operations against islamic state in syria and iraq. and some japanese silk

farmers are hoping new cutting-edge technology will help transform their age-old industry. hong kong's chief executive says he has no intention of resigning. he has refused the call by pro-democracy protesters who are demanding freer elections. but leung chun-ying is offering to hold talks between his government and student leaders to try to defuse the demonstrations. nhk world's estella mak is in hong kong. estella, what's the latest there? >> reporter: i'm on the pedestrian overpass right in front of the central government offices. thousands of protesters remain here after spending the night. they have threatened to expand their protests, but chief executive leung held a news conference just minutes before a deadline they set. >> translator: i won't resign. i must carry electoral reform forward. >> reporter: he stressed that the government and police have been responding patiently.

leung said three senior government officials including the chief secretary carrie lam will meet student leaders soon as demanded by the protesters. lam is hong kong's second highest official. the representative of the student group issued a statement saying its leaders will meet the officials but it warned the protesters will completely besiege government buildings unless their demands are met. i talked to some protesters -- >> all right, well so that's exactly what i wanted to ask you. what are protesters on the streets saying about the government's response? >> i talked to some protesters earlier. most of them have been here for five days. some are sleeping on the streets looking really tired. they say the talks are likely to take place within two days. they're not too optimistic that any major change will happen, but at least it's a small step forward. the talks are sure to be the center of attention. there is still a strong police presence near the chief executive's office. it is not yet known when and how

the talks will take place. >> estella mak in hong kong. turkish leaders have made a decision that will shift the dynamic in the war against islamic state. lawmakers voted to give the government power to take military action against the militants in syria and iraq. turkey's allies are welcoming the move. nhk world's craig dale is joining us with details. >> reporter: the united states and other nations have wanted turkey to use the might of its large military to go after islamic state but lawmakers in an kara held off for a number of reasons. now they're ready to join the fight. a majority of parliament has given the government power to order incursions into syria and iraq against islamic state. foreign troops will now be allowed to launch operations from turkey. keep in mind turkey is a member of the nato alliance and the u.s. has an air base in the south. turkish leaders made this decision because islamic state is literally at their doorstep. the militants have been swallowing up territory just across the border with syria.

they've been fighting for control of a town called ayn al arab, also known as kobani. they've essentially got the town surrounded. u.s.-led air strikes against their positions don't seem to have stopped their advance. kurdish militiamen have been struggling to defend the town. some say if islamic state captures it there will be a massacre. a constant stream of syrians, mostly ethnic kurds, has been flowing into turkey, fleeing the fighting. turkish authorities have been accepting these refugees, more than 150,000 in the past couple of weeks. that's on top of the more than 1 million syrians who have gone to turkey to escape the civil war in their countries since it began in 2011. turkish leaders weighed a number of different and complicated factors before they decided to join this conflict. one is their violent history with the country's kurdish minority. they were locked in a three-decade-long conflict with the kurds, and peace talks are still continuing. even now turkish authorities have been stopping kurdish civilians from going into syria to fight islamic state. they don't want the kurdish separatist movement to gain

strength on the back of this conflict. kurds in iraq, for example, have taken more territory as they pushed the militants outof areas the iraqi couldn't defend. a second factor here was hostages. islamic state captured dozens of turkish citizens in iraq, some of them diplomatic staff, soldiers, and children. but the militants released the hostages last month. some analysts say turkey's participation in the fight against islamic state could be significant, especially if it's wide-ranging. >> if turkey decided to crack down on the islamic state's support, recruitment, fund-raising and oil networks that run through turkey that would have a major impact on islamic state's ability to take and hold territory in syria and iraq. >> reporter: turkey's defense minister calls islamic state a threat to national security but he says don't expect immediate steps. u.s. officials have welcomed turkey's decision to join this conflict. they say they're now talking with the turks to decide what

role the country will play. catherine. >> thanks very much, craig. nhk world's craig dale. government officials in central japan say more people are still stranded on mt. ontake. they say saturday's eruption is already the country's deadliest volcano disaster in decades. at least 47 pierce were killed. officials with nagano prefecture say 16 people are still unaccounted for. police officers said they had not been able to contact five people who had registered their trek in advance. and they said some climbers report their climbing mates have not yet returned. police officers as well as self-defense force personnel and firefighters have been scheduled to resume their search friday morning near the summit. they were forced to cancel their operation for the day because of bad weather. the head of the international monetary fund, christine lagarde, says the global economy is weaker than what many people thought. ai uchida joins us now frour business desk. ai, what can you tell us?

>> analysts at imf regularly put out a report known as the world economic outlook. in it they include a growth forecast. but they've already downgraded their 2014 forecast numerous times. and will guard is still saying what finance minister and central bankers are doing is not enough. and she's calling for more structural reforms and spending on infrastructure to drive growth. >> the recovery is much more modest in japan and weakest in the euro area. >> she complete the speech in the run-up to next week's imf and world bank meetings. she said the u.s. and british economies are strong but she said japan has been struggling since government officials raised the consumption tax from 5% to 8%. and she said the recovery in the euro zone is particularly weak. the imf chief also had something to say about what's going on at the u.s. central bank. federal reserve policy makers have been reducing the amount of

money they pump into the markets through their bond-buying program. lagarde urged them to be mindful of the impact on emerging economies. officials at japan's economy ministry say automakers have been producing fewer cars since the sales tax went up. and they expect that will weigh on demand for steel. the officials predict the amount of steel used for october to december will be about 28 million tons, down 0.6% from the same period last year. the officials said demand for steel used in houses is also down, and they said japanese automakers are looking to produce more cars and factories overseas. well, investors are concerned economic growth appears to be slowing in many countries, and they are selling stocks. actually, the nikkei has been moving in and out of negative territory this morning, but it is currently trading higher by a tenth of a percent. the index has fallen in the

three previous sessions. investors in hong kong, they're back after a two-day holiday. and they are again selling stocks. the key index had declined for four straight sessions since the protests started. the hong kong hang seng looks to end down for the week. mainland china and south korean markets are closed today for a public holiday. now, the key event for investors across the world later today is the release of the monthly u.s. job numbers. and currency traders are this morning keeping the dollar in a narrow range against the yen and the euro. the u.s. currency is now trading at the upper 108-yen level. the euro has pulled back slightly from two-year lows. hundreds of thousands of tourists are expected to come to japan just for the tokyo olympics in 2020, but people at firms across the country are keen to attract more visitors now. executives at telecom giant ntt have decided to lend a helping

hand. the executives will team up with their counterparts at japanese travel agency jtb. they plan to launch a service that offers information about sightseeing spots, tips on how to get around, even restaurant coupons. tourists will be able to access the service by using a smartphone application that works on wi-fi networks. and they'll be able to download information in japanese, english, chinese, and korean. executives with ntt and jtb will start testing the service from october in fukuoka city in southern japan. they plan to promote it to tourists through travel agencies abroad. he. >> translator: we'd like foreign visitors to japan to feel welcome here. by offering them helpful information and communication services. it's our duty tone sure they enjoy their stay. >> the executives will keep track of how people use the service and share the information with city officials

across japan. developers at japanese machinery maker mitts bishi heavy industries have come up with the world's fastest transit system cars. they have tires on their wheels. company executives hope to sell them across southeast asia. the new transit system has been introduced in many urban areas because it can help ease traffic congestion. officials at mitsubishi heavy say the train cars can run at 120 kilometers per hour. they say the high speed is achieved due to the lighter body and a design that reduces air drag. the trains can be driven by remote control. the executives expect the transit system can be used not only in urban areas but also for lines connecting city and rural areas. mitsubishi heavy plans to manufacture the train cars in its plant in hiroshima western japan. electronics developers in

south korea are giving people the ability to run their homes remotely. they're connecting more appliances with the internet. nhk world's kim chen ju explains. >> reporter: refrigerators and washing machines line the home appliances sales floor. they seem ordinary but not quite. what if i'm out grocery shopping and wondering what to get? i can simply text my refrigerator and the refrigerator will send me the picture inside and what's in there. the service is called home chat, developed by the consumer appliance maker lg electronics. a camera inside the fridge takes a photograph of what was inside the last time the fridge door was opened and saves it. if you register your fridge as a friend on the app called line, you can control the appliance

remotely. and not just the fridge but the washing machine too. just text start washing cycle from wherever you are and the machine starts up. production of appliances and other gadgets that can be monitored and remotely controlled via the internet has risen sharply. the korean government estimates this market will grow by 30% a year over the next eight years. the technology is also proving useful in reducing the volume of household waste. kim young hi lives in an apartment in seoul. she has been trying to reduce her food waste. waste disposal has become a problem. food waste is dumped as landfill, and the sewage was dumped in the ocean. the government is trying to reduce the volume of waste and

has banned dumping in the ocean. it now charges consumers a disposal fee based on weight. for residents that used to be a flat rate. starting in august each household must now use an i.d. card to register the weight of their garbage. kim's garbage weighs two kilos. the garbage container is equipped with a communications modem. this allows the local government to charge for volumes and charge each household the correct disposal fee. to reduce the weight of her garbage kim tries to find foods that produce less waste. she drains as much water as she can from the kelp and dried fish she uses to make her soup base.

>> translator: this system makes me want to reduce garbage because you are charged by weight. >> reporter: kim's building could slash demand for garbage its residents produce by 20% with the new disposal system. technologies that make our lives easier are also making us aware of our habits. kim chan ju, nhk world, seoul. >> that's all now for business news. i'll leave you with a check on markets. ♪

♪ every morning investors turn our attention to asia. the tokyo market leads the way and markets around the world follow. >> from the decision that could change the course of an economy. >> to the companies at the forefront of change. >> up-to-the-minute market reports. >> and analysis by specialists from around the world. >> get all the latest business news and insight every day. here on "newsline."

silk worms in japanese labs are spinning a new kind of fabric p they've been genetically engineered to produce silk that glows and researchers hope the worms will help revitalize the industry that played a big role in the modernization of japan. >> reporter: the splendid colors of a magnificent kimono. what makes this piece so special is that the threads of silk are luminescent. they're the ruflt a research project that could revolutionize japan's silk industry. the project is led by the national institute of agrobiological studies. researchers manipulated the genes of silkworms by introducing genes from other life forms into their eggs. they succeeded in producing a silkworm with new characteristics. >> translator: we inserted the genes that provided the phosphorescence in jellyfish and coral. that's why the yarn glows. >> reporter: here's one of the silkworms born from this manipulation. when light of a specific

wavelength is projected onto it, the worm's body emits an orange color. the glow comes from the silk thread inside the worm's body. it's luminescent, like some types of jellyfish and coral. fabric made from this thread could produce all kinds of products with high added value, ranging from global garments to original lampshades. in the 1930s there were more than 2 million silk farms across the country, but the growing availability of artificial fibers and increased international competition led to the decline of japanese silk. only 500 silk farms remain active in japan. their owners are pinning high hopes on the potential of this technology. >> translator: it's very attractive for us but it also means higher costs and it's not like we would be free to grow the silkworms anywhere. the process involves gene

manipulation, so it requires the authorization of the agricultural ministry. production would be limited to specific farms. >> reporter: one necessary precaution is to make absolutely sure that genetically modified organisms don't breed with natural species. researchers at the institute are working hard to turn this futuristic project into reality. once the process is determined to be safe, they hope to make their modified variety of silkworms available to farms and put their idea into practical use within a few years. the potential of genetic manipulation is not limited to silk that glows. one example is this garment that incorporates the characteristics of spider thread. >> translator: introducing the genes of spider thread makes the fabric 20% stronger and 30% more stretchy. there's a whole range of possibilities. for example, inserting the genes of the kind of thread that produced underwater by aquatic

insects could make a garment more water resistant. our aim is to produce a type of material that can only be made with japanese technology and we hope a revival of the silk industry. >> reporter: the question now is whether these 21st century worms will be enough to give hope to japan's ailing silk industry. ♪ at the asian games in incheon, south korea, defending champion japan has won the gold in the men's rugby sevens. the sport will be included in the olympics from 2016 for the first time. it was japan's third consecutive victory against hong kong in the games, affirming its status as the region's powerhouse.

it was the second successive time that the two rivals met in the game's final. hong kong took advantage in the opening minutes. but japan's michael leetch scored an equalizer. japan beat hong kong 24-12 in a free flowing match. in women's rugby sevens china took gold, beating japan 14-12. japanese women also defended their title in softball. 9 team shut out taiwan and marked its fourth consecutive gold performances. ace pitcher ueno allowed only two hits in six innings. the team's batters helped her with a nine-hit attack. japan beat taiwan with the final score of 6-0.

softball and baseball were not included at the 2012 london olympic games, but players have their hopes set on returning to the field at the 2020 tokyo olympics. medal winners from japan, taiwan, and china held up a banner for the sports to be reinstated as olympic events. it's time now for a check of the weather. people in japan are arbitratesing for a typhoon heading toward the country 37 me meteorologist robert speta tells us what we can expect. >> we're continuing to track this very powerful typhoon approaching the southern islands of japan. you see on the stliej imagery

right in front of it is the daito islands. good news, people, out here in these islands well used to typhoons. and definitely the structures are able to withtan these winds. take a look at the visible satellite imagery. you can see how strong this is. this is what the satellite actually sees from pace. you have the clear defined circulation and the eye continuing to develop and intensify out here, as this moves over towards the northwest, the track right now does keep it on that trajectory and turns towards the northeast, take a look at the winds, 180, gusting up to 252 kilometers per hour. good news for the southern japanese islands don't expect to see winds out here. likely to see tropical storm strength winds, this is going to be staying towards the east of okinawa, the main island of the southern islands of japan here, you could be seeing those gusts upwards about 90 to 100 kilometers per hour, enough to blow around some light debris. but as we look ahead into sunday and monday, the big topic is where is this going to be going?

let's look at what's happening in the atmosphere. we have this stationary boundary which has been bringing in some heavy rainfall across much of japan, actually along the sea of japan coastline we've seen record breaking rain the past 24 hours, 163 millimeters poured into wajima. as this moves away this is going to pull our storm system ahead and likely be making a landfall here as we look ahead into sunday night and monday morning, and then by monday afternoon moving over the tokyo area, could be bringing some gusts out here well over 100, possibly 150 kilometers per hour into toke row on monday. monday afternoon the rush hour, it's going to be a slow go out there and definitely if you have plans flying in and out of here, well at least on sunday and monday, expect some delays or cancellations but the other big topic is here in suzuka. you have the japanese grand prix going on this weekend, a lot of people traveling in and expected to leave on monday. you're going to be seeing some delays with that but on saturday for the qualifiers, actually some decent weather in the forecast.

it's the calm before the storm. sunday, though, especially as we look ahead into the afternoon, those conditions are going to deteriorate, and well, right now the race time is at 3:00 p.m., so this is definitely something we want to continue to keep an eye out for. this is really the main topic, but we're also watching a new storm developing back towards the east and that could even impact the mariana islands including those in takawa. if you're not seeing the rainfall, which most people across japan will be, the temperatures, the big swing here, 30 degrees here in tokyo on your friday, but as we look ahead by sunday into monday, our storm system will move off and pull some cool air behind it, temperatures getting down into the teens for the highs across much of the kanto plain. let's look over toward europe. eastern europe decent weather in the forecast. this is what i want to talk about a very large storm system, a cold front pushing through the british isles, and eventually over towards the scandinavian peninsula into norway, winds up to 90 miles per hour, all across

northern portions of the uk, foul weather. london high 20s. ongoing severe weather threat in the central u.s., flights likely going to be delayed out here. down towards texas some reports of large hail, up to four centimeters in diameter and the cool air spilling in behind that. i'll leave you now your extended forecast. ♪ ♪

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and that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for staying with us p

angeles, i'm tavis smiley. tonight with the mid. term elections less than five weeks away now, we have an assessment where the congressional races stands with debbie wasserman schultz who is also chair of the democratic national committee, some pundits insist the republicans will retake the senate and hold on to the house, others are take the races are too close to call. then we'll turn to a conversation with two-time emmy winner, anna gunn who won back-to-back awards for her outstanding performance as skyler white, the wife in breaking bad. she's now the other side of the law playing a detective in "grace point" the ten-point crime drama debuting tomorrow night on fox. glad you joined us. those conversations coming up right now.