it's midday on a thursday here in japan. i'm james tengan in tokyo. welcome to this hour's "newsline." here are some of the stories we're following this hour. mcdonald's japan plans to run safety checks on all its outlets after customers found various foreign objects in their food. officials from japan and china are negotiating the details of their next round of talks on maritime issues. and top of the mountain.

a young athlete in south korea is looking to climb to the highest position in her sport. officials at mcdonald's japan are taking steps they hope clean up the company's outlets and reputation. they plan to check how sanitation is managed at all their restaurants nationwide. this follows a series of scandals involving foreign objects found in mcdonald's food. the officials say an external food safety company will check the more than 3,000 outlets. the sanitary workers will inspect how cook utensils and equipment are kept. they'll also check how able mcdonald's workers are to detect objects that don't belong in food. earlier this month, a customer found a piece of vinyl in a chicken nugget at a restaurant in northern japan. mcdonald's officials say the possibility that the object came from its plant or outlets is slim, but there have been other cases of foreign objects being mixed accidentally into food during preparation. last month, a piece of plastic was discovered in a dessert at

another outlet. the object was part of a machine at the restaurant. workers lost another piece of vinyl another customer found in a nugget. the fast-food giant plans to review its response to customers officials from japan and china are preparing to hold talks in tokyo this month on maritime issues. the meeting will be their third in a dialogue that started three years ago. the aim of the dialogue is to improve communication amid strained relations over the senkaku islands in the east china sea. japan controls the islands, china and taiwan claim them. the japanese government claims that the islands are an inherent part of japan easter tour in terms of history and international law. it says there is no issue of sovereignty to be resolved. the government plans to sent officials to upcoming talks. participants are expected to exchange views on the development of maritime resources in the east china sea.

they are also likely to discuss the issue of coral poaching by chinese fishing boats in japanese territorial waters. earlier this month, defense officials resumed talks to set up a maritime communications hot line to avoid conflict. a summit in china last november has prompted the two countries to increase their efforts to improve ties. hundreds of thousands of people have gone to their newsstand to purchase what has become a symbol of defiance. publishers of the satirical paper, "charlie hebdo" have printed the first edition since the attack on their office that left 12 people dead. they've been met with applause and criticism. nhk world's yoshitaka hirauchi has the latest. >> reporter: people lined up on newsstands in central paris to buy the latest edition of "charlie hebdo." >> translator: i wanted five copies, but they only allowed me to buy one.

>> translator: the paper has become a symbol for freedom of expression. people should be allowed to poke gentle fun. >> reporter: in a show of their defying spirit, surviving "charlie hebdo" staff featured a caricature of the prophet muhammad on the front page. renald luzier drew the cartoon. >> translator: this is not the cover that terrorists wanted, but rather something that "charlie hebdo" wanted to depict. i hope the spirit of charlie will live on. >> reporter: the paper has again provoked criticism. >> translator: the paper is selling out to commercialism and insulting the islamic world. >> reporter: muslims believe depicting images of the prophet is sacrilegious. islamic authorities in egypt

denounced the publication. they called it an unjustified provocation against the feelings of muslims. >> translator: i have told worshippers to remain calm, remain silent, to maintain integrity, and respect freedom of expression. >> reporter: france's top muslim cleric says they're determined to put an end to a chain reaction of violence and controversy by being calm. many muslims in the country are also worried about a possible backlash from the terror attacks. >> translator: i'm afraid that we muslims are all regarded as terrorists. >> reporter: their fear is already a reality. there have been about 50 acts of vandalism against mosques for the past week. france is at an important juncture. the question is whether people

can unite against terrorism or become polarized and plagued by mistrust. yoshitaka hirauchi, nhk world. the french president says he is reconsidering plans to cut the number of military personnel in order to counter terrorism. francois hollande spoke aboard the charles de gaulle aircraft carrier. >> translator: we need sufficient numbers of soldiers under these unusual circumstances. >> hollande says he'll review the government's ongoing efforts to reduce the military force by 10% within six years. the downsizing began last year. the government is seeking to cut total troop strength by 34,000 to help rebuild state finances. hollande also announced the charles de gaulle will head for the middle east later this week. it will join a u.s.-led military coalition fighting the islamic state militants in iraq. the president said is the

actions will help stop acts of terror. and will strengthen actions against islamic extremists both inside and outside the country. france is at the highest state of alert following the attack on "charlie hebdo." some 10,000 troops have been deployed across the country to guard major train terminals and tourist spots. negotiators from iran and six world powers are prepared to resume their talks on iran's nuclear program. the talks between mohamed -- and john kerry lasted for seven hours. they are believed to have discussed the need to speed up the nuclear talks. negotiators hope to agree on a comprehensive deal by their new deadline of june. zarif spoke before meeting kerry saying that the parties are ready to speed up the process. iran state-run media says that

zarif plans to meet with his counter parts starting thursday. one sticking point is deciding how much uranium the iranians should be allowed to enrich. people who track the japanese economy are constantly sifting through data to see where it's headed. officials a it the japanese cabinet office have given them more numbers to chew on. ai uchida has more on that and other stories. what do the latest data tell us? >> managers of companies buy more machinery when they are feeling good and confident about business conditions. indeed people in the private sector did place orders in november that were up over the previous month by slightly more than 1%. but cabinet officials say the recovery may be stalling. they say domestic companies in november placed machinery ordered worth $6.7 billion.

that's up 1.3% in yen terms from october and is the first rise in two months but that's much lower than the market expectations of 5%. orders from manufacturers fell 7%. those from non-manufacturers rose .5%. the governor of the bank of japan meets with managers of its branches every three months to get a better picture of the economy. hariko kuroda is sticking with his view that the economy is recovering moderately. he also says that if necessary, the boj will adjust its policies to achieve its target of 2% inflation. that could include additional monetary easing measures if the outlook for price and the overall economy changes. now let's check on markets.

tokyo stock prices rebounded this morning as investors sthaped up bargains following the declines on wednesday. for all the details on how the tokyo markets are faring. ramin mellegard has the update. what do you have for us? >> thank you very much. and despite the declines on wall street investors here went out shopping for some bargains, really. and then the slight fall in the yen boosting a lot of the exporters. let's look at the morning session. 17,041 up 1.46%. and the topix, 1,373 up just over 1%. we saw investors snapping up blue chip and tech exporters with sony toyota and canon among some of those gaining today. but we saw a rebound in energy related shares there after 5% pop higher for west texas intermediate crude and brent cruise on wednesday.

inpex was up 3.69%. but from the financial sectors we saw some declines. nomura holdings was one of the biggest decliners there after poorer than expected earnings from j.p. morgan chase. now let's switch to currencies. the dollar/yen has been a big focus. we saw a slight rebound in the dollar during tokyo trading today especially after it dips to lower 116 levels for the first time in a month. right now 117.71-72. i want to highlight the australian dollar. it jumped against the dollar after the um employment data was lower than expected at 6.1%. asian indexes, that still -- unemployment number was not enough to boost shares. down .045%. investors are concerned ability

slowing growth in its biggest trading partner, china. other asian indexes are trading higher, however. now we have the third part on our special series on global economic outlook. i did speak with noriko hama about her perspective about the european economy and the single currency, the euro. she says turmoil in greece may affect the whole region. >> nice to see you. >> thank you very much, indeed. >> the greek parliament has a general election on january 25th. what is expected to happen, not only to the greek economy but also the global economy? >> well, if the opposition side get in which now looks like a real possibility, i mean, a real possibility of a greek exit out

of the eurozone becomes a prospect to be seriously concerned which i think is very considered, rather which i think is a very interesting situation, indeed. it comes as no surprise to me that this situation is arising. but it's interesting to observe the attitude of the germans. i mean it looks as though they are starting to prepare the ground for a greek exit, which is rather interesting. >> if the certain countries, euro zone countries do exit, the repercussions not only for the economy of germany but the banking system and the banks which hold so much of the bonds. >> i think there are the financial risks, if you like, the largest risks involved here but it's it is a very -- if you like -- inconsistent situation for the germans. i think, in a sense, the germans are sort of sighing a sigh of

relief that at last they may be able to get rid of the greeks from within the eurozone framework but it's they recognize a kind of financial dangers that you have just cited. it's very much a double-edged sword for them. >> what is the impact on the european and global economy for that matter? >> well, a calm negotiated, well-prepared exit will obviously be a good thing. but in these cases i'm sure there's going to be a lot of confusion. so i mean i think these are the way forward will be a tumultuous one and of course it has its implications for the european economy as well as the global economy as a whole. >> the european union also may face problems. british prime minister david cameron has promised to hold a referendum on britain's eu membership in 2017. he is hinting that the referendum may be now brought forward.

>> i think in economic terms it does make for better sense for the uk to leave the european union because of the nature of its economy. it's never been really compatible with the european union's rules and regulations and framework. it makes a lot of sense but it is going to create a lot of commotion. >> given the current condition in eurozone economies, do you think this is a turning point for the euro and the euro zone economies? >> i think that this whole fact of one sized fits none approach to economic integration is really not working and they have to make up their minds about that. and i think that the situation is becoming very critical in that respect. and i think it really very much is a question of whether they have the courage to accept economic sound reasoning or they do still continue to try to hold

on to what is an unworkable economic situation all together. >> now in the last part of the series tomorrow we're going to look at the world's second biggest economy, china. that's all for me from now. back to you. >> thanks a lot, ramin. federal reserve officials say the u.s. economy is continuing to grow but they are worried about the effect of falling oil prices. fed officials have released a report based on regional economic assessments from its 12 district banks. they say growth was steady from mid-november through late december but several district officials expressed concern about the effect of lower oil prices on local economies. the report says consumer spending increased in most regions. auto sales showed moderate to strong growth and travel and tourism picked up. the report says manufacturing activity increased in most districts but retailers in new york say sales were sluggish and

less than they'd expected during the year-end holiday season. officials from japan and australia started working on a free-trade deal in 2007. they signed an economic partnership agreement last july. it's now come into effect. the free trade pact will remove tariffs on 95% of total trade by value between japan and australia within the next ten years. australia will remove a 5% tariff on some japanese cars. japan will lower tariffs on chilled australian beef from 38.5% to 23.5%. most of the beef that japan imports already comes from australia and japanese farmers are worried about more agricultural imports. roughly a quarter of japan's international trade is with countries and regions it has such deals with. that puts japan behind china and south korea.

government officials want to speed up negotiations on other such deals, including the transpacific partnership. and that's the latest in business news for this hour. i'll leave you with a check on markets. some south koreans are trying to take an extreme sport to next level. they have been donning metal spikes and metal axes to dominate ice climbing. and while the sport won't be in the 2018 olympics they are pushing to have it in future games.

nhk world's kim chan-ju has the story. >> reporter: winter turns a water fall into the country's largest ice wall. ice climbing requires a pair of axes and metal spikes known as crampons. the equipment costs between 900 and $1800. but it's not enough to deter the 300 or so climbers who gather here on weekends. >> ice climbing is about thrills and great joy. >> translator: it feels like a communion with nature. i get a great sense of peace when i'm climbing. >> reporter: ice climbing is more than a recreational pass time. it's also an athletic event that's gaining popularity. competitors are judged by their speed and ability to climb a

difficult route. 22-year-old -- is one of the country's top climbing athletes. she trains every day at her father's climbing school. she had started out as a rock climber. >> translator: i was a fearless climber and loved climbing here and there. >> reporter: but four years ago she experienced a big setback. she tore a ligament in her knee during an event. she went through one year of fizz owe therapy. she considered giving up but couldn't accept the idea. >> translator: i felt that if i gave up without having achieved anything i would regret it later. >> reporter: that's when song decided to take up ice climbing. one of the advantages is the extensive use of the arms which reduces pressure on the legs.

song started training again with her father. soon she was good enough to take part in national competitions. song says sometimes she just reaches her physical limit because of the cold but it's over the past three years she has won several events in south korea. >> translator: by learning to deal with these situations i think climbing makes you psychologically stronger. >> reporter: south korea hosted the second region ice climbing obstacle over the weekend. it's the only event in asia this season and second time that song competes at the international level. before her run she sizes up the challenge and visualizes her route. song is competing in a category in which she will be judged on

her ability to climb a difficult route under time constraints. song powers her way to the top under the time limit of nine minutes. she's the only finalist to have reached the ridge. >> translator: it felt good to be able to make it to the top. the route was thrilling and interesting, too. i had fun. >> reporter: the international climbing and mountaineering federation is pushing to have ice climbing recognized for the winter games for 2022 and by then south korea will be counting on rising stars like song -- to bring in more medals. "newsline" comes to you from our studios in tokyo where the weather has taken a wet turn as

meteorologist robert speta tells us. >> yes, those of you across much of japan today if you are flying into tokyo as well you will be seeing scattered showers over there. in narita the rain could cause delays at the airports. back toward the west we actually have had some tornado advisories in place in parts of shikoku region. this is bringing strong thunderstorms out of it as well. with the storm system moving through. in the afternoon and the evening hours is it going to pass by the kanto plain. but near the coastal areas, that's where you're going to be seeing the gusty winds. it is going to stay on the wet side as far as the rainfall. we may see frozen precipitation a little bit farther inland in the higher elevations. and mixing in with some thunderstorms and a possibility of a tornado in the stronger cells. in the higher elevations, 30 centimeters expected. western tokyo and saitama prefecture in the kanto plain

you could see some snowfall out of this but i think most of it is going to be reserved up into the mountains. but take a look at the high pressure over china. things staying clear out. but as we look farther to the south there is our tropical storm. i know it's japan and you may think this is unusual. but in the western pacific it happens out here. the first one of the season. right now winds about 65, gusting up to 90 kilometers per hour. expected to intensify. i don't think this is going to reach the typhoon status. but it is going to be a rainmaker out here in the philippines as we head into the weekend. in late day on saturday in tacloban city, the pope is visiting here. this is going to be a big event and it looks like you will have rain showers in your forecast with the storm nearing land fall by saturday night. something we want to watch very closely over the next several days. into the americas, as far as the eastern seaboards, high pressure dominating and temperatures returning to normal. but it's back to the west we

have a little low right here in the four corners. that's kicking up some snowfalls. some areas as much as 7 to 13 cent centimeters could come down. in the pacific northwest, gusty winds in vancouver and seattle. some areas as much as 120 kilometers per hour. plus the rainfall and the snow in the higher elevations. vancouver and seattle both have rain in your forecast here on thursday. now let's wrap things up here over towards europe. a big topic. take a look at this. on the satellite imagery, this is one of those very strong low pressure systems. you can see how deep it is. it has that classic comma curl shape in it. and that is bringing gusty winds out here. in ireland you could see winds up to 150 kilometers per hour with this cold front pushing through. it is going to push through the british isles. you had a report of a tornado there on wednesday. move into low countries, france the netherlands, strong winds,

the possibility of tornados and thunderstorms could put down frequent lightning. this is something you want to look out for if you are outdoors in this area. rain showers in paris. berlin, partly cloudy but the showers will work in. and then across the eastern locations, kiev at 2 with some snowfall. moscow just making it up to the freezing point. i'll leave you now with your extended outlook.

thanks for watching this edition of "newsline." for feature stories and special reports just log on to our website. stay with us. there's more to come here on nhk world.

good evening, from los angeles. i'm tavis smiley. tonight, part one of a two-night exclusive conversation with the only two african-americans serving in the u.s. senate. corey booker and tim scott. they are the only ones to serve simultaneously in the senate in the nation's history. glad you joined us for conversations with cory booker and tim scott, coming upright now. ♪ ♪