i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo.rench authorities are testing a new way to stop the stream of young people from joining militant groups abroad. they've seized the passports of those suspected of planning to travel to syria to join the fight. it's the first phase of the new anti-terrorism law. interior minister bernard kaz noour said authorities have taken six passports from people in their 20s. he said they're preparing travel bans for 40 others. and he said if french citizens leave to commit atrocities in syria or iraq they would pose an even greater risk when they return. france's parliament passed the new counterterrorism laws in november. they allow authorities to prevent nationals from traveling if their suspected purpose is to engage in terrorist activities. government officials estimate about 1,400 french nationals have joined the islamic state group or are planning to do so. authorities have been on high alert since terror attacks in and around paris last month left 17 people dead. they've also raided organiz

>>> hello there, welcome to newsline, it's wednesday february 18th i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo, the cease-fire in ukraine is at risk of collapsing. they're fighting for control of a town. the separatists stepped up their siege of the key railroad junction after the cease-fire went into effect on sunday. they capture edd most of the town. alexander harchenko has suffered a minor injury. putin has encouraged the government to withdraw its troops. 1307bs leaders should not prevent soldiers from putting down their weapons. the deputy head of ukraine's administration accused the separatists of breaching the deal. valerie said hopes for peace are being destroyed. he also said he will soon announce measures based on the u.s. and german leaders. we spoke with an expert on international relations. he shared his thoughts on the cease-fire and what may happen if the fighting continues. >> translator: if the cease-fire doesn't hold one possible scenario is a proxy war. the united states may decide to arm the ukrainian forces that may cause a sharp reaction from russia or we might see a cont

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo.embers of the islamic state militant group have been recruiting people from around the world to join their battle. now authorities from the united states have charged three men with conspiring to support the group. investigators believe two of them were planning to travel to syria to fight. one of the men is 19 and is from kazakhstan. the others age 24 and 30 are from uzbekistan. all of them live in brooklyn new york. federal authorities said two of the men intended to go to syria to take part in jihad or holy war. officers arrested the 19-year-old at john f. kennedy international airport. he was preparing to board a flight for turkey. investigators believe the oldest member of the group provided the others with money for plane tickets. authorities say two of the men posted messages on the minority supporting the militants and contacted a person with links to the group. fbi officials and the new york police believe the two men were planning terrorist attacks against the united states.

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo.he nikkei is hitting a milestone. it is trading at a 15-year high. more on that in our business segment in just a moment. but first we take you to ukraine, where separatists there backed by russia say they've taken full control of a key railway hub in an eastern part of the country. they've seen government troops ordered out of the city of debaltseve. they hoisted their flags on rooftops to show their initiative in the truce process. they also began to withdraw heavy weaponry from the seized area in an apparent gesture to abide by the arrangement that took effect on sunday. ukrainian president petro poroshenko made an unexpected visit to the region and praised the efforts of soldiers there. he stressed their withdrawal was to comply with the truce. he also spoke with key cabinet ministers and military leaders about ways to deal with the separatists and russia. and he's decided to ask the u.n. and e.u. to dispatch personnel for a peacekeeping operation. debaltseve is considered a strate

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo.>> u.s. president barack obama says he's determined to take on islamic state. he called the group a grave threat to the national security of the united states and its allies, and he's asked congress to formally authorize military force against the militants. >> this resolution strikes the necessary balance by giving us the flexibility we need for unforeseen circumstances. for example, if we had actionable intelligence about a gathering of isil leaders, and our partners didn't have the capacity to get them, i would be prepared to order our special forces to take action. because i will not allow these terrorists to have a safe haven. >> obama says islamic state poses a threat to the people and stability of iraq, syria, the broader middle east and to u.s. national security. the proposal would limit operations against the militants to three years. obama said the plan does not authorize long-term large-scale ground combat operations like those in afghanistan and iraq. obama has been carryin

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo.he former head of south korea's intelligence service has been sent to jail for three years after a major legal turnaround. a seoul high court judge ruled won sei hoon should be imprisoned for trying to influence the outcustom a presidential election. the judge reviewed a decision by a lower court which found the former director of the national intelligence service guilty of political meddling. but he received a suspended sentence. the high court judge concluded that won made his subordinates launch an online smear campaign during the 2012 presidential election. he said they used more than 700 twitter accounts to post a slew of messages critical of candidates who ran against park geun hye. she won the vote by a slim margin. the judge said won neglected his duty to maintain neutrality and meddled in the political progress, and he said the former spy chief harmed the country's democracy. won has the right to appeal this latest vertical. members of the largest opposition party new politics

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. >>> african commanders are intensifying their push against boko haramtary official says government troops staged a cross-bore den ground offensive for the first time. on tuesday, commanders in chad sent ground troops. a military official says the

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. of the islamic state militant group have been recruiting people from around the world to join their battle. now authorities from the united states have charged three men with conspiring to support the group. investigators believe two of them were planning to travel to syria to fight. one of the men is 19 and is from kazakhstan. the others age 24 and 30 are from uzbekistan. all of them liven

it's thursday, february 12th, i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. >>> u.s. barack obama says he's determined to take on islamic state. he called the group a grave threat to the national security of the united states and its allies, and he's asked congress to formally authorize military force against the militants. >> this resolution strikes the necessary balance by giving us the flexibility we need for unforeseen circumstances. for example, if we had actionable intelligence about a gathering of isil leaders, and

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. the nikkei is hitting a milestone.ding at a 15-year high. more on that in our business segment in just a moment. but first we take you to ukraine, where separatists there backed by russia say they've taken full control of a key railway hub in an eastern part of the country. they've seen government troops ordered out of the city of debaltseve. they hoisted their flags on rooftops to show their initiative in the truce process.

. >>> and that's all for this edition of newsline i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo, thanks for staying with us. >> hello and welcome to global 3000. it's not often that we see the world actually come to together. the past few days have shown what that world community can actually feel like when some one and a half million people including leaders from more than 40 countries took to the streets of paris as a sign of defiance against terrorism. many other cities followed suit -- and social networks are still buzzing with tributes to those killed and to the human rights they stood for. today we,too speak to people who stand up for their rights -- and here's what's coming up -- more than medical aid -- why cuba sends its doctors to brazil. the red cross calls them the

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. >>> delegates from more than 60 countries as well as representatives from the united nations and european union have attended an anti-extremism summit in washington. u.s. president barack obama has called on the world to unite in the fight against terrorism. >> we must remain unwavering in our fight against terrorist organizations. >> obama delivered the remarks at a ministerial level meeting on thursday. they also stressed that the international community should try to enlighten people as well as counter poverty and support education. the president says this would keep youth from being attracted to radicalism. japan's state minister for foreign affairs condemned the recent killings of two japanese hostages by islamic state militants. >> translator: we strongly condemn these despicable acts of violence. japan will behave responsibly as a member of the international community in the fight against terrorism. >> he reiterated japan's plan to offer $15.5 million to fight terrorists in middle eastern and african countries. jordan's foreign minister nasser j

i'm catherine kobayashi.ur top story this hour, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake has struck off the coast of iwate prefecture in northeastern japan around 8:00 a.m. japan time on tuesday. the japan meteorological agency says it observed a several-centimeter tsunami at ports in the region. major damage hasn't been reported so far. and officials with three nuclear facilities in the region say they also

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. former head of south korea's intelligence service has been sent to jail for three years after a major legal turnaround. a seoul high court judge ruled won sei hoon should be imprisoned for trying to influence the outcustom a presidential election. the judge reviewed a decision by a lower court which found the former director of the national intelligence service guilty of political meddling. but he received a suspended sentence. the high court judge concluded that won made his subordinates lach

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. >>> african commanders are intensifying their push against boko haram. a military official says government troops staged a cross-bore den ground offensive for the first time. on tuesday, commanders in chad sent ground troops. a military official says the offensive inflicted major damage on boko haram fighters. but a day later, the militants fought back. they crossed the border into cameroon and killed about 70 people in a rampage. troops from five countries including nigeria, chad and cameroon are taking part. >>> people in jordan have reacted with anger and sorrow over the killing of a pilot by islamic state militants. some have gone into mourning while others are calling for revenge. about 200 people offered prayers at a ceremony in the capital. they read out versus from the koran. they confirmed the death of the lieutenant after islamic state posted video online showing him being burned alive. >> what happened to the hostages and the jordan january pilot totally unacceptable. >> the pilot's father said that the militants are criminals who must be eli

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo.h authorities are testing a new way to stop the stream of young people from joining militant groups abroad. they've seized the passports of those suspected of planning to travel to syria to join the fight. it's the first phase of the new anti-terrorism law. interior minister bernard kaz noour said authorities have taken six passports from people in their 20s. he said they're preparing travel bans for 40 others. and he said

i'm catherine kobayashi.ur top story this hour a magnitude 6.9 earthquake has struck off the coast of iwate prefecture in northeastern japan around 8:00 a.m. japan time on tuesday. the japan meteorological agency says it observed a several-centimeter tsunami at ports in the region. major damage hasn't been reported so far. and officials with three nuclear facilities in the region say they also haven't reported any abnormalities. the agency has issued a tsunami advisory off the coast of iwate prefecture. once again, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake has struck off the coast of iwate prefecture in northeastern japan at around 8:00 a.m. japan time. 8:06 to be exact, on tuesday. tohoku electric power company says hidashi mura and omagaki nuclear power plants have not reported any abnormalities. a nuclear facility for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel in aomori prefecture has not reported any irregularities. the japan meteorological agency has issued a tsunami advisory off the coast of iwate prefecture. it says that it obs

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. this just coming in to us. japanese police officers are seeking arrest warrants for three teenagers suspectedqú,et murdering a 13-year-old boy. they say the suspects were acquainted with the victim. ryota uemura was found dead one week ago on a river bank in kawasaki city near tokyo. he had been stabbed in the neck. officers found a box cutter blade and a stick near uemura's body. the victim had bruises on his face and arms. investigators have been reviewing surveillance camera footage taken around the time uemura was stabbed. they say it shows him walking toward the river with several young men. uemura was frequently seen with a group of boys. people who knew him say he was punched in the face by members of the group. police have discovered mobile phone messages uemura sent before he was murdered. he had been asking his friends for help. more details on that story as they come in. >>> now in other news a prominent american newspaper has unmasked the islamic state member dubbed jihadi john. the black-clad man w