Coalition against the militant group now includes more than 40 countries and that the u. S. Is prepared to lead it. U. S. Military commanders ordered air strikes this week including one near the capital baghdad. A major, weeklong u. S. Military exercise is under way in what is guam. Valiant shield is one of the largest u. S. Military drills in the asia pacific region. Its held every two years. The drill involves 19 ships, including 2 aircraft carriers. More than 200 aircraft are taking part and 18,000 personnel. U. S. Military officers say they aim to improve the overall operation skills covering sea, air, space, and outer space. This years exercises will simulate allout battles at sea. China has reportedly been trying to improve the capabilities of its naval power. The Deputy Commander of the u. S. 7th frites, rear admiral russell allen, is in charge of the exercise. He didnt mention china by name but said one of the goals is to prepare emerging challenges. Against that emerging threat, yes, that is part of the exercise. The drills will continue through next tuesday. Chinese companies are featuring the capabilities of their drones. Many are equipped with highdefinition cameras for surveillance. A company from jung su province say theirs can fly for 12 hours and recognize 27 meters wide objects from an altitude of 500 meters. Leaflets distributed by the firm show photos they claim the drone took of the senkaku islands. Japan controls the islands in the east china sea. China and taiwan claim them. Last year an Unmanned Aircraft belonging to the Chinese Military was spotted flying over the area near japan. A major hong kong newspaper is reporting that the Chinese Ambassador to iceland has been arrested. It alleges he was caught by state security agents passing secrets on to japanese officials. The paper carried the report on wednesday. It quotes a u. S. Chinese language news service. The report says the ambassador was detained earlier this year. He worked at the Chinese Embassy in tokyo on two missions. Former british Prime Minister gordon brown urged them to vote now. What we have built together by sacrificing and sharing, let no narrow nationalism split us ever. Voters will be asked whether scotland should be an independent country. They will answer with a yes or no. Scotla scotlands future will be decided by majority regardless of voter turnout. Investors have been walking central bankers in the u. S. Trying to get clues about what the people at the Federal Reserve will do. Policymakers are wrapped up their latest policy meeting. Catherine, investors worldwide are wanting to know their thoughts on interest rates. They had been below or near zero for years. Officials decided to keep the rates as they are for what they say will be considerable time. They also say they will further scale down the fedss bond purchases with the aim of ending the program next month. The fed issued a statement after the twoday open Market Committee meeting. It said the central bank will reduce monthly purchased by 10 billion to 15 billion. And it said the fed will decide next month if this program will end. After the meeting fed chair janet yellen explained the meaning of the phrase a considerable time. I want to emphasize there is no mechanical interpretation of what the term considerable time means. And as ive said repeatedly, the decision the Committee Makes about what is the appropriate time to again to raise its target for the funds rates will be data dependent. Yellen emphasized a hike could be highly conditional and linked to the fed committees assessment of the economy. As for the job situation she says the labor market has yet to fully recover. She said too Many Americans are still working part time even though they prefer having fulltime jobs. Well, investors were relieved to hear the fed will continue to support the economy. They were particularly glad to hear the words considerable time. And they went back to buying the dollar and selling the yen. The its now back to levels before the 2008 Global Financial crisis. Ramine is standing by with all the details. What are you seeing there . Thank you. Very interesting to see the currency levels. In fact, lets go to some of those and the key pairs. 108. 49 to 54, as you just talked about earlier. And also rallied against currencies including the euro. Now the dollar is hitting another 14month high against a sing currency, and the dollar yen levels and tokyo stock prices are strongly correlated. So on that note lets have a look at stock openings levelings. Lets go. We are above that 16,000 level for the first time in nine months. The nikkei is bouncing back after two trading days. Thats not out of the way. Given the gains weve seen in u. S. Stocks, lets not forget the Dow Jones Industrial average ended at another record high. Pretty positive stuff for stocks overall. As the dollar is stronger against the yen, injes tors look to buy japanese shares. Of course, given the fact that the yen is weaker. Another focus also on china related shares. Reports that the peoples bank of china is injecting around 80 billion u. S. Dollars into the largest commercial banks. Just a remindser, actually of the shanghai composite rising on wednesday on hopes they will have boothed growth from china. We should also keep an eye out on Energy Related shares. West texas intermedia. Crude prices fell from a recent twoweek high. And of course, the next big event will be the referendum on scotlands independence with the polls a little bit too close to call right now. A lot of investors there focusing on the stock markets, turnly levels and bond markets to see the effect of whether a yes or no vote comes through. So well keep track of that. As we say, the nikkei is back to the l levels we havent seen since january. Well see if that continues. Again, keeping that positive momentum, and well keep track of all the sectors, as i said, including exports and financials as well. Thats all for me. Back to you. All right. Thanks a lot for that update. Well, people in some emerging economies complain policymakers at the fed care little about what happens to them. They say changes in washington have upset whats happening in their cities, in their neighborhoods, and thats certainly been the experience of people in indonesia. In may of last year, former chairman ben bernanke suggested the fed might exit its stimulus program. That upset currency markets. The the indonesia rupea dropped 20 over five months. As a result consumers began paying more for imported goods. Since the start of the year prices at this store in jakarta have gone up 10 . I really have to cut back on the amount of sweets i give my children. They make up a large part of my budget. Indonesias fast Economic Growth is partly due to an influx of investment. The currency will likely take another hit if investors pull out as money supplies tighten up. Its forcing the european government to spend more. The country has had to import oil to fuel a development boom. Government officials useded subsidies to try to control the prices. Central Bank Officials have promised to do all they can to protect the currency. The central bank is ready to intervene in the market any time. And will do so when the rrupea weakens sharply. Central bank spishls have been tracking whats been happening in the u. S. , and they fear theyll have to take mores to protect their economy in the months ahead. And people around the world will continue to monitor the feds moves over the next several months. Now officials at japans finance ministry have just released the countrys trade balance data for august. A deficit was posted for the 26th straight month. The trade deficit came to 8. 7 billion. The figured narrowed by 2. 4 cared to a year earlier. The balance has been in the negative since july of 2012. Imports also decreased 1. 5 . More business headlies for you next hour. Ill leave you with another check on markets. E japanese officials are trying to stick to their goal of resuming whaling in the arctic. But their plans could be held back if new rules on whaling for scientific purposes take effect. Members of the International Whaling commission are meeting in slovenia. Delegates from new zealand have proposed a change to the rules. They cite a ruling by International Court of justice in march which said japans research whaling is not scientific. The delegates say the iwc members should also scrutinize the purpose of japans programs called jarpa 2. In light of the fact that jarpa 2 has been going on since 2005 and has involved the killing of about 3,600 minke whales, the scientific output to date appears limited. The japanese representative says the icj ruling only applies to japan. He says the court does not have the power to change the commissions regulations. Its not automatically binding to the conduct or activities of iwc because iwc is an independent International Organization and not a subsidiary body of icj. Members are debating new zealands proposal. Even if they vote to adopt it, it would not be legally binding, but japanese officials could find themselves in a difficult position if they press ahead with their whaling program. Some japanese are watching the debate. They worry the possible resolution could pose a threat to their traditional food and culture. Nhk worlds Mitsuko Nishikawa has that part of the story. Reporter japanese have enjoyed whale for hundreds of years. Many see it as a proteinrich food. People in japan are worried about how the resolution could affect them. This restaurant specializes in dishes made with whale, all of it from the research program. It was common on School Lunch Menus when the economy was poor after world war ii. Translator whale meat was essential for japanese when other meat was not available. Translator it seems like most of the countries are against whaling. The idea of losing japanese traditional culture makes me feel sad. Reporter the owner of the restaurant has been in business for 30 years. He buys the whale meat directly from the ships that participated in the whaling program. Translator we have some stock right now but dont know how its going to be in the future. We cant panic knowing that it is a decision we have to follow. Reporter he worries along with other businesses that depend on the whaling industry. They fear jobs and livelihoods could be affected by the decision. Mitsuko nishikawa, nhk world, tokyo. The endangered japanese eel japans nuclear regulators have approved a step to create a frozen soil wall around the reactors at fukushima daiichi. Tokyo Power Company began work on the wall in june. The aim is to prevent ground water from entering the structures and becoming contaminated. But the work has been limited due to the difficulty of working with contaminated water in tunnels and pipes around the buildings. The firm is trying to clear radioactive water leaking. The steps are to include pouring cement into the tunnels. The regulators approved the firms plan. It will cover a stretch of 1 kilometers. Building walls on the side of the plant near the sea will be much harder because they have to remove highly contaminated waters from tunnels there. It remains uncertain if they will be able to stop start freezing by next march as planned. Elsewhere in the disaster zone, Prime Minister shinzo ab has prompted to fast track measures. He exchanged views with the mayor. They approved earlier government plans to build intermedia waste Storage Facilities in the area. The mayor said abe should understand the feeling of land owners forced to give up their ancestral property. Abe replied the land owners have committed to rebuilding fukushima by making a very difficult decision. Finally this is a very significant step towards a solution. We need to make up for lost time on reconstruction. Abe assureded the land owners that promised legal and Financial Measures will be implemented. Some farmers in northern japan are seeing more and more birds in the skies that they once tried to get rid of. They supported government officials to bring back crested ibises from extinction. Theyre finding that their experts are a mixed blessing. Nhk world explains. Reporter crested ibises were introduced to japan from china. They became the basis for an Artificial Breeding program. Officials released them into the wild for six years. There are now some 130 wild ibises living in japan. But some local people see the birds as a headache. Equal rights production chooses fewer pesticides. This helps protect the ibises environment which includes frogs and snails in the rice paddies. Ibises gobble them you have just after the rice has been planted. And the birds trample the rice seedlings. Ibises damaged yoshiaki tanakas crop. Translator after the ibises trampled by seedlings, the plants were buried in mud. Reporter rice seedlings die after they have been stepped on. Tanaka replaced the damaged seedlings with new ones, but his harvest still fell by 10 . Translator i feel very divided about the birds. I want to shoo them away, but at the same time i have to protect them. Reporter crested ibises used to be found all over japan. But farmers saw them as a pest because they ruined rice crops. The ibis population was culled until there were none left in japan. Local officials have been trying to find a way for farmers and ibises to live together. They came up with the idea of selling rice from paddys where ibises had damaged the seedlings as a nature friendly alternative at about a 350 markup. They announced the sale of rice with a crested ibis seal of approval on the website. People from all over japan flooded them with orders and it nearly sold out. Reporter we would appreciate it if our customers buy this rice a way to help crested ibises return to their natural habitat. Reporter tanich tanaka was one of the farmers who sold the rice last year. He took a picture of two ibises walking in his rice field. Tanaka showed the photos to city officials. They gave the seal of approval for 2,500 kilograms of rice grown on his farm. Tanaka no longer sees ibises as a threat. They add value to his rice. Translator this is a ray of hope for farmers. I really want humans and the bird to coexist and prosper together on sado. Reporter farmers are now giving the seal of approval to a bird they once saw as a pest. Its a winwin situation for the ibises and local people. Midori aoki, nhk world, sado. Its time now for a check of the weather. People in Southern China are dealing with severe flooding after a typhoon slammed into the region. Yes, catherine, good morning. Weve been tracking what was once a strong typhoon that has now dissipated. But when it slammed into an area, well, we have some pick you a pictures to show you. Thest caused widespread flooding in china, leaving some vehicles trapped. Over 350,000 people were forced to evacuate due to the storm. Two were killed due to the falling tree and high winds such as this. Public transportation was suspended and many schools and stores were closed. Unfortunately i must tell you more rain will be slamming the area. All this due to the moisture building over the basin. So 140 to 170 centimeters have already fall nn the area. Additional amounts will be in the order of 140 millimeter yet again. So further secondary disasters will be quite likely. Out towards the peninsula, heavy patches of rain will be coveringing the same area, and then another area where we see this very heavy rainfall is another prop call storm to talk about. This one formed early this morning. It will be tracking north and bringing a lot of heavy showers as well as strong winds. And also highways of about four meters in the coastal areas. But before it hits it will be upgrading its status. Possibly sunday when it moves into the Western Islands of japan. So well keep a very close eye on this. As for japan right now, still unstable conditions and the isolated thunderstorms will continue throughout the workweek. Temperatures chilly up in the north, but staying in the mid 20s in tokyo and still very fine and quite nice in beijing. Take a look at that with plenty of sunshine and 25 degrees. Out here across mexico, we are still tracking odile because the remnant is still bringing heavy rainfall to the says ert southwest. And another system pulling into Mexico Country look like it will be making a land mass. We have a Tropical Storm warning here on the coast. This is polo were mentioning. Could be bringing scattered showers across the the baja, california peninsula. So a very short break in the Recovery Process could get hinders. So tucson into albuquerque. These are areas with very high risk of flash floods. Out across the bigger picture, not talking about much with severe thunderstorms. Perhaps a little bit of thunderstorms in the golf states and an incoming system will pound the northwest with showers. But lessening rain across Northern California where the wildfires are still raging. Out here in europe, we are still seeing a spiral of clouds. Thats going to be linger here for throughout the weekend. On and off showers continuing across spain and france and thunderstorms capable of popping up throughout the work weekend. The weekend. Ads for scotland, this is going to be your forecast. So if youre going to be out there, maybe on and off showers but mostly cloudy for your boatiboat ing day. Now for the extended forecast. And thats all for this edition of newsline. Im Catherine Kobayashi in tokyo. Thanks for joining us. Do you remember what you did with your last cell phone . In the us alone there are over 500 million cell phones laying around ready to be recycled. What happens to all these old chargers and cell phones . Unfortunatel y, many of them are thrown away. Cell phones contain lead, mercury, arsenic and other poisons. These toxic chemicals can find their way into our water supply when theyre thrown into landfills and pollute our air when theyre incinerated. Right now, less than two percent of our used cell phones are being recycled, but we can change that. When youre ready to toss your old cell phone, check out your local recycling program, or go online recycle my cell phone. dot org there are lots of easy, free, and tax deductible ways to recycle your phone. Now that makes sense a movement against the Chinese Movement is growing in hong kong. In july, 510,000 people took to the streets, demanding that beijing respect hong kongs free society. Hong kong returned to chinese rule in 1997, under the one country two system policy, residents received a high degree of autonomy