More hostages are being held. The news agency is quoting sources saying at least 18 bodies were found. Reuters quotes a u. N. Official as saying 27 bodies were found on two separate floors. An al qaedarelated group based in northern mali claimed responsibility for the attack on twitter. The hotel is in the center of bamako. Its often used for Embassy Receptions and frequented by foreigners, including airline crews. French prosecutors say a third body has been identified from an Apartment Building in the paris suburb that police raided on wednesday. Officers stormed the building in saintdenis looking for abdelhamid abaaoud. Hes the suspected mastermind of last weeks terrorist attacks in paris. They have confirmed that abaaoud and a woman died in the operation. The woman detonated an explosive belt. Police found a passport that appears to be hers. The third body was a 26yearold woman. She was identified based on fingerprints. Interior and justice ministers gathered for an urgent meeting to discuss how to prevent other terrorists from entering the European Union. They worked on how to tighten external border controls and share information on people who have traveled to syria or elsewhere as fighters. Abaaoud was put on an International Wanted list in january but was able to travel from syria to france before the paris attacks. The ministers also discussed weapons smuggling and gun control. Translator a few days ago, france experienced one of the worst ever attacks on european soil. To conquer terrorism, our collective reaction must be relentless. Abaaoud is said to have been a member of the Islamic State groups Intelligence Division which oversees attacks outside their selfproclaimed territory. Nhk worlds Kazuaki Hirama reports on the events that led to the Police Operation near paris. Reporter officials in europe and the u. S. Had long suspected that abaaoud was the leader of a terrorist organization that operated throughout europe. Translator of the six attacks avoided or foiled by the French Intelligence Services since the spring of 2015, abaaoud appears to have been involved in four of them. Reporter cazeneuve admitted that french authorities had been unaware of abaaouds whereabouts before the assault. He is known to have been involved in four thwarted terror plots. They include a massive plan targeting police which was foiled in eastern belgium in january and a planned attack by an algerian man on a church in paris in april. Abaaouds name has also surfaced in connection with a shooting that took place in northern france on august 22nd. A moroccan man opened fire on a highspeed train heading from amsterdam to paris, wounding two passengers. Investigators say a man they interrogated in august admitted that he was planning to carry out a terror attack in france or elsewhere in europe under abaaouds instructions. The man was detained in france after undergoing training in a part of syria controlled by the Islamic State militant group. French media say the man had received detailed instructions from abaaoud on targeting crowded locations such as concert halls, where the death toll would be high. In july, a Belgian Court sentenced abaaoud in absentia to 20 years in prison for recruiting militants. People can travel between eu member countries without restriction, but each of those countries oversees its own counterterrorism operation, which makes it difficult for officials to communicate about potential threats. Observers say insufficient information sharing may have contributed to the latest attack. More than 10,000 foreign nationals have gone to syria to join the Islamic State group. Many like abaaoud are from europe. Some fear these foreign fighters will return to their country to carry out attacks at home. Kazuaki hirama, nhk world. Muslims attended friday prayers at paris largest mosque under tight security. The road in front of the mosque was cordoned off. Police conducted body searches on people going in. Worshippers say they prayed in small groups instead of holding their usual mass service. One said islam respects peace. She said the Islamic State groups actions were wrong. Translator they went completely against islamic teachings. They do not represent muslims. Translator i think the attacks made us all the sadder because were muslims. Worshippers dropped plans to follow their service with an antiterrorism rally. Authorities asked them to cancel because of concerns about the safety of a large gathering. The husband of a young woman who died in the paris attacks has written a letter and posted it online. Millions of people around the world have read the message that has been translated from french into other languages. Antoine larif lost his wife, a 35yearold, in the shooting rampage at the bataclan concert hall last week. She left behind a 17monthold son. He says he will not give the militants the gift of hating them since responding to hatred with anger would be to give in to the same ignorance that has made them what they are. He says he and his son will be stronger than every army in the world, and theyre going to play like every other day, without wasting any more time on the killers. He says his son will be happy and free all his life and will never succumb to hatred. Security forces in the malaysian capital kuala lumpur are taking extra measures to protect a series of asean summit meetings starting on saturday. Roselyn debhavalya has the details from the International Media center near the venue. Reporter world leaders, including president barack obam achinese premier le keqiang and japanese president shinzo abe will attend the meeting. With the paris attacks fresh in their minds, the security authorities here are on their highest alert. Malaysias police chief said in a statement on thursday night there were reports of imminent terror threats. It says the threats have not been authenticated, but more officers have been mobilized. We deploy around 4,000 personnel, but now its 7,000. We increase to 7,000. Reporter president obama and many other leaders are arriving from manila where they attended the g20 and apec forum. Those meetings are supposed to focus on economics while the east asia summit normally tackles political and security issues. This years summit is scheduled for sunday. Sovereignty issues in the South China Sea are expected to be a focus of the discussion. Beijings claim to the almost entire South China Sea is shown on chinese maps with a ninedash line that stretches deep into the maritime heart of Southeast Asia. It clashes with claims by some asean members including the philippines and vietnam. Nhk worlds bureau chief in Kuala Lumpur Hideki yabu joins us now. Hideki, the South China Sea will be a topic of discussion, but in the wake of the paris attacks, counterterrorism will also be high on the agenda. Yes. The paris attacks are a brutal reminder for Southeast Asian nations of a threat they also face. Malaysia and indonesia are majority muslim nations, and more than 500 of their citizens are believed to have joined the Islamic State militants. So countering the groups influence here is an urgent task. The group has made active efforts to recruit members from Southeast Asia. Last year in july, they uploaded an online video in the indonesian language. Last month, asean nations held their first ministerial talks to discuss ways to curb extremist ideologies. The philippines also have muslim majority areas and active Extremist Groups. At least one group has pledged allegiance to Islamic State militants. Asean nations are also concerned that their citizens who have travelled to the middle east to join the group may return to the region and commit acts of terrorism. The South China Sea will also be a topic of interest. What should we be looking out for . U. S. President barack obama is expected to side with the philippines and japan in calling on china to exercise selfrestraint. Last month, the u. S. Sent aegis war ships close to artificial islands built by china in the disputed spratly islands. China claims sovereignty over almost all the South China Sea. Obama met the filipino president Benigno Aquino on wednesday. They agreed on the need to stop china from reclaiming more land and using islands as military bases. Japanese Prime Minister shinzo abe will support that position and seeks broader cooperation with the u. S. , asean and other nations in the international community. He is expected to call on china to stop building artificial islands and abide by international law. China insists that its Land Reclamation and other activities in disputed areas are lawful and may repeat that position again. Earlier this month, the u. S. Flew b52 bombers over waters near islands reclaimed by china in another apparent signal to beijing. The South China Sea issue is becoming one of the biggest flash points in asia. Previous meetings involving asean have sometimes concentrated on the matter. It remains to be seen whether leaders will break through this time. Thank you, hideki. On sunday, asean leaders will sign the declaration on the establishment of the Asean Economic Community to be launched in december. Integrating its markets with more than 600 Million Consumers should make asean a stronger engine of the global economy. Regional stability will be vital to the projects longterm success so asean leaders will be keen to show they can widely handle the very threats they are facing. Nhk world will keep you updated on their discussions. Im Roselyn Debhavalya reporting from kuala lumpur. Emerging economic powers still struggling with poverty. Emboldened citizens still demanding democracy. The threat of violence. The push for peace. The shadow of conflict. Get news and insight on south and Southeast Asia every weekday live from bangkok, only on nhk world newsline. Leaders from 21 pacific rim economies have agreed to Work Together toward creating a free trade area of the asiapacific known as ftaap. The agreement would see tariffs fall across the board. Most established ftaap and other issues have left officials from the United States and china in a faceoff against each other. Nhk worlds naoki makita reports on chinas stance at the summit. Reporter ftaap is a grand Scale Initiative that involves 21 apec members. It will not be easy putting together such a massive economic framework. The u. S. And japan are hoping to use the transpacific partnership, the tpp, as the basis for ftaap. The tpp negotiators reached a broad agreement last month. China has not taken part in the tpp negotiations. Its apparently concerned that washington might use the trade deal to increase its leadership in the region. Thats why china maintains that the tpp and ftaap must be treated separately. Meanwhile, officials in a number of regional economies are changing their minds about the tpp. During the apec summit, the philippines and thailand became the latest to express an interest in joining the tpp talks. South korea and indonesia have also conveyed their intention to take part. China is expected to use its investments in those countries as leverage in establishing itself as the regions economic leaders. It would do so in two ways through the proposed Asian InfrastructureInvestment Bank scheduled to be launched next month and through the new silk road economic belt that aims to create a huge Economic Zone between asia and europe. Meanwhile, the South China Sea issue was not raised at the summit. This apparently was because the philippines as the chair country put priority on productive discussions instead of having the talks get bogged down over the matter. As soon as u. S. President barack obama arrived in manila, he was given a tour of a Philippine Naval frigate and announced that two more u. S. Ships will be transferred to the philippines. They are part of a 250 million package for the philippines, vietnam, indonesia and other countries aimed at boosting regional maritime security. The assistance is seen as underscoring the american intention to take a stand against chinas aggressive reclamation projects in the South China Sea. Chinas president xi jinping responded to the u. S. Stance in a speech during an apec forum, although he didnt expressly criticize the u. S. Translator we should let nothing disrupt our allout effort to create a beneficial and peaceful environment for development in the asiapacific region. Reporter in beijing, a chinese expert suggests that despite the rising rhetoric over the South China Sea issue, washington and beijing are maintaining polite, if guarded, relations. He points to a number of ongoing military exchanges. A naval ship of the United States is in china for a visit, and just a few days ago, a fleet of three Chinese Naval ships were along the Atlantic Coast of the United States visiting florida and other parts of the United States. Therefore, while we talk about the tensions in the South China Sea, we should also look at the overall healthy relationship between the Chinese Military and the American Military and the Chinese Government and the american government. Reporter still, the u. S. Is poised to take up the South China Sea issue as the upcoming east asia summit in malaysia. No matter what steps are taken to avoid discussing the matter, the political maneuvering between the u. S. And china will continue and needs close watching. Japans chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga says his nation has no plans to join u. S. Military patrols in the South China Sea. A u. S. Naval vessel last month sailed near an island built by china in disputed waters. Translator the Japan Selfdefense forces have no plans to take part in the u. S. Freedom of navigation operations. Currently, sdf personnel are not engaged in sustained patrol and surveillance activities in the South China Sea, nor do they have such plans. The leaders of japan and the United States discussed the South China Sea issue on thursday. President obama suggested that such patrols will become a routine mission. Prime minister shinzo abe indicated that his government will closely watch developments in the area and their impact on japans security and consider possible activities by the selfdefense forces. In an interview with nhk, a white house spokesperson talked about possible roles japan could play. In principle, since japan and the United States have a very strong relationship and see eyetoeye on our philosophy towards freedom of navigation and Good International order, we welcome any steps that japan would like to take. Caggins said the u. S. Hopes to address chinas building of artificial islands at the east asia summit in malaysia this weekend. A senior chinese official expressed concern. Translator we firmly oppose any action to militarize the region and threaten other countries sovereignty and safety under the pretext of freedom of navigation and flight. Hong said his country regained islands in the South China Sea from Japanese Occupation when world war ii ended. Official media in chinas shenzhen uighur autonomous region say police have killed 28 members of a terrorist group thought to be connected to an attack on a coal mine in september. A new site affiliated with the Regional Government reports that the longterm manhunt ended last week. Those killed were reportedly in contact with the foreign Extremist Group around the time of the attack on the coal mine in xinjiangs western region. The report says the attack killed 16 People Including Police officers and injured 18 others. Some foreign media have put the death toll at 50. This is chinas First Official disclosure of the incident. Analysts say in the wake of the paris attacks, the aim is to show that china also faces threat of international terrorism. A United Nations committee has adopted a resolution denouncing north koreas Human Rights Violations. It recommends the u. N. Security Council Consider referring the situation in the country to the International Criminal court. Japan and the European Union cotabled the resolution to the Third Committee of the u. N. General assembly which is composed of all u. N. Member states. The resolution expresses very serious concern about torture, public executions and other inhumane punishments. It says that Human Rights Violations in north korea may constitute crimes against humanity and calls for sanctions against those responsible. The committee adopted the resolution with 112 votes in favor. North korea and 18 other countries voted against it. The drafted resolution represents a product of political and military confrontation, as well as plots and conspiracy of the United States and other Hostile Forces against the dprk. Japanese foreign minister Fumio Kishida praised the adoption of the resolution. Translator i earnestly hope it will lead to an early resolution of the abduction issue and an improvement of the human rights situation in north korea. We will continue to demand that pyongyang take concrete action. The japanese government says north korean agents kidnapped at least 17 japanese nationals in the 1970s and 80s. 12 of them are still unaccounted for. In other news, japanese officials are keeping an eye on a part of their country that keeps on growing. They have been out to see a remote Pacific Island thats expanding because of volcanic eruptions. They say its now 12 times its original size. Staff from the Japan Coast Guard flew over the island of nishinoshima about 1,000 kilometers south of tokyo. They say a crater in the center was producing explosive eruptions. They also saw lava flows. The eruptions began two years ago. An island formed next to one that already existed. Lava flows joined the two islands into one which then grew. The island now has an area of more than two and a half square kilometers. A professor kenji nogami at the Tokyo Institute of technology is involved with the observations. He notes the eruptions have become more explosive. He says that could mean less magma is coming up to the surface. Nogami says he wants to study whether these trends will lead to a drop in volcanic activity. The World Antidoping Agency, or wada, has declared that russias antidoping body has broken the rules in regard to its track and field sector. Wada officials met at a board meet ing wednesday and also found discrepancies with other countries. Translator the ball is firmly in russias court. They have to be approved to be compliant. Theres a whole range of issues. The vote was taken without russia, and it was unanimously decided the Russia Agency was not complying with wada regulations. The meeting came after wadas independent Committee Earlier recognized the problem. Board members have discussed what sanctions should be taken against the russian antidoping agency. It could be difficult for russia to host track and field events as well as many other international competitions. Now we are fully open for more close collaboration with wada and follow all their recommendation. In the past, a number of olympic gold medalists have been stripped of their medals after they were found to have used such banned substances. The World Antidoping Agency was established in 1999 to promote the fight against doping. However, there has been a constant stream of new drugs and methods to help athletes evade detection. Theres also concern about socalled blood doping in which increased red blood cells are injected into athletes to boost performance. Antidoping agencies of five countries and territories including argentina and ukraine have also been found to be noncompliant. And the organization will declare antidoping bodies of six more countries including brazil, the host of next years olympics, in breach of the rules if they fail to address problems by march next year. Wada is very happy to help in every way it can. The antidoping arrangements of an olympic games, i expect brazil to be at the very highest level. Wada is demanding that the countries and territories be deprived of the right to Host International competitions if their antidoping entities are in noncompliance with regulations. It is warning them to clean up their act. Theres more to come on newsline. First, a threeday outlook on the worlds weather. And before we go, a small gift has been delivered to america from japan to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of world war ii. A u. S. Library dedicated to the late president harry s. Truman is the recipient of an origami crane made by a victim of the atomic bombing of hiroshima in 1945. Sadako sasaki was 2 when she was exposed to radiation from the bombing of hiroshima and later developed leukemia. She heard a legend that says if a person folds 1,000 cranes, they will be granted a wish. She folded hundreds before dying at age 12. Her brother masohiro sasaki traveled to trumans home state of missouri to hand one of her cranes to the head of the president ial library. As president , truman authorized the use of atomic bombs against japan in the closing days of world war ii. Sasaki worked with trumans grandson, Clifton Truman daniel, to plan the donation. Translator we have agreed to Work Together to educate the next generation so they will better understand what happened in the past. Daniel expressed appreciation for the donation and his gratitude to sasaki for coming all the way from japan. The two worked together to donate another of sadakos cranes to a facility in hawaii, commemorating victims of the pearl harbor attack. So we all make these mistakes. So honoring each others mistakes, understanding why, and the real thing i think is to understand why we do what we do, how we got into trouble in the first place so that we learn from those mistakes. Sasaki and daniel say they will continue to Work Together to raise awareness in the United States of the plight of abomb survivors. And thats all for now on this edition of newsline. Im raja pradhan in tokyo. From all of us at nhk world, thanks for joining us. Host hello and welcome to global 3000. There are currently more migrants on the move around the world than at any time since the end of the second world war. Today we visit a town in america that has discovered them as an antidote to its own decline. Heres what else we have coming up. Immigrants are saving a small american town from shrinking. Why palestinian poverty is also poison for the environment. And, how luxury foods like organic shrimps can help preserve vietnams mangrove forests