And more sustainable drink right at their fingertips. Rescuers are struggling to reach climbers still trapped on mt. Ontake in central japan three days after the volcano erupted. Their Search Operations have been slowed amid fires the volcano could become more active. Police say 12 people are confirmed dead and 24 others were found without vital signs. The volcano straddles nagano and gifu prefectures. As of Tuesday Morning it was still spewing smoke as high as 400 meters from the craters. 800 firefighters, police and ground selfdefense force personnel are taking part in the rescue. Theyre trying to reach the people found near the summit not breathing and whose hearts had stopped. A hiker on the mountain posted this video on the internet. It shows rocks and ash raining down. The hiker hid behind boulders when the eruption began. And then took shelter in a nearby hut. One of the victims, a 23yearold, took this picture two hours before the eruption. He was severely injured by flying rocks and died from his injuries. His friend is still missing. His father has been calling his mobile phone. He still has hope his son will be found alive. Translator i dont mind even if hes seriously injured. I just hope he survived. Rescuers believe some people are still unaccounted for on the mountain. Prodemocracy demonstrators in hong kong are digging in and refusing to leave the streets. They spent the night blockading the citys financial district. Theyre protesting a plan by leaders in beijing to screen candidates for the citys next chief executive. Clashes between protesters and police on sunday left 52 people injured. On monday, more than 10,000 people blocked main roads and thousands more occupied two entertainment districts. Elementary and junior high schools were closed and banks shuttered some of their branches. The number of protesters is increasing in the leadup to wednesdays national day celebrations. We have a simple message, is that we just want our democracy and fair voting of choosing our chief executive of hong kong. Just simple and nothing more. White House Press Secretary josh ernest said the u. S. Government supports the protesters objectives. We have been very consistent in voicing our support to the peoples republic of china for universal suffrage and for the aspirations of the hong kong people and were going to continue to do so. He indicated that the issue will be on the agenda at a u. S. china summit meeting in november. Prorussian separatists in Eastern Ukraine says they have found 400 bodies buried in mass graves. The separatists say the graves are in areas that were once controlled by Ukrainian Government forces. A separatist leader in the city of donetsk told Russian Media that about 350 of the bodies are those of civilians. He suggested they may have been killed by government troops. The prorussians will ask the organization for security and cooperation in europe to investigate. Osce monitors have visited locations where separatists last week reported finding a number of bodies, including civilians. The separatists said the bodies were outside donetsk and in places previously held by government forces. The separatists took control of the area in late august on september 5th they reached a cease fire agreement with ukrainian officials. Afghanistan inaugurated a new president , former finance minister ashraf ghani will lead the country. Hell governor alongside his former rival abdullah abdullah. The former foreign minister will take on a role similar to Prime Minister as the countrys chief executive. Ghani and abdullah had been locked in a fierce political struggle. Attention is now focused on whether they can overcome the deep rift to jointly run the government. In mondays inauguration ceremony, they agreed to share power to try to end the turmoil. Translator all people of afghanistan are heroes and the National Unity government will represent everyone. Translator as a team in the form of the National Unity government which is based on political agreement, we are committed to taking important steps in bringing change to all levels of the political and governmental infrastructure of the country based on cooperation, mutual trust, honesty, and acceptance. Ghani beat abdullah in the Runoff Election in june, but abdullah raised the allegation of mass fraud and threatened to establish an alternative administration. A possible split in afghanistan prompted u. S. Secretary of state john kerry to mediate between the two sides. Kerry proposed the formation of a unity government based on the result of a u. N. Monitored audit of all ballots by the election committee. After his inauguration, ghani called for dialogue with the taliban to tackle afghanistans biggest challenge of improving its security situation. Government officials in japan have released some figures that give some insight into the state of the economy. They say in august, the labor market showed signs of recovery. Officials at the internal Affairs Ministry say the Unemployment Rate fell to 3. 5 . Its the first time in three months its gone down. The number of people with jobs rose by 530,000 from a year earlier to more than 63 million. The number of people without jobs fell by 400,000 to about 2. 3 million. Its been declining for 51 months. Labor Ministry Officials say the ratio of job offers to seekers was unchanged at 1001. 1. 1. There were 110 positions available for every 100 people look. There have been more jobs than job seekers for ten straight months. There were more openings in the hospitality sector as well as medical care and social services. Managers at plants are seeing less activity on their factory floors. They reported a drop in Industrial Production in august. Government Officials Say factory output fell 1. 5 from july. Its the first decline in two months. The Officials Say there was a slump in production of vehicles as well as electrical and other machines. They expect output to rise 6 in september then drop 0. 2 in october. Japanese consumers became more frugal after the con sempgs tax went up in april. Officials at the international Affairs Ministry say spending fell again in august. Its been declining for almost 5 months. Officials say households of two or more people send about down 4. 7 in yen terms from the same month last year. They say purchases of air conditioners plunged almost 50 and those for pack an tours fell more than 17 . Analysts credit bad weather for the results. But Officials Say the fall in spending was smaller than in july and the impact of the tax hike is softening at a moderate pace. The data on Industrial Production and Household Spending were weaker than what many had expected. Thats hurting Investor Sentiment in tokyo. The nikkei average is down 1. 25 . A pause in the yens weakening is weighing on a wide range of shares. Stocks of Trading Companies are sharply lower. Sumitomo corporation slashed its outlook due to a lost shale project in texas. Analysts arising tensions in hong kong are causing some traders to put money into safe haven assets like the yen. But others are buying the dollar. They believe the green back is likely to rise further due to an upbeat economic outlook. And now lets look at other markets around asia. The conflict in hong kong is sapping investorss appetite for risk. The hang seng dropped to its lowest level in two months and still falling. Down 1. 12 so far today. In Mainland China markets the shanghai composite is well, up half a percent and trading now at 2,358 and in seoul the kospi index is currently down about 7 10 . Its trading hands at 2012. The people at one of japans biggest Convenience Store chains are look to expand up market. Lawson executives are preparing to buy highend supermarket siejo ishi. Managers at seijo ishi operate about the 120 stores in tokyo as well as central and western japan. They specialize in imported and upmarket goods. Lawson launched a chain of small supermarkets this year with only a handful of outlets. Japan has more than 50,000 Convenience Stores. Lawson executives run about 12,000 but its they have seen their earnings go down. Since the consumption tax went up in april. The executives plan to cut costs by combining buying and shipping operations across all outlets and they hope to boost their engines by expanding their customer base. Now to some news for visitors to japan. More souvenirs and gifts are becoming tax free. The duty free system will expand on wednesday. Currently shoppers at Duty Free Stores dont pay tax if their purchase exceeds 10,000 yen or 91. From october 1st that minimum will be cut in half. And a list of duty free high tells will be expanded to include food and cosmetics. Retailers in Tourist Spots across the country are already preparing for that change. Reporter in the fushimi district of kyoto this liquor shop carries 500 types of sake. Strong competition from supermarkets and Convenience Stores has driven its sales down by more than half over the past ten years. So the shop owner has set his eye on foreign travellers. Translator this is a seasonal sake for autumn. I like just the picture. Translator its very good. Reporter many Foreign Tourists visit the district to tour sake breweries. The shop owner decided to apply for permission to sell dutyfree goods at his shop. With the help of local students he made a card in chinese explaining how the system works. He will use the card to inform customers they must present their passports at payment. Translator we sell not only sake but sake glasses and other souvenirs. This change in the dutyfree system is a great opportunity for us. Another store is looking for ways to increase revenue by encouraging customers to take advantage of the dutyfree deal. This souvenir shop in fukuoka attracts around 300 crean tourists every month. The bestselling item in the store is this soy sauce. But each bottle brings in 320 yen. The manager and staff are discussing what else they can recommend to customers to help them get to the 5,000 dutyfree deal. Thats a total of 4,000 yen. But we are 1,000 yen short. Five bottles of soy sauce and three of perfume. What else would you suggest . For a girl, i would recommend a bottle of plum wine. Add the 1800 dollars bottle of plum wine and the title is 5,800 yen. Translator a customer can talk to our staff and together come up with 5,000 yen worth of items the customer is happy with. It might not be that difficult to reach the target if we focus on customer satisfaction. Reporter major supermarkets selling a lot of tax exempt products are gearing up for october 1st. On this day, store staff are going through practical training. They are learning how to input the data of a dutyfree purchase into the cash register. And also the procedure for scanning passports. Translator remember the customer is here for a short stay. Open their passport, check the entry stamp and put their arrival date in the computer. Reporter also dutyfree items need to be packed in a special bag or box. It has to be sealed until the tourist leaves japan. The staff learn how to pack the merchandise in the containers properly. Translator ill go back to my store and review the procedure and then teach the other staff. Translator were doing our best to prepare to welcome Foreign Tourists. We expect the number of visitors to increase leading up to the 2020 tokyo olympics. Reporter when the new dutyfree regulations come into effect, many shopkeepers are hoping more foreign money will help fill japanese cash registers. And heres another check at markets. In other news, the decommissioning of the crippled Fukushima DaiichiNuclear Plant is stepping up. The number of workers on the project and related work has doubled in the past year. The Plant Operator reports there are other 5,000 people on average at the site each day. The battle to deal with contaminated water at the site required increasing manpower. Tokyo electric Power Company says there is no labor shortage at present. Its contractors have over 10,000 workers on their books. But analysts say more workers will be needed when work gets under way to remove nuclear fuel from the damaged reactors. Tepco says it plans to improve working conditions by reducing radiation around the plant and simplifying hiring procedures. More and more americans are turning on their taps. Theyre being shown the impact bottled drinks can have on the environment and theyre being encouraged to make better beverage choices. Nhk worlds kazuya omachi explains. Reporter the Brooklyn Bridge is one of new yorks most popular Tourist Spots. This summer, new water faucets were installed here. They proved popular with both adults and children. And, of course, with dogs. The faucets were part of a twomonth campaign to promote Drinking Water. They were set up in places around the city creating oasis for city dwellers. Tastes fresh. It tastes fresh. Reporter americans are not known for drinking tap water. So why is it suddenly becoming so popular . One reason is the growing awareness of the environmental impact. The old used for creating plastic bottles each year could produce 100,000 cars. New york wants to cut down on plastic bottle use by promoting tap water. Attitude toward health are also changing. In a country where half of the population is considered to be obese, people are beginning to accept that water is healthier. There has been an image change, too. The city has a sampling station to test the water quality. Samples are taken and analyzed for around 50 different components to check that water is potable. New york has some of the strictest water standards in the world, and its Drinking Water is known for being fresh and clean. This is the best alternative. Its healthy. Its cheaper. And its more sustainable than bottled water or sugary drinks. Everybody enjoys the high quality Drinking Water in new york city. Reporter the tap water trend is catching on in colleges, too. The university of california berkeley was one of the first campuses to ban the sale of bottled water. Instead, its installed water stations. About 30 of them around the campus. Students have their own bottles which they refill with tap water. It was just an easier way than having to buy each new water bottle every time. Also, i like my water bottle. Reporter every time a bottle is refilled, a display shows how many plastic bottles are being saved. This system has proved so popular it spread to about 60 other campuses around this country. Meanwhile, San Francisco has become the first local authority to address the issue of water packaging. It has passed a regulation that would ban sales of bottled water at all city starting october. Violators will be fined up to 1,000. People have a lot of pride in the Drinking Water in San Francisco, so i think people are largely supportive of it. I hope that the citizens of San Francisco see the environmental problems with bottled water. Reporter the tap water trend is spreading. U. S. Cities are now competing to provide the best water. Highend restaurants are even starting to serve tap water to their customers. Its a movement away from bottled drinks and back to basics. Kazuya omachi, nhk world. Its time now for a check of the weather. People in Southern France and northeastern spain are dealing with thunderstorms, heavy rain and severe flooding. Mai shoji from the weather desk has the details. The border of spain and france seeing very severe conditions. We showed you pictures from Southern France a little earlier and now we have pictures from barcelona, northeastern spain. This is what theyre dealing with now. While Southern France continues to combat floods, the other side of the border is also dealing with rising river levels. In spain several rivers overflowed their banks with blocked roads and power being cut this parts of barcelona. High speed rail has been disrupted in the region. And emergency officials responded to over 400 calls due to the floods. Orange alerts are in effect in the area. The second highest alert for europe. Unfortunately a little more rain will be continuing. But the good news i can give you for spain and other areas as well as northeastern spain where the video came out from, that is tapering a little bit but its moving towards Southern France where we had about 300 millimeters of rainfall in just a day. And of which, 250 millimeters fell over the course of just three hours. Severe flooding still continues here. And were likely to see a little bit more rainfall but tapering off by your tuesday evening hours. High pressure system dominates much of the rest of this continent. So clear skies in lots of these areas and very beautiful weather out here. But on sunday in bulgaria, these are some pictures coming out from there. Take a look at this. A wintery picture already in the Higher Elevations where snow had accumulated on sunday in bulgaria. And in sofia, 22 degrees for the high with plenty of sunshine. It was only about 11 degrees on sunday, hence the Higher Elevations saw those wintery precipitation. But the eastern areas will have a chance to see the white stuff falling on your thursday. Your morning low will be down to freezing point. So please watch out for that cold spell moving in. But its still grueling here in the tropics with hot water and this is going to maintaining its status. This is fengwong a Tropical Storm as it passes through the islands looks like it will be sustaining winds at 100 kilometers per hour. So stormy conditions will be prevailing for the next 24 to 48. So into 72 hours it may even reach to the islands of okinawa in japan. So well keep a very close eye on this system as it progresses. Tokyo at 28 degrees with partly cloudy skies. And down toward the south, scattered thunderstorms will prevail for a few days across the philippines. In the americas we are watching this system, its a potent system traveling to the east. Colorado we had a tornado touchdown reported, small hail and golf ball sized hail ha v been reported in and around denver. This system will move into south dakota and nebraska. There are going to be chances remaining with even tornado outbreaks. Here across the states were taking a look at temperatures as follows, messy conditions in and around miami at 32 degrees. And chicago, 14 degrees. Thats a drop from 27 on your monday. Ill leave you now for your extended forecast. People in france will be getting a rare chance to see the works of an iconic japanese artist. Sparked an interest in japanese art among 19th century french impression insists. Now one of his collect of works is heading for paris. Hoksuai is a wood block print artist. About 700 prints and paint lgs go on display. They include south wind clear sky also known as red fuji and the great wave off kanagawa. Visitors will also be able to see a collection of about 3,900 sketches called the hokus hokusai manga. Our main goal is to show his main work in paris. This is where he received high praise as an artist. The exhibit opens on wednesday and runs through mid january. And thats all for this edition of newsline. Im Catherine Kobayashi in tokyo. Thanks for joining us. Good evening from los angeles. Im tavis smiley. Tonight first a conversation about a radical approach to alleviating personal debt with hannah appel. You can la assistant professor of anthropology. Shes part of a group called strike debt that grew out of the occupy wall Street Movement which made headlines three years ago this month. What the strike debt activists are doing may just revolutionize with how we deal with debt in america. Then well turn to a conversation with musician aloe blacc whose new cd has just leased and hit number four on billboard chart. Hell close out with a performance entitled the man. Those conversations and a performance from aloe blacc coming up right now