welcome to nhk world "newsline," i'm gene otani in tokyo. here's a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. south korean officials are closely monitoring reports from the north to see if an influential figure has been dismissed from all his posts. antigovernment protesters in thailand plan to suspend their demonstrations for the king's birthday, but vow they'll be back. and the young people from paraguay comb through a mountain of garbage and came up with a way to entertain people all over the world. officials with south korea's unification ministry say they are closely monitoring reports out of the north to see if a high ranking member of government has been ousted from office. he serves as the vice chairmanship and is the uncle of kim jong-un. reports have surfaced chung may have been dismissed from all of his posts, but so far nothing has been reported about the political move. the announcement comes after the south's intelligence service told a parliamentary committee that chung's two close associates have been publicly executed. >> translator: it's very likely he's been stripped of all responsibilities. >> in south korea, experts are speculating chung may have been sacked after being defeated in a power struggle with other high ranking leaders. sister of late leader kim jong-il. he joined the ruling workers party. due to his family connections, chung assumed key posts in the party. chung worked to open up north korea's economy, but fell from grace in 2003. observers thought he'd be dismissed. his whereabouts were not reported again until 2006 after kim jong-il's death in 2011, chung and his wife supported the young successor. chung was given the task of meeting chinese leaders last year. in tokyo, japan's chief cabinet said the government is closely monitoring cheng's reported dismissal. >> translator: the government is paying close attention to the situation in north korea. we are gathering various information, while coordinating with other countries. >> suga said there was a meeting held on the matter. the report on the possible reshuffle in pyongyang raises plenty of questions. we turn to a north korean expert for answers, a senior fellow at the korean institute for national reunification. >> it is very shocking to me, because he is the number two in politics and he was the king maker of kim jong-un when kim jong-il was -- as problem happened. a power struggle between them is maybe likely, but it's too early to happen, because, you know, kim jong-un -- i'm not sure if kim jong-un is stable or not. it's shocking, because it's too early to happen. i'm not sure if it contributes to kim jong-un's power base or not, so in the short term, i think kim jong-un's power base might be more stable, but may be more unstable in the long run because there's check and balance power struggle disappeared, so kim jong-un may be in a dilemma in handling the other political power base. protest leaders in thailand have called off their demonstrations for the time being. the angry conflict with the government has eased ahead of the king's birthday. >> the passing of events in thailand on wednesday may be unique to the kingdom in southeast asia. protesters are continuing their call for prime minister yingluck shinawatra to back down, but have given way to scenes of demonstrators cleaning the streets. the situation has become calm as people around the country get ready to pay their respects to the king. until monday, security forces and protesters had met in violent confrontations. demonstrators threw stones and security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets, but on wednesday, the city looks like a different face. demonstrators are cleaning the streets. the change in atmosphere is due to the king's birthday tomorrow, he celebrates his 86th birthday. >> translator: this is a time for cleaning up before paying respects to our king. >> government officials and protest leaders took a break from hostilities on tuesday ahead of the king's birthday in an about face, security authorities allowed demonstrators to enter the compound of the prime minister's office. the move diffused some of the tension by allowing protesters to gather in the center of power. they later left the compound shouting that they'd won. the royal thai family is one of the most enduring monarchs in southeast asia. the king has no political power but is greatly admired. prime minister yingluck has avoided further bloodshed in the days leading up to the king's birthday. on tuesday she made a televised speech to call for unity, but protesters have not called for an end to the influence of her older brother and prime minister thaksin shinawatra. he was ousted in a coup in 2006 and has been living in self imposed exile. they've said they will resume their demonstrations after the king's birthday. the king is scheduled to address the people of thailand on his birthday. he's previously mediated conflicts in times of political tension. people are focusing on what message he will deliver this time to the two groups that have divided the country for nearly ten years. and that's all from bangkok. india, a country of contrasts. more than 1.2 billion people live in the world's largest democracy, but they are divided over issues of culture, religion, and gender. investors from overseas see opportunities among the growing middle class, but millions live in poverty. many wonder what's next for india. find out this week here on "newsline." japan doesn't think the world trade talks are over. in fact, it thinks it needs a different way to approach the obstacles. ron madison has been following the story, ron? >> that's right. there are several areas where compromise has been pretty elusive, gene, so at the world trade talks under way in indonesia, japan is asking developing and emerging economies to take a flexible approach to save the deadlocked doha round of free trade negotiations. a four-day ministerial session of the world trade organization is taking place in bali. delegates are now focusing on three issues, including the simplification of customs procedures over which industrialized and developing countries are less divided. japanese representative said negotiators have come very close to success. that appeared to be almost unattainable three months ago. >> translator: the key members could make critical decisions to obtain the maximum of interests and show flexibility on some measure with remaining issues. that could be a possibility, however slight, reaching an agreement. >> mitsia challenged china's cautious stance in negotiations. let's get a check of the markets now. european equities are little changed after sharp declines in the previous session. london's ftse is down by a 10th of a percent. investors apparently waiting for a batch of u.s. economic data due out later this week, they want more clues as to when the fed may reduce its bond buying program. tokyo's nikkei fell by more than 2% and that's a retreat from a six-year high. shanghai rose to near a three-month high due to further hopes for reform. sydney also expanded. moving on to currencies now, dollar/yen is changing hands at 102.49, taking a breather against the yen ahead of incoming u.s. economic data. euro/yen quoted at 139.32. the eurozone showed a mixed picture across the european countries and this failed to sway trading in the euro. officials from japanese retail giant are branching out. they say they'll invest in upscale u.s. clothing store barney's new york and will acquire a 49.9% stake in barney's japan. the purchase is thought to be worth about $60 million. the unit operates ten stores in tokyo and other major cities. seven and i officials hope to harness the brand and power at department stores and shopping websites. well, looks like more people in japan are planning to travel during the year end and new year's seasonal holidays. the numbers for domestic and foreign travel are likely to hit record highs. officials at jtb estimates that 30.5 million people will go on trips between december 23rd and january 3rd. that's up 2% from a year ago. 29.8 million people are planning domestic trips, while nearly 700,000 want to go abroad. the travel agency says the increases are due to the calendar alignment that allows people to take many days off. bigger bonuses expected this winter are cited as another reason. mt. fuji remains a popular tourist spot. europe, hong kong, thailand, as well as other destinations in asia are also likely to attract more travelers. ntt docomo has come up with a smartphone app designed to warn users not to text while walking. the company hopes to stem accidents involving users, especially children. ntt docomo executives say subscribers can download a free app. when an embedded sensor detects the user is walking, a warning pops up on the screen. the person won't be able to use the smartphone until they stop walking. the new app restricts children's use of certain smartphone functions. >> translator: we'll provide an environment where people can use smartphones more safely. >> other mobile phone carriers are also stepping up efforts to advise users not to use their smartphones while walking. all right, that's going to do it for biz tonight. i'll leave you with the markets news and insight every day here on "newsline." japanese prime minister shinzo abe has convened the first meeting of the newly established national security council. the council is modelled after the nsc in the united states. last week the diet enacted a law to create the body. abe met with four cabinet ministers, taro aso, yoshihide suga, fumio kishida. they discussed a new strategy to be completed by the end of the year and china's new air defense identification zone over the east china sea. >> translator: we, frankly, exchanged views on national security. it was a fruitful meeting. >> earlier, abe said the council will share information with foreign governments. >> translator: the nsc is an organization to protect the people of japan. for that purpose, it is important for the council to exchange intelligence and information with nscs of other countries and properly deal with various issues. >> chief cabinet secretary suga said the core members will meet twice a month. they will take command in the policy making on defense and diplomacy. following the developments, joining us now in the studio. why did prime minister abe push to establish the national security council at this time? >> well, the nsc is supposed to help the government deal quickly with diplomatic and security challenges. for example, if a country were to threaten japan, the nsc would, in principle, help the administration take more coordinated action. prime minister abe tried to create a national security council when he was first in office, but his efforts failed. now with a strong majority, his democratic party and coalition partner were able to get the bill passed. they argue the security environment in east asia is becoming more severe. north korea's missile and nuclear programs pose a threat to japan, and china is becoming more active in the region. >> there are critics who have disagreed with abe for launching the national security council. why is that? >> well, some critics say the nsc will help the abe administration strengthen security ties with the u.s. they worry this could put japan at risk of getting involved in the real conflict or war. some say there should be certain measures for people to check what leaders talk about and decide in the council. the abe administration responded by adopting a resolution allowing records of nsc meetings to be kept in a way that does not compromise national security. however, those records could be kept confidential under the secrecy bill the prime minister is trying to pass. if that's the case, it would take some time to check what's going on behind the scenes. >> how would the opposition lawmakers change things if they could? >> well, some official lawmakers say the nsc may not work effectively without an enhanced intelligence and information gathering service. and they propose setting up a special agency, much like the cia in the u.s., but members of the abe administration have ruled that out for now. although continue to depend on current ministries and agencies as sources, the defense and foreign ministries and the national police agency mainly. the promise appears to be focusing for now on coordinating intelligence and policies. >> thanks, as always. members of the upper house of germany's parliament have filed a lawsuit to ban the far right national democratic party. they want them ousted saying the party shows an affinity for hitler's nazis. members of the parliament represent 16 federal states. the ndp has no actual seats in the federal department. some fear they could destabilize the democracy. angela merkel has said the government shows support for the actions. ndp have called for the end of immigration and german citizenship for foreign nationals. they have been gaining support in areas hit by high unemployment rates, mainly in the former east germany. if the lawsuit fails, there are concerns that could give the ndp legitimacy as a political party. ukraine's parliament rejected a no-confidence motion against the government. the failed vote has plunged the country further into a political crisis and sent thousands of protesters into the streets of kiev. opposition members submitted the motion on tuesday after the government postponed preparations to join the european union. opposition leaders say they'll try to block the president from entering his office. more than a week, protesters and police have clashed, leaving hundreds injured. the demonstrations are the largest since the country's orange revolution nine years ago that led to a change of government. the president has called for a peaceful ending to the protests and reiterated there's no change to his country's willingness to join the e.u. a group of young musicians from a south american slum have been entertaining people across japan, and it's not just the sounds that are filling seats. the story behind the band is resinating with audiences. nhk world has more. ♪ >> reporter: the music may be familiar, but there's something different about this young orchestra. their instruments are made from empty cans, wooden bowls, plastic strings, all other people's garbage. >> translator: the sound touched my heart, more than any other instruments have. >> reporter: they come from the outskirts of the capital. they earn money by sifting through the local landfill for garbage they can sell. environmental technician javier chavez came up with the idea to inspire the local children. he was helping set up a recycling program in the area. he worked with catarro residents to turn trash from the landfill into musical instruments. he told children to play them and form the recycled instruments orchestra. 15-year-old anabel took up the violin. the orchestra started with a few children, but slowly grew. it now has 43 members and more than 100 hopefuls. they grew, too, giving the young musicians the chance to fly all over the world. it's opened up opportunities she never dreamt of. >> translator: i didn't imagine i'd be able to leave paraguay, but now i can travel to so many countries. i hope that one day i can become a professional violinist and then teach the children to play. >> reporter: this unique orchestra is touching hearts, changing communities, and building bonds around the world. and it's only possible because of one man who looked at the landfill and saw an opportunity. nhk world, tokyo. there's a strong winterstorm racing across northern europe. robert speta has been following the situation. robert? >> this one a very potent one across much of norway and the british isles. already seeing winds gusting here, the cloud cover racing from the west towards the east, it really is bringing those winds. some areas seeing fairly heavy snowfall, as well. right on this isobar chart, you can see these lines close together, that's indicating strong winds. i want to show you here towards the western seaboards of norway, photos coming autoof that area, the sea getting all turned up and some of that blowing snow and this does look like it's going to be the case across much of the northern half of europe through the next 48 hours. across parts of scotland, we're going to be seeing about three to five centimeters of snowfall, but some areas could see up to about 20 centimeters, really making for treacherous traveling conditions. if you plan on flying out of northern europe, check in ahead of time on your flights to make sure they are not delayed or cancelled because of this storm system. rain showers in london with a high of 7. paris 7, as well. if you're in the mediterranean, well, you're missing out on all the weather. actually, after the cut-off low we were talking about earlier this week, it is clearing up and you've been seeing fairly decent weather in response to that. let's talk about what's going on in the americas, though, with a storm system, another severe winter storm coming across the great lakes today and up there towards ontario, already in portions of western minnesota, upwards of 18 centimeters of snowfall. an additional 20 to 40 centimeters very well could occur in the areas in the darker purples, so really just making for dangerous whiteout conditions, gusty winds, wind chill to come with that. right here, this is actually a separate storm system developing across the southern rockies and it has been bringing fairly gusty winds in southern nevada, las vegas, 70 mile per kilometers. this is going to combine with warm air we're seeing down towards the south. that frigid cold air off towards the north and we're looking at a widespread freeziing rain event in the next storm system, so really want to watch out for that. that's the dangerous stuff that could cause power outages. meanwhile, you see that difference, look at that frigid air descending in from canada. winnipeg, minus 22 for your high on your saturday. farther towards the south, even in oklahoma city, you're only going to be getting up to minus 4 for the high. that doesn't count the low and doesn't take into account wind chill, as well, with some of these gustier winds, so it is really going to be getting quite cold out there. not so much the case in eastern asia, actually expecting a warmup through the next several days. high pressure is dominating much of china, korea, over towards japan. we have a weak low, that's been tapering off and we are seeing showers in northern portions of hokkaido, but nothing too significant. the problem with this high, still looking at poor air quality, parts of beijing, shanghai. earlier we had photos with dramatic reduced visibility. at least temperatures, though, like i said, will be warming up through the coming days. that's the look at the world weather, here's your extended forecast. that's "newsline" for this hour. from all of us here at nhk world, thanks for joining us. >> another freezing night for protesters in ukraine. the angry crowd continued their fight to bring president yanukovych down. he is now in china for a planned three-day visit. unearthed in mali, the bodies of 21 soldiers found outside the capital just days after the arrest of the man who led a military coup last year. of france'snd one most popular soft drinks has died. he was the driving force behind angina. gina -- or

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