hello and welcome back to "newsline" i'm shery ahn. let's get started with the head lines. south korean president park geun-hye has apologized for the government's response to a ferry disaster and has vowed to re-examine safety measures. japan's governing coalition will review the legal basis for the country's security, including the right to collective self-defense. and nigeria's president leaves a summit in france with further support in the search

for more than 200 schoolgirls held captive by islamic extremists. the president of south korea has apologized to the nation for a recent ferry disaster. in a televised address, park geun-hye says she failed to act properly in the hours immediately after the accident and pledged to reform the rules dealing with maritime safety. >> translator: i accept responsibility for not dealing with the accident in an appropriate way. i will work hard to make our country a safer place to ensure the victims didn't die in vain. >> it was park's first public apology since the april 6th disaster. she suggested several reforms, including abolishing the coast guard, and setting up a new body to oversee maritime safety. park says there was no one body in charge of supervising the

ferry operator, which could have spotted that the vessel was overloaded. she also said coastal relations between the public and private sectors resulted in a failure to properly enforce safety standards. the "sewol" sank off the country's southern coast more than 300 people are dead or missing. park expressed gratitude to the people who took part in the rescue operation, including divers and students. south koreans have been pressuring their president to make this public gesture. nhk world's anna jong reports from one of the memorial altars set up in central seoul. >> reporter: many south koreans wanted park to show she was truly sorry for what happened. the ferry sank more than a month ago, and they feel she shouldn't have taken so long to make an official apology. at the same time south koreans have different perspectives on the president's plans to toughen safety measures.

>> translator: i think it's too late for the president to apologize for the accident. i cannot trust her plan of organizational change. >> translator: i'm astonished that her reform plan is so bold. but she will need to show results of how she's making society safer. >> reporter: south korean media and citizens have been criticizing how the government handled the accident from day one. for example, they were angry at the pace of the rescue operation, and the fact that authorities released incorrect information on a few occasions. park has made several apologies, but this was the first official apology addressed to the nation. a few days ago, park expressed regret in a more intimate setting when she invited some families of the victims to the presidential office. >> translator: i truly apologize again for the government's

shortcomings. >> reporter: park promised at the meeting to revamp safety rules and regulations so the people who died in the ferry accident didn't die in vain. she also promised financial support for families that haven't been able to work and earn a living since the accident. one survey suggested that it has dropped by more than 10 percentage points since the accident. the fallout is expected to have an impact on local elections next month. park's ruling party may face a tougher challenge. the president has tried to regain public trust by reshuffling her cabinet and removing officials considered accountable for the poor management of the accident. she and her advisers are counting on this official apology, and promise of stricter safety measures to turn things around.

but it will take time for her to win back support. many south koreans will be watching to see if the plan to make the country safer yields results. it's not something that can happen overnight. senior members of japan's ruling coalition are set to discuss collective self-defense. party officials will examine a report that calls for a reinterpretation of the country's constitution. it would enable japan to come to the defense of a country it has a close relationship that is under military attack. prime minister shinzo abe received the report from a panel of experts last week. he said he's in favor of reinterpreting the constitution to allow for collective self-defense under certain conditions. members of abe's liberal democratic party and coalition party will examine the matter and other defense issues. they're expected to begin by

examining how japan should respond to incidents that are not immediately recognizable as an armed attack. they hope to lay out means of dealing with possible scenarios suches aan armed group pretending to be fishermen landing on one of japan's remote islands. officials will also discuss the legal framework that would allow japanese personnel on u.n. peacekeeping missions to come to the aid of geographically distant peacekeepers from other nations. the japanese government has traditionally interpreted the constitution as barring japan from engaging in collective self-defense. coalition officials will exchange views on whether this should be altered. ldp vice president komura says he wants the abe cabinet to decide on the constitutional issue before officials from japan and the u.s. start discussing defense guidelines later this year. new komeito secretary-general

says that the interparty discussion will be challenging. >> translator: if the interpretation of the constitution is changed every time a new government comes in, it could undermine legal consistency. we really need a thorough discussion. >> ldp officials plan to present various scenarios in their effort to convince new komeito members of the need for collective self-defense. incidents that might arise include a situation in which japan moves to assist u.s. naval vessels in the event of an emergency on the korean peninsula. police in northern nigeria are investigating a deadly bombing that many suspect would be the work of the islamist extremist group boko haram. a bomb blew up in kano. the attack killed four other people. it happened in an area with a large number of christian residents. bombings last year left at least

40 people dead. now members of boko haram haven't claimed responsibility for the latest attack. but militants raised a profile worldwide last month when they kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls. nigerian leaders are facing more pressure to track down the abducted teens. nhk world's craig dale reports. >> reporter: these activists in nigeria's capital are running out of patience. they want their government to do whatever it takes to rescue more than 200 schoolgirls from the islamist militant group boko haram. >> -- outside to help the crisis. so it's like, hey, this is our time. >> reporter: nigerian president goodluck jonathan is looking for that help, although many agree he wasted time waiting. he attended a summit in paris over the weekend with leaders

from europe, the u.s. and africa. >> we are totally committed to ensuring that these girls are found wherever they are. >> reporter: the president of neighboring cameroon says they're declaring war on boko haram. west african leaders are coordinating their actions against the group. and those from europe and the u.s. are sending military and intelligence experts along with reconnaissance aircraft to help find the schoolgirls. boko haram militants released video last week showing some of their annives. they said they'd free them if the government released their imprisoned comrades. but that offer was refused. leader abu bakr had threatened to sell the girls as slaves. boko haram is opposed to western-style education. militants kidnapped the students last month from a school in a remote northeastern village. >> translator: we need your help, says this woman who is the mother of one of the abducted girls. the islamist extremists have

been carrying out attacks in nigeria for a number of years and they've killed thousands of people. but this action galvanized 9 world. the u.s. president offered logistical support. >> we're going to do everything we can to provide assistance to them. >> reporter: the first lady offered emotional support. >> we can only imagine the anguish their parents are feeling right now. >> reporter: the bring back our girls campaign has exploded online. and shared the spotlight at the cannes film festival. >> you know, i think it's now become our girls. not just nigeria's girls, it's the world's girls, and there is a very deep commitment to bring them home. >> reporter: the activists at this gathering in abuja hoped president jonathan left the summit in paris with the support he needs. some just want him to take firm action, now. >> empower the military, get them equipment, and get them incentives. >> reporter: they say it's time for leaders in the region to

work together to end the boko haram insurgency once and for all. craig dale, nhk world. let's now get the latest business stories from ron madison. >> okay. starting with news on japan's economy. the number of new condominiums put up for sale in the tokyo metropolitan area in april showed the biggest drop in just about five years. researchers at the real estate economic institute say nearly 2,500 condos went on the market in tokyo and three neighboring prefectures last month. that was down almost 40% year on year, and marked a third drop in as many months. the plunge reflected brisk sales last year when consumers tried to beat a consumption tax hike in april. higher construction costs also prompted real estate developers to limit the number of condos for sale. researchers predict that new condos coming in to the market will continue to decline because of their higher prices. on to the markets now. investor sentiment in asia has been a little bit weak.

bourses in tokyo, shanghai, and sydney all ended lower. indonesian shares also faced selling pressure after reaching this year's highs during the day. now the nikkei here in tokyo down just over 0.6%. 14,006. that's the lowest level in a month. a lack of major buying cues prompted some traders to sell. overall participation was pretty low. in shanghai the composite index dropped just over a percent, 2,005. that's the weakest closing point in three weeks. property shares came under pressure after the latest data pointed to further slow growth in new home prices. in sydney the s&p asx declined 1.3%, 5,408. that works out to a five-week closing low. mining shares suffered pretty sharp selling amid weak demand for resources in china. executives in the united states telecommunications sector have been making moves to consolidate the industry. now those at at&t are set to buy

leading satellite broadcaster directv. at&t executives agreed to purchase directv shares for more than $48 billion in cash and stock. and in the debt it will take on they'll be spending over $67 billion. the people at at&t focused on communications, including mobile phone and internet services. they'll gain more than 20 million subscribers through directv's satellite program. executives say the deal will allow them to provide a wider range of services to their customers. but some analysts have questioned why they would buy directv at a time when satellite tv subscriptions have flattened out. senior officials from 12 countries are trying to work through their differences on free trade talks under the trans-pacific partnership. the japanese minister in charge of the negotiations is pushing for an early conclusion of a deal. ministers and other senior officials are meeting in singapore for two days. they're discussing, among other issues, elimination of tariffs on farm products, as well as competition between state-run enterprises and private firms.

working level officials met in vietnam last week, but they were not able to make much progress. japan's economic revitalization minister akira amari is trying to get the talks back on track. >> translator: each country should have a sense of urgency to prevent the talks from just drifting. >> amari is hoping that each nation will accelerate bilateral discussions following productive negotiations between japan and the united states last month. amari met with u.s. trade representative michael froman before monday's meeting. they talked about how to push the ministerial talks closer to an agreement. japan's biggest business lobby was led for four years and now he's stepping down as chairman of japan business federation or keidanran. at his farewell news conference he called on business leaders to step up efforts to help improve the nation's relations with china and south korea. >> translator: there's a new to

deepen grassroots exchanges. so that we can strengthen our mutual trust. and promote common interests. >> yonekura will officially resign on june 3rd. looking back at his four-year term he said that 2011 earthquake and tsunami in northeast japan affected him most deeply during his tenure. yoen kuehnea said he hopes he was able to help the disaster victims a little when he worked with the government to deliver gasoline and other release supplies to them. tory industry chairman will take the helm at the organization. applications for smartphones and prnal computers have made the lives of many users more comfortable. people are using the apps to do everything from messaging friends, checking their e-mails, and for getting a little help to get to where they're going. but managers in the i.t. industry in japan can't find enough developers to build them. >> translator: i competition was held in tokyo in april to find

young talent to develop applications. 600 contestants, some still in high school and others who are post graduate students took part in a selection process that included elimination rounds. the young developers submitted their own apps that ranged from gaming to sports to test their skills and ideas. the annual contest was launched last year and sponsored by an association of major i.t. and other firms. >> translator: japan lagged behind other countries in the development of new apps that can meet various needs. there's a desperate need for young talent. >> translator: five years ago, 49% of respondents said they faced a shortage of qualified app developers. last year the figure rose sharply to 82%. as the market for smartphone apps continues to expand

rapidly, there's a scarcity of people capable of cutting-edge app development. one u.s. research firm estimates that app sales in japan tripled in 2013. i.t. firms have simply not been able to secure sufficient human resources amid the rapid growth of the domestic market. this major provider of internet services has seen a substantial growth in the gaming app sector. about 47 new employees who entered the company this spring as i.t. engineers are attending in-house training seminars. surprisingly, ten of them have no experience in software development. because of fierce competition among i.t. firms for skilled engineers, they have to hire people who are unskilled to fill their hiring quotas.

>> translator: frankly, i was seeking a desk job. >> translator: i studied biology, so my knowledge in app development is almost at a beginner's level. >> reporter: this company is also focusing its head hunting efforts to lure skilled engineers from other companies. this man used to work for a major optical equipmentmaker before he was head hunted by this company. he is now in charge of quality control for apps. he has advanced internet skills, as well as experience in developing communication systems. the company hopes to head hunt five more people, but has little prospect of success. >> translator: it's people who create services using their engineering skills. head hunting is essential for a company's existence. >> reporter: a major employment agency has been flooded with job offers from auto and electric

appliancemakers that need replacements for engineers who moved into the i.t. industry. for example, 7.72 jobs are on offer for every computer software developer who works on the design of automobile engines or home electrical appliances. experts have called for the government and private sectors to join forces to train more i.t. engineers. >> translator: the shortage of i.t. technology engineers will become a common problem for industries. to survive, they will have to change their traditional ways of thinking. >> reporter: to compete in an ever-competitive world, japan's i.t. industry as a whole will need to do more to create a workforce of qualified and well-trained i.t. engineers. >> okay that is going to do it for biz this hour. here's the markets.

north korea's about to stage another round of sports diplomacy. this time with one of japan's best-known strong men. officials say they're arranging to hold a professional wrestling event in august. it will be jointly organized by former japanese wrestling star

antonio inoki. inoki is now an upper house member. he has visited north korea a number of times. the state-run korean central news agency says professional wrestlers from around the world, including japan and the united states, will take part in the event. inoki visited pyongyang in january where he met secretary of the korean workers party to discuss plans to hold a sports event. north korea's facing international criticism over its apparent move towards another nuclear test. analysts say the country's holding the professional wrestling event to give the impression it's maintaining a flexible diplomatic stance. popular japanese figure skater mao asada says she will take a break from competition this upcoming season. asada has previously not mentioned if she would return to the rink full-time after the sochi winter olympic games.

>> 23-year-old assad today is known for her mastery of the triple axel jump. she has won a number of international competitions, including several world titles. asada has two olympics under her belt, and winning a silver medal four years ago in vancouver. but she disappointed at this year's games, coming just sixth overall. after sochi, asada said even though she had done her best, her goals for the future were uncertain. she now says she'll use her time off to decide whether or not to come back in the 2015 skating season. the balkan peninsula seeing its worst floods ever. our meteorologist robert speta joins me now. robert how do things look over there?

>> oh, shery, yes, this flooding still ongoing. it's very significant. and what we are seeing at least here on your monday or going into monday out here is some clearing skies. we're going to be looking at some improving conditions. still some scattered showers possible through the afternoon hours. but the big thing is, this is what it looks like on the ground out here for some areas of serbia, over towards romania. you already have that flooding in place. now all of this water is upstream. it has to go somewhere and eventually this is all going to be flowing downriver into cities like belgrade. you're going to be looking at some river level rise throughout the rest of the week. and there is still that possibility of more flooding. and already, several dozen deaths have been reported, thousands of people have been evacuated out here into the balkan peninsula. this is not just a problem for here, though. i want to show you some video out of southern poland where this same storm system caused some significant flooding over the past several days. bringing heavy rainfall. the last time this area saw serious flooding was in 2010 and several embankments which were

built after that flood are also being threatened here due to this particular flooding event. about 21,000 people also without power following the floods there in poland. so this is a very widespread event. like i said, the good news is that the rainfall is tapering off here. but it is still pushing off here toward the east. these areas in the red, that's where you're going to be seeing, well, that threat still of some significant flooding, large hail, damaging winds, even tornadoes out here across much of eastern your honor. now, off here towards the east, that's where that storm system is. if you look back towards the west we're still looking at significant severe weather threat across southern portions of the british isles and extending across the iberian peninsula, madrid, lisbon, some rain showers, fairly foul weather, even some strong thunderstorms very well possible out here on your monday. so a lot going on here in to europe. let's move over towards eastern asia, though, where we do have the rainy season front. that is continuing to dominate south of japan, over through southeastern china.

also another low pressure area pushing across northeastern china. that's picking up the yellow sand by the way. and that's going to be a big problem later on this week across much of korea over towards japan. before that happens this is going to move through bringing some gusty winds, thunderstorms across the korean peninsula and eventu eventually off towards the northeast. more so i think the bigger problem as far as china and rainfall it's this rainy season front. it's already bringing some flooding here on monday to gung jaw in southern china. some reports up to 100, 150 millimeters of rainfall. you could still see 70 to 100 in the next 24 hours as this low develops and eventually that's coming east. so those of you in the western japan on tuesday, it is going to be wet out there. and you definitely want to have a umbrella ready even into tokyo i think. tuesday bring a umbrella because by the evening hours we're going to start to see the showers work their way in and wednesday it is going to be some gusty winds out there, along with tat levy rainfall throughout the day. it's a lot of stuff happening out here across much of the central portions of eastern

asia. now i do want to talk about the americas. really quick. we have a low that's pushing across the northern plains. this is already bringing some tornadoes and large hail out here. that threat is still here as that does push ahead. but down towards the south where you need the rain, it is not going to be impacting you. actually fairly dry and windy across central portions of the u.s. temperatures well above average. and with that dry weather, that fire weather risk will continue to be in place through the coming days. all right that's a look at your world weather. here's the extended forecast.

and that's all for this hour on "newsline." i'm shery ahn. thank you for watching. w?

>> thank you for watching "france 24." here are the headlines. the defense case opens up the war crimes court. the bosnian serb is accused of masterminding some of europe's worst atrocities since world war ii. a war on terror in mali. the prime minister says troops are being sent into the northern city after clashes left dozens dead. the president of south korea breaks down in tears as she apologizes for the ferry disaster that left 300 dead.