it's 10:00 p.m. in tokyo. welcome to "newsline." i'm michio kijima with the news at this hour. that iland's new prime minister call f niol renciaonn sec ouing r veme's poci.

she won last nts genal econf e pay. piche ouined are st aonnuio o governntpending programs that drew criticism during her brother's tenure. they include buying up rice to boost farmer's incomes and doubling jut lay to rural villagers. speaking to reporters, exiled prime minister said he will not advise the new government unless asked. >> if they nd any advice, they can just call me. i can give the advice. if they don't need, i will not get involved. >> he talked about whether he has intentions to return home. >> for my plan going back to thailand, i have no plan. when reconciliation happen, that might be. if reconciliation is not there, i don't want to cause any more

conflict. >> he is scheduled to stay in japan until the end of the week on a special visa. he plans to visit areas affected by the march disaster echlt was ousted in a coup five years ago and convicted of corruption. now to libya. anti-government forces in libya say the capital tripoli is mostly under their control but trpsoy tthcountrs leeroaar gadhafi are aprently sti putting u sistance. the rebels made the announcement monday. they said they are looking for gadhafi so they can try him for war crimes. gadhafi loyalists say the leader is safe in tripoli. they have gathered around the huge military compound that also serves as the leader's home. residents around the compound that also served as the leader's home. they told nhk by phone that rebels fired rockets throughout monday evening but the government forces have been fighting back with tanks and snipers. sporadic gun fighting has been reported in two nearby districts that remain under government control.

tuesday marks one month since a high-speed train crash in china killed 40 people and injured 190 others. authorities say that they are conducting a thorough investigation into the accident. china's railway ministry says the crash in the city of wenzhou in eastern china was caused by a lightning strike. that caused one train to stall on a railway bridge and a sensor failure allowed another running along the same track to slam into it. there were hardly any visitors at the accident site on tuesday. graffiti on the bridge criticizing the government for the crash has been erased. some users of social networking sites are expressing concern that the incident seems to be fading away. china's railway ministry blamed the accident on human error. they say an electrical storm caused a disruption in the signaling system because of a software defect. railway staff failed to respond

properly because they were not familiar with the system. a member of the government crash investigation team says a large amount of evidence has been obtained from onsite inspections. analysis of operational data and interviews. the official says that the probe is steadily proceeding. the mangled remains of some of the cars are still at a train station about 7 kilometers from the crash site. a security guard at the station told nhk that there is no sign of them being inspected. some bereaved families remain unconvinced about the official explanations. >> translator: unless the government clarifies its responsibility and discloses the facts, i will consider taking legal action. even though it's summer, classrooms in the

tsunami-destroyed areas are busy with students and teachers. they are making up for lost time caused by the march 11th disaster. >> reporter: the harbor in onagawa once bustled with fishing boats. the tsunami completely upended life in the town located in the miyagi prefecture. five months later, not much improved. even now, almost 500 people live in shelters. this junior high school was built on elevated ground in the center of town. even so, it barely escaped the tsunami. earthquake damage forced classes to be stopped. then a series of aftershocks further interrupted classes. to get back on schedule, the town offered supplementary lessons for three mornings. 11 college students studying to be teachers helped conduct the classes.

one of them is a fourth year student at the miyagi university of education. >> i kept thinking about how i could help the disaster victims. then i saw this opportunity and decided to go for it. >> although there are four classes all year towards first and second year students, she and her fellow student educators help teach english, japanese and math. r mhonclude ging students memos with key points to help students answer questions. this first year student enrolled in the supplementary classes. after living in the school gymnasium for three months, he finally moved into temporary

housing in june. his father used to own a shipping company, but the tsunami swept away the family home along with eight trucks. now, they share accept pri housing. his grandmother is still missing. he lost all of his school supplies in the disaster, so he couldn't study for some time. now, in the temporary housing, he has trouble concentrating because he doesn't have his own room. >> translator: it feels small. it's distracting. we hear noise from next door. >> what concerns me is the level of academic performance. i'm worried that the disruption caused by the disaster will result in students performing worse than before.

>> reporter: the classes were held for three mornings. student teachers made it possible for every student to receive personal attention. two or three student teachers on hand. >> translator: we had more chances to ask questions. the way they taught us, it was easy to understand. >> translator: i could talk casually one-on-one. i found it easy to understand the lesson. >> translator: in spite of the challenging conditions, i've actually been able to study. i doubt i could have done it without everyone's outstanding support. i'm really grateful. >> translator: in dealing with the disaster, now i see how i can help children when they're suffering from shock or depression.

>> reporter: other towns affected by the tsunami also hope to offer supplementary classes to local children. >> translator: we are pleased with the result. we hope to keep offering classes like these for as long as we possibly can. >> reporter: but the trouble is college students return to their classes in september. the schools worry about finding enough replacements. the solution is daunting as the program relies on the college students. "newsline" is the place to turn to for the latest on japan post march 11th. we have two segments offering two unique perspectives on the fallout from the earthquake and tsunami. nuclear watch brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis, and "the road ahead" examines

japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline." the president of the u.s. credit ratings agency standard & poor's is stepping down. s&p's owner mcgraw-hill announced deven sharma will leave his post on september 12th. the agency made an unprecedented downgrade of u.s. sovereign debt on august 5th touching off sharp declines in global stock markets and criticism in the u.s. administration and congress. s&p did not say if sharma's resignation is linked to the downgrade but the announcement raised speculation that agency may be trying to dodge the criticism from the government and the financial industry. japan's finance minister says about $10 billion in reserve money already allocated this year's budget might be used to counter the yen's sharp rise. >> translator: an excessively

strong yen might have a negative fe othjaneno as the country is rebuilding. we are monitoring the markets for any speculative movements. >> noda said if excessive appreciation of the yen takes hold, the government will include the emergency economic nty budget, but if the quick implementation is needed the reserve money, already allocated in this year's budget, might be used. the japanese currency marked a record high against the dollar last weekend. both the ruling and opposition parties now say comprehensive counter measures are needed. china is expecting the pace of growth both in its exports and imports to slow down slightly this year. that's because of economic concerns originating in europe and the united states. >> translator: the spreading sobering debt crisis is slowing recovery of the world economy.

>> chinese vice commercial minister announced the trade outlook at a news conference in beijing on tuesday. he said the problems in europe and the united states will have a big impact on chinese imports and exports. china's economy has continued to expand rapidly, in part due to the relative weaknesof its currency yuan against the dollar. exports of chinese products to europe and the united states are slowing and the country's ports of r materials are exedcle. th h prod omto express worries about a possible slow down of china's economy. japan's all nippon airways says it will be the world's first airline to operate boeing's newest passenger plane the 787 dreamliner. ana announced on tuesday it will receive delivery of the aircraft in late september and operate the plane's first ever commercial flight on october

26th. the flight will be from narita airport to hong kong. ana also says it plans to start using the 787 for regular domestic flights on november 1st linking tokyo's haneda airport with hiroshima and okayama. the carrier plans to use the dreamliner for regular international flights between hanada and beijing in december and hanada and frankfurt in january. boeing built the plane's fuselage to reduce its weight and improve fuel efficiency up to 20% compared to equivalent sized aircraft. delivery of the 787 has been delayed seven times, mainly due to design changes. ana has ordered 55 of the planes and japan airlines has ordered 35. the seven day plain of northeastern japan was once abundant farmland famous for rice and vegetables. the tsunami of march 11th caused

huge damage to the area destroying crops and poisoning the soil with salt. only 8% of the cultivated land has been restored. here's a report on some farmers working to rebuild their businesses. >> reporter: fields of mud, rubble and sand, this area in sendai city was once prime farmland. the two hechter field was completely engulfed by the tsunami. his greenhouse and machinery were carried away by the giant wave. the damage came to more than $250,000. i can't work here anymore. i don't have any of my equipment. i have nothing left. after the disaster he had many meetings with other farmers who had lost their livelihoods. they talked about working together, buying the same sized land and new machinery would

cost the man about $13,000. but if ten farmers joined together to buy land and equipment, the cost per each would be greatly reduced. they raised a problem, though, the income has to be shared ten ways and their farming management styles created resistance to working together. but in the end the ten tsunami survivors decided to cooperate. too many farmers around em had given up and left the land. the group started by renting a greenhouse further inland. last month, they harvested vegetables for the first time since the dister. >> translator: this is really delicious. with money coming in again, he

and the others hope it won't be too long before they're farming their own land again. other farmers have set to work trying to revive their damaged fields. 90% of this man's land was flooded by sea water. the water receded but the salt damage remains. >> translator: see, these hard white deposits in the soil. that's salt. >> reporter: he gave up on his rice crop this year and in july, he started growing a different crop. it's cotton. this hearty plant absorbs salt from the soil. the quality of the crop is unaffected. the catch is that cotton sells at a lower price. in fact, growing it in japan is

a money losing proposition. then he heard about a project that aims to make cotton production profitable. it was started by a socks manufacturer in osaka. here's how it works. the project team provides cotton seeds to farmers who grow it in their damaged paddies. after harvesting, a spinning company and a team buys the crop at three times the regular price. apparel makers turn it into clothing and socks. the finished items are sold as reconstruction support products at marked up prices. every week, a cotton expert from the project team visits sato's farm to offer advice. this year is a trial run. if all goes well, cotton will be planted on 1,000 hectares in northeastern japan next year. >> translator: unless you put seeds in the ground, there won't

be a harvest. i have to take it one step at a time at a slow pace. it's the only way to get anywhere. >> the cotton project is providing much needed income to struggling farmers. but there is another benefit. experts say after three years of cultivation, salt levels of the soil should return to where they were before the tsunami. prime minister nato kan and visiting vice president joe biden said they should be kept in line by existing lateral agreement. the plan for relocating the futenma air station was made in a meeting of foreign and defense ministers in june.

kan told biden the agreement strengthens bilateral alliance. biden says he has been impressed by the determination and courage of the japanese people to rebuild after the earthquake and tsunami. he added that the u.s. values the economic and political might of its pacific ally. kan apologized for canceling a summit meeting with u.s. president barack obama. the summit was originally planned for next month, but kan cannot attend because he is expected to resign at his post as prime minister. the apology cast a spotlight on japan's current political instability. nhk world reports from the prime minister's office. >> reporter: it is highly unusual that an apology of this kind is made at summit level meetings between japan and the united states. kan is set to step down after new head of the ruling democratic party is elected

later this month. both sides had planned to release a joint statement at the summit following biden's visit. the aim was to stress to the world that their joint alliance has been re-established. the statement was also to help fears. kan's successor will make his diplomatic debut at the u.n. general assembly meeting in new york in september. amid the down turn in the global economy and increasing uncertainty in the middle east, the next prime minister will have to promote trust with u.s. leadership. nhk world, tokyo. time to check on some of the stories we've gathered from broadcasters around asia. we begin tonight with this item sent by thailand.

delegates resumed talks tuesday. this is the first such contact since clashes broke out between the countries earlier this year. during the two-day talks, the delegates are expected to discuss border troop reduction as well as bilateral trade, tourism and anti-drug measures. invited to the cambodia prime nister and governor of border provinces ofoth sides are also taking part. and gampora. sri lanka's indigenous martial art that began there 2,500 years ago. the nation's british rulers banned the art in 1816, but some masters of the fighting skill secretly kept it alive. the training always begins with the worship of the sun god.

the martial art features techniques with and without weapons. the government has recently started a program to revive the art including the construction of new facility so teachers can pass on the knowledge to future generations. >> the 13th competition of china's robot cop began tuesday. 1,400 teens from all over the country are taking part. robots will compete in 89 events including soccer, rescue operations and domestic service. one of the main attractions of the robot cop is a servant robot that can shop in a supermarket on i ityon a silver medal in a competition in turkey. hi there.

let's take a look at your weather forecast today. starting off with asia, we have a few tropical systems in the pacific. this is around the mariana islands affecting with heavy rain. looks like it will intensify into a tropical storm in the near future. this is a tropical storm symbol, but as of now, this is tropical depression. looks like it will turn into a tropical system in the next 12 hours. that's why this has the symbol, but already affecting luzon and the philippines with lots of torrential rain, flooding, landslides and mudslides will be critical issues here weav front lingering south of the korea pensuo nohe jan we've already seen365 llets acculated inlln the past 2 hours.

raton japan a0 llets lle sn in the xt4 hos. is aitnainll s flooding, lanli and mulisilbe cce, well. anhe11 milmersil b seen. the land is veryroo oong weo nto tct r at. arndou sth kea wl sing heyai there, as well. lcinth rai wle here in sthst china. it will be coming inrom the ceraportio o cna into the aahe w he sn a dung heawa tt continued for a long time. at israal going tbe diniing, whi igonews cayeaai m b sn utrnintoa o ybflh oongou ongqing at 34. 29 in beijing, as well as seoul

and tokyo looking at 31 degrees. here in north america, we want to talk about this hurricane irene, which looks like it's going to become a major hurricane in the next 24 hours. it will be moving towards the turks and caicos and may make landfall in the carolinas on the weekend. what this hurricane irene is doing is bringing destructive winds, torrential rain and storm surges, maybe four meters high above normal tide is what we are looking for and accompanied with dangerous waves. this is a dangerous system. anywhere around the red you see is more than 200 millimeters of rainfall in the next 48 urs. it'soving into the hamas. we wan torereorhis storm systemndeea close eye onhis. elsewhere in t states, heres wheree are goingoeeeing

severe srm weaer jt arnd u mwe into the grt lake ts cd front pse wll the temrare alrop wn egessftuesda o weesy will dpow io yo m0 deer at 37 me sry intthe low 30s on yourdnesday. oklahoma city will be seeing very hot, 39 for your tuesday high. here in europe off we go. let's talk about this system right here in the north sea. a couple of fronts attached to this will be bringing stormy weather along the front and a very large atlantic system will be bringing on and off showers to the british isles. that wl continue for the next several days. to the south, very hot. madrid at 32, rome at 32. athens at 35. budapest heating up to6 grs. moow looking at 20 degrees. he isou extended forecast.

that's our broadcast for this hour on "newsline."

we'll be back with more news in half hour. i'm michio kijima in tokyo. thank you for watching. bye-bye. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com