hello there. welcome to "newsline." it's wednesday, august 24th. 8:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. libya's opposition forces have stormed the compound of the leader muammar al gadhafi in tripoli. most of the facility is now under their control, they're reporting. the assault on tuesday was carried out with support from nato air strikes. the complex was gadhafi's

stronghold and residence. they entered the compound around 5:00 p.m. local time following a battle against forces to the leader. the rebels cheering for the day of liberation. they're stomping on gadhafi statues and destroying pictures. >> translator: we have taken control of 90% of the facility. we won a victory. >> fighting continues against loyalist snipers within parts of the compound. the antigovernment forces say they're searching for the libyan leader and will put him on trial for war crimes. the whereabouts of gadhafi and his family remains unknown. a nato spokesperson says the end of the gadhafi government is near, but the organization will continue air raids on libya in an attempt to protect civilians in the capital tripoli. >> for the gadhafi regime, this

is the final chapter. the end is near and events are moving fast. what's clear to everybody is that gadhafi is history and the sooner he realizes it, the better. >> she also said that nato will continue implementing its mandate to protect civilians for as long as necessary and uphold its council commitment. she denied the possibility of deploying ground troops adding that nato will be in a supporting role and have no troops on the ground. prime minister naoto kan and visiting vice president joe biden have reaffirmed that a military base in okinawa shall be carried out with an existing bilateral plan. kan told biden on tuesday that the agreement underscores the

strength of the bilateral alliance. he also said japan is grateful for the support after the disaster. biden was impressed by the 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 cancelling 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 resume as prime minister. japan visited with disaster-hit northeastern japan to show support for the country. he arrived in miyagi prefecture on tuesday. it served as a hub for u.s. forces helping to bring relief supplies to the region after the march 11 disaster.

>> i'm also here to honor the incredible spirit of the japanese people. the american people are also proud and honored. they're proud to continue doing whatever you would like us to do as you rebuild. >> japan later visited one of the areas hit hardest by the tsunami and offered flowers for the victims. he spoke to a family whose house was swept away and asked about the situation at the time of the disaster and their lives now in temporary housing. the japanese government has compiled a basic plan to decontaminate areas in fukushima prefecture effected radioactivity from the accident at the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant. the government said tuesday that it plans to cut the contamination levels in the area by almost half over the next two years. under the plan, houses will be

decontaminated with measures including cleaning drain pipes and gardens pruned and weeded. also says houses in areas contaminated with high levels of radiation must have roofs cleaned with high pressure washing. and in gardens surface soil must be eliminated. and joints in sas fault roads must be rinsed and mud in ditches removed. trees branchs on streets must be trimmed and dead leaves disposed. they are due to make a decision on the plan on friday. even though it's summer, classrooms in the tsunami destroyed areas are busy with students and teachers. they're making up for lost time caused by the march 11th disaster. >> reporter: the har bar in onagawa bustled.

more than five months later not much has improved. even now almost 500 people live in shelters. this junior high school was build on elevated ground in the center of town. even so, it barely escaped the tsunami. but earthquake damage forced classes to be stopped. then a series of aftershocks further interrupted classes. to get back on schedule, the school offered supplementary lessons for three mornings. 11 students studying to be teachers helped conduct the classes. one of them is shiho. >> translator: i kept thinking about how i could help the disaster victims then i saw this opportunity and decided to go for it. >> reporter: although there are four classes, matsukawa and her

fellow students helped teach japanese, english and math. >> reporter: matsukawa's methods including giving students memos with key points to help them answer questions. yohi ishimoto enrolled in the supplementary classes. after living in the school gymnasium for three months, yohi finally moved into temporary housing. his father used to own a shipping company, but the tsunami swept away the family home along with eight trucks. now yohi, his brother and parents share temporary housing. his grandmother is still missing.

yohi 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: this place feels small. it's distracting. we hear noise from next door. >> translator: 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 with two or three teachers on hand.

>> translator: we had more chances to ask questions. it was easy to understand. >> translator: i could talk casually one on one, so i found it easy to understand the lesson. >> translator: in spite of the challenging conditions, i was able to study. i don't think i could have done it without everyone's outstanding support. i'm 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 effected 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. next we go to our bureau in bangkok. thailand's new prime

minister yingluck shinawatra has set a course. she set a course that looks likely to draw criticism. >> reporter: yingluck made her first policy speech to parliament. the party is supportive of her brother, the former prime minister thaksin shinawatra. yingluck stressed the need for democracy as a basis for reconciliation of the years of animosity between supporters and opponents of thaksin. >> reporter: she outlined policies including purchases of rice to boost income of farmers and the doubling of funds for

rural areas. during the policies of her brother's tenure. thaksin went into self-imposed exile after being ousted in the military coo in 2006. he was later convicted of corruption. on tuesday thaksin held a news conference in tokyo during his first high-profile overseas tour since his sister came to power. but he carefully avoided making any controversial remarks about politics in thailand. yingluck's policy are deeply influenced by that of thaksin. and some suggest his possible involvement in creating them. it seems the direction of government also faces criticism from groups. nhk world, bangkok. in the philippines, survivors and families of hong kong tourists killed during a

bus hijacking gathered on tuesday to mark the one-year anniversary of the tragedy. many of them are still seeking justice. the group dressed in black mourn the loss of their loved ones at the site of the incident in mani manila. but as monks chanted, offerings of food and drink were made to the victims. >> we are really upset because when i look at this picture i would think of the times that -- we will never forget this. and we will continue to fight for this brother. to fight for their justice. >> the incident began when a policeman hijacked a tour bus. eight people died. the fiasco triggered public outrage in hong kong. they say the response of the

philippine government has been inadequate. they're demanding a formal apology. staying in the philippines, the country has acquired a large warship from the united states. the purchase comes amid rising tensions through tensions in the south china sea. it also highlights the challenge for the philippines to keep its naval deterrent up to scratch. >> reporter: alliance with the united states dropped anchor. its price tag $13 million. >> reporter: it is capable of launching helicopters and

operating in adverse weather conditions. the vessel was used by this u.s. coast guard. despite commission back in 1965, it will now service the philippine navy. in 1992, a wave of nationalism led to the shut down of u.s. military bases in the philippines. but 19 years later, the philippine navy continues to rely on secondhand u.s. warships. some dating back to world war ii. it will be deployed in the south china sea where there are territorial claims over the islands. the acquisition of the warship demonstrates the challenge faced with the philippine armed forces as they attempt to match china's might. nhk world, manila. and that wraps up our bulletin for today.

japan's welfare ministry says about 55,000 cases of child abuse were reported last year. that's the highest number ever. now people from all over japan are responding to a manga series about child abuse and its prevention. based on true stories, the manga educate the nation's youngsters. >> reporter: a parent's rage against her child turns to violence. the story follows a rookie social worker who helped abused children. the manga sheds light on child abuse and shows readers how to deal with it. after publication, the magazine received more than 300 e-mails and letters from readers of all ages nationwide.

former newspaper journalist launched the series last autumn. he's been reporting on child abuse for 20 years. after writing many articles about the problem, he decided that society has no hope if it doesn't value its children. he quit his newspaper job and began writing exclusively about child abuse. a publisher heard about him and requested a draw for a series. through manga imannals, the company wanted to make high school students think about abuse. >> translator: how can we safe abused children? how do we make sure we're not letting abuse happen over and over again? we have to thoroughly examine the cases of the children we couldn't save. >> reporter: koymi researched adults who were abused as children.

he met a man in his 20s who escaped from his single-parent family and now lives on his own. his father spent all his money on alcohol. >> translator: my father told me to buy ten kilograms of flour and make it last for a month. >> what did you do with it? >> i made noodles. i sometimes added chives from the garden. it was rough. i can't trust adults even now. >> reporter: koymi also spoke with a young woman whose mother had abused her. >> translator: if i was holding chop sticks wrong, my mother would hit me or burn me with her cigarette. i thought she was abusing me because i was a bad child. >> translator: adults must learn from the appalling stories told by these young people and think about what to do.

>> reporter: on this day, koymi meets with the editorial staff. the team agrees that the young child in the story must be rescued. they show ways of resolving the issue. they also decide not to show shock ing scenes of abuse. >> translator: in one scene, the child draws on all his strength to tell an adult my dad beats me up. we thought it better to stress the child's words instead of the bruises on his face. >> reporter: in the second series, koymi shows how a child is rescues from his abusive stepfather. koymi uses stories from youngsters he interviewed. for example, abused children can't always ask for help. they want adults to notice something is strange and take

action. >> translator: i want young readers to remember the lessons my cartoons teach. and read them again when they become parents. i'm deeply committed. >> reporter: koymi hopes his cartoons will help build a society that simply refuses to tolerate child abuse. and now let's take a look at the market figures.

and welcome back to your weather update. for east asia we now have a tropical storm system that has just joined us. here it is the clouds just east of the philippines showing signs of good organization. this will be tropical storm nanmadol. not moving a lot at the moment. looking like it's going to be moving very slowly towards the north over the next couple days. this is showing signs of intensifying and forecasts are calling for this to become a severe tropical storm system and then possibly a typhoon over the next few days. so it will be a storm system so watch. it will remain likely well away from the philippines not making

landfall here. still you will want to look out for the rough sea conditions and outer rain bands impacting the northeast end of the country. meanwhile, have this active rain front with us that's been with us all week. the peak of the heavy rain should be towards southern japan this morning. either way it's going to remain very unstable in the area. northern japan, southern areas of the country and in towards the korean peninsula too. showers will continue to impact the southeastern end of china. may taper off in the evening hours but will return again over the next few days. 27 is your high in shanghai today. expecting 29 in seoul. and tokyo will hit 30 degrees getting quite hot. now in the caribbean we've been watching, of course, hurricane irene in here moving now away from the dominican republic and

headed for the turks and caicos islands. it shows chances of identifying. it may become a category three or more over the next few days as it aims for the bahamas. after that it looks like they may get close to the southeast coast of the united states. this will be a system to keep a close eye on. there will be plenty of rain with this system already impacting areas like hispaniola, puerto rico. the bulk of the rain will now aim for turks and caicos as well as the bahamas. wet picture, indeed. ahead of that, gulf coast has been dealing with showery conditions. another low is going to develop across central canada. also looking unsettled across the midwest too. could see severe weather pop up here. watch out for that. wednesday's highs looking at 40 degrees in oklahoma city. and houston coming in at 38. finally a look at europe here.

scattered showers will start moving through the british isles today. that's be persisting as the low continues to spin off in the atlantic. and we've got this low moving in to the north sea. it'll bring in thundershowers and gusty stormy weather all along central and western sections of europe. and that will head up towards the scandinavian peninsula as well. as for temperatures, hotter for berlin. 30 degrees. another hot day in vienna as well and budapest up to 36 degrees. lots of heat here. take precautions as necessary. that's a look at your weather for now. here is your three-day outlook.

our lead stories this hour. libya's opposition forces have

stormed the compound of the country's leader muammar al gadhafi in tripoli. they're claiming most of the compound is under their control. the assault on tuesday was carried out with support from nato air strikes. the complex was gadhafi's stronghold and residence. they entered 5:00 p.m. local time following a battle against forces loyal to the longtime leader. footage from the site shows the rebels cheering for libya's day of liberation. they are stomping on a gadhafi statue and destroying his pictures. >> translator: we have taken control of 90% of the facility. we want a victory. >> fighting continues against loyalist snipers within parts of the compound. the antigovernment forces say they're searching for the libyan leader and will put him on trial for war crimes. the whereabouts of gadhafi and his family remains unknown.

the japanese government has compiled a basic plan to decontaminate areas in fukushima prefecture effected by radioactivity from the accident at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. the government said on tuesday that it plans to cut the contamination levels in residential levels in the prefecture by almost half over the next two years. under the plan, houses will be decontaminated with measures including cleaning drain pipes and gardens pruned and weeded. it also says houses in areas contaminated with high levels of radiation must have roofs cleaned with high pressure washing. in gardens, surface soil must be eliminated. the plan also states that joints in asphalt roads must be rinsed and mud in roadside ditches removed. tree branchs on treats must be trimmed and dead leaves disposed. the government is due to make a decision on the plan on friday. and that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo.

thanks for joining us.