glad to have you with us on this edition of "newsline." it's thursday, august 25, 8:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. libya's transitional government says it is working to set up a new administration while searching all out for moammar gadhafi. pockets of resistance remain in parts of the capital tripoli. the leader of the opposition national council told reporters in benghazi on wednesday that it

will launch a new administration to replace gadhafi's as soon as possible. he spoke the day after anti-government forces seized gadhafi's military compound in tripoli, effectively bringing his reign to an end. the council plans to transfer its base to the outskirts of tripoli soon. >> translator: we are offering a bounty of $1.7 million for whoever captures gadhafi. >> he also said that the council will grant special amnesty to government officials if they hand in gadhafi or kill him. but with fierce resistance by gadhafi's troops continuing in the south of the capital on wednesday, and gadhafi himself still at large, the rebel administration is not in the clear yet. in tripoli, several foreign journalists held under house arrest by the libyan government have been released. some 35 reporters from the bbc,

cnn, and other media were kept for five days in a government-approved hotel for foreign journalists. at least two foreign politicians were also amongst the captives. gadhafi's troops remained at the hotel even after his military compound was seized by rebel forces on tuesday. the reporters were released unhurt on wednesday. the reason for the detention is not known, but there is speculation that a key government official was in the hotel, and that he planned to use the journalists as human shields against rebel attacks. fighting is intensifying in yemen between government forces and al qaeda militants. 42 people have been killed in the past two days. the local al qaeda affiliate has grown while government forces are preoccupied, cracking down on protesters demanding that the

president resign. fighting has continued between the affiliate and the government since the group took control of the region in may. in the official capital on monday, seven government soldiers were killed in a clash with the al qaeda-related forces. the government responded with air strikes the following day. a local hospital says that 35 militants were killed in the strikes. over 1,000 canadian related militants are reportedly active in the province. sympathizers from across the country are reportedly joining and clashing with the government. president salei is now in saudi arabia recuperating from injuries he suffered in june during a bomb attack. an unmanned russian supply spaceship bound for the international space station has crashed, prompting concerns over supplies to the station. russia's space agency says that the progress was launched from

kazakhstan at 10:00 p.m. local time on wednesday. it was carrying 2.6 tons of food, water, and equipment for the space station, but the agency says five minutes, 25 seconds after liftoff, the spacecraft strayed from orbit because of a problem in its third engine. some of the debee is believed to have crashed down in eastern siberia. the failure is unlikely to have any immediate impact on the activities of the five restaurants currently onboard the space station who have enough supplies for more than two months, but there is concern over the longer early impact on space activities since the russian spacecraft is now the only transportation to and from the space station after the u.s. space shuttle was demissioned last month. >> we have always known this was a risk. and i very much expect that we will together with our russian colleagues sort out the anomaly and get comfortable with the next flight.

>> russian president medvedev and kim jong il held talks on wednesday. he met kim at a russian military facility in eastern siberia. it was the first summit between the nations in nine years. after the talks, a presidential spokeswoman was reported as say kim is ready for a moratorium on the production of missiles and weapons. medvedev said both sides had agreed to construct a pipeline from the far east to russia by

way of north korea. >> announcer: find out the latest on japan post march 11 "nuclear watch" brings you inside 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." tepco predicted three years ago that a 10 meter tsunami could hit its fukushima nuclear plant, but that prediction did not reach the government until just before the disaster on march 11. a spokesperson for the government's nuclear and industrial safety agency told reporters on wednesday that the tokyo electric power company or tepco reported the prediction to the agent on march 7. tepco says it made the estimation in june 2008 when calculating the maximum height

of the tsunami in the event of a very powerful earthquake near the plant. tepco originally assumed when it designed the plant that the maximum possible wave height would be 5.7 meters. the agency says that when the company provided the prediction, the agency ordered the company to submit a detailed report as quickly as possible and suggested the need to reform the facilities. >> translator: we failed to predict the scale of the tsunami. we must take this seriously as a regulatory body. >> tepco says it didn't intend to disclose the assessment to the public since it was a tentative calculation for research purposes based on a simulation. u.s. vice president joe biden has left japan winding up his first trip since assuming office. before flying out of the u.s. air base in tokyo on wednesday, biden praised about 700 troops for helping rebuild areas

devastated by the march 11 disaster. >> i want you to know what you've accomplished here in japan over the last few months is nothing short of astounding. >> biden also stressed the importance of bilateral ties for the peace and stability of the asia pacific region. >> in our alliance with japan will even become more important than in the past. it continues to be absolutely critical. >> during his three-day visit, he met with prime minister naoto kan but no substantial discussions were held. a planned meeting in early september between kan and u.s. president barack obama was cancelled because kan is due to step down. the international atomic energy agency wants to carry out safety checks in all countries with nuclear power plants over the next three years. the nuclear watch dog has been working on an action plan to

improve global nuclear safety since the crisis erupted at japan's fukushima daiichi plant in march. the latest draft of the plan compiled earlier this week urged safety checks in every country with nuclear power within the next three years. the draft also says that new plants should be checked to determine if they have appropriate reactor designs and safety measures. the draft will be discussed at a meeting of the iea board of governors next month before it's presented to the general conference beginning on september 19. many different stories emerged in the days and weeks following japan's march 11 earthquake and tsunami. stories of sorrow, of survival, and of sacrifice. today, we have a tale of goodwill. it's about a man in the northeastern prefecture of iwate who lost everything. but he didn't just focus on rebuilding his own life. he dedicated himself to restoring the community ties that had frayed hinse his port

town was almost wiped off the map. our report shows how he lit up the lives of his fellow citizens. >> reporter: i'm in the port town of yamada. about 20,000 people lived here before the earthquake, but about 700 were killed by the tsunami. he is one of the survivors. before march 11, his seafood processing business was thriving. he sold scallops to buyers across the country. but in just 30 minutes, the tsunami destroyed yamada's port. the huge waves washed away the factory and his home, causing an estimated $1 million in damages. >> the first thing i thought was all the scallops were gone. my next thought was that i lost my entire business.

the third thing was that i could not pay my debts. i had no idea what to do. >> reporter: but he was determined to rebuild his business. he found other scallop sources in japan, and gradually replenished his stock. in the fall, he is expecting to open a new factory with the government's support. he has also been concerned about his fellow citizens. more than half of families in the town lost their homes in the tsunami. >> translator: the landscape will never come back. that's the hardest part. the landscape of my hometown will never come back. i can't feel any sense of togetherness.

>> reporter: he decided to work hard to bring back a sense of community. he started a committee to organize yamada's yearly fireworks display. after the disaster destroyed the port, no one thought it could go ahead. but he believed it was just what people here needed. >> translator: most people in this town failed to make a fresh start. but if somebody manages to step forward after watching the event, and it inspires others to follow, that would be the best thing. >> reporter: some residents were cautious about having fireworks out of respect for the many people who died. but the organizing committee went ahead with the support of a tokyo citizens group. it wanted to give the event a

feeling of remembrance and commemoration. when the night arrived, he prayed for the spirits of the victims to return to their hometown. >> translator: many people lost family members. it breaks my heart to think about it. >> reporter: organizers say more than 3,000 people gathered around town to watch the light show. it was a chance for those who

left yamada following the tsunami to reconnect with friends. >> translator: i'm very happy to watch such a big display. i hope it cheers people up. >> translator: i have already made a start at rebuilding. hopefully everyone can start a new life after the fireworks. >> reporter: many people thanked him for organizing the fireworks, and they asked him to do it again next year. >> translator: everyone has different emotions. they cried but finally they smiled. >> reporter: this fireworks display helped this town heal, to remember the victims of the march 11 disaster, and to believe there's a brighter future ahead.

nhk world, yamada, japan. >> a very touching story there, about one man who lost just about everything, touching the lives of many. all right. let's switch gears now and go to our bureau in bangkok for the latest on what's going on in the region. now the historic scenes playing out in tripoli have spread to this side of the world. libyan nationals in the philippines have demonstrated their approval of the apparent demise of the regime of moammar gadhafi. diplomats and ex-patriots gathered the the libyan embassy in manila on wednesday. they dragged pictures of gadhafi onto the sidewalk and stomped on them. >> yes. it's game over for mr. gadhafi. it's game over. >> the old libyan flag was

pulled down and replaced with the flag of the interim rebel government, led by the national transitional council. a libyan diplomat said more than 85% of his country's missions ashtd the globe now back the interim rebel government. in in other news, former prime minister thaksin has dismissed criticism of thailand's new administration. in an interview with nhk, he defended policies such as preferential treatment for the country's rural poor. >> reporter: thailand's new prime minister delivered a policy speech in parliament on tuesday. after winning last month's general election. the younger sister of thaksin pledged to expand the program to buy rice to boost farmers'

income. she also promised to revitalize rural farms. thaksin spoke with nhk in tokyo on wednesday, admitting that he was involved in drafting some of the policies announced by the new administration. >> part of the policy during campaigns i helped to share the ideas with the executives at the palace on the ideas of how to help the people. for example, the minimum wage. >> reporter: critics describe the policies as similar to the ones pushed by thaksin's government. but thaksin dismissed the criticism. >> popularism means that you

just hand out giveaways. but this is not really a give away. you have to move the people from the bottom. that is, if you want to spur the economy, you have to start from the bottom. >> reporter: thaksin has been in self-imposed exile after being ousted from office in 2006. he was later convicted of corruption. observers say his visit to japan is a sign that he is stepping up his political activities. thaksin's move is attracting attention as it may deepen the division between his supporters and opponents. it also underscores the possibility that thaksin has an eye on regaining power. nhk world, tokyo. meanwhile, a thai court has overturned the conviction of thaksin's former wife on charges of tax evasion.

in 2008, she was found guilty of evading about $11.7 million in taxes in a trans-fefer of shareo her brother-in-law. however, the court overturned the ruling on tuesday. it said there were insufficient evidence to support the lower court's decision, and that she had no obligation to pay the taxes. the decision spares her from a possible three-year prison sentence. after thaksin was removed from office in 2006, a series of guilty verdicts was handed down to his relatives. thaksin himself was sentenced to two years in prison for corruption. wednesday's court ruling was the first for a relative of thaksin since the start of the new administration led by his sister. the verdict could prompt anti-thaksin groups to step up their opposition to the new

government. elsewhere in the world, peace talks between the philippine government and a muslim rebel group have taken place in malaysia. but a long delayed peace deal still seems out of reach. the philippines chief negotiator confirmed on tuesday that the moral islamic liberation front rejected its proposals, including massive economic development programs. even so, both sides say they are open to further negotiations. >> the philippine government is committed to getting an agreement as soon as possible, and then of course something that is workable. >> the series of peace talks started with a secret meeting between the president and rebel leader in japan earlier this month. but the lack of agreement reflects the difficult nature of the negotiations. on the philippine island of

mendonal, the 11,000 members are deunderstand maing a state within a state. if successful, the peace process could lead to an end of 40 years of armed conflict. the two sides agreed to a cease-fire eight years ago, but progress toward a peace settlement has been slow. and that will wrap up our bulletin from bangkok. let's take a look at the market figures.

and welcome to your weather update. let's get a look at conditions across the globe. and starting with east asia, or rather just east of the philippines, we have our tropical storm system here. still showing signs of intens y intensifying. and forecasts are calling for this to become a typhoon within the next 24 hours or so. it will be packing much stronger wind. and it seems like it will be heading near northward, heading towards taiwan possibly toward the weekend. still a little early to tell. either way, this area will already be seeing some rough sea conditions. and you may feel some of those stronger winds and outer rain bands too may be impacting the area. and then also keep a close eye on its progress over the next few days. east asia still dealing with this very active rain front that's kind of shifting away from japan right now, but it is

still in line for a lot of moist tower come into the area, so across the country we are talking about very unstable conditions again today. anywhere really in the area, we could be seeing those heavy sudden downpours developing up to 100 millimeters or more possible in a lot of areas over the course of today. so you do want to watch out for flooding and landslide risks. thursday's highs for tokyo, 30 degrees. on the steamy side. 30 degrees for seoul. beijing dropping down to 27 degrees. and a pleasant 26 degrees for shanghai. we have been monitoring this hurricane system that is now starting to move into the southern bahamas. this will be major hurricane irene, now a category 3 system, packing winds of almost 200 miles per hour. gusts will be much, much higher. it has already been battering the turks and caicos aisles, and now the bahamas will have to brace for stormy conditions. after that, it looks like it will maintain its strength as it moves in towards the eastern

season seaboard of the united states. could make landfall anywhere from north carolina to massachusetts. keep a close eye on local watches and warnings. rainfall, the heaviest rains right now impacting these islands here. and even areas like hispaniola and puerto rico looking at showers. rainfall totals will really be adding up. watch out for continued high risk of flooding as well as landslides. in the next 72 hours, you can see the heavy rain moving into the mid-atlantic region of the united states too. so you will also want to start taking precautions now while you can. and finally, a look at europe. a big system sliding in towards the british isles showing good rotation here. showers are going to be just moving throughout the area over the course of tonight. showers will also start impa impacting western europe as well. and then for central areas and in towards the scandinavian peninsula, gusty weather moving through the area today.

on thursday, highs will remain at 19 degrees in stockholm. looking much cooler. 28 in berlin, but very hot for vienna at 34 again. and steaming hot in budapest as well, so do take precautions against the heat. that's the look at your weather for now. and here is your three-day outlook.

our lead stories this hour, libya's transitional government says it's working to set up a new administration while searching all out for moammar gadhafi. pockets of resistance remain in parts of the capital tripoli. the leader of the opposition national council told reporters in benghazi on wednesday that it will launch a new administration to replace gadhafi's as soon as gadhafi's military compound in tripoli, effectively bringing his reign to an end. the council plans to transfer its base to the outskirts of tripoli soon. >> translator: we're offering a bounty of about $1.7 million for whoever captures gadhafi. >> he also said that the council will grant special amnesty to government officials if they hand in gadhafi or kill him.

but with fierce resistance by gadhafi's troops continuing in the south of the capital on wednesday and gadhafi himself still at large, the rebel administration is not in the clear yet. in tripoli, several foreign journalists held under house arrest by the libyan government have been released. some 35 reporters from the bbc, cnn, and other media were kept for five days in the government approved hotel for foreign journalists. at least two foreign politicians were amongst the captives. gadhafi's troops remained at the hotel even after his military compound was seized by rebel forces on tuesday. the reporters were released unhurt on wednesday. the reason for their detention is not known, but there is speculation that a key government official was in the hotel, and that he planned to use the journalists as human shields against rebel attacks. and that's all for this edition

of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for very much for joining us.