. glad to have you with us on this edition of "newsline." it's friday, september 2nd. 8:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. libya's new interim rulers have extended the deadline for ousted leader gadhafi's forces to surrender until september 10th. the national transitional council had warned supporters to leave by september 3rd. but has now extended the

deadli deadline on sirte by one week. thousands of rebel troops are besieging sirte and advancing to two other loyalist towns. this includes a town southeast of tripoli and the desert town on saba. colonel gadhafi urged his supporters to fight on. >> gadhafi reportedly fled the city when the rebels gained control last month. the european union has decided

to lift its sanctions on some of libya's assets to let the interim government rehabilitate the country. kathryn ashton said in a statement on thursday that the union's asset freeze on 28 libyan entities will end immediately. the sanctions lifted include a freeze on banks, energy firms, and six libyan ports. the freeze on assets of individuals including deposed leader muammar al gadhafi and his family as well as a ban on their visits to europe remain effective. >> what we are trying to achieve is to give whatever support we can to the transitional national council in their efforts to rebuild economy, to start economy going, to start not only the transition but also the rebuilding of libya for the future for the good future of the libyan people.

>> libya's national transitional council welcomed the decision. >> we need to get access to our frozen funds everyone where. we need international community to support us with lifting sanctions on our vital functions. we do basically plea to the international committee to help us out on this. the march 11th disaster. the september 11th attacks. two anniversaries, one source for in-depth coverage. join nhk world for "japan: six months on" and "9/11: defining a decade." beginning september 5th. then on sunday, september 11th we'll mark the anniversaries. 2:30 p.m. japan time for the 3/11 disaster. 9:40 p.m. for the 9/11 attacks. we want to take a minute to tell you about some special programming we'll be bringing

you next week starting monday. japan: six months on will have analysis leading up to the six month anniversary of this country's earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crisis. the quake hit off the coast on march 11th. moments later the tsunami barrelled inland. the monster waves swamped towns and cities. nearly 16,000 people died and about 4500 are still missing. the survivors lost almost everything and many of them are still facing challenges. six months on will bring you stories from the hardest areas in iwate and miyagi and fukushima prefectures. we'll start in iwate prefecture. see how the support helped people as they worked to rebuild a vital industry. on tuesday we'll head to miyagi prefecture. a group of international volunteers is helping to clean

up ishinomaki. we'll go to fukushima on wednesday. the spread of radiation is hurting the fishing economy. on thursday and friday we'll bring you our normal segments "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" so you can keep up on the crisis. japan's nuclear safety agency has instructed tokyo electric power company to improve safety measures for workers at its crippled fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant. the nuclear industrials safety agency said another worker was sprayed with contaminated water while working on wednesday. the agency said the total amount of radiation which the male subcontractor was exposed to was below the limit and it did not effect his health. earlier on wednesday, two other

workers were showered with radioactive water while working on the same processing system. on sunday two tepco workers were exposed to beta rays, a type of raid radiation. it revealed the utility did not set limits for beta rays. failed to make use of past experiences with exposure. the japanese government has released a bleak picture on the fallout from the accident at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. the new survey measures levels of radioactive cesium 137 in soil near the damaged facility. and it shows a spread and seriousness of the contamination. we're going to take a closer look at the findings in this week's "nuclear watch."

>> reporter: japan's science ministry collected soil samples in june and july at some 2,200 locations. within a 100 kilometer ray dus of fukushima daiichi. it then tested for radioactive cesium. the ministry released a map showing the extent of the contamination. researchers identified the highest level of radiation in a location in okuma. they found 15.45 million becquerels of cesium 137 per square meter of land. the location is several hundred meters from the nuclear plant. cesium contamination levels exceed 1.48 million becquerels at 33 other locations within a 30 kilometer radius of fukushima daiichi. following the chernobyl disaster, authorities kept areas with similar readings off limits. at that time, people in areas contaminated with 555,000

becquerels of cesium per square meter were required to temporarily relocate. the latest survey shows researchers have identified 66 locations with soil contamination exceeding that level. some of them are outside the government-set no-go and evacuation zones. oagami left his home after the march 11th disaster. he's now staying in western japan. in one location, soil tests detected more than 5 million becquerels of cesium. futaba is the nearest town to the fukushima daiichi plant. >> translator: the survey confirms the appalling magnitude of the radiation. i was hoping i would be able to return some day to spend my last years in my hometown. but the map suggests even that won't be possible.

>> earlier michio kijima spoke about the new contamination survey. >> translator: this is the first time the spread of soil contamination was disclosed in detail. compared with the accident in chernobyl, how was the degree and spread of contamination in fukushima? >> translator: the survey's conducted within one year after the chernobyl accident found 2 million becquerels per square meter of land at a village in belarus located ten kilometers northeast of the crippled nuclear power plant. the half-life of cesium 137 is 30 years. meaning it takes 30 years for the radiation level to be reduced by half. it creates a serious problem after nuclear accidents. this reading, 59.2 million

becquerels is four times higher than the level measured in okuma where the highest level was detected in the latest survey by the japanese government. in belarus even 200 kilometers from the plant had more than 50 million becquerels of cesium per square meter back then. at chernobyl, a reactor itself caught fire and released a huge amount of radioactive materials. compared to that, experts say the extent of contamination is much less at fukushima. having said that, we should not forget that more than 100,000 people had to evacuate from the government-designated evacuation zone alone. and they're still unable to return. they've lost their jobs and family members are living separately from each other. >> translator: all the more, don't you think the japanese government should have disclosed the concrete results of the

survey much earlier? >> translator: yes. many experts have been urging the government to release such maps. since right after the accident. but this was a survey of 2200 locations. five samples of soil were taken from each location. a total of 12,000 samples had to be analyzed one by one. 340 researchers from 21 universities and research institutions across japan took part in the survey. it took time to secure man power and machine. that's why it took so long to release the map. >> translator: now that the map has been completed, how should we use it? >> translator: unlike surveys from the air, this took soil

samples directly from the ground and analyzed them. it tells us the type and amount of radioactive substances. the intensity of radiation and half-life are different depending on the type of radiation. so using this map you can predict the level of radiation exposure at a given location or any given lengths of time. you can also use this map not just for reviewing the evacuation zone but also for drawing up decontamination plan about which area will be decontaminated first. it's almost been six months from the accident. but the release of the soil contamination map only rk mas the beginning of cleanup efforts. >> translator: thank you very much.

. >> all right. changing gears now, japan observes disaster prevention day on september 1st to remember the quake in tokyo 88 years ago that killed more than 100,000 people. every year antidisaster drills are held around the nation on this day. this year's focus was on rescue, evacuation reflecting the recent earthquake and tsunami. >> reporter: 7.3 quake hit tokyo. this is the headquarters of the train station. a mass was held in tokyo how to be mapped out by the quake. officials got passengers to safety. about 700 people took part.

the march 11th quake shocked tokyo. people latched to stations for information when the train stopped. >> translator: many people were stranded at the station. the staff really couldn't help us because there was so much confusion. >> reporter: stations devoted to helping passengers get off the train and guiding them to a safe place. a crowd of people who gathered in front of the station were divided into two groups. the group who could walk home and others who were unable to do so. the group was guarded by services to a shelter. with officers blocking roads,

they practiced evacuating to shelters for a future quake. >> translator: i hope this experience will pay off someday when an earthquake really occurs. >> translator: i want to know how many people the shelter can accommodate. and how far away it is. >> translator: on march 11th, we couldn't effectively guide the crowd of people around the entrance. that caused much confusion. providing stranded passengers with accurate information is crucial so we will discuss how to prepare for the next major earthquake. >> reporter: experts say a big earthquake could hit the metropolitan area in the near future. 3.9 million people could be stranded in tokyo.

nhk world, tokyo. >> it's always good to be prepared just in case. in other news, north korea has released footage of the trial voyage of a cargo passenger ship that had remained idle since being banned from entry into japanese ports. it was crowded with passengers when it left on tuesday after a ceremony. rason is a recent zone with china in the northeast. north korea decided to assign it to carrying chinese tourists apparently to secure foreign currency. >> translator: this is the

maiden voyage, so i have high expectations. if this goes well, we'll come regularly in the future. >> however, many shops there remain closed. the resort suffered a setback three years ago when a north korean guard shot and killed a south korean tourist prompting south korea to suspend tours. it had run service between japan's niigata -- who were making trips back home. but japan barred the ship's entry in july 2006 after the north test fired baa lastic missiles into the sea of japan. next we go to our bureau in bangkok. patchari raksawong has the latest. >> the presidents of china and the philippines have discussed the sensitive south china sea issue at a meeting in beijing. the two nations are among a hafl

of countries in the region that lay claim to the spratt lee islands. . >> it is truly a worthwhile trip so far. we would like to broaden the ties of our peoples for centuries upon centuries. >> translator: i believe the visit of mr. president will push forward the friendship between china and the philippines for more practical operation of the two countries and the operation between the level. >> reporter: the talks between philippine president aquino and chinese president jintao were in beijing on tuesday. it was aimed at preventing tensions over territorial issues from growing. aquino said that the dispute should not be allowed to affect

bilateral relations. he called on all the countries concerned to look for ways to promote the development of the area. the two stressed the significance of economic ties. they agreed to double trades to $60 billion by 2016. and they signed documents to promote economic relations including chinese assistance to the philippines. aquino came to china with a delegation of more than 200 business readers all eager to cash in on the booming chinese market. he promises to visit where some of his mother's ancestors once lived. aquino intends to deepen economic ties with china through his four-day visit. without giving in over the territorial issue.

nhk world, beijing. now, the day after australia's highest court got a silent deal with malaysia, international reaction has been mixed. human rights groups praised the decision, but remains cautious about the fate of the individuals concerned. in malaysia, advocates stressed the need for the country to implement legal guarantees to protect asylum seekers. >> centers at the international forums. it talks the human rights language. and that is not exactly what malaysia is doing. >> the australian high court on wednesday struck down a refugee swap agreement with malaysia. it cited the fact malaysia had not signed up on the treatment of refugees. the deal signed in july was intended to deter asian asylum seekers from taking boats to

australia. the decision disappointed both governments. malaysia pledged to work closely with australia to formulate their next move on refugees. now the. rraman awards are known as asia's peace prize. this year they recognize for contributions to human development. the awards ceremony was held in manila on wednesday. the six winners include a social entrepreneur and a progressive muslim cleric from indonesia and a human rights advocate. indian clinical psychologist narisha was recognized for her work to help women become self-sufficient through activities such as exporting quilts or producing food. first established as a self-help group for 14 women, her net work

has since grown to cover 200 indian villages. >> if a son's basic needs gets fulfilled, our main focus is on helping the world become self-sustainable in our village. >> and also from india, engineer handi was honored for his solar powered enterprise. it has given more than half a million underprivileged people access to solar technology. over the years, the awards have honored more than 280 organizations and individuals including mother teresa. that's going to wrap up our bulletin. i'm patchari raksawong in bangkok.

and now let's look at the market figures. hi there. welcome to your weather update. let's look at what's happening across japan. typhoon talas is moving close to mainland japan. it has been bringing some widespread heavy rain as well as thunderstorms now.

expected to turn stormy today. looks like it's going to be making land here during the overnight hours as a strong typhoon. before it continues to move in a northerly direction towards the sea of japan. it does remain a very large storm system, very strong system. so the results of course could be devastating. it has already been impacting much of fujioka. well over 300 millimeters in portions of the country. 420 in parts of nara as well. rainfall reaching its peak over the next 48 hours. to get a better idea, if we look at the next 24 hours. we're talking up to 200 millimeters in northern portions of the country. down farther we'll see more than that up to 700 millimeters occur in the next 24 hours. so flooding is going to be a big risk in many areas.

coastal flooding as well to watch out for. and very stormy conditions. now let's head over to the americas. we could see a tropical storm form over the gulf of mexico over the next 48 hours. quite stormy on the gulf coast of the u.s. and pockets of heavy shower will continue as well. but it does remain relatively dry through much of the u.s. little bit windy, though, across the southern portions of the country. we have red flag warnings in effect across places like oklahoma. severe weather conditions expected up in the north for minnesota, wisconsin, across central canada. mainly for ontario tonight into your friday. temperatures really warming up here today. 35 degrees in chicago. stays hot in oklahoma city as well. now finally taking a look at europe. we're seeing this developed system move in from the west approaching the british isles. this is a remnant low pressure

system which was hurricane irene at one point. it is expected to turn wet and windy across the british isles today. winds as well as plenty of rain to occur. down in the southwest as well, active low pressure system does remain offshore here and it continues to bring lots of showers across spain and portugal. thunderstorms on the cards as well. but for central and eastern europe, will stay relatively quiet and settled. lots of warm air coming in from this active low pressure system. temperatures really rising across much of central and western europe. 27 degrees in vienna today. 29 in paris. coming in at 26 degrees in london. that's all for now. here is your extended forecast.

and that wraps up this edition of "newsline."

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks very much for joining us. hello. i'm tomoko kimura. we're introducing two documentaries on the disaster stricken areas from the earthquake. many foreigners were living in the region struck by the earthquake. the program features the struggles of some of them who stayed on in japan to help the local people work on reconstruction.

during the earthquake, thumping vibrations caused liquid faction of ground containing a lot of water and the number of house damages reached 17,000. the program focuses on what's believed to be the world's worst instance of liquid faction damage. finally we're introducing an episode with magnificent images from nhk's wildlife serious. about 2,000 brown bears live in the national park on the alaskan peninsula. please