it's 10:00 p.m. in tokyo, welcome no "newsline," i'm michio kijima with the news at this hour. the united nations says nuclear power plants around the world must strengthen their safety standards. the recommendation is part of the u.n.'s new report following it's analysis of the accident at japan's fukushima daiichi. a number of u.n. organization s worked together to compile the document including the world health organization and international atomic energy.

the report blames the accident at fukushima daiichi on the plant's design. it says the owner of the facility based its plant on poor hazard assessments of natural disaster. the u.n. says the international emergency response framework should be set up to deal with nuclear accidents so human health and food safety can be secure. it also wants to create a global system to allow the international atomic enemy agency to monitor radiation levels. the united nations report goes on to stress the importance of nuclear power as well. it says, a peaceful use of atomic energy will help improve the lives of 2.4 billion people in developing countries who lack electricity. the united nations is holding a high-level meeting on nuclear safety and security on september 22nd in new york. concerned about internal radiation exposure is mounting among people that live near the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant. a city in fukushima prefecture has decided to help worry ed parents by offering radiation tests for infants and small children.

parts of minamisoma city were designated as evacuation zones following the accident. the city has been testing residents for internal radiation exposure since july. infants and small children were excluded as the equipment did not fit them. a city-run general hospital and a tokyo-based medical firm came up with a method for measuring radioactive substances in urine. the hospital began accepting applications on thursday. the test will be free for children six and younger. results will be mailed two weeks after the samples are received. >> translator: i have been worried because no tests were available. i want to know if my child is safe. >> translator: i want infants to be tested as well. i hope this will help to ease parents' concerns.

the president of france and prime minister of britain are on a historic visit to tripoli. nicolas sarkozy and david cameron were on the first foreign heads of state to visit the head of tripoli since moammar gadhafi's topple last month. the leaders held a news conference on thursday with the chair of libya's national transitional council. >> translator: france is strongly suppo strongly supportive of a united lib libya. let's look to the future together. >> this is not finished. this is not done. this is not over. there are still parts of libya that are under gadhafi's control. gadhafi is still at large. we must make sure that this work is completed.

>> earlier president sarkozy and prime minister cameron received a warm welcome when they visited a hospital in tripoli. france and britain played a central role in military operations against gadhafi's rule. a u.n. security council resolution supported the nato-led offensive. the u.n. security council has begun discussing a new resolution that would ease economic sanctions on libya. and send a u.n. mission to the country. a western diplomat said on wednesday the resolution proposed by britain would lift some of the sanctions on libya and modify the arms embargo. this would allow the country to buy arms intended solely for security. a u.n. mission would oversee libya's efforts to put a new constitution in place and hold elections. the source said it would consist of about 200 personnel. no peacekeeping forces. separately u.n. committee under the general assembly decided to transfer libya's representation from the gadhafi's government to the national transitional council. the transfer would become

official. with the approval of the general assembly. in china, in a region, the courts have handed down a death sentence to four uighur men for a fatal attack in july. in july, uighur men drove a truck into a crowd of people and with knives, killing eight people. the next day, a separate group of people set off explosions that killed five people in the city. the city of hotan, another group of uighurs attacked a police station, and set it on fire, killing four police officers. local media say the courts in the two countries, in the two cities, i should say, handed down the death penalty to four uighur men. two other suspects were sentenced to 19 years in prison. the six suspects had been charged with involvement in terrorism and murder in three separate cases. the local government blamed the attacks on muslim extremists.

but a group of overseas uighurs said the chinese government's suppression of the uighurs is behind these attacks. the group claps that some criminal allegations are fabrications. in the autonomous region, ethnic conflict is deeply rooted between the hmong group and the uighurs. the international atomic energy agency has condemned north korea for posing a threat through nuclear proliferation. the regular board meeting of the iaea in vienna discussed a report about north korea's nuclear program on wednesday. the report says the libya had procured uranium material from the black market. and the material is likely to have come from north korea. it says libya had the substance until the country declared it was abandoning the nuclear ambition. the report also says that a facility in syria may have been built with the aid of north korea. the facility appeared to house a reactor.

israeli war planes destroyed it in an air attack four years ago. at the border meeting, japan, the u.s. and others expressed concerns over the possibility of nuclear technology spilling over north korea to other countries. in a statement, the iaea condemned the country for threatening the nuclear nonproliferation scheme. the world's population is projected to hit seven billion on october 31 and the u.n. is calling for global efforts to address poverty and inequality. secretary-general ban ki-moon was speaking at a meeting to launch actions at u.n. headquarters in new york on wednesday. >> it's an challenge, an opportunity and a call for action to all of us to confront grinding poverty and inequality. >> the united nations is staging various events around the world in the lead-up to october 31 to raise awareness for the population prom. u.n. figures indicate the

world's population is projected to surge past nine billion before 2050 and region 10.1 billion by the end of the century if current fertility rates continue. >> the number of foreign visitors to japan in august fell 32% from last year. the nuclear crisis and strong yen were the key factors behind a sixth consecutive monthly decline. the japan national tourism said there were as estimated 546,800, down 31.9% from the same month last year. the rate of decrease has slowed since it peaked in april. after the march 11th disaster. in asia, the sharpest declines were among travelers from south korea in china. the steepest drop outside asia were seen in france and germany. the bureau said it will launch a major publicity campaign next

month to reassure tourists that japan is safe to visit. the tokyo game show opened on thursday, much of the software creating a buzz is designed to smartphones and tablet computers. the event in chiba city gets bigger and louder every year. 190 firms from japan and abroad are showcasing their latest consoles and software. targeting christmas shoppers, vendors are allotting more space for games played on smartphones and tablets than ever before. also popular are social games which are played over the internet. players compete or cooperate among each other, depending on the game. but sales of home consoles and computer software leveling off, the advanced in portable and social games is expected to continue. gree, a leading maker of games attended the show for the first time in year. >> translator: the game business is the world's largest

entertainment business. surpassing films and music. and its presence is growing further thanks to technology, such as smart phones. >> the japanese company is now hoping to replicate its success in japan overseas. the four-day event runs through sunday. the hotel business is booming in seoul. foreign tourists as well as domestic travelers are descending on the city in growing numbers and hotels are racing to catch new customers. today we'll focus on a hotel war that's breaking out in seoul. nhk world's christine song has more. >> reporter: this high-end hotel is popular among tourists and business travelers alike. it's over 90% full today. this year, it's not uncommon for all the hotels in town to be fully booked. the hotel market is exploding. >> translator: i came to seoul because i got hooked on south

korean dramas. i want to study korean and hear people speak the language. >> very nice day, but we were only here for a short visit. but it's been an absolute pleasure being here. >> reporter: behind the boom is a surge in the number of visitors from emerging economies like china. their pockets are also getting deeper. the city of seoul predicts an invasion of over 9.6 million tourists for the entire year. and it expects the number to keep climbing through 2015. in an effort to win over wealthier travelers, the hotels are competing to offer better services. take this hotel for instance. it has launched a package deal that allows guests to enjoy 50 different kinds of expensive wines as much as they want. the main aim is to attract more overseas wine-loving visitors as well as domestic guests.

>> translator: i get to taste all kinds of wines with dinner. and also, listen to good music. it's great. >> reporter: while their parents are sipping wine to their heart's content, children are having fun at a bubble show. >> translator: in the hotel industry, the competition to provide quality rooms and services is basic. many guests compare package deals before deciding on a hotel. so we're looking to diversify our package offerings. >> reporter: this hotel is betting on a tie-up deal with a theme park. its family-targeting package provides rooms with a dedicated children's area, decorated with character goods, two entire floors are set aside for this type of room. rerp re >> translator: it's difficult to travel with a small child. this package is a perfect option for me. kids like it here and i can relax, too.

>> reporter: the guests can enjoy the adjacent theme park at no charge. the package is geared towards domestic tourists. the hotel assumes that the robust south korean economy will continue to boost the number of travelers within the country. >> translator: more hotels are now catering to an increasing number of travelers to survive in this chaotic market, you have to be different from others. we'd like to design more family-focused packages to capture growing demand for the home and abroad. >> reporter: construction of 32 hotels is now planned in seoul. 22 of them are already being built. the rapid increase in tourist traffic has far eclipsed the number of hotel rooms available. this year for example, more than 51,000 rooms are expected to be in demand. but, about 26,500 rooms are

available, resulting in nearly half of demand being unmet. the seoul city government is helping to fill the gap. its main strategy is to encourage the conversion of existing buildings into commercial hotels. the city of seoul has approved 12 such changeovers this year, which it says will create 2200 hotel rooms. >> translator: the city supports the renovation of buildings as hotels quickly add capacity and use land efficiently. tourism is a golden goose for the economy. the city and the government will support the industry. >> the hotel war in the korean capital shows no signs of ending. it will likely continue to rage at least for a while. christine song, nhk world. some of the hotels under construction are funded by private financial institutions. as demand grows, the hotel business in seoul is beginning

to attract hordes of outside investors. and here are the latest market figures. time to check on some of the stories we've gathered from broadcasters around asia, we begin tonight with this item sent by mcot, thailand. a thai cambodian border crossing reopened after three years on thursday. it had been closed due to territorial clashes between the

two countries. the reopening coincided with the thai prime minister yingluck shinawatra's first visit to cambodia. resume trade activities. the crossings opens once a week. there are six permanent and nine temporary crossings along the 800-kilometer border. >> iran's air force concluded ten days of drills on thursday, with the test-firing of domestically produced anti-radar smart missiles. a senior air force commander said missiles with various ranges were test-fired during the exercises. he added that the main phase of the four-stage air drills began earlier this week to judge the effectiveness of high-tech bombs and other advanced weapon systems. including air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles. fighter jets, fire bombers and cargo and transportation planes were used in the drills held in

northwestern iran. >> the first china international helicopter exhibition opened in a a northern port city on thursday, the four-day event began with an aerobatic performance. china's first light helicopter is making its debut. the one-ton hike is equipped with a fuel-efficient engine and flexible rotor system. about 200 firms from over 20 countries and regions are taking part in the event. the viewers all over the world will likely recognize tin tin. the famous young reporter accompanied by his partners, snowy, the dog. together they traveled to far off-places and solved some of the world's big problems. that i adventures have been

transferred into over 80 languages. now tin tin is set to debut in a hollywood movie. in this report, nhk world tells us why 80 years after his creation, tin tin still has so many fans. >> snowy, look at this, the unicorn. >> reporter: the two-dimensional books are brought to life in a 3-d movie. director steven spielberg headed the project. >> with this technology that we use for tin tin, we were able to get pretty close ourselves to a hand reaching out towards a canvas. >> reporter: the space on the comic series, "the adventures of tin tin" originally created in belgium. in belgium's capital, brussels,

tin tin is all around. >> translator: i've been a fan of comic books since i was a kid. my father gave me a bunch. i still read tin tin, even today. >> reporter: tin tin's author, georges remi, was born in brussels in 1907. at the age of 21, while editor of a children's newspaper, he started the tin tin stories. he wanted to become an overseas correspondent. and through tin tin, he lived his dream of seeing far-away lands. the memorable first story takes tin tin to the soviet union. the country had become the world's first socialist country. to people in the west, the soviet union laid behind a thick veil.

a newspaper assigns tin tin to report on the soviet union. there, he sees what appear to be busy factories. but suspecting something is wrong, he peeks into one. the factory is fake. burning straw makes it look like the plant is in full production. in moscow, the starving citizens line up for bread. later, the author says he had portrayed the soviet union too harshly. at the time, he was describing war issues through tin tin. in 1953, and 1954, tin tin journeyed to the moon. >> translator: voila, i've taken a few steps, for the first time in the history of mankind, we have walked on the moon. >> reporter: before drawing each

story, georges pulled over many articles and pictures, and then he had it in his imagination, sending tin tin on adventures to places his readers had never been. 16 years later, tin tin's adventure became reality when the first man walked on the moon. and experts say tin tin became popular because the stories were universal. and often addressed current world issues. the stories also tapped into a widespread desire to explore the world. >> translator: whether we're african, indian, or even japanese, we can all relate to tin tin, because he represents universal values. >> the movie is scheduled to open in europe in october and other countries in the months that follow. rachel ferguson is up next with weather.

hi there, time to talk about the weather once again. let's head to eastern asia and to our tropical storm. now this is roke, you can see the circulation there in the clouds. but actually it's not a very tight storm. it's quite disorganized at the moment. and as we can see from its past path, it has been very indecisive as well. just squiggling about here. now it's moving slowly in a westerly direction, but it's almost going to stop and hover over the japanese islands for the next couple of days. so at the moment it's coming close to the islands. and after that into tomorrow it will be imami islands, as well as okinawa. we'll be seeing some heavy rain here. because it's not moving quickly, the rain falls in the same place. so flooding, as well as mudslides will be a big concern. it's not just down here. actually the outer swells are going to be reaching parts of southern kyushu, and even as far up as the key peninsula.

these areas were all affected by the hurricane typhoon tala that moved through a couple of weeks ago. so rereally don't want any additional rain here. but it does look like that could be a problem into the coming days. now, we're also seeing some heavy rain in hokkaido right now. this is a front line just moving a little to the north and east here. still stretched out across north korea and still affecting parts of eastern china here as well. down towards the south it's the southwest monsoon that's making lots of rain showers and some heavier rain as well. in isolated areas across the philippines as well as indochina. to the north, much fairer skies here, but it's going to be quite cold. ulan bator, 8 for the high, 20 in beijing, cooling down here as well. many areas, many places across the region are going to retain that heat for a while. we have highs in the lower 30s across much of the rest of eastern asia. coming into north america, we have another storm to talk

about. this one here, can you see the cloud, this is maria. now it's just about getting ready to pass bermuda. and it in fact it is gaining some strength as well. so we could see it reach hurricane status within the next 12 hours. as it passes the west coast of bermuda, there will be rain, maybe about 17 millimeters, maybe up to about 100, so some significant rainfall. but i think the winds are going to be the main concern here. it's currently moving northeast at 43 kilometers per hour. 100-kilometre-per-hour winds with that, so structural damage as well as sea swells and high waves. across the u.s. and canada, we have a big low in eastern canada and a cold front that stretches all the way down to the gulf of mexico. in through towards the four corners. and in fact, up into western canada. so we're going to see plenty of storms along this front. this is going to be an area of concern, particularly we're talking about the texas panhandle, into colorado. and we could see even some mountain snow on those mountains

in upper elevations in colorado. but certainly some very heavy rain making its way through into the central and southern plains here. this high pressure is going to be bringing some very cold air, pushing right into the northeast as well and down towards the south. and it's really going to be making a dent in the temperatures. let's take a look at the lows today. friday lows, 2 in winnipeg, 6 in chicago, 9 in denver. 17 in l.a. this is making quite a big difference to many of you. no oranges here, just lots of yellows and greens, a respite for many of you. but there will be frost to deal with across the northern plains and central canada. so that won't be such good news for those of you living there. as we go into europe, we're still dealing with this very stubborn low, starting to move away here across the northeast. still seeing some gusty winds and rain. another low coming across the british isles will mean another round of wind and rain for you in ireland first and then coming into scotland. and then basically a fine picture here across the rest of the continent. very warm down towards the south. and cooler of course towards the

north and east. here's your extended forecast. nhk has learned that one of japan's most important novelists of the 20th century came close to winning the nobel prize in literature in 1960. documents showed junichiro tanizaki was considered a finalist for the award.

one of his major works is the makioka sisters. the story follows the decline of a wealthy family in osaka in the years leading up to world war ii and allied occupation. nhk filed an access to information request to the swedish economy. the academy released documents about the nobel selection on wednesday that reveal committee members praised the theme of the sisters as innovative and modernistic, but the committee also says the novel lacked expressive techniques compared to the western books it was considering. tanizaki died in 1965. and three years later, later junzaburo nishiwaki won in literature. that's our broadcast for this hour in "newsline." we will be back with more news in half an hour. thank you for watching. i'm michio kijima in tokyo. thank you for watching. bye-bye.