welcome to "newsline." it is wednesday, october 12th. 8:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. slovakia's parliament has voted down plain to expand the euro zone bailout fund. it was rejected on tuesday night after more than eight hours of deliberation. the rescue measure calls for an expansion of the european

financial stability facility, that gives loans to debt ridden countries. some members abstained from the vote as people are largely against supporting more affluent greece. the governing coalition aims to put the plan to another vote this week. it needs to be approved by all 17 countries that use the euro. they're the only member that voted it down. it's the 17th and last country to vote on boosting the size and powers of the european financial stability facility. >> translator: we are now facing our biggest crisis since world war ii. >> slovakia has a population of about 5.4 million. it's one of the smallest economies in the european union, but the country is now drawing worldwide attention.

>> translator: political parties opposed to the plan should understand approving it not only for slovakia but for europe. >> translator: the main issue is whether to change the lending capacity. the other 16 euro zone members have already approved the rescue measure. slovakia adopted the euro currency in 2009. before this the country achieved economic growth of more than 10% in 2007 thanks to its automobile and electric appliance industries, but it slowed with the debt problem triggered by the greek fiscal crisis. they're asked to guarantee an additional 7.7 billion euros.

this is almost 60% of its state budget. anger is mounting about slovaks about supporting greece which is a wealthier country. >> translator: i want the government to help us. >> translator: it's not acceptable to use our tax money to help greece. >> opposition within the governing coalition is strong. the coalition's second largest center right party has objected to increasing the fund. >> translator: we are against the move, and if there are changes. >> a three hour meeting among ruling coalition members took

place on monday, but it failed to narrow their differences. >> translator: rejecting the plan will have a significant impact on slovakia's economy. >> they pledged to approve the plan by friday. slovakian law allows another vote on the bill. the opposition party is expected to play a crucial role in the outcome of the second vote. it was the ruling party until july, last year. he supports expansion of the bailout fund but says they will not vote for the rescue plan unless the cabinet resigns in mass or parliament is dissolved. the government is likely to have talks to persuade the party to support the plan. the europian union says an 8

billion euro loan will be provided to greece next month to prevent the country from defaulting on its debt. the eu announcement came on tuesday after inspectors from the european commission and the central bank wrapped up the review of greece's fiscal condition. the eu says greece will not be able to reach its target of cutting the fiscal deficit this year. its economic slump is deeper than previously thought. but the eu also says the country is making important progress in privatization and structure reforms. greece gets the loan if other euro zone countries and the executive board approve a report by the inspectors. the loan whim be sixth payment from a 110 billion euro rescue package agreed in may last year. they check the fiscal reforms every three months. the finance ministers put off the payment last week pending the review by the inspectors.

the worst flooding in half a century are spreading in thailand. the heavy rain will continue for a few more weeks. japanese companies operating in the country have been hit hard by the flooding. more than 260 people in thailand have lost their lives since july in the heavy monsoon rains, flooding and mudslides. almost four-fifths of the country and about 2.3 million people have been affected. >> translator: it is terrible this year. i'm 62 years old. this is the first time i saw something like this. water came every year, but this is worse than ever. >> the meteorological department predicts heavy rain through the end of the month, posing the higher risk of severe flooding in bangkok. the flooding has the operations -- hurt the operation s of japanese companies about 100 kilometers north of the capital. nearly 2,000 companies have been forced to halt operations in the industrial zones there. honda motor had to suspend work for the past week in the

assembly plant. toyota and other japanese automakers have been forced to stop production after supplies of components from makers were disrupted. japanese automakers say that thailand is an important production site for exporting cars to other asian nations. there's growing concern the impact of the floods will become even more serious. in neighboring cambodia at least 207 people have been killed in flooding since early september. >> translator: my children are sick. they have rashes on their hands and feet. i'm begging the government and international groups for help. >> the cambodian authorities say that nearly 230,000 families have been affected with many being forced to flee to higher ground.

concerns about radiation contamination are now a part of everyday life in japan. people are asking many questions, especially about the safety of the food supply. a new self service radiation monitoring business opened tuesday near tokyo to help them find answers. it is located in a city 200 kilometers away from fukushima daiichi, a place where government surveys have detected relatively high radiation readings. >> reporter: commerce are concerned about their food and their environment. this is a low cost way to get some peace of mind. that station is located in the shopping district. customers can check soil, food, and other products they have bought or grown. the station is equipped with

eight measuring instruments. people pay $52 to check for radioactive materials. it costs $13 to test for those. >> translator: the station is very helpful. if i ask for the same testing in a lab far from my house, i'd have to pay more. this station is closer and costs less. >> it's also first. the process takes about 20 minutes. the test is over in about one minute, if it is radiation free. >> i am relieved to know my sample deputy contain any radioactive material. i only had to put the sample in the con tarn and push the button. it is easy. anyone can do it. >> this is the manager of this do it yourself radiation

monitoring station. he decided to open it after he bought an instrument to make sure that his family wasn't being exposed to contaminants. he realized many people are looking for this kind of service. >> farmers and consumers in the area are concerned about radioactive contamination. i hope this station can help make their worries go away. >> reporter: the japanese government says repeatedly since the march 11 accident that the food making it to market is safe. many people remain concerned, especially parents. they don't want to take any chances with their children's health. >> the people were measuring for

radiation between 10 and 20 beck rals. the radiation limit for drinking water and milk is 200 per kilogram. higher for vegetables, rice, meat and fish. 500 beck relevance per kilogram is the safety limit for those products. "newsline," 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 insight and information on the fukushima daiichi crisis. and "the road ahead" examines japan's effort to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead." many people in northeastern japan are doing what they can to get by these days. tens of thousands of them are starting from scratch. no home, no job, few prospects.

we met a woman who believes she found a way to get back on her field. here is her story. >> this 50-year-old has just completed a 130 hour training course. she is now a certified home base caretaker for elderly people. >> i'm so glad to receive this certificate. i'm hoping to find a new job, even though it will be hard to do. >> now, seven months after the earthquake, she lives with her husband in temporary housing. all people in temporary housing have to vacate within two years. before the tsunami, she owned

her own home and lived there for ten years. the tsunami demolished the house as well as the processing plant she worked at for years. what's more, she still has to repay the loan on her house. >> it's a terrible situation. everything has been swept away and lost. tsunamis are a truly terrifying phenomenon. that's what i've learned. >> this city has a population of 40,000. first home to a thriving seafood industry, the tsunami killed 340 people and left over 100 still missing.

the seafood processing company was near the ocean when it was hit by the tsunami. she feared for her life. after talk white gold her family, she decided to look for a job where she could work far from the coast. she decided to earn her degree and become a caretaker. in this area, the population is aging and the demand for home based care takers is expected to grow. she also likes that she doesn't have to worry about it because the nursing homes are usually on higher ground. >> here you go. is it all right? >> she is now taking on a new challenge. this is her first time pushing wheelchairs and helping the

elderly eat meals as part of her profession. >> it's hard. it's different from all the work i've done up until now. it's hard to get used to the elderly. >> today she's determined to live her life along with her husband. >> i hope to find a job and start working within two to three months. my dream is to work outside of this temporary housing where we're stuck indoors all the time. >> the certificate she received, she did her best to change careers. she's bracing herself for daunting job searches.

she has taken first steps towards a new way of working. >> very strong woman there incompetent deed. myanmar's government says it will grant an amnesty to more than 6300 prisoners. the president released a statement that says the government will release the prisoners starting wednesday. myanmar pardoned more than 14,000 prisoners in may, shortly after the current government took office, following the first general election in 20 years. few of the released prisoners were political detainees. the latest amnesty covers those that are unwell or have shown good behavior. it remains unknown how many of them are political detainees. more than 2,000 activists, lawyers, journalists and others are believed to be in prison for

the pro-democracy movement in 1988 and anti-government rallies in 2007. western nations imposed economic sanctions on myanmar to press the country to release its political prisoners. russian prime minister vladimir putin indicated his country and china will be able to settle a dispute over russia's natural gas prices. putin met the chinese premier in beijing tuesday. he told reporters they are nearing the final stage of work on gas supplies. the chinese side repeated demand for price cuts. china argued that expensive russian gas could fuel inflation. putin is in china for a two day visit. this is his first overseas trip since he announced he would run for president. they are trying to boost ties with china to prepare for his return as russian leader.

politics is a tough business in japan. our latest nhk poll is proof of that. the prime minister only took office a month ago. his approval rating is already slipping. nhk conducted a phone survey last weekend. the results suggest a little more than half the voters support noda's cabinet. 53% approve the cabinet. that's a drop of seven percentage points from last month. the disapproval rating stands at 27%, an increase of 9 percentage points. we also asked people about the government's proposed $120 billion tax hike to cover the cost of rebuilding northeastern japan over the next ten years. 44% say they approve of the proposal, 49% say they don't. also we looked at the debate between the ruling democratic party and opposition over how long the maturity should be for government reconstruction bonds. 48% say it should be 10 to 60

years. 28% say it should be 10 years. 7% say the bond maturity should be 60 years. earlier, we asked our political commentator about the polls. >> he only became prime minister a month ago, and his approval rating has slipped. why is that? >> well, when noda took office, the japanese people considered him modest, steady, trustworthy. many believed that noda would be better than his predecessor. he said things off the top of his head, leading to irresponsible promises he had to take back later. on the other hand, noda tried not to be a showman. however, after one month in office, voters realized that noda has done almost nothing except for push for tax increase

to cover cost of reconstruction in devastated northeast japan. for many, japanese are having doubts about his leadership now. >> did the resignation of the cabinet minister in charge of nuclear policy effect noda's popularity by any chance? >> i think it did. yup, the economy trade and ministry controls japan's nuclear issues and policies. that cabinet portfolio became more important after the nuclear accident at fukushima daiichi on march 11th. the minister made a series of inappropriate remarks in september. he called the area around the fukushima daiichi a town of death. he also joked after visiting the area that the dirt he got on his sleeves could have been radioactive or something. his resignation took some shine

of noda's administration. >> what about the former leader, is that effecting his leadership? >> he is a powerful politician. he controls the ruling faction. noda doesn't want to make an enemy of him, so he is not speaking out about the trial for falsification of political funding reports. he is also talking a cautious stance on the demand from the parties for him to testify under oath. that was counter to what the japanese people really want. 59% of people surveyed say he needs to explain his case before the diet. some of the respondents might be even disappointed by noda's lack of leadership regarding that case. >> so what is noda doing to keep his approval rating from eroding further? >> well, the prime minister is trying to show his leadership in

other areas. noda abruptly instructed senior government officials to make a decision as soon as possible on whether to join free trade talks on the partnership or ttp. the former administration wanted japan to get involved in the tpp. but it faced strong opposition from the powerful farm lobby that could influence election results. noda visited the rice pattys near tokyo to ease concerns among farmers that the tariffs could have hurt them. >> noda is japan's sixth prime minister in five years. what kind of future is he looking at? >> well, it won't be an easy one. the tpp is one issue and divided diet another. the ruling democratic party controls the lower house but not the upper house. so the government cannot pass

without the opposition. they are playing hard ball because of noda's passive stance regarding the political funding scandal. noda needs to balance his desire to keep his party united with his need to work together with the opposition parties. you know, sooner or later, the prime minister will have to realize that he won't be able to survive if he tries to be everybody's friend. >> our senior commentator reporting tonight. thank you. and now let's look at the global weather forecast. hello. time for your weather update. let's start off with east asia. it is wet again across southeast asia. we have a newly developed tropical storm system banyan east of the philippines, about

to make landfall in the next 24 hours. heavy rain, strong winds are already impacting across the southern half of the country, and things will get stormy erin the next couple days. meanwhile, a big low pressure system by the indochina peninsula. it is dumping heavy rain and thunderstorms. much of the peninsula and coast of china and this area has been contending with the serious flooding situation. so any additional rain is not good news. as for central china, things are looking wet and the rain is moving into the east coast in the next 24 hours. but it is a different story for the korean peninsula and much of japan. a high pressure system is bringing a nice spell. this area under rain and thunderstorms. as for temperatures, we expect 23 in tokyo and 21 in seoul. it will be very cool, only 11

degrees here. you may see some snow. as for the americas, we are monitoring hurricane jova. it is set to make landfall in the southwest coast of mexico in the next several hours. torrential rains and fierce winds are impacting much of the west coast. we have another system trailing jova. this is tropical storm irwin. it is going to approach the same area. this area is contending with very wet conditions in the next several days. as for the rest of north america, a very big low pressure system is continuing to dump heavy rain against the southeastern parts of the u.s. the rain will spread into northeastern states in the next 24 hours. while rain is developing across the mississippi valley wednesday, and to the west, british columbia and parts of washington stay wet. you may see heavy snow in the upper mountains.

as for temperatures, we expect 32 in houston and heating up to 36 in los angeles. but it is going to be cool in vancouver, with 15 degrees, and 14 in seattle. finally, let's go over to europe then. we can see a long rain band from the british isles through northern germany into western russia. underneath the system, we are seeing heavy rain and scattered thunderstorms. the 4e6 eeest rain across the baltic states and it is very windy across northern parts of germany. as for the british isles, things are dryer wednesday afternoon. meanwhile, lots of thunderstorms erupting across turkey and stormy conditions will linger the next couple of days. to the south, things are very dry and mild. temperatures are looking like this. we are expecting 27 degrees in

rome. cool in stockholm. 13 in berlin. here is the extended forecas

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