shibu. on se a panel reveals japanese government leaders were unaware of a system to predict the spread of racial after the disaster last march. an independent panel says then prime minister kahn did not know of a tool that may have helped in the aftermath of the march 11 disaster. speedy is a computer system that can predict the spread of radioactive materials. panel members say kahn and those

around him didn't know it even existed. the six member panel of experts is expected to issue its report on the disaster during the day. the report says kahn and four other politicians blame science ministry officials for not informing them about speedi. the government developed it with 12 billion yen or roughly 150 million u.s. dollars. former cabinet secretary said he found out about the system in a media report several days after the disaster. at the time the plant's number two reactor was spewing radioactive materials. he said the bureaucrats told him later they decided not to inform him about speedi because its calculations were not credible. they cited lack of precise data on radiation. the panel charges in the report that speedi was used as a tool to assure local residents about the safety of nuclear power and

to obtain their consent to build the plant. the report also says the system should have been used more effectively to reduce residents' exposure to radiation as much as possible. a report by an independent panel in japan confirms, the panel we were talking about confirms the government was preparing for the worst in the wake of the accident at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. it says cabinet members considered evacuating tokyo following the disaster last march. six experts sat on the investigative panel and interviewed 300 people, including japanese and u.s. government officials. they will issue the report tuesday. the chief of fukushima daiichi informed the government three days after the accident that cooling system failures could cause a meltdown of nuclear fuel rods. the information was reportedly sent to cabinet members and atomic energy experts.

the economy minister was chief cabinet secretary at the time. he also served as the government spokesperson. he said in the report that authorities were on stand by to act if the fuel rods continued to be exposed to the air. that would have released a large amount of radioactive material and prevented workers from entering reactor buildings. he also said he feared problems could occur at another nuclear plant in fukushima and that tokyo might have to be evacuated. he added the cabinet was told of this scenario, but that the government chose not to make it public. the independent report stresses the need for discussions on information disclosure by the government during emergencies. russian state television says security forces have foiled a plot to assassinate vladimir putin. they say two men confessed. they were arrested last month in the ukraine.

the report says the suspects were acting on instructions on a he chan separatist war load. the opponents say the report is a stunt to raise support for putin in the presidential election. russians vote on sunday. putin's spokesperson denied any link between the plot and the election campaign. russia has stepped up its criticism of u.s. foreign policy before presidential election next sunday. putin made remarks that were published in a russian newspaper on monday and he says russia cannot accept u.s. plans of a ballistic missile defense system in europe. he said it would only protect the western part of the continent and the article says military intervention in countries like libya would just make authoritarian regimes want nuclear weapons even more and cited north korea and iran as examples.

yemen, officially has a new leader, outgoing president abdullah sahel handed over power to his successor over a rule that lasted 27 years. the protests continued to rally demanding the former president face trial. sahel passed the national flag to the new president in a ceremony in the capital sanaa. he expressed support for the new government but did not apologize for his authoritarian rule or suppression of recent protests. the government's crackdowns report he left more than 1,000 people dead. meanwhile, thousands of protesters gathers in sanaa at the time of the ceremony. they called for the prosecution of all relatives who still hold positions of power. >> translator: we demand that the new president works to achieve the rest of the goals of the revolution. he should restructure the army and security forces. >> hadi was elected last week with the support of ruling and opposition parties.

they downgraded greek bonds to selective default. ai uchida has more. >> the agency believes greece, the country, is going to not be able to deliver on some of its financial obligations. the u.s. credit rating agency standard and poors downgraded dreek debt rating to selective default monday. it is the first time a major ratings firm made such a decision on greece. the greek government is asking private sector investors to take a write down on greek debt holdings of 50%. they cut the rating because the procedure could be forced. the downgrade won't have any great impact on greek bailout because its framework has already been decided. euro group president said in a

statement monday that the downgrade of that debt rating was within the scope of assumption. he said he was prepared for down grades when a plan to ask private investors for a write down was formed. elpida filed for bankruptcy monday. the focus is whether they will seek restructuring support from a domestic company or fall on the wing of an overseas partner. elpida had 5.6 billion in liabilities, making its bankruptcy the biggest on record among japanese manufacturers according to a private research firm. frnz the price of chips plunged. last year's floods in thailand also effected the company. the environment surrounding us has deteriorated rapidly.

>> japan's only memory chip maker and the world's third largest, elpida received public funds after financial health worsened following the lehman shock four years ago. they have been seeking a tie up with u.s. anti wan east jip makers. the japanese government has been reluctant to extend support beyond march without fundamental restructuring of the firm's operations. following that bankruptcy filing, stock exchanges have de-listed its shares. u.s. stocks were little changed overnight with the dow-jones average ending a touch lower, just below 13,000 level. let's see how the stocks here are starting. we will go to ramin mellegard at the tokyo stock exchange. recent boost to u.s. stocks but some investors looking to book

profits after big gains in the last few weeks. >> definitely. we're seeing that with stocks in japan as well, that follows some gains, we had seen significant gains this month on the back of recently trending weaker yen. let's look at the opening levels this tuesday morning. you can see the nikkei and topix trading lower. below 9600 level on the nikkei. slid lower yesterday. had risen 10% since the beginning of the month, talking the nikkei. the bankruptcy filing there as you mentioned of the biggest memory chip maker will be a major focus today. elpida memory looking to be on a watch list on the tokyo stock exchange. it is tradeable until it is going to be de-listed march 28th, ahead of the new fiscal year which starts in japan in april. so that's a big focus.

the president will remain to oversee the restructuring of the company, and it is going to be protected under the corporate rehabilitation law. the same corporate practice there that was used for japan airlines, which actually recently has bounced back quite strongly. we'll keep an eye on that. the yen rebounded a touch against the euro and dollar. 80.46-46 dollar yen, was trading 81 this time yesterday. euro yen 107.90-95. it was around 109 this time yesterday. the yen gaining a little back from the recent gains of the last two weeks. >> ramin, in addition to currency markets, the price of oil a big issue for japan as well. how is that playing into markets? >> exactly. japan imports a large% of oil

from the persian gulf and with the embargo against iran, it is causing concern for the oil industry. a lot of trading houses and energy related stocks. we will keep track of that. and oil is traded in dollars, so the dollar yen currency trades will also be looked at oh we will keep track of key stocks in those sectors and the currency markets. >> with nearly all the nuclear reactors in japan remaining idle following the march 11 disaster, it is looking like japan is more dependent on overseas energy now. >> exactly. japan is one of the biggest oil importers. that also effected its trade deficit numbers a couple weeks ago. so a lot of focus there on what is happening in the oil industry. but also the semi-conductor following the elpida story. we'll keep track of all of those. back to you. >> ramin mellegard from the tokyo stock exchange. now let's look at some other

asian markets that are open this hour. >> more updates next hour. let's go to bangkok to find out what's making headlines.

in afghanistan, days of chaos and outrage following the burning of the koran by u.s. soldiers escalated in one day when a car bomb exploded near an american military base. the taliban has claimed responsibility for the deadly blast. nhk world has this report from kabul. >> reporter: the explosion occurred in jalalabad and in the eastern province early monday morning. a car bomb went off near the gate of a u.s. military base. local government officials say at least nine people were killed, including afghan soldiers. another 12 were injured. the taliban issued a statement claiming responsibility. it said the attack was retaliation for the burning of the koran and it said it will continue its violent response. protests have been ongoing throughout afghanistan since the incident. as of sunday, at least 30 people have died, with 200 more injured. president hamid karzai urged afghan on sunday not to heed the

taliban's call for attacks against the u.s. military. last week, u.s. president obama, apologized to the afghan people for the burning of islam's holy book. but his apology drew criticism from his republican rivals in this election year. senior afghan officials, including the minister of defense, were scheduled to visit washington this week to discuss the timing of the withdrawal of u.s. troops. but the visit was cancelled. the officials said they are to stay in afghanistan to deal with the crisis. president karzai has expressed understanding for the emotions

of the afghan people over the burning of the koran. public outrage remains high. nhk world, kabul. >> next, to malaysia, where a new refining plant for rare-earth metals has become the target of environmental protests, raising questions about its viability. the rare elements are critical to production of many modern technologies manufacturers have been looking for new supplies in a market currently dominated by china. nhk world has this report. >> reporter: thousands of malaysians protested on sunday. they called on australian mining firms to suspend the construction of a refining plant for rare-earth metals.

local residents fear that radioactive waste from the facility could harm the environment. >> translator: we are worried that negative effects emerge after 10 or 20 years. we're concerned about the next generation. >> reporter: the factory behind me is the rare earth refinery plant. the construction is more than 90% complete. the malaysian government has already decided to grant an operating license to the australian company. but protesters have filed a complaint. they are asking a court to prevent the refinery from starting operations. rare-earth metals are essential for manufacturing mobile phones and motors for electric vehicles. more than 90% of global supplies come from china. but china has restricted exports forcing firms in japan and other countries to look elsewhere for reliable sources.

the malaysian facility was conceded one of those potential new sources of rare-earth metals. but if recent protests continue, it could make this new supply route difficult to operate. nhk world, malaysia. slash and burn farming is often blamed for destroying for -- forests. it also creates pollution as many countries in southeast asia are currently experiencing. the skies over northern thailand have been blanketed with a thick hayes for two weeks. visibility was reduced in eight provinces over the weekend. dust particles are rising above safety standards. flights were delayed and locals what were warned to wear masks when they go outside. in indonesia, using fire to clear land has been banned by the government but for the people, slash and burn farming has been passed down through the generations and as nhk world reports, the ban is affecting their traditional way of life.

>> reporter: this is a village that for generations -- clearing land with fire was banned as part of efforts to reduce carbon monoxide emissions. the bans have changed the lives of local people. this farmer shows us around an area where 20 families used to grow rice and other vegetables. the fire ban means they can no longer grow. many people have given up farming. some even left the village. >> translator: it's not that we're against the environmental efforts.

we need the fields to live on. we want them back. >> reporter: indigenous people gathered and submitted a statement to the region government. many voiced their anger. >> the lands handed down from our ancestors are precious to us. >> translator: we should have the right to protect our property. >> reporter: corporation of local residents is vital to preserving the forest. efforts to protect the livelihoods of the people and listen to their opinion are needed. only then can a strategy be created that is both effective

and sustainable. nhk world, back to you. and that wraps up our bulletin for today and we're out to bangkok. it is really cold this morning and may snow in tokyo. rachel ferguson joins us with the world weather forecast. >> the rumor is right. yes. we are going to see snow spreading across western and central japan. right now, showers are starting to move across the southern islands of japan. thunderstorms and heavy rain here. but cold air is lingering across the country. it is going to turn that precipitation to snow. you can see it moving across much of the country into wednesday it will be because it is tuesday today. in tokyo, we could see some snow, starting from midnight in through wednesday morning. in contrast, the korean peninsula and northern china are

going to be seeing temperatures a bit above average. i'll show you those figures in a second. further to the north and east, a few snow showers will be popping up. then more showers to the southeast. this is mostly rain, of course. it is one area moving away, but soon you'll see more showers popping up in their place. further inland to the southwest over the mountainous region, widespread snow. as for the philippines, more scattered thunderstorms, but yet again, heavier rain taking aim. let's show you temperatures. a chilly day in hong kong, 14 degrees. taipei warms up to 18. 8 in seoul on tuesday, but it is going to rise to 10 degrees wednesday. we usually see about 4 for the average to give you an idea. 7 degrees in tokyo tuesday and staying dry until that snow arrives incident midnight hours. okay, heading into north america. this is the low we're going to watch. we were talking about it yesterday, it just moved a little bit, spreading in towards

the central plains, bringing a large band of snow to the north and some thunderstorms, some severe to the south. anywhere from central plains it turns to rain and some severe storms down towards the gulf coast. now, in behind it there's already the next storm, this is another pacific storm, going to be moving just towards the south down the coast and towards central california. it will be once again mountain snow and coastal rain. also some strong winds. there are some watches and warnings posted for you here. further towards the east, things are starting to settle down across florida and the southeast, which is good news for you. then other system dashing across new england and southeastern canada with snow. should be weakening off. it will bring about 15 sent mighters of snow to the canadian mer times. new york city, 8 and sunshine. much of this area seeing above average temperatures. even though the storm is coming

in, warm air is flowing into the central plains. we have 20 degrees in oklahoma city, a windy day. 23 in houston. another slightly chilly day in l.a. at least the rain has gone, you'll see sunshine. all right into europe. british isles not looking bad. one system is moving away. still blustery to the north. then this is the system in question. it is taking aim at the scandinavian peninsula today. a lot of the inland snow will be turning over to rain as we get a boost of warmth coming up from the south. as it spills to the continent, mostly rain and mountain snow until we head towards the east, and it certainly will be turning to snow here. still have sub zero highs lingering about in eastern europe. down towards the southeast, it is going to get colder. we have one system moving out of the balance -- balkans. any heavy rain turns to snow.

that will be for the rest of the week. temperatures to 0 for the high by friday. out to the west, beautiful sunshine is available. here is your extended forecast.

our lead story, an independent panel says the prime minister didn't know of a tool called speedi that could have helped after the march 11 disaster. they are expected to issue a report on the disaster during the day. the report says kahn and other officials blame science ministry officials not informing them about speedi. they developed it with roughly 150 million u.s. dollars. a former cabinet secretary found out about the system in a report several days after the disaster. at the time, the plant's number two reactor was spewing radioactive materials. he said bureaucrats told him later they decided not to inform him about speedi because calculations were not credible.

they cited lack of precise data on radiation. the panel charges in its report that speedi was used as a tool to assure local residents about the safety of nuclear power and to obtain their consent to build the plant. the report also says the system should have been used more effectively to reduce exposure to radiation as much as possible. a report by the independent panel confirms the government was preparing for the worst in the wake of the accident at fukushima daiichi. it says cabinet members considered evacuating tokyo following the disaster last march. six experts sit on the investigative paenl. they interviewed 300 people, including japanese and u.s. government officials. they will issue that report tuesday. nhk obtained details in advance. the document stays the chief of fukushima daiichi informed the government three days after the accident that cooling system

failures could cause a meltdown of nuclear fuel rods. the information was reportedly sent to cabinet members and atomic energy experts. the economy minister was chief cabinet secretary at the time. he also served as the government's spokesperson. he said in the report that authorities were on stand by to act if the fuel rods continued to be exposed to the air. that would have released a large amount of radioactive material and prevented workers from entering reactor buildings. he said he also feared problems could occur at another nuclear plant in fukushima and that tokyo might have to be evacuated. he added the cabinet was told of this scenario, but that the government chose not to make it public. the independent report stresses the need for discussions on information disclosure by the government during emergencies. that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo.

tokyo. do stay with us. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com