fighting escalates. welcome to nhk world "news line." the situation in syria has gone from a protest to a conflict to a crisis in 15 months. now united nations officials say the country is locked in a civil war.

government soldiers are intensifying attacks to take back areas controlled by opposition forces. troops loyal to president assad are going after members of the free syrian army but the opposition forces aren't breaking down. they resume their offenses after a series of civilian massacres. assad's regime is blamed for the attacks. fighters are expanding their areas. government troops are using helicopters to carry out air strikes. a resident told nhk that government forces are bum barding the northern town from the east and the west destroying many buildings. another resident in the central city of homs observed fighting in the area. a human rights group says nearly

170 people were killed across the country on monday and tuesday. a series of bombs have killed 57 people in iraq, most of the victims were shia muslim pilgrims. 11 bombs exploded early wednesday in baghdad. the targets included police checkpoints and worshippers at the shia festival. the attackers took aim at the central city. a car bomb killed four people 80 km north of the capitol. terror attacks intensified in iraq since u.s. forces withdrew last december. opponents are saying the administration is targeting the minority muslims. investigators in japan are trying to figure out officials broke international rules designed to keep north korea from building up its military. they've got documents proving a ship transporting special vehicles from china.

they say the vehicles could be used as launch pads for ballistic missiles. the coast guard police and custom officials say they found export documents of the cambodian register ship during a search in october in osaka port. the firm has been designated for an asset freeze for violating sanctions violating weapons to north korea. they say the paperwork shows a ship transported four large special vehicles from shanghai to the north korean city of nampho. japanese officials say it's likely these vehicles match those displayed as missile launchpads during a military parade in april in north korea. they also say exporting this type of hardware violates u.n. security council resolutions. the resolutions ban countries from sending materials related to weapons of mass destruction to north korea.

japanese officials are reporting their findings to the u.n. a chinese foreign ministry spokesperson is denying the accusations. >> translator: china firmly opposes proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. we strongly implement unsc resolutions. >> he added firms in china do not export goods that are banned by security council resolutions or chinese law. >> our senior reporter gives us more insight into the special vehicles that have been transported to north korea. tell us a little bit more about these vehicles. >> well, the international community has raised concern over transporter reactor launcher which, for the first time, appeared in public at the military parade in pyongyang april 15th. this launcher reportedly carries a long range missile. so if the vehicles were exported to north korea, this could be in violation of u.n. security

council resolutions. please look at these pictures. the first one was taken at the military parade in pyongyang this april. the second picture is of special vehicles being manufactured by china. the shape of the front window resembles that of the vehicle in that military parade in april. you can see that the same model of 16-wheeled vehicles made in china appear in the military parade. the others have been saying, this shows the vehicle in the parade were provided by china. japanese authorities including the coast guard discovered that the -- that china exposes vehicles to the north. they made the findings when conducting a search of the freighter of the osaka port last year. >> does this amount to china violating international laws?

>> transporting materials related to weapon of mass destruction to north korea is a clear breach of the u.n. security council resolutions. ballistic missiles included in this category, making it possible that china violated the resolutions. this remains unclear why china provided north korea with the vehicles. but shipping military materials overseas requires a go-ahead from beijing. therefore, it is likely that china, china's leadership approves export of vehicles in the knowledge that north korea might use them for military purposes. but please look at the photo again. >> okay. >> as the vehicle seems to be for civilian purposes china may have thought it can -- it did not violate the security council resolutions, it exported vehicles to the north for civilian purposes. next question is, how is the international community react

china's suspected breach of the u.n. resolutions? >> thank you very much for that. >> good evening, aung san suu kyi will spend time visiting britain and france. the last time she was in europe was 1988. she spent many of the intervening years under house arrest. leaving airport on wednesday she told reporters how she felt. aung san suu kyi made her return to the international stage when she visited thailand earlier this month on her european tour she's expected to seek support

for the ongoing democratization of myanmar, one of aung san suu kyi's most significant engagements will be in the norwegian capital oslo to give a belated acceptance speech for the nobel peace prize she won in 2001. -- 1991. she avoided the ceremony at the time concerning the military government wouldn't allow her to return. the newly elected lawmaker will also visit england where she lived until 1988. there she'll be reunited with her sons and celebrate her 67th birthday. aung san suu kyi leaves myanmar at a delicate time for the country following clashes between buddhists and muslims. some have attempted to flee by boat to bangladesh but many were refused permission to land.

reuters reports hundreds have tried to flee myanmar since the violence erupted. many headed by boat for bangladesh but they are apparently being turned away. >> translator: yesterday we sent them back, they were saying please kill us and throw our bodies into the river, just don't send us back. >> one man who made it on to bangladesh soil revealed the extent of the violence back home. >> translator: they killed three or four people in front of me. i was scared they'd kill me too. so i decided to flee to bangladesh. this is a muslim country. so i hope they would give us shelter. >> most live in the western province of rakhine, they are denied citizenship and they follow islam unlike those who are buddhist. the united nations estimate

more than 200,000 living in bangladesh. rakhinians also suffer persecution, the president sein declared a state of emergency in rakhine, secretary of state clinton is calling for reconciliation. >> the violence has clouded optimism over progress in myanmar and its economic potential. even so, many international companies have taken steps to invest in what's being called asia's last frontier. among them is a big trading company from japan which opened an office last week. here's more. >> translator: president and ceo of one of japan's leading trading companies. in june, he visited myanmar's largest city. he met with representatives of the business community to strengthen ties.

>> translator: so many people are coming to myanmar from all over the world because the country's politics and economy are changing radically. >> reporter: the main purpose of his visit was to inaugerate his new company. several ranking members attended the opening. >> translator: myanmar has tremendous potential thanks to its wealth of natural resources and excellent workforce. that's why we view it as one of our top eight strategic partners in the world. >> so all of the important decisions can be made in the capital. that's why opening the office is very important and meaningful. >> reporter: one key factor that enabled the opening of the office was the japanese government decision to resume to

myanmar for the first time in 25 years, to develop zones and other large scale infrastructure project could create important business opportunities for japanese companies like his. but other rivals from japan are also boosting their presence here. so he says he's keen to get to work. >> translator: we need to be pro active in making business proposals. i want to pursue opportunities in myanmar more aggressively. >> reporter: with the population of 60 million and abundant natural resources, myanmar has economic potential, companies like his are hoping the economic door continues to open. nhk world.

>> and that's going to wrap up our bulletin in bangkok. a japanese photo journalist is using his pictures to tell a story about the dangers of radiation. he has spent decades documenting how u.s. nuclear testing affected people in the islands in the pacific. now the 72-year-old is using what he learned to help residents of fukushima prefecture dealing with the aftermath of a nuclear accident. here's the story. >> reporter: he began photographing victims of nuclear experiments nearly four decades ago. he and his wife lived there for several years to better understand the situation. >> translator: i want to do more than take photos. i'd like to act as a messenger

and build bridges between the marshall islands in japan. >> reporter: the u.s. government took control of the marshall islands after world war ii. it carried out 67 nuclear tests there between 1946 and 1958. it detonated a powerful bomb in 1954. the radio active material reached islands hundreds of kilometers away. among them rongelap island. it took american authorities a few days to evacuate the island. thee years later, they declared it safe and islanders returned. shimada visits the area 20 years after the experiment.

people had developed various diseases, among them disorders, leukemia and cancer. the number of children born with congenital abnormalities have increased. islanders said american doctors check them regularly but didn't provide treatment. >> translator: actually, islanders were not allowed to know the big picture of nuclear testing and its resulting health effects. they could not understand why these diseases and other abnormalities were occurring. >> reporter: the serious health problems forced islanders to leave rongelap again in 1985. 31 years after the experiment. they moved to a deserted island where they faced severe food shortages.

they had to rely ochb can -- on canned food supplies from the u.s. even now they can't go back do rongelap, the accident at the fukushima daiichi plant reminded people about the risks of radiation. shimada decided it was time to convey the lessons learned in the islands. he traveled around japan to show his photographs. he said u.s. government policies have devastated lives in the pacific island chain and urged people not to repeat the same mistakes in fukushima. >> translator: i think the most important thing is to listen to victims in various situations. and stay by their side. >> reporter: the message hit home for people from fukushima prefecture.

>> translator: i feel people from fukushima and the islands have something in common. we're powerless at the national policy. >> translator: the effects of radioactive contamination should be researched and disclosed. the history of suffering along the marshall islanders provides lessons for us all. >> reporter: shimada hopes to promote exchanges between residents of the marshall islands and fukushima. he has devoted most of his life to help people affected by radiation. but his work is not yet finished. nhk world. >> shimada is planning to launch a project with japanese scientists to measure radiation in the northern part of the

rongerlap. contamination there was particularly severe. american authorities have been decontaminating rongelap, former residents plan to return home this year but not everybody is going. some islanders remain concerned about the long-term effects of radiation. no one used the results to take measures to prevent a disaster. the employees tried to determine what would happen if waves swamped one of the plant's reactors. the group estimated if it exceeded 13.5 meters all power woul be lost. the study also said it would

cost about $25 million to implement measures. officials say the employees carried out the study as part of their training. they say the utility did not expect such a large tsunami to hit the plant. the japanese government is sponsoring the project. palestinian president said they commissioned a local firm to select tenants for the new facility. the companies will process regional products such as dates. >> translator: this signing ensures we are on the right track. we know it is an obstacle but we won't make it an excuse to do

nothing. >> officials hope the plant will be running by the end of the year. israel hasn't given permission to drill wells. japanese officials say they will continue to ask the israelis to cooperate. a restaurant owner has been reunited with her sign that was washed up. two pilots from fed ex arrived at a temporary housing compound. they were carrying a parcel. had hung a chain of yellow buoys outside her restaurant but the

tsunami tore them down. one was slept to an alaskaen island. it was identified by the chinese character. >> translator: i lost everything in the tsunami. i still have nothing but i hope to reopen my restaurant someday. this is a sign. >> said she had given up hope of ever seeing her sign again. heavy rainfall continues in taiwan. >> torrential amounts of rain across much of southern taiwan here where you have been seeing heavy rainfall. in the next 24 hours an additional 250 mm could be seen here. already issued flood warnings. towards the east and west of

hong kong you see areas of purple where you could be seeing heaviest areas of rainfall. southern thailand plenty of reports of flooding and land slides killing several people at this time. let's look farther towards the south in the tropics. tropical storm moving towards the northwest. a small island just south of the center of circulation. all of the warnings have been lifted here. the storm is expected to continue to intensify as it pushes off here in the east coast of philippines the southern japanese islands you are going to have to watch this very closely by the end of the week. this is expected to intensify to a typhoon. still very long range definitely but we continue to keep you posted. across the philippines a

southwest monsoon has been continuing to bring heavy rainfall. land slides are still high at risk. once the storm pushes towards the northwest this will be upping the risk. temperatures are looking like this. hong kong with a high of 29. off towards the east tokyo a high of 25 going into your thursday. in the americas texas and oklahoma here you are going to be seeing rough weather. yesterday several reports of tornadoes. today it does look like this frontal area will continue to push off towards the east. tornadoes, large hail to golf ball size and 100 km miles per hour winds. heavy rainfall will be occurring. northern florida you have been seeing record breaking floods here and more rnfall coming out of this continuing to exasperate the situation. as the whole system pushes to the east drier and breezier air

behind it. this will be making fire weather especially dangerous. you have these fires blazing in colorado. as this continues to stir up the atmosphere you don't want to be burning anything else. you want to leave them alone for the time being. as far as temperatures 32 here in denver. phoenix 42 for your high. atlanta at 31. miami up to 33. this will be accompanied by afternoon rain showers. in europe several low pressure cysystems have been bringing hey rainfall. this is pushing towards the east with the weather system. behind it look at this deep system out of the atlantic. this will be bringing flooding precipitation. and also off towards the east another system moving away from the alpine regions. yesterday you had the tornado in venice. this system is going to be

continuing to carry that energy towards the east bringing heavy rainfall there. south of the fronts rome at 24. athens up to 34 on thursday. here is a look at your extended outlook.

u.n. senior officials are calling the situation in the country a civil war. troops loyal to president assad are going after members of the free syrian army but the opposition forces aren't backing down. they resume their offenses. assad's regime is blamed for the attacks. syrian army fighters are extending their areawise cooperation from local residents. government troops are using helicopters and shelling targets from positions they have taken up on the outskirts of urban areas. a resident told nhk that government forces are bum barding the northern town from the east and the west destroying many buildings. another resident in the central

city of homs reported fierce fighting. a human rights group in syria said nearly 170 people were killed across the country on monday and tuesday. a series of bombs in iraq has killed almost 57 people. 11 balms exploded early wednesday in baghdad. the targets included police check points and worshippers at a shi'a festival. an explosion ripped through a restaurant. more than 20 people died there. a car bomb killed four north of the capitol. we'll be back with more

updates in 30 minutes.