hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." it's monday, august 27th. i'm katherine kobayashi in tokyo. syrian government and opposition forces are blaming each other for what could be one of the worst atrocities in their civil war. gunmen killed more than 100 residents of a sunni muslim community on the outskirts of damascus. activists say most of the victims were killed execution style.

british human rights activists say about 120 bodies have been found in houses and underground shelters in the town of dariya. others say the number killed is closer to 200. soou soo sunnis in the town have hosted a number of demonstrations against bashar al assad. one spokesman says government forces attacked dariya the past couple of days. activists loyal to assad entered the city and shot people indiscriminately. however, a pro-government tv station said terrorists carried out what it called a brew it will act. the british activists say about 370 people died across syria on saturday alone. that would be the most killed in a single day since the uprising against assad began in march 2011. >> iran has criticized the sanctions imposed against it by the united states and europe over its alleged nuclear weapons

program. the remarks were made at the opening of an international conference in tehran on sunday. nhk world's mojtaba sanati has more. >> reporter: the 16th summit of the non-align movement is under way in tehran while tensions between iran and the west are ever increasing. the conference is held every three years. the 120 members of the conference are mostly developing countries and territories. iran is chairing this year's meeting. the nation is at odds with the united states and europe over the issue of its nuclear development. at the opening ceremony of expert level meetings on sunday, the iranian foreiister criticized the western nations for stepping up their sanctions against tehran. >> translator: it's illegal for certain countries to take high-handed actions, including economic sanctions, against

non-aligned members. we have to deal with the issue. >> reporter: salehi also said israel and the u.s. are the main cause of the palestinian issue as well as other terrorist acts taking place around the world. the summit that begins on thursday will be attended by leaders of countries that are at odds with europe and the united states. president of the north korean supreme people's assembly kim mohamed morsi also plan to attend the summit. iran and egypt have previously severed their diplomatic relations. tehran intends to show off its presence by strengthening cooperation with other participating nations. participating nations. the summit will conduct discussions with the aim of adopting a joint statement on the final day. mojtaba sanati, nhk world, tehran.

typhoon bolaven has lashed the main island of okinawa in southern japan. it is one of the most powerful typhoons to hit the region in more than 60 years. the storm had a cloud field of more than 2,000 kilometers, 20 times the length of okinawa. the japan meet lodteorological reported wind of up to 160 kilometers per hour. the japan meteorological agency warns of severe wind, torrential rain, storm surges and rough seas in okinawa and onami island. they say residents can expect another 250 millimeters of rain over the next 24 hours. for the latest information on the typhoon -- >> devon stating typhoon bol boleven. the system left these islands

but still including these islands in the storm warning -- storm warning area. so fierce winds will likely continue, at least for the next six hours and we'll likely see an additional 250 millimeters of rain over the next 24 hours. winds will remain very high. it will move toward the north and affect the shanghai area and kyushu with very strong winds. may hit the west coast of the korean peninsula by tuesday local time as a very strong typhoon then move towards the north. if you remember, a serious low pressure system has brought something amounts of rain to the korean peninsula. further flooding and landslides will highly likely here. >> saka will noin us more later in the program for world weather. the japanese government has drawn up a road map for recon instructing areas in 12 municipalities near the fukushima de

by tuesday morning, okinawa is chee expected to have a record total nuclear power plant. the areas were previously designated as evacuation zones. in areas of these municipalities where the evacuation order has been lifted, the government will finish decontaminating and restoring essential utilities within the next two years. the government also plans to create jobs through the decontamination and decommission of the reactors in these municipalities during this period. the road map says the government will take social responsibility for having promoted nuclear energy as a state policy. the plan also says it will ensure the execution of the measures until the very end. the road map pledges that the government will restore transportation systems and rebuild industries within the next five years so evacuees can lead stable lives after they return home. the plan says the government aims to launch new industries, including those related to renewable energies and medical equipment within ten years as a way to secure jobs and attract

younger generations to settle in the areas. the japanese government will conduct thyroid tests on children outside fukushima prefecture. the aim is to see whether last year's nuclear accident in the prefecture has anything to do with the discovery of lumps in the thyroid glands of 1 in 3 children in fukushima prefecture. the decision has been made by the cabinet offices team supporting people affected by the nuclear disaster. radioactive iodine released from the fukushima daiichi power plant can accumulate in the thyroid glands of children and raise their risk of developing cancer. fukushima prefecture is conducting thyroid tests on all children 18 years old or younger. by the end of march, 38,000 children have been checked. no one was diagnosed with cancer, but lumps were found in 36% of the children. the prefecture explained that lumps can be found in healthy

children so no special measures are needed, but parents voiced strong concerns over the finding. thyroid checks will now be conducted on 4,500 children aged 18 years old or younger in three areas outside fukushima prefecture by the end of march. the data will then be compared with that of fukushima. the cabinet office says data will be collected in areas not affected by radioactive materials released from the crippled nuclear reactors. it says the move is designed not only to alleviate concerns but also to detect possible effects of the nuclear accident on children's health, if any, as early as possible. many people who survived the attack on hiroshima in 1945 have a rather unusual name for the atomic bomb. they call it pechlt ka. it is a japanese way of describing a flash and the sound of the explosion that follows. the word peka inspired an

american poet. he's published a collection of poetry depicting the tragic consequences of the bombing. >> reporter: the book is called "come search," in english. its 14 poems are illustrated with photographs of every day objects that belonged to people who were killed by the bomb that destroyed hiroshima. the poems depict the moment when the bomb was dropped and what happened to those who owned the objects. >> in a barber shop in a bustling quarter of hiroshima. everyone looked to me. it was my job to tell the time. but on the morning of august 6th, at 8:15, flash.

>> the author of the book was born in 1967. he came to japan 17 years ago. he writes poems if japanese and has won a number of literature prizes. five years after he settled in japan, he visited hiroshima for the first time. he learned the word peka when a survivor described the bombing. >> pekadon, that expression, was invented by people who were on the ground in hiroshima. when you say pekadon, the word itself puts new that position and you are looking up. for me, pekadon was an important discovery when i first learned the word pekadon, it changed the way i looked at what happened in hiroshima. >> reporter: he rented a room in hiroshima. he started visiting a memorial

museum where items that belonged to the victims are stored. he selected 14 objects and began researching their history by interviewing relatives and reading documents. among the items was this pair of little shoes. they belong to 14-year-old boy who was hit by the bomb while he was doing the militia work. the boy died three days later. >> on the morning of august 6th, when the day's work had just begun, there came a flash. we protected his feet, but that flash stabbed his face, his hands, his arms, body burned all over. but the boy start walking upstream, along the riverbank, trudging, trudging, and at last,

"i'm home." >> so in the book when i was trying to tell the stores of the 14 different objects, i was looking for a way to express that -- that moment when the uranium fissioned 580 meters over the city. and it's a moment that happens in every story. i have so many stories that i was given while i was making this book. all the stories that i couldn't fit into the book. this book especially i feel like i've just begun working on this huge project. >> reporter: binal says he will continue to listen to the voiceless objects that, unlike

their owners, survived that fateful summer of 1945. he hopes to tell more about what happened to tens of thousands of people whose own voices will never again be heard. nhk world. anti-japan protests over the disputed senkaku islands continued in china on sunday. japan's embassy is advising japanese nationals in the region to stay on the alert. about 500 people took to the streets on sunday. they chanted "drive japan out of the islands" and "boycott japanese products." demonstrators also held a rally in the main city of hainan province. police were on high alert in dongguan, guangdong province, where many japanese companies have factories. officers detained a protester carrying the chinese flag but eventually a rally started in

the afternoon. anti-japan protests started after the japanese authorities arrested a group of chinese activists who landed on the senkaku islands. protests took place in more than 20 cities last sunday, some turning violent. japan's ground self-defense force has held a live fire drill at the foot of mt. fuji in central japan. the large-scale exercise assumed for the first time that a remote japanese island was under attack. the gsdf held the annual live fire drills at the higashi-fuji training camp. this year's exercises were based on the scenario of enemy forces maneuvering warships. gsdf personnel carried out the operation while communicating with the maritime self-defense force in p3c aircraft. this type of plane is usually deployed for aerial surveillance of japan's maritime territory. gsdf tank and artillery units

also fired shells as part of the drill. u.s. authorities are cracking down on synthetic drugs or so-called herbal blends, products marketed as legal that have become increasingly popular among young people. synthetic drugs contain chemical substances that emulate the effects of marijuana, or other stimulants and hallucinogens. they have been sold illegally across the united states. 13,000 serious incidents resulting from synthetic drug abuse were reported in the country in 2011, including car accidents and suicide. the figure is up from 3,000 cases a year earlier. u.s. congress has passed new legislation banning 31 chemical substances and those with similar chemical compositions found in synthetic drugs and other potentially hazardous products. president barack obama signed it into law in july.

later in july, the u.s. drug enforcement administration and other authorities jointly raided retailers and manufacturers in at least 100 cities across the nation. at least 90 people were arrested and an amount of synthetic drugs equivalent to 19 million packages was seized. in illinois, a group of parents whose children have had problems with synthetic drugs staged a campaign to combat such products. their campaign has resulted in the introduction of new regulations in the state. an overnight bus has smashed into a tanker in china. the crash killed 36 people, including the bus driver. china's state-run xinhua news agency says the bus with 39 people on board burst into flames in yanan city. authorities suspect the fire started when impalmable methyl alcohol leaked from the tanker. the bus was on its way to xian, about 800 kilometers from its

departure point in the autonomous region of inner mongolia. many chinese use overnight buses for long journeys because of the cheap fares and wide choice of routes, but serious accidents involving buses continue to occur in china. possible causes include poor maintenance and overworked drivers. people in many parts of china are seeing the ground beneath their feet disappear. ghts have parched the land year after year, so residents have tapped more water from underground sources. but then the land above collapses. >> reporter: this city is about 200 kilometers south of beijing. there are little bumps on the road here. the road surface has collapsed in many places, too. people are so worried about this

situation right now. the cause is land subsidence. many residents can't escape the effects of the collapsing land surface. these cracks show that several years ago. many of the residents say they, too, have the same problem. a city official confirms ground surfaces that gave way triggered the cracks. >> translator: i worried all the time if this situation gets any worse, my house will collapse. it's scary. >> reporter: officials have confirmed the phenomenon is taking place in a number of regions in northern china. the problem is spreading through rural districts. this man farms in the area. for 0 years his main crop has

been rice. >> reporter: this brick households a well affected by sinking land. this man used to draw water from this well, but it sunk along with the earth around it. now they are 20 centimeters lower than before. the underground layer that held water has collapsed, so he could not draw any. farming in this area was already tough, as not much rain falls here. >> translator: it's getting more serious year by year. i want to improve my situation, but i can't find a solution. >> reporter: residents in beijing are also suffering the effects of sinking land. the 20 million locals rely on underground sources for two-thirds of their water.

because they are using up so much, the risk of land sinkage is increasing. city officials are pressed to find a solution. in july, new regulations were enforced to lake water use. the main targets are businesses that use a lot of water. if they use more than a certain amount, they pay an extra charge. officials hope this will reduce the amount of land that gives w way. however, a water resources expert points out that limiting the use of ground water may reduce one problem, but it increases another. >> translator: to achieve economic growth, we have to overcome our water shortage.

but beijing and the neighboring province must abide by water usage restrictions, so it's very difficult to strike a balance between economic development and water conservation. >> reporter: water shortages are an ancient proverb. chinese officials are now looking for answers. nhk world, beijing. major supermarket chains in japan have begun selling fish dishes that are easy to cook. japanese consumers are eating less fish at home because they find it difficult to prepare. one supermarket chain is selling fish dishes it developed with a food company. seasons salmon filets or prawns can be heated in a microwave and look as if they were broiled. another retailer has begun selling processed sari.

the head and bones have been removed. >> translator: it takes time to cook and there's just garbage. >> translator: we will increase our line-up of fish dishes to boost the appeal of fish. >> the fisheries agency is seeking to reverse the trend. it launched a nationwide appeal for fish dishes that can be quickly prepared. last week professional chefs and housewives chose 64 of the best suggestions. the agency will work with retailers to continue promoting fish. now more on world weather. >> it's two powerful typhoons impacting parts of the east asia. this bigger one is bolaven impacting the southern islands of japan and will likely make landfall in the korean peninsula

or northeastern china tomorrow. this small one is typhoon t tembin. when we have two close together, the smaller one takes an expected movement, most likely to take a counterclockwise circulation. so tembin is expected to make a turn for southern taiwan by tomorrow morning local time, then move towards the north and follow bolaven. these storms are not the only threat to consider. we have another tropical activity in the gulf of mexico. this is storm isaac. isaac is now a tropical storm packing sustained winds of 95 kilometers per hour, situated west of the florida key. florida will continue to see a risk of tornadoes in to monday and very heavy rain and strong winds are already impacting this peninsula. it looks like it will move towards the northwest and become a hurricane within the next two

days or so and make landfall along the coast of central gulf coast by late tuesday or wednesday local time. so in addition to heavy rain and strong winds, high waves and rough seas are going to be a major concern for the next several days. we'll keep you posted on this one's progress. in terms of the rainfall, as much as 250 to 380 millimeters of rain is likely into the next 72 hours or so. so flooding and landslides are highly likely here. meanwhile, we've got a cold front swinging through the central portions of u.s. and eastern canada as it moves towards the east, it will get ample moisture from isaac so thundershowers will strengthen. as for the highs, temperatures are still on the hot side in chicago with a high of 34, but it should cool down as we head into tuesday. all right. finally, let's go over to europe. it is mostly dry across the western continent but you can see a big low pressure system approaching the british isles. things will turn quite wet and windy across the whole of the british isles within the next 24

hours or so. then out towards the east, scattered heavy rain is expected across finland and eastern europe over the next 24 hours. as for the highs, it's been on the hot side across the southern half of the continent. still on the hot side across athens. in athens. but the other areas are returning to more average levels on your monday. here's extended forecast.

taking a look at our lead story once again -- syrian government forces and opposition fighters are blaming each other for an alleged massacre near the capital damascus. a britain based human rights group said on sunday that about 120 bodies have been found in

houses and underground shelters in dariya, southwest of damascus, and that many of them had been shot. but others say the number of killed is closer to 200. with the high concentration of sunni muslims, dariya has hosted a lot of the demonstrations against bashar al assad. dariya has been under fierce attacks by government forces over the past few days. the activist also said soldiers and paramilitary forces loyal to assad entered the city and shot people indiscriminately. however, a tv station supporting assad said that it was a brutal act carried out by terrorists. the human rights group says about 370 died across syria on saturday alone. the highest number of deaths in a single day since the uprising against assad began in march 2011. that's all for this edition of "newsline."

i'm katherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.