hello there. welcome to "newsline." it's tuesday, october 30th. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. people in the u.s. northeast are looking out their windows and seeing the blurry images of a storm headed their way. they're facing an onslaught of rain and wind as hurricane sandy pushing inland. two people are missing after a ship sank off north carolina. several municipalities in the storm's path have declared a state of emergency. forecasters say the storm is

unusually large. it's expected to cut across new jersey over the next several hours. more than 6,000 houses in the state have already lost electricity. u.s. president barack obama made a direct appeal to people in the hurricane's path. >> the most important message that i have for the public right now is please listen to what your state and local officials are saying. when they tell you to evacuate, you need to evacuate. >> 370,000 new yorkers who live close to the water have left. the wind was so strong it bent the metal on a crane at this construction site. city officials have shet down the transit system. businesses and shops have closed. workers are piling up sandbags in front of subway entrances and buildings. >> it's very important. this will stop the water from going into the subway so we won't have a flood. >> irene last year didn't even

look like this after it hit. >> forecasters say they expect the storm will pound a wide area for several days. and with just nine days to go before the u.s. presidential election, the hurricane is altering the schedule and strategies of the two main candidates. president barack obama was set to campaign in three key states on monday, but he cut his trip short and returned to washington to monitor the storm. in 2005 obama's predecessor george w. bush was harshly criticized for his slow response to hurricane katrina. the storm devastated the south of the united states including the city of new orleans. republican campaign evented eeds in the s of virginia on sunday. both campaigns are concerned about the negative impact of early voting. ballots cast ahead of the election account for 30% of the total. we now go to sayaka mori who's been following this storm for

us. >> yes, catherine. sandy is quite a massive storm. clouds are blanketing eastern portions of the u.s. into eastern canada. we have lots of reports of flooding as well as strong winds. now things will get even worse because the center of sandy is expected to move into the new jersey coast within the next couple of hours. storm surge is going to be a major concern that's going to be accompanied by high tide. that means water levels will get much higher than usual. coastal flooding is highly likely. that's why hundreds of thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate. it looks like it's going to move through pennsylvania, new york city and aiming for new england states or southern quebec for the next several days. as it does so, rain will spread inland. as much as 200 millimeters but near 300 are possible. inland flooding is going to be another concern. freezing air comes from the north. only eight degrees in

washington. ten degrees in philadelphia. and because of that, mountain snow is connuing up to 90 centimeters into your wednesday. back to you. >> thanks very much. we'll check with sayaka mori again later on in the program. u.n. and arab league envoy says the ceasefire has collapsed. syria's government and opposition forces had agreed to stop during the muslim holiday which started last friday. but the fighting has continued leaving many people dead. he is visiting russia to seek support for the u.n. peace mission in russia. he says he's deeply disappointed but will not be deterred. >> it will not discourage us because syria is very important. because the people of syria deserve our support and interest. >> russian foreign minister says he supported a u.n. plan to sen.

the previous team left the country in august after a ceasefire at that time also failed. relatives of chinese prem r premier. the new york times showed wen's accrued is $2.7 billion. a lawyer for the relatives issued a statement rejecting the accusations. they say they have not conducted any illegal situations. chinese relatives rarely dispute allegations reported by foreign media. the claims were fabricated abroad, it was said. >> translator: some members of

the international community are trying to create instability by smearing china and its leaders. >> but the foreign ministry did not post the comment on its website. some high ranking chinese officials are not required to disclose their assets to the public. cradle of culture. economic powerhouse. many enjoy the fruits of prosperi prosperity. along the path to a new china. but millions are missing out. at a time of growing public discontent, members of the communist party are choosing their new leaders. "newsline" correspondents will report from the party's national congress. don't miss our special coverage, china the next generation starting thursday november 8th at 8:00 p.m. japan time here on "newsline." senior officials from china

and asean countries held informal talks on monday in thailand. they agreed to continue talks that demonstrates their will peacefully asean countries have been asked to abide by governing behavior in e in region. but they failed to reach substantial progress over the issue. despite the urging of the united states. the focus is now on whether the countries will be able to bridge their differences at a series of asean summits next month. a spokesperson for china says premier we know jiabao will attend next week. but he says there's no planned talks. relations have soured since japan -- also claim the islands.

spokesperson lei said they will take part in the meeting in laos. the summit is scheduled to open next monday. japanese prime minister yoshihiko noda is also planning on attending. he also criticized japan's approach to the dispute. >> translator: japan should immediately correct its mistakes. handle the island dispute appropriately. and make an effort to remove obstacles. >> observers say the chinese government sees the summit as a chance to present its stance on the sovereignty issue to the international community. united nations officials are urging the government of myanmar to stop an ethnic conflict that's displaced tens of thousands of people. buddhists are fighting a muslim

minority in the western state of rakine. >> reporter: the conflict involves majority buddhists and minority muslims. the latest wave of violence has killed 84 people and wounded more than 120 others. the international group human rights watch released satellite images of homes in the area. compared with photos from march, they review heavy damage. the united nations says the latest fighting has forced more than 22,000 people from their homes. the conflict flared in may after a group of muslims allegedly assaulted a buddhist woman. the violence has displaced 75,000 people since then.

president thein sein has made a policy of promoting reconsolation between the authorities. the side -- in january with the group called the korean national union ending more than 60 years of armed conflict. reconciliation was a condition western countries placed on myanmar in exchange for easing economic sanctions along with enacting democratic reforms. but the administration is finding that the issue is more complicated. many buddhists think of the muslims as intruders from neighboring bangladesh. the government does not recognize them as citizens. the opposition leader aung san s suu kyi has also not mentioned the issue. ban ki-moon said that myanmar is

striving to be an example of toleration. to tarnish these efforts. myanmar's efforts at -- the government's response to this humanitarian crisis. nhk world, bangkok. campaigning in the south korean presidential election is heating up. all three main candidates took part in a meeting of b owners in seoul. it was the first time the main contenders have appeared at the same event. the ruling party, moon chen of the united party and independent candidate are contesting the election. to support small businesses have become a focal point of the

campaign. about 3,000 people listened to the candidates' plans to revitalize the domestic economy. all three candidates promised the same thing. to tighten control over large firms. they all promise support for small businesses. some observers noted they would not find significant differences between the policies. with 50 days to go. japan's space agency says it's planning to launch the next generation rocket some time next year. the exploration agency is developing and testing the small rocket. it's designed to carry a miniature satellite into space. they're aiming to launch in august or september of next year. >> translator: we are trying to make a simple launch system. epsilon will be the first step towards a better future.

>> the agency has spent two years and more than 20 billion yen or about 200 remodeling the launch pad in southern japan as part of the epsilon project. japanese researchers say it's likely that more discoveries of a new energy souse already made in seas around the country. members of the team say they have found deposits of methane hydrate. methane hydrate is a type of natural gas. the substance exists in the seabed and other places with high pressure and low temperature. the researchers say they found the deposits in the sea of japan and in the sea of okosk. 30 to 50 kilometers off the coast. members of the team say an ultrasound survey detected gas gushing out of the seabed. a deposit of methane hydrate is

likely to come near gas chimneys. the leader of the team says these reserves could be of great use for japan. tokyo's newly refurbished central railway station was unveiled to the public at the beginning of the month. for people in the capital, it's an iconic landmark. but for people in the disaster area of tohoku, it has a deeper significance. >> reporter: the red brick building of tokyo station. the open entry showing major refurbishment. it's being restored to the way it looked when it was first built a century ago. the roof is from world war ii.

it's now covered with tiles. they have made of natural slate. when the station was originally built in 1914, the slates covering the roofs all came from the town of ogatsu in miyagi prefecture. for the recent refurbishment, the railway company decided to use slate again. then the massive earthquake hit the region. ogatsu was devastated by the tsunami. the entire building where the slates were being stored was washed away. amazingly, many slates survived intact.

after the disaster, zazaki was the first on the scene. he found slates all covered with debris. but he was convinced they were still usable. >> translator: it's a miracle they survived the tsunami. because tokyo station is a japanese icon, i really wanted slates from ogatsu to be used on it. >> reporter: after the disaster, there was no electricity or running water. but with help of volunteer workers, all the slates were washed down carefully by hand. finally they managed to ship the

slates off to tokyo. carefully put into place on the new station roof. back in ogatsu, it had been moved. but the town has a long way to go to bounce back from the disaster. but the local people are slowly starting to rebuild their lives. sasaki is now busy working on a new house. it's the first time since the tsunami that sasaki has been asked to use slate produced in ogatsu. >> translator: i'm really grateful to have been part of this kind of work.

i think we are taking strong steps towards rebuilding. >> reporter: sasaki has made a visit to tokyo to look at the reopened station. >> translator: it's wonderful. i feel overwhelmed. we feel proud that our slate has been used here. many people will see this roof. it's given us the hope to move forward one step at a time. >> reporter: for communities in the disaster area, the rebirth of tokyo station sh an inspiration for the survivors. nhk world, ogatsu, miyagi prefecture. japanese women are increasingly exploring the outdoors. they're hiking, trekking, and fishing so much that the term mountain girl has been coined to describe them.

now many are trying camping too. but you won't find any traditional gear at their camp sites. rina nakano explains. >> reporter: this may look like a page straight out of a magazine photo shoot, but it's actually a real camp site. not for traditional outdoorsmen, but for these women. ayano created this camping style years ago. she and her friends say they enjoy the outdoors as long as it's kawaii or cute. they call this a girls' camp. the style is quickly catching on. and demand from women is changing the stock at outdoorsman stores. out goes traditional camouflage green and brown. in compass tell colors and pop designs.

for some of these women practicality is just as important as style. sporting the outdoor look has become a fashion statement. many enjoy pieces with a feminine touch. >> translator: just a few years ago we didn't have women skirts, shorts, and leggings. the change has had a big impact on camping good sales as a whole. >> reporter: smaller, lighter, easy to build tents like these appeal even to first time campers. >> translator: this is so light. i'm not using any strength. >> reporter: setting this tent up takes just five minutes. that means more time for the important things in life. >> translator: we can catch up on girl talk. >> reporter: of shopping around for cute gear and hitting the road, it's time to set up camp. for many girls it's the idea to

take something conventional and tweak it. getting the inspiration from the world of fantasy. she has always loved the outdoors and for years participated in traditional camps. but one day she realized it just wasn't her style. so she invented her own. her fairy tale camp has since become a big hit among her friends and admirers. >> translator: i like to decorate my house with cute things. i just wanted to bring what i like inside to the outdoors. so naturally my camp became cute. >> reporter: creating her kawaii camp is simple. first pick a theme. this time she's chosen halloween. second, decorate, decorate, decorate. if you can't find something at the store, make it yourself. these flags are made by simply cutting up and sewing together

pieces of bandanna. next try to create a homey environment. sometimes you just have to bring things from home. lastly, you can forget about smokey barbecues and open fires. think of this as an outdoor restaurant with all your favorite dishes. and after a hearty meal, put together a creative de just stack some simple plastic kitchen ware and voila. you have yourself a cupcake tower. >> translator: immersed in the outdoors i feel like i can just be myself. you can let go of everything. i think that's what makes this experience so worthwhile. >> reporter: usamura says creating your own girls camp isn't just about making it cute.

but more about creating a space that fits you best. nhk world. >> now that's taking a camping to a whole new level. it's time now to check in with sayaka mori who has the latest in weather. sayaka, earlier you gave us an update on the storm impacting the eastern coast of the united states. how are weather conditions elsewhere around the world? >> yes, catherine. heavy rain is coming down in parts of southwestern china. this is because of a resonance of son-tinh. about 200 millimeters has been reported in the province. rain is moving towards the east and spreading into taiwan as well as the sakishima islands. 250 millimeters likely over the next 24 hours. flooding and landslides will be

at risk here. but out towards the west, a tropical depression has formed east of -- actually deep depression has served each of sri lanka. it's going to intensify into a sigh colonic system and move over india to the northwest. we'll keep updating you on the progress. for the rest of east asia, high pressure system is dominating much of the northern half of china actually. and dry across most of the korean peninsula at this moment. but a system will form east of the korean peninsula. and that's going to be spreading into the west coast of japan into this afternoon. but rain will not affect the opposite side of the nation. so tokyo will remain dry throughout the day. back behind it another system will form west of the korean peninsula. frigid air is coming in from the north. only 0 degrees in ulaanbaatar. temperatures will continue to go down for the next several days. your high is expected to be only

6 degrees in beijing on your sunday. seoul coming in at 12 and tokyo looking at seasonal 19 degrees. all right. let's go to the americas. hurricane sandy has become a low pressure system. but still a powerful storm bringing in strong winds, heavy rain, and storm surge along the coast. we'll keep updating you. to the precipitation area, very windy. mainly in florida, alabama, and georgia. but out towards the west a chain of low pressure systems have been dumping heavy rain and snow showers in the mountains. and strong winds. the canadian rockies may receive as much as 30 centimeters of snowfall in the next 24 hours. but dry and temperatures are almost average. higher than average. look at this. 25 degrees in los angeles. the peak of the heat is over. but still on the warmer side

here getting up to 19 degrees in denver and 24 in houston. meanwhile very chilly because frigid air is coming in from canada. only 9 degrees in chicago and 8 degrees in washington. feeling more like mid-december here. that's it from me now. up next is your three-day outlook.

that's all for this edition

of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. do stay with us.