it's the second night after the earthquake. the temperature has been falling. there are still many people trapped under the rubble. welcome to "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. the hope of finding more survivors is what's driving rescue crews in turkey. they've been digging through rubble for more than 36 hours. the magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit the eastern part of the country on sunday. the tremors brought hundreds of buildings crashing down, killing nearly 280 people.

in the city of van near the epicenter, footage from security cameras shows the moment the quake hit. the anatolia news agency reports 279 are dead and about 1300 others are wounded. about 1200 rescue workers from across the country and military troops are searching around the clock using heavy machinery. but aftershocks are forcing rescue operations to be suspended intermitntly. many of the collapsed buildings are in urban centers. there are no detailed reports yet on the damage in rural areas. many people are believed to be trapped under debris. the international community including japan and the u.s. has offered to help. but the turkish government says it can deal with the matter by itself. near the quake-hit areas, kurdish separatist guerrillas have been staging an armed struggle against government forces near the iraqi border to the south. the kurds are criticizing the

government for declining offers of aid from other countries to cover up the kurdish secessionist campaign. in the turkish town, nearly 100 apartment buildings have collapsed and 169 people have died in the quake. that's more than half the total death toll. urgess has suffered the worst damage. our reporter has more on that. >> reporter: the fire department says these are being used in search and rescue operations. at least 150 people are believed to be still trapped under the rubble. relatives are crying after identifying the bodies of their loved ones. they were pulled from the debris of a five-story building that was completely destroyed. >> translator: there were one or

two big aftershocks. >> reporter: with aftershocks still rattling the city, many people are staying outside, anxiously watching the rescue operations. rescue workers arriving from around the country. a convoy of fire engines and other vehicles from ankara is heading to the town, more than 1,000 kilometers from the capital. food rations are being distributed. people are receiving soup and bread. workers are pitching tents. people are trying to keep warm by making a bonfire. rain is forecast on wednesday, and snow on thursday. with subzero temperatures expected, the cold weather will add to the plight of

evacuees staying outside. nhk world, urgess. the leader of libya's national transition council says islamic law should be the basis for legislation. the statement is seen as the growing political influence of islamic forces. >> translator: we, as a muslim nation, take sharia law as the foundation of our legal system. >> jalil gave a spech in benghazi on sunday. he called for lifting restrictions on the number of wives that libyan men can have and establishing an interest-free islamic banking system. but some ntc members say islam should play a more limited role. jalil's remarks could have repercussions in establishing a provisional government. the ntc plans to form a

provisional government within 30 days and hold elections within eight months. meanwhile, libya's interim leaders now have to consider how to deal with massive amounts of weaponry that circulated in the nation during the war. nhk world's reporter reports from tripoli. >> reporter: libyans are jubilant after national transitional council declared the country's liberation on sunday. but several people have died during the celebration. at least four peop died in tripoli alone after being hit by bullets fired by militias to celebrate the milestone. people are worried that their cities are filled with weapons. >> translator: i'm worried about all the weapons in the city.

>> translator: i'm concerned about uncontrolled weapons. >> reporter: it's believed that the eight-month civil war allowed millions of weapons to circulate in libya. ntc chairman mustafa jalil is urging them to stop firing guns unnecessarily and lay down their arms. >> reporter: but this army militia is easier said than done. libyan police admit that since the gadhafi regime collapsed, they have been unable to maintain security without help from militias. >> translator: it's difficult to ensure people's safety under our

current system. we need militias' help to maintain security. >> reporter: this man mans a checkpoint in eastern tripoli. he used to be a public servant but joined militias to fight the gadhafi government. he's now a member of a vigilante group trying to keep his neighborhood safe. two women were kidnapped in his district by an armed group. but this month they were rescued. not by police but by jamal's group. >> translator: security has not been restored, so we need vigilantes. on the night of the liberation declaration, jomaa and his fellow vigilantes sell brake light vigilantes celebrated by having

coffee. he says he wants to return to his former job and do his best to rebuild his nation. but he says it's still too early to disarm. >> translator: today is the start of a new libya, but vigilantes still have roles to play. when true peace comes, i'll law down my weapons happily and become a civil servant again to take part in nation-building efforts. >> reporter: they're celebrating the berth of the new nation, but it remains unclear when militias like his will be able to put down their arms and enjoy peace. nhk world, tripoli. aee sha joins us now with the latest in business news. are currencies back in the headlines? >> yes, that's right, catherine. and dollar-yen at that. in new york, the dollar fell to the upper 75 yen level at one point overnight.

the dollar marked a record low of 75.78 yen in new york on friday. on monday, it gained ground and was treated in the lower 76 yen range in both tokyo and london. however, in new york on monday, the dollar fell to 75.99 yen at one stage. this prompted investors to sell the greenback against the yen as they speculated that the fed may take additional money-easing measures. market sources say that investors' focus now is on the outcome of wednesday's eu summit. this comes after the dollar was sold in new york overnight following a report that frb executives had accepted an idea of additional money-easing measures. and let's now get a check on the tokyo markets. overnight, u.s. stocks ended higher as hopes for early resolution to the euro zone debt issue and strong earnings from caterpillar boosted investor confidence. to see how stocks are kicking ofhere in tokyo, let's go to our reporter at the tokyo stock exchange.

ramin, good morning. what can we expect today? >> good morning. yes indeed. markets expecting a lot out of the upcoming meeting of the eu leaders on wednesday. and that's if european and u.s. stocks are anything to go by. we already saw the dow closing at levels approaching that 12,000 level. but having a look at where the nikkei and the topix are kicking off this tuesday morning, 8,855, up 11 points for the nikkei and the topix, 756. so both indexes trading higher. we did see the nikkei yesterday gaining almost 2% on the back of that positive euro zone sent imt which also tells you how strong it is given that the yen is still at stronger levels against both the dollar and the euro which tends to drive yen-sensitive stocks lower. but we did see a reversal of that yesterday. having a look at currency levels right now, you did touch on that at the top of the report, but dollar-yen, 76.15-18 and the

euro-yen, 106.02-09. it's backed off. it's lower 76 yen levels. speculation still high in the markets regarding a possible move by japanese authorities to weaken the yen. we'll keep an eye out if that does happen. now, moving on to the other stories, of course, with the severe flooding in thailand, there is a focus on the auto sector with the likes of toyota, honda and nissan and a lot of auto parts and suppliers having their productions having been hampered and also now looking at other centers or factories within the asia-pacific region to actually pick up some of that slack. so we'll keep track of auto stocks as well. also, as far as earnings front, canon, hitachi will be coming out with earnings after the market close today. and also later in the week, fujitsu, nippon steel, nintendo,

so quite a few different sectors to look out for as far as earnings from japanese companies. but we'll keep track of all the stock moves as well as the currency moves for any possible action from the ministry of finance and the bank of japan. but for now, the nikkei trading higher. back to you. >> thanks a lot for that, ramin from the tokyo stock exchange. in other news, japan's central bank will likely cut the nation's growth forecast for fiscal 2011 and 2012. at an upcoming policy meeting on thursday. more board members expect a slower recovery ahead as european debt problems weigh down on the global economy and as a strong yen dampens japan's exports. they foresee these negative factors will outweigh the positive ones like a recovery of production to pre-quake levels and an expected rise in demand thanks to rebuilding efforts. the banks' previous forecast was plus 0.4% for the current fiscal year through march and plus 2.9% for the following year.

japanese prime minister noda has asked german president christian wolf to help promote free trade between japan and the european union. noda met with wolf in tokyo on monday. the visiting german president told noda that japan and the eu should increase dialogue to push for an economic partnership agreement. noda said japan wants to conclude the epa with the eu to develop free trade between them and asked wolf for germany's support. the prime minister referred to the eu's reconstruction to the eu's restriction on food imports from japan following the fukushima nuclear accident. noda says he wants the eu to deal with food imports using objective data. he said japan will provide prompt and accurate information. time for a recap of the latest market figures.

that's all for now in business news. now it's back to catherine. >> thanks very much. u.s. defense secretary leon panetta has pledged u.s. commitment to peace and prosperity in asia. panetta is in japan for the first time since taking his position in july. panetta spoke to u.s. soldiers and japanese self-force personnel on monday at the usair base in tokyo. he said he wants to make clear that the pacific remains a priority for the united states. >> we will always maintain a strong presence in the pacific. and we will be a force for peace and prosperity. in the pacific region.

>> during a question-and-answer session, a japanese sdf member asked whether the u.s. military will reduce its presence in the region to accommodate a reduction in the nation's defense spending. panetta said there will be no reduction in u.s. forces in asia and the pacific. panetta is to meet prime minister noda and defense minister ichikawa separately on tuesday and discuss the relocation of a u.s. military air base in okinawa. a plan to move the marine corps futenma air station to nago city has been stalled due to strong opposition from local residents. china's defense budget is the second largest in the world. the country is building up its military including its navy, and that's causing concern and friction in the region. how is japan responding to this burgeoning military force? nhk world's reporter reports.

>> reporter: the maritime self-defense forces submarine base is located here, just over 40 kilometers south of tokyo. it's a base for submarines conducting surveillance activities in waters around japan. submarine activities are national secrets. even self-defense force members have no knowledge about them unless they're engaged in the unit. we are allowed into a submarine on the condition that we will not reveal details of its mission. a torpedo-firing exercise was

under way in this training area. >> set up! fire! >> reporter: submarines have the capacity to approach and attack targets without being noticed. some experts say submarines can also block the advance of aircraft carriers. last year, japan's defense ministry reviewed its fleet of submarines for the first time in about 30 years. it decided to add six new missiles to its 16-strong fleet.

the policy was prompted by fears about the rapid modernization of the navy. nhk took the latest footage of chinese vessels. a private sector military research institute estimates that china's navy has 35 advanced s.e.a.l.s and 31 submarines. that's more than double the figures ten years ago. china's navy has begun conducting drills beyond its closer waters in the east and south china seas in the pacific ocean. china is aiming to secure sea lanes which are vital for economic growth. they also say china is trying to protect marine resources including natural gas. the increased maneuvers have been causing friction between china's mercury and japan's

maritime self-defense force. japanese destroyers and chinese aircraft have remained close it each other in the east china sea. there have been five such cases over the past 18 months. against this backdrop, the self-defense forces are stre strengthening their fleet and stepping up their cooperations with the u.s. navy. japan and the u.s. have staged several large-scale drills in the waters near okinawa. the two longtime allies are uniting to face the challenge of china's burgeoning power. nhk world. gene otani has some background on the standoff between japan and china. >> what is the reason behind the naval expansion by china? >> translator: with its economy

growing, china became able to allocate a larger budget into building up its navy. it is believed that china is doing this to protect its maritime rights and interests and also to prepare for any tension in its relations with taiwan. regarding taiwan, what china wants to avoid is intervention by the united states, which is a naval superpower. so to prevent this, china wants to enhance its naval capabilities and gain control of the seas surrounding taiwan. >> how high is the actual tension, would you say, between japan and china? >> translator: it's not as if a dangerous situation could break out immediately. however, we should not be overly optimistic and leave the matter unaddressed. as we find the video, military tension may threaten to increase. and both japan and china want to avoid a military showdown. so japanese and chinese defense

officials are discussing measures. >> precisely what measures are both countries trying to take? >> translator: japan and china are trying to set up a maritime mechanism. mainly countries of multiple communication channels so they can keep each other closely informed of accidents or events at se are no such channels of communication between japan and china. the two countries want to set this up as soon as possible. they want to establish multiple channels of communication at all levels from the very top officials to their rank-and-file units. >> you talk about the mechanism. are the talks on that making progress? >> translator: discussions have been held for the past few years. but they have not really produced results yet. progress is needed as soon as possible to prevent untoward incidents. it is important to promote

exchanges between defense of the two countries and work on confidence building. >> our reporter there gene otani speaking with a reporter of nhk world. and now let's take a look at our global weather forecast with saki yochi. >> and welcome back to your weather update. a look at weather conditions across east asia. quite a bit of clouds moving across northern japan today. we've got this system in place that's also been bringing in really cool. so we're looking at cold precipitation. that is ahead across northern japan as well as across the western flank of the country. it could include gusty conditions as well as some thunderstorm activity. now, behind it really clears off for northern china as well as the korean peninsula. inland areas of china where we see a little bit of

precipitation twdeveloping over the course of today but nothing really too major. southeast asia still looking at tropical showers and downpours for the philippines, parts of taiwan as for the endochina peninsula. cambodia, southern thailand, too, will be looking on the wet side today. highs for tuesday looking at 34 expected in bangkok with some thundershowers. 26 meanwhile for hong kong. and things are cooling off in shanghai. only 18 for your high today. beijing comes in at 16. and only 11 in seoul. meanwhile for tokyo, 27 degrees. it does warm up during the daytime, but as we head into the evening hours, those temperatures are going to be dropping dramatically. and getting a look at europe -- at the u.s., i should say, or rather the caribbean, is where we're seeing the most activity right now. we've got a hurricane here. hurricane rina that has formed. it's currently a category 1 hurricane, and it is a fairly compact system. not really impacting a wide

area. nonetheless, it is bringing -- packing some pretty strong winds and looking to become a major hurricane in the next couple of days. so still on a strengthening track. it looks like it may approach the yucatan peninsula later this week. by then it comes back to a category 1 or category 2 hurricane. right now, rainfall slight amounts impacting honduras and then over towards belize as well as southern mexico. and we may see stronger waves along the coastline as well. and over towards europe today, looking at still quite a bit of activity out towards the west. we've got multiple systems here that are starting to pack some strong winds as well as cold conditions. and then that rainfall, too. some ample amounts of rain have been reported across areas of the iberian peninsula. that is set to linger. another round of showers in place. while this rain band moves in and heads towards central europe

as well as the alpine region. and it may strengthen at times here as well. now, towards the east, fairly dry conditions. and even for the scandinavian peninsula, we are looking at a bit of sunshine. expected highs getting up to ten degrees in stockholm. 12 in berlin and only 10 in vienna. definitely feeling a little bit cooler here. let's get a look at condition as cross turkey as well. still really recovery rescue efforts ongoing. and weather conditions are just not going to be cooperating throughout the rest of this week. we did see some sunshine on monday. now we're expecting rain on tuesday. and then that starts turning over into a mix of rain and snow for the rest of the week. temperatures will also be dropping drastically, especially in the overnight hours, falling into and below the freezing mark. so it is going to be pretty chilly here. that's a look at your weather conditions now. and here is your three-day outlook.

students in new york began a week-long countdown to october 31st when the world population is projected to reach 7 billion. this is part of a united nations campaign to raise awareness of the environmental problems caused by population growth. about 500 high school students took part in the event at their school on monday.

u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon said the campaign is to spotlight the challenges of a booming population. that we must do all what we can to make this world more prosperous, more harmonious so that the people, including you, 7 billion, can be without fear, with peace and security, without fear of poverty, hunger and disease, war and abuse of human rights. >> as the students began the countdown, they held up placards with messages such as "i am one of the 7 billion" written in various languages. the u.n. will stage events around the world during the week-long campaign. and that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. do stay with us. yoóoóy