hello there. welcome to "newsline." it's tuesday, august 28th. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. u.s. republicans open their national republican convention in tampa, florida. then just as quickly they closed it for the day. tropical storm isaac churned offshore in the gulf of mexico so they called a recess. organizers cut the four day schedule down to three. they'll restart the convention later in the day. delegates will nominate mitt romney as the republican challenger to barack obama. he will make a speech to accept

the nomination on thursday, the final day of the convention. he will nominate paul ryan as his running mate. the most recent poll suggests romney has overtaken obama. by one percentage point. yoshihiko noda hopes a letter to chinese president hu jing tao. to express the importance of the streej sick mutually beneficial relations. they will commemorate the 40th anniversary in september. noda is expected to call for talks amongst senior officials on a range of issues including trade and north korea. senior vice foreign minister yamaguchi will deliver the letter during a visit to beijing that starts during the day.

japan's ambassador to china has been caught up in an unusual incident on the streets of beijing. ambassador was traveling without a security escort on a highway in the chinese capital. two vehicles farced his car to a stop. enthen a man got out of one of the vehicles. he grabbed the national flag attached to the front of the ambassador's car. he was not hurt in the incident. the japanese embassy has launched a strong protest with the chinese foreign ministry. they took note of the license plate of the cars and photo of the man who stole the national flag. they say they have passed on this information to chinese authorities. chinese officials say they sincerely regret the incident. they'll take measures to ensure the safety of japanese nationals in the country. u.s. state department spokesperson victoria nuland reacted with caution.

>> that would be extremely concerning particularly given his diplomatic status. we have regularly including last week i think every single day of the week urged these two countries to work this out peacefully. >> nuland said the u.s. doesn't take positions on territorial disputes between japan and china. french president holland has warned the syrian government not to use against insurgents. >> translator: we prevent b the use of chemical weapons for the international community that would be a legitimate reason for direct intervention. >> hollande urged opposition groups to unite. he says france will recognize a provisional government as soon as formed. syrian government officials have -- around damascus.

human rights activists based in the uk say about 160 people were killed on monday alone. a military helicopter crashed in the eastern part of damascus on monday. claimed to have shot it down in retaliation for government massacres. hundreds of people were found dead over the weekend in a suburb of the capital. government and opposition forces are blaming each other for the killings. smart phone users have a lot to talk about these days not just on their phones but about them. we are joined now from the business desk. what's the buzz about? >> yeah. as you know, the biggest maker of smart phones are battling in court. now they have investors attention as well because apple continues its remarkable rise topping their record high on monday in new york. that's after the giant won

massive damages against south korean rivals over patents for smart phones and tablets. apple's stock jumped overnight to an all time high of $680. the surge comes after a jury and a california court ruled for apple ordering the korean firm to pay over a billion dollars in damages. meanwhile samsung's stock tumbled 8%. google's share also dropped 3% at one point. the u.s. internet firm supplies with the android smart phone operating systems. apple and samsung have taken their fights to court in ten countries. last week a south korean court ruled both companies share the dispute to pay each other compensation. the tokyo district court is scheduled to hand down a ruling friday this week. a massive explosion at one

of the world's largest oil refineries has forced u.s. gas prices up to the highest. at the oil refinery north western venezuela killed 39 people and injured more than 80. gas prices have been on the rise in the u.s. since july due to factors including rising tensions over iran. the blast fanned further fears over a gasoline shortage. the u.s. energy department said on monday the average u.s. gas price rose to $3.70 per gallon. that's up more than 12% from early july. the price hikes could make for double trouble as crop prices have also been rising thanks to the u.s. drought and the fear and plunge in sentiment if gas prices stay high. now let's check on the markets now. u.s. markets ended mixed and on low volume ahead of a main event of the week.

bernanke's speech at the economic symposium on friday. but to see how stocks are trading here this tuesday in tokyo, we go to ramin mellegard who's at the tokyo stock exchange. what can you tell us today? >> good morning to you. a lot of focus on the upcoming meeting in wyoming. and however, there are some sectors and stocks that we really should be keeping an eye out for as well. but as for the opening levels for the nikkei for this tuesday, august 28th, we're looking at levels -- the nikkei is up to 5,923 and the topix at 757. that's up around two points for the first few minutes of trading. the nikkei did end in the positive yesterday barely and the topix in the negative. we had a mixed session there. currency markets also have been trading in a tight range. we expect more of the same really ahead of that key meeting. however, as i said, we should really be keeping an eye out for

apple related shares as well as google and android related shares as well following the u.s. court's decision to award apple massive damages against samsung the maker of the smart phones which basically run on google's android. so we're going to look at related shares here and we did of course see apple shares trading higher in the new york session and inversely google's android related shares trading lower. so in japan, of course, some of the component makers and parts makers such as manufacturing and keosera that makes the key components that make parts that go in the iphone and ipad, so that should be of interest. we'll keep track of those. also remitted to commodity shares, we should keep track of key stocks here. especially trading houses, some of the biggest japanese trading houses that deal in commodities

and specifically the oil. some may be affected by weather-related instances while tropical storm isaac which is powering its way through the gulf of mexico. and of course that has a vast amount of oil rigs there. and it could put question marks on oil supplies and perhaps shortages. which could effect oil-related shares. we'll keep track of that. of course the currency markets main driver here as well. the dollar/yen has been trading in the upper 87 range. that might remain in a tight range ahead of the jackson hole, wyoming meeting on friday and saturday. also euro/yen holding around the mid-98 yen levels. we'll keep track of that as well. >> and ramin, as much as markets may want to hear from bernanke, what's the likelihood he'll say something that will move the markets? >> there is the fed actually meeting on september 12th and

13th next month. there's also the u.s. jobs numbers for august which is due out next week. it might just hold off saying anything and leaving words of more resonance for the actual fed meeting next month. and also bernanke may want to hear what mario dragii has to say as well. that's all from me. back to you. >> thanks, ramin. and i'll be back next hour with the latest on the markets. but for now back to catherine. >> thanks very much. doctors seeking to abolish nuclear weapons ended a three-day convention in hiroshima on wednesday. they discussed how to pass on to future generations the experiences of the bombings of hiroshima and nagasaki. some have personal reasons. >> translator: the doctors call themselves international physicians with the prevention of nuclear world.

they hold their congress every two years. they chose hiroshima as a host city to remind the world of the nuclear bombing there. the ipp theme this year is from hiroshima to future generation. by choosing that topic, the organizers wanted to stress that the number of doctors who survived the blast and who can pass on their experiences is declining because of aging. one of the major events this time was the symposium of physicians of second generation atomic bomb survivors. dr. shima came from brazil. his father is an atomic bomb survivor. hibaksusha as they are called in chinese. >> translator: i'd like to report on my father's experience and to explain how the atomic bombings are perceived in

brazil. >> reporter: shima's father was six years old while he was exposed. >> hibaksusha is aging. you'll want to hear a story from them about the terrible effect of the bomb. we have to do something to keep the memory about the horror of the atomic bomb. >> reporter: some members of the audience were moved by this testimony from abroad. >> i think his work is very important. i was very glad to hear about that. >> reporter: he is determined to continue speaking about the experience of his father and other survivors in brazil.

>> translator: i think brazilians don't fully understand the implications of the atomic bombings. and exposure to radiation. i feel it's my responsibility to convey what happened at hiroshima and nagasaki. >> reporter: sameshima hopes that other people like him will take over from their parents and promote the cost of nuclear disarmament. nhk world, hiroshima. >> the legacy of the second world war is set to be reborn. forced laborers built the burma railway on the imperial japanese army. parts of the route were abandoned after the war, but now workers in thailand and myanmar will lay new tracks. >> reporter: the railway

originally stretched 415 kilometers and it would take five years to build. however, it was completed in only 15 months through the use of forced labor. it was also known as the death railway as so many lost their lives during its construction. the town of thanbyuzayia was the starting point. a tower built by now defunct army to console the souls of those who lost their lives during the construction remains to this day. the members talk about how the railway was built. >> translator: the camp for laborers was in an area with a malaria epidemic. in the north each had to offer ten laborers.

>> reporter: the railway was decommissioned after the end of war. today there are reminders of the fallen mill. however, myanmar's tradition to democracy has created the need for improved infrastructure in the country. as western nations have sanctions on myanmar, the country is becoming a popular destination for investment. toic that me best of this opportunity, myanmar's government is eager to build railways. that would aide the movement of people and help the country. >> translator: when the railway is revived, there will be a lot of new opportunities for this town. it will also profit the town of myanmar as a whole.

>> reporter: myanmar and thailand have decided to work together to rebuild the railway. the government of myanmar plans to begin by the end of this year. the new railway is expected to -- that have been cautious about making roads to myanmar. mainly because of the lack of transportation infrastructure. >> translator: myanmar is almost completely isolated when it comes to shipping. currently everything has to be sent in by the straits. if land transport is possible, companies in neighbors countries will have a different view of myanmar. >> reporter: expectations are running high both inside and outside of myanmar. in a way that has not been used in decades will help drive economic development in the

region. nhk world, myanmar. many people are still replaying their favorite moments from the london olympics. but people in brazil are already thinking ahead to four years from now. rio will host the next summer games. organizers have high expectations for the first olympics in south america. but they're running into a host of channels. n here's more. >> reporter: the olympic flood arrived earlier this month in the city of rio de janeiro. >> translator: i'm very proud our city will host the next olympic games. >> hello, everybody. >> hello, teacher! >> reporter: children of this

public elementary school are learning english. their teachers want them to be able to communicate with visitors from abroad. >> welcome brazil. >> reporter: people in this nation are also warming up to a new sport. rugby. the discipline will make its debut at the 2016 olympics. >> translator: i love rugby. it's exciting and gives me an adrenaline rush.

>> reporter: diego lopez teaches rugby to children. he's represented brazil during the pan american championship. he says his efforts are not only about developing the new generation of athletes. >> translator: i want rugby to help make children's lives better. nothing would make me happier. >> reporter: many brazilians hope the olympics provide an opportunity to enhance their living environment starting with rio's infrastructure. the country has grown into the world's fourth largest market for automobiles. but the avenues of brazil's second largest city can't keep up with the traffic.

the mountainous terrain where houses are built close together makes it difficult to open traditional roads. >> translator: the government needs to do something before the olympics. otherwise there will be a lot of confusion. >> reporter: authorities have responded with plans for a new subway system. a 16 kilometer line is said to link center rio with olympic venues in the suburbs. rio's authorities face another major challenge in maintaining the law and order. last year 60,000 violent crimes were reported in the city. the drug cartels control hundreds of slum district. police forces are struggling to bring this under control.

>> translator: the road ahead will be a bumpy one. but rio will continue to change as we prepare for the olympics. >> reporter: members of the international olympic committee visited rio in june. they said the city needs to speed up its preparations. but some others say rio de janeiro could run out of money before all projects are complete. now it's up to the organizers to answer the public's high expectations. nhk world, rio de janeiro. a powerful storm is making its way to the korean peninsula. people in parts of south korea are feeling the effects of the storm. here's more in the forecast.

>> that's right. areas are getting stormy because the typhoon is approaching. has weakened since yesterday but still a strong typhoon in a large typhoon. so eastern china are also experiencing stormy. the island has experienced understand precedented heavy rain with about 450 millimeters of rain in a span of 24 hours. and recorded 550 millimeters of rain since monday. so very heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms as well as gusty winds. now boleivan is likely to hit near the border of north career or south korea by this afternoon or evening local time and head towards the northeast. so strong winds and high waves of up to 12 meters is likely. mainly along the west coast of the korean peninsula. in terms of precipitation, some places may see close to 250

millimeters or more. that's quite a lot for this region. so flooding and landslides are highly likely here. and down towards the south we can see a streak of heavy rain towards the north. this is expected to move parallel to the east over the next several hours and get close to the sakishima islands. >> 100 millimeters of rain is likely across the eastern portions of taiwan. not only taiwan but tembin is also affecting the indochina peninsula and philippines with the monsoonal flow. you're seeing showers throughout the day. as for temperatures, getting up to 29 degrees in taipei. and 34 degrees in tokyo. another sweltering day for you.

all right, moving into the americas. we've been tracking tropical storm isaac. well, isaac is moving relatively slowly over the gulf of mexico. it seems isaac will take almost a similar path that hurricane katrina took seven years ago. so right now moving at the speed of 90 kilometers per hour with sustained winds, it'll likely become a category 2 hurricane before making landfall in mississippi or louisiana by late tuesday or wednesday morning local time. so rainfall could be 460 millimeters in parts of the deep south. that's about three times more than the amount of rain for august for this region. very heavy rain is coming down. in addition to heavy rains, gusty winds, storm surge, currents are possible. so coastal flooding is highly likely here. as for the rest of north

america, things are remaining quite wet across the coastal areas of the mid-atlantic region. out west wet across the western british aisles. conditions will remain ideal for wild fires into your tuesday. as for temperatures, heating up to 32 degrees in los angeles and 36 degrees in houston. here's the extended forecast.

our lead story this hour, u.s. republicans opened their national convention in tampa, tlorz. then just as quickly they closed it for the day. tropical storm isaac churned off shore in the gulf of mexico, so they called a recess. organizers cut the four day schedule down to three. they'll restart the convention later in the day. delegates will nominate former massachusetts governor mitt romney as the republican challenger to president barack obama. romney will make a speech to accept the nomination on thursday, the final day of the convention. delegates will nominate congressman paul ryan as his running mate. the most recent washington post/abc poll suggests romney has overtaken obama. the poll puts him ahead by one percentage point. that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. do stay with us. we'll be back with more of your updates.