hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." it's thursday, october 17th. i'm catherine kobayashi. in tokyo. i'm ross mihara in tokyo. emergency teams are looking for dozens of missing residents on izu oshima after a powerful storm triggered flooding and landslides. typhoon wipha killed at least 18 people in eastern japan as it churned past the pacific coast. almost all of the victims lived

on izu oshima. nhk world's michio kijima reports. >> reporter: emergency teams encountered a ravaged landscape when they began their work on izu oshima. mud had coated fields and roads. twisted bits of trees were strewn here and there. homes were wrecked. rescuers found one woman trapped in the debris. they managed to get her out safely. typhoon wipha bore down on izu oshima overnight. fierce winds lashed the island. record rainfall soaked it. more than 800 millimeters of rain fell in 24 hours. more than double the monthly average and the worst downpour since data became available 75 years ago.

local police and firefighters say all that rain caused the river to break its banks triggering deadly mudslides that swallowed homes. >> translator: the water knocked down my door and fridge. it was a total mess. >> translator: there was massive flood. i realized that the house that was supposed to be standing there had disappeared. i thought i must be dreaming. it couldn't be true. >> reporter: typhoon wipha literally reshaped the island. it carved this huge chunk out of mt. mihara. the avalanche of debris and trees reached the center of the town of oshima. more than 30 homes collapsed or were swept away. izu oshima is one of several islands off the east coast that are part of the tokyo metropolitan area.

tokyo governor naoki inose says the town of oshima will be eligible for immediate relief. the typhoon has been downgraded to a low-pressure system, but officials with the japan meteorological agency are still warning people to watch out for possible landslides. michio kijima, nhk world, tokyo. the typhoon is being blamed for the sinking of a cargo ship off neighboring south korea. nine crew members died. two others are missing. spokespersons for the south korean coast guard say the vessel was anchored off the southeastern port city of pohang. strong winds and powerful waves caused it to come loose. smashed against a seawall and sank. 19 chinese and vietnamese crew members were on the panamanian registered vessel. coast guard ships and patrol ships and planes rushed to the

site, but rough weather conditions slowed their rescue effort. they were able to save eight crew members once winds subsided. forecasters in south korea later said 10-meter waves created dangerous conditions at the time of the accident. an aircraft with 49 people on board has crashed into the mekong river in laos as it approached landing in the south of the country. the airline says there are no survivors. state-run lao airlines says the plane was on a domestic flight from the capital vientiane to the southern city of pakse when it crashed at around 4:00 p.m. on wednesday local time. the army says there were 49 people onboard including 44 passengers and 5 crew members. 27 passengers carried foreign passports. rescuers are at the accident site, but the airline says they have not found any survivors. visibility at the time of the crash was very poor with heavy rain and strong winds. the leaders of the u.s. senate have reached a deal to end the government shutdown and avoid a possible u.s. default. the deal will allow the

government's debt ceiling to be raised so that it can borrow additional funds until early february. >> in the end, political adversaries set aside their differenceness and disagreements to prevent the disaster. the deal includes discussions on the mid and long-term budget plans and spending cuts. republicans are demanding the cuts as a condition for reopening the government and lifting the debt limit. even after the bills are approved by both the senate and house, they will only provide the government with time-limited fiscal measures. they pushed to postpone president obama's health care reforms but the deal only calls for slight changes to obama care.

democrats controlled the senate so they're expected to pass the bill in that chamber. the republicans control the house of representatives and representatives there need to athe deal. house speaker john boehner says house republicans will not block the plan. south korea has denied reports it is adopting a u.s. missile defense system or buying american-made antiballistic missiles. the defense minister says the massive costs outweigh the south's defense needs. earlier this month, washington and seoul agreed to carry out preemptive attacks against any sign of nuclear or missile attacks by north korea. speculation grew that after the u.s. government suggested seoul intended to adopt its so-called bad defense system, but kim told reporters on tuesday his government has never considered buying the system which shoots down missiles at high altitudes. kim also denied any intent to purchase sm3 interceptors which are installed on japanese aegis-equipped destroyers. analysts said seoul took into

consideration when making its decision. beijing has become increasingly nervous about the u.s.-led missile defense system. the japanese government has lent billions of dollars in compensation money to the operator of the disabled fukushima nuclear plant. officials now estimate it will take decades to recover it. the government has issued about $50 billion worth of bonds to tokyo electric power company. the money is being used to compensate people who had to evacuate their homes and farmers and fishermen who lost their livelihoods. the government plans to recover the funds through an annual payback by tepco and contributions from other nuclear power companies. but the board of audit says if tepco remains in the red, it does not expect to be paid back until 2044. even if the utilities' profits improve the funds would not be fully recovered until 2030. the board of audit expects the

need for government assistance will increase further as demand for decontamination and real estate compensation increases. >> workers in northeastern japan >> reporter: he asked the seafood company that owns the kyoto kumara to hold off on dismantling the vessel. this is the president of the company. >> translator: the ship is really badly damaged. >> reporter: he knows the importance of the kyoto kumaru as a memorial so he accepted the mayor's request. but he started receiving phone calls and letters from local people telling him that it was painful for them to keep seeing the kyoto kumaru. >> they demanded the japanese

provide them with more detailed information. the south koreans say they want to help monitor radioactivity off of the fukushimas. foreign minister discussed the plan in seoul with the head of the international atomic agency. inspectors from the iaea and japan's nuclear regulation authority plan to work together to check whether the waters off the plant are safe and the south koreans want to take part. trying to make the country more tourist friendly ahead of the olympics. more than 300 people took part in a meeting organized by the tourism agency related to the travel, hotel and travel industries. they say the public and private sector should take the olympics as a golden opportunity to

cooperate. >> translator: we need to make our country more friendly to foreign visitors. >> officials called for support in providing multilingual sign boards at tourists and transport facilities. they also asked for setting up more information centers for foreign tourists and zones that allow visitors free aks to wi-fi. the agency hopes the accessful bid will help japan attract 24 million tourists annually. officials at samsung have introduced a wearable computer to the japanese market. competitors making similar devices are set to launch their own products to win their share of consumers. ♪ samsung officials unveiled their smart watch on wednesday in tokyo. users can make phone calls from it through a wireless connection

to their smartphone. they can also check for e-mail and access smartphone apps. the device also features a camera embedded in the scrap. it's already made its debut overseas, but consumers in japan can buy it from thursday. samsung officials are rushing to corner the market on wearable computers. other major technology firms are also joining the race. sony is plning to launch a new version of a similar product to be worn on the wrist while google has developed digital eyewear. check out the latest market figures.

the death toll of a powerful earthquake in the southern philippines has surpassed 140. dhra dhirakaosal in bangkok has an update on the situation. magnitude 7.1 quake struck in the southeast of the country on tuesday morning. seismic activity was recorded over a large area. it triggered landslides and destroyed buildings. the national disaster agency says at least 144 people are dead and 291 are injured. around 30,000 people have evacuated to schools, parks and open areas. local police and military personnel are continuing rescue and relief operations, but ongoing aftershocks closed roads and damages bridges are

hampering their work. president aquino visited the area to pledge government support. >> there is sufficient fund >> there is sufficient funds available. there is sufficient items, goods and materials for all of those that are evacuated. >> the president warned there would be stiff penalties for those who attempt to exploit the disaster. the philippine government has declared a state of calamity in both bohol and cebu imposing a freeze on prices. one year has passed since islamic extremists shot pakistani teenager malala yousafzai following her fight for girls' education. her supporters were disappointed when the 16-year-old activist didn't win this year's nobel peace prize, but her bravery still offers great encouragement to women in her home country. nhk world masaki suda has more on girls' education in pakistan. ♪ malala

♪ pakistan malala >> reporter: these girls are singing the song for malala. it expresses their reverence for malala yousufzai and her campaign for the right to education. this village in punjab province is home to about 1,000 people. a girls' school opened here just last year and today around 120 students ages 3 to 17 are enrolled. >> so this is the school with the portrait of malala, in this school, girls are learning the basics of how to read and write. shazia bibi is a teacher here. after she finished her studies at a graduate school in pakistan she began privately tutoring local girls. last year she opened this school will with financial support from local ngo.

>> translator: i saw malala on tv and learned she's risking her life for education. if a young girl like her can promote opportunities for education, why can't i do the same in my own village? >> reporter: but people in rural areas don't believe in education for girls. they see nothing wrong in girls doing housework rather than going to school. shazia visits homes and tries to talk parents into sending their daughters to school. on this day she visited the home

of a girl who stopped attending classes after she entered the seventh grade. she's been busy doing housework since then. >> the girl still hasn't returned to school. but shazia has persuaded other parents. in all she has got 50 girls into school and she's happy to get even one more girl into school. parents are gradually bending to her persistence and drive. >> translator: my dream is to help girls from poor families and those who are forbidden to go out receive education. this is my mission, and i have to accomplish it. >> reporter: but islamic militants are standing in the way. they are particularly active in

northwestern pakistan where malala's hometown is located. over 100 bombing attacks have targeted the girls' school in the past two years. a bomb went off at the gate of the school last month. about 20 girls were injured as they were on their way home from classes. the school has reopened, but many of the students are still recovering from their injuries. ayesha farouk received multiple injuries and she's staying home while her wounds heal. these are the clothes she was wearing at the time of the blast. they are badly blood stained with the holes apparently caused by flying shrapnel. >> translator: i still feel pain in my thighs, armpits and neck. i'm scared. a bomb blast may occur again. i would be killed if that happens. the fear won't stop her from returning to school. ayesha says she wants to go back

as soon as her injuries have healed. she wants to focus on her studies so she can become a doctor. >> if everyone continues to study like malala then our region will make progress. the threat of islamic militant attacks is still lurking in the movement for the girls' education. many girls are taking risks by going to school and malala offers them a glimmer of hope. masaki suda, nhk world, islamabad. more than 4,000 people died

in japan last year over automobile accidents and now one mother is doing what she can to keep children safe. >> reporter: a place that's safe for children. this playground in the city has a special message. the sign over the entrance says -- a playground for everyone. this boy was local and he died in a car accident when he was just 6 years old. in august of 2002, a truck driver fell asleep at the wheel and rear ended a row of stopped cars. it set off a massive fire which killed five people including this boy, his uncle and grandmother. his mother has kept his memory alive for over ten years. before meals, she puts rice in a

bowl and places it in front of his photograph. >> translator: of course, a mother wants to feed her child, right? i want to carry on doing things for him and giving him the things that nay child would normally get. >> she has preserved the backpack that he was carrying at the time of the accident. >> translator: everything else was completely burned. this backpack was probably thrown out of the car by the force of the collision. it is the only thing that was recovered. >> translator: she used the compensation she received after the accident to buy land near her home and build the playground. she wanted to make a place where children could be safe from cars. >> translator: the civil trial

determined a monetary value for his life. i wanted to use that money to make up for losing his precious life. >> reporter: there's a three meter high fence around the playground so children won't run into the road chasing a ball. >> translator: the high fence keeps our ball from getting out. it feels safe in here. >> reporter: the letters over the entrance are copied from a work wook he was using the practice his writing. it's another way for his parents to keep his memory alive.

twice a year they hold a campaign at the local driver's license testing center and hand out pamphlets and show photos of people that have died in car accidents. >> >> translator: these are all very sad, terrible accidents. they make me sad. >> translator: having gone through this terrible experie e experience. >> reporter: for all of those in the group, the goal is not to reduce car accidents but to eliminate them altogether. she intends to carry on campaigning so the drivers understand the human cost of automobile accidents. time for a check on your

weather. good morning. it is a beautiful, sunny start to the day here in tokyo but it seems islands and waterses south of japan are getting hit by stormy weather. what's the latest? catherine you're right. we have another development over the pacific and this just became a severe tropical storm. this is named francisco. francisco is likely to develop over the warm water to become a typhoon status into the next 24 hours. and the bad news is, we have a couple of high pressure systems to blame and the jet stream that could combine and lead the system path that wipha did and we're hoping this did not unfold this scenario. wipha is now towards the east of

and this pternill teorarbut it alrdy brought centimeters of snow, early-season snow and it looks like most of it will be rain but snow will be found piling up in the mountainous regions into the noon hours and considering western japan central regions are sunny skies in tokyo but high pressure will be dominant and the hatoyama level will be down to about 30%. so mild conditions. but, really cold with the siberian air cooling in so we'll talk about the temperatures later on. we have another low pressure system sitting here and it's been here for quite some time and it has already brought 100 millimeters of rainfall to thailand. any additional rain could trigger flooding but looks like it should be tapering off by friday. these temperatures as you can see, are in the single did jats in like the sunshine, your

morning low went down to minus 6 degrees and it's likely to continue to be cold. across europe, we're looking at very unstable conditions across the balkans and in turkey. in croatia, a report of tornado touching down and 88 millimeters of rainfall already so no more rain but it looks like the system will be tracking towards the east. western turkey will be the bulk of that heavy rain and thunderstorms will be likely to pop up. it will be wet and windy across the british i'sles and southern and a and askandalakiand as san scandinavian peninsula. and the low pressure system over southeastern canada pooli the cold front t texas and flooding rain will continue across these areas. some of the rivers are already exceeding the major flooding vel so any additional in

could trigger further flooding. another cool front will pool with a wave of cold air towards the upper midwest, wyoming, colorado, these are the areas you may see mountains about 20 centimeters. denver at 12 degrees and winnipeg at 9. but warm over here and 27 degrees and nice and mild in washington, d.c. and new york at 22 and 23. i'll leave you now for our extended forecast.

that is all for this edition

of nhk. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks very much for joining us. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

dvd. >> good afternoon. please find a seat. everybody. here we go. we have an overflow crowd. that is because this program will be so good. the movable feast continues. this is the third of a series of activities celebrating woodrow