hello there. welcome to "newsline." it's thursday or rather tuesday august 2nd, 8:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. the operator of the fukushima daiichi plant says it has detected millisieverts of radioactivity at the site. it's the highest since the accident in march. workers of tepco measured the amount of monday nearly pipes at the bottom of a duct between the number one and the neighboring number two reactor buildings. tepco has stricted access to the site and the surrounding area. it says the workers who took the

reading were exposed to a maximum of four millisieverts. the high level is because the pipes were used to vent air creating radioactive substances from the number one reactor on march 12th. it also detected 1,000 millisieverts outside in the debris as well as a maximum of 4,000 millisieverts outside one of the reactors buildings. a human exposed to 10,000 millisieverts would likely die within a week or two. tepco also says it has discovered about 700 tons of highly radioactive water on saturday in the basement of an onsite building near the storage facility for contaminated water. it says the water contained 19,000 becquerels of cesium 134 per cubic centimeter. the utility is investigating how the leak happened. but it says there is no danger

of the contaminated water leaking out of the building. japan's government is to ask rice farmers in the tohoku region for radiation before and after harvest. details on tests for insuring that rice on the market is free of radioactive cesium from the fukushima daiichi power plant. all six prefectures in the tohoku region have decided to have the tests. others will consider radtion checks of rice. the government says it will suspend rice shipments if levels are detected. farmers have voiced concern that rice seed planted after the accident may be contaminated. >> translator: checking for radiation will allow us farmers to grow our rice with high motivation.

>> in japan, rice is generally harvested from late summer to autumn. rice is the nation's main crop. the tohoku region produces a quarter of the country's total amount. meanwhile, iwate prefecture has been forced to suspend cattle while levels are detected. >> translator: today i ordered the iwate governor to halt all shipments. >> said monday, levels of radioactive cesium was found in beef from two municipalitiemuni. he said it will lift the ban for beef whose safety is confirmed. iwate is the third prefecture to

face a beef shipment ban following mo following miyagi and fukushima. require the inspection of all beef from farmers who shipped with high levels of cesium or used tainted rice straw. iwate ships about 36,000 head of cattle a year. "newsline" is the place to turn to for the latest on japan post-march 11th. we have two segments offering two unique perspectives on the fallout from the earthquake and tsunami. "nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis. and "the road ahead" examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline. in new york, the dollar traded at a near-record low versus the yen despite president

barack obama's announcement of a deal on the debt ceiling. the green slumped to 76.1 yen on monday. fueled by continuing speculation of a possible downgrade of u.s. bonds and u.s. manufacturing figures showing a slowdown in activity. it was the worst fall since march 17th when the dollar was at 76.25 yen. market observers say it remains uncertain how the united states will face its huge fiscal deficit even after averted a default. u.s. congressional leaders are passing a bill to raise the country's debt ceiling and reduce the deficit. the republicans and democrats agreed to allow the government to raise the limit. they also agreed to set up a bipartisan committee to reduce spending.

if an additional $1.5 trillion can be trimmed, the debt ceiling can be lifted to $2.1 trillion. but some democrats are voicing concerns about large cuts in welfare budgets while conservative republicans are calling for more spending reductions. on monday leaders of both parties are trying to sell the bill to their rank and file to make sure it passes both chambers of congress within the day. joe biden has called for a party unity. in a news conference, house speaker john boehner pressed fellow republicans to support the deal. if the bill is approved, president obama will sign it into law on tuesday. the european union says it will take further measures against several high-profile syrians to reinforce sanctions against the government of president al assad. on five syrians and freeze their

assets. they include high-level government and military officials. the latest editions will bring the total number of those to 35. president assad was added to the list in may. syrian forces crushed antigovernment demonstrations in hama on monday. at least 120 people were killed. foreign policy chief kathryn ashton said the organization could take further steps in the syrian leadership persists on its current path. she called on the government to stop its oppression of civilians. a free trade pact between india and japan came into effect on monday. their economic partnership agreement aims to expand business between the two countries. india became japan's 12th epa

partner. japan's first was singapore and took effect nine years ago. others include mexico and switzerland. india's creating a major global market. japan will eliminate tariffs on most indian goods including curry and tea. within ten years, the agreement will remove tariffs on 94% of bilateral trade in valued terms. last november the japanese government formulated a free trade. it put agreements on the fast track and started talks. but the march 11 disaster and crisis brought those efforts to a stand still. in may, japan decided to start negotiations with the european union. japan is behind korea in the

push for global trade zones. south korea started in july. a south korea-u.s. free trade agreement was conducted last year. the japanese government is now under heavy pressure from the business community to accelerate its free trades initiative. earlier, we spoke with hiro hiromisa about india. >> first of all, what benefits will the epa bring to japan? >> well, as to the agreement, japan can get a foothold in the management. which double that of ten countries in asean. half of the population is a strong workforce. young india has new middle classes.

and the country had an 8.3% growth rate over the past five years. the ruling congress body won the election two years ago. that gave another term in office. you could take this as another sign that an administration wants to encourage economic growth. the epa is going to make it easier for japanese auto companies to export parts and build vehicles in india. japan's automobile makers are using technology to help indian consumers who recently had the means to buy cars. >> what advantages will it have for india? >> japan will help with technology and financial aid. this chart shows india's government's vision of the

domestic transport system. providing assistance to lay a railway in new delhi with a commercial hub mumbai in the west. india has a developed by asian network. safety is a necessity for transport. japan has the world's best technology to provide that safety. >> sounds like a win-win here. do you think the epa will boost japan and india relationships as a result? >> may think things are not going smoothly and a demonstrative procedures are too complex to understand. so far the relation between japan and india have not been as strong as japan to china. but japan-india share basic

values like democracy, rule of law, market economy, and the freedom of speech. in addition, in cultural towns the nation have buddhism. despite many differences, japan and india are connected deeply. so it may be interesting to see whether they'll be able to lead a new age as key players in asia's economic growth. >> thanks for your insights. next we go to our bureau in bangkok. the thai parliament has convened for the first time since last month. the younger sister of former prime minister shinuwat. there was a policy to mark the

new sechgs. >> excited about the starting the work. >> yingluck has agreed to form a coalition to control 60% of seats in the lower house. parliament is expected to choose a new prime minister this week. yingluck's party won the election on july 3rd by a landslide securing 265 out of 500 seats. it marks the return to power of a pro party for the first time in two and a half years. a controversial refugee swap deal between malaysia and australia is already being implemented just a week after it was agreed. a boat carrying 54 asylum seekers was intercepted in australian waters over the weekend. those people are now being transported to an island

detention center before they are transferred to malaysia. >> we begin a pretransfer arrangements which is assessing the vulnerable of people. we begin the process of transferring people to malaysia. >> australia is a major destination for asylum seekers. more than 6,500 people illegally entered the country last year. many are trying to escape war and poverty in countries such as afghanistan, iran, and sri lanka. under the deal signed a week ago, australia will send up to 800 asylum seekers to malaysia. in return, it will take 4,000 refugees from malaysia whose status has been verified. the australian government hopes the new deal with help deter both people. but it is not being welcomed by

everyone. >> the ink is scarcely dry on this deal before another boat arrives. i am doubtful this is going to stop the boats. >> human rights organizations have also criticized the deal. reasoning that malaysia never ratified on refugees. and finally, anyone who has young children knows how hard it can be to get them to eat healthily. mothers are taking inspiration from fun foods from japan. the food is cut into faces and shapes to capture the children's imaginations. >> reporter: this class taking place in jakarta teaches mothers how to make cute character lunches for their children. it starts by making an example.

>> reporter: there's a reason these mothers are trying so hard to learn. they are worried about their children's diets. many kids in indonesia buy cheap snacks and instant noodles from food stands that appear around schools at lunchtime. but it has been pointed out recently that these foods can be processed with chemicals. taking part in the lunchbox

class is a mother of two. >> translator: i have no idea what's in the food sold at stands. it's not good for children. >> reporter: she often makes packed lunches for her daughter. but she is not the only reason. >> translator: i don't like vegetables. i hate broccoli, carrots, beans, everything. >> reporter: she doesn't like vegetables. she rarely eats everything her mother cooks for her. immy puts what she learned into practice and tries to cook a special lunch that will encourage her daughter to eat

vegetables. she spends time carefully making these characterized bowls mixing in fried carrots and onions. her love for her daughter is packed into the character lunch and now it is done. at lunch hour at her school, she starts eating the rice bowls. >> reporter: she finished up the rice balls her mother cleverly cooked. >> translator: i want her to stop buying food from stands.

i hope she'll be satisfied with the lunch i make. >> reporter: amid concerns of food safety, character lunches are gaining popularity with indonesian mothers and children. nhk world, jakarta. >> very adorable and looks yummy as well. that wraps up our bulletin. i'm dhirakaosal dhra from bangkok. assembled by the apec. their mission is to see what companies can learn from the march 11 quake and tsunami so they can resume normal operations following a disaster. here is more. >> reporter: sendai is is the

largest city in the disaster zone. this is the first conference since the quake and tsunami. they are here to discuss bcp. business continuity planning. it's how to stay in business when a disaster strikes. the quake and tsunami in march hit things hard. domestic cars was out for two months after the quake. also effected assembly lines in the united states and other countries. governmental shares would exchange ideas on how to promote bcp and the key compani operating after an emergency. a recycling company in sendai

will make a presentation about how they have reconstructed business based on their bcp. if companies can recover sooner, they can minimize losses and prevent related businesses from being effected. a report of these discussions will be presented to the summit in hawaii in november. the march 11th tsunami and quake proved that the disaster readiness in the business sector is more and more vital for the growth and prosperity of the region. nhk world, sendai. and now let's take a look at the market figures.

welcome back to your weather update. we're taking a look at the storm system in east asia. here are the clouds and this will be typhoon muifa retaining its strength. 160 kilometers per hour. it is looking like it's going to be veering towards the west over the next couple days. it will impact the okinawa islands first. stormy conditions will start up here. those high waves, you will feel

them as early as today and towards wednesday. thursday, friday weather will turn stormy. watch out for the strong winds. muifa continues to aim for the coasts of china. could be getting closer to shanghai. we'll keep an eye on its progress. meanwhile ahead of that is dealing with plenty of rain in the area of eastern china. we still have this stubborn frontal system. it's going to be another wet day here. showers across this entire area. rainfall amounts to add up more in parts of central china. watch out for flooding as well as landslides. japan, too, is going to be equally unsettled today. yet another day of changeable weather with scattered showers definitely possible. in the southeast, plenty of showers for the philippines as well as the indochina peninsula. and rainfall amounts adding up

here. watch out for flooding and landslides here as well. highs on tuesday looking at 28 in tokyo. 29 in seoul. gets up to 33 in shanghai. and hotter in taipei at 35. for the americas, a lot of tropical activity going on in the south. we have hurricane eugene continuing to head away from land. but mexico, caribbean islands, up towards the gulf coast states too we're looking at scattered showers and thunderstorms. plenty of wet activity going on here. now for the united states and in towards canada too. it's this area right along the border seeing a lot of activity. tonight watch out for severe storms. large hail, strong thundershowers. possibly tornadic activity. watch out if you are going to be in the area. highs, too, will be warm again for a lot of the eastern united states. 42 in oklahoma city. even up to 36 in d.c.

as for europe, a little bit of a rain band forming towards east and heading into russia. isolated heavy showers will be possible here as well. out towards the west, a new system is starting to leave the peninsula towards france. this will include pockets of heavy downpours as well as showers. showers tonight for the british isles but that is going to be heading out from the north and looking at dry and calm conditions for central europe and berlin's high coming in at 26. we're looking at 24 degrees for kiev. that's a look at your conditions for now. i will leave you with your three-day outlook.

our lead story this hour, the operator of the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant says it hez detected 10,000 millisieverts of radioactivity per hour at the site. it's the highest level since the accident in march. workers of tokyo electric power company or tepco measured the amount monday near the pipes at

the bottom of a duct. tepco has restricted access to the site and the surrounding area. it says the workers who took the reading were exposed to four millisieverts. the high level is because the pipes were used to vent air containing radioactive substances from the crippled number one reactor on march 12th. it also detected a maximum of 1,000 millisieverts outside in the debris as well as a maximum of 4,000 millisieverts inside one of the reactor buildings. according to the science ministry, a person exposed to 10,000 millisieverts would likely die in a week or so. that is it for this edition of "newsline." we'll be back at the top of your next hour.