hello there. welcome to "newsline." it's tuesday, august 16th, 8:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. the european central bank is likely to have spent a large amount of money last week to try to halt the crisis from spreading. the ecb has bought 22 billion euros or about $31 billion in government bonds. it didn't disclose the countries, but it's believed to be predominantly sovereignties of italy and spain. the move came after prices plunged earlier this month to their lowest since the introduction of the single currencies. analysts say the focus is now on whether the central bank can continue such measures given the amount of bonds circulating. google will now enter the handset business. the giant announced its biggest

acquisition to date monday. that it will buy mobile phone maker motorola mobility for $12.5 billion. google said it will run motorola mobility as a separate business and continue to offer the android software to other handset manufacturers. motorola mobility was split from the parent company motorola this year. it will allow the company to strengthen its patent portfolio and supercharge the android system for the benefit of consumers and business partners. observers say that the deal will help google compete with apple that has seen an increase of sales from its iphone and ipad products. researchers have discovered more evidence of the power of the earthquake that hit off the coast of northeastern japan on march 11th. they found a new 80 meter long

fissure in the seabed at the focus of the massive tremor. the japan agency for marine earth science and technology released video and photos of the seabed off the coast. a manned submarine gathered the footage between july 30th and august 14th. some of it was shot about 5,350 meters below the surface of the pacific ocean. it shows a fissure about one meter wide and one meter deep extending for 80 meters north to south. a number of other new fissures have also been found in the seabed. they include a 20 centimeter wide fissure located at a depth of 3,200. >> translator: we will analyze the information to learn about

the various phenomena triggered by the earthquake. then our findings will be publicized. there is an additional relief measure for the areas hurt by the disaster. that -- having asked to be flexible in helping survivors. the internal affairs ministry has received many complaints and inquiries from survivors about applying for licenses. the ministry conducted a survey of licenses. the results show that no steps have been taken for 26 licenses such as postponing the application deadline or changing the exam date. the licenses include occupations like administrative specialists and tax accountants. in the case of 46 licenses for professions such as architects and processing technicians, those who lost their certificates in the disaster had to pay fees to have them reissued.

ministries in charge of licensing explained that there were no legal provisions and no such requests were made. but the internal affairs ministry asked them to deal with the matter beyond the conventional framework. it also suggested it will make more requests if necessary. the japanese government has endorsed a plan to set up a new nuclear watch dog under the environment ministry. the government wants to ensure it doesn't have any ties with the power industry. the plan approved by the cabinet on monday removes powers from the industry ministry which also promotes nuclear energy. the action is part of the government's efforts to improve oversight in the wake of the accident at the fukushima daiichi plant. the new agency will be responsible for advisory functions of the cabinet offices nuclear safety commission and radiation monitoring undertaken by the science ministry. it will also oversee safety management at nuclear plants, check if regular inspections are

being carried out appropriately, and take charge of the initial response in the event of an accident. the current nuclear regulator under the industry ministry has been criticized for trying to influence in favor of nuclear energy. the government plans to submit bills early next year and launch the new agency in april. so what happens to skyscrapers when they're hit by shock waves from a mass iearthquake? new data suggests they may be more vulnerable than thought. >> translator: the swaying is intense. skyscrapers swayed back and forth very slowly after the earthquake on march 11th. streets lined with office buildings in tokyo experienced the strongest shaking.

experts had simulated the intensity of the quake inside very high-rise buildings. a construction firm tested what would happen on the top floor of a 50 story building. the device they used simulates the world's strongest swaying motion. the room swayed from side to sides and back and forth in long waves. the maximum amplitude was 60 centimete centimeters. the movement called long period ground motion is characteristic of huge tremblers. each lasting two seconds or longer. >> translator: the march 11th quake was definitely the strongest ever for superhigh-rise buildings in and near tokyo. >> reporter: the long period ground motion made the skyscrapers top floors sway violently. but another type of motion added to the damage.

takuma heads the resident association of a high-rise condominium in tokyo. the association conducted a survey and was surprised to find that the worst damage was concentrated midway up the 37 story building. around the 20th floor. >> translator: the damage was most serious one or two flights above and below the 20th floor. >> reporter: the long period motion alone would have made the top floors sway the hardest. why then was much of the damage on the middle floors? the university in tokyo has a 28 story skyscraper.

the 14th floor, about halfway up the building was severely damaged in the quake. the ceiling fell to the floor. professor hisada is an expert in seismic engineering. he ran simulations to reproduce the vibrations of the building based on the seismic data on march 11th. >> translator: the quake severely volted upper floors but also bending on the mid-level. >> reporter: the building made large swaying motions much like a dancer's hips rotating. >> translator: the movement is called the secondary mode. >> reporter: the secondary mode is repeated in short cycles. the vibrations are different in nature from the long period motions. the long period motions that sway the top floors of high-rises are called primary

mode movements. the secondary mode, on the other hand, has shorter cycles and effects the mid-level floors most seriously. in the march 11th quake, a massive slippage took place along the faultline. this triggered two shock modes simultaneously. the primary mode jolted the upper mode and the secondary mode caused significant damage to the mid-level floors. so now we know major quakes generate a secondary shock mode that can effect buildings. this means that if a major quake hits central or western japan as government specialists predict, the damage may be bigger than expected. >> translator: the impact of the

secondary mode of buildings was unexpected. vibrations caused by the secondary mode should be considered in addition to the top floors in designing safe buildings. "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. india's prime minister has vowed to do his utmost to fight crime in his country. expressed his resolve to mark india's 64th anniversary of independence from britain.

>> translator: we are now recognized a future economic superpower. but corruption is standing in the way. >> singh's remarks comes a number of politicians have been accused of corruption this year. one includes a former telecommunications minister who was arrested on charges of selling mobile phones. thaksin shinawatra with the backing of the government led by his sister. he is going to visit japan next week. thaksin will arrive on august

22nd and stay for about a week. he's expected to make a speech in tokyo and travel to areas hit by the march 11 disaster. to issue a special visa for thaksin. the request went through even though japanese immigration officials prohibit the entry of foreigners who have been given prison terms of more than one year. thaksin has been living in exile since he military ousted him in 2006. early this month shinawatra his sister was -- to enlist criticism from his opponents. a vietnamese delegation hatz visited a u.s. aircraft carrier off vietnam. it is viewed as a aim by u.s. to divert china's ambitions. the officials arrived on the uss george washington on saturday at the invitation of the u.s. navy.

they watched aircraft practice landing on the nuclear power carrier. the leader of the delegation hopes to strengthen cooperation with united states for peace and stability in the western pacific and the south china sea. the official welcomed u.s. policy in the region. the event comes amid disputes between vietnam and other countries and china over islands in the south china sea. three days before the official visit, china test launched its first aircraft carrier as part of its military build y up. it had been refurbished. the sri lanka government is carrying out a major study of wild elephants in an effort to protect the animals. workers are now going over data from a recent consensus. it exists of elephant and farmers that's become serious in

the country. there are an estimated 500 wild elephants in sri lanka. about 250 of them are killed every year mostly by farmers defending their crops and villages. sri lanka's three day survey ended on saturday. nearly 4,000 government employees and wildlife workers checked more than 1500 locations ng holes. they also gathered information about the elephants' age and gender. one chased after a car that was carrying researchers. they aim to complete the study by the end of this month. reduce conflicts between animals and humans once they determine where the elephants feed and which farms are most at risk of being invaded. migrant workers are the backbone of china's economy. they started trickling into coastal cities three decades ago with the launch of reform and open door policies. this has been good for growth,

but it has been less kind to families. nhk world's yamaka has the story. >> reporter: population 400 and shrinking. most of the people here are children and the elderly. working age adults have headed to the cities to look for jobs. 80-year-old fong is one who -- her mother and father went to xione. she now lives with her grandparents. she used to be able to take her problems to her father. but he's no longer there. she often refuses to go to

school. and shut herself up at home. >> translator: i want to live with my father. i want to eat and play with him. >> translator: i am so worried about my grandfather. because she no longer puts on a happy face every day. >> reporter: but one man is providing support. 55-year-old inchang runs the elementary school in the village. after the one he worked for closed down nine years ago. funding came from donations and the local government. when fong failed to show up for classes, he started visiting at

home. the lonely girl has told her grandparents that she wants to quit school. he encouraging her to stick with her studies. >> translator: be relaxed. your grandparents take good care of you. if you have any problems, i can help you solve them. >> reporter: she seems to have been persuaded. she decides to return to school. for the time being. >> translator: children will be emotionally hurt. parents suddenly disappear from their home. i want to relieve their concerns as much as i can. listening to the children. >> reporter: two years ago sed up for left behind children.

there are now 20 pupils living at the school. shuwin is 8 years old. where his mother and father went to work. parents were hoping he could stay with family. but his grandparents are too old to look after him. whenever he looks sad, the other children are there to talk things over. >> translator: we will ask your parents and ask them to come back for the chinese new year. i'm sure you will have a great holiday with your parents. >> reporter: talking with his new friends, he has longed to look to the future.

>> reporter: he has aream too. he wants to be a teacher in this village. he now writes to his parents every week. >> translator: i hope that my parents will be back as soon as possible. i will do my best until i can see them. >> translator: it is not easy to cheer up children who have to live with their grandparents. i want to support these children, share their time, and ensure they keep communicating. >> reporter: the left behind children are doing their best waiting for the day they can see

their parents again. until then, they have young companions and a sympathetic ear of the headmaster. nhk world. >> some strong kids there. in other news, people in iraq are reeling from another series of seemingly coordinated terror attacks. at least 52 people died after shopping districts and police facilities in six different places were targeted. the deadliest attack happened on monday morning in the southern sit of kut. a roadside bombing was followed by a nearby car bomb explosion. the blast killed at least 34 people and injured more than 60 others. about the same time in the southern city of najaf, a police car stopped and blew up. killing four and injuring 20. blasts acured in kirkuk and

karbala before monday. explosives were found in five other locations but security forces diffused them. they consider the bomb attacks systemic acts of terror. they come as iraqi leaders think of asking the u.s. to keep troops. two major newspapers are reporting that pakistan gave china access to the wreckage of a top secret helicopter used to kill osama bin laden. a u.s. navy commando team carried out the operation in may. they used helicopters with stealth capabilities that made them less reliable on radar. one of them crashed.

the financial times quoted a source who says pakistan allowed chinese military engineers to photograph and take samples from the downed aircraft. u.s. officials have concluded that likely happened but that they don't have definite proof. the u.s. government is expected to protest strongly if the allegations are confirmed as true. this could further strain relations between the u.s. and pakistan. nhk spoke with a pakistan public relations officer in islamabad. he said they were fabricated to harm the image. now let's take a look at the market figures.

time now for our weather update. across eastern asia we see active clouds stretching through the korean peninsula and into northern japan. lots of wet weather to be found underneath for central china looking at pockets of heavy showers around hunan and also north korea looking at significant amounts of rain. japan, too, looking unsettled throughout the country today. the northern end getting into heavy rain. but also in the south as well, lots of hot and humid air coming in from the pacific. that's going to produce torrential downpours here.

up to 150 millimeters. could see afternoon thunderstorms break out across western and central portions as well. that's enhanced by daytime heating. again we're going to be dealing with extremely hot conditions across the region. 34 in tokyo today. 36 in fukushima. coming in at 34 degrees in osaka. elsewhere looking at 26 in seoul. 40 degrees in chongqing. 36 in shanghai. now let's get a look at south asia. we're dealing with monsoon rain effecting much of indochina. pockets of heavy showers in around myanmar. we're looking at heavy downpours to occur again. the ground already saturated. risks of flooding, landslides going to be high. as well as northeastern india and bangladesh. now for the americas. starting to see the tropical storm move away from bermuda.

also the low pressure up in the northeastern u.s. additional rain will come throughout the night. thunderstorms as well. that could certainly bring some additional flooding problems out here. the central areas looking at severe areas to break out. also for montana in the u.s. looking windy. watch out for the stormy conditions. in the eastern u.s., temperatures pretty comfortable. 29 in washington, d.c. fairly cool but does stay hot in the south. houston coming in at 35 degrees. finally taking a look at europe, we're looking at more wet and windy weather to effect much of the british isles today. heavy rain will impact scotland. the rain brisk as well. we're looking for much to effect scandinavia and russia as well. plenty of rain and showers found

here. across central areas too we've got an active low pressure system. especially for the southern end of poland as well as hungary. good spells of sunshine to be found across spain, paris, and portugal. 37 in madrid today. that also will continue to spread into western and central area a significant warm-up is expected by mid-week. here is your extended forecast.

and that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.

captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> ifill: the republican presidential race sharpens, as