dimming hope. governments and opposition forces in syria pick up their weapons as u.n. monitors leave the country. troops on both sides of syria's civil war have rejoined their

fight after a holiday. muslims stop to mark the end of the holy ramadan. a japanese journalist got caught in the crossfire. a senr official with the opposition free syrian army said yamamoto was killed in the northern city of aleppo. she was a freelance journalist working with the press. she she was taken to the hospital. a colleague identified her body. she was a seasoned journalist with more than 20 years experience. she covered the conflicts in kosovo, afghanistan and iraq. she talked with nhk last month about why she believed in the work she was doing. >> covering conflict zones is tough. but i'll continue with my work.

i believe there could be a chance to finish the war or contain the damage by reporting on what's happening on the ground. however tragic. many residents wonder how the dynamics of the battle will change now that u.n. monitors are on their way out. many have chosen to flee. many others are trapped. nhworld repos fr damcus. >> residents of the syrian capitol, damascus, are celebring the muslim festival for ramadan. but the streets are deserted. signs on all sides. the u.n. monitors are leaving former head quarters in central damascus. they are setting up for the lebanese boarder. the multinational observers make no progress in bringing

government and opposition forces closer to cease-fire. >> translator: our mission failed. neither the government nor the opposition acted on their commitments. >> reporter: in the government-controlled area of the city, a gutted school is evidence of recent fighting. government sources said rebels used the school as a base. this graffiti expresses support for the free syrian army. people find it hard to get fuel with supplies cut short. many feel trapped with no end in sight. >> translator: i don't care who's in control. i just want peace to return to our lives. >> reporter: an algerian diplomat, lakhdar brahimi, will replace kofi annan as the u.n.

syria peace envoy. he faces a challenge to prove his effectiveness. many syrians are waiting to see if the diplomatic effort can be renewed. most are resigned to a long wait. nhk world, damascus. >> brahami is already at work. he met with french president if paris. he thanked brahimi for taking a role and there is no political solution unless assad steps down. brahimi told reporters would he listen to the views of all countries in the crisis. he said the meeting is a good place to start. a technology sets a record. there is news on that so yuko tell us what is happening in the market. >> it is apple.

people's eyes are not only on their product but on their stocks. u.s. electronics giant has become the most valuable company in history. evaluation on monday smashed the previous record set by microsoft. apple's share price rose 2.6% from friday's close ending the day at an all-time high of $665. order surged on speculation of release of new smart phones and tablets in the near future. caplization to over $623 billion, that's 3 billion more than microsoft's record logged during the internet bubble in december 1999. apple's continued rise comes as a series of new product releases boosted expectations for a higher earnings. another factor was the firm's decision in march to resume dividend payments for the first time in 17 years. while apple shares climb to the top of the tree, u.s. markets ended monday pretty

flat. the dow jones finished .03% lower at 13,271. to see how stocks are trading this tuesday in tokyo, we go to ra mean ramin. perhaps this is a sign investors are happier on the side lines until we get something more substantial to react on? >> yes, a very good morning to you. with financial stocks and high-tech stocks, as you mentioned, apple is waiting more for the fed chairman's ben bernanke talk. with the stance in line for the u.s. economy and fed chairman bernanke tends to use that event to give any further hints or tidbits of information about the u.s. economy. that's going to be closely

watched and maybe leave investors. look at opening levels for the nikkei and the top. the nikkei just managing to stay in the positive yesterday. though the topix did rise at close. some exporters had risen in previous trading sessions on the back of the weaker yen. as you said, apple shares are hitting a record high on speculation that tech giant may be releasing a new smart phone or tablet in the near future. a lot of focus on that sector as well. well keep track of related shares here in japan which make parts and components for apple product, such as manufacturing, as well as toshiba and tdk. just that list there, among many more. so that's going to be a major focus and we will keep track of ose secrs as well.

yuko? >> ramin, as we have been reporting, it is touch weaker, so where do we stand this morning. >> the weaker yen is the driving force in the gains. 79.34-38 yen. currently youro/yen 98.01-06. they may have more on wednesday if anything new is revealed but it also could move on housing data in the u.s. later ts week. we mightee a bitf trading in the range there. 79.34-38 right now. we have the german french and eurozone pmi manufacturing coming up this week. it could influence it but it also could be moving on a meeting on friday between german chancellor merkel and greece. what would happen to the euro if greece was to exit?

that's all from me, back to you. >> thank, ramin. ra mean mel guard at the tokyo stock exchange. there is an economic slow down in china. falling between january and june for the first time in three years. the japan external trade organization says experts totalled nearly 74 billion in the first six months of this year. that's down 5.7% from a year earlier. shipments of steel, construction, and semi conductor equipment showed declines. that reflects flagging demand in china due to effect o europe's debt crisis. officials say japan's imports from china hit a record of more than $91 billion. 7.5% due in part to rising smart phones imports. as a result, japan's trade deficit with china grew it a record high of about $18 billion. officials say exports through

china are expected to continue to fall as production in the country is likely to remain sluggish. they also predict japan's bilateral trade deficit for the enre year will also set a record. that's all for me from now. i will leave you with the latest on the market figures. taiwan's president has called for a peaceful resolution of the he is not senkaku

islands. he told nhk on monday the islands are an integral part of taiwan but said his administration will not team up with china against japan in the issue. >> i want to say, we set great store on the relationship with japan. the relationship is the best it has been in 40 years. >> the senkaku islands form japan's southern prefecture okinawa. several hong kong activists landed on one island last week to stave china's claim. they were arrested by japanese police. activist said they plan to return in october. he said japanese members committed a similar act on sunday when they visited the islands. >> tnslar: it's important not to call on one part it exercise self restraint. but for all nations resolve the issue peacefully.

>> he says he doesn't want the islands dispute to ruin taiwan and japan's relationship. u.s. and south korean troops are training together to prepare for the possibility of war with north korea. north korean leaders condemned the action. about 56,000 south korean and 30,000 u.s. troops are rehearsing counter measures, testing out what they will do if north korean forces attack south korea. a north korean foreign ministry spokesperson says the drill is a provocation. north korean reported kim jong-un. kim told the servicemen north korea will fight a sacred war for reunification if enemies fire on its territory.

students who study abroad get an education far beyond the classroom. they learn about customs, language and culture. the number of foreign students in japan remain constant until around the year 2000. by 2010 a record 141,000 student were studying here. and they keep coming. nhk world has their stories. >> student here are studying corporate confines. students are all from other asian countries. waris came from thailand three years ago. he was interested in learning about japanese manufacturing and culture. we visited his apartment. >> translator: this is a japanese manga. >> manga comics and cartoons he read as a child drew his

attention to japanese culture. he got hooked on the dynamics of japanese mongand yearned to know more about thculture. >> translator: i like ninja stories the most. they made me interested in japanese culture. >> reporter: waris received a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering in thailand. when he was learning about his career it struck him to go japan and learn about the country he loves. he thought it would nefit him to learn from his country renowned for manufacturing. >> translator: japan is a country of state of the art technology. if you want to study engineering, japan is the best country. >> reporter: after arriving in japan, he enrolled in language school and studied japanese intensively. this is when he heard about the career development program for

asian student at osaka university from his friend. the graduate program targets asian student who wish to study japanese manufacturing. theytudy n only japanese but also specialized courses taught by lecturers with business experience. japanese companies are a part of the program as well. investing in scholarships and run internship programs. the program helps students find jobs at japanese companies. the program also aims to educate asian students to become the best in their field. waris has been focusing his research on chemical plants. he was offered a position at the largest construction equipment manufacturing company in japan and will start working there next spring. >> translator: raising asian talents here in japan will bring

us benefits. they understand japanese well and will be our best supporters and help us in the business world. >> reporter: waris lives with two chinese roommates who are also studying in the same progr program. like waris, the chinese students say they were attracted to japan's advanced manufacturing technology. >> translator: i think what's expected of me is to come up with ideas japanese people cannot come up with. if i can do this, i'm sure i can make a great contribution. >> reporter: it's been five years since the program's launch and 43 students from six asian countries have studied in this program. waris is determined to commit

himself to working in japan. he says he needs to brush up on his japanese, but eventually he's looking for playing an active role in making his company number one in the world. nhk world, osaka. people in japan's northeast are focused on ovcomi the challenge of the 2011 disaster. but it won't be easy. they have to rebuild homes, businesses, entire communities. we will show you their struggles and successes on the road ahead, every once # wednesday at 1:00 p.m. japan time here on "newsline." >> historical buildings are dotted around northeast japan. many were damaged or destroyed in last year's disaster. in most cases, the owners must repair the buildings themselves. unlike national treasures they're not covered by government funds. that means they face demolition. one man is leading a project to

repair and preserve the buildings with private sector funds. but some worry that project could actually hamper reconstruction from the disaster. nhk world reports. >> fishing in the blood of the people of miyagi prefecture. the tsunami washed through their town last year and washed many of their boats away. it took away a lot of other things too. remnant of their past. some of the damage here has looked like this for more than a year. 40 historical structures were part of the skyline before the disaster. now most of them are either damaged or gone. the japanese government designated five of them as national cultural assets.

>> growing up nearby, he has seen many of them when he was a boy. now he studies and teaches conservation. in 2006, an earthquake shook a structure to the ground on the indonesian island of java. he rushed under to help. and he's done that elsewhere in japan too. i can't save people's lives, but i can save history and culture. those are both important to people. saito is president of a brewery that is 106 years old. he grew up in one of historic buildings the company headquarters.

the tsunami washed away the first floor. that sends the second floor crashing into the buildings next door. >> translator: when it rains, water floods in here. >> more than a year has passed since the disaster but no improvements have been made. i feel really sorry. >> it will can cost more than $600,000 to repair the building. saito can't afford that on his own. so last year, he applied for demolition permit. >> what saito was wanting to do has funding from national preservation group.

then he explained how engineers could rebuild the missing first floor. then placed a second floor on top of it. he convinced saito to save the building. >> translator: after talking to him, i'm relieved to find out that repairs will be taking shape soon. >> saito and others hope to help city authorities save structures in the city planned for urban renewal. >> translator: we have lots of hardships now. but it will be too late in 50 or 100 years to regret the loss of historical structures. our descendants will definitely be thankful us to for preserving important architecture. >> he hopes to do for oenchs

what he is doing for saito. he said he hopes the buildings won't just be part of the city's past but also of its future. jun yosomoto, nhk world. scientists say the arctic ocean's ice cover has shrunk to the smallest for mid august since records began. the japan aerospace exploration agency used the satellite to measure the ice at 4.66 million square meters. agency analyst say they expect the ice to contract more as the season progresses. they say it could shrink to the smallest level on record. the analysts suspect the contraction is caused by the ocean getting hotter. scientist collected the data using the remote censor. they measured microwave emissiones from the earth's surface and atmosphere. we've been tracking a powerful storm approaching taiwan. rachel furgason joins us now

with the world weather forecast. >> we have a very strong typhoon which is heading towards taiwan. and it could become a violent typhoon before making land fall here, which is expected to do late thursday or into friday morning, local time. just to give you an idea of a violent typhoon is a major hurricane so this one is still strengthening and there is the potential for it to become what we call a violent typhoon before land fall here. as you mentioned, it is moving through southern okinawa as well. it is also impacting northern parts of the philippines with these very strong winds. gusts are now up to 234 kilometers an hour. and there's also some pretty heavy rain involved with that too. you will notice that western portions of the philippines are get something heavy rain and that's under the influence of the system, enhancing the southwest monsoon. we have behind it another streak of heavy rain and this is going

to belong to tropical storm o obolovan. it is expected to intensify to a severe troerj within 24 hours. as can you see, the problem is that it is heading into almost the same direction as the preceding storm. heading into taiwan, heading into southern japan and ynd that we're expecting a second land fall in southeastern china. so we have these two systems, one chasing another and it is going to be very, very busy as we head into the another latter part of the week. very serious situation all together. aside from that, we also have heavy rain moving through parts of central china. in chung ching you can see a hundred up to 250 millimeters of rain under a space of 24 hours. it is this low pressure system forming over the front which has been reenergized and right along the front into southeastern parts of russia, you will see that heavy rain continue.

it is hot across much of japan but down south under the influence of the systems we have a strong moist flow. it means the weather is quickly changeable. another thing to watch out for, potential for us, pretty severe thunder storms today. hot across much of the country. 34 degrees in tokyo, incland china as well. shanghai 34 degrees. when you see the rain moving through there into chong ching we are getting a break of 31 for the high. as we head on into the americas, we will continue to see some heavy rain across the southeast. a low frontal system here. particularly northern part of florida, you will see it continuing today. strong monsoonal flow. more heavy rain too and now we have a low pressure system heading into the southern plains and that is bringing nasty thunderstorms. also seeing thunderstorms tonight, during your monday into tuesday overnight. alberta and bc, warnings posted for you. let's look at temperatures then.

not too bad. in toronto, 25. temperatures back up to upper 20s in places like winnipeg as well as new york city today. 29 in oklahoma city as well as miami. let's go to europe. we are seeing showers moving into western continentalurope w but its not enoug to put a dent in that heat. it is still incredibly hot across much of the continent. cool and wet towards the north. we look at 17 in stockholm and 16 in moscow. down to 27 in berlin and a drop of 10 degrees pch . it is still a very lot day. we are looking at budapest as well as madrid. i will leave you with your extended forecast.

and that concludes this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks very much for joining us.