glad to have you with us on this edition of "newsline." it's tuesday, august 13th. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. managers of the crippled fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant say ten of their workers have been exposed to radiation above the safety limit. they say a machine spraying

cooling mists was likely to blame. the workers took radiation checks before leaving the plant compound monday. the readings were five times the safety limit set by tokyo electric power company. it was concentrated around the worker's faces. utility officials say the workers are showing no unusual symptoms. the officials believe the workers were sprayed while waiting for a busier the plant's control room. they say a machine was spraying mist to help prevent heat stroke among the workers. the machine drew water from a dam about ten kilometers way from the plant. the same water is used for toilets and other facilities. tepco managers are also trying to deal with contaminated ground water that's seeping into the sea. they outlined a short term plan to try to trap the radiation. government officials estimate 300 tons of the water is reaching the pacific ocean every day. the managers went over their plan with members of a panel from the nuclear regulation

authority. they've already had crews at the plant build an underground wall to stop tainted ground water from reaching the ocean but the level keeps rising. tepco worker also start pumping out 60 tons of ground water per day near an embankment between reactors one and two. they'll add another 80 tons per day in september when they start pumping elsewhere on site. nuclear regulators told tepco to increase their monitoring of the ground water level and they warn the typhoon season could make the problem worse. firefighters in morocco and portugal have their work cut out for them, they're fighting wildfires sparked by soaring temperatures but strong winds are making it difficult for them to bring the flames under control. residents in southwestern morocco saw a forest fire flare

up saturday night. winds fanned the flames and by sunday the fire had grown to the sizes of hundreds of sports fields. residence of vizie, portugal, have seen wildfires spread over their community over the past two days. the fires are burning through the mountainous region and firefighters are brought in to fight the flames. residents of other japanese cities are sweltering too. temperatures could reach 40 degrees. strong sunshine drove up the temperature in the western city of shimanto. the daytime high there has climbed above 40 degrees for three days in a row. it hit 41 on monday afternoon. that's the highest temperature recorded in japan since officials began collecting data in 1875. the previous record, 40.9 degrees was set in 2007, in

kumadaya near tokyo and that's also in the central city of itagimi. south koreans are sweating there p temperatures have risen above 40 degrees in some areas and many will have to endure the heat without air conditioning. temperatures hit 32.6 degrees celsius in seoul and reached a record 40.3 degrees in the southern city of ulsan. and south korea is facing a power shortage. tech kohl problems on monday forced two thermal power plants to go off line and six of the country's 23 nuclear reactors are undergoing inspections for maintenance. government workers will have to forgo air conditioning for three days and authorities have asked residents to do what they can to save power. a heat wave two years ago resulted in major blackouts. rescue workers in afghanistan and pakistan are searching for survivors after sudden downpours caused deadly flooding. more than 180 people have been

killed. afghan disaster management officials say the waters submerged vehicles near the capital kabul. the afghan government dispatched rescue teams to kabul. and more than 80 people there have been confirmed dead. officials say more th s say people there have been confirmed dead. rivers burst in neighboring banks in pakistan, too. they swept away houses in the central province of punjab and the southern province of sindh. 83 people were killed and more than 4,000 houses destroyed. authorities have installed shelters for those left homeless. pakistani weather officials warn there'll be more downpours in the next few days. bank of japan policymakers have watched mostly positive economic data roll in over the past few months. they consider it a result of their aggressive measures to

reboot the economy, but they're still on guard for risks such as volatile interest rates and the impact of landing through non-financial institutions in china, also known as shadow banking. nhk world's ai uchida asked boj board member sayushida shidai of how she and her colleagues are staying prepared. >> how are you? >> very good, their. we started to see the positive economic data which suggests our monetary policy is working during this process there is upside and downdecided risk. for example at this moment what will happen to the global economies. it is true we are closely watching about the impact of the shadow banking but generally speaking the chinese government is aware of the potential problem related to the shadow banking sectors and they are

trying to address this these issues in a stable manner. so at the same time china's total foreign liability is relatively small, and based on these observations, i personally view that china scenario is still possible and this negative will affect on other economies including japan, is limited. . >> reporter: japan's debt is ballooning. now more than double the country's gdp any spike in interest rates is cause for concern but shirai is confident the bank can manage volatility. >> it is possible that our as our interest starts to grow but the important thing is we continue to buy the japanese government bonds so this is likely to generate the downward pressure on the japanese economic bond. we may see a moderate increase

in the japanese government bond, it is likely that this increase will be moderate. >> shirai is optimistic the bank's measure also lift japan out of deflation but she is prepared for when they don't. what is your fallback plan for when the economy stagnates? >> this is my personal view, but i view that we will come up with more concrete, additional measures. this is our commitment. if we find it necessary to achieve in a stable manner, this suggests that we are not rushing to exit. >> at last week's conference, governor hiroko kuroda stated that the tax hike will not interfere with the bank's goal to end deflation. shirai agrees. in fact, she urges government officials to play an indispensable role.

>> in order to have the effectiveness of our monetary policy it is essential for the governments to maintain credibility. if the investors start to have some doubt on fiscal credibilities, this concern may be reflected in increase in long-term interest rate. and thereby undermining this recovery process of japanese economy and at the same time affecting monetary policy. so our monetary policy is really based on credibility of fiscal policies and fiscal discipline. india's leaders are celebrating a milestone in their naval history.

india's leaders are celebrating a milestone in the country's naval history. they say it's part of an effort to deal with china's growing presence in the indian ocean. the defense minister was in southern india to celebrate the completion of the ins hull. the 37,500-ton vessel will be able to carry up to 2,500 aircraft combat. india is looking to protect its maritime interests. the country already has a british-built aircraft carrier and will buy another one from russia by the end of this year. indian leaders said this week they were preparing to test their first home-built nuclear submarines. members of a u.n. panel investigating human rights abuses in north korea are preparing to visit japan. they'll meet relatives of japanese nationals abducted by north korean agents. the human rights council set up the panel in march. members will visit south korea and japan to collect information on the abductees.

they plan to meet with prime minister shinzo abe and abduction minister keiji furuya. they will also hold public meetings on the issue. investigators had hoped to visit north korea to study allegation of prison camps but authorities in pyongyang refused them entry. north korean leader kim jong-un seems to be taking a new tack to draw investment from aboard. abroad. a south korean business leader says it's part of an attempt to attract foreign tourists. workers are cutting trails and putting up equipment on m .masik in the eastern part of the country. the business leader says north korean officials told him pa they've opened three airports around the resort. park sang kwon is the see of of pyeonghwa motors. he manages a joint venture in north korea. he met kim last month in pyongyang. >> translator: kim is focusing

on projects like this in order to build relationships with out nations. >> park said kim believes tourism and foreign currency are keys to reviving the economy. dozens of south koreans who survived the atomic bombings in hiroshima and nagasaki are suing their government. they claim it failed to seek an apology and compensation from japan. 79 survivors of the bombings filed a lawsuit at the district court in seoul. each of them is seeking damages worth nearly $9,000. the plaintiffs say their government failed to comply with the constitutional court decision two years ago. the court ruled it unconstitutional for the government not to seek compensation for a-bomb victims and women forced to work in brothels during the war. the plaintiffs say their

government has taken action for the women but not for the bombing victims. some people in japan pend this time of year reflecting on the past. that's especially true for those who lived through world war ii. many are getting older and know they have little time left to tell younger generations about their experiences. a university student from south korea is interested in listening. he visited hiroshima recently to find out more about the impact of the atomic bombing on japanese and koreans. nhk world's chie yamagishi has the story. nhk world reports. >> reporter: this university student has come to hiroshima to learn. he and nine other members of a volunteer group visited from south korea. they took part in a small annual memorial for korean victims of the atomic bombing. mu prayed for the more than 20,000 koreans who died. many were working in the city as conscripts or laborers under japanese colonial rule.

>> translator: i don't know much about the atomic bombing. i'd like to find out more about the damage it caused. i want to feel the tragedy. >> reporter: before coming to japan, moon and the others went to a nursing home for atomic bomb survivors. moon listened to their stories. the survivors have suffered from health disorders and poverty. and they've faced discrimination for having been exposed to radiation. moon and others have tried to raise awareness about the atomic bomb survivors in their country. in hiroshima, he visited the peace memorial museum to really understand how the bomb killed tens of thousands of people in an instant. >> translator: i was shocked to

see what the atomic bomb did to people. their clothes were torn and their skin was burned and peeled. it is heart-wrenching to think that so many people were killed and hurt. >> reporter: the highlight of moon's trip was meeting japanese a-bomb survivor, kaesaboru tanegawa. this 77-year-old has helped korean victims fight the japanese government in court to receive the same medical and financial assistance as japanese survivors. >> translator: i saw how koreans in japan had been discriminated against. that motivated my work. >> reporter: with the help of toyonaga and his group, many of the surviving victims in south korea won most of their lawsuits. >> translator: i feel really thankful to meet someone like you who have helped survivors in

south korea. >> translator: we've been working together with korean survivors, but we're getting older and have little time left. i want young people in japan and south korea to take over the activities for peace. >> reporter: moon says meeting toyonaga inspired him. >> translator: this visit to japan has given me the strength to continue helping survivors back home in south korea. i also want to keep communicating with people here in japan. i hope citizens from both of our nations can become closer and friendlier toward each other. >> reporter: moon says he wants to be a bridge between south korea and japan. the nations still have disputes tied to the war. as for his future, moon sees himself helping others.

he wants to become a doctor, so he can care for people who are suffering from the harmful effects of radiation. chie yamagishi, nhk world, hiroshima, japan. hiroshima, nagasaki, the atomic bombings killed thousands of people in an instant and left survivors suffering in the ruins. "newsline" is looking back on what happened then, and what's happened since. don't miss our special coverage, "war to peace, lessons of 1945," through thursday august 15th. the world's appetite for thy food seems insatiable. people all over the world loves the taste but how can they be

sure it's the real deal. the thai government urged restaurants to follow the standard recipe. nhk world's trateri gowsan has more. >> reporter: there's no other way to say it. thai good is hot. there are more than 20,000 thai restaurants serving consumers in nearly 100 countries. but how can everyone be sure what they're eating is the real deal? ♪ the thai government is working on a campaign called thai delicious. it wants to standardize popular recipes and encourage thai restaurants around the globe to follow them. >> translator: every time we in the government travel abroad, we noticed the thai food we eat doesn't taste the way it should. if we can provide a standard recipe using scientific testing,

then we'd be able to monitor the taste, aroma and all-around flavor. >> reporter: i'm here in one of the laboratories they're using to develop a recipe and today they're working on how to make thailand's most famous soup taste universally good with all the right flavors. the test isn't based only on taste. experts here take a scientific approach. this machine checks whether the soup is the correct color. and this one measures whether it contains all the necessary ingredients, releasing the right aroma. next comes the taste test, at least 400 people rate the dish entering feedback data into software program.

thailand's top chefs are also taking part. this chef is a contestant on the tv show "iron chef." he samples the final product. >> translator: as a chef, i've been thinking about developing a standard recipe for a long time, but the question was always would it be acceptable to everybody? >> reporter: exports of thai food products are on the rise. in 2012 the food industry generated about $27 billion accounting for about 12% of gross domestic product. though the thai government believes the campaign will raise the quality of thai food and push international demand, business operators have mixed feelings.

>> translator: a standard recipe by the government is good at the guideline but it should not limit creativity like creating persian food and as a result also limit exports. >> for my opinion it's a very good idea because in europe we have many, for example thai restaurants or thai food which are quite different than here in thailand. >> reporter: thai delicious is in its early stages of developing nerve recipes but the government is already helping the project can help the thai food industry taste a stronger flavor of success. dhra dhirakaosal, nhk world, bangkok. time now for a check on the weather. as we've been reporting people in many areas of japan are feeling the summer heat. meteorologist sayaka mori tells us more in world weather. >> hot weather continues across most of japan.

yesterday the high rose to nearly 35 degrees in tokyo. it has been three days of over 35 degrees since the weekend in tokyo. like a steam sauna. as we have been reporting shimanto city in koichi prefecture 41 degrees has a high that is very intense this year. we have another high pressure system, tibetan high over the atmosphere. the two are compressing the air working as a stubborn heat dome. unfortunately, temperatures will remain on the hot side. as i mentioned, western japan, kyoto 38 degrees on tuesday. the heat is also affecting china and south korea. nearly 40 degrees in chongqing, hang zone and daegu over five degrees higher than seasonal going into your thursday. the dangerous heat will likely remain for some time. farther down towards the south we have a typhoon and yesterday it made landfall across the eastern parts of the

philippines. to show you how the situation was, take a look at this footage. the strongest typhoon of the year left a trail of destruction in the northern philippines. typhoon utor has left at least one person dead and more than a dozen missing. it flattened houses and uprooted trees. it started landslides that blocked access to coastal towns in old rode out province. and unfortunately, typhoon is expecting to intensify further. as it moves over the warm waters of the south china sea. it looks like it will move into western guangdong by thursday morning local time as a very strong typhoon. waves could be as high as nine meters or more in some places. and hainan island will start to feel the stormy weather today. we're expecting actually 250 millimeters of rain in some places into the next 24 hours. and of course, more heavy rain is likely into your thursday. so drenching rain could raise the potential of flooding as

well as landslide. now, across north america, lots of rain across the east. we're seeing heavy rain, particularly from the plains into the mid-atlantic region and, as we go into tuesday, heavy rain will be across the east and deep south. drenching rain could batter the areas like new york city and washington, d.c., on your tuesday. across the flipside of the continent, dry weather continues. in fact very dry across the northwest. wildfires have been reported and unfortunately more wildfires could occur due to strong winds and low humidity. temperatures will be 27 degrees in seattle and 27 as well in los angeles. it's going to cool down in chicago into the mid-20s as well as toronto and cooling down also in washington, d.c., on tuesday. all right, finally in europe then not much change since yesterday. lots of clouds toward the north. severe weather is happening in

some places and dry across the south, and temperatures are going to be quite mild in many areas, such as berlin, 21 degrees for the high. 24 in warsaw, and 19 degrees for new london. but the iberian peninsula is still on the hot side. 35 for you in madrid with plenty of sunshine. here's the extended forecast.

we have one more story to share with you before we go. russian defense officials launched on monday a sporting event with a difference. competitors raced armored vehicles while shooting at targets. they're calling it the tank biathlon. the event is modeled on the traditional biathlon where athletes combine cross-country skiing and rifle shooting, tanks from russia, kazhakstan, belarus turned up at a track outside moscow to compete. >> translator: spectators can watch not just a show, but a competition between real men in real tanks. ♪ >> russian reporters say the u.s. has accepted a high level

invitation to join in next year despite u.s. anger is russia is harboring u.s. fugitive edward snowden. observers may be able to watch the country shoot out their differences in peace. and that is all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks very much for joining us.

captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> ifill: attorney general eric holder announced sweeping changes to the way the federal justice system handles low-level drug offenders. good evening, i'm gwen ifill. >> woodruff: and i'm judy woodruff. on the "newshour" tonight, holder said his aim is to "punish, deter and rehabilitate," not "to convict, warehouse and forget." we talk to a supporter and a critic of the move. >> ifill: then, russia's recent ban on expressing homosexuality has provoked growing backlash abroad. we examine the continuing controversy. >> woodruff: its eyech