welcome to "newsline." in tokyo, here are some of the stories we are following this hour. more emergency workers are joining the search for the missing after landslides in hiroshima. >> thailand's national assembly has chosen a military chief who led the coup in may as prime minister. u.s. president barack obama has condemned islamic militants who executed an american

journalist and vowed to continue air strikes against them. emergency crews in hiroshima are getting a bigger picture of the job they have before them. they're digging through the debris a day after dozens of landslides thundered down into neighborhoods. at least 39 people were killed. police say an additional 19 people are unaccounted for, bringing the total number of missing to 26. the firefighters, police and a ground self-defense force personnel are assisting with the relief work. the landslides damaged or destroyed more than 180 homes and more than 800 people had to leave. many of them have taken refuge in emergency shelters. the disaster cut off power to more than 900 households and it

knocked out water to more than 1,000. municipal officials have set up supply stations so people can get enough to drink. some residents are getting help from volunteers to clean up the mess. they are scooping up the mud, sometimes with heavy machinery. but authorities say there are sites that are left untouched where water from the hills keeps flowing into residential areas. most of the casualties came in the district of yagi. at least 25 people were killed there. nhk world has the latest. >> translator: this rooftop provides a panoramic view of the hillside that collapsed and the debris left behind. people saw landslides in at least 30 areas. mudslides, floodwater, broken trees and debris tumbled down the hills, smashing into houses

below. the muds damaged cars and crumbles the roads they were on. and more than a day later, water is still flowing from above. people have had time to assess the damage, but some still can't believe what they are seeing. >> translator: i'm anxious that it could start raining again. >> translator: i'm a local here and have a lot of friends. i'm going to check their houses. i've already got in touch with the people i could reach. >> reporter: police officers, firefighters, and self-defense force personnel are trying to find those who are still missing. and they're doing what they can to remove the debris, but it's clear they've still got a lot of work to do. residents worry that work can't happen quickly enough as there's more rain for the -- rain in the forecast for this area.

ta takfumi, nhk world. many are wondering how this could have happened in an area where people have lived for years. authorities have admitted they made some mistakes. resident first reported mudslides around 3:20 a.m. municipal officials issued the first evacuation advisories almost an hour later. >> translator: we ended up issuing evacuation advisories after a disaster had already occurred. it is extremely regrettable. we will reexamine what happened and make the necessary improvements. >> experts say the ground was unstable, even before the rain. about half of the land in hiroshima prefecture is covered with fragmented granite. when it's waterlogged it can become unsteady. authorities say more than 30,000 places across the region are at

risk for landslides. the figure is higher there than in any other prefecture. the city of hiroshima has few flat areas left on which to build. so constructers have put developments up on to hillsides. japanese law requires authorities to designate areas at risk of landslides as caution zones. but prefecture officials did not give that designation to some of the areas affected by this disaster. they say they put priority on areas hit by disaster before and areas with hospitals and nursing care facilities. the army chief who's been governing thailand since he led the coup is taking on another role. members appointed him interim prime minister. they say they are pushing ahead with the process of returning to

democratic rule. general prior seized power in may. he's been leading a military government that calls itself the national council for peace and order. he'll become interim prime minister when he gets endorsement from the king. he was the only candidate. the national assembly gave him a unanimous vote. over half the members are active or retired military officers. he will still chair. leaders say they'll hold a general election next year. still, analysts say it's not clear whether the military will give up its power. president barack obama is refusing to stop air strikes against islamic militants who beheaded an american journalist and are threatening to kill another. he spoke on the same day u.s. officials revealed special forces tried to rescue american hostages in syria but failed. nhk world's craig dale is

tracking developments for us. >> defense and counterterrorism officials won't confirm james foley was among the hostages the special forces tried to get out of syria. they're only saying an operation to free americans held captive by militants with islamic state was unsuccessful. foley was among dozens of journalists who have disappeared in syria since the civil war began there in 2011. his family had been working to secure his release for nearly two years. they received e-mails last week from the militants who threatened to kill him. the militants released this video on-line. they said they decided to make good on their threats because of the u.s. air strikes against them in iraq which started this month. a masked man beheaded foley. president obama calls it a brutal murder that appalled the world. he says the militants have killed, raped and enslaved people in their rampage across syria and iraq and that their victims are overwhelmingly muslim and he says they are a cancer that must be extracted. >> friends and allies around the

world we share values rooted in the opposite of what we saw yesterday and we will continue to confront this hateful terrorism and replace it with a sense of hope and civility. that's what jim foley stood for. >> foley's parents, diane and john, also spoke. >> he was strong, courageous, loving to the end. we just hardly recognize our little boy. i mean he just -- he was just a hero. >> you know, from the video, his last words were, i wish there were time to see my family. >> the militants are holding other hostages, and they threatened to kill at least one of them, another american freelance journalist, if obama doesn't stop the air strikes, but the president has refused to do that. so u.s. war planes and drones will continue to hit islamic state targets in iraq. however, it's unclear whether

the operation will be expanded to syria. u.s. leaders would need a request from president bashar al assad but they're at odds with him and back anti-government forces fighting assad forces and islamic state. u.s. officials aren't ruling out military operations there. it's clear foley's killing has angered them and most americans. polls taken before his death suggested the majority of them support the air strikes in iraq. the beheading has struck a nerve in britain. the prime minister expressed concern about the nationality of the masked man who carried out the killing. >> now we have not identified the individual responsible on the video but from what we've seen it looks increasingly likely it is a british citizen. this is deeply shocking. >> thousands of foreign fighters from britain and other nations have flooded into iraq to join islamic militants there. president obama wants to talk about this issue so he's planning to sponsor

a security meeting next month. french president francois hollande intends to talk about ways to deal with islamic state. >> that was nhk world's craig dale. the islamic state is also believed to be holding a japanese man in syria. a leader of an opposition group says they are trying to win haruna yukawa's freedom. a video posted on youtube appears to show yukawa being detained. he's believed to run a private military company. he was in syria doing research. an opposition group leader says they are using a mediator to negotiate with members of the islamic state. he says they're proposing a prisoner swap. he says he's been told yukawa was slightly injured but has received treatment and is in good health. officials at the japanese embassy in neighboring jordan are trying to confirm the facts. ukraine's government says

its troops have seized control of the pro-russian stronghold of luhansk. the city is a strategic stronghold in the battle between pro and anti-russian forces. ukraine's national security spokesperson andriy lysenko made the announcement on wednesday. government forces have intensified the offensive against the pro-russian separatists and surrounded the city of luhansk. luhansk is just 20 kilometers from the russian border control of the city would be a major breakthrough for the ukrainian government in putting pressure on russia. but pro-russian militants continue to fight back. they shut down the ukrainian military jet in the suburbs of luhansk on wednesday. russia's interfax news agency says more than two-thirds of residents have been forced to leave the city because of shortages of drinking water and food. battles have also broken out in a town near donestk.

local authorities say at least 34 residents have been killed there during the past two days. authorities in liberia have fought for months to contain the worst outbreak of ebola in history. now they're fighting with reside residents. security forces want to isolate people who may be carrying the virus. so, they sealed off a slum in the capital monrovia. residents were outraged. they hurled stones at security forces. the soldiers opened fire and four people were hurt. a u.n. worker says the turmoil is threatening peace in her country. she says u.n. peacekeepers will remain in liberia and do whatever they can to help. the outbreak began in december in guinea. then the virus spread to sierra leone, liberia and nigeria. officials with the world health organization say 1,350 people have been killed.

576 people have died in liberia. to the latest in business now. policymakers at the u.s. central bank are discussing changes that are making investors take notice. for years the people at the federal reserve have kept interest rates near zero but hinted a strong recovery in the job market could lead them to change their approach. policymakers released the minutes of last month's meeting. many of them said the labor market is improving faster than they had expected. and they said it might become appropriate to raise interest rates sooner than they anticipated. some policymakers argue there are still too many people who have remained unemployed for a long time and they point to others who have not managed to get a full-time position. most of them agree they need to make sure the labor market and the overall economy are improving before deciding to

raise rates. many investors had been expecting rates to go up in the first half of next year. economists keep a close eye on how many orders chinese factories are receiving every month. one guide is hsbc's preliminary reading. in august factory activity in the world's second biggest economy slowed to a three-month low. a reading above 50 indicates expansion on a monthly basis while a figure below 50 points to contraction. the august flash manufacturing managers index came in at 50.3. the index is down 1.4 points from july's final reading of 51.7. and that august figure was far below the market consensus, hurting investor sentiment in mainland china and hong kong. major benchmarks fell more than 1% during trading hours, although shenzhen ended in the positive there. the downbeat data triggered

profit taking in the indexes. in hong kong the hang seng closed down just under 0.7%. 24, 994. shares of major issues took a hit and these include market heavyweight financial hsbc holdings and chinese internet giant holdings. taking a look at the overall picture in the region, bellwether indexes finished mixed as you can see there. investors jittery about the outlook for u.s. monetary policy. the worst performer being south korea with the kospi lower 1.4%. that did snap two days of gains. investors were concerned about the possible sale of its own shares held by the firm. meanwhile japanese stocks got a boost from a weaker yen. the nikkei average rose over 0.8%. 15,586. and that is a three-week closing high. thursday's advanced marked the ninth straight session of gains. supermarket sales across

japan dropped again in july. this marks a fourth straight month of declines since the consumption tax went up in april. officials at the japan chain stores association say sales at major supermarkets nationwide last month were down 2.1% from a year earlier. that's based on existing stores, excluding new openings and closures. sales of summer items like short sleeved shirts were sluggish as the rainy season ended later than usual in many regions of the country. sales in august have been affected by stormy weather. but they say the impact of sales tax hike is weakening. they're hoping to see a recovery in consumption from september. japanese steelmakers are reacting to a drop in the cost of raw materials. they have a'agreed to cut prices of steel plates they sell to toyota. nippon steel and sumitomo agree to reduce the cost per ton by about $29 or 3% for the april to

september period. that's compared to the previous six months. weakening demand for steel products from china is pushing down the prices of iron ore and coal. the agreement with toyota represents the first price cut in a year and a half. analysts say the deal is likely to affect steelmakers negotiations with other automakers and they say it should have an impact on their talks with electronics manufacturers and ship building firms. coluombia is shaping up to e a success story of latin america. people have seen some improvements to the security situation and they've seen stable economic growth as well. that's been starting to attract the attention of foreign businesses. nhk world has more. colombia has the third largest population in latin america. the economy has been growing at 4% for the past several years. new office towers and shopping centers are going up and basic

infrastructure, hospitals and homes, are expected to improve in the coming years. foreign companies see business opportunities in this trend. a leading japanese electronics maker sells elevators in colombia. it holds 30% of the market. >> translator: the colombian economy is growing strong. and the construction business is solid. elevator sales are increasing, along with growth in the construction business. >> reporter: still, the competition is heating up with rival european and chinese makers. so the japanese firm offers precision maintenance of its elevators as an added service. regular maintenance is essential to keep elevators running. the firm has experienced

engineers living in colombia to train local employees. this is a 30-year veteran. here, he is explaining how to use a device to check the elevator cables. >> translator: look, here's a defect. >> even a tiny scratch doesn't go unnoticed. the company is trying to boost its market share with its advanced technical expertise. >> translator: mr. akeyda takes good care of us. he teaches us how to maintain the quality of our product. >> translator: the local staff learn quickly. now they can do everything on their own. >> reporter: but operating in this country is still a challenge.

employees need police protection when they travel to a job. colombia used to be one of the world's worst countries for kidnapping and murder. public safety has improved with the government crackdown on crime, but extreme caution is still needed. the company takes every precaution to keep employees safe. all vehicles have bullet-proof windows. drivers also serve as bodyguards and carry guns. analysts say further improvements in public safety will determine whether japanese firms invest more and advance further into the colombian market. >> translator: urban areas are becoming more secure. but the crime rate in less populated rural areas is still high, so we need to keep an eye on the situation.

>> reporter: the japanese government is speeding up plans for an economic partnership with colombia. as the countries ties grow stronger japanese firms expect public safety in this public market will grow too. nhk world, bogota. okay. that is going to do it for biz this hour. let's get a check of the markets.

president xi jinping wants to reshape china's media landscape. he is calling for the development of several new media groups that are in his words strong, influential and credible. state run china central television says communist party policymakers have approved chi's proposals. he wants to integrate traditional and new media. he said they need to complement each other in their content channels and operation and he said authorities need to manage them to ensure the integration is heading in the right direction. xi said the changes would help the party and the government convey their messages to the public. it's time now for a look at world weather. we have been discussing about flooding in japan and northern india, but downpours are affecting people in niger. our meteorologist jonathan oh, is here with the details. jonathan? >> hello. yes, we are going to talk a

little bit about the rain and precipitation taking place in africa. now, around this area, toward the central portions of the continent, this is where the convergence zone is located because of the heat and because of the way that the wind patterns are forming, it allows for the development of these rain showers and also some downpours in the process. i want to show you some video coming out of niger and we see here where deadly floods caused by seasonal rains have plagued the country this past week. according to local owe fish, at least 24 people have died and over 6,000 homes have been destroyed. the niger river burst its banks in the capital of the country forcing thousands to evacuate around the city. furthermore the floods have devastated the infrastructure making water and food supplies scarce. authorities have appealed for emergency aid, calling for at least 100 million u.s. dollars to assist in recovery. now when it comes to the rainfall it's very inconsistent. it's not like it's a continual

pattern. you see here in terms of the rainfall accumulation coming up in the next 72 hours, some areas may remain dry during this next few days. but other areas like down toward the western coast, we're going to see up to 100 millimeters of rainfall. so we are going to see the scattered pattern of some wet weather, then dry weather, like for niger, thursday, friday, dry conditions and by saturday maybe seeing some downpours once again. into mali and nigeria you will see some of the precipitation coming up through the rest of the week. here's a look at the forecast for europe. we do have the stubborn low pressure system located over the scandinavian peninsula and we also had a cold front, an area of cold air that was moving through and that has actually separated and created a couple more low pressure systems and that's going to bring some rain and thunderstorms into the northern portions of the balkan peninsula, also into northern italy because of the contrast of the heat down toward the south. meanwhile, we're talking about temperatures in the teens because of this cold air mass coming in from the north. 18 in london. only 19 degrees in berlin.

warsaw where you will see rain, you will also see only a high of 15 degrees coming up for our thursday. here's a look at the forecast for north america. a couple of low pressure systems to talk about. one is located in the upper midwest. because of a secondary low, down toward the south, it's pumping in some warm air and that's the focal point for some flash flooding possibilities near the great lakes area. we have another low, low cated towards toronto that's going to bring rain. new york you will see rain coming up for thursday. high of 26 degrees. 30 degrees in d.c. and down towards the south, in the deep south, we are seeing some very high temperatures and high humidity, heat indices to around 40 degrees or so. please make sure you take precautions if you're spending time outdoors. look at the hoys as we take a look for the next few days. way above average for st. louis, tallahassee, mobile into memphis. stay hydrated and stay indoors if possible. we wrap things up with a look at east asia. this low pressure system bringing high levels of

precipitation into northern japan. hokkaido you may see 100 millimeters during the next 24 hours because of the rain and a cold front behind that cooler air trying to push in some instability meaning we may see rain for central japan by the weekend. 33 in tokyo, wet in seoul with a high of 28 and down toward the south the rainy season front continues to affect taipei, hong kong and manila. highs will be in the low 30s. hope you have a good day wherever you are. here's your extended outlook.

and that concludes this edition of "newsline." on behalf of our team, thank you

for staying with us.

>> welcome back to the newsroom. these are the headlines. reaction pours into the brutal killing of a u.s. journalist by islamic extremists. this news comes out of a failed u.s. mission to save james foley, along with other captives this summer. three top military leaders from hamas are killed in the latest israeli airstrikes. gaza police say dozens more are still under the rubble of a four-story structure. the americans after being treated for ebola is reportedly discha