sinking syria. the former prime minister defects from the assad government and tells others to join opposition forces. syria's former prime minister says he's now a soldier for the revolution. riad farid hijab is the highest ranking civilian official to defect from the government of president bashar al-assad. the conflict in syria has been going on for 17 months now. hijab reportedly fled to neighboring jordan with his family. syria's state-run television

disputes the defection story. it says the assad administration dismissed the prime minister. hijab relayed his comments through a spokesman saying he defected from the killing and terrorist regime. he said he joined the ranks of the freedom and dignity revolution. hijab is encouraging other syrian officials to leave the government. he comes from the country's sunni muslim majority. asd and his inner circle belong to the allawi muslim minority. observers say hijab's departure could suggest widening cracks in the government as the conflict grinds on. british human rights activists say 20,000 people have been killed in the fighting across syria. and some of the latest violence and turkish officials have their own concerns. fearing separatists are work wg with insurgents. they began a new crackdown

against the kurdistan workers party or troops deployed near the border of iraq. interior administrator said the military has killed 115 separatists over the past two weeks. guerrillas attacked a base sunday killing eight soldiers. the kurdish population is split between turkey, iraq and syria. turkish officials are concerned, separatists may work with ethnic partners in sear yeayria. tokyo electric power officials are defend how they handled last year's crisis at fukushima. tepco, showing workers at the plant and personnel at

headquarters following the march 11th accident. at one point. top executives get up and leave their posts. >> reporter: the video takes us inside fukushima daichi. a build-up of hydrogen caused the explosion on march 14, 2011. the blast shook the facility. and then an update.

the dramatic exchange is part of 150 hours of video from the five days starting from march 11th, that tepco officials agreed to show the media. they also released an edited, 90-minute version. they stay they blurred the faces of some workers for privacy reasons. people living in fukushima prefecture are critical. >> this is no disclosure. we can't verify what is true. >> there is no meaning in releasing this video after a year and a half. the images are also processed. what is tepco thinking? >> reporter: there will also likely be questions about what tepco officials were thinking at the height of the crisis. key scenes in the 150 hours of video show how they handled the accident. one focuses on the utility task

force, late on march 12th, 2011. tepco will only allow journalists to watch the images, not make audio or video copies. nhk's reporting team heard an executive say dismissed. then they saw the president and most executives leave the room. tepco officials say their engineers stayed to deal with the situation. but the video shows almost all of the company's top officials, temporarily leaving the task force room, while the emergency unfolded. nhk and other media are asking tepco to release all the videos it has pertaining to the fukushima daichi accident. company representatives have so far refused. one executive at a japanese ngo believes that's unacceptable. he says this is an historical record and should be made public

even if access is limited. every summer in japan brings a moment of reflection. monday, august 6th, marked the 67th anniversary of the atomic bombing of hiroshima. here on "newsline" part two on the two-week series on the devastation of war and peace. and "black rain" published 50 years ago it's become a classic for its bold depiction of the horrors of nuclear weapons. the title comes from the radioactive rain that fell after the bombing spreading contamination. the main character is a man who witnessed the blinding blast. the character actually existed. radiation sickness kept him in and out of hospital until he

passed away in 1980. nhk world's reporter interviewed his stepson. >> all of them, what he saw and experienced.

>> roofed tiles are covering the roads. it's like a jungle. >> later, shigematsu came to know. buse and asked him to write a novel based on the diaries. he wanted more people to realize the dreadfulness of nuclear weapons. ibuse completed "black rain" in 1965. >> it is my mission to spread my late stepfather's impressions and feelings. it would be good if younger generations could hear what he says and pass it on to their children. >> reporter: on this day, he takes his stepfather's message to a local junior high school.

>> i will have failed if people take "black rain" only as fiction. remember, the atomic bomb and nuclear weapon aren't just somebody else's business. i want you all to accept these issues as your own problem. >> i learned war is evil. hurting so many people's bodies and souls. >> i didn't know much about war, but after listening to his story, i feel a strong urge to learn more about it. >> one of the settings for "black rain" is his hometown. more people has been visiting the town lately. that's because of new interest in the novel since the start of the fukushima nuclear disaster

last year. he takes visitors. a hill overlooking the town. a black rain monument. the vision for peace expressed in his diary and quoted in black rain, inscribed here." "i detest war, no matter whets whether we win or lose. all that matters is that it ends. even unjust peace its better than a just war." shigematsu wanted to cry out as an atomic bomb survivor who narrowly escaped death and was allowed to live. his message was no war ever again. >> this is my first time here

and i learned a lot. i will discuss what i learned. >> shigematsu died before his wish could be realized. but taking over, an encouraging author to follow, the mission lives on. yuzo oto, nhk world. hiroshima. nagasaki. the atomic bombings, marked a brutal conclusion to a brutal conflict. world war ii ended 67 years ago this month." "newsline" is looking back on the lessons of 1945. from the fight to abolish nuclear weapons to the younger generations to promote peace. our special coverage "war to peace" lessons of 1945. continues until friday, august 17th. traders were stumped tuesday

morning when a technical glitch at tokyo stock exchange left them unable to buy or sell derivatives. the problem struck at 9:18 local time. officials found they couldn't process various financial products. futures for government bond and topix stocks. tse technicians took 90 minutes to get operations back on line. they say the failure was in the new system installed last november. they're now looking into the problem. investors were forced to suspend trading in february when the tse database malfunctioned. people who work in japan's tourism industry are always looking to lure visitors to this country. many tailor trips to specific groups. one business in osaka is trying to track some of the world's 1.6 billion strong muslim population. agents say the market can't be ignored. but for religious reasons, it also has to be accommodated in certain ways.

>> reporter: this is the idea for muslim tours started. it's a travel agency in osaka with a staff of about 20. this tour guide is in charge of the new tours. islam has very strict precepts. muslims are not allowed to eat certain foods, such as pork, or drink alcohol. devout muslims also pray three times a day or more. by meeting this need, he has turned a challenge into a business opportunity. >> translator: the muslim

population is large and muslims are an unexplored market. this kind of tourism has much greater potential than ordinary group tours. >> reporter: the biggest hurdle is meals. he asked an islamic specialist to help him find restaurants that don't serve pork. they also checked sauces and oils for whether they contained alcohol. the tour begins. for him, it's the end of a year of preparations. 19 tourists from malaysia have landed. >> translator: i'm worried about what i will eat here, but i'm interested in japanese culture. >> reporter: the party first visits a shrine in nara prefecture designated as a world heritage site. the four-day trip around western japan costs over $1,000. that's twice the regular price since the group is accompanied by a muslim interpreter and a religious adviser. even so, the package sold out

quickly. then the group heads for kyoto without stopping at the buddhist temples. >> translator: we've tried to make an interesting tour that doesn't include most buddhist sites, since muslims reject the worship of idols. >> reporter: at the all-important meal time, the tableware is new and single use. that's to eliminate contact with alcohol, which could be used as a sterilizer in dish washing. kyoto cuisine is known for its subtle seasonings, so he handed out sauces and spices from malaysia. >> very nice. very nice. >> reporter: the tour group

arrives at the hotel. later, with special compasses, the organizers check and mark the direction of mecca. the visitors pray on mats in their room. >> in japan, it's difficult for muslim to come, very satisfied with the work together for the halal tours. >> reporter: he has received more than 500 bookings or inquiries. with such an auspicious start, the islam-friendly package may soon be a japanese travel agency standard. new york state authorities have accused a major british bank of massive involvement for money laundering for iranian financial institutions. officials at the new york state

department of financial services said on monday the new york branch of standard and chartered had hidden from the authorities some 60,000 illegal transactions with iranian banks. the alleged deals took place between 2001 and 2010. they are said to total about $250 billion. the officials say the activities violate u.s. anti-money laundering laws. standard chartered has until wednesday next week to respond. the bank could lose its license in the state of new york. the charges come as the u.s. steps up pressure on iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions. londoners haling a taxi may be riding a nissan and not the black cab. executives for the japanese automaker say, their new london taxi will be on the streets in early 2014. >> nissan is proud to unveil the

next chapter in the history of london's iconic vehicles. >> it is a modified version of the minivan and half the c 02 of the taxi models including the black cab. the vehicle sports a sunroof. nissan adjusted the car's design to suit london's twisting narrow streets. and all electric version is also set to roll out in 2014. the automaker also won a commission to replace new york's taxis with mv-200. they will begin operating next year. china is trying to balance economic growth with environmental concerns. you can see it playing out across the vast nation. nhk world takes us to a place where a tourism boom is threa n

threatening an important natural resource. >> reporter: one of the most popular tourist destinations in china is the province, this ancient town dating back some 800 years is now a unesco world heritage site. another popular tourist site, a nature research 20 kilometers from the town. it is an important habitat with more than 70 species of birds. recently, the town has become popular with city people keen for a break from the pressures of urban life. >> translator: when i am here i feel free from all of the stress from my work and life. >> reporter: but there is growing concern about the rapid

increase in the number of visitors. chinese worried that the huge amount of garbage left by the tourist is affecting the water quality. local restaurants are also dumping their garbage. plastic bottles, paper, and leftover food are strewnll over the place. they also -- this is very terrible. this trash will flow to the lake. and do harm to the birds. >> garbage is not the only concern. horse riding has bec around the. the local people now have over 3,000 horses for the tourists.

10 years ago there were none. the problem is, the horse dung. >> this water is used to be a drinking water resource. and also for people here. they can also drink the water. but now it is degraded. >> although tourism is the cause of the problem, it is an important source of income for the local people. this man started horse riding tours. five years ago. as a farmer he earned only about $300 a year. he now makes more than 20 times that much. thanks to his new wealth he is building a new house. he says he will never go back to farming. >> now we have food and extra

money. >> for the local people, the priority is improving their living standard. they are not aware of the impact on the environment. so, last october, he began visiting local schools to teach the children and their parents what they can do to help. mu was there with his son. chen explains that some of the garbage can be recycled. he also tells them that horse manure is a useful resource. it can be fermented and used as fuel. >> translator: i am going to stop throwing out garbage. >> i am going to take better care of our environment. >> translator: take time. we don't need to be in a hurry. so gradually, the whole society,

the change in the whole society can happen. >> chen realizes that education is the key. he can't stop people earning money from tourism, he just hopes he can slowly get the word out to protect the wetlands. and we are seeing tropical storm approaching the east coast of china. rachel ferguson from our world weather team has the latest. rachel. >> hi there, yeah, we'll get you updated on the tropical storm, haikui. it hasn't moved much since yesterday. it was heading towards the east coast of china. 24 hours ago. you can imagine what the conditions were like. throughout the east china sea here. also affected has been northern

parts of taiwan. northern, central parts of the island were battered by typhoons last week. this is very unwelcome rain. 50 to 100 millimeters in the next 24 hours. as for the southern japanese islands. some places since saturday. this storm has brought -- more than 430 mill merlimeters of rainfall. talking excessive amounts of rain. high waves and also storm surge. particularly along the eastern coast of china right now. it is moving slowly but is intensifying. we are expecting it to become a strong typhoon later today. then to make landfall into the province. that will be on wednesday morning. local time. take a look and see what the rain is going to be doing. heading in towards the shanghai area. so expect structural damage from the winds here as well as the potential for flooding. and landslides to occur. the rest of eastern asia, well, looking dry from northern china down through towards the south. but, then we run into this low.

and it is helping to really enhance the -- the southwest monsoon across indochina, southern china. not just this low, but actually the influence of haikui, pulling in moisture across the philippines as well. take a look at totals from the last 24 hours. in western regions. 100ters falling in parts of northern vietnam as well. you are going to be adding on to the total as as the two low-pressure system continue to pull up all of this moisture across the region. more than 150 millimeters in the red. ernestoo, heading towards the yucatan peninsula. expected to become a hurricane. before making landfall here. it will move across into the gulf of mexico and make a second landfall in southeastern mexico.

later on in the week. right now moving at 20 kilometers an hour. moving west, northwest. wind gusts up to 120 kilometers an hour. so we have storm warnings posted. we have hurricane warning posted, for the, for the yucatan peninsula. also seeing significant rainfall. here on our model anything, upwards of -- 100, 150 millimeters plus. locally you will be seeing, 300 millimeters of rain, some places. that means that there is definitely going to be -- a high risk of flooding and landslides. heavy rain is going to continue in the southeastern corner of the u.s. as well. we have a front here, starting to sag down from the northeast. so you are clearing up unnew england. but from the mid-atlantic down through the gulf coast, you are going to be dealing with thunderstorms and some periods of heavy rain. temperaturewise, showers moving through central locations through the plains coming into the south. not really enough to make a dent in these temperatures. the heat persists. 39 in oklahoma city.

i'll loaf yeave you now with yo extended forecast. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ that's all for this hour.

i'm sheri an, thank you for watching.