welcome to "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. first a look at the headlines. tens of thousands of people have come together in hiroshima to pay respects to the victims of the atomic bombing 69 year ago. residents of the gaza strip have hit the streets wondering whether a cease-fire will last. and more and more health care workers trying to stop an outbreak of ebola in west africa are falling victim to the virus. tens of thousands of people have gathered in hiroshima to remember.

they're looking back on this day in 1945. their city became the first to be hit by an atomic bomb. they are paying tribute to those who died that day and those who have died since from the effects of the bombing. ♪ about 45,000 people crowded into peace memorial park. survivors known as -- families of the victims and visitors from around the world. the hiroshima mayor -- placed a list of the victims in a cenotaph. the list contains the names of about 5500 people who died or were confirmed dead over the past year. more than 290,000 people are now honored in the vault. remitives of 68 countries took part in the ceremony. u.s. ambassador to japan, caroline kennedy attended for the first time. she visited with her uncle senator edward kennedy when she

was 18 years old. she says the trip made her want to work for a more peaceful world. the ceremony comes weeks after the japanese government changed its security policy. the cabinet reinterpreted the constitution to allow japan to exercise its right to collective self-defense. the participants observed a minute of silence at 8:15 a.m., the time the bomb was dropped. >> translator: please, stop using the inhumane threat of this absolute evil to defend

your countries, rather rely on trust and dialogue. japan is the only atomic bombed nation. precisely because our security situation is increasingly severe the japanese government should accept the full weight of the fact that we have avoided war for 9 years thanks to the noble pacifism of the japanese institution. >> matsui said military force gives rise to new cycles of hatred. he asked people to look beyond differences of nationality, race and religion. two elementary students read out their commitment to peace. each of them has heard their grandparents stories about the bombing. >> translator: let us talk and share our views about peace, about the future. believing that many different thoughts will become a powerful driving force.

>> japanese prime minister shinzo abe addressed japan's unique place in history. >> translator: as the only country in the history of human kind to have experienced atomic bombings and as a country to have lived through cast if i of nuclear webs we have the responsibility to make sure we rid the world of nuclear arms. >> members of local choirs wrapped up the ceremony with a song sung every year expressing their hopes for a peaceful world. ♪

hours before the ceremony began, people started trickling in to peace memorial park to pay their respects. the survivors of the bombing, the -- were among them. so were the families of those who died. >> translator: i came here to pass on the horrors of war and memories of the bombing to my children's generation. >> translator: i'm sad because i was left behind. i lost my beloved younger brother. >> translator: when i look back at what happened i just can't hold back my tears. i keep thinking, why? why? >> translator: even today when i close my eyes i remember that day. i have to share my experience about the suffering caused by the atomic bomb.

nhk world's miki yamamoto is in hiroshima peace memorial park. >> reporter: the ceremony has concluded and people from japan and abroad are streaming out, despite the rain. some people attend events and rallies calling for a world free of war and nuclear weapons. and arnold the atomic bomb dome, locals and visitors continue to take the time to pray. the explosion happened about 600 meters above this area. it wiped out much of the city in an instant but the structure withstood the impact and it's a physical reminder for people everywhere of the bomb's destructive force. the number of foreign people to hiroshima grows every year. we met some college students who flew in from the u.s. to attend the ceremony. >> reporter: these scholars and students from the u.s. are on a pilgrimage to learn about the past.

they're visiting hiroshima and nagasaki to find out about the impact of the atomic bombings. the group went to university to participate in a seminar on war with japanese students. josh fetzer is a college student studying art. he wanted to know how the decision by his grandparent's generation affected people in japan. >> i'm a little nervous but very excited. i'm excited about what i'm going to learn about excited to hear the perspectives. i think from the sessions today i really expect to be challenged in what i learned previously, both about japan and about world war ii. >> reporter: the group also listened to an atomic bomb survivor. koko kondo spoke about when she met a crew member from the u.s. war plane who dropped the bomb. >> i learned that when the war started, not only the one

country, both countries were hurt. and i could not speak english. but the only thing i could say is i'm sorry. i'm sorry. i don't know anything about you. but until this moment, i hated you. please forgive me. >> fetzer was surprised to learn that japanese students and even survivors don'tlame americans for the bombings. rather, they blame war itself. >> there's really a necessary need for a sense of forgiveness and how lessons that have been learned here in japan and between japanese and american individuals, could be brought to different conflicts. >> reporter: during the tour, the group visited the atomic bomb dome. fetzer had seen photos of the building which survived the blast. but seeing it up close was a different matter. >> the first thing i could think

of is what have we done. i can't imagine what would ever make someone think that this is okay and to really just see it in person and to understand what this means for the people of japan but also what this should mean for the united states and for the global community. >> reporter: professor peter kuznick of american university in washington, d.c. has organized the visits for the past 20 years. >> americans like other people have done a lot of things to be proud of and a lot of things not to be proud of. i believe strongly that every country, every peoe have got to look at their past in an honest way. >> reporter: about 300 students have taken part in the tour since 1995. they describe it as a life-changing experience. it's giving them a chance to see

history in a different light. organizers hope it will help prevent the world from experiencing what people in hiroshima and nagasaki did 69 years ago. >> reporter: nearly 70 years on, people in hiroshima and elsewhere in the world want to make sure the memories of what happened will be passed down to future generations. for that reason, survivors attend talks to share their stories of what they endured. the day for people here to reflect on their history and discuss how to create a peaceful world. miki yamamoto, nhk world, hiroshima. >> miki will be covering events in hiroshima throughout the day. people in peace memorial park and throughout the city are marking the anniversary in weather conditions unusual for this time of year. mai shoji joins us with more. >> in hiroshima only we have reports of about 200 residences have been told to evacuate.

water levels of six rivers have already burst its banks. this is due to a long frontal system that is stalling over the korean peninsula and over japan. it is dumping buckets full of rain and it exceeded 1,000 millimeters just in the first week of august already, a record indeed. and in the past 24 hours, about 250 millimets in some locations. but we're likely to see more rain. 100 to 150 millimeters and on top of that we have another system coming in which is a strong typhoon moving in our direction. so lots to talk about here. mrz more rain to come. and certainly, another high risk of flooding, landslides and mudslides. more on that later in this program. two japanese cities, two atomic bombings that changed history. tens of thousands of people died in an instant in august 1945.

survivors were left suffering in the ruins. "newsline" will show you how they've been passing down their experiences and sharing messages about world peace. join us for our special coverage, "remembering hiroshima and nagasaki" through saturday august 9th. leaders of israel and hamas have agreed to number of cease-fires to end a month of fighting in the gaza strip. each time they started shooting again. but a 72-hour truce appears to be holding. israeli commanders say they have achieved their goal. they have destroyed all the tunnels used by hamas to attack israel. so the last of their ground forces have pulled out. residents of the territory have returned to the streets. but some palestinians wonder whether the fighting is done. >> translator: i hope the truce will last and the war ends. >> translator: i hope both sides will maintain the truce.

>> u.n. secretary-general, ban ki-moon called on both sides to exercise restraint and he urged them to talks to form a durable cease-fire. authorities say 1860 palestinians have died in the offensive. 64 israeli soldiers and three civilians have been killed. u.s. military officials say a man wearing an afghan army uniform has opened fire on international officers in kabul. he shot and killed an american general. major general green was part of a group of officers visiting a military academy. he is the highest ranking officer to be killed in action since american forces went into afghanistan 13 years ago. the gunman was killed at the scene number one has claimed

responsibility for the attack. international soldiers are training afghan forces to take over security. the nato-led mission is set to conclude at the end of the year. the biggest ever outbreak of a highly fatal virus is affecting more of the people trying to stop its spread. foreign medical experts and aid workers in west africa are contracting ebola. the disease has killed nearly 900 people. representatives of a spanish charity say a man in charge of a hospital in the liberia capital monrovia is among the latest to become infected. the spanish national is in quarantine and his condition is said to be serious. the hospital stopped accepts patients after its director died last week from ebola the virus has infect lead the americans, one died. the others have returned home for treatment. medical institutions in liberia are closing one after another, many health care workers have been staying home out of fear.

authorities have set up check points on roads leading to areas where ebola patients have been found and blocked out places where victims will be buried but some communities are resisting the move. the virus remains contagious even in dead bodies. u.s. president barack obama wants to shift ties with africa beyond humanitarian aid. he is hosting leaders from 50 african countries at a summit in washington. he said americans want to do more on the continent. >> we don't look to africa simply for its natural resources. we recognize africa for its greatest resource, which is its people and their talents and potential. >> obama said the manufacturing and retailing sectors are growing rapidly. he said he wants africans buying more american products and americans buying more african products. chinese leaders have long seen the potential and have invested in oil, coal and other resources. president xi jinping visited

south africa and tanzania last year on his first overseas trip after taking office. obama wants americans to catch up. he committed $3 billion to promoting u.s. exports. rescue teams in southwestern chinese are struggling to help survivors three days after an earthquake. the magnitude 6.5 quake hit yunnan province on sunday. at least 410 people were killed. more than 200,000 were forced from their homes. the earthquake cut off roads and bridges. that's prevented military personnel from reaching people who need their help. survivors are receiving little food, water and other supplies. representatives of the fire department and police have recognized that the rescue efforts have been slow. >> translator: the severely effected areas are in the mountains. this is delaying the rescue efforts. >> regional authorities say rescuing survivors is their utmost priority.

a takeover bid that could have realigned u.s. media has been cancelled. 21st century fox has given up on buying out time warner. rupert murdoch says that time warner's top management refused the proposal. this likely made the deal unattractive to warner stock holders. murdoch offered $80 billion for time warner when which owns warner brothers, hbo and cnn. u.s. need yeah reports the country's fourth biggest mobile carrier, t-mobile u.s. is expected to reject a takeovered by from iliad.

executives at t-mobile u.s. refused to disclose financial information. t-mobile officials have been in discussions with a buyout with sprint. t-mobile's major shareholder deutsche telecom are also likely to reject the offer. the wall street journal issist with drawing its offer to buy out sprint. managers at sprint have been negotiating to purchase t-mobile. american media reported in june they had reached a broad agreement. sprint and sofbank have not released an information. the earnings reports are

out. japanese automaker toyota motor reported gains in sales and profits for the april to june quarter. sales rose more than 2% from a year earlier to $62.3 billion. robust u.s. sales made up for weaker demand in the domestic market. japanese consumers bought fewer cars. operating profit grew to $6.75 billion. international aid poured in after disaster struck japan three years ago. support came in the form of rescue teams, and financial dotions. nhk world's jun komito reports. >> reporter: this railway was knocked out of commission by the march 11 earthquake and tsunami.

it just went back into service in april. officials were able to replace the train carriages thanks to a donation from the government of kuwait. rescue teams from various countries came to help the recovery efforts. members of a japanese think tank carried out a study on foreign aid related to the march 11 disaster. they compiled a report with the details. it says governments of 174 countries and territories, international and private organizations, and individuals offered aid. the donations totalled about $2 billion. donors even included countries the u.n. designates as the world's least developed. 35 of them provided aid.

among them is afghanistan. the war-torn country is still struggling to rebuild itself. officials from the japanese red cross say aid from afghanistan amounted to $1.3 million. an afghan diplomat said the donations reflect the goodwill between the two countries. >> the japanese people and government -- this is actually the -- the warm feelings that the people of afghanistan has toward the japanese. >> reporter: in one disaster-hit community, the money is still having a positive impact. the donations were used to buy

walking poles that residents use in exercise programs. many elderly survivors in the area are still living in temporary housing. japanese red cross launched this walking activity to encourage them to become more physically active. over the past three years, more than 2400 people have taken part. now, the participants are enjoying the activity, also as a social event among the survivors. >> translator: i didn't know that afghanistan offered aid to this event. i'm surprised because the country has been facing a difficult situation. >> translator: we should never waste what we've received from afghanistan and are hoping to return the favor in the future.

>> reporter: people who benefitted from the program hope to somehow return the generosity to the afghan people. the goodwill from across the globe especially from countries with difficulties will remain in the hearts of survivors. juniko mito, nhk world. people in southwestern japan are dealing with heavy rain and bracing for a typhoon heading their way. mai shoji joins us again from our weather desk with the latest. >> lot of tropical developments across the world as you can see. but apart from that very heavy rainfall pounding western japan we have a typhoon heading our way and the southern islands. this is strong typhoon halong which is packing gusts 220 kilometers an hour and it could even intensify fushth as further as it moves closer to okinawa

into a very strong typhoon status. no matter what the intensity it, it will be bringing up the waves as high as 7 meters. about 10 meters high tomorrow. and by the time it reaches okinawa, early saturday throughout the weekend with very gusty conditions as well as very heavy rain and that is likely to push into western japan the next coming days. not only will it be directly affecting japan the surrounding countries will be drenched with very heavy rainfall especially northern luzon because of the southwestern monsoonal flow being very affective. mega city manila has been already been hit with heavy flooding. no more rain is welcomed there. japan is experiencing extreme heat. temperatures will be above 35 degrees in central japan. heat advisories are posted widely here. in and around tokyo, metropolitan region it could be the hottest day of the summer so far. so please watch out for heatstroke. down below here in southern half of china. heat advisories and warnings are in place as well as thunderstorm warnings.

scattered thunderstorms will be revailing across those locations. 39 degrees with plenty of sunshine. 36 in tokyo yet again forecasted for wednesday. hiroshima 28 with rain heavy at times. now let's look over to hawaii. we have two storm systems. this is going to be a double punch for the weekend across the very popular holiday destination. tropical storm watches already in place. this is iselle. this is category 2 hurricane. the good news is it is going to become a tropical storm but it is going to be very stormy throughout your weekend. and another one chasing after it is julio, and is likely to become a hurricane status as well over the warm water. could track a similar path as iselle. we'll keep a very close eye on this one. another storm system we have been watching is bertha. but this will be pulling away offshore. the direct impact could be in newfoundland with high waves, as well as very heavy rainfall

and gusty conditions. but it's the exacerbation of this system. so northeastern locations will see quite some severe thunderstorms and in the great lakes region as well. quite messy across the midwest and the southwest with very heavy rain especially in around north california where the mudslides have occurred. las vegas at 36 degrees and a chance of thunderstorms in d.c. i'll leave you now for your extended forecast for cities across the globe.

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

good evening, los angeles, i'm tavis iley. tonight, a conversation with the incomparable angela lansbury. for some seven decades now, she's delighted and impressed audiences on broadway and television, of course, 69 years after her first oscar nomination for "gaslight" and 54 years since her last. the academy has finally honored her for a long overdue oscar. we are glad you joined us, a conversation with angela lansbury coming up right now. ♪