From spilling into the ocean. Workers have been solidifying an embankment to prevent ground water from leaking from the plant into the ocean, but there are concerns that the tainted ground water has already overflowed the barrier. Tepco Officials Say theyll bore a smallscale well nearby and pump out contaminated water. They say workers will then sink about 35meet arelong pipes into the ground along the embankment and pump out ground water from them as well starting next week. They hope to drain 100 tons of water per day. Industry Ministry Officials estimate that 300 tons of tainted water is leaking into the ocean daily. Tepco management admits that it still does not know the exact amount of water thats leaking. Its also failed to identify the cause of the recent surge in the radiation levels of ground water in a well in the plant. The well was recently dug near an underground tunnel where highly radioactive water had collected. A Government Panel will meet on thursday to discuss how best to deal with the contaminated ground water. The u. S. And russia are still at loggerheads over the decision to grant fugitive Edward Snowden temporary asylum. Washington admits that decision was a factor behind the cancellation of a moscow summit between president barack obama and president vladimir putd en. The one on one meeting was supposed to take place next month ahead of the g20 summit in st. Petersburg. White house Officials Say obama will go to the g20 meeting. We were not at the point in our progress on a number of these issues that a summit at the president ial level was the most constructive step. She also cited the gap between the two sides on missile defense, Nuclear Disarmament and human rights, but she says that the u. S. Is committed to dialogue with moscow. She said her government will host a meeting of russian and foreign defense ministers on friday as scheduled. Many senior u. S. Lawmakers have supported obamas decision. Washington says it will continue demanding snowdens extradition. Putins president ial aide is disappointed at the summit cancellation. He said the decision clearly shows the u. S. Is not prepared to develop relations with russia on an equal basis. But he said the invitation for obama to visit russia still stands and that russian representatives are ready to continue working with their u. S. Partners on all key issues. North korean Authorities Say theyre ready to reopen a joint zone. The kaesong complex has been closed since april. North koreans work there for south korean businesses. Its considered a rare symbol of interkorean cooperation. North koreas committee for peaceful reunification of the fatherland issued a statement. It says the failure of the kaesong complex would have a great effect on interkorean relations. And it says leaders in pyongyang are responding to expectations at home and abroad for an easing of tensions. The statement goes on to say south korean businesspeople will be allowed to enter and leave the complex which is in north korea. It says the north will assure their safety and that of their assets. North korean workers will return to resume prigss. Authorities in pyongyang withdrew 53,000 of them in april. Theyre protesting against joint military exercises involving u. S. And south korean troops. The north korean statement proposed holding talks on august 14th regarding the resumption of operations at kaesong. A spokesperson for the south Korean Unification ministry welcomed the decision. Translator we give credit to the north for its response. It has changed its attitude toward our demand for negotiations to solve the discord over kaesong. Unification Ministry Representatives have indicated theyll consider north koreas offer for talks on reopening the industrial zone. Now, delegates for the two koreas have already held six rounds of negotiations aimed at restarting operations at kaesong, but they failed to reach an agreement. An annual forum that brings together politicians and scholars from japan and china has been postponed. The chinese side says the forum will be rescheduled in october. Officials from the japanese Nonprofit Group genron npo have been chairing the event along with a newspaper since 2005. This years meeting was scheduled to begin in beijing next monday with 100 people attending. But the chinese side recently said there was not enough time to make sufficient preparations. It decided to postpone the event until october. Analysts say the reason for the postponement is the current strained bilateral relations. They say the Chinese Government wants to observe developments. Ties between the two countries have soured over territorial dispute involving the senkaku islands. Japan controls the islands, china and taiwan claim them. Genron npo and the chinese newspaper released the results of a poll this week saying more than 90 of people surveyed in both countries have negative feelings towards the other. Thats the highest level since the poll began in 2005. Ousted thai Prime Minister thaksin shin na watt continues to increase tensions. They started discussing an amnesty bill that could clear a path for his return and many people arent happy about it. The bill was proposed by the ruling party led by thaksins sister yingluck shinawatra. Antigovernment groups took to the streets on wednesday to protest against it. The amnesty bill would cover those convicted of antigovernment activities. Protesters say this could lead to a pardon for thaksin. He was expelled in a military coup in 2006 and now lives abroad effectively in exile. Standoffs between supporters and opponents of the former Prime Minister have fueled longterm political turmoil. The country could face an intense political battle as the governing party is planning an early enactment of the bill. A u. S. Drone attack in southern yemen has killed at least seven suspected al qaeda militants. It was the fifth drone strike by the u. S. In two weeks in the country. Local media said the attack targeted militants in a mountainous district of shabwa province. The u. S. Government has been increasing its efforts to contain al qaeda had beenaffil militants. Theyve shut their embassy and consulates in yemen since august 4th due to potential attacks by al qaeda. Yemeni government Officials Say they prevented a terror attack on one of the countrys oil exporting terminals. Chinese researchers say they found evidence that a new strain of bird flu can jump between people, but they say the transmission was limited and not sustainable. The h7n9 virus affected people this china this spring. 43 have died. The researchers pub lived a study in week in the british medical journal. They looked at the case of a 60yearold man and his 32yearold daughter who died from the infection in april and may. The team says virus samples from the two were almost genetically identical. The man was hospitalized after contracting the virus and his daughter stayed by his bedside. The researchers say she had no contact with poultry and its highly likely the virus came from her father. Other family members who came in contact with him have stayed healthy. The researchers conclude the deaths were a clear case of limited transmission between family members. People in tokyo are celebrating the remarkable life of Nelson Mandela as the former South African president gets treatment in hospital. Theyve put on an exhibition. Some items have never been seen outside south africa. Nhk world reports. Reporter the display is part of a disaster benefit art show by japanese personalities. The items related to the former South African president are a highlight. This is a copy of a note mandela wrote during his imprisonment. He was arrested many times for his antiapartheid activities. He made headlines at his trial in 1964 when, instead of testifying, he made a speech from the dock. He said he would risk his life to realize a democratic and nonracial society. Translator its an ideal for which i have lived. It is an ideal for which i still hope to live and see realized. But if it needs be, it is an ideal for which i am prepared to die. Reporter another piece is a copy of a memo mandela wrote after his release from prison. Viewers can sense the sort of man who made the effort to remember everything that was happening to him. The notes count his able whge w was arrested and when he was released over his long years of imprisonment. Translator it would be hard for me to describe mandela, but i can see he lives for a higher purpose. Translator i want my child to be able to fight fill of conviction, just like mr. Mandela. I want her to stay strong with mighty heart. So this was written on the wall. Reporter visitors could also see a copy of the freedom charter written in the holding cell in which mandela once spent many hours. The charter became the platform of the African National congress which mandela once led. The new constitution of south africa, which was drawn up after authorities ended the apartheid policy, included many of the charters demands. This year is nell lan mandelas 95th birthday, a major milestone, that we thought this was important. So at the heart of this exhibition is to then say to the japanese community, we all have to contribute to make to help build a different and better world. Reporter mandelas powerful words and willingness to die for his beliefs continues to be a source of inspiration for people around the world. Midst uko nishikawa, nhk world, tokyo. People in japan and some other nations spent tuesday remembering a dark and i verniv. They marked the day the u. S. Military dropped an atomic bomb on hiroshima. Austrians gathered in front of st. Stephens cathedral in vienna. They said Nuclear Weapons should be abolished. O organizers delivered a speech calling for world peace. They used crayons to draw on a picture of a bomb and transform it to something else. A hundred people paraded through central vienna holding a banner that read in german, no more hiroshima. Translator an atomic bomb killed many innocent people in one moment. I think such a tragedy should never happen again. They released lanterns on a pond to remember the victims of the bombing. Now people in india are learning about the experiences of abomb survivors in a new way. A publisher in new delhi held an event to publish a hindi version of a manga that looks at the power of Nuclear Weapons. It depicts survivors in hiroshima as they struggle with psychological issues and the effects of radiation. She translated the stories into hindi. She says she hopes it will encourage Young Indians to think about peace and abolishing Nuclear Weapons. Translator i particularly want younger generationso learn about the lingering effects of radiation from atomic bombs. It can span several generations. Reporter the manga will go on sale at bookstores across india. The country is a recognized nuclear power, but it hasnt signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation treaty. 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 whats happened since. Don missur specialoverage war to peace, lessons of 1945 through thursday august 15th. Members of the young peoples chorus in new york know about the power of song. Theyve inspired audiences around the world with their voices. So when they plan a tour of japan, they asked to visit an area thats been through so much hardship in the last two years. Nhk worlds miki ebara has the story. Reporter this is a world renound group of children from new york city. Americas east coast was hit by Hurricane Sandy last october. In new york alone, more than 50 people died and over 100,000 buildings were damaged. This 18yearold is a member who wanted to share her disaster experience with japanese children. I saw the destruction. And i spoke with families who had lost their homes even halfway across the world were trying to help and were still lifting spirits, and we feel their pain. Reporter they chose ha hana wa saku. They learned the meaning of the lyrics from a volunteer. Theres still a flower to bloom in the future. So thats the song. Reporter shes excited to sing the song for her parents at home before going off to japan. [ singing in japanese ] i guess disasters do happen, but i could also feel the message of dont give up. How are you . Reporter in july, 40 members visited sendai. They gave a concert for children at a school. Their energetic performers made the children smile and dance. At the end, they sang han hana wa saku with the children. [ singing in japanese ] translator i was very happy. We were one in music. Realize that now, it was really nice. A great way to finish. The buildup to the song. Reporter the children know singing can lift up peoples spirits in difficult times and singing together is even more powerful. It brings together People Living on opposite sides of the earth much closer. Miki ebara, nhk world, sendai. And next lets take a brief look at the market figures. With a twirl here and a toss there, this pizza chef knows how to give dough a good spin. And to prove hes got what it takes, he traveled to the place where pizza was invented to face off against the best. Heres Yukiya Tanaka with the story. Reporter this is how you toss very thin piece of dough. Cooks used to spin dough to make it bounce, but now its also a performing art. Earlier this year, this man competed in the pizza acrobatic competition in italy. They flipped and spun his way to second place. He makes pizza at the restaurant in sido city near tokyo. Five years ago, he was invited to join a group of pizza acrobats. Ever since hes been hooked. Translator i hope my pizza routine adds color and enjoyment to the service. Gives the commerce an experieus experience that goes beyond a standard visit to a restaurant. Reporter when hes not tossing pizza at work, hes at home practicing. He uses a circle and gets experience from everyday life. Translator when i saw how the washing machine spin, i copied it, using both of my hands around and around. Reporter this is what he worked on ahead of the world championships. And in april he traveled to italy. This is the worlds most prestigious competition of its kind and he is the only japanese to ever place second. Next year, he hopes to win top prize. So now he works on his showmansh showmanship. He visits a local bar where a popular bartender works. He takes a good look at the bartenders moves. Translator he sure is a first class entertainer. When i come here and watch him, i learn so much about performan performance. Reporter while he aims to be the best in the world, his daytoday focus is on entertaining his customers and that will help him in his competitions. Translator i never want to become complacent. I just want to make people happy. I want to take first prize by spinning pizzas in an entertaining way. Reporter he tosses and twirls and prepares for next years competition. Reporting for nhk world, saitama. People in northern vietnam are having to deal with a Tropical Storm that made landfall overnight. Lets get more details from mai shoji in our World Weather forecast. Good morning, mai. Good morning. Yes, transportation mangu has made landfall over in northern vietnam. It has brought drenching rainfall and very strong winds to the Hainan Island yesterday. Let me show you a video coming up from that area. Tropical storm mangu pushed its way from southern hainan tuesday night through wednesday morning bringing strong winds and high waves. A small island southeast of hainan. Here several homes were damaged and trees were downed. The military was dispatched to help with cleanup. The bigger picture, again, while the storm has made landfall, it is moving over northern vietnam as of now bringing stormy conditions across the surrounding areas. It is still packing gusts of 90 kilometers an hour. Rainfall accumulation, however, will be staggering about 200 millimeters to an additional of 250. Localized areas, which could trigger flooding. It would be enhancement of the monsoonal flow. Well keep a very close eye on this system. Now, to the bigger picture. Here across southwestern china and into northeastern china and north korea, this is the area where were finding more precipitation. About 100 to 150 millimeters can be possible in sichuan and where we really want that rain is here. That extreme drought condition is still prevailing across southern china, but the heat warnings are posted widely in eastern asia. Kyoto is looking at 36. Shanghai is reaching up to 40 degrees. The bad news is its going to be continuing. This ongoing heat will really exhaust you. Try to arrange your plans for the weekend if you are going to be having fun out door for the weekend because its going to be very, very hot as you can see. Please take precautions for heat stroke. Now, across north america, the Severe Weather is still erupting across the Central Plains and into southeastern great lakes region. In fact, we have one tornado touchdown reported in texas from this system. Tomorrow its going to be widely spread across much of the eastern half all the way from texas oklahoma panhandle into new england states. The big apple, d. C. , boston, these are the areas that you will find drenching rain that could lead to flash flooding and we cant rule out the possibility of tornadic activity. Towards the south, still sizzling hot at houston, 38 degrees. Although the humidity level is still very low, 5 in some areas and windy as well. So if the dry thunderstorms across this area ignites wildfires, thats going to be widely spread. Extreme fire danger taking place again here. In europe the heat still prevails. The jetstream is still meandering down to the south in the west and to the north in the east. It is bringing Severe Weather across this area. This has already ignited funnel clouds in germany and hail have been reported, winds of has been reported in czech republic. It will be continuing this way. But were still talking about the heat which is covering eastern and southern parts of europe. Temperatures are in the 30s, and thats good to be continuing. So here as well, please, please take precautions for heatstroke. Ill leave you for nor the extended forecast. Edition of newsline. Im raja pradhan in tokyo. Well be back at the top of the hour. Thanks for joining us on nhk world. you need to know that mark mazzoni wrote this that here of course its the first thing i would tell you. He is going to tell you. Even more interesting than the fact that he wrote it here, he was here or it was while he was here that max was born. We are a fullservice lace. [laughter] we handle books, families, personal lives. We are very proud of the factth