new threat. syrian officials say the country's troops could use chemical and biological weapons to respond to foreign aggression. government officials in syria are raising the stakes in the 16-month-long conflict that's divided their country and put other nations on alert. representatives of president bashar al-assad's administration admitted for the first time their military has chemical and biological weapons and they went further saying the armed forces could use the deadly arsenal if foreign troops intervene in the

conflict. foreign ministry spokesperson responded to speculation by antigovernment fighters and other countries. the syrian military could resort to using weapons of mass destruction. he says his country's chemical and biological weapons are safely stored away and under the supervision of armed forces. >> these weapons are meant to be used only and strictly in the event of aggression against the syrian republic. >> makdissi stressed the military would never use the weapons against civilians or the syrian people under any circumstances. syria has not ratified the chemical weapons convention. officials have western countries suspect the assad government has stockpiles of ceron and mustard gas. they have expressed fear, the organization could take possession of these weapons. >> we will continue to make it clear to assad and those around him that the world is watching and they'll be held accountable

by the international community and the united states should they make the tragic mistake of using those weapons. >> obama said the u.s. will continue to work with its allies and with opposition to help the syrian people get a government that respects freedom, dignity, and peace. european union foreign ministers say they're concerned about potential use of chemical weapons in syria and they're also trying to choke off the supply of conventional weapons to the country. they've decided to strengthen their arms embargo. eu foreign ministers released a statement monday after meeting in brussels. >> we have to continue to be very, very clear in our belief that assad has to step aside. >> the eu banned weapons exports to syria in may 2011. but the tighter arms embargo now requires all eu security officials to inspect vessels and aircraft heading to syria if they suspect the cargo contains arms and equipment for president assad's forces. foreign ministers hope this new policy will have an impact on russian vessels that have been carrying weapons to syria.

the eu has also frozen assets and imposed travel bans on three more entities and 26 more individuals supporting the assad government. senior syrian army officers are among those targeted. the conflict in syria is affecting its western neighbor lebanon, the u.n. refugee agency fears the current rush of people fleeing from syria into neighboring nation s could lead to chaos. the number of syrian refugees fleeing their country has surged since last wednesday when the violence intensified in damascus. the u.n. high commissioner for refugees says that up to 30,000 syrian refugees may have crossed into neighboring countries on wednesday and thursday alone. the refugees streamed to the border with lebanon which is about 30 kilometers from the capital. a spokesperson for the unhcr said that the agency is preparing for the worst. >> we have to be prepared for a

bigger influx, so we plan for 40,000 people, 50,000 more, 100, so we have different contingency plans based on different numbers. >> the spokesperson added that communities accepting the refugees are already feeling the strain of housing all of them. most syrian refugees are staying at the homes of relatives and friends, as well as at schools and mosques in lebanon. people in neighboring iraq are wondering whether their country's security forces have what it takes to keep them safe following a wave of deadly attacks. militants killed at least 90 people and wounded more than 160 others in a coordinated wave of bombings and shootings. a car exploded monday morning in a crowded market in eastern baghdad. the blast killed three people and wounded 31. militants then set off several explosions in other parts of the capital. attackers also targeted a military base in the northern province. they fired at soldiers killing 14 of them. iraqi police say insurge

insurgents seemed to have coordinated the attacks because they all happened during a short period of time. security in iraq has been deteriorating since last december when u.s. troops withdrew from the country. terror attacks killed about 2,000 people from january to june. executives at toyota motor are trying to keep their company accelerating against the drag of the strong japanese yen. they're transferring some manufacturing to canada, part of the review of auto makers global production plans. the move applies to north american version of the lexus sports utility vehicle, sold as luxury brand. the rx, best selling lexus model overseas. toyota, assembles most lexus in japan including exports. workers at a factory in the southwest, made a quarter million cars in the last

business years. production capacity for 30,000 units will be moved to canada. the transfer is timed to coincide with a 2014 expansion at a canadian plant. the plan covers the rav-4, made in japan, sold under toyota brand. workers in canada will take over production of the rav-4 for the russian market. toyota executives will continue to make 3 million units annually in japan to keep jobs and improve technical expertise. e.u. leaders are smarting from a credit rating body blow. spokespersons for the major u.s. credit rating agency say they lowered medium term outlook from stable to negative. that applies to the government bonds of germany, netherlands

and luxembourg. the decision suggests possible rating cuts in the future. the debts of the three nations are sitting at aaa which is the highest rating. this is the first time germany's ratings outlook has been lowered to negative since greece's fiscal woes enflamed the european debt crisis. germany is the driving force of the euro zone economy. japanese finance minister made a comment about the yen advance after a cabinet meeting. he said he will closely watch foreign exchange movements with a greater sense of caution. >> translator: it is clear that the recent advance in the yen is speculative and does not reflect the true fundamentals of japan's economy. we will not rule out any measures against excessive gains in the yen. we will take decisive action if necessary.

china national offshore oil corporation says it will buy out canadian resource company nexen. the takeover will boost china's international presence in the energy business, ranging from oil to shale gas. according to a joint announcement, china's oil giant wail choir nexen for $15.1 billion. cnooc is the country's largest producer of offshore oil and gas. it develops oil and gas fields in the east china sea and the yellow sea's gulf. nexen developed shale gas in western canada. shale gas is natural gas trapped in rock formations that are deep underground. the canadian company is also developing oil fields in the north sea and the seas around mexico. the world trade organization set up a panel to look into china's export restrictions on rare earth minerals.

representatives from japan, the u.s., and the eu filed a trade case against china just last month. they said china's restrictions violated wto rules and have kept prices high. china produces more than 90% of the global output for rare earth minerals. chinese officials said their policy is justifiable as it aims to conserve its resources and environment. the wto panel plans to issue a ruling next summer. japan's defense ministry sounded a warning about china's naval build-up. recent activities are a grave concern for east asia and the rest of the world. this report says china's defense budget has increased by 30 times over the past 24 years. officials believe much of the growth is from building aircraft

carriers. the ministry also said china is sending warships more frequently to the south china sea and east china sea. the latter home to the sekaku islands claimed by china and taiwan. the paper expresses concern over china's reluctance to disclose military information. the report will be released to the public after being submitted to the cabinet later this month. the joint panel will include foreign and defense officials. >> translator: we would look to discuss with u.s. officials what we can do to express public concerns jane pin japan.

the marines will conduct test flights near the base next month. they'll begin full operations of the aircraft in okinawa in october. the deployment is important to strengthen japan's deterrence and ensure security over the southern islands. a series of accidents involving the osprey alarmed residents across the aircraft's flight path. two of the planes have crashed already this year. chinese leaders are making another move in their campaign to assert control over disputed territory in the south china sea. now in charge of a city that consolidates administration of three island chains. southeast asian nations claimed sovereignty over the islands. chinese authorities established last week to integrate the administration of different island chains . the state run news agency says the district legislative

conference held an election on yongxing island. directors restated china's claims over the islands and pledged to contribute to man anything. and protection of tear trritori. philippines and countries that claim the islands may intensify their protest against the chinese government. the south china sea is believed to be rich in natural resources. visitor numbers from the mainland have jumped sharply. it brought huge economic benefit to the territory. the influx has become a source of friction. chinese children born in hong kong are automatically granted citizenship in the territory. this gives them access to better

medical services. they can also go to school in hong kong. english education established under british rule makes this a big attraction. and the result its, a stampede to get children enrolled in schools and a hard lesson for hong kong parents. >> translator: 6:30 a.m. on the school bus. the young commuters need an early start. they have a border to cross. this is a checkpoint. the children are going to school in neighboring hong kong. but first they have to pass through immigration. why do you go to school in hong kong? >> translator: i don't know why, but mommy wants me to. >> reporter: immigration passes hang from their necks. officials wave them through with minimum delay.

all of the children crossing the border, were born in hong kong. that gives them the right to enter any school or kindergarten in the territories. 30,000 youngsters from the mainland are now exercising that right. a threefold increase over the past five years. this is a primary school. 1/3 of the pupils here live in mainland china. that's causing problem for local agents. primariy lschools in hong kong e a lottery system. the influx of mainland children is making the lottery increasingly harder to win. a growing number of hong kong kids failed to get into the schools they applied to.

that is leaving more young kids facing a long commute. this girl is one of them. she applied to all 14 primary schools near her home. but failed to win a place. her allotted school is 1 1/2 hour away by train and bus. >> translator: i was so surprise when i got the notice. i couldn't understand why such a thing can happen. >> reporter: desperate to secure her daughter a place in nearby schools, her mother applied for special admission. a process that includes a rigorous interview. but just getting a meeting with school officials is tough. she applied to eight the schools. only three have agreed to interview her.

>> translator: i am really worried. if i can't get my daughter into a local school, i will try to get her transferred next year. >> reporter: many parents in hong kong share that frustration. they question why local taxpayers have to make room for children from the mainland. they're demanding a change in the law, guaranteeing the right to enroll children into nearby schools. >> translator: children entering primary schools are still so small. but some are forced to go to faraway schools and this will continue for six years. i don't want those coming from the mainland to deprive our children of their schools. >> reporter: modern china is an increasingly competitive

society. parents in hong kong want to ensure their children don't fall behind at the first step. shing ishibe, nhk world, hong kong. cherry farmers, team up with a company that makes apps on mobile phones. farmers are able to sell more of their famous cherries. >> reporter: as well as mind in, she plays games on her cell phone. in this game, players in a

virtual orchard and grow cherries. they also give the trees a generous dose of pesticides to kill pests. regular spraying is essential. >> translator: there aren't any fields near here. we can't grow real plants. it is fun to grow things through the virtual game. >> reporter: if players succeed in growing virtual cherries, they receive real ones. she accepts a 2 kilogram package from a farmer. this is how the game works. players use real money to buy products for their cherry trees. when the digital cherries have grown, the game company gets the farm tires send the real ones to

the players. the game company pays the farmers for the cherries. for 2 kilograms of cherries, she paid. >> translator: during the game i worry that i might do something wrong, like use too much fertilizer. so i am really happy to have successfully completed the process. >> reporter: developers at the tokyo based company came up with thegame. >> translator: until now, the virtual and real worlds were kept apart. but we think it's great to unite them. >> reporter: farmers of yamogata

benefit from the game in several ways. now a quarter of the cherries to the players. until now i had to work with uncertain market prices. but in the game the price is set. there is much more stability. >> reporter: the new system allows him to cut labor costs. before he had to give small packages to different supermarkets now. he can ship one kilogram boxes of cherries to players. and he saves money by laying off some cherry packers. moreover, the player sends for more carries.

i would definitely look to use more it as a way to improve sales. it is not just cherries, players can grow potatoes, lettuce and corn as well. britain's queen elizabeth is getting ready to fire the pistol for the summer olympics. before the games begin friday, the monarch is enjoying pret parties. the queen welcomed members to the buckingham palace. >> over 10,000 athletes from more than 200 nations will be

undertaking their final preparations following years of dedication, hard work, and personal sacrifice. we send our warm wishes to them all for a rewarding and enjoyable games. >> the queen says preparations for the games have led to the regeneration of east london and the creation of world class sporting facilities at the olympic park. she expressed hope that the 17 day event will leave a strong legacy in london throughout britain. queen elizabeth will open the game fries day at pis friday at. groups of sports fans around japan are embarking on the long trip to the uk to cheer on their favorite athletes. japan's national soccer team have qualifying games to win ahead of the olympic gala they

will be cheering for the male samuri, and the female squad. tours to cheer on the female squad are sold out. their first ever victory at last year's world cup create aid sensation all across japan. it's cloudy and hot here in tokyo on tuesday. but over in southern china, people are dealing with heavy rain. let's turn now to sayaka mori at the weather desk for the updates. >> hi there, typhoon vincente made landfall, it has weak tuned a tropical storm. a strong storm. in hong kong. as much as 230 millimeters of

rain have been recorded. hong kong market was closed due to the storm. this morning it looks like vicente will move towards the north, and move through provinces into tomorrow. and regional vietnam by tomorrow morning. local time. as a tropical depression status. looks like it will move parallel to the coastal lines. high waves, rough seas and storm surge could be a major concern for the next couple days. as for precipitation. most of the heavy rain should be confind to coastal areas and additional, 200 millimeters or more is likely across the red areas over the next 48 hours or so. so that could certainly cause further flooding as well as landslides. all right, as for the rest of east asia, thundershowers still affecting across north korea into eastern china. that will be shifting towards the north. as for the beijing area, staying dry. coping with the aftermath of the

weekend storm. here is the situation on monday. after the heaviest rain in more than 60 years fell in beijing, killing 37 people, residents yesterday returned to their homes to survey the damage. floodwaters have mostly receded on monday leaving a muddy mess. and lack of food and drinking water. some homes have been complety destroyed and their contents, washed away. so again it is very, again, dry here today. unfortunately, thundershowers and some gusty winds are expected on your wednesday and thursday. so that could -- worsen the situation i am afraid. all right, moving into the americas, staying stormy across the northern portions of the u.s. and on both sides of canada. severe storm warnings are posted across many locations. and actually hail the size of a golf ball has been reported in montana. unfortunately, we are going to see the same picture as we head into tomorrow. downpours. most of the moisture is created

scattered showers around the four corners region and central rockies. all right, as for temperatures then. heat is prevailing to south of the front. 40 degrees, st. louis. 10 degrees higher than where they should be this time of year. finally, let's take a quick look at what is happening across europe. staying dry across most of the continent. on both sides of europe. staying very messy. thunderstorms and heavy rain will continue in italy and the western balkan peninsula. remaining unstable in the northern british isles. the london area should be escaping from the rain with the high of 29 degrees on your tuesday. here is the extended forecast. ♪ ♪

that's all for now on this edition of "newsline."

i'm yuko aotani in tokyo. thank you very much for watching.