International coordination in distributing medical supplies. The risk remains high, and we have a long road to travel. The United States has accused the w. H. O. Of being too close to china. Washington is demanding a detailed investigation into the organizations initial response to the outbreak. Chinese president xi jinping gave a speech at the opening ceremony. He defended his countrys handling of the crisis. Translator all along, we have acted with h openness, trransparency, and responsibilityty. Wwe have provivided informrmati the w. W. H. O. And relevant countries in a most timely mmanner. Xi pledged 2 billion over two years to help developing countries combat the coronavirus. A hot button issue ahead of the meeting was whether to let taiwan take part as an observer. But the assemblbly chair person did not allow it adding the matter will be discussed at anotother meeting laater this y. Translator the Foreign Ministry expresses deep regret andnd strong g dissaatisfaction World Health Organization saerk secretary has yielded pressure to the Chinese Government and continues to disregard of the right to health of the 23 Million People of taiwan. The confrontation between the u. S. And china is expected to become even more pronounced at the meeting. Questions rose on whether the w. H. O. Members can unite to contain the virus. Moving to italy where after over two months of lockdown businesses in the country including shops and restaurants are reopening. The significant eaeasing of restrictions comes as the countrys daily death toll from the virus dipped below 100 for the First Time Since early march. Italy has reported more than 3232000 deatths in total. L. The gogovernmentnt is now allow ppeople to freely move within their provinces as well as many businesses to reopen. The move comes as the number of cases worldwide tops 4. 7 million. The global death toll stands at more than 310,000. A restaurant in the capitol rome opened its doors again after disinfecting and arranging tables more than 1 meter appart. Translator its part of our great culture to dine together so i believe customers will come back. For the time being restaurants are allowed to only accept customers who have booked tables in advance. Theyre also obliged to keep customer lists for one month to help with Contact Tracing if needed. Stores and hair salolons are al allowed to reopen on the condition that they take measures against infection. But only 60 of the countrys businesses are believed to have reopened on monday. The prprime minister Giuseppe Conte is aiming to get it back on track without triggering a second wave. Turning to germmany and fraance, the leeaders have proposed a fund of 500 billili euros or about 543 billion to help the European Union recover from the coronavirus crisis. German chancellor Angela Merkel and french president Emmanuel Macron held tetelephoone tallks monday to discuss the eu economy which has been hit hard by the pandemic. The two leaders told reporters that they agreed to a plan that would offer grants to the Recovery Fund to the regions and indudustries that have beenen m effected. Under the plans the eus executive arm would raise the money onon financial markets. Transnsator e establishment the fund is a common eu stratey that wowould make up for the eu budget and would be a major step forward. Translator the goal should be a stronger and united europe that can overcome the crisis. Merkel said to that end extraordinary efforts will be needed but germany and france are ready. Eu leaders discussed a plan to setup a fund to spur the economic recovery at the bloc at a summit meeting in april. But they failed to narrow their differences. Attention is now focused on whether the german and french proposals will lead to a break through. Efforts to stem the spread of the coronavirus are yielding encouraging results in tokyo where officials reported just ten new cases on monday. Its the 13th day in a row the number of confirmed infections has been below 50. Overall more than 5,000 people have tested positive in the city of about 14 million. The latest figures come as Central Government officials are expected to decide on thursday whether to lift a state of emergency for tokyo, osaka and six other prefectures. Last week the government canceled the nationwide declaration for the other 39 prefectures. Officials are focusing their attention on infection statistics in tokyo as well as osaka where one new case was reported on monday. Amid the decline in new cases the government is urging people to maintain social distancing measures to prevent a second wave of infections. Across japan more than 30 new infections were registered on monday. In total over 16,300 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in japan. The death toll stands at about 770. The climbing season for japans highest peak, mt. Fuji has been canceled for this year to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Officials announced on monday the trails leading to the summit would stay closed throughout the summer. Shizuoka manages three of the four trails to the peak. The move follows a similar decision by the prefecture which maintains the remaining trail. The mountain straddles those prefectures where the state of emergencncy was lifted last wee. Mt. Fuji rises to 3,776 meters and attracts thousands of hikers and tourists during its two month climbing season. This year it was set to begin on july 10th. Mountain lodges and First Aid Centers will also be closed. People in a Japanese Seaside Community have come together to preserve jobs and local businesses amid the coronavirus outbreak. And as well see in our next story theyve come up with a tasty idea to help busy moms feeding kids out of school. Its called the helping bento. This is the city in southwestern japans kumamoto prefecture. Its been running a seafood processing business for the past seven years. Her companys main product is frozen tiger prawns sold mainly to restaurants. But sales have fallen sharply since the pandemic. School closures have also affected her busiiness. Translator the company has a staff of six including me, and four have kids. When local schools closed they couldnt come to work. Shortage of staff meant her prawns may go to waste. Then a light bulb came on over her head. The 30 people who work at this local hotel have been taking turns to go on furlough amidid e outbreeak. Saori asked if any of them would be interested in helping her out. Some immediately joined her. The outbreak created problems for another local seafood business. He raises yellow tail. This year has been a challenge. Translator i want to sell what was leftover from last year by the end of february, but i still have a lot of fish on my hands. And this also meant he had many mouths to feed costing him about 4,000 a day. Saori heard about his situation and had another idea. To make boxed lunches using yellow tail. The targets market was moms having to feed School Aged Kids at home. Translator i hope that these boxed lunches will help mothers by reducing the time they spend preparing meals and shopping and letting them have more time for themselves. Staff from the hotel joined the helping bento project, and they came up with five types of yellow tail lunchboxes. Online sales began last month. 207 bentos were sold in just two weeks. Translator i hope people will be inspired by these new ventures which are helping to keep people employed. Most recently a new bento choice adds to the menu, sea brim. Adversitity has led to some tas solutions. And now to world weather. A rainstorm going through eastern japan tuesday morning. People in tokyo woke up to heavy rain this morning as a low pressure system sweeps across the pacific coast. Its already brought over 200 millimeters and we saw 50 millimeters in tokyo this morning. Were expecting more showers for the next couple of hours, but we will get some relief in the weather in the afternoon as a storm system moves away from the country. However, another storm system will push into the area as we go into wednesday bringing unstable weather. So gloomy skies will persist in the tokyo area for the next couple of days. In the bay of bengal were monitoring the storm. It will move northwards and could make landfall on the border of North Eastern india and bangladesh wednesday. Rainfall could total 400 millimeters in and around c calcutta by wednesday. Were expecting dangerous storm surge up to 6 meters high. So be prepared and stay away from the coastal areas. We have another Tropical Storm named arthur in the atlantic. Its been affecting the North Carolina coast last weekend. Tropical storm warnings were issued for parts of North Carolinas coast on sunday. Dangerous surf conditions and rip currents are expected as the storm passes. Residents and tourists are advised to take caution at nearby beaches. Arthur is moving east away from North Carolina so rain and winds will wind down overnight monday, however dangerous surf conditions will persist amid the flood coast for the next couple of days. Thats it for now. Stay safe and have a nice day. And finally we check in with japanese swimmer, she has video of a new look following her battle with leukemia. The 19yearold holds the japanese record for the 100 meter butterfly. She was hospitalized for 10 months last year. She has returned to training with her esighssights on the pa Olympic Games in 2024. She lost her her during her Cancer Treatment and it hasnt fully grown back yet. On social media she wrote she was photographed without a wig because she wants people to see what he actually looks like. The swimmer says people around the globe are going through painful times bubut she h hopes message will give hope to fellow athletes and others who are fighting difficulties. And that concludes this edition of nhk newsline. Thank you very much for staying with us. Welcome to newsline in depth. Im aiko doden. Around the world many people may have welcomed the new year with a festive toast. Today we look at ways in which tastes for alcoholic beverages are changing. First we go to china. Its the largest beer market in the world. Although the amount of beer drunk there is not increasing much these days the amount people are spending on their Favorite Foods has increased by nearly 40 in the past five years. Thats because young affluent consumers in urban areas are developing a taste for premium beer including craft beer made by microbreweries. Craft beers come in a vast number of colors and tastes. Each one reflects the individuality of the brewer. 90 breweries from home and abroad joined in this trade fair in shanghai. It attracted huge crowds. Translator this is fruity. I think we will like the taste. Some taste sour, some are bitter and some taste like coffee or chocolaa. Its very interesting. Reporter there are an estimated 800 craft beer brewers in china. Some enter the business from other fields. Sun yi runs a machinery maker. Translator this is our factory. We make beer on the first floor. Reporter sun, a devoted beer lover setup the brewery five years ago. He outfitted with equipment from germany. His beer is made from select imported ingrededients. He uses high quality water dran from a nearby mountain. His beer won an award for excxcellence from among 1,100 brews at a domestic competition. Suns comp brews about 15 kinds of beer and ships them to local hotels and other venues. Translator domestically brewed craft beer has only a 100 market share. I think this will grow much larger. Reporter businesses importing and selling craft beer from abroad are also growing. He became a beer importer after working in the i. T. Business. Here she meet a famous japanese brew crafter believing they better suit asian tastes and match the food. Chinese craft beer lovers sampled some japanesemade products to find out which ones appeal to the local palette. This one is made with hops. Theyve used caramel malt to give it a strong body. The participants are very interested in japanese beer. I was surprised. I never knew craft beer is very popular and has an established market ipchina. I want to introduce chinese consumers to japanesemade products that cant be found elsewhere. I want japanese breweries to produce even tastier beer using suggestions from chinese consumers. Craft beer is 6 to 8 times more expensive than its massed produced beers in china. Nonetheless its popularity continues to grow with consumers seeking even more unique flavors, and many breweries are ready to step up and fill their glasses. We now to the u. S. Where the bourbbon, whiskey industtry has been impacted by the trade standoff between the United States and europe. Many distilleries in the state of kentucky have found their exports hit hard by the highest tariffs imposed by the eu. But a company has turned to its past to cultivate new followers to survive the present. Reporter nestled in the heart of lexington, kentucky is james e. Pepper, a distillery established in 1780, just 4 years after the u. S. Gained its independence from britain. The distillery was only rebuilt two years ago after being abandoned for decades, but thank tuesday the global whiskey boom its been shipping its bourbon as far as japan and europe. About 10 of its sales now come from exports. To really have a Successful Operation in the European Union you need to fund yoour own production. So you need to produce your good, do it in a custom 700 milliliter bottle. But a European Union imposed additional tariffs on u. S. Goods after President Donald Trump raised tariffs on steel and other eu imports. The added 25 levy dealt significant blow to the business. In response to things going on in various industries that were not a part of. So if theres something going on in an industrial industry oror, you know, commodities, steel and aluminum i would just say keep it in that category. Why are you dragging our products into this . Amid this tit for tat trade war the owner has taken a creative approach by focusing on his distillery tours by showcasing the companys unique story and artifacts he hopes to shine a light on the brand as not just a whiskey producer but a living part of american culture. The distillerys famous bourbon has had some wellknown fans over the years, most notably president ulysses s. Grant and Andrew Jackson and through these tours it spreads its history of bourbon to more diverse people. Its a growing part of our business and taps into something that we love, thats the passion, again, for telling the story and sharing our whiskeys with the world. As a result of connecting the past to the president tours of the distillery have generated hundreds of thousands of dollars making up for the loss on exports. And theyve given the distilleries hope that it can continue to do what it does best, sharing its all american spirits with the rest of thehe world. There are fears that the u. S. Trade dispute may intensify as the Trump Administration is now weighing the introduction of tariffs up to 100 on european products including wine and spirits. But he says hell continue to offer tours to create a new Customer Base of bourbon lovers closer to home. Next we focus on japan from sake to shochu. Japans iconic beverages are finding an appreciation around the world. But inside japan theres another drink in hot demand these days, gin. One key factor has been the popularity of craft gin made by small scale distillers incorporating unusual herbs and natural flavors. New cocktails are being created that complement japanese cuisine. Producers are responding to this trend by developing their own unique gin products. At a cocktail fair in tokyo ginbased drinks are especially popular. A distillery is flavoring its products with sea salt and ginger. More makers in japan are turning to botanical gins. Im fascinated by a use of unusual ingredients. Its the countrys largest maker of gins. Its looking to market more product by adding japanese ingredients. Where is this pepper from . Its from wakayama prefecture. Six ingredients including cherry leaves, green tea, citrus and sancho to create totally different new flavors. They created original gin with harmonious balance. We have the blending techniques to create the finest aroma. Thats one of our advantages. They eventually created the gin that allows drinkers to saver the subtle scent of cherry leaves. Now the farm is busy marketing. The sales staff explain that a drink infused with domestic ingredients is easily paired with japanese convinced this company includes gin to its menu. The manager says gin almost rivals sake in popularity to customers. Its no longer just the old image of people drinkiing gin ad tonic at bars. We want to expand the boundary. The company next plans to promote gins to sushi and tempura restaurants. By japanese with japanese botanicals makers are discovering that the taste for gin is taking hold and expanding into the domestic market. Nhk world. The distinctive gin produced in japan is starting to find a market abroad. In 2018 it was exported to 28 countries with more than half of it going to the netherlands, the birthplace of gin. To close todays program we have a story introducing a similar level of craftsmanship but focused on traditional japanese confection chaer, which may appeal to viewers who have a sweet tooth. Combining elaborate artisan skillwise a family recipe has given rise to sweets that are as delicious as they are beautiful. Thats it for todays newsline in depth. Thank you for w what do you have to lose . Anchor as the u. S. Death toll from coronavirus pass is thousand, President Trump reveals he is taking a drug that defieses medical experts. This is al jazeera live from london. Also coming up, the United States savages the World Health Organization and china over their handling of the coronavirus outbreak. The mayor of sao paulo warns that his citys hospitals are and the stormse, over opening schools ie