Infections have occurred around my place. At any rate, i think we have no choice but to put some restrictions in place to improve the situation. Translator i think the campaign should not only be suspended in sa ppporo city but the whole of hokkaido. Nothing is more important than peoples lives. The Government Campaign called go to travel is aimed at revitalizing the economies. It has apparently been good for Hotel Room Occupancy rates in osaka city, where uncertainty is once again creeping into the tourism industry. Translator its really shocking. Theres no telling what will happen next. Were really anxious. Nationwide, a record 345 coronavirus patients were in serious condition on tuesday. The figure is twice as many as last month. Medical workers in some areas are feeling the strain. Seven of the eight beds for serious cases at this hospital in central tokyo are occupied. Officials say they cannot accept anymore. Translator its not just about the number of beds. We need special equipment, and we need a certain amount of space for isolation. On tuesday, there have been more than 1200 new cases reported nationwide. Over 130,000 people have tested positive since the outbreak began. The death toll exceeds 2,000. Europe has also been battling another surge in coronavirus cases. Italys death toll has hit a grim milestone of 50,000, as growing infections among doctors and nurses pile pressure on the nations medical system. This month alone, 10,000 have died around the country. The government has restricted people from going out at night since november 6th, and residents of some places have to stay home in the day, as well. Over in britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is lifting englands second lockdown from next week, but tight restrictions will remain in some areas. Collective worship, weddings, an Outdoor Sports can resume, and shops, personal care, gyms, and the wid secto can reopen but without sensible precautions, we would risk the virus ealating into a winter or new year surge. From december 2nd, there will be rules based on the number of cases in a region. In the worsthit places, theyll be asked not to go out unless travel is essential. This tiered system of restrictions is expected to last until spring. France is reportedly working toward gradually lifting controls that are part of a nationwide lockdown. French media say president macron is expected to announce a threestep plan to ease stay at home restrictions on tuesday night. Starting from december 1st, they say, some shops will be allowed to reopen with Stricter Health precautions, but bars and restaurants arent likely to be included. Johns Hopkins University in the u. S. Says over 59 Million People have been infected globally, a total of 1. 4 million have died. British pharmaceutical giant astrazeneca says its Coronavirus Vaccine under development was found to be up to 90 effective in an interim analysis. The Company Released the data on Clinical Trials done in the uk and brazil by an independent board. Itseen developing the vaccine with t university of oxford. Astrazeneca said over 23,000 participants are being assessed, and there were a total of 131 covid19 cases in the study. In the Clinical Trials, they adjusted the vaccination dosage and analyzed multiple groups. The company said one regimen showed a vaccine efficacy of 90 , while another showed it was 62 effective. The combined analysis resulted in an average efficacy of 70 . The firm said no hospitalizations or seve cases of the disease were reported. The company said itll immediately prepare to submit the data to countries that have a framework in place for conditional or early approval. Astrazeneca is aiming to have a manufacturing capacity of up to 3 billion doses of the vaccine in 2021. Its made an agreement with the japanese government to provide it with doses. The World Health Organizations top emergency expert says china has given reassurance that an International Field trip to investigate the origins of the coronavirus will happen soon. But no date has been set since the initial announcement was made more than six months ago. We fully expect and have reassurances from our Chinese Government colleagues, that a trip to the field, field pact of the mission, will be facilitated, and as soon as possible. In may, the w. H. O. Said that it was coordinating with china to send an International Team to look into the origins of the virus and how its spread. The virus was first identified in the central city of wuhan last december. The w. H. O. s chief scientist welcomed the news about astrazeneca, but emphasized other companies should continue their work so that a variety of vaccines will be available. In the u. S. , a key Government Agency has given president elect joe biden formal approval to begin his transition to the white house. The announcement by the u. S. General Services Administration unlocks funding for the incoming administration. It also allows biden and Vice President elect Kamala Harris access to briefings. In a tweet, President Trump said gsa administrator emily murphy and her team should do what needs to be done with regards to initial protocols. He said he had instructed officials in his administration to do the same. The gsa announcement came shortly after officials in michigan certified biden as the winner of the battleground state in the november 3rd election. N nominees for top posts, and his picks appear to reflect a Campaign Promise to create a more diverse administration. Biden has chosen Anthony Blinken to be secretary of state. Blinken was National Security adviser during Barack Obamas first term as president. He served as deputy secretary of state during obamas second term. Biden says former secretary of state john kerry will be his special president ial envoy for climate. Kerry said on twitter that he plans to get america back on track, and that the issue requires all hands on deck. Linda thomasgreenfield will be the ambassador to the united nations. Jake sullivan, National Security adviser. And majorkas, security secretary. Hanes will be nominated as director of national intelligence. If confirm bid ted by the senat shed be the first woman to hold that post. U. S. Media are also reporting former Central Reserve chair janet yellen will be tapped to serve as treasury secretary. Shed be the first woman to hold that position, as well. Turning to the saga of former nissan chairperson carlos ghosn, who fled trial for financial wrongdoing. A panel criticized his detention in tokyo, describing it as an extrajudicial abuse of process. In a report, the u. N. Human rights counsels working group said there was no legal basis under International Law for detaining ghosn ahead of trial. It said the move was arbitrary, and its calling for an independent probe from japans government. Ghosn was arrested and detained four times before he abruptly jumped bail last december and fled to lebanon. He was indicted for offenses such as underreporting his pay and misusing nissan funds. The former nissan chair insists he is innocent and says he fled as there was no chance of a fair trial in japan. The countrys Justice Minister told reporters that japan has lodged a protest against the u. N. Panel. Translator the report does not understand our countrys criminal Justice System and is based on clear misunderstandings. It relies solely on ute lnilate claims from the defendant and is extremely regrettable and totally unacceptable. Ghosn is on an interpol wanted list. China is embarking on a bold mission to collect samples from beneath the sample of the moon. Experts describe it as a major advance in the countrys Space Program and can pave the way for even more ambitious plans in the near future. T the unmanned spacecraft blasted off around 4 30 a. M. Local time on tuesday and was broadcast live on National Broadcaster cctv. The goal is to drill 2 meters into the moon and collect about 2 kilograms of rocks and debris. If successful, titd be the firt lunar samples brought back to earth in 40 years. The mission is expected to last 23 days. Interest in missions to the moon have been surging. The United States is trying to build an outpost that will orbit the moon, descbing t project as the firtepn theext eraf hum exoratio japans ang t countries tang part. The World Meteorological Organization Says Greenhouse Gas levels, including Carbon Dioxide, hit record highs in 2019. The w. M. O. Reported last years data on three major gases observed in major countries. The global average of the concentration of Carbon Dioxide reached 410 parts per million, the highest since recordkeeping began in 1984. Concentrations of methane and nitrous oxide also hit record highs. Officials say the increase in Greenhouse Gases has led to extreme weather, including heavy rains and violent storms. To combat climate change, nearly 190 u. N. Members have ratified the 2015 Paris Agreement to limit the global temperature rise to below 1. 5 degrees celsi celsius. 1. 5 degre target, we should become Carbon Neutral by 2050. As i id, good news is that we have now growing amount of countrie and groups of countries who have committed to do. The w. M. O. Report also says lockdowns due to the covid19 pandemic have not significantly curved Greenhouse Gas emissions. Around the world, native ecosystems are coming under threat from invasive species. In the ancient japanese capital nara, researchers are working to protect indigenous species living in a historic pond. As we see in our next report, some relics from the citys past are helping this project. Reporter the ancient buddhist temple is a unesco World Heritage site. Next to it is one of the most popular spots, sarusawa pond. It is home to many fish, including fresh water gobe. However, in recent years, theyve come under threat from a number of nonnative predators, such as pond slider turtles. This is a specialist in fresh water fish. Hes been looking at ways to protect the native species. He came up with the idea of using old roof tiles. Stacked up on the bed of the pond, he thought they could act as artificial reefs that might protect the fish. The tiles originally came from the roof of the nearby temple. When they were replaced some 30 years ago, they were considered too precious to be thrown away. Translator i think its a wonderful idea for these old tiles, which were once on the roof of a temple, to be reused and take on a new life. Reporter a week later, it was time to check back on the tiles. Kitagawa and his team sank fish baskets in the pond to see what they might reveal. They found twice as many native species in the baskets closest to the roof tile reefs, compared to those further away. Reporter using an underwater camera, they could see goby hiding in the reef. The gap between the tiles is only about 4 centimeters, so the turtles and larger fish cant enter. The tiles are beneficial in other ways, too. Their rough surfaces allow algae and moss to grow, providing food for the fish, and make good places for spawning. And because the tiles are made of clay, theres no concern about polluting the pond water. Translator besides providing a safe habitat for the fish, i hope this project will generate greater interest in one of the most iconic spots in nara. Reporter kitagawa and his team will keep monitoring this project to observe the ancient tiles in their new role. Parts of far east russia have turned icy after a system hit the region. Trees, signs, and cars have been coated with ice. Our meteorologist sayaka mori joins us now with the details. Sayaka . Hello there. This area has seen freezing rain. Freezing rain looks like rain, but the temperature itself is below the freezing point. Once it hits the ground, it freezes everything. This is the aftermath. Take a look at this. A powerful low pressure system turned the area into an icy city saturday. Trees, lamp posts, and road signs were all covered in a clear glaze. Some places saw ice of about 12 millimeters thick, something that reportedly has not happened in 30 years. A state of emergency has been decla declared. However, people were out and about in the freezing cold in order to take pictures of the beautiful sight. Temperatures with will drop even further into the next several days. Take a look at this. These are the morning lows. Minus 11 on wednesday in vladivostok. Minus 16 on friday. Do bundle up. Ulaanbaatar will be cooler at minus 30 degrees on both friday as well as saturday. Thats much colder than normal for this time of year. Sapporos morning low will remain zero degrees every day into the weekend. Thats seasonal for this area. Sapporo has seen a sharp drop on tuesday. Daytime high was 12 degrees in tokyo. Mondays high was 21 degrees. It was more like mid october monday, but it is more like early december today. 24 centimeters of snow in 24 hours. Light rain in tokyo will continue into wednesday morning. Now, temperatures in sapporo will be 7 on wednesday. Sunny weather is in the forecast, but snow will return on thursday as well as friday. Osaka and fukuoka will remain sunny and warm into the rest of the work week. We have a newly formed cyclone near sri lanka and india. The system will likely intensify to a severe storm. Itll likely hit the south coast of india as we go into wednesday. Within the next 24 hours, Southern India will be hit by powerful winds and torrential rainfall. 140 Kilometers Per Hour for the wind. Outside activities will be extremely dangerous. Be safe. Thats it for me. Have a nice day. Thats all for this edition of nhk newsline. Im Yoshi Ogasawara in tokyo. Thanks for joining us, and do stay tuned for more. This is newsline biz. Im gene otani. Tokyos benchmark stock index rose sharply on tuesday closing at its highest of the year. Investors bought stocks after a long weekend that delivered good news about Coronavirus Vaccines. The nikkei average ended at 26,165, up 2. 5 from fridays close. Buy orders were placed almost across the board from the opening. It follows news that the Coronavirus Vaccine being developed by british firm astrazeneca and Oxford University could be as much as 90 effecte. Tuesdays trading marked a rebound after the threeday losing streak. The index dropped nearly 500 points after Coronavirus Infections spiked across japan. But analysts say the rebound might have been too strong on a day the government announced it was scaling back its Incentive Program to boost domestic tourism. Japans nissan motor has unveiled a new version of its popular note compact car, but its breaking with the past. The new model will only be available with the hybrid engine. The note will be released in december. Previous models sold a combined 1. 46 million units. The latest model uses nissans own hybrid technology that is powered by an electric motor with a gasoline engine to recharge the battery. Nissans decision is in response to the Global Movement to cut Carbon Emissions and increase environmental Awareness Among consumers. Translator many countries are cleaning up the introduction of new environmental regulations, so we will also review our plan for electric vehicles. The car maker plans to reduce production of gasoline engine cars that dont have electric motors. Nissan says it plans to raise the ratio of electric vehicles and hybrid cars to about 60 in japan, 50 in europe, and 20 in japan by fiscal 2023. The covid19 pandemic has consumers staying cautious. The Japan Department Stores Association says sales last month were down 1. 7 in yen terms to 3. 6 billion. That looks like a significant recovery from septembers plunge of 33. 6 year on year. But sales in october last year were unusually weak due to a hike in the consumption tax. When compared with more typical data from october two years ago, the drop is a bigger 18. 8 . Retail sales in the u. S. Are headed for a strong holiday season, especially online. Thats according to the National Retail federation. It says people will be shopping from home more than ever this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. The federation says sales in november and december could grow over 5 from last year to over 760 billion. The figures dont include car dealers, gas stations and restaurants. The rise would be in line with recent years or even better. The federation expects online sales to be especially strong, up by as mh as 30 and nearly the 220 billion. But small and medium sized retailers will continue to struggle because of the cost of doing business online. There is a rush to stores on black friday at the close of november, but this year, the coronavirus has changed peoples plans. According to a recent survey, 59 of respondents are reluctant to go to shopping malls, and 47 say they plan to do most on their buying online. Nhk worlds yamada nata has the story. For the holiday im definitely planning to do all my shopping online. All the covid situation is making everybody stay home and i think its more convenient. Reporter stores are going all out to respond to the situation. As well as the anticovid measures already deployed they move the start of sales forward to october to help reduce crowds. Theyre also getting behind their own online effort, such as this retailer. Inside the box is a toy that reacts to sound. Click on the screen and it pops ou customs can trproducts most like they do inhysical shop brady lives in the Southern State of west virginia. His home is just 20 minutes by car from the store, but his parents are looking at Online Shopping because of the pandemic. What do you think about shopping like this . Do you like doing it on the internet, or do you like doing it in the store . In here. Its better for me to swipe and stuff. Reporter this firm enables customers to get expert advice in the comfort of their own home. The new york based startup offers a tech service connecting each side. Around 150 retailers including wellknown brands are already using it. Shoppers ask questions about products such as size and color via smartphone or pc. Artificial intelligence analyzes customer preferences based on their purchase and browsing history. It instantly finds a clerk well versed in things they might be interested in. The clerk can, for example, explain its brand of sneaker tends to be a little bigger than usual. Its the kind of information thatsually requires actually trying the shoes on in a store. Its not only custers who benefit from the service. Firms are seeing fewer missed business opportunities. Customers are certainly still reluctant to go into large and enclosed areas like shopping malls. The usage from customers has also increased dramatically. Reporter the coronavirus pandemic not only kept people out of stores and shopping online in the early months, but it is now increasingly escalating that shift toward a more digital future. Yamada nana, nhk world. Lets have a look at the markets. From the newsline biz team in tokyo, im gene otani. Thanks very much for joining us. Joe bidens transition to the white house can now begin in earnest. Until now he has been doing it without the support of the federal office tasked with overseeing the transfer of power. Within two weeks after his victory speech, the head of the general Services Administration, has finally told the president elect that the transition can formally begin. It means joe bidens new administration can meet with federal officials to work on the Pandemic Response and National Security. Trump took to twitter to say he is for the transition and he wrote he wants to
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