hello, thank you for joining us. this is nhk "newsline." we begin this hour with a warni warning, the coronavirus pandemic is set across grim milestones across the globe. >> the numbers have more than doubled in the past week. in the next few days we will

reach one million confirmed cases and 50,000 deaths. >> he is concerned about the rapid escalation of infections. there are more than 800,000 confirmed cases and over 40,000 and 500 deaths globally. he is calling on governments to ensure that vulnerable people have food and necessities. the number of people who have tested positive but show no symptoms. they are silent carriers who have been confirmed since the start of the outbreak. during that news conference, who officials face questions about china's stance. the technical lead of the agencies held the emergency program and says that who definition includes anyone that tests positive regardless of whether or not they have

symptoms. she would not comment on whether or not china's way of compiling statistics is appropriate. the w.h.o. shows younger people have only minor symptoms, but some are falling seriously ill or even dieing. health officials say that a 1212-year-old g girl died after catching the coronavirus a 50-year-old buy was admitted to the hospital last week with breathing difficulties. he tested positive on friday and he diedd on monday. french media say a 16-year-old girl in paris died less than a week after developing symptoms. in tokyo, the increase in cases has been excel rating in recent days.

in the coming days. 40 people are accounted for. tokyo officials say they are found among young people so far may be just among the tip of the ice berl. they say it is important to deit early. avoid people like the elderly. meanwhile the long list of international events being disrupted keeps growing. the british government has announced that thihis year's u. climate summit will be postponed until 2021. it was due to be held in cost land. it is the first time that has happened since world war ii. the tournament was scheduled to take place between june 29th and july 12th. the pandemic is taking a heavy

toll on the petroleum industry. plummeting prices forced a u.s. shale oil produce tore file for bankruptcy protection. pe toll yum is reported to be the first major victim of the crash in prices. crude oil futures continue to fall briefly singling below $20 a barrel in eight years. and some other others. and they are mainly based in t e state of tetexas. it is around $50 a barrelel. the producecers have been raisi funds by having high yield bonds. the firm said they are nowow facing fununding difficulties a turmoil in the financial markets

stemming from the virus outbreak have pushed interest rates sharply higher. russia says they have sent a transportt a aircraft to the und states loaded with medical equipment and other supplies to support the fight against the virus. presidential office spokes person said that the president vladimir putin offered the assistance during talks with president donald trumump o o monday. trump expressed gratty and accepted --- gratitude. nearly 4500 people have died. russia itself confirmed about 2800 people infected with the virus as of wednesday. an increase of over 400 from the previous day. some russians say that now is not the time to help out other countries. but otherers say that the suppo

could warm up u.u.s.-russia tie. they have beenhilly mainly due to conflict over security issues. russia has also sent italy medical doctors and other specialists and medical equipment. many european media outlets praise the gesture, but some speculated that there might be a political calculation behind it. meanwhile, britain, france, and germany exported m medical good to iron also hard hit by the outbreak. tehran has confirmed over 47000 cases. they say procurement of some medical supplies is difficult due to u.s. sanctions. the three countries said on tuesday they confirmed the first transaction has been carried out through a mechanism called

instec. the iriranian govererent madade official reresponse, but the presidident rouhani said on wednesday that the u.s. does not ununderstand it's responsibilits amid the global crisis. as infections rise, suzuki motor will support making artificial respirators. suzuki in india says it will help a ventilator manufacturer procure parts, provide production know how. and offer other support. the automaker also plans to produce face masks and other protective gear in the country. the firm is looking for places to make them. in the united stateses, m major carmrmakerss have alsoo announc plans to produce ventilators. a nationwide lock todown went io

effect and will continue until mid april. authorities in the country have been facing huge medical challenges like building makeshift hospitals to p provid beds for coronavirus patients. the coronavirus has disru disrupted the lives of people around the world. in japan, it has deprived many families of a chance to witness a right of passage they have been looking forward to for years. their children's graduation ceremony. our next story looks at how one photographer is helping families make the best out of a difficult situation. >> reporter: twins graduating from kindergarten and an elementary schoolgirl on her big day. the photos were taken by a

photographer near tokyo. she freelances in commercial photography, but this year she decided to help participants that had to miss their children's graduation ceremonies. >> it's once in a lifetime. i thought i could give them something to mark the anniversary in the form of a photo. >> she took to social media offering to take the photos for free. >> she went to meet her new client whose son is graduating elementary school. but this year family members are not allowed to attend the major life event. >> i want to make sure he has good memories of the day. on graduation day, only students

and teachers are at the ceremony. meanwhile, a father and sister are setting up an alternative celebration at home. and okubu is on hand to document every moment.

the camera captured the memory of the boys graduating by their side. >> a professional photographer was there. and i thought it was really amazi amazing. > their son is sure to know that his parents were happy and proud of him. i hope i was able to do my bit to put a smile on on of their faces. >> thoughtful plan chaired a graduation day into a memory that can be savored for years to come. >> it is time for world weather with our meteorologist. >> windy conditions from northern japan today, what should we look out for.

>> we, possibilities of uproaded trees. and the winds will be strong at 108 kilometers per hour. those are caused by a low pressure system moving in to the northern side of japan. clear skies to the western and central japan. temperatures for tokyo will be around 19 degrees, quite a day, temperatures are good for you there, 22 degrees. for all of those that i have been lucky enough to catch some of these blossoms, we saw full blooms on wednesday but i want to pay attention to the way they

came about nine days earlier than normal. fukushima 12 days, so the temperature and the weather approaching japan. temperatures remaining in the 80s. the united states has been seeingng cold er e conditions t the north pacific. more snowfall is expected to move in. and in canada, nova scotia, and moisture will come through over those parts. otherwise sunny and lovely weather for much of the south. temperatures going as high as 31 towards atlanta, and warmer

conditions coming back but still chilly for all of those places like chicago. that that is where i will leave it for the weather, stay safe.

that will do it for "newsline," thank you for being here. welcome to "newsline in depth." today we're focusing on two different past times. a traditional toy, and being brought up to date. toys are a huge industry in japan, a market worth $7.7 billion dollars. and despite japan's dwindling

birthrate, that figure is continuing to grow. the tokyo toy show is held each year. industry representatives and fans from all over the country and abroad. in our first story, we look at a kind of toy that is hugely popular in japan. capsule toys. in japan they have been come to nose at capcha. they are sold in vending machines for $3 to $5 each. it comes from the sound you hear as you insert your coin, turn it, and hear it fall to the tray at the bottom. you open it and the toy inside pops out. reminds me of the crackers popular in england at christmas time. they are usually figurines of people or people, toy cars or

objects. something fun, small, and inexpensive. and what i have here is a tiny little pan. a a miniature version of the one that makes a japanese snack. and you can get a view of the wide range of toys here in japan. some are very whimsical. i see mushrooms, here is a miniature statute of buddha, penguins, and more. there is a random element to them. you are not paying for something that you want to buy, what you actually get for your money is entirely up to chance, originally they were imported

but now they have taking on a very japanese character. they are now attracting new generations. >> in tokyo you don't have to look far for coys in a v vendin machine. you put a coin in, turn the lever, and see what comes out. part of the fun of capsules is you don't know what is inside until you pop them open. >> at this shopping mall, one vending machine is causing quite a stir. it is not selling toys, it is selling pu selling perfume. each one costs about $6.50 u.s.

dollars and contains a small high end fragrance. >> a full bottle costs about $180. i get bored with the scent, so this suits me. >> it's an affordable way to get a whiff of something new, and since the selection is down to chance, they don't have to spend a lot of time deciding what to buy. >> i don't know much about brands. so i'm happy to let fate introduce me to a new sent. >> the machine is a hit for people t that may not normally splash out on a full sized bottle. some days they sell more than $200 capsules. the shop places special orders for miniature bottles from grands around the world and now they have over 100 varieties in stock.

>> the bottles cost a lot to produce, so we're not making any profit, but if it gets them in the habit of wearing per few and that starts to spread, it will be worth it in the long run. >> capsule toys pop up in unexpected places. like a town in the mountains of western tokyo. these students have been ththinking of ways to populariz local products. they dececided t to make handy crafts using local materials and sell them from a vending machine. among the items, antlers from hunters. the classmates have been making necessa necklaces and other accessories. they have badges detecting the

national charms and coupons with things like free sweet dumpli s dumplings.s. >> i think the fact that you don't need someone to physically sell them is a plus. >> visitors can find the machine at a cafe at the station. capsules cost $2.80. >> referee: i want to keep working with other people to

make products to sell capsules. i hope they become more popular. >> capsules are certainly fun. but they can also serve a different purpose. this one became a smash hit ringing up sales o of more th 7 700 units. it's a public telephone. each one costs a little less than $3 and contains one of six types of toy phone. >> i wanted to check it out. i saw it on twitter and looked everywhere but i could not find one. now i finally have. >> wow, it is cute. it looks like a real one. this is great. >> the toys were dreamed up by a major japanese telecom firm and they have an educational goal. now that cell phones have become

the norm, public telephones are an increasingly rare sight and many people don't even know how to use one. but if the worst happens, and cell phones stop working, public phones could be the best way to get through. that happened in 2008 when people lined up to take turns making calls. >> we found that about 80% of elementary school students don't know how to use a public phone. i want children to learn how to use them so they can make a call in a emergency or disaster. >> they worked with a toy manufacturer to create realistic phones. you can lift the receiver. and even press the button.

they also come with a sticker explaining how to use a public phone so children can learn with their parents while playing. >> we have seen comments on social media about how fun they are. it is important to know how to use public phones and we hope these spread awareness. >> life is like a capsule toy, you never know what you're going to get. from fragrances to toys, vending machines keep coming up with surprises. >> they were designed to be environment tally friendly. they are placed in collection boxes near by to be recycled. but with the coronavirus some shops have had to closed temporarily. now we're going to a very traditional type of keepsake.

the dolls are made from unglazed clay and they go from simple figurines to elaborately painted statues. now they're trying to bring it up to dadate.

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as the coronavirus and the stay home hash tag are becoming more important, more items are becoming important for every day wewell-being.. thank you f for watching, we'll

see you again next time.

>> the united kingdom records its worst day of the coronavirus jut break, more than 500 people have died in 24 hours. you're watching al ja zero rah, live from london. also ahead -- >> in the next few days we will reach one million confirmed cases. >> a stark warning from the world health organization as the coronavirus pandemic closes in on a new global milestone. how the pandemic is fue