♪ ♪ ♪ i'm gene otani in tokyo. bad weather has forced u.s. aerospace manufacturer spacex to postpone a launch of two nasa astronauts to the international space station. the launch was called off on wednesday afternoon, less than 20 minutes before a scheduled

liftoff from kennedy space center in the state of florida. >> dragon spacex, unfortunately, we are not going to launch today. you are go for 500. launch scrub. >> it was a good effort by the teams, and we understand and we'll meet you back. >> the crew dragon craft w was developed byy spacex. which wass set to dock with iss anand returnn t to earth.. nasa will now attempt the launch on saturday.y. nasa h has provided funds to spacex a and boeing to develop manned trips to and from the iss. the launch will be the first time in nine years for the u.s. to send astronauts to the space station using the country's own rockets since nasa retired its space shuttle. nasa aims to carry out another launch on august 30th. the japanese astronaut is

planned to be among the crew at that time. china's national people's congress is set to adopt on thursday, a plan to impose new national security laws in hong kong and a sharp rebuke from the united states castiting a questn mark over the global financial hub's future. last week's announcement of the security proposal triggered the first large-scale independence demonstrations in hong kong since the coronavirus crisis. >> now is the time for beijing to realize that if they hope to burn and even erode us the uniqueness of hong kong, that will face lots of backfire, not only from hong kong local community, but even in the global community. >> hong kong police reportedly arrested more than 300 people. police barricaded roads around the legislative counsel to keep demonstrator away.

chinese officials say beijing will take the lead to establish laws to safeguard hong kong's security. they warn security authorities will set up agencies in the territory. the law would aim to tackle any acts that would endanger terrorism to succession. that led to concerns in hong kong that the autonomy may be undermined. the one country, two systems principle was the key element in the handing over off honong kon from britain in 199997. on wednesday, u.s. secretary of state mike pompeo said in a statement no reasonable person can assert today that hong kong maintains a high degree of autonomy given facts on the ground. the u.s. gives preferential treatment to the tariffs and visa issuances. pompeo said hong kong no longer warrants the special trereatmen and it is time to end or suspend

all orr some of those benefits. donald trump said earlrlier he is prepararing to respond to beieijing's plan lat this week. visa and economic sanctions are possible options for trump. japan is bracing for a second wave of coronavirus infections after its state of emergency was lifted. the government has sent a cluster response team to a western city reporting new cases whose infection routes are mostly unclear. officials in kyushu said on wednesday they confirmed 22 cases in five days after not seeing any for over three weeks. >> translator: we're seeing cases from everywhere in the city. please refrain from unnecessary outings. >> tourist spots and other facilities in the city have been reopening, but they will be closed again from thursday. japan has confirmed almost 16,700 cases of the virus and

nearly 870 deaths. on wednesday, 35 new cases were reported nationwide. in osaka prefecture, a man in his 80s tested positive for the third time. meanwhile, the cabinet approved a second supplementary draft budget for the current fiscal year. it will help finance an emergency package worth about 117 trillion yen or around $1 trillion. the draft budget increases subsidies to help employers retain staff and assist struggling firms by covering 2/3 of their rent for six months. the extra budget addresses urgent needs in the healthcare sector. workers in the industry will get cash handouts of up to 200,000 yen or about $1,800. funds are also earmarked for developing drugs and vaccines. automakers, nissan, renault and mitsubishi are aiming to cut rnrnd costs b by up to 40%.

leaders of the three-way allowancnc say they will achiev that by having more parts andnd technology. the three automakers announced their plan on wednesday. they will promote what they call a leader-follower scheme based on the strengths of each firm. nissan will take the lead on autonomous driving while renault will tackle connected cars. mitsubishi will have plug-in hybrids and the alliance want some of itsts models to share se degree of corecomm bonents and platforms by 2025. >> this is s the time that we he to go through by knonowing the current situation of the covid-19 whichch is a very difficult time for everybody and eaeach company and thehefore th way of the working alliances essesentialorissan whicheans renaulttnd nissan. >> raultlt chairma said the new framewework focuses on efficien and competitiveness rather than

volume. his comments make a departure from the expansionist policy pursued by his predecessor carlos ghosn. the japanese government has launched a sub-city program for the show business industry which has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. the measure will assist organizers planning to produce videos of canceled performances and viewers overseas. eligible organizers are those that have had to cancel or postpone concerts, plays or other events since february 1st. the government will subsidize half of the production costs inclcluding fees for performrme with the cap of $64,000 per, vent. the measure is aimed at supporting firms that have lost opportunities to earn revenue and also hopes to attract more foreign fans of japanese entertainment. ♪ ♪

the u.s. has reached a grim milestone in the battle against the coronavirus. more than 100,000 people have died and about 20% of the global fatalities of the virus. new york has been the hardest-hit city. the u.s. has the highest number of confirmed infections at 1,694,599. according to a tally by johns hopkins university worldwide cases have topped 5.6 million as of wednesday. washington, d.c., is set to begin its first phase of easing ththe stay at home order o on fridayay but the mayor is warnig reopening brings risks. >> i want to make sure we all understand that moving into phase one means that more people can get infected because now more people will be moving around in the community. >> mauser said there had been 14

days of sustained decliline in communityy trtransmissision, non-essential to retailers, salons and barbershops will be able to reopen for reserved customers and restaurants will also be allowed to serve seated guests, but authorities in the capital are asking people to steer clear of gatherings of more than ten people and continue social distancing while wearing masks. all 50 u.s. states have reopened at least partially, but experts warn rushing into and resuming business and social activities can prompt another wave of infection. >> one side effect of staying at home for many americans has been the phenomenon of pandemic pets. some people are welcoming new members of the family and it's helping them cope with feelings of isolation. nhk world's sam suzuki has more. [ cheering ]

>> reporter:r: most of the dogst this animal shelter in florida are g gone. staff say they used toto have 3 animals,s, but only about 70 ar leleft. >> and i've bebeen here 11 yea and i've never seen numbers this low. thee singh familily adopted ag g from a shelt at thee end of march. they say it's relieved a lot of stress caused by the pandemic. >> he's good. yeah. >> you knknow, having a dog and when he licks their face or you know, ty laugh. so i brings a lot of happins. >> b but someeople are raising concerns about a of thee adopoptions. they worry that some owners might mistreat or abandon their new pets once the pandemic is over.

staff at this organization in new york say they have a way to prevent that. they've written a contract for a doctor to sigign. it requireres owners to be responsible for the well-beingg of their animals. >> this isis the security that r dogs are in aood home. it really does provide me the feeling that the dogs are going into a great home. we want our dogs to have a happily ever after, if you will. >> bonnie edwards completed the adoption prorocess in early may. she worked as a government lawyer, but is now retired. she used to enjoy her free time by going to the theater and dining out, but all that changed with the coronavirus. >> i miss the opera. i miss going to restaurants with my friends. i miss all of that. i miss, you know, contact with people up close and personal. i've never seen anything like

this in my life time. >> reporter: she says that signing the contract gave her a strong sense of responsibility. >> it's almost like having my own therapist. whatever happens i'll be there for him. >> the covid-19 pandemic has up ended nearly every aspect of our lives. many people are finding ways to move forward with the help of their new companions. sam suzuki, nhk world, new york. it's time for the world weather with our meteorologist s tsietsie monare, what's the latest on the storm? >> the storm has made landfall and bringing rainfall to the east coast states and let's, in fact, take a look at this video where the storm made landfall to the east coast of south carolola

on wednesday morning disrupting all sorts of events and people's lives and the storm brought 200 million to the united states. although it was downgraded to a tropical depression more rainfall, and we've seen rainfall leading to the bursts and dams failing and more of it could lead to a significant disasters along the east coast of the united states. so please do take care as we see a lot of fighting expected for much of the east coast. temperaturewise, they'll be in the upper 20s and he drops down to 23 and on the opposite side. dry weather for phoenix and that includes los angeles where temperatures are quite hot and low humidity and speaking of uncomfortable and hot weathand w

temperatures expected to remain quite hot there. slightly cooler weather will return to new delhi by friday, and by saturday around 35 degrees with more showers also expected there. for japan, though, it will be slightly clear. cloud cover is expected for the north as showers in sapor poro,t you expect a dry day into western japan with tokyo 25 degrees and osaka, 27 and one more returning to places like fukuoka in kyushu. that's all for the weather. have a great day. ♪ ♪ ♪

that's the news this hour. i'm gene otani. for all of us here at nhk "newsline." thanks very much for joining us. ♪ ♪ welcome to "newsline in-depth." i'm marie yanaka. today we'll explore how affluent lifestyles are influencing food trends. we go to london to look at the

booming business. then we see how japanese people on the go are drinking meals, and in thailand, we discover a nation going mad for milk. now the number of people identifying as vegan has been on the rise. in fact, veganism has entered the mainstream with many large companies offering plant-based foods and marketing animal-free products. let's look at how the trend is transforming london. >> across the uk, vegan markets are thriving. these may look like regular cakes and cheese, but they're both vegan. shoppers line up to sample a mushroom and burly burger topped with meatless bacon. >> this here is our bacon. yeah. we use bean kurd skin. we soak it in maple syrup and smoked in soy sauce.

>> the meat is like, i would say is really close to normal meat, and it's with cheese which tastes like cheese, like, actually. >> the uk's vegan population is said to have quadrupled to 600,000 in the last five years and markets like these offering everything from burgers to sweets to ethnic dishes a are popping up acrososs the uk. stes are adadapting tthe changege at incredle speed.. a bery chahain introced a me-free version of f the traditional sausa roll ich us fungi-derived protein for texture quickly became a top seller and it lifted the profit forecast four times this year. now even a hotel in london offers what they call the world's first vegan room. >> so let me take you through

some of the features of the hotel. >> the one-bedroom suite has an all-natural feel. what looks like a leather cushion is actually made from pineapple. even the gloue used to stick th wall paurt wallpaper is vegan and the bathroom features toiletries for all made without animal testing. it starts at $420 per night, but the manager says there are guests willing to pay that price. >> the customer will be charged a price that's quite decent, but equally, it goes to the fact of the passion and dedication put behind this concept. many customers willing to come and stay here and experience the vegan lifestyle.e. > however, veganism has some meat eaters up in arms. caroline hillam who has been vegan for four years says shehe

ge gets some sneares, and i said is there anything vegan and he said we're only serving lamb's blood. when they hear you're vegan they switch and they decide that's all you are. >> dr. ben voiier says opinions on veganism reflect existing divisions in society. >> some peoeople might implicit feel judged by vegan people and no one likes to feel judged for the behavior and for the food they're eating. part of veganism and the rise of veganism is a shift towards more healthy and more caring about the environment and part of veganism is also about asserting who you are as an individual. >> it will take some time for the debate over veganism to ebb

away, but the vegan economy may be one factor that can help ease tensions. charmaine hanoi on, nhk world, london. >> actually, i had dinner at a vegan restaurant with some friends. it hadad been a few years since tried a completely plant-based meal which back then was kind of bland. this time i was blown away by the experience. the improved quality seemed to me like people both vegan and non-vegan could share a mealen and joy it equally. the rising popularity of plant-based food means more companies are cashing in on it and that's translating into an evolution. you can no longer assume a vegan meal might simply involve a dull salad. it could be experimental with the flavors and colorful use of super foods and aesthetically pleasing on the plate. our next story is from japan, a

country known for its love of convenience and busy way of life. so the latest trend in food, a rise in drinkable meals. as many go-getters are eager to finish eating quickly to return to their desks, companies are developing nutritious and savory liquid foods. let's take a look. >> at a theme park for food, one product is attracting a lot of attention. drinkable rice bowls. they hit the market in japan in march. sales have been beyond expectations with more than 2 million packets flying off the shelves so far. >> translator: it's just like ordinary rice. it's so real. >> it's a rice bowl. rice grains can be seen in liquid. the maker says it tried to maintain the texture of rice while turning other ingredients such as seaweed and pickled

plums into jelly form. the firm originally developed the drinkable rice bowls for business people. they wanted a quick way to eat in their offices or while commuting, but people have gone beyond that and have been taking the meals into the outdoors and on hiking t trips. there's been a flood of positive comments online. >> translator: people say they enjoy the taste and texture. they say it's just like real rice balls. >> another company has made a drink after the dish that people usually sit down to eat as a full meal. 's drinkable cur made by a mail-order company. last year they put about 4,000 cans on the market as a trial. they sold out immediately. a remark by an employee at a product planning session inspired the development. they said that when they're busy they drink heat and eat curry

straight from the packet. others said that they did the same thing and so the company thought that there might be a demand for a drinkable curry. the liquid curry contains all of the ingredients from meat to vegetables. it's easy to gulp down and still has curry's rich taste. the can is designed to be easy for people to drink the curry anywhere, any time. after the trial's success, the firm is now wororng on other variations. one is a thai curry. >> translator: we're working on many types of curries and changing them so they're drinkable. there are many new challenges to take on in this dietary field. >> customersrs are saying that e cucurries are e easy to d drink are full of good spices. these drinkable meals could find many uses including becoming a part of emergency supply kits. this new world of food may only

be just starting to heat up. >> look at what i packed along with me tododay. yes, the drinkable curry and onigiri rice ball. i opened an onigiri pouch earlier. though it's not the real thing, i found all of the familiar a ream as of japan's famous snack and the grains of rice had a pleasant firmness. so it may be a viable choice for a person on the run. ♪ ♪ >> and finally, we head to thailand where an expanding economy is making consumers thirsty for new things and right now it happens to be milk. we look at this craze as well as how a milking system maker based in nagano, japan, is helping thailand meet the rising demand for dairy.

>> forget about cocktail bars or coffee shops. the hottest hangouts in thailand rate now are milk cafes. young thais are sipping glasses of hot milk or rich chocolate smoothies. >> translator: it's delicious. i want to drink a lot more. to help drive interests of all things dairy, the owner of one coffee chain takes people to visit a farm. people can try their hands at milking the cows and feeding the calves. >> there's a lot of interest among young people in our dairy products. a trend has caught the eye of a nagano-based company that makes milking machines. the company's equipment can clean itself at the push of a

button. it means there's less bacteria in the raw milk raising the quality level significantly and to spend less time cleaning equipment. >> this dairy farm has introduced a japanese milking system. they sayay that it has resultedn an improvement in the quality of their products and a shorter milking time. >> three dairy farms have splashed out on the machines. >> it's enabled our employees to take breaks and spend more time on other tasks. >> one of the firm's officials says thailand like japan has a dairy industry built on small farms and that makes it a promising market. >> translator: that means we can utilize dairy farming technologies deveveloped in jap. >> the next challenge is to find

the right price points for the machines. >> we need to cut costs more it make our products more affordable to customers in thailand. so the company is negotiating with the local parts maker to bring the price down and solidify the footing in a promising new market. nhk world. >> thanks to such corporate efforts the machines in thailand cost half of what they do in japan. the nagano-based maker is confident in its machinery for small and medium sized farms and sees southeast asia which has many similar scale operations as a promising market. it's now eyeing myanmar as a good place to take its products next. many other industries in japan are facing a shrinking domestic market, too. so they might want to take a page from the machinery maker's

book and look at other countries. new affluence is leading to appetites to new things especially in the developing world, and that's it for our look into how changing lifestyles are shaping food consumption trends and

toll in thedeath coronavirus pandemic passes 100,000. you are watching al jazeera, live from london. also coming u u people are arrested in the latest protests in hong kong, the u.s. says the city is no longer autonomous from china and does not merit special economic treatment. after angry protests, the mayor of minneapolis adds his voice to calls for criminal charges against the police officer whose