thahank you for joining us. from our studio in tokyo, this is nhk "newsline." we start this hour i in the u.s where george floyd is being laid to rest. he lieied last week while in police custotody in minnesota. the death of the unarmed black man has sparked prototests acro the country and the globe against racial injustice.

hundreds of people attended thursday's ceremony. floyd died after a police officer pinned him to the ground and kneeled on his neck, despite floyd's calls that he couldn't breathe. >> everybody wants justice. we want justice for george. he's going to get it. he's going to get it. >> elsewhere in the country, people continued to protest. floyd's brother joined more than a thousand demonstrators at a rally in new york city where they held up banners and repeatedly called floi's name. amid the protest, the state of virginia is removed the statue of confederate general robert e. lee. the government says the statue was wrong then and is wrong now. >> and i believe that we learn more when we take that honest look at our past. we must do more than just talk about the future. we must take action. >> northam says the statue of

general robert e. lee will be put in storage and that his government will work with the community to determine its future. the removal of confederate statues is a contentious issue. some see them as markers of the country's history while others see them as a symbol of racism. the world is marking the 31st anniversary of china's military breakdown in beijing, tiananmen square. in hong kong, people join together despite a ban on such gathers. thousands of people in victoria park in central hong kong on friday night. they wore black and held candles in commemoration of those killed. hong kong police had made the unprecedented decision to ban the vigil.

they cited health risks over the coronavirus. students at hong kong university also held a ritual on their campus. >> it is an opportunity to promote commemoration to set aside in the june 4th incident for being oppressed by the chinese. >> the military crackdown in 1989 resulted the in a large number of casualties with chinese troops firing on crorow of c citizens. the chinese government maintains it took the right steps to deal with the incident. the anniversary comes as hong kong's legislature approved a bill to outlaw insulting china's national anthem. it's a move that drew strong objections from lawmakers. the legislation is aimed at boosting education at schools and through m media and punisis

those who disrespect it. violators could face up to three years in prison and a fine. the bill was passed a week after china's parliament decided to impose national security legislation for hong kong. protests have reignited in response to the legislationon. critics fear thatt if approved, the new laws will erode hong kong's autonomy under the one country, two systems framework. our next story looks at how the recent developments have put two ung localsls at a cross roads. >> it's become a familiar rallying call and a message that protesters are hoping will resonate with supporters at home and abroad. among them is jason siu. >> translator: i try to participate as much as i can. the flames of protest will not

fade away. >> he's been involved since last year when the government first introduced a controversial extradition bill that sparked massssive protests. while the bill was withdrawn, tensions returned after beijing announced its plan to propose a new set of national security laws. opposition to the plan has prompted people to return to the streets. but this time is different. the coronavirus has led to a crackdown on large public gatherings. with police arresting protesters for violating social distancing measures. despite the setbacks, protesters like siu remain defiant. >> translator: i'll do whatever i can to take hong kong back. i'm prepared to be arrested or even go to prison. >> but other protesters are finding it increasingly difficult fofor john.

this man has a popular advertising channel on youtube. but his life was turned upside down when he was arrested on suspicion of rioting in november. >> translator: my life went off ththe rails after i was indicte. it affects not only my work, but also my future. >> during the trial, yick must report his whereabouts to police once a week. if found guilty, he could face up to ten years in prison. with the stakes so high, he decided to stop taking part in the protests, at least for the time being. >> translator: no matter how hard we fight, we can't change anything. i don't know what to do. hong kong has been pushed into a

corner. >> as the city braces for more turbulence, anger and frustration are being replaced with despair and heartbreak. while some protesters, most agree that the hong kong they once knew this day. the european central pandemic has d decided to sharp expand its emergency stimulus program to help weather the economic impact of the coronavirus in the euro dome. the program was initiated in march. it involves ingesting huge amamounts of liquidity bibaiing assets such as government and corporate bonds. the bank will purchase at equivalent of $1.53 trillion.

the ecb will extend the program until the end of june next year. the bank will keep key interest ratess unchanged with the rate n deposits from financial institutions maintained at minus 0.5%. the urozone shrank 3.8% from the previous quarter, its biggest contraction on record. authorities in indonesia's capital will start easing restrictions placed due to coronavirus. officials say mosques and other places of worship will be allowed to reopen on friday in jakarta. businesses, restaurants, and public transportation services can resume operation on monday. office workers will have to continue wearing masks and maintain a distance of at least one meter between each other. the pandemic has devastated the

indonesian economy with about 3 million people losing their jobs since restrictions were put in place. more than 28,000 people have been affected across the country. the death toll stands at 1,721, the largest in southeast asia. six months have pass ed a well-known doctor and aid worker was killed in afghanistan. nakamura tetsu spent years providing humanitarian support to help rebuild the war-torn country. others now carry on his work and keep his memory alive. a local civic group created a mural in cabal for nakamura the in january. it's seen as a symbol of peace and reconstruction. >> translator: i hope many people will become like nakamura and will help rebuild the country. he was a great man, and i'll never forget him. >> nakamura belonged to the japan-based ngo.

along with his medical activities he helped reconstruct irrigation canals. >> nakamura was fatally shot while traveling by car last december. the case remains unsolved. staff of nakamura's aide group are picking up where he left off, working to redevelop farm fields. >> translator: we've cultivated this field and brought the water there. we were successfully able to harvest crops. now everyone is very happy. >> fighting betetween governmen forces and militants continues in afghaniststan. and the c coronavavirus outbrea theree has adddd to the countrys struggle. it's had a huge impact on aid

activities. in april, roads leading to a construction site of a canal were shut as part of efforts to prevent infection. after lengthny negotiations,, local authorities granted an exception for the project. this allowed necessary materials to be delivered. the group asked staff to wear face masks. they worried the l local government may halt the project if infections spread. members are determined to overcocome whateverr hurdles th face just as nakamura did. >> translator: when staff face a difficult situation now, they try to imagine how nakamura would have handled it. our current activities are a continuation of what nakamura had done and tried to do. and now turning to world weather. a tropical storm is blasting southern mexico with heavy rain and strong winds. yoko komagata explains what people should watch out for,

yoko. >> hello there. the storm has weakened into a tropical dedepression, people i the yucatan peninsula are expecting more stormy weathther through friday. the storm already produced heavy downpours in the earlier part of the week. the storm made landfall along the mexico gulf coast last wednesday. parts of the peninsula recorded over 420 millimeters of rain other the past three days. this comes just after the deadly storm amanda which hit central america recently. the outer band of the storm produced heavy downpours in southern mexico, up to 250 millimeters of additional rainfall is expected with risk of flash flooding. it's expected to turn north ward and move back over the gulf of mexico. as it does so, warm temperatures and moisture will give more energy to the storm. cristobal is likely to enintensify to a tropical

cyclone. heavy rain and strong winds will affect the gulf states into early next week. the main threat is going to be heavy downpours, 250 millimeters of rain over the louisiana coast all the way to florida as we go into the weekend. strong winds may also cause widespread power outages. back to back rainstorms have also produced heavy downpours in southern china. because of the rainy season front, heavy rain will occur in a large portion of southern china all the way to the south western islands of japan. rainfall could total 160 millimeters in some places. flooding and landslides could be the biggest concerns. in the meantime, dry and hot temperatures are expected across many parts of japan on friday. the high's going to reach 30 degrees. showers will bring still cooler conditions as we go into sunday. that's all for now. stay safe and have a nice weekend.

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that concludes this edition of nhk "newsline." thank you very much for staying with us. ♪ welcome to "newsline in depth." i'm aiko doden. many countries in southeast asia are undergoing economic and social change and some degree of uncertainty. however the region remains a thriving tourist draw, and one reason for this is the rich culture of each country. in three stories today, we see

how people are responding to changing times and how maintaining traditions doesn't have to mean clinging to the past. we start with a story on thailand's national sport, muay thai, also known as thai boxing. with its roots in 13th century rituals, muay thai has become a component of mixed martial arts contests around the world. but the income making up 12% of china's gdp, let's how coaches and gyms are pushing the sport in the tourism industry. ♪ >> reporter: muay thai uses many parts of the body. here at this studio, the main target audience is visitors. in addition to the match, the program includes a show as well.

large crowds come out almost every night. >> first time we've experienced somethining like this which was really good. >> reporter: thailand is looking to increase the popularity of muay thai even further. it recently launched a digital guide on how to experience it, including information on nearly 120 facilities. this gym is one of those on the list. it is located on a high floor of a five-star hotel. it was set up two years ago. a couple are booked every day. >> translator: we have a ring and staff who specialize in muay thai so we can provide the full experience. >> reporter: tourism is important. muay thai is an important part

of that. muay thai brought in over $3 billion in revenue last year. many looking for new experiences are coming down to the facility. >> i was riding elephants and i thought this many, many times so i wanted to do something new. >> reporter: this gym has been operating for more than 40 years. it has adapted to changes in society. it has produced professional fighters, including some champions. it was renovated to accommodate tourists. giving residents to hotel guests is more lucrative. >> translator: we used to recruit, nurture, and train them and put them up for fights.

now we focus on providing muaua thai lessons for exercise, weight loss, and so on. >> reporter: training may have changed but the methods have not. this woman is from hong kong. this is her first muay thai experience. she enjoys improves thanks to the careful authentntic coachin. it was her daughter that got her into muay thai. >> translator: it's a fun way for me to diet. >> we try to sell muay thai as we see it for all, not only for men, not only for woman, but can be for kids, can be for family, can be for everyone.

>> reporter: muay thai is making itself attractive to people from all walks of life, but it isn't just for training the body. it's a way to practice time management as well. the bell rings. bangkok. >> muay thai may be good for business, but let's look at another form of unarmed combat in bangkok. in the city's old chinatown, traditional makers of paper ornaments for festivals are in fight for survival as property ramps up the pressure on the much-loved neighborhood. >> reporter: the streets in bangkok's chinatown took on a different air as people showed up for a yearly festival at a buddhist temple. offerings to the gods are an

important part of worship for chinese thai. the offerings serve as symbols of money, and people use them in hope that these people will be wealthy in the afterlife. 12 shops along these streets in the community sell paper decorations used during the auspicious occasions in the chinese cultural calendar. the owner of this 80-year-old store is this woman. >> translator: we offer folded paper, representing money, to the gods. and they will give us what we wish for. the folded paper is important for us, like food or clothing. >> repeporter: but the fututure this old part of bangkok is uncertain in the face of

gentrification. the community has been supporting the city's chinese festivals and celebrations for more than 100 years. >> translator: we inherited the old culture from our ancestors, but i cannot pass it on if i close the shop. >> reporter: local college students called on citizens to participate in a seminar in the hopes of passing on the age-old tradition. >> translator: you fold the paper this way to make an offering to the gods. without this knowledge, people will fold the paper the wrong way. >> reporter: she explained to the participants about a meaning that each fold carries.

>> translator: at first, i thought it would be easy, but i can't do it like wendy. >> i think we should protect all communities learning about the traditional culture. that's b because we can find th beauty and originality there. >> it would be my pleasure if people could learn about paper folding and pass on the rules for worship to the next generation. >> reporter: the custom of paper folding has been nurtured and learned by people in bangkok's chinatown for generations. now, its survival hinges on the efforts of a few dedicated people working to save this old community. nhk world, bangkok. our final story takes us to a small village in laos where a

local distiller hopes that by upgrading his liquor and production process, he might attract more foreign tourists. he's getting hints from a japanese brewery showing that the tradition is borderless. >> reporter: people in laos have long enjoyed the distilled liquor called lau lau. it is made from fermented rice. >> translator: the rice is fermented in this pot. >> reporter: this man is an experienced distiller in shanghai known for lau lau production. he offers free samples to tourists almost daily. but the response is often less than satisfactory. lau lau has a 50% alcohol content.

>> it's too strong. i don't really like it. >> translator: it's really strong. it feels like a fire in my mouth. >> reporter: near the community lies a unesco world heritage site. the local authorities, along with japan international cooperation agency began a project to make the liquor a tourist specialtlty. japanese brewery owner has been dispatched to the community. he's from a popular tourist spot in japan and has experience in promoting local products. he proposes making new products. >> translalar: the brew could be an interesting local ingredient and might be tasty in lau lau.

>> translator: the idea to add fruit to lau lau is inspired from one of his own products, sake with citrus juice. >> translator: the fruit makes it taste milder. >> translator: it should be healthier too. >> reporter: the idea is to show the distillery process to tourists. he runs tours at his brewery in japan. he is shown around their workshop, but he notices a sanitary problem. he says the traditional method of producing lau lau in an open area may turn foreign tourists away. after having received inspiration, he is now determined to come up with new

products and upgrade his workshop. >> translator: i want to make a superb quality lau lau so many tourists will come to our village. i'll keep working on it not just for ourself, but also for our children and grandchildren. >> reporter: he has begun to turn lau lau into a drink the whole world will enjoy. nhk world, laos. >> some of the liquor makers in this village visited last october where they visited the brewery. sake is different from the distilled spirit, but its production shared similarities and the brewery was able to pass on tips. between traditions and progress, there will always be tension. but as we saw today, the old and new can happily coexist.

the muay thai lessons in a five star hotel highlight an appealing contrast between ancient and modern. in the case of the laotian distillery, we hope everyone takes into account the

>> it's time for us to stand up in george's name and say get your knee authority. >> a memorial is held in minneapolis for george floyd, whose death at the hands of police sparked protests around the world. ♪ i am laurenen taylor. this is al jazeeeera from ndndo. alalso coming up -- [gunshots] >> libya's government has regained full control of tripoli after a year o of fighting heli for have to -- fighting.