hello glad to have you with us on nhk newsline. hanging up we begin with developing news from north korea. the country says it will shut down hotlines with south korea from noon on tuesday. pyongyang says the move is the first step in cutting all thetback ces afterth seoul.

defector in the south sent leaflets into the north criticing thecountrs leader the nor state news a agenc inted tinger at souou korean authories, singhat they nnived hostile acts byy the r rf raff w wle ting t nay excuses.ponsibilit with in retaliation north korea says tuesday's communications cut will include the joint liaison office which serves as the contact point for the two koreas as well as hotlines between the country's militaries and presidential offices. it added the north believes there is no need to sit down face to face with the south. the two countries have technically been at war with each other since the korean war ended in 1953 with an armistice rather than a peace treaty. some new yorkers returned to work on monday as the city emerges from coronavirus lockdown. the first step of the economic

reopening comes as protests rage over racial injustice and police brutality. governor andrew cuomo joined new yorkers on the subway as the city began the initial phase 4 in reopening and sounded upbeat as he said our mojo is back but also called on people to remain vigilant. >> we have the highest number of cases in the country. we have the highest hospitalization rate in the country. if we stay as smart, as disciplined as we have for the past 100 days, we will be fine. >> employees at retail stores, manufacturing, and dormant construction sites will be going back to work, but for now retail outlets will only offer in store pickup. authorities expect it will take at least two weeks to decide if the next phase of the plan could kick in and many shops in manhattan remain shuttered amid demonstrations sparked by the deaths of a black man in police custody.

in britain, arrivals from abroad face two weeks of quarantine as part of the fight against the coronavirus. >> to limit the spread of infection, arrivals must self-isolate for 14 days the incubation period of coronavirus. >> the new rules started on monday and are designed to prevent imported cases now that the outbreak has apparently peaked in the country. britain has so far reported over 40,000 deaths from the virus. arrivals, including returning britons must fill in an online form giving an address for where they will stay. people who break the rules face a fine of up to $1,000 pounds or over $1,200. the move comes as other european countries relax travel restrictions during the upcoming holiday season. meanwhile the leader of the world health organization has urged countries globally not to

lower their guard. he said there were 136,000 cases reported worldwide on sunday which is the largest in a single day. >> the situation in europe is improving globally it is worsening. more than 100,000 cases have been reported on nine of the past ten days. almost 75% of yesterday's cases come from ten countries, mostly in the americas and south asia. >> john hohopkins universrsity the u.s. says the total numbebe of cases worldwide has topped 7 million. the global death toll is over 400,000. the world bank is issuing a gloomy forecast for the global economy due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. it is predicting a 5.2% contraction, the largest decline since world war ii. the bank's global economic

prospects report was released on monday. it suggests the eurozone will be worst hit with a 9.1% decline followed by a predicted 6.1% fall for both the united states and japan. china's economy is expected to grow by 1%, its lowest rate in more than four decades. the report has bad news for emerging markets and developing economies, predicting they will shrink by 2.5%. that contraction is likely to push millions of people into extreme poverty. the brief also highlights downside risks that include the possibility of a more protracted pandemic. in a pessimistic scenario the global economy could shrink as much as 8% this year. meanwhile, in japan the way workers see the economy is showing signs of improvement for the first time in four months. that is in step with the gradual resumption of activity.

the monthly economy watchers survey tracks a sentiment of more than 2,000 workers such as shop clerks and taxi drivers. the index stood at 15.5 in may. that is up from an all time low of 7.9 in april. figures improved particularly among people in the retail and restaurant industries. many shops and venues were allowed to reopen after the nationwide state of emergency was lifted last month. among the latest businesses to resume operation is universal studios japan in osaka. the theme park opened its doors on monday to osaka residents holding annual passes. visitors are required to wear masks and undergo temperature checks. >> i spent all of the past three months constantly at home, so i built up a lot of stress. i'm here to let it all out. >> starting next week, universal studios will lift entntry restrictions on residents of five prefectures around osaka.

people from outside the region willll have to waitt a bit long until they are allowed to visit. turning to the latest on the pandemic in japan, officials reported 21 new cases on monday, bringing the nationwide total to 17,223. the death toll stands at 919. an outcome of the coronavirus pandemic has been rethinking of japan's work culture. many firms plan to continue with teleworking though the state of emergency was lifted but with people not filing into offices, what to do with empty or near empty work spaces has become an issue. >> translator: our staff switched completely to remote work so few people are coming in. it is a waste of space. >> reporter: this company has an office in tokyo's fashionable

district. over 80 of its employees have been telecommuting since japan's outbreak. after reviewing business flow company executives discovered they can maintain the new work style but they struggle with what to do with meeting rooms destined to be under used? they decided to rent them out. their aim was to see about of their costs covered in this way. >> rent is a huge burden for the company. we find it very attractive to be able to reduce it every month by letting out sections of our office to other firms. >> reporter: this company specializes in meeting rooms, studios, shared spaces, and

unique places for events. lately inquiries have been coming in about office space. it is helping companies rent out vacant rooms and those who are leaving space before the contract is up. >> we've been receiving inquiries from firms that want to lease office space but don't knowow how and also those that plan to rent. >> reporter: meanwhile, businesses are relocating. this company has been supporting businesses that are moving to telework to reduce commututing well as moving to the suburbs. >> translator: we've been receiving five or more inquiries every day about moving out of central tokyo, sometimes even ten. this would have been unthinkable

pre-coronavirus. >> reporter: it is now matching property in the suburbs with firms seek ting to relocate. this company expects more demand for such uses. >> we feel the coronavirus outbreak has been substantially changing how companies see their work spaces. >> reporter: with the need for social distancing, telecommuting is finally taking root in japan. all eyes on how this will reshape work styles, including the very concept of office. ♪ a funeral has been held in japan for a man who spent decades waiting to be reunited with his daughter.

he died at the age of 87 on friday. his daughter was abducteted to north korea more than 40 years ago. he dedicated half his life to bringing his daughter home from north korea. about 50 people attend the service monday near tokyo. among them were relatives of other japanese abductees, members of support groups, and government officials. his wife addressed the audience and also asked her husband to remember her and wait for her in heaven. they became symbols of the campaign to bring abductees back to japan. their daughter was abducted in 1977 in niigata prefecture on the sea of japan coast. she was 13 at the time. in world weather, a powerful storm slammed into the louisiana coast on sunday, bringing flooding rain and strong winds across the u.s. gulf coast. let's go over to our

meteorologist for the details. what is the latest? >> hello thehere. cristobal has weakened to a tropicical depression b but a lf moisture will continuee to brin heavy rainfall across the mississippi river valley on tuesday. the storm has already brought heavy rainfall to louisiana. flflood water rushehed throuougs of the state on sunday after cristobal made landfall. though the storm weakened, storm surges continued along the gulf coast. heavy rain inundated homes, cars, and some roads. by monday almost 20,000 homes and businesses were without power. through the next 24 hours, from louisiana all the way up to minnesota, could see 250 millimeters of rain with isolated amounts up to 300 millimeters. a risk of flooding and mud slides will be a huge concern over the next couple days. meanwhile, people in the

southwestern u.s. are dealing with heat conditions. look at the temperature difference between denver and louisiana. the high will be 19 degrees in denver and 36 degrees in l.a. in addition, dry weather will also increase the risk of forest fires. in asia heavy rain will be seen along the rainy season front stretching from southern china all the way to the islands of okinawa on tuesday. an all time record rainfall of 416 millimeters fell in the past 24 hours. we could see additional rainfall over 200 millimeters in the same location for the next couple of days. expect heavy rainfall in hong kong, taipei, and okinawa as we go into tuesday. meanwhile, seoul and tokyo will be seeing hot and dry conditions on tuesday. the highs could reach the 30s. well above average temperatures will persist in many places in japan this week.

the high could rise to 35 degrees in fukushima on wednesday and 31 degrees in tokyo. that's all for now. stay safe and have a nice week. ♪ ♪

that's nhk newsline for this hour. thank you for watching. ♪ xxxx ♪ welcome to "newsline in depth." i'm marie yanaka. today we feature three stories that show some unconventional approaches to solving problems. the fields are diverse but as we'll see in all of them, the results can bring business success and social benefits. first we visit a young man making waves in thailand's

hospitality business. his startup might look conventional in how it matches hotels and restaurants with customers but the difference is that the rooms and meals are donated and the proceeds go to good causes. a room at the central bangkok hotel usually costs $90 a night. but guests can use a discount website, a mobile app to get a coupon and a room for just $60. the social startup that created it donates 70% of the proceeds to a range of projects that benefit society. >> the prices were actually cheaper than the other platforms, which was a surprise to me. and, also, i know that all of the money i'm giving is going to support the funds, the cause that i am choosing directly. >> reporter: the brains behind the scheme, this young innovator used to work for a nonprofit

outfit and grew frustrated by the limitations of the traditional fundraising model. >> what i wanted to do was to revolutionize fundraising to make nonprofitss not have to jut depend on donations alone. >> reporter: arch had an idea. he l learned that across thaila emptyy hotel roomsms and restaurants tables were costing businesses $39 billion a year. arch proposed that businesses could donate their empty rooms and tables, especially during the off-season. his social startup would then sell discount coupons through the website and app. arch's startup would keep 30% of the sales to cover costs and donate the rest to charities and other groups.

for the hotels, restaurant, and other partner businesses, the arrangement would mean new customers and a boost for their image. so far arch has worked with more than 300 businesses and donate nearly $400,000 to charities. one beneficiary of arch's enterprise is a refuge center for a type of endangered southeast asian forest primate. it fosters aboutut 100 of the animals that have survived poaching or been removed from the wild. previously, the center was struggling to cover its expenses. >> because of the funding we are able to build more enclosures, provide a full-time staff that is here in the evenings.

>> reporter: arch wants more thai businesses to get onboard and is steadily expanding his focus to more socially minded projects. >> if we were able to tap into just 0.8% of the wasted resources we would be able to eradicicate extreme poverty globally. >> reporter: arch has already made a big impact, but he says this is just the beginning. his next step is to take the business model to the world. nhk world, bangkok. we now return to japan where, likike many other placesn the world, extreme weather events are striking more often. when severe floods inundate the roads an alarming number o of driverers becomome trapppped in vehicles and perish. experts say a car submerged to a depth of just 50 centimeters, up

to about my knee. it is likely to stop running and may even be swept away. a veteran engineer put his skills to work helping ordinary people deal with this danger by means of an entirely new kind of car. >> in disaster prone countries this electric vehicle could be the difference between life and death. that's because this is an off roader l like no other. if surroundedd by enough watateo sisink most vehicles, it s simp floats. what's more i it canan cruisisew speedsds. it carries up to four passengers and reaches speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour. the accelerator is controlled via two paddldles on either sid of the steering wheel. this means only one peddle for the brakes is needed, opening up

more passenger space and reducing the risk of mistaking the gas for the brakes. it caused quite a stir at the tokyo motor show last autumn. it was developed by a motorcycle and automobile engineer with a career of more than 30 years. >> i feel attached to the car. it's like my child. >> reporter: he developed compact evs at a japanese auto maker but in 2011 things changed. the devastating great east japan earthquake and tsunami. he was especially shocked that so many people perished i in thr cars as they fled the giant wave. as an automotive engineer, he felt it was his duty to do

something. things really hit home when he spoke to his mother who lives close to the sea. >> translator: she told me if there is a disaster i should leave her behind as she wouldn't be able to flee. i'm sure she isn't the only parent to say this kind of thing. there must be many more. that is when the idea began to form in my mind to invent a floating car that could save lives. >> reporter: and in 2013 he founded a startup with the sole purpose of developing a road worthy but semiamphibious vehicle. after much trial and error, he finally had a car body that could float. what was the secret? the innovative dual layer body. the inner layer is of a resin for floatability and the outer is of sturdy plastic for durability. when shut, the special rubber sealed doors are water tight.

once in water the car is like a floating capsule. the trip to making it drivable in water is all down to its front wheel motor design. when the turbine like wheels rotate, they suck in water,r, which is pumumped throughgh a conveyance device and then pushed in the single direction out the back propelling the vehicle forward. >> i wanted to use conventional auto parts like wheelels for propulsion because adding propellers would be expensive. >> reporter: a year into his project, he reaches a milestone. [cheers and applause] in the water, the vehicle is able to accelerate to about 2 kilometers per hour.

he decides to start marketing the vehicle in thailand, a country that has long struggled with severe flooding. he built a factory on the outskirts of bangkok, and the strategy pays off. with 2,000 orders coming in as soon as the vehicle hits the hissar had its reall test when flooding devaststated e eastern ththailand. the fomm m 1 skimmed alonong th inundated a areas to distribute nenecessary aid. >> so many people have said, hurry up and get it on the market in japan. and, of course, we want to meet that demand. i hope our car will lead, for instance, to all electric vehicles being able to float or at least be able to with stand flooding.

>> the car could help drivers in many but not all situations. we look forward to future developments. in our final story, we look at a counter intuitive approach. we tend to believe raw fish is best when it's fresh, or is it? many people know that slightly aged meat has its own special flavor. now a venture business is using science to bring the taste of premium aged fish to the mass market. >> reporter: one of the most popular types of fish used in sushi is tuna. this major conveyor belt sushi chain now offers a version that's been matured for 48 hours. >> yummy. >> reporter: the company worked with university of tokyo researarchers to find a new wayo

age tuna. the fish on this plate has been matured for two days. it has 40% more of the umami components that produce the savory taste. the price tag? less than a dollar. >> translator: customers can enjoy tuna with umami drawn out to the maximum. >> reporter: this marine products company wants to make aged fish more affordable with support from the university it began selling matured sea bream last november. the sea bream on the right side of the plate is fresh. on the left, aged sea bream. it's tender and has a deeper, richer flavor. the company focused on a substance contained in fresh fish to achieve the optimal level of aging. it is called atp. when fish is aged, it turns into

a source of umami. but there is a catch. the muscle movements of wild fish cause a loss of atp. the company prevents that by putting them in a tank of cold water to subdue them before killing them as quickly and efficiently as possible. the firm has also learned the optimal aging periods based on the type of fish and its temperature. too much aging turns atp into a different substance that makes the fish less tasty. the challenge is to determine when the amount of acid hits the maximum level. the company is also working on how to age other kinds of fish like yellow tail. >> sushi chefs are really good at aging fish but we'd like to make aged fish more commonly available, so a lot of people can enjoy its taste.

>> that fish looked good. as we saw today, thinking outside the box can give us more choices to reach better solutions. and that's all for today's newsline in depth. thanks for tuning in and make sure you do so next time, too. xxxx

>> paying their respect, the people of george floyd's home city file past his body ahead of his funeral. in minneapolis, the former police officer charged with his murder makes his first appearance in court. this is al-jazeera live from london. also coming up, north korea announces it's cutting off all communication with the south. libya'a's u.n.-backed governmen makes small gagains an a key figure from a rival administration makes a surprise appearance in moscow.

and m