ma ♪ thank you for joining us. from our studio in tokyo, this is nhk "newsline." we start here in tokyo where ofofficialss are considering hoo respond to clusters in coronavirus outbreaks. this week's daily numbers have hovered in the mid-100s after figures topped 400 for four

straight days. officials confirmed 143 new infections in the capital on tuesday bringing the city's total to nearly 8,200. many of the cases are among young people who work at or who have visited night life districts. >> translator: the number of infected people is increasing considerably. we have to deal with the situation with a sense of crisis. >> nishimura is in charge of the government's coronavirus response. he says officials and experts will discuss if night clubs that don't act in accordance with anti-virus guidelines should be asked to close. cluster infections have also been confirmed outside night life districts including about 40 actors, and patrons at a theater in tokyo. a woman who attended the performance says it was a crowded, enclosed venue.

>> health officials are asking 850 people who worked at or attended shows over the course of a week to take a virus test. more than 22,000 people have tested positive for the virus in japan. nearly 1,000 people have died. the panel of experts advising japan's health ministry says cases are mounting across the country. members also told o on tuesday that the ratio of cases where the root of infection is untraceable is rising. experts agreed that at the moment, the health care system has enough intensive care beds. but they said there needs to be more beds and staff to deal with less seriousus cases. for now, the panel says it'll continue monitoring the situation. if the world were pandemic-free, the tokyo olympic and paralympic games would be

kicking off this mononth. now, the head of japan's olympic committee is raisingng doubts abouout welcoming people into t country for the re-scheduled games set for july 23rd next year. >> translator: under the current circumststances, we w will doo best to ensure that the games can be held the in a safe and secure manner. >> he was speaking to reporters to mark his first year as joc president. he says he cannot say for sure what criteria needs to be met if tokyo is to accept people from overseas. he called on athletes to prepare thoroughly despite the uncertainty. south korea has launched a package aimed at stimulating its coronavirus-hit economy featuring the promotion of digital technology and eco-friendly policies. >> translator: the new projects are expected to create 89,000

jobs through 2022 and 1.9 million jobs through 2025. i hope the korean version of the new deal will be a new opportunity for people who need jobs. >> moon outlined the plan tuesday in a speech at the presidential office. the initiative is called korean new deal. it contains 28 projects, including the development of systems using big data and the further digitalization of medical services and education. moon called for a proactive response to big changes that will take place in the post-coronavirus world. he said, rather than just overcoming the crisis, he wants to use it as a chance to leap forward. moon's approval rating was above 70% in early may as the public gave him credit for the anti-coronavirus measures. but in a survey published last week, his support rate had fallen to 47%, reflecting

growing public discontent over the sluggish economy. more and more countries are turning to facace masksks in th fifight against the p pandemic. france a and britain now plan t make people wear them i in many public places as cases continue to rise.e. >> translator: it will make masks mandatory in all closed public spaces in the coming weeks. >> doctors have been advising the government to take the step in france, where confirmed cases have been climbing since mid-june. in england, health secretary mat hancock said people heading into shops and supermarkets will have to wear masks from july 24th. >> l last monthth we made face coverings mandatory on public transport. this has been successful in giving people more confidence to go on public transport and to a hospital setting when they need to. >> anybody breaking the rules

could face a fine of up to about $125. auto makers are hoping a motor show in thailand will jump start sales that have taken a heavy hit during the coronavirus pandemic. about 40 companies are taking part in the event near bangkok. it starts on wednesday, nearly four months later than originally scheduled. a lot of attention is on the latest models of sports utility vehicles, which are gaining popularity in thailand. toyota has unveiled it's very fifirst suv in it's long-runnin corolla line. nissan is also show casing a new suv equipped with the company's economic technology. the pandemic has quickly dragged down the thai economy. new car sales are down nearly 40% from a year earlier.

thousands of people in western japan have been ordered to evacuate after torrential rain caused a major river to burst its banks. officials in the chugoku region are having a tough time helping survivors while maintaining anti-coronavirus measures. one of the hardest hit prefectures on tuesday was shimane, where the largest river in the region overflowed, flooding large areas. authorities have i issued evacuation orders to more than 3,000 households. >> translator: a factory on the ground floor of my house was submerged. the water was up to my waist. it was very scary. >> in neighboring hiroshima prefecture, the intense downpours triggered a mudslide that destroyed a home. rescue crews recovered two bodies. hard-hit areas in the southwest

won't see any relief soon. the search continues for more than a dozen missing people. more than 70 others have died. but the coronavirus is making the situation even more difficult. local governments are sending about 500 officials and nurses to the kyushu region to help deal with the disaster. but one of them was found to have been infected with the virus. the nurse was there to look after evacuees. officials in kumamoto prefecture say they're testing about 400 people who may have been in contact with the nurse. >> translator: it's essential to recruit manpower from outside kumamoto to promote reconstruction efforts. what we need are measures to make sure that everyone coming in is free of the virus. >> the central government is still trying to get a ll picture of the destruction. it estimates the current damage to the agriculture, forestry and fishery industry to be over $170 million..

the united states says nothing is off the tabable whent comes to respondingg to c chine aggression in n e south c china sesea. a war of words has been brewing between thehe two countries ove chinese d developmement i dispu waters. speaking in an online forum, a senior u.s. official went so far as to threaten sanctctions agait chinese officialsls and compani operating in thee area. >> there i is room for that. this is a line which china understands. >> still, wells stressed that the u.s. will stand on the side of southeast asian nations which contntrol the waters if chinanas up equipment to drill for natural resources. the warning came after u.s. secretary of state mike pompeo broke with his country's historically neutral stance on the issue, calling china's claims for most of the south china sea completely unlawful.

then beijing hit back. >> t translator: the u.s. statement breaches the promise washington made to not take sides on south china sea issues. it violates and distorts international law, promotes maritime and ter toil disputes and damages regional peace andn ststability whwhich is irresponsible. >> he said china has not tried to build a maritime empire but has instead shown utmost rerestraint. people in hong kong have thrown their support behind young activists in the prpro-democracy primaries held over the w weekend. the activists are set to run in september's legislative council election but it's unclear if the election commission will allow their candidacy. more than 600,000 people cast ballots to choose candidates for the upcoming election. the goal is to secure a majority in the legislative council.

electronic voting accounts for more than 90% of the total. those results show prominent activists garnering a substantial number of votes. they include josh wua wang and jimmy sham. analysts say those opposing the territory's new national security law may be tripped of their candidacy. a spokesperson for china's liaison office in hong kong said in a statement the primaries could be in violation of that law. the statement said an attempt to paralyze the administration, such as rejecting the budget in the legislative council, is aimed at toppling the government. and now for world weather, let's check with our meteorologist tsietsi monare. hi tsietsi. >> hello. >> more rain is expected in many parts of asia. what are we expecting in the week. >> there's actually quite a lot happening. we're expecting more rainfall to

continue as the seasonal front has been just one of the most devastating ones, bringing flooding and lots of damage to crops, residential areas, power supplies. it's been quite difficult to deal with. if you look at just the amount of low pressure systems that are coupled with the storm, fuelling up and making the situation a lot more difficult. you see the one going up towards hokkaido region, it's going to bring unstable weather conditions into thursday and also possibilities of showers coming as you see another low pressure system developing towards south korea. that will also push rain towards the western part of japan and we can see the system stretching all the way in towards china as well. you should expect up to 90 millimeters of rain heading in toward the end of the week. and your temperatures are going to be slightly cooler all due to combination of various factors. you can see the average for fukushima is a quite a big drop. for wednesday it will be 19

degrees. cooler trends also continue for tokyo, osaka, as well as into fukuoka. the rainfall is quite persistent. the rest of asia is going to be slightly warmer towards beijing, 35 degrees, and warmer temperatures into taiwan and the philippines. thth phililippines hadad a trop depression developing there. speaking of warming conditions, we're seeing similar stuff in towards new delhi where heavy rainfall is expected. please do take care along those parts. flooding is still the major concern. and crossing over towards north america, the biggest issue here is the hot and dry weather towards much of the west. you can see basically quite clear towards the four corners there. temperatures increasing to your 50s for death valley. and take a closer look at places such as dallas, phoenix, and las vegas. those will be quite hot for the next couple of days and it's going to remain quite sunny. las vegas is going to be sunny

for the next few days, phoenix as well, and clouds developing towards dallas. but the temperatures are the major concern as they keep arising. that's all for the weather. take care. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

that concludes this edition of nhk "newsline." thank you for watching, and hope you'll join us again. ♪ ♪ welcome to "newsline in depth." covid-19 has beenn called t the ininvisible enemy, but as it contininues to spread around th woworld, the virus has shown a spotlight on some dark aspects of human society. today, i want to focus on the truth exposed by the pandemic in africa. the vast continent of

1.3 billion has not been spared from the spread of coronavirus. as of july the 8th, there were over 500,000 confirmed cases and 10,000 deaths according to johns hopkins university in the u.s. what is particularly concerning is the situation in regions affected by conflicts. in many cases, wars and prolonged unrest have left national health systems ill prepared and vulnerable to outbreaks of disease. and that's precisely what's unfolding in uganda and the democratic congo. ugugda has bececome home to 1.4 million refugees, many fleeing w war in south sudan. the government refugee policy is one of the most progressive in the region, but the coronavirus is straining resources needed to help them. now, international aid organizations are offering

assistance. but as we'll see in our first report, focusing on a japanese aide worker, the pandemic is interfering with this effort. this report was originally aired in april after the country introduced a border lockdown and curfew restrictions following the outbreak in march. >> reporter: this man has dedicated his life to helping refugees and child soldiers escape armed conflict in neighboring south sudan. but for the past two months, his focus has been trying to safe people from an invisible enemy, the coronavirus. his days are spent visiting small villages, talking to rents and advising local leaders. in the wake of the outbreak, the country closed its borders and banned residents from going out. but complicating the situation is that some international aid groups the country relies on have suspended operations. food aid from the united nations has been cut by 30%.

he says the cuts come at a time when they are neededed most. >> translator: ngo in improved liliving conditions here have c back living situations considerably. so, the situation has become very difficult. >> so far there have been around 80 reported cases in uganda, but local doctors fear what might happen if the numbers rise further, citing a lack of medical supplies and other life-saving equipipment. >> we have only a few beds in the hospital, i think about 7 beds, and that's quite limited. so, if we have at this v very point in northern uganda realize the capacity to help patient who already sick would be very low. >> right now prevention is the bigge biggest priority. he and his team visited a market in the city center to distribute

fliers about the importance of social distancing and washing hands. but there's only so much that can be done. many places lack basic infrastructure. ogawa has helped set up makeshift cleaning stations as a stop gap measure. >> translator: if we don't do this now, it will be too late. hopefully these campaigns to raise awareness will be effective. ogawa has been posting videos online hoping it will urge the international community to help. he says the problem extends beyond borders. >> well in the two months since the report was aired, uganda's infected population has grown more than ten times. we've been back in time with our friend shingo, the aid worker. he tells us hospitals are becoming overwhelmed and his

group is helping with isolation facilities. since the lockdown was imposed, food prices have r risen and ma have lost jobs. that means aid will be needed to prevent severe malnutrition. earlier this month, the government partially opened its border with the congo and accepted refugees whoad been stranded in other lands after the lockdown order. they're calling on the international community for funding. they also say a global effort is needed to tackle the root causes of conflict that force the refugees too flee. but the congo is an especially hard case to resolve. the region has been cursed by violence and armed conflict for decades, made even more difficult by the congo's abundancee of minerals and othe natural resources. i learned about this first hand last year when i interviewed dr. benny, winner of the 2018 noble

police prize. he told me that militia groups remain active in congo and continue to carry out widespread rain and other atrocities against civilian population, with women and children most vulnerable. the arrival of covid-19 in the region is only making matters worse. they're facing a serious shortage of medical supplies and he's relying on international report. i received this correspondence from him. he says he's concerned that because people do not trust the government, many are ignoring basic public health directives like wearing masks. the government has also failed to stamp out rumors that covid-19 does not even exist. what this means is that he's left to wage a war on two fronts, sexual violence and the spread of the infection.

in this appeal i have here he made in may, he warned the covid-19 pandemic must not make it us forget the endemic massacres in the democratic republic of congo. with that in mind, i want to show you the excepts from my interview with him. they review a lot of what is happening on the ground in the congo. he is the director of hospital in northern congo. new patients arrive every day, the survivors of sexual violence. >> he has treated over 55,00000

victims so far. ranging in age from six months to 80 years old. >> i met women experience are when it happens for women, maybe can forget one day after they forget, but for women i it's forever.. >> and he does more than just treat these women medically. he works holisistically withh psychological and sococial careo restore their r dignity.

>> in such extreme situations, is it forgiveness or reconciliation even possible? >> yeah, i think we can't say that it's not impossible. they need to r really to be to themselves and take again their life, take their body, take confidence in themselves. and after, it's very important to don't keep hate because when you keep hate, it means that hate will destroy not only your enemy, but it will destroy

yourself. >> you have said that their life will be changed forever. if that is the case, what is meant by reparation? >> reparation is really to support, to help women, to change this way that they have impression for themselves that they don't exist at all as a human and feel t that it's happened, it was not their fault. this was very important. and the second thing, to feel that they take humans so they can take their lives in their own hands and rebuke it again. >> this woman herself is a survivor of sexual violence. once her wounds have healed, she worked on a farm to earn money. with encouragement and financial help, she now has built a house

of her o own. >> you can see that most of the women back in their communities, they can lead us in their own community. and that, i can say, the life before can't be the life after. this is definitely, even if you took them, most of the time women when they get this feeling is not just to say okay, it's happened, i was going with my normal life. our impression is that they become even more strong in the community, speaking out and trying to really to push the change in the community. so, that's the edge of changing

the community. >> the latest count we have shows the number of confirmed cases of the infection in the congo standing at over 7,000. and what i have here is the united nations population fund's state of world population report 2020 stressing once again that harmful practices against g gir caused lasting trauma and robbed them of their right to reach their full potential. this year's report warns that covid-19 threatens to make the situation worse. we now know that grim scenario is already unfolding in the congo. dr. mukwege's team is providing skills to traumatized women so they can sustain themselves. but the lockdown and economic support are dragging these women into another precarious situation. in other words, the vicious cycle of violence and poverty is likely to get even harder to break. covid-19 is exposing all kind of

harsh realities. of course we should not need a global health crisis to force us to take action on issues like refugee and sexual violence. but if that's what it takes for the world to get its act together, perhaps there's a chance something positive can emerge from ththe pandemic.

trump. president donald signs legislation and an executive order aimed at holding china to account for their actions in hong kong. theu.k. government bans purchase of new 5g equipment from chinese tech giant huawei, a move welcomed by the white house. jazeera liveng al from london. also coming up, ththe u.n.'s highest court rules in qatar's favor in its dispute with four arab nations that impose an air blockade on the country. guillain