♪ welcome to nhk "newsline". i'm ramin mellegard in tokyo. we begin this hour in hong kong. media there say pro-democracy activists arrested this week had been using social media to raise funds from overseas. the activists were arrested under the national security law, detained for a day and then released on bail. a pro-beijing newspaper reported on activists including agnes chow. it says they have been involved on social media in a group that

is urging foreign nations to impose sanctions on the hong kong government and asking for donations and it sayays they we still involved after the national security law took effect at the end of june. the paper says one of the activists lives in britain, another pro-beijing paper reports that the hong kong media mogul jimmy lai has been giving people money. and he owns the apple newspaper which sometimes criticizes the government in beijing. agnes chow says they never told her how they suspected she had participating in illegal activity. she calls the arrest a political crackdown. the u.s. and other countries a e increasing pressure on beijing over human rights conditions in hong kong of the u.s. has imposed sanctions on senior government officials in hong kong, and mainland china. u.s. secretary of state mike pompeo says china's global economic power makes the country a greater threat in some ways than the soviet union during the cold war. >> the challenge of resiststing

the ccp threat is in some ways muchorore difficicult. that's because the ccp is already enmeshed in our economies, in our polilitics, i our societeties, in ways the soviet union never was. >> pompeo was addressing the senate of the czech republic on wednesday calling on countries to standnd up to beijing. he said china's global d dominae is not inevitable, adding we are the authors of our fate. pompeo praised a move by the czech republic to strengthen titi with taiwiwan. the government announced that the speaker of the senate will travel to the island this month. the administration of u.s. president donald trump is taking a tougher stance against beijing, including sanctions against chinese officials over hong kong and those accused of human rights abuses of ethnic minority uyghuhurs. meanwhile the u.s. government is clamping down on companies that use high-tech products from five chinese firms.

a new rule kicks in on thursday, aiming to protect confidential information. the five targeted firms include communications giant huawei and surveillance camera maker hikvision. any company that uses products from the five firms will be barred from signing new contracts or renewing existing ones with the u.s. government. that means companies must effectively choose between doing business with washington or the chinese firms. japanese companies will likely need to certify they don't use products from the five targeted firms when they seek new contracts with washington. about 870 japanese companies currently do business with u.s. government agencies. that's worth about $1.4 billion a year. we turn now to the covid-19 situation here in tokyo.

officials say the number of confirmed new cases on thursday is 206. the daily tally is above 200 for the second day in a row. tokyo has 14 million people, total cases here now exceeds 16,600. experts monitoring the situation in tokyo say infections are growing by more than 1,000 every three days. they say that's roughly the same pace as last week. anand they say officials have n been able to trace the path ofo infection from an average of 200 cases per day over the past week. they report the virus is straining tokyo's medical system as cases are growing among all age groups. >> translator: the situation is still severe. i want the people of tokyo to know we still have an urgency. i want them to refrain from traveling, refraining from going home to family reunions and refrain from going out to dinner in groups. >> officials are also urging

people to take precautions when they go out for drinks, karaoke, or barbecues. scientists across the world are racing to develop the covid-19 vaccine. researchers for u.s. and german firms say clinical trials show increases in antibodies that weaken the virus in people who receive the shots. the results were published in the journal "nature." the firms pfizer and biontech are working on a vaccine candidate. the study covered 45eople from 18 to o 55. the researchers report that 21 days after vaccinatitions, antibodies for the coronavirus were detected in the blood of all those who got a shot. the researchers say more than half the trial subjects complained of a headache or other side effects but no serious health issues were recorded. the vaccine development is in the final phase. pfizer says the firms aim for approval as early as october. meanwhile many countries are still fighting to contain the coronavirus. the french government is

mobilizing the police to ensure people wear a face mask as the virus spreads again. some cities including paris and marseilles already require masks in commercial facilities and other indoor spaces. those who don't wear a face mask face a fine. organizers of the paris marathon have canceled the event this year. it had been delayed from april to november due to the pandemic. and washing hands with soap and water is one way to control the spread of the coronavirus. but a u.n. report says 43% of schools around the world did not have the necessary facilities last year. the report was issued by the u.n. children's fund and the world health organization. it says 818 million children were at risk because of a lack of hand washing facilities. more than a third of those

children were in subsaharan africa. the u.s. says nationwide school closures were in place in 106 countries and territories at the beginning of this month. they were affecting more than one billion students an that's more than 60% of school students around the world. the u.n. says schools must provide hand washing facilities and d clean drinking water to reopen safely.

in mauritius, a conservationist says the environment and economy will be hit hard after an estimated 1,000 tonsns of oil spilled froa japanese cargo ship. >> it takes decades, if not more, to restore the damage caused by an accident like this. tatayah says the accident happened about two kilometers from a nature preserve that's been protecting birds and rare plants for over 35 years. he says protected mangrove wetlands were damaged from the vessel.

contaminated soil will affect birds and insects over the long term. he says the economic fallout will be enormous, as many in the region rely on fishing and tourism. >> covid would have affected us for a few months but the leak will affect us for years to come. >> tatayah said mauritius wants compensation from the ship's operator and called on japan to help the environment recover from the damage. in the u.s. state of delaware, where kamala harris has delivered her first speech since being picked by democratic presidential candidate joe biden as his running mate. harris criticized the trump administration for his handling of the coronavirus outbreak, and called for changes in america to fight racism. harris and biden shared the stage in an almost empmpty high school gymnasium on wednesday. >> i am incredibly honored by this responsibility, and i'm ready to get to work. >> she's ready to do this job on day one, and we're both ready to

get to work rebuilding this nation and building it better. >> the 55-year-old senator from california is known for her outspokenness that comes from her former career as a prosecutor. >> this virus has impacted almost every country. but there's a reason it has hit america worse than any other advanced nation. it's because of trump's failure to take it seriously from the start. >> harris is a child of immigrants from india and jamaica. she would become the first black woman to appear on a presidential ticket of one of the major u.s. political parties. >> we're experiencing a moral reckoning with racism and systemic injustice that has brought a new coalition of conscience to the streets of our

country, demanding change. america is crying out for leadership. >> biden and harris are expected to be formally confirmed as nominees at the democratic national convention that begins on monday. thursday marks the start of holidays when many japanesese honor the e spirits of their ancestors. people in the northwest have been paying their respects at the 10th bon festival since the massive earthquake and tsunami in march 2011. where over 280 people died in the disaster, many families got off early to visit graves, they wanted to avoid the midday heat and crowds amid the coronavirus. this woman arrived at 6:00 a.m. and prayed for her friends and late niece who all died in the tsunami. >> translator: i told them we're doing fine and asked them to

keep watch over us. >> the pandemic has been casting a shadow over this year's bon holiday preventing some people getting to graves, but one taxi company is trying to help out. on thursday, one of the drivers visited a grave on behalf of a woman who was unable to go herself and wiped down the gravestone and placed incense and offered a silent prayer. >> my customer couldn't make i to the grave this year, so i tried to put her feelings into my prayer. >> customers pay the one-way fare from the grave to the nearest taxi office, plus another $50. they receive photos of the service.

here's the three-day forecast for selected cities. ♪ ♪

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and that's a wrap for this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm ramin mellegard. thank you very much for joining us. welcome to "newline in depth." i'm yannan kamar rhee. it's summer which in a normal year means school vacation, but in this time of the coronavirus, things are different. to prevent the spread of infections, schools across the country shut down for some time earlier in the year. now many are cutting short their summer breaks to help students catch up. the disruptions have been challenging to both children and

teachers, but they've also prompted the rise of new approaches to education. today we look at some of the resourceful ways schools are responding and how that's having a positive influence on children. in our first report we see how children are learning about compassion. the spread of the virus has brought out people's good and bad sides. many patients with covid-19 he faced discrimination and harassment, but we've also seen many instances of kindness. one true story about such a case is delivering an important lesson in classrooms. >> a teacher at this school in kochi city tested positive to the coronavirus. it came as a shock to the principal. then a few days later, she grew even more concerned when she arrived outside a school gate. >> translator: there have been vicious messages all over the

country. when i saw something at the gate, my heart started pounding. >> reporter: but seeing it close up, she realized it was in a child's handwriting. >> translator: keep your spirits up, a greeting that med ade me happy, it really gave me encouragement. >> reporter: she had no idea who put the message there, but all the tension and worry she'd be feeling. she said it brought tears of relief to her eyes. when the news of this incident reached a nearby elementary school, the teachers thought it could make a powerful lesson for their students. >> translator: i thought it was very important for all the children to hear that such a

heartwarming thing had happened. >> reporter: it was introduced to the sixth grade class. the teacher explained to the students what had happened. she asked them to imagine what went through her mind. >> reporter: this incident moved her to tears. the students are asked to think about why. finally the students are asked what they themselves would do in a situation likee that. >> translator: even if people

around us have the virus, it's not their fault. we should do all we can to help them. >> reporter: the school principal was invited to speak to the children directly. >> translator: those words of encouragement gave me courage and strength. it's often said that words reflect people's intentions. so i'd like you to remember just how important positive words can be. >> reporter: it was a small episode but a big lesson that even a simple message to lift people's spirits and their fear of the coronavirus should not overcome our compassion for others. otaka ayaka, nhk world, kochi. >> this episode is being shared

at 60 schools in the city and other classrooms across japan have expressed interest in using it. the positive feedback is encouraging people at the nursery to carry on. next we look at classes going online. remote learning is not something educators in japan are accustomed to. but since the school shutdown, teachers have been trying their best to adapt. we meet a youtuber with a clever approach to lessons and a teacher inspired by his methods. >> reporter: haven chi has a million subscribers to his educational channel. he was a school tutor. now he uses that experience to make videos for elementary and high school students. he keeps the videos within 15 minutes so students can maintain their concentration. haichi measures the space he writes on the white boardrd so everything fits on the camera

view finder. students canan always see all t information, making it easier to follow the class. after schools closed down, haichi began to receive more requests than usual from teachers wanting to use his videos for school lessons. >> translator: i hope school teachers use my videos as support tools for their classes. >> reporter: some teachers are not only using his clips, but have been inspired by him to create their own vivideos. this teacher teaches sciencnce. he begegan posting videos after his elementary school closed. he continues doing so even after it has reopened. he's worried about students losing the opportunity to conduct science experiments. they are not allowed to work on the same table or share equipment. his videos introduce science experiments including those looking at chemical changes and the analysis of components.

>> translator: through the test we know this leaf doesn't contain starch. >> reporter: he focuses on the major points to keep his videos within 15 minutetes. >> translalator: i havav always been aware of the places where children get stuck and t to make thohose points c clear in lessons. but now i notice my videos sosometimes offer a better understanding and are more detailed. >> reporter: such efforts by teachers also encourage haichi. >> i've been hoping school teachers will regularly create video lessons. they're starting to see online clips may be useful tools for their classes. now more teachers are contacting me, and i can feel a change in their mindset.

>> reporter: schools are open again, but teachers have to adapt to new ways of holding classes. these teachers, along with haichi are seeking the same goal, using new methods to try to improve the quality of education for students. the science teacher says the clips he made came in handy even after school resumed in june. they help the students catch up with their studies within two months. he plans to make more videos during the summer break to help his pupils in the future. our final report looks at the dilemma facing classrooms under the new normal. even when teachers can interact with their students in person, the many anti-infection measures make lessons hard. language study is especially challenging because students are required to speak. but as it turns out, the obstacles have encouraged some teachers to get creative..

>> put down your pencils. >> p put down your pencils. >> reporter: the coronavirus is changing the face of education. this is what you can expect to see at japanese schools, but it gets more complicated with language learning where conversation is key. >> please wear your face shield. >> reporter: this english teacher at the public junior high school in tokyo doesn't let students sit face-to-face and avoids group work to limit the risk of infection, and then there are the face shields. he thought it would be easier to chececk pronunciation if he cou see the student's faces. but many are afraid to take off their masks when there isn't much social distancing. >> translator: i'm worried, so i need to keep a mask. >> translator: i hope that school life will return to

normal soon. >> reporter: the teacher says he's facing a difficult challenge. >> translator: i feel like i'm juggling two things, education and preventing transmission, that are almost impossible to deal with at the same time. i'll do my best to figure out what works, although the options are limited. >> reporter: the education ministry has issued guideliness to deal with the virus, but teachers are also developing their own solutions, leading to a patchwork of dififferent measures. teachers at this school are taking more high-tech approach. on the stairs and in the hallways, students practice their english pronunciation without masks, but witith ipads. the devices allow them to get away from their desks and stay a

safe distance from each other. they record themselves speaking and then hand in the ipads so the teacher can check their work. >> translator: it's easier to speak without masks. >> translator: outside the classroom, i can practice my pronunciation more loudly. >> reporter: the teacher is also making vidideos to help minimiz how much he has to talk. >> translator: complaining about what we cannot do doesn't help anything. we should instead think about what we can do. >> reporter: this expert hopes innovation like these will shape the future of public schooling in the country. >> translator: teachers now have a chance to think about what they want students to learn the

mostst. the pandemic could be a great opportunity to create a new style of education. >> reporter: after losing a lot of class hours to the pandemic, teachers are trying to get back on track with new education strategies that are both safe and d effective. yamamoto saori, nhk world, tokyo. teachers are doing their best to maximize opportunities for their students while keeping them safe. the school utilizing the tablets is trying to help children catch up with their studies by offering interactive online lessons even during the summer break. the challenge confronting education is global. over 1.5 billion children worldwide have suddenly found themselvlv without classrooms. mitigating the negative impact of antivirus measures will be crucial for schools in the

future. we we need to ensure that children who will be the world's hope in the post corona era can receive all the education they're entitled to. that's all for today's "newline in depth." thanks for watching. >> coronavirus infections on the

rise in europe while the french government says the country has reached a tipping point. the number o of hospitalizations is dowown. grereece,nt with france thanks italy for its boost in the mediterranean. joe biden and kamala harris share the stage for the first time since being announced as his running mate