♪ thank you for joining us. from our studio in tokyo, this is nhk "newsline." we begin this hour in iran where un's nuclear watchdog has struck a deal to inspect facilities suspected of storing undeclared material. the international atomic agency confirmed the news, breaking a month's long impasse.

>> this statement contains a lot of flesh. i reflect what i believe is a very important understanding, a very important agreement that allows us to continue our inspection work as it should be. >> grossii reached the agreemen in the first meeting in the country since taking on the role. hehe met with iran's c chief an president hasan rosan rouhani. rouhani told grossi, he wants to build. no dates have been revealaled, t grossi told reporters it will be very, very soon. iran had agreed to allow inspections as part of the landmark

a teenager has been arrested after two people were shot dead during protests over the police shooting of a black man in n th u.s. state of wisconsnsin. protests have taken place since jacob blake was critically injured after being shot several times in the back in kenosha city. many protests have been peaceful, but many have turned violent over night with protesters throwing stones at police who have responded with tear gas. police say the suspect opened fire during protests on tuesday night. two people were killed and one person wounded. 17-year-old kiyle rittenhouse ws arrested on suspicion o of firs

degree intentional homicide. the suspect, descrcribed as a white teenager, allegedly clashed with protesters before opening fire. the shooting may be connected to a group that pushed him to adeputize people to assist people. >> i had a person call me and say why don't you deputize citizens who have guns to come out and patrol the city of kenosha. and i'm like, oh, hell no. and what happened last night -- and i think the chief is going to talk about it -- was probay wouldn't. reason why i >> president donald trump said on twittern wednesday that he will send federal law enforcement officials to kenosha to, quote, restore law and order. looting, arson, violence, and r lawlessness on american streets.

he also said wisconsin governor tony evers had agreed to accept federal assistance. meanwhile, the u.s. national basketball association has postponedd playoff games scheduled for wednesday. the milwaukee bucs boycotted their game in protest of the police shooting of jacob blake. police in hong kong have arrested 16 people in connection with last year's antigovernment protests. among them are twowo prodemocra lawmakerers. they were taken into custody on wednesday. they're suspected of rioting and taking part in illegal gatherings. lam's charges relate to an incident in july last year. dozens of men in white t-shirts attacked him and other demonstrators with sticks. lam live streamed the class on his smartphone, and police claim that fuelled it.

the incident sparked criticism of the police, with some saying law enforcement didn't respond quickly enough. these latest arrests come weeks afafter a new national security law for hong kong took effect. several other pro democracy activists have been taken into custody in connection with the protests that rocked the territory last year. the head of the territory lam and wi belonged to denounced their arrest. >> translator: the government is using the police to suppress differering views in society. it's totally unacceptable. >> lam was injured in the attack and has spoken out about it recently, claiming a figure linked to a crime syndicate was behind it. japan is still in the middle of a heat wave, but health

officials are looking ahead to winter, with both covid-19 and seasonal flu. they want the elderly to bebe vaccinated for the flu before anyone else. the health ministry expects a rush on flu vaccines with people also worried about the coronavirus. there will be enough to cover half the population, and they don't want to run out before those at risk of becoming seriously ill are eprotected. officials and experts say people 65 and older should get top prpriority. with plans to vaccinate that group in early october. later that month, medical workers, people with pre-existing health conditions, pregnant woman a and infants wi be encouraged to get the vaccine. since covid-19 and influenza have similar symptoms, officials expect higher testing demands, so they plan to increase capacity before flu season begins. on wednesday, officials in tokyo

confirmed 236 coronavirus case. nearly 20,000 people have tested positive in the city of about 14 million. across japan, more than 65,000 cases have been reported. over 1,200 people have died. record numbers of international cargo flights have been taking off and landing at narita airport near tokyo. officials at the airport operator say the figure rose 29% to about 15,200 from january to the end of june. that's the highest number ever marked for that period since the airport opened in 1978. they believe the surging numbers were due to airlines converting their planes from hauling passengers to cargo so they could transport medical and other goods during the coronavirus pandemic. the number of international passenger flights using narita has plunged. about 44,400 airliners arrived

and departed during the six-month period. officials say that's half the number of the same time last year, citing the pandemic as the main reason. large number of passenger flights have been cancelled or scaled back. about 30% of japan's total population live in the greater tokyo area, the capital and surrounding prefectures. but since the on set of the coronavirus pandemic, a growing number of people have been switching to remote work from the peace and quiet of their hometowns out on the countryside. our next story looks at one man who made that move three years ago. >> sa to yoshihisa is a consultant for an i.t. company in tokyo, but he lives in yamagata prefecture about 330 kilometers away. he's heading to his office inside his parents' house just five minute's walk from his home.

sato develops i.t. systems for companies. in 2017, he decided to leave tokyo and return to his hometown. now, hee does all his work remotely. as a rule, all his meetings with colleagues and clients are done online. they a also like to chat online during breaks in their work. >> translator: we always used to chat in the office while we were working. i'm glad we've kept that same culture. >> translator: we're all spread out now, so it's important to keep in touch individually with each of our junior workers. >> reporter: as soon as his work is finished, sato heads home.

whenen he was working in tokyo,e rarely had a chance to have dinner with his family on weekdays. after dinner, he gives his baby a bath. onon his days off, sato helps h father with his farm work. >> traranslator: it's great to here in the place i like best. it's an opportunity to get to know my hometown better. well, i probably could go back, but i don't want to. >> reporter: more than a few people in tokyo tend to prioritize their work, but a growing number are following sato's example and moving back to their hometowns, far from the city but close to their

families. now, turning to world weather with your meteorologist tsietsi mow tear. hello tsietsi. >> hello. >> looking at the u.s., hurricane laura is getting stronger. >> yes. >> and it's bringing deadly conditions. >> yes. >> so, what's the major concerns there. >> the biggest concern came out of the national hurricane center saying there could be storm surgeses that are unsusurvive a. we hardly use terms like that but this time it has been deemed so because the storm has gotten stronger and stronger. it has spent a lot of time in open waters and warm weathers so it has gained a lot of momentum. the storm has smoothed out and the pressure in the eye of the center is getting lower and lower meaning it is bringing more intense weather conditions towards places like louisiana and texas across the gulf. people are urged to take precautions and a lot have been evacuated. let's take a look at this video

where preparations are underway. more than 420 texas residents and another 200,000 people in louisiana were under mandatory evacuation orders. officials say the catastrophic storm surge could penetrate up to 48 kilometers inland from the coastline and could raise water levels as high as six meters. just imagine that, six meters of water going as far as 40 or 48 kilometers inland. s that going to be disastrous. and they're expecting vermont and houston as well as the storm reaching the part of texas and is going to move all the way in towards the northeastern direction by friday. so, please do take care at all costs. turbulent weather is expected across much of thee southeast going all the way into more inland regions as you move towards the east coast. towards asia, another one here.

this is typhoon bevy bringing places along north and south korea and japan and kyushu. storm surge also a big issue here. strong winds are expected. if you can evacuate, please do so as soon as possible. temperaturewise going to be quite warm for shanghai, taiwan, as well as into tokyo which might reach 33 degrees. that's all for weather. take care. ♪ ♪

so, sweltering heat has been baking japan, but an iconic serves as a lord of a castle is trying to fulfill his duty of greeting tourists. the lord of the castle is usually active but recently has been spending uch many of his time resting in the shade. still, he dutifully greets people when they come. temperatures there have topped 35 degrees celsius for 18 days in a row. >> translator: i'm happy i could finally meet him. it was tough though walking up here in the heat. >> translator: i would like to make our castle a place that will make people happy. we'll all do our best together with our lord.

>> the lord's staff have set up a hut with bamboo vines for sanjuto. they also try to keep him out of the sun when they take him for a walk. and that concludes this edition of nhk "newsline." thank you very much for staying with us. ♪ hello there and welcome to "newsline in depth." i'm catherine kobayayashi in ne york. today we're s shifting our perspective to look at what's happening here in the united states in a time few could have imagined. for centuries, scientists have honored a standard in solving the word's problems.

they observe, they question, they test. they call their standard the scientific method. today we'll look at how some are testing its limits in the age of the coronavirus. researchers across the globe are racing against each other and against time to develop a vaccine. they're attracting billions of dollars in support, but some fear their work may leave million of people unprotected. nhk world's agnes goldrich reports. >> reporter: scientists a producing mehan 160 pontial coronavirus vcines. devepment kwn ashase thr testing. inhe , aollaboration between oxfdd university and fo pharmaceutical giant as tra zane astrazeneca is showing promise and the vaccine entered phase

three in july. scientists with the national institutes of health in the u.s. are partnering with biotech company moderna. their vaccine has also entered phase three trials. and researchers in other countries, including china, are in the final stages of clinical testing. government leaders are throwing their support behind the efforts. >> its objective is to finish developing and then to manufacturer, distribute, a proven coronavirus vaccine as fast as possible. >> the u.s. paid astrazeneca $1.2 billion to develop 300 million doses of a vaccine. and officials agreed to give drug maker pfizer nearly $2 billion for 100 million doses. the british government is stepping up, paying astrazeneca more than 65 million pounds to

distribute 100 million doses. officials in france, germany, the netherlands and italy have formed an alliance. they've agreed to pay astrazeneca for up to 400 million doses. the countries will split the costs. japanese leaders are feeling a sense of urgency. they're negotiating with foreign drug makers to secure a vaccine supply. officials at the world health organization are concerned. they think richer nations may snap up all the vaccines, so they've come up with a plan to give access to people in developiping countries. forty nations have already sign on. >> it is a difficult suituation because leaders have an objective to help the people within their own country. so, to say give less vaccine to our country so we can give it to other countries becomes a

difficult thing politically. >> reporter: as researchers close in on a coronavirus vaccine, the next challenge may be making sure that everyone who nee needs a dose can get it. agnes goldrich, nhk world. >> the scientific method takes something researchers don't have a lot of these days, time. some are pushing the body to make its own vaccine, but there's a risk it could make patients even sicker. nhk world explains. >> reporter: a global race is on to develop an effective vaccine for covid-19. scientists have already tested some human volunteers and hope to have them in place by the end of the year. vaccines can sometimes take more than a decade to develop. but researchers are using new technology to speed up the process.

traditional vaccines are made from inactivated or weakened viruses. the body's immune system reacts to them and produces antibodies. but developing these vaccines is time consuming. scientists are hopeful about new technology called gene-based vaccines. it uses genetic code taken from viruses. the code helps human cells produce specific proteins that increase antibodies. scientists say the method will allow them to develop drugs more quickly. researchers at the u.s. company called moderna therapeutics are pursuing this type of vaccine. they use the genetic material called messenger rna to help cells produce the antibodies that fight the virus. scientists at another u.s.

company are developing a gene-based vaccine of their own. >> expressing the protein and look for expression of the actual vaccine component. >> reporter: they say they are making good progress and are getting ready to conduct phase two of the three required clinical trials. they claim the drug can be easily mass produced and stored at room temperature instead of refrigerated. >> i've worked in immunization for almost 40 years now, and i've not seen anything like this with any other agent. >> reporter: one key issue in developing a vaccine is making sure that it's safe. experts note that vaccines can strengthen infection rather than

suppress it. this was seen in clinical trials for vaccines for sars and mers. >> the issue really is in the past the reason you have to do all these studies and phases of studies is what looks very promising early on doesn't turn out to be. scientists also face challenge provi proving it's effective. clinic trials require a large number of subjects to determine whether eye vaccine will work. but in many countries, the nu number of covid-19 cases is declining. so, researchers at oxford university and drug maker astrazeneca are conducting clinical trial of their vaccines in brazil, where infections are on the rise. scientists and researchers are hopeful that gene-based vaccine

will be a decisive factor in this right. seo, nhk world, new york. >> doctors find themselves in a race every day. many are exhausted. many have become sick. and now many are suffering through other afflictions. here's nhk's world david mcclure. >> we're going to sit in here. >> reporter: steven palmer has been on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak in the u.s. he coordinates vaccine research at columbia university medical center in new york. his job puts him in frequent contact with covid-19 patients. >> and -- >> reporter: the work is grueling and dangerous and has taken an emotional toll. >> i'm not the same person i was before this happened. it really was a mixture of terror, grief and loneliness.

>> reporter: new york was an early epicenter of the pandemic. and many health care providers were among those who died. in march, the first patients were rushed to the columbia university hospital. >> we were scared to death, you know? when you first walked into the hospital when covid was happening, it was as if it was in the air blowing at you. i washed my hands i would say up to 50 times a day. i put my hand in again and wash like crazy. >> reporter: by mid-march, the hospital was inundated. 25% of the patients in palmer's vaccine trials died, and his psychological turmoil continued to grow. >> a number of people called my

group and certainly other health care workers heroes. >> thank you! thank you! >> is a hero somebody who finds out that a patient has died and feels sad about it but there's some sort of relief that you're not going to have to, you know, deal with that one extra case? i wasn't going to be strong enough, that i was losing confidence. >> reporter: most painful were the feelings of loneliness and isolation. to keep his family safe, he began living apart from them. but that removed yet another system of support. he shows us a journal entry he wrote at the time. >> we just start out march 13th, coronavirus. it was just all i could think about. it was just -- it was just

coronavirus, coronavirus. and just -- you know, it was endless. that's what i did. >> reporter: now, he's worried about the psychological toll of the potential second wave of the virus. >> i'm not sure how it could be a surge like that again. and i don't know how it could be an emotional surge like that again. i can't imagine -- we would not be happy. nobody would be happy. it would be awful. >> reporter: hospitals had begun to recognize the psychological risks that confront their staff. they're offering counseling services to help manage the stress and uncertainty. >> morning everybody, and welcome to the columbia -- >> reporter: psychologists at columbia university started a program for health care workers to openly discuss their concerns either alone in groups. >> so, the key is being psychologically flexible in all

ways, in your thinking and in your responding, while maintaining some structures and routines. >> they may not experience any kind of mental health problem, but they may experience, you know, mild anxiety or stress. so, we knew we had to figure out something that would bolster them up and that would allow them an outlet to really talk about what they were feeling and experiencing. >> reporter: medical workers have received high praise for doing their part to help sick people during the pandemic. and now efforts are focused on getting them the help that they need. david mcclure, nhk world, new york. >> doctors, nurses, researchers, they're all working on finding solutions to a problem they don't even understand. some of them could benefit from a revival of the clapping. early on in the outbreak, people in many cities cheered from

their balconies for essential workers in an evening show of support, a boost of morale for those working to protect their neighbors. and that's all for this edition of "newsline in depth." thank you for being with us. ♪

>> racially charged protest that ended further tragedy. two people are shot dead in kenosha, wisconsin and a 17-year-old is in custody. ♪ i am lauren taylor. live from london. coming up, hurricane laura grows in strength. it is now a category 4 hurricane with potential storm surge that officials cocould warn -- warn could not be survivable. up forn finally opens inspection. in