♪ hello. welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm yamamoto miki in tokyo. u.s. president donald trump and joe biden are rallying support in swing states as the presidential campaign enters the final stretch. trump to to twitter to again allege that the democratic party marig the election that is three weekaway. the incumbent met his suppororts on monday in florida in the first rally since he left hospital where he received

treatment for coronavirus infection. he is scheduled to visit swing states including pennsylvania and north carolina from tuesday, and hold large gatherings at airports. biden held a rally in florida on tuesday and criticized trump for his coronavirus responses. >> so many lives have been lost unnecessarily because this president cares more about the stock market than he does about the well-being of seniors. >> biden also plans to visit pennsylvania this week. u.s. political news wewebsite rl clear r politics says opinion polls showhehe average s suppor rate for biden is 51.6%, while that for trump stands at 41.6%. turning to ongoing unrest in belarus. the country's exiled opposition leader is threatening a nationwide strike unless

president lukeshenko steps down. he issued the ultimatum on tuesday, urging him to resign and halt the use of staged violence against protestors or face wider ghdemonstrations, including a national strike. she ran in the presidential election against lukashenko. protesrs say the polls were rigged. the opposition leader has sought support from france and germany and delivered a peach at a u.n. meeting to rally support. but lukashenko continues to take a hard line stance against the protests. kyrgyzst

kyrgyzstan's government was toppled earlier this month. chinese foreign minister wang yi has labeled the indo-pacific strategy adopted by the united states, japan, india, and australia as an attempt to create a security organization similar to nato in the region. wang was speaking at a joint news conference with his malaysian counterparart hishammuddin hussein in kuala lumpur on tuesday. >> translator: the strategy increases the confrontation among different groups. blocs and geopolitical competition maintains the predominance and hegemonic system of ththe u.s. >> he added the strategy will l eventually undermine prospects for pepeace and development of eastsisia. wang was reacting to the agreement bebetween the foreign affairs chieiefs of the four nationons last week in tokyo to work toward creating a free and open indo-pacific region. the e chinese foreigign ministr says that wang and hishammuddin agreed the south china sea

should not be a ground for competition among major powers. wang is on a southeast asian tour, apparently carrying out a mission to try to curb u.s. influeuence in the regn. the japanese government has lodged a protest over two chinese papatrol ships that t h been in japan's territorial waters off the senkaku islands for more than two days, the longest intrusion in eight years. coast guard officials say the chinese vessels entered the waters off the senkaku islands in the east china sea sunday morning. they left tuesday evening more than 57 hours later. it was the longestntrusion since japan's government purchased some of the senkaku islands from a private owner in 2 201. japan controls the islands. the japanese government maintains the islands are an inherent part of japan's territory. china and taiwan claim them. a chinese foreign ministry

spokesperson said the islands arare part of china's territory and added japan should respect china's right to patrol the area. an expert on international maritime law sayays beijing appears toto be challenging japan's position that there's no isissue of sovereignty over the islands. >> traranslator: one of china's ultimate goals and pururposes i to makee the japananese governm acknowledge that there is an international issue over the isislands. >> the expert says japan's coast guard should continue to react in a calm matter. >> translator: it is important that the coast guard continue to properly respond to make the vessels abide by japanese laws and maintain order. that will send a message this is not anan international armed conflict. >> the chief cabinet secretary says japan has repeatedly lodged protests with beijing.

>> translator: we will continue to do our utmost to safeguard our country's territory, waters, and air space. relevant ministries and agencies will work together to gather information and patrol the area around the senkaku islands. we will continue to respond calmly and resolutely to the chinese side. the international monetary fund has raised its outlook for the global economy this year. but the projected growth rate till remains in negative territory. the updated world economic outlook forecasts a global contraction of 4.4% in 2020. that's an improvement from june. the imf says recovering personal spending that came with the reopening of the economy is behind the upgrade. china is the only major country with a projection of positive growth. its economy expected to expand 1.9%.

the u.s. is expected to see negative growth of 4.3%. the country has the largest number of coronavirus cases in the world. the outlook for japan is minus 5.3% while germany is at minus 6%. the forecast for india has been revised down sharply t to minus 10.3% amid the spread of the infection in the country. >> there remains tremendous uncertainty. this pandemic is not over, which means that, you know, there coululd be eveven worse outcome. >> the imf says the fallout from the economic downturn will be felt for a long time with cumulative losses reaching $28 trillion by 2025. nhk has learned that japan's foreign ministry is considering lowering its global travel alert due to the coronavirus pandemic. the ministry has four categories of oversees travel advice and warning, depending on the

potential risk to people's security. the ministry raised the alert to level two in march for the whole world and asked people to avoid non-essential travel. officials are now considering lowering the alert to level one, or lifting the advisory completely. the ministry now believes that japanese nationals are less likely to face restrictions overseas or end up stranded on foreign soil. like many around the world, people across japan have been taking precautions to prevent the risk of spreading the coronavirus. many have been staying home for months, but that social distancing is creating a new concern for some of the most vulnerable members of society. nhk world reports. >> repeporter: this 88-year-old

woman lost her husband in the great east japan earthquake. she lives in a public housing complex for people whose homes were destroyed in the disaster. her friends used to come over after going shopping and her niece would pop in for a check. but since march, she's seen few people. the pandemic is keeping them away, and she's been staying indoors. now she spends most of her time listening to the radio. >> translator: i often talk to myself while listening. my niece noticed that i chat to the radio. she's right. i don't have anyone to talk to other than the radio. >> reporter: the results of an nhk survey of 800 evacuees in miyagi prefecture show that saito is not the only lonely one. 70% of respondents say they feel the same way. >> translator: i lost the chanae

to see my brothers and grandchildren. now w i don't leave the housing complex at all. >> translator: i leave my room only when i go downstairs to check my mailbox. my future appears completely bleak. >> reporter: this public housing complex is also for people who lost their homes in the disaster. but the community is dealing with an unprecedented issue. in august, a woman in her 80s died alone at home. she wasn't discovered for at least ten days. this is the chair of the resident's association. he used to organize monthly events and visited residents regularly. but after april, the events had to be cancelled to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. in japan, the number of people dying a lonely death has been increasing. he faces a big challenge -- 60%

of his residents are elderly and live alone and he can't visit them as he did before. >> translator: it will be helpful for the residents to take care of each other so that deaths don't occur again. i think it's important for residents to talk to each other asking are you all right or how are you? >> people affected by the disaster have been making efforts to rebuild their communities. and now, new opportunities need to be created for them to faithfully engage with others in a meaningful way. sato keisuke, nhk world, sendai. let's check out the world weather with our meteorologist tsietsi monare. so people in vietnam continue to deal with severe flooding and the last thing they need now is more rain. but the reality is that another storm is edging closer. this is a dreadful situation

there. >> yes. you put it perfectly. things are quite dreadful across the southern part of china, going into towards vietnam. it's been busy with storm after storm, flooding roads and inundating homes. it is quite a dire situation. unfortunately, more is coming their ways. they reported 85 millimeters of rainfall due to a tropical storm passing through there and now heading to the northern parts of vietnam. let's take a look at this video just to give you a brief idea of what is happening there. this tropical storm is edging closer now towards the northern parts of vietnam. flooding caused by the heavy rainfall killed at least 28 people since last week. so the beginning of october has been quite severe along those parts. roads and villages have been destroyed by floods. 17 construction workers were missing following a landslide at the site of the hydropower

project dam. you can see people are taking all necessary precautions. and there is more to come still. by friday, vietnam could see close to 350 millimeters of rainfall. by thursday, we expect between 100 to 180 millimeters here, so a lot more rain is coming your way along those parts. if you look at the rest of asia, including much of india, heavy rainfall is pummeling the west coast and a storm moving in towards the western side. heavy rainfall quite strong along those parts. in the philippines, as well. a lot of activity, a tropical depression is developing. back towards japan, there is a bit of a low pressure system very far north of hokkaido. that's going to be bringing in slightly unstable conditions and cooler weather by thursday and friday. temperatures for thursday, 12 degrees. wet weather for friday. and even in tokyo, there might be cooler conditions to come for

your weekend. temperatures around 16 degrees along those parts. 24 towards here. things are looking difficult along those parts. and the bull can peninsula is expecting a bit of unstable weather and rainy conditions in spain with possibilities of snow expected for the next few days. that's all your weather. take care. that's nhk "newsline" for this hour.

i'm miki yamamoto in tokyo. thank you for staying with us on nhk world-japan. ♪ welcome to "newsline in depth." i'm shibuya aki. the coronavirus continues to up end our daily lives. impacting everything including incomes. but as history shows, the worst of times can bring out the best in people and their communities. today, we share stories of everyday people overcoming the coronavirus era by reaching out to help others.

we start off in honduras. the global pandemic has added a further financial burden on people in the central american country. many industries have been hard hit, including the huge coffee trade. after the country went into lockdown in march, a woman in japan over 10,000 kilometers away took it upon herself to find a way to support the coffee bean growers. she turned to the high-end honduran product to create a connection between the two countries and together make it through these times. >> reporter: this coffee roastery opened last year. the shop is owned by this woman. she carefully selects beans from honduras. it has a reach aroma that goes down well with customers. she first visited honduras in 2013, one of the poorest

countries in central america. it's part of the oversees japan volunteers program that's when she tasted the local coffee for the first time. honduras has a robust coffee industry, that produces high quality beans. since 2016, she's been buying them directly from local producers. she displays information about the growers, and their farms in her store. >> translator: by importing coffee beans directly from farmers, i hope to help out customers see their dedication and passion for growing the coffee we love. >> reporter: but in may, she received a message from nancy hernandez, one of her growers in honduras. she asked for advanced payments for beans to help save her and her fellow farmer's livelihoods. she spraexplained they had lost

vital business because of the coronavirus. >> translator: she's never asked me for money before. so i knew she was in big trouble. >> reporter: tara, who sewns a sake brewery, offered to chab ra -- clab rate to help her friend overseas. >> translator: i came up with combining her coffee with our liquor. collaboration makes us stronger. >> reporter: they started making a product that infuses the hon duren liquor. the batch was finally ready for tasting.

she showed hernandez the product in an online call. the label design incorporates the logo for her farm. she hopes theyy can imagine the far away hon duren farms. >> i'm'm greateful for your support. i strongly believe that we caca overcome hardship by working hard together. >> reporte imai launched an online fund-raising campaign for her honduran friends, offering the new liquor to donors as a free gift. and with no end to the pandemic in sight, with support among businesses may be one of the keys to surviving the covid era. >> so far, hernandez has been fortunate. she has reopened three of her four cafes, which she runs as well as being a farmer.

but sales have y to rebound e to the aence of tourists. the good news is, the liquor coffee they created is now on sale in japan. and the two are currently exploring how to export it overseas. here in japan, the government estimated that as of the end of september, more than 60,000 people have lost or about to lose their jobs due to the coronavirus. some 10,000 of them have been working in the restaurant industry. under the severe conditions, many establishments have launched takeout services to make ends meet. we now turn our lens on a photographer who had made it his mission to support these eateries. he's harnessing his professional skills to make people hungry for dining in. >> reporter: dumplings in the spotlight.

this professional photographer is offering his services to local restaurants. they can use his photos to advertise their takeout food, free of charge. >> translator: if a picture is good, i'm confidedent that restaurant sales will rise. >> reporter: today, takayama is helping a chinese restaurant. sales at this eatery have fallen 70%. likeke any good chef, a professional photographer focuses on the best ingredients. >> translator: the shrimps need to come out more. >> make them stand out? >> yes. at least one more. >> reporter: he says liking is the key to getting mouth watering results. >> how about this? >> oh, nice. looks delicious.

i will continue doing my best. takayama hasas really encourage me. >> reporter: phototographers acacross japan haveeeen inspire by takayama. in this online lecture, he offers tips to other professionals who usually don't take pictures of food. >> translator: we need to use different lighting methods. if we take a picture of a slice of pizza with the same settings as a lunchbox, the pizza will appear too flat. i maininly take pictutures o of people, b but his efffforts h h made a deeee impreression on me. so i dececed too do it, too. >> reporter: dozens of struggling eateries sayhe willll -- helped them to win ba business. >> translator: i'm glad if i can contribute to society by taking pictures. i hope photos encourage people

and help them move forward. >> reporter: these are dark times for restaurants. and takayama says he and his camera are ready to serve. >> when he came to the rescue of restaurants this past spring, he had already seen his photography assignments drop by 90%. though his workload has bounced back, he plans to continue offering his free photography services as long as there's demand. we've already learned that some of the photographers who took his workshops have started volunteering their services, too. finally, we have a story about a professional clown. he volunteers at hospitals around japan to bring joy to children facing serious illnesses or living with disabilities. but his work on site has been strictly limited to prevent the spread of the virus.

so he's found an alternative method to raise the spirits of kids, many of whom are experiencing extra stress due to restrictions on temporary home stays and hospital visits from family. >> reporter: this 5-year-old girl in hospital has only her father for company. but with her mother and younger brother, sociallyy distancing a home,, everyone is watatching a live clown performance. the hospital room and the famamy home arere connected through an online meeting system so everyone canan enjoy t the show. the man behind the grease paint is omune koskei. he's been volunteering as a clown for sick children for 16 years. but they've been unable to do so

in person since march because of coronavirus related restrictions. meanwhile, there are growing concerns about stress levels among hospitalized children. >> translator: if we can do something to make people smile, i really think we should do it. >> reporter: so he came up with the idea of online shows. he crowd funded the project to buy video cameras and the gear his crew needs to stage a performance. >> translator: i'm not exactly a technology expert, so i've never tried this kind of thing before. but i'm learning so much by having a go. >> reporter: today, he's connecting with a 7-year-old boy who is in hospital for the first time. at the beginning, his parents weren't allowed to visit. >> translator: he was so upset when we weren't allowed in. >> reporter: after a month, only his mother was a allowed to visi

the hospital recomommended the online crown show and made arrangements witith omune. the boy's fatather and brotheree on screen, too. it's's been a mononth since the alall seen each other. he balances a two meter stepladder on his s forehead, a trick requiring great skill. atat first, thehe boy was nervr but after watching the show, he was more like his normal self. they enjoyed the performance for a full hour. >> traranslator: it was like beg wiwith my brother again. >> translalator: there are so my difficult things going on, but this has helped us forget them. >> translator: trying to help sick kids connect with their families, that's what we aim to do. we try to get through difficult situations. >> reporter: despite the challenges of the pandemic, he hopes his show can help sick children get through their

difficult times, using laughter as the best kind of medicine. >> omune's volunteer activities aren't limited to japan. though postponed this year, normally in autumn, he tours hospitalsoverse. around the wod, children have been separated from eir families because of the coronavirus. now he plans to share his programs worldwide on various media platforms. he's also giving fellow clowns overseas his tips for online performances. today, we shared stories of everyday people passionate about helping others get through these tough times. they've shown us that having compassion and a cooperative spirit can be all it takes to overcome the challenges of the coronavirus. that's all for today's "newsline in depth." thank you for watching, and see you soon. bbqwwq

♪ ♪ >> again, i can't precommit or say yes i'm going in with some agenda because i'm not. >> u.s.s. supreme court nominee amy coney barrett side steps questions on abortion and gay marriage on day two of her confirtition ararings i'm lauren taylylor, this is al-jazzera live from london. also coming up, a record earlier turnou