♪ hello. a very warm welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm yamamoto miki in tokyo. we begin in bangkok where crowds of anti-government demonstrators gathered on thursday, defying a ban on mamasked protests earlieier in day. calls on social media urged demonstrators to converge on a shopping district in the capital. police say about 10,000 people gathered. it marks the latest with protestors demanding the resignation of the prime minister and reform of the

monarchy. >> translator: if they really crack down on us, then we stage ananother, even bigger rally. >> demonstrators wrestled with police and occupied anan intersection. they began leaving voluntarily late at night, but set to hold another rally friday afternoon. police earlier disbubursed protestors at a rally that started on wednesday, detaining over 20 people. the european union has imposed sanctions on six russian officials over the alleged poisoning of an opposition leader. >> we have repeatedly emphasized such behavior cannot remain without consequences, therefore, sanctions were decided in the

eu. >> the eu will enforce asset freezes and travel ban. the british government will impose similar sanctions on the same targets. he fellunconscious on a russian domestic flight in august. he was transported to a hospital in germany for treatment. the german g government and the organization for the prohihibitn ofof chemicall weapons aboutize bloodd and other samples in separate ststudies. both confirmed a nerve agent belonging to the novichok group. the research institute is said to have previously been involved in the development and production of chemical weapons, including the toxic nerve agent known as novichok. moscow denies any involvement in the poisoning. a kremlin spokesperson called

the eu sanctions unfriendly and said there was no logic to the decision. moving to the united d stat. the judiciary committee of the republican led senate has set an october 22 vote on judge amy coney barrett's supreme court nomination. the move is a step closer to approving president donald trump's pick, despite democratic objections, with a final confirmation vote on the senate floor by the end of this month at the earliest. on thursday, the committee wrapped up four days of questioning in the confirmation hearing for the conservative appellate judge. among thohose t testifying were legal experts and a w woman who had an abortion after being sesexually abused. president trump is pushing to have barrett confirmed before election day, in a bid to please his conservative base. democrats have objected to what they call a rushed nature of the procdidings. four years ago, r republicacans blocked t then president barara

obama from nominating a judge because it was an election year. trump's democratic rival joe biden argues that a conservative majority on the suprememe court will pose a threat to the country's medical insurance system, abortion rights, and others. an e-commerce firm linked to chinina's ali baba group holdin will shut operations in taiwan. it comes as authorities ramp up scrutiny of chinese investments. a british company launched the e-commerce platform last year. it's been operating the site with a licensing agreement from alibaba. taiwan regulates any investment with more than 30% ownership. taiwanese authorities say alibaba has de facto control, and found the personal information of site users could

be sent to china. they issued a statement saying it has decided to stop taking new orders, and will withdraw its business by the end of december. taiwan also ordered the provider of a video streaming service to halt its business. the platform is backed by china's internet search leader and circumvented regulations. we turn now to the coronavirus pandemic. governments in europe are taking tougher measures to tackle a surge in new infections. france is imposing a nighttime curfew in paris and other major cities. it takes effect this saturday and covers a third of the country's population. >> translator: it's too late. people in and around the capital are not being careful enough. >> france's new infections per

-- >> france's prime minister announced a new record for the country. over 30,000 cases in 24 hours. on twitter, he called on citizens to understand the gravity of the situation. in england, the government has imposed its toughest restrictions on the northern city of liverpool. pubs that do not serve meals have had to close. similar measures are in place across the netherlands. local media say covid-19 cases in the week through tuesday were up 60% on the week before. india has the most infections of any country after the united states. still, the government has lifted nearly all restrictions for the sake of the economy. cinemas and swimming pools have reopened. this cinema in new delhi is using half its seats. hardly anyone came to buy a ticket on the first day. india has ththe world's fastest rate of growth in coronavirus infections. authorities reported 67,000 new

cases on thursday. there is concern that cases will rise even further as the country is entering a season of festivals. johns hopkins university in the u.s. says total confirmed cases around the world exceed 38 million. over 1 million people have died. ♪ tokyo and kyoto are the favorite destinations for annual school trips in japan. this year lots of schools have canceled trips due to the coronavirus pandemic. many have opted for excursions closer to home. in northeastern japan, journeys to areas struck by the earthquake and tsunami of 2011 are becoming popular. nhk world's ishikawa sege accompanied a group of students on one of those trips. and a warning, this sesegment inincludes video footage from t

tsunami disaster. >> reporter: these middle school students from the inland part of iwate prefecture rarely have opportunities to see the ocean. the school trip to tokyo was canceled, but they got the chance to take a special study tour instead. this local train travels through the tsunami-hit area along the coast. this is the teacher who organized the trip. for years suzuki was only able to teach students about the disaster in the classroom because the school's tight schedule prevented her from taking them to the coastal areas. but then the coronavirus pandemic hit. >> translator: this excursion is replacing the trip to tokyo, so we could have decided to take them only to fun places, but i

think it is important for them to see the coast and learn the truth about the devastation. >> reporter: a tour guide provided by the local railway company talks about the reconstruction work that is still going on. >> translator: construction to raise the road is on the way. i think it will take another two years. >> reporter: the train always stops at the station to allow visitors to say prayers for the victims. the next stop is the iwate tsunami memorial museum. suzuki is not the only teacher who thinks it is important for students to learn about the disaster. the museum has been packed with teachers and students from the prefecture recently. >> translator: it's been almost ten years since the disaster,

and some children don't even know about it. they need to understanand the importance of life and learn about disaster prevention starting at an early age. we have a responsibility to teach them. >> reporter: suzuki allows the students to watch footage from the tsunami. she obtained their parents' consent first because these are the most disturbing images in the museseum. >> translator: in nature anything can happen. i think that's scary. >> translator: i think this experience will help me if there is another disaster. >> translator: some students said it was a meaningful trip. we see only part of the world in front of us as we go about our lives, so i think it was a good opportunity to learn about the coastal areas that are so close

and yet so far. >> reporter: tokyo may have been the city they were all eager to visit, but by staying close to home, suzuki and her students discovered a place awash with memories of a disaster they never want to forget. ishikawa segi, iwate prefecture. let's check out the world weather with our meteorologist. we're feeling the seasons are changing here in japan. people in northern parts of the country saw the first snow of the season on thursday. and this morning on friday, us in tokyo, we woke up to a pretty chilly weather. does this mean that we're heading to cold weekend? >> actually, it's going to be a bit warmer in northern portions of japan, but tokyo will continue to get wet and chilly temperatures on friday going into saturday. the first frost was reported in

hokkaido on friday morning. there was a week later than normal. cold air will spread from the south to tokyo on saturday. at the same time, we are expecting widespread showers across the lower half of the country. it will be rainy in tokyo with the high dropping to 14 degrees on saturday and 16 degrees in osaka. meanwhile, sapporo will get a bit warmer temperatures over the weekend, with sunny skies. people in the inner peninsula are still dealing with rainful. we have new drop call depression in the south china sea that will push into vietnam this weekend, bringing downpours in some areas. you may see more than 100 millimeters of additional rainfall in some areas for the next 24 hours. back-to-back storms have produced a large amount of rainfall in the past few days, causing major floods and

landslides. more rain will lead to further landslides. heavy rain is expected here, with 28 degrees on friday. manila will see some rainstorms. in north america, cold air has produced early winter-like weather in the central portions of canada. much cooler temperatures will arrive in the plains and the upper midwest as we go into the weekend. daytime highs in winnipeg will be in the single digits throughout the weekend, ten degrees cooler than normal. meanwhile, well above average temperatures will persist in the southwestern u.s., a high of 37 degrees in l.a. on friday. but some improvements will finally come to the area as they go into the next week. the high will go down to the 20s by monday. that's all for now. have a nice weekend.

and that's new hampshire "newsline" for this hour. i'm yamamoto miki in tokyo. thanks for staying with us. ♪ welcome to "newsline in depth." i'm yanaka marie. the coronavirus pandemic has caused sudden and dramatic changes in human activity. some of them good for the environment, others less so. now as streconomies struggle, societies are confronting fresh challenges to tackle climate change. our first report is about

arguably the most damaging environmental impact of the pandemic. garbage. across the world, a surge in home delivered meals has created a new wave of plastic pollution. let's take a look at how the issue is affecting some asian countries. >> in china, the waste is piling up. and one environmental group is raising the alarm, particularly when it comes to food deliveries. it says on average, three containers are used per order. and just one delivery app reportedly received more than 40 million orders last month. south korea is experiencing a similar problem. >> translator: the pandemic is leading more people to use food delivery services. >> reporter: officials there are starting to take action. they plan to send thousands of workers to garbage depots to ensure residents are recycling everything they can.

in japan, one waste management expert says that plastic waste from containers and packaging is up as much as 16%. >> traranslator: thehe first gos to reduce plaststic wastete and substitute it with other materials that are environmentally friendly, and make the switch to such products. >> reporter: some japanese cities have started to reduce the use of plastic containers. one in the country's southwest is asking restaurants to pack food in the containers that customers bring. the city is also providing restaurants with reusable containers as another option. >> translator: we would need extra money to prepare these containers on our own. even though they may not be returned. so this is very helpful. >> reporter: but he says the scale of the problem means it can't be solved by consumers and small businesses alone.

the companies making the packaging also need to do much more to address the growing environmental toll as the pandemic continues. next, an inspiring story that shows how creative thinking can help the environment and protect people from the coronavirus at the same time. our report takes us to thailand, which has one of the largest fishing industries in the world. >> reporter: sea turtles are now endangered in thailand, as their numbers plummet. many get caught in nets left behind by fishing crews called ghost nets. the project, net free seas, was launched by an ngngo this year, with thehe a aim of solving thi. one of the lead campaigners is this woman. >> we want tonklear the ocean of fishing nets and other gear.

>> reporter: the project recruited 20 volunteer divers. retrieving ghost nets from theh abeded is noteasy,, as many get entangled in coralal rereefs. but divers manage to collect about 200 kilograms of nets from this dive alone. >> translator: we saw a lot of ghost nets down there. the nets are hard to cut, because they're so durable. >> basically, as you can see, when these nets end up in the ocean -- they harm coral reefs. >> reporter: another aim of the project is to raise awareness among fishermen. >> translator: it's very easy to contribute. you just cut and clean your old nets and leave them in a dry place. >> reporter: she has visited

over 40 communities to encourage fishermen to join in. under the project, old nets can be sold for around 30 cents a killo. since it started in may, it has collected about six tons of nets that might have ended up in the ocean. >> translalator: we used to thr old nets away or burn them. this project has created jobs, as people are happy to collect the nets. >> so far we have received like really positive reception from local communities. so we are expecting that we will have at least 10 to 15 more communities joining. >> reporter: once collected from communities, used nets are cleaned and shredded. the project started amidst the coronavirus pandemic. so the nets were transformed into products to fight off the virus. so far, 700 kilograms of plastic

have gone into disinfected products. some of these products are useful for infection protection. this is a face shield, an alcohol stray bottle and push stick to avoid physical touching. sales have taken off with orders coming from japan and europe. > it's not about t t conceptr the promotion, but we w want to make it like, you know, normal routine and hopefully more and more comompanies tryry to use t materials. >> reporter: the project coincides with a rare benefit from the pandemic, which reduced human activity in oceans, and marine animals a are thrivingng perhaps this initiativeouldld help create an eveven betteter environmnment for thailandnd's majestic sea animals. nhk world, bangkok. the net free seas project

relies on the hard work of activists to clean up the ocean and fight the coronavirus at the same time. now on a global scale, some efforts to keep covid-19 from spreading are benefiting the environment. at least for now. early on in the pandemic, factories went quiet. planes sat idle. and people stayed hohome, causi economies to grind to a ha. e resultas aramatic fall in pollution and irovement in air ality. these changes have made people question what they can do better as economies reopen. one focus is renewable energy, as we'll see in our final report. >> reporter: during the auto crisis of the 1970s, geothermal power was seen as an alternative. that put japan at the forefrono of technology. but manany proposed sites or plants were in national parks and were rejected by the

government. that and other obstacles caused development in the field to lose momentum. japanese technology was finally put to use far from home. in kenya. the east african nation's economy has been growing at about 5% per year, creating great demand for electricity. but it has been difficult for the supply to keep up. >> translator: some rural areas still donon't have electricity. in fact, electricity is quite expensive. >> reporter: the need to increase electrical output led the power authorities to look for a place suited for geothermal power. this national park is known for its wild animals. the park is above the great rift valley, which stretches 7,000 kilometers, home to many volcanos and team blows out of the ground here and there. now pipes stretch along the mountains, carrying that steam.

the development of the geothermal power station has accelerated over the past decade. it now produces 700 mega watts per hour, making it the largest plant of its kind in africa. steam and hot water that have accumulated 2,000 meters undergrground,d, spin t turbine generate power. the system reduces electricity consistently at a low cost, making it idea for developing countries. kenya's success in this field is thanks in part to a special delivery all the way from japan. companies sent turbines that withstand highly corrosive steam and rotate efficiently. >> translator: this is our company's turbine. it's currently rotating 3,000 times per minute. >> reporter:r: the japan inteational cooperaonon agency has been sendingng specialists kenya to research underground resources. it's also trained local engineers and given loans worth

$800 million over the past decade. thanks in part to these efforts, fw geothermal plants provide nearly half of the electricity in ke a kenya. the authorities also are building a network to send eltricity to tanzania, hiopia and other neighboring countries starting next year. >> kenya improves the livelihood of kenyans. that's the main reason. >> reporter: geothermal energy projects are finding success in africa, helped along by cutting edge technology from japan. rebuilding our economies in a more environmentally friendly way will be vital to the future of mankind. earlier, i spoke with an expert about the lessons that we can learn from the pandemic. >> r responding to t the covid-

pandemic, economic actctivitiesn thee world has been suppressed, particularly in marchch, april d may thisis year. and becauause of that, air and water qualities were temporarily imprproved. and the co-2 emimissions from human activities has also been decrcreased, and it will be arod 7% less this year than last year. but if this happensns only foro sisingle year, and quickly goeo back to the original state, itt will have negliable impact on the everr increasing co-2 situation and also on the resulting global warmingng tren. >> so how can we buiuild on the experience of the pandemic to make positive changes? > some governmnments likike n the eueu have been emphasizing green rececovery frorom the ecoc

damage due to covid-19, and ththere is investingg in renewa energigies andnd other green infrastructures to stimulate the economy and create jobs. andd think one of t the most important lessons we have learned from the pandemic is that unthinkable changes can actually happepen immediately i we treat the crisisis as a cris. like, you know, stay home,, travel restrictions, remote work and so o on. soso this m means we can t tack climate chchan, alsonn an unthinkable manner, if we identify clilimate change a as real crisis. and we haven't donone that yete. >> thank you for your expertise. >> the coronavirus pandemic has caused immense upheaval and suffering. but it also represents a unique opportunity to alter the way we think about the world around us,

and use that to create a better and healthier society. by committing to green recovery, we may be able to achieve a world in which it is not only the economy that thrives, but the environment, as well. and that's all for today's "newsline in depth." aiog

>> coronavirus cases multiply in cities across europe. ♪ i am barbara live from london. close to the biden and hairs campaign test positive for the virus. a carefully reported prisoner exchange and yemen. more than 1000 detetaineeses swd in the