thank you for joining ussen on nhk "newsline." here's the lathest of the this hour. we start in tokyo where the head of the olympic committee says organizers are on track to deliver a safe summer games. a lot has changed and he says the next summer there will be even more tools to protect a athletes and spectators. >> if the vaccine should be

available then the ioc would take these costs and cooperate with the national olympic committees. >> the ioc would make every effort to have participants vaccinated even as people prioritize people who are most vulnerable. but competitions including an international gymnastics meet show large scale events can be held safely even without a vaccine. earlier in the day,back met the prime minister to agree on the symbolic power of the games. >> we again will make this olympic games a great symbol of solidarity and unity of humanity in this world, which by then will hopefully be a post-coronavirus world. >> translator: we're determined

to host the games as proof that humankind has defeated the coronavirus pandemic. we also want to show the world that regions affected by the great east japan earthquake are recovering. >> the ioc president said organizeers are discussing ways to protect both athletes and spectators. japanese officials are on high alert over a rise in group infections. 130 coronavirus clusters were reported last week, up from 20 the week before. the biggest source of these infections was restaurants and other eating establishments. next was group facilities, including elderly care homes. the country broke a record for daily cases last week, and numbers remain stubbornly high.

the ministry is sending teams of anti-cluster experts to areas seeing a sharp rise. sapporo in northern japan is one of those cities. located in japan's northern most prefecture, it reported 189 new cases on monday. one of the experts says a local health center is now operating well beyond capacity. >> translator: adds much as possible we want to ensure fewer people become ill or die. it is important that everyone takes care to protect themselves from the virus. >> he says officials have put priority on responding to cluster infections in places that care for the elderly or people with preexisting health conditions. the city's mayor and prefectural governor met monday to assess the situation. >> translator: infections will spread all over the prefecture unless we strengthen prevention measures. >> they are asking people to refrain from any nonessential

outings within sapporo and not to travel between sapporo and the rest of hokkaido. numbers are also climbing around tokyo as the level of daytime activity activity in some urban areas is almost back to normal. nhk analyzed data and estimated foot traffic. the results show the numbers of people at transit hubs are nearing levels recorded before the pandemic began. so far nearly 120,000 coronavirus cases have been reported across japan. over 1,900 people have died. turning to the united states where joe biden's team says it needs immediate access to intelligence briefings and pandemic plans. joe biden's incoming chief of staff says the country is in crisis, and it's only getting worse. ron klain talked to nbc tv about president trump's ongoing resistance to the transfer of

power. his administration's appointee refuses to sign off. that means biden cannot be briefed on the coronavirus, now infecting more than 100,000 people in the u.s. every day. >> what we really want to see this week, chuck, is the general services administration issue that ascertainment so we can starto do the kinds of things. >> he says biden's team is doing what it can without government help to ensure it can hit the ground running in january. its experts will meet this week with leading drug companies that are developing coronavirus vaccines. joe biden is also said to give a speech on monday where he will talk about revitalizing the economy hit hard by the pandemic. president trump is still digging in his heels, even after appearing to acknowledge biden's win on twitter. he wrote that his opponent won because the election was rigged. but later backtracked saying biden only won in the eyes of the fake news media.

trump continues to election fraud without evidence. he and his team have filed several lawsuits, but experts say the election's outcome is highly unlikely to change. while the transition of power remains rocky, biden is moving forward on commitments he made during the campaign. drastically overhauling the country's national environmental policy is one of those pledges. but it will require buy-in from more than just biden supporters. >> climate change, global warming is an existential threat to humanity. we have a moral obligation to deal with it. >> reporter: a very different tone and very different priority. while the trump administration made headlines for its inaction on the environment, biden pitched himself as the climate candidate, promising to re-enter the landmark paris agreement which the u.s. officially

withdrew from on november 4th. biden says he will rejoin the global accord on day one of his administration. marianne feldman of the world wildlife fund, or wwf, is ready to see changat the federal level. >> the first thing we need to recognize is that this is the first time in the united stas we have seen climate change be clearly reflected in the national conversation about the future that the country needs to take. and that to be decided by voters in how they cast their vote. >> reporter: biden says his plan would invest $1.7 trillion over ten years into achieving a clean energy society, becoming a country with net zero emissions no later than 2050. he's also hoping to leverage state and private sector investments. while there is pushback to his

policies, particularly from the oil and gas sector, as well as a potentially republican-controlled senate, feldman says biden is simply reflecting what the majority of americans want. >> the situation is shifting on the ground as climate becomes very real for americans throughout the 50 states. it is no longer a theoretical concern. it is no longer an issue of the future. climate change is an issue of the present and people's houses are burning. people's houses are getting flooded. this is no longer theory, and i think that that is shifting people's minds. >> reporter: from the streets to the board rooms, u.s. companies, non-profits, cities and states are joining together to rally and raise funds for climate action.

we are still in, an initiative administered by the wwf, has collected about 4,000 signatories calling for the country to rejoin the paris deal. she urges all countries to continue acting on their private commitments rather than rely on united states re-entry to make up for lost time. >> this is a time when every actor who has been in government, national government that has been taking action on climate, should be emboldened to go faster and farther. >> as the inauguration date approaches, environmental non-profits like the wwf are gearing up to collaborate with the new administration and contribute to a worldwide fight. nishikawa mitsuko, nhk world.

a north korean outlet said kim jong-un instructed officials to further strengthen anti-coronavirus measures. korean central television reported kim attended a meeting of the workers party on sunday. north korea claims that there have been no confirmed coronavirus infections in the country. but participants discussed the need to step up anti-virus measures, as the pandemic has worsened in some other countries. kim reportedly instructed those at the meeting to remain vigilant and to make the country's anti-epidemic measures as strong as iron. north korean media outlets have made no mention of u.s. president-elect biden since he declared biden. north korea is likely paying close attention to biden's stance towards the country. to a majorbreak through in space travel.

the u.s. space agency nasa is set to launch the first privately developed spacecraft "crew dragon." it blasted off in florida a at 7:30 p.m. local time on sunday. the spacecraft is now making a 27-hour journey to the international space station, which orbiting at 400 kilomete s kilometers. japan is barking on the mission. they will conduct an array of experiments pz the ast mauts will test out new space suits currently under development. >>s that great day and we look forward to many more years of a

great partnership, not just in lower orbit, but all the way to the moon. >> students at elementary school watched the excitement unfold in realtime. . >> translator: the launch was overwhelming because it was so full of energy. >> translator: if i could, i would love to go to space. i want to experience so many things and can't do here on earth. >> the launch marks the start of a new era for the commercial space industry with nasa expected to exit spacex to shuttle astronauts to and from the space station. they have grander ambition. elon musk has said he hopes they will one day be manned missions to mars. the number of muslims living here in japan doubled to 230,000 over the past decade.

as nhk world reports, it's prompting a school here in tokyo to make lunchtime menus more inclusi inclusive. >> this school in tokyo has recently begun serving lunches satisfied at children from muslim families who attend the school. he came to japan many years ago. while major is finding food they can eat. they don't eat much because dishes may contain ingredients that are prohibited by islam. >> translator: when we go out, my son often says he wants to eat this or can he eat that. he asks why do we only eat plain

rice bowls. >> he finds the ingredients for cooking their meals a at home. according to islamic law. because the number of muslim children attending the school has been increasing, it decided to start providing school lunches that they can eat. but there's more to it than just making sure the meal is halal. it has to be stored apart from the other meat. so they don't come into contact with any ingredients that are prohibited.

the school's dietitian hs to attend a specialized course before the kitchen passed inspection for halal certification. >> translator: we're happy we ca provide food tha all the children here can eat. >> on this day the children's launch was chicken, although it looks just the same, the male was made with halal meat. >> translator: my son loves chicken, but he hasn't been able to eat it at school until now. to see him eating chicken a at school for the first time makes me very happy. >> and this school has much rule respect and understanding. for people from the french cultures to live harmoniously

side by side. nhk world. it's time now for a check on the world weather. the caribbean has been dealing with stormy conditions. what's the outlook for the region? >> we have been keeping an eye on this hurricane that developed over the weekend. this it storm is moving towards nicaragua, but down to the south, it's been active with a separate activity with a lot of rain and storms in colombia. let's look at video from the country where we saw heavy rains in the country since friday. residents were seen on rooftops of their homes to stay safe from floods. rivers burst their banks. so people had to evacuate from them. officials say that three people have died in another 12 are missing. you can see the mess that that

pattern left behind. the region like i mentioned is dealing with a lot of unstable weather. toward the north, they are looking and bracing for a major category hurricane. we haven't had 30 named storms in the atlantic in the history boo books. this year we had it. we're also talking about two major hurricanes in the month of november. that also has not happened in the record book. we're talking about a possible category 5 storm. looking at possibly up to four meters of storm surge and rain as this system moves in some areas could see 400 millimeters of rainfall in the region. and this place already has seen some heavy rain from a previous storm. so this is really not welcome news. up to the north a very different story. dry into north america.

mainly sunny weather. the only place we see the the chance for rain but that's just about it. looking at some showers into vancouver and seattle on monday. and looking at dry weather from the central to eastern portions of the united states. japan was dry. it was warm. we saw highs around 20 degrees in tokyo. we haven't seen temperatures like that about a week or so and it's above average. we'll be dealing with pleasant weather as high pressure controls the weather and keeps things dry for us. areas back to the west are changing. but that flow returns in that will come into places like china. so have the umbrellas ready. that's a look at your forecast. hope you have a good day wherever you are.

♪ >> that wraps up this edition of "newsline." coming up next is "newsline" is so stay right there.

this is "newsline biz." thaila thailand's economy continues to feel the effects of the pandemic in the most recent quarter. gdp for july to september track as restrictions wane opt the tourism industry. gdp growth was minus 6.4%. that's a third straight contraction. it still marks a significant improvement from the previous quarter as restrictions were eased. but spending by foreign tourists saw a huge drop as the country

limited visitors to prevent the spread of the virus. thailand's full-year gdp for 2020 is predicted to shrink by 6%. japanese government officials say the country's gdp had its biggest increase in 40 years in the latest quarter. the rebound falls after contraction due to the pandemic. gdp surged by an annualized 21.4% in the july-to-september period, the highest growth rate since comparable data became available in 1980. but it follows a historic plunge in the previous quarter amid fallout from the coronavirus. personal consumption grew by 4.7% quarter on quarter. government tourism subsidies boosted spending on travel and dining out. exports also surged % as ship themes of vehicles and auto parts to the u.s. and china increased. however, corporate capital spending fell by 3.4%. residential investment dropped

7.9%. japan's economic minister noted a resurgence of coronavirus infections would create risks for economic recovery. >> translator: while preventing infection, the government must support employment and businesses and make the economic recovery more solid. we have to work to get the economy back on track for growth led by private demand. >> he said the government will act decisively to ensure recovery. the momentum of the recovery still suspect all that strong. the coronavirus pandemic has hurt earnings and employment. to keep customers coming through their doors, some retailers are making big price cuts. >> reporter: in september, major home improvement center lowered prices for some 7,200 items, including daily commodities like

detergents and drinks by 20%. the discounts extend to the main product line. >> translator: this recent price cut was exceptional, because we also included dyi tools, paints, and materials. >> reporter: as people spend more time at home, demand has increased for dyi products. they reduced prices for these goods, which are not normally offered at a discount. the company has even seen sales increase among the pandemic but decided to slash prices because consumers are tightening their purse strings. average monthly wages fell 0.9% in september compared to last year. it was the sixth consecutive month of lower earnings. >> translator: i need to check my balance before buying anything.

>> reporter: this woman says it's become harder to make ends meet since her husband's salary has been cut. >> translator: i'm trying to cut back on spending by $100 or $ 00 a month, but it's not easy when you have a child. >> reporter: the recent markdown was not a one-you have measure. they intend to keep prices low to ease the financial burden on customers. >> translator: customer spending has been coming down. if we lower the prices of the products they really want, i think they'll keep coming. >> reporter: other retailers are also making similar moves. leading supermarket chain seiyu has cut prices on 765 items by an averagef 5%. and here at this store, nearly 70 fall and winter items come with reduced price tags. this economist says the trend in personal consumption needs to be carefully monitored. >> translator: in 2009, winter

bonuses fell as much as 9.4% year on year, amid the global financial crisis. this year, however, we might see a larger drop in double digits. if the situation regards household income gets worse, consumption will not remain at the current level. >> reporter: if these discounts fail to spur personal spending, there's a risk of an accelerating price war among retailers that could intensify deflationary pressure. u.s. retail giant walmart is industrial output rose from a year earlier.

that was for automobiles and robots. retail sales were up 4.3% from a year earlier. the restaurant industry was the first rise this year. this saw data spurring optimism for the remaining of the year even though risks remain. >> a resurgence in coronavirus i objectfections in europe and the u.s. is casting a shadow over the global economic recovery. >> the official says the economy has not yet fully recovered. some businesss and industries still face head winds. south korea's largest airline plans to buy the second largest ast ya na airlines. the acquisition will be worth

$1.6 billion. korean air says the acquisition will be worth about $1.6 billion. the south korean government took the lead in shaping the deal. the korean development bank will inject about $720 million into the korean air group to finance it. asiana has been strapped for cash. talks were already underway to sell it to south korean construction giant before the pandemic. negotiations collapsed as the health crisis worsened asiana's troubles. create a carrier that ranks in the world's top ten. the combined entity would have a huge share of the domestic market. the plan will likely face scrutiny from the country's antimonopoly watchdog. >> let's get a check on the markets.

that's it for "newsline biz." thank you very much for joining us. xxxxxxdñooooooooooooooo