♪ thank you for joining us. from our studio in tokyo, this is nhk "newsline." there's been another potential breakthrough in the search for a coronavirus vaccine. u.s. pharmaceutical firm moderna says its vaccine candidate was found to be 94.5% effective based on preliminary results. it comes about a week after pfizer and biontech announced a major milestone in their quest to develop a vaccine.

more than 30,000 people in the united states took part in moderna's phase 3 study. among them 95 were confirmed to have covid-19 two weeks after the vaccine. 90 were observed in the placebo group, and five in the vaccinated group. 11 developed severe cases, all within the placebo group. based on their interim analysis of the data the firm estimates the vaccine had an estimated 94.5% efficacy and says there were no significant safety concerns. moderna is part of the united states operation wp spee ich as to accelerate the e hd of e programays the and dernaaccine wld b eas t administer bauseheaccine cabe stored at standar to a month.temraturesor up as oppos tthe pfizer

vaccin which will require specialized storage to ensure temperates remain between minus 60 and minus 80 degrees celsius. if approved by regulators, moderna expects to have about 20 million doses ready to ship in the u.s. by the end of this year and is on track to manufacture up to 1 billion doses for global use in 2021. and that news from moderna has put investors on wall street in a buying mood. two of the main u.s. stock indices closed at record highs on monday. the dow jones industrial average ended the day at 29,950. up 1.6% from friday's close. it was the first time for the benchmark to post a record high since february before a pandemic panicent stocks plunging. the s&p 500 also ended at an all-time high, up 1.2% to finish

at 3,626. market participants around the world had been feeling a sense of relief since last week. the promising reports on coronavirus vaccines plus joe biden's victory in the u.s. election have generated bullish sentiment. but analysts are urging caution, saying the rally is out of sync with the state of the real economy. they point to spiking infection numbers and renewed shutdowns that threaten to hobble a recovery. u.s. president-elect joe biden says business and labor leaders he met with online on monday have agreed to cooperate to fix the economy battered by the pandemic. biden spoke to reporters after holding a video conference with top executives from companies including general motors and microsoft. >> for millions of americans

who've lost hours and wages or have lost their jobs, we all agree on our call that we can deliver immediate relief and it need be done quickly. >> biden's campaign promises included incentives for buyers of domestically produced cars and other products and billions of dollars of investment in new industries and technologies. he pledged to create millions of new jobs and improve working conditions by raising minimum wages. meanwhile, donald trump has yet to concede the election. concerns are growing that a delay in the transition of power to biden could deal a further blow to the economy. authorities in the philippines have recommended that a state of calamity be declared across luzon island after a powerful typhoon hit the country last week.

typhoon vamco pounded luzon on wednesday and thursday, triggering massive floods and mudslides in the capital, manila, and surrounding areas. the death toll has risen to 67 with 13 people missing. tens of thousands of homes are inundated. the disaster management agency urged president rodrigo duterte to declare a state of calamity in response to the damage caused by vamco and other recent typhoons. on sunday vamco hit vietnam, which suffered extensive damage from rain-triggered floods and mudslides last month. authorities ordered about 460,000 people in the country's central region to evacuate. vietnamese national tv reported the country has shut down airports anduspended train services interpol says large amounts of protected wildlife as well as forestry specimens and products

have been seized in a global crackdown operation amid the coronavirus pandemic. interpol conducted the operation in more than 100 countries for about one month through october 11th in cooperation with relevant organizations. the action resulted this the recovery of more than 1.3 tons of ivory from around the world. included was 856 kilograms of ivory customs officers in cameroon took possession of from a truck crossing the border from gabon. in belgium stuffed monkey specimens were found from the cargo of an airplane. interpol says there were more than 2,000 seizures of wildlife and forestry products during the operation and that nearly 700 people were apprehended. >> we should now be focusing more on these crime areas given the relationship between the illegal wildlife trade and the current global health pandemic. >> visitors to wildlife parks in africa have dwindled in numbers due to the coronavirus pandemic.

this has made certain places vulnerable to poaching as they are now less patrolled. australia's prime minister, scott morrison, will have talks in tokyo with his japanese counterpart suga yoshihide on tuesday on the first day of a two-day visit. the australian government says morrison plans to discuss their nations' responses to the coronavirus pandemic. they're also expected to conifer on easing travel restrictions between the two countries. the leaders are also likely to discuss how japan's self-defense forces and the australian military can cooperate in joint exercises. australia wants to strengthen economic and security ties with japan amid increasingly strained relations with china, its biggest trading partner. in april morrison suggested that an independent inquiry was needed to identify the origin of the coronavirus. beijing reacted sharply and

imposed restrictions on imports of australian meat products. an expert on international relations says the security partnership between australia and japan is becoming very close due to heightening security concerns about china. >> i think they'll be wanting to talk a lot about the current security environment in the indo-pacific region and their shares perception that the security environment is deteriorating amongst challenges by the people's republic of china to the so-called rules-based order. >> people in japan's southwest are trying to recover from the impact of a pair of serious problems. they were already feeling the effects of the coronavirus pandemic when deadly floods struck the region in july. in our next report we follow the efforts of a rafting guide who

is fighting to bring the area back to what it was. >> reporter: the kuma river in kumamoto prefecture is one of japan's top spots for rafting. more than 50,000 tourists visit annually, seeking the thrill of rolling torrents. but in july an unprecedented downpour changed everything. maiko runs a local rafting company. she still can't resume full tours and is surviving on little income. >> translator: there is still a lot of debris in the river. there are also fears of coronavirus infections. the rafting industry is in danger. >> reporter: when the disaster struck maidoko used his skills and knowledge to help those

affected. >> translator: please, put this life vest on. >> reporter: maitoko rode boats and saved the lives of many people. he also continued to support areas where relief supplies were inadequate. >> translator: is the hearing aid battery okay? >> reporter: maitoko and his colleagues have been going into the river to check its condition. they encountered dangerous rubble, cars, iron plates, and concrete. and they noticed another big problem. a large amount of sediment flowing into the river. maitoko fears the now shallow river is at an increased risk of

flooding with heavy rains. for his own survival he's taking on a new challenge. he's using single seater boats called pack rafts. with these small portable boats tourists can get ton a tributary of the kuma river where there is not much damage. >> translator: that was fun. >> translator: i want to do it again. >> translator: i will never give up. it's over when we give up. i would like to come up with various ideas that could somehow restore our hometown. >> reporter: the damage will take time to heal, but maitoko is determined to keep paddling even if it is against the current. and now a check on the world weather with our meteorologist yoko komagata.

yoko, there is a storm system approaching parts of central america. that's already been battered by hurricane eta. what will residents need to watch out for. >> we are looking at hurricane iota just east of nicaragua. this is a category 5 major hurricane. that could produce less threatening storm surge and major winds. people in central and mother america are dealing with the busiest hurricane season this year. iota is a record 38th named storm for the atlantic, and it could have been the second intense storm in just two weeks to strike central america. the storm system is packing gusts at 315 kilometers per hour. that could lead to widespread power cuts. coastal flooding would be the main threat. expect storm surge of more than six meters along the east coast of nicaragua. and rainfall could total 500 millimeters. flooding and landslides are also possible. meanwhile, a high pressure

system dominating the central america will produce foul weather. winds will also bring spring-like temperatures to the southwest all the way up to the midwest by mid-week. 60 degrees in chicago on tuesday. it will jump up to the upper teens by thursday. winnipeg and denver will also have a warming trend for the coming days. spring-like warmth is affecting northeast asia as well. a large high pressure system will keep things dry and warm across central china, the korean peninsula, and japan on tuesday. but conditions will change by mid-week as a storm system moves in. this low pressure system will produce widespread showers and windy conditions in northeastern china and the korean peninsula on wednesday and that will push into japan as we go into the weekend. sunny and warmer temperatures on tuesday in tokyo going into wednesday.

the high will be 19 in tokyo. cloudy skies are expected in beijing and snow on tuesday but it will be raining as we go into wednesday. that's all for now. have a nice day. ♪ ♪ ♪

and that does it for this hour. thank you for staying with us on nhk "newsline." ♪ welcome to "newsline in depth." this year the covid-19 pandemic has led to the cancellation of many competitions in japan for high school students and other young people. besides missing out on important life experiences? have been denied a chance to win scholarships and the possibility of launching a professional career. today we look at steps taken by mentors to help those young people fulfill their goals.

we start with the sport of fencing. this summer the cancellation of the national high school fencing tournament dashed the dreams of many students who had been looking forward to competing. but that was not the end of the story as we see in our first report. >> reporter: a three-day fencing competition in late september was an incredible feat on many levels. it marked japan's first national sporting event for high school students to be held during the p pandemmic. and it was cheetah kenichi, a veteran fencing coach, who made it happen. >> translator: sporting events can't be canceled or suspended forever. >> reporter: and his motivation for pulling off the event?

>> translator: this certificate shows that i was a member of the japanese team for the 1980 moscow olympics. >> reporter: chida had doggedly trained for the big eventual, but his dream of competing on the world stage was not to be. it was the height of the cold war. japan, the united states, and western european countries boycotted the games to protest the soviet invasion of afghanistan. >> translator: it was a huge shock because representing japan in the olympics was my ultimate goal. >> reporter: after the boycofam pressures let to chida giving up his athletic career but he spun it into a positive, becoming a mentor into the next generation of fencers. he had been following the progress of students who had

been passionately training for the all japan high school tournament. seeing their disappointment at the event's cancellation reawakened the pain of his experience. so he took on organizing his own all-japan tournament. and when he did so, the fencing community jumped unanimously on board. >> translator: i think it's the olympiad's mission and responsibility to create something like this, even if a small thing. we need to create goals and an environment of excellence for the next generation of fencers. >> reporter: but financing was a major challenge. raising nearly $200,000 was a daunting proposition. and so he turned to crowd funding. since he couldn't make his target in time, he reached out to the business world and secured congresses from 30 corporate sponsors. even the venue was provided for free by one of the sponsors.

organizers and volunteers joined forces to complete all preparations, including measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. high school fencers from around the country eagerly anticipated this chance. yamada tomami, a niigata prefecture high school senior, was one of them. since losing in the first round of last year's national competition, she'd been training hard to succeed this time around. until she learned it was canceled. >> translator: even though i tried to change my mindset, i couldn't help but thinking, what fool. >> reporter: then she heard about chida's event and signed

up. on the day of the tournament, 161 fencers from around the country had gathered. the opening ceremony was held online as a precautionary measure. >> translator: i want to provide you students a platfor that high school years.memory of your i hope you will get your all so that this tournament wl live in your memory forever. >> reporter: yamada in her final tournament as a high schooler advanced to the quarterfinal round.

she fought tenaciously but lost the bout. she says just being able to participate in a national competition, a prospect that once seemed impossible, turned into an unforgettable memory. >> translator: a lot of people congratulated me after the tournament, and it gave me a sense of accomplishment. i'm happy to have participated in an event that motivated me to work hard toward a goal. >> reporter: chida and his team created a special finale. ♪

quarterfinals onwards were illuminated to simulate the atmosphere of an international competition. of course it was chida's idea. he didn't want them to miss out on such an experience. >> translator: the young athletes were completely absorbed in the fencing and competed with tremendous joy. this is why we play sports. i was reminded how precious and important it is to have opportunities in which we can work hard with pure passion to achieve our goals. >> reporter: athletes transcending generations and proving where there's a will there's a way. no matter the circumstances. this autumn similar

competitions were organized privately for high school and college students in the sport of archery and tennis. again, this was thanks to crowd funding efforts by fans, corporate sponsors and professional players. for the tennis tournament four popular manga artists designed t-shirts which were given to crowd-funding donors. in all, they raised about $80,000. although spectators were not allowed in, coaches from several colleges did attend with a view to scouting the best players. sports are not the only arena in which young people have lost the opportunity to shine on the big stage. aspiring ballet dancers have been equally affected. while most competitions have been canceled or postponed, one japanese woman has continued to support talented young dancers pursue their dreams. >> reporter: the scholarship director at a major ballet institution in the u.s. which

also holds an international competition. when this year's final round in new york was canceled, young finalists lost their big chance to advance. but kawanishi has not forgotten them. >> translator: the videos of 846 applicants are all in here. >> reporter: she has made it their mission to keep their dreams alive. using the videos, she has been promoting the dancers to schools and ballet companies around the world. >> translator: i want to support them as much as possible. it would be a shame if they lose hope completely. >> reporter: japanese dancer nana mirunu was offered a place at the royal ballet school after it reviewed a video sent by kawanishi. >> translator: i would have never imagined such a

distinguished school would accept me. my mom and i were both stunned by the news. time seemed to stop. i hope to work as hard as possible every day because the pandemic could worsen at any moment and affect all of our lives. >> reporter: once a ballet dancer herself, kawanishi encourages dancers like nonami to stay positive. >> translator: things will not go as expected 99% of the time. but if there's a 1% chance you should try to seize the opportunity, expand on it, and bring luck on your side. >> reporter: nonami started classes in the uk where she's dancing under strict social distancing measures. but the pandemic has made some dancers reconsider their career

choice. daltrey schmidt, another finalist kawanishi had high hopes for, received offers from many ballet companies after reviewing her video. daltrey says after seeing so many performances canceled this year she could no longer imagine herself pursuing a career in ballet. in april she turned down all offers and decided to enroll in medical school. watching her mother, a doctor, care for covid-19 patients awakened a new ambition in her. >> i think it's definitely a big change f a lot of other people. i wanto make theest of my life about service and helping other people. i'm sure it will be challenging but i'm really excited. >> reporter: kawanishi says

ballet cultivates strength and discipline. she believes those skills will help young people overcome the challenges of the pandemic on or off the stage. sato mariko, nhk world. >> this autumn kawanishi tried a new format for dancers to qualify for an international competition. she arranged an event at a venue in japan held under strict coronavirus safety guidelines and streamed it online to an international jury. although judges are still skeptica about how well they can assess dancers without seeing them live and in person, the responses they posted online were filled with praise for the quality of the performances. kawanishi says the dancers must have been expecting their overwhelming joy to be performing again on stage after all the hopelessness they've been feeling since the start of the pandemic. as they get closer to making their dreams come true, the

young fleets and performers we saw will always remember that people have cheered for them, not only when they performed but at times when performing itself was almost impossible. thank you for watching and see you again next time.

>> we are looking forward to making 500 billion or more doses. >> moderna sees almost 95% effectiveness in trials. this is al jazeera, live from doha. coming up. >> i would like to see that get done in the next 70 days, and i think there's a possibility for it. >> donald trump's national security advisor discusses renewed efforts and a blockade imposed on qatar.