welcome back to nhk "newsline." we begin in japan where the health care system is threat tong buckle under the threat of spiking coronavirus cases. five nurses will engage in the mission for two weeks at a hospital where nearly had 200 people were confirmed to be infected. >> translator: first, we want

them to get a grasp of the situation and do what they can as members. >> the other team is assisting front line workers at a welfare facility where 60 infections were confirmed. the head of the expert panel is warning some areas are in a dire situation so he says another nationwide state of emergency declaration is not necessary at this stage. >> medical systems in the city and other areas are under tremendous strain. the region is in a critical period. >> tokyo reported 572 new cases on wednesday. that's the second highest record. 59 covid-19 patients in the capital are currently in serious condition. officials in osaka say 70% of hospital beds allocated for serious cases are occupied. they are calling on university

hospitals to secure more beds for serious cases. authorities reported more than 2,700 new cases across japan on wednesday, a record daily tally. more than 170,000 people tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began. over 2,400 people is have died. the pandemic is also affecting access to key medical supplies as producers around the world struggle to meet demand. a shortfall one particular kind of protective gear is putting front line workers in heart's way. nhk world has more. >> reporter: workers at this clinic near tokyo rely on synthetic rubber gloves to keep them safe to assess clients for the deadly virus. but it's getting harder to keep them in stock. >> translator: i can't find them anywhere. >> reporter: demand has

outstripped supply since the pandemic started, costing more than twice what they were at this time last year. >> translator: nitrile gloves are essential for protecting both patients and clinic staff. i'm scared of the thought of my clinic running out of them. >> reporter: a recent survey of nurses in charge of infection prevention at medical institutions nationwide found that nearly 60% are either running low or facing a shortage. some facilities have resorted to supplies that are not medical grade, putting frontline workers at grave risk. >> translator: gloves protect the health of staff and prevent infections in hospitals. a shortage is like fighting a war without ammunition. >> reporter: part of the problem countries, relieon imports for most of its supply. malaysia produces two-thirds of of world's rubber gloves.

but the head of an industry group here says local factories just can't keep up with the need, driving up prices. materials. a shortage of raw demands way above supply. is going to be a situation of supply always trying to catch up with demand for the next couple of years. >> reporter: adding to the problem, in november, the world's largest producer had to shut temporarily. the company which accounts for a quarter of the global supply says the closure would delay deliveries up to four weeks. one producer in japan wants to help ease the shortage. the goal is to shift production from form use gloves to medical grade i. but company officials say it would take three years to begin

production. because different materials, technology, and manufacturing processes are involved. >> translator: we see the risks that are involved with relying on international trade. our company will press ahead with producing medical gloves domestically as quickly as possible. >> reporter: the government says it will unveil plans to deal with the shortage by the end of march. it's also borrowing to stem tides on medical gloves hoping it will make it easier to protect frontline medical workers in the meantime. one of tokyo's most popular spots for viewing for first sunrise of the year will be closed new year's day due to precautions against coronavirus. mt. takao in western tokyo usually attracts crowds of people hoping to observe the first sunrise from the summit. tokyo metropolitan government officials say as many as 2,000

people have flocked to the peak in previous years. this year they'll close the look out of the summit from 5:00 p.m. on december 31st until 7:00 a.m. on january 1st. they say the overnight closure will be the first ever for the year-end period, but visitors will still be allowed to hike up to a temple that's on the way to the summit. joe biden is making a case for his pick to lead the defense department. he serves in the army in 2016 leading some to spec late he will blur the line between civil service and the military.

if confirmed he would be the first black american to lead the pentagon. but getting there would require a special congressional waiver since he hasn't been out of active service for the requisite seven years. some are hesitant to sign off. biden wrote an article in "the atlantic" explaining his choice and urging a swift confirmation. austin led the u.s. central command under president barack obama when bidenaid he proved he could react well under pressure. he credits austin with designing and executing a campaign that ultimately beat back isis. biden wrote, austin's many strengths and his intimate knowledge of the department of defense and our government are uniquely matched to the challenges and crises we face. he is the person we need in this moment. the required waiver has only ever been granted twice. most recently when marine general jim mattis was confirmed as president donald trump's first pentagon chief. trump's campaign to overturn the election results has just

gotten harder with the u.s. supreme court throwing out a long shot legal challenge. the decision came tuesday on the date known as "the safe harbor deadline," when all states must finalize their vote tallies. the top court unanimously dismissed a bid by republicans to reverse trump's loss in pennsylvania. the state's 20 electors are set to cast their votes for biden next monday. u.s. media characterized the loss as a near-fatal blow for efforts to invalidate biden's victory. almost all 50 states and washington, d.c. have already certified their results, with biden securing the majority of electoral college votes he needs to win. but trump refuses to give up, telling supporters and reporters that he will win. >> let's see whether or not somebody has the courage, whether it's a legislator or

legislatures, or whether it's a justice of the supreme court, or a number of justices of the supreme court. let's see if they have the courage to do what everybody in this country knows is right. >> trump's camp has repeatedly alleged widespread election fraud, without providing any evidence. it released a statement tuesday saying it will continue to champion election integrity until every legal vote is counted fairly and accurately. it's my first 100 days won't end the covid-19 virus. we can change life in america for the better. >> biden held a news conference on tuesday to introduce the top members of his team that will deal with the virus. once he takes office on january

20th. he said they will be ready on day one fairing no effort to get the pandemic under control so americans can get back to their lives and their loved ones. biden said he will ask all americans within the bounds of the law to wear masks in public during his first 100 days in office. the president-elect also says he will prioritize vaccinations for front line workers and educators and try to reopen most of the country's schools during the period. the united states is imposing sanctions on six entities for their alleged role in smuggling coal out of the country. it's weapons of mass destruction program. it also called on china to take against companies that engage in prohibited trade.

last week a state dartment ishl official says the u.s. observed ships carrying coal or other sanctioned goods from north korea to china over 500 times in the past year. it was worth up to $410 million. china said it always has taken and to do more. a u.s. bipartisan group of foreign policy is experts is calling for boosting cooperation in the face of challenges from c china and north korea. former u.s. deputy secretary of state richard armitaj and former dean of harvard university's kennedy schools governme joseph nye issued the report on monday. it's part of a series from the centers oftrategic and international studies think tank. it refers to china as the ggest security challenge for the japan-u.s. alliance and sites north korea as a second

regional concern. under the circumstances the report said trilateral policy coordination involving japan, the u.s. and south korea continues to be critical to regional security. but it warned of the continuing tension between japan and south korea, urging both sides to focus on the future not the past. the report recommends the challenging opportunity for deeper cooperation, inclusion of japan in the intelligence sharing network. the group is made up of english speaking countries, the u.s., u.k., australia, canada and new zealand. but the authors say the u.s. and japan should make serious efforts to move toward a six eyes network. the experts called on america to join the comprehensive and aggressive transpacific partnership. the u.s. under the trump administration withdrew from its earlier iteration, the tpp in

2017. four people were arrested at a staffing agency on suspicion of having a foreigner work illegally. police suspect about 60 staff members were break the law. police say that the four which included inmanaging director of the agency allowed a vietnamese international to work sorting food items from november last year to october. that's a job he's not authorized to do under his residency status. dozens of vietnamese nationals near tokyo have been rounded up since 2018 on suspicion of working in violation of their residency status. the office is said to employ more than 200 foreigners namely vietnamese. the agency was reportedly known for hiring people using fake residency cards.

turning to afghanistan where people are remembering a japanese doctor who was killed there one year ago while working on humanitarian projects. people joined a memorial service on tuesday. he spent years in afghanistan providing medical services and building irrigation canals to restore farmland and feed th hungry. >> translator: he improved the lives of afghans. i will never forget his achievements. >> the governor of the province where he was killed vowed to bring the killers to justice. he was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen on december 4th last year. he was 73 years old. next to the world's highest peak. china and nepal settled a dispute about moupt everest's exact height.

they differed o the heigh for years by about four mete, but officially stands 8,8.86 mers tall. theew height comes after china and nepal sent climbers up their respective sides of the mountain. it was undertake b after some experts may have changed after 7.8 earthquake hit in 2015. climbers were delighted by the news say iing it allows them sce to new heights. >> translator: weave to respect anything that becomes a plus. the increase in height is a huge source of pride for nepal and the people so it's a big deal. >> translator: our mountains are famous around the world and it's a matter of pride to hear the height has been inkrecreased.

>> nebraspal reopened mount eve after shutting it down earlier this year due to the coronavirus. but people have been slow to return constitute to travel restrictions. it's time for a check on world weather. people in japan's southern prefecture is have experienced record breaking heavy rain and behind wind. what's the weather looking like for thursday? >> rain will likely ease for the next couple days, but heavy rain could return once again during the weekend. a wet season for the region. we have over 200 millimeters of rain in portions of the island and strong winds buffetted the island. but whether wooelg be improving or not. the weather was calm in most parts of japan with exception of the south thanks to the high pressure system. snow will had likely return to northern japan on thursday. only has 5 centimeters of snow

on the ground. that's 20% of normal for this time of year, but next week we will see significant snow and also very low temperatures. the daytime high will be only minus 5 on tuesday. bundle up. meanwhile, southern japan into next week. meanwhile weather has been rocked this week in many places of australia. we have a report of over 200,000 lightning strikes in portions of queensland tuesday afternoon. meanwhile western australia had heavy rainfall. over 110 millimeters in the northern areas. that's significant for the region. more rain is possible due to the tropical low and another tropical low back behind it. so back to back tropical lows will drop heavy rainfall over western australia. moisture will reach southern australia has well. temperatures on thursday are 24 in sydney.

it's going to be calm and mind this week. and 32, it's expected to continue over the next couple days. now they have been dealing with heavy rainfall, heavy snowfall and a tornado. significant weather events have been happening in italy and more wet weather is expected to pound italy and the peninsula for the next couple days. we might see additional 90 centimeters of snowfall in the higher elevation. this is your four-day forecast. we'll continue to see snow and rainy weather into the weekend. before we go, i want to show you the biggest in the world. the world's largest christmas tree according to the book of records was turned on monday. the tree is 750 meters high and requires 7.5 kilometers of cables.

that's it for me. and that concludes this edition of nhk "newsline." coming up next is "newsline biz." stay right there.

this is "newsline biz." i'm gene otani. the latest figures from japan suggest capital investment is recovering. machinery orders logged their biggest increase since comparable data became available in 2005. they recei$8 billion. that's up 17% from september. the figure excludes ships and electric power generation, which tend to show wide fluctuations.

officials say manufacturers placed four orders for processing ma scenery. not many more wanted the tums, but they upgraded the assessment. officials say machinery orders stopped falling. tokyo's governor says the jap naez capital will ban the sale of new gasoline powered cars by 2030 in favor of hiybri or electric vehicles. the governor announced the ambitious goal on tuesday as part of the mega city's efforts to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. >> translator: major cities must take the lead in promoting global efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions to zero. >> she said tokyo plans to end sales of new gasoline autos by 2030 and motorcycles by 2025. the capital's new target puts it five years ahead of a national plan. meanwhile auto makers have been gearing up for the global shift from fossil fuels.

toyota motor has launched a new version of its hydrogen powered fuel cell vehicle. the new car can travel up to 850 kilometers on a single tank. the vehicle emits no carbon dioxide and is a full makeover from the original model. toyota launched its first mirai in 2014. the new one has a bigger capacity. prices start at 7.1 million yen or about $68,000. that's roughly $3,000 cheaper than the previous model. >> translator: promoting the update of hydrogen through vehicles is important. we hope to help build a hydrogen society. >> other auto makers in the

hydrogen race include honda moat which markets a fuel cell for lease. however, the road ahead for the technology remains long. only about 4,000 fuel cell vehicles are currently in use in japan. it remains to be seen how much cars like the new mirai will contribute to a zero emissions world. uber technologies is selling off its troubled autonomous vehicle unit. the company is trying to shore up its finances as the pandemic hits a demand for its car hailing business. uber says it is selling the self-driving vehicle off to u.s. startup aurora innovation. it'll invest $400 million in aurora as part of its strategic partnership. it's autonomous program suffered when one of its vehicles hit and killed a person. it halted testing of the technology afterwards. uber has also announced it's lling it's fing taxi

business to u.s. venture jobi aviation. uber will invest another $75 million in jobi for an extended partnership. discounts can be enormous and so can the line. the covid-19 is changing the way it works this year as nhk world. >> scenes like this are typical in japan each new year. shoppers scramble to get their hands on bags. but it's not something we're likely to see when 2021 kicks off. covid-19 has prompted most stores to bring the sales

forward and move them online. >> translator: about 70% of our bags can be purchased in advance at the store or online. the main thing is that our customers feel safe while they shop. >> and the dramatic shifting in sales this year has affected what the stores are putting in the bags. this store in tokyo's district is offering a set of items to help teleworkers take a break at home. a local rival is focusing on homeooking. one of their most eye-catching offers is half a cows worth of wagyu delivered to your home for three months in a row. the price tag for that one about $14,000. at the food store the monthly

deliver subscriptions, there's a lottery for the chance to buy one. >> translator: people ar spending more time at home, and they want to give themselves a special treat with high end produce. our bags contain prize items that even the employees want to buy. >> reporter: the shift toward remote work due to the virus dampened consumer demand for many items especially business ware and office goods. this department store in ginsa is spotlighting some of the artisans and manufacturers who have been hurting this year. selling his handmade leather items business was growing steadily before the pandemic, but then demand for products such as wallets and business card cases plunged. >> translator: we aren't getting any new orders.

we've got virtually nothing to do, so i was wondering what we could do. >> for ido the bargain bags is a chance to put a spotlight on his brand. >> translator: first and foremost we have to get our name out there so we're not just another unknown manufacturer. these lucky bags can be the spark. >> in difficult times like these new year's sale bags are more than just a chance to shift old stock. they are a much needed boost for straggling shoppers, retailers and producers alike. nhk world. here's a quick look at the markets.

thank you very much for joining us.

forecast such high tides. ♪ c1 >> you are with al jazeera. these are the top stories. the world's first fully tested coronavirus vaccine has been administered in the united kingdom. this is 90-year-old grandmother margaret keenan who made history as the first person to be vaccinated against covid-19. 800,000 doses of the pfizer biontech vaccine are now available in 70 u.k. hospitals. u.s. president-elect joe biden has introduced his new medical team. he says he will get a grip on the coronavirus pandemic in his first three months in office.