thank you for joining us. from our studio in tokyo this is "nhk newsline." which begin in washington with the fallout from the capitol riot. house democrats introduced an impeachment resolution against president donald trump on monday. an unprecedented action for an up unprecedented time in u.s. history. the democrats criticized trump for his role in the storming of

the u.s. capitol last week. the impeachment article says trump incited the violence against the government and that he will remain a threat to national security and democracy despite having just over a week left in his term. the resolution is expected to be approved in the democrat-controlled house of representatives. if approved, the process would then move to the senate, which holds a trial. it will make trump the first-ever u.s. president to be impeached twice. the first time was in december 2019 over allegations of applying improper pressure on ukraine. a two-thirds vote of the senate is required to convict and remove the president, so it appears unlikely that trump will be removed from office. the democrats were also seeking unanimous consent for a resolution that calls on vice president mike pence to convene the cabinet and invoke the 25th amendment to remove trump. republicans oppose the move.

a vote on it is planned for tuesday. the administration of president trump says it has put cuba back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, reversing the earlier removal under president barack obama. in a statement on monday, secretary of state mike pompeo cited the fact that the cuban government has refused to extradite u.s. fugitives suspected of committing serious crimes. he also claimed that cuban intelligence agencies have, quote, assisted venezuelan president nicolas maduro to maintain his strangle holdover his people. the designation means exports and sales of weapons-related products from the u.s. to cuba are banned. economic assistance, excluding humanitarian efforts, is also restricted. cuban foreign minister bruno rodriguez criticized the decision, calling it hypocritical and cynical. the u.s. government put cuba on

the list of state sponsors of terrorism in 1982, but the obama administration removed it in 2015 during negotiations to normalize ties between the two nations. trump has taken a hard-line stance on cuba reversing measures by obama including restrictions on the u.s. president elect joe biden suggested in his election campaign a willingness to improve bilateral ties but removing trump's sanctions on cuba. this latest move could impact u.s./cuba relations for biden's incoming government. china says a group of international experts from the world health organization will arrive in the country on thursday. the w.h.o. had hoped to dispatch the team earlier this month. >> translator: on consultation between the two sides, the

chinese government has agreed to the visit by the w.h.o. experts on january 14th. >> chinese foreign ministry spokesperson lijan added the two sides have agreed the organization team will conduct joint research with chinese scientists on the origins of the coronavirus. the spokesperson did not disclose whether the w.h.o. team will be quarantined or give a detailed itinerary, but said china will work closely with the organization and other international experts. w.h.o. director-general tedros adhanom ghebreyesus expressed disappointment last tuesday after the team was not allowed to enter china despite arrangements with beijing. the spokesperson also said that the w.h.o. will conduct similar investigations in other countries and regions. analysts suggest china may be trying to avoid giving the impression that the virus meanwhile, chinese health

authorities say they confirmed 103 new coronavirus cases with symptoms on sunday. this is the first time since july 30th that the daily symptomatic case counts in china has exceeded 100. the chinese government is increasingly wary of the spread of infection ahead of next month's lunar new year holidays when a huge number of people are expected to travel. here in japan, a state of emergency was declared on thursday for tokyo and three neighboring prefectures kanagawa, saitama and chiba. now the japanese government is moving towards declaring a state of emergency for another three prefectures in western japan as early as wednesday. on saturday the governors of osaka, hyogo and kyoto requested that the central government expand its state of emergency to cover their region. prime minister suga yoshihide discussed the matter with chief

secretary katanobu and the minister in charge of coronavirus response yashatoshi on monday. they agreed to move ahead with arrangements for issuing another declaration while hearing from experts. suga said on an nhk program on sunday that he's aware of the current critical situation, and that the government is ready to respond whenever needed. the government is also expected to consider including two central prefectures, aichi and gifu, under the measure. the two governors are planning to make a request as early as tuesday. china's leading internet search company buy due says it's teaming up with a major domestic auto maker to make anlectric vehicle. buy due said on monday it is setting up a subsidiary with g.i.l.i. holding group. the company will make and sell electric cars. baidu will provide the

self-driving while geely will handle the other part china is the world's biggest auto market with more than 25 million units sold each year. demand for electric cars is rising fast with annual sales of about a million units. north korea's ruling party's newspaper says the country's leader has a new title. kim jong-un is now general secretary of the workers' party, a post that was previously held by his late father. on monday north korea's state-run tv aired footage of the sixth day of the ruling party's congress in pyongyang which took place on sunday. it quotes the party as saying kim has completed plans to buildup the north's nuclear capabilities turning the nation into a global military power. kim took up the newly created post of party chairman at a

congress five years ago. meanwhile, south korea's military says it has detected signs that the north held a military parade for the congress on sunday night. it's trying to confirm the details with u.s. forces. the united nations world food program was award the 2020 nob peace prize forts work around the world in providing food aid to people in dang o startion. in recent years the need for food assistance has been critical in conflic zones such as the central african republic. although a peace agreement was reached in 2019 between the nation's government and 14 militia groups, the situation continues to be unstable, which poses huge challenges for wfp's activities. "nhk world" has the report.

>> reporter: in banghi, the capital of the central african republic, the scars from the many years of civil war are visible everywhere. an explosive was thrown into this residential house and as a consequence, the house's wall was completely destroyed. during the fighting, several of the groups involved in the conflict used hunger as a weapon of war. they surrounded opposing strong holds and cut off their food supplies. for nearly two years no food reached the community where this man lives. >> translator: the children were malnourished. they became skinny and their hair turned red. the roads were blocked. our homes were destroyed, and we had no income or livelihood. >> reporter: to prevent starvation, the u.n. world food program managed to negotiate

access to the affected areas and has been providing enough food to keep people alive. even after the current peace agreement, fighting still continues between the armed groups. wfp's activities are constantly under threat and several times a year its food trucks are targeted. the wfp operation room in banghi uses gps to track its 120 bear cubs. if something seems to be wrong, it can respond immediately. >> reporter: there is great pressure on the drivers as they have to constantly negotiate with the front line militias. about half a year ago,er he was stuck at a checkpoint and gun men demanded that he hand over the food in his truck.

>> translator: the situation can become explosive in an instant, but i'm used to this work. so i try to speak politely. i feel a sense of mission to bring food to the people who need it so badly. >> reporter: wfp's activities have funded by donations in government grants, but it faces a constant shortfall of funds. an essential african republic, wfp has half the money it needs for its operations. >> i am forging now with the covid impact, the funding is reducing. it's frustrating, yes. if you cannot provide assistance which you see on the ground, you know, people who are depending on our food assistance, they have no other coping mechanism. >> reporter: an estimated 690 million people around the world are living with food insecurity. for many of them the wfp assistance is a vital liline. the support of the international community is of critical importance.

"nhk world," banghi. >> and now moving on to world weather with our meteorologist yoko kamagata. yoko, let's start? japan. there is a possibility of snow in and around the tokyo area on tuesday. how much are we talking about? >> people in central tokyo may see sleet or snow flakes tuesday afternoon or evening. snowfall will not likely stay on the ground. meanwhile, snowfall is increasing in the north and western parts of japan this morning. we have a video of what it looks like on the ground. prefectures facing the sea of japan have seen historic snowfall recently. local media say that more than a thousand vehicles were stuck on a motor way along the northern prefectures. although heavy snow is common in japan, this year has so far seen more than twice the amounts. nearly 3 meters of snowfall is

still on the ground in aomori prefecture. they had 19 meters of snowfall in the past 24 hours. the recent heavy snowfall caused major road closures in toyama prefecture. we are expecting more and more snow showers as we go into tuesday evening. decent amounts of snowfall will be seen mainly in the mountain areas. but a few centimeters of snowfall is also expected in the pacific side of the country. just outside of the kanto region, central tokyo, may get between 5 and 10 meters of snowfall wednesday morning. that may create dangerous road conditions affecting morning commuters. snowy conditions will persist through sapporo through the week. tokyo may see snow flakes tuesday afternoon and evening and temperatures will be about 5 degrees conditions will improve as we go into the weekend. temperatures will rise to the mid teens by thursday.

a warming trend is also expected in the rest of northeast asia. seoul will have only -- have only 1 degree on tuesday, but it will warm up to 7 degrees as we go into wednesday. we are looking at an active disturbance south of india, although it's not likely to become a type 1 storm. moisture from the warm water will continue to bring heavy downpours to southern india and northern portions of sri lanka the next few days. on shore winds will also produce high waves on the eastern seaboards. expect up to 150 millimeters of rainfall in the coastal areas. there is a high risk of coastal flooding. that's all for now. stay safe. ♪ ♪

♪ >> thank you for watching this edition of "nhk newsline." we'll be back with more at the top of the hour. xxxx welcome to "newsline in depth." of the many industries that have been affected by the ongoing covid-19 pandemic, the airline industry is one of the hardest hit. the international air transport association or iata, estimates that the number of air travelers in 2020 plunged 60% from last

year. it's projecting a loss of $118 million this year. it jeopardizes half of the 88 million workers that the airline industry employs. many airlines have announced they are reducing their work force and wages, streamlining operations and selling some of their aircraft. even after all that, the jobs of remaining employees are still at risk. desperate to keep workers on the payroll, some asian airlines are experimenting with some very unconventional measures. >> reporter: thailand's national carrier thai airways filed for bankruptcy in maye and is restructuring its business. flights are down more than 90%. the customers have a flying experience closer to the ground. with the airlines' commercia fleetsrounded, taiwan is

offering a flight simulation package for those interested in enhancing their aviation experience. wan a be pilots use the same devices found in an actual cockpit. a professional is on hand to teach them how it's done. they even choose the airports for take off and landing. nearly 60 customers have paid at least $400 for 30 minutes for the virtual experience. >> translator: this business gives our pilots work to do, and the company will make a profit. >> reporter: indonesia is also looking for new revenue streams. this group company provides services like washing airplane blankets. its income is down by 90%. these days it is also laundering

hotel sheets and uniforms, serving non-airline businesses. the division has rehired 40% of the workers they had let go. the in-flight meal division has had a similar rethink, now offering home deliveries and frozen foods. >> translator: every day we discuss ideas. whatever the chance, we always experiment. >> reporter: singapore airlines has been severely affected. it depends entirely on international travel and announced a 15% cut in the size of its work force. cabin crew without passengers to care for are instead offering their assistance in hospitals. the airline dispatched them to support nurses and other health care workers. they help in areas such as transporting patients, taking temperatures and distribution meals. around 500 cabin attendants are working at 11 hospitals in singapore. >> i think i'll be more

knowledgeable and also confident in handling situations where maybe the passengers might need some medical assistance. >> reporter: in desperate times, asian airlines will continue to look for anyway to survive until their passengers can once again take to the skies. tamron desupa, "nhk world," bangkok. >> flight attendants are not engaged in medical work. they are helping nurses care for patients. but their efforts have helped to reduce the burden on essential workers, and that is attracting attention as one way for corporations to contribute on the front lines of the pandemic. in their own sphere of business, flying planes, the airline industry is looking for positives. iata projects their financial situation will show a recovery of some kind in 2021. but it also expects that demand for international travel will

not return to its pre-covid level before 2024. in the meantime, airlines have no option but to keep experimenting with ways to get planes off the ground. so, what to do? if there is one thing that the airlines always have in their favor, pandemic or not, it's the romance of flying. in fact, many of our crew had become jaded by commercial travel are probably looking forward to boarding a flight again. so imagine the excitement of getting on a plane for the first time. the airline in our next story has been doing just that. >> reporter: nagoya airport has been eerily quiet during the pandemic, but not on this day. these junior high school students are about to embark on a day trip, and they can hardly contain their excitement. the school has chartered an airplane, but the kids are not

going anywhere. this is a round trip. >> translator: i can't wait to see our town from above. >> translator: we wanted to use the planes which are otherwise grounded for special school trips. >> reporter: it all started here at the junior high. the school was forced to cancel its annual three-day excursion to tokyo because of pandemic restrictions. teachers needed another plan. that's when a travel agent came calling. she offered to arrange a day trip, a chartered flight for students to see their hometown from above. >> translator: we can't do most school events now, so we wanted them to have fun on a school trip. i thought this is the way to go. >> reporter: there was an educational benefit, too. preparing for their trip,

students learned about the aviation industry in their home prefecture. the big day finally arrived, and so did the call to board. >> reporter: 15 minutes after take-off, they are flying over their school. they are 1,500 meters above their hometown.nh on the ground, plenty of excitement in the school yard as well.

>> translator: we had as much fun as possible in such a short time. that's what i'll always remember. >> reporter: the airline is now talking to other schools and other airlines are thinking of doing the same. looks like high-altitude school trips are just taking off. >> more than half the students in that story had never flown in an airplane before. little wonder they were so excited by their high altitude sight-seeing tour. worth noting, too, their school happens to be in gifu prefecture, home of a thriving aviation industry. kawasaki heavy industries, makers of aerospace products, is one of the many companies with

factories in the area. that's one of the facts the kid studied before they got on the plane, so paradoxically they deepened their knowledge of the community by observing it from above. now for a final report, we are going to take you on another novel flight, and this is one that plenty of adults would get excited about as well. the destination is not hometown, it's the stars. >> reporter: stars are emerging, but not in the night sky. instead, the stars are visible insidehis plane. the japanese airline star flyer has created a planetarium flight. because of the pandemic, star flyer's average seat occupancy has strung to 20% at one point and has not recovered. to attract customers, star flyer

employee kawachuma proposed the idea of travel but not to the usual destinations. rather, the plane takes off and returns to the same airport, and the focus is on the in-flight experience. >> translator: the take-off and landing is in the same airport. you're not really going anyplace, so we placed value on riding in thairplane itself. >> reporter: six small planetarium projectors were placed on food carts to screen inside the long and narrow airplane. to coordinate what is shown on each screen, all the projectors needed to be synchronized and started at the same time. >> translator: take the lids off when you hear, "please take a look." we want to get the timing perfect for everyone. >> reporter: after much trial and error, it is the day of the

first flight. >> translator: it's different from what usually happens on an airplane, so i wanted to show it to my children. >> reporter: are you going to ride the airplane? [ laughter ] it will be heading towards a full starry sky. it is 7:00 p.m. time for take-off. almost 100 passengers have been chosen by lottery from across the country. the same night sky that one would s at this exact time tonight is projected inside the plane. looking out the window on the other side, passengers can see the actual night sky. it was a 90-minute long flight under the starry skies. >> translator: the star lights are jewels.

>> translator: the stars and the city lights were beautiful. >> translator: i, mylf, was very impressed. it might be a new way to use a plane. it's a complete success. >> reporter: as the pandemic continues to shroud the industry in darkness, novel airplane experiences like this are likely to be the key to airlines shining bright. >> when the tour was first offered in october, the number of applicants was over subscribed by eight times. to meet that demand, the airline decided to set up two more flights in december and demand for those was even higher. but if anyone needs their spirits lifted right now, it's the people working in the travel business. for that reason, one more planetarium flight is planned for next year, this time exclusively for workers in the travel industry and their family members.

that's it for today's "newsline in depth." thank you for watching and see you again next time. ♪ ♪fvfvfvfvfvfvfvfvfvfvfv??;

you are. u.s. house democrats aiming to impeach donald trump. more protests, u.s. secret service will begin arrangements for the inauguration. this