https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20210424200000_english_1.mp3
Key words : southeast discuss united message
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210423_37/Leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will meet in Indonesia on Saturday to discuss the crisis in Myanmar. The focus will be on whether ASEAN can send a united message urging Myanmar's military junta to improve the situation in the country.
The summit-level meeting will be held at the ASEAN secretariat in Jakarta. It comes about a month after Indonesia's president called on members to discuss the crisis. Several leaders of member countries, including Vietnam, arrived on Friday. Myanmar's military leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, is due to attend.
Meanwhile, the National Unity Government, or NUG, formed by a group of ousted lawmakers, is asking ASEAN to recognize it as the legitimate authority in Myanmar. The group includes lawmakers of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party.
The military has issued arrest warrants for 26 people, including all those appointed as ministers by NUG. It said an illegal rival government was being formed to subvert the top decision-making body established by the military in accordance with the constitution.
Sources say ASEAN hopes to mediate between Myanmar's military and NUG to pave the way for dialogue between the two to break the deadlock.
UN special envoy for Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, is in Jakarta. She met Indonesia's foreign minister to discuss the situation in Myanmar on Friday.
A UN spokesperson said the envoy is seeking dialogue with all parties and that she has been in contact with Myanmar's military.
Key words : world health record
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210424_05/The World Health Organization says more than 880,000 new coronavirus cases were registered globally on Thursday, a new record.
Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for continued anti-infection measures, such as social distancing.
He told reporters on Friday that he understands the steps can be frustrating, while stressing their effectiveness at protecting lives.
Saturday marks one year since the WHO announced the launch of an international framework to develop and ensure equitable distribution of vaccines.
The WHO chief said, "The first objective has been achieved. We now have several safe and effective vaccines to prevent COVID-19." But he added that victory against the pandemic is still a long way off.
He also said vaccines are not the only option, citing the importance of global cooperation to develop therapeutics.
Key words : US health
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210424_09/US health authorities say they will lift their suspension of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccination.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US Food and Drug Administration made the announcement on Friday following a safety review by an expert committee.
Inoculations with the US-made vaccine were halted on April 13 following reports of unusual blood clots among a small number of people who received the jab.
Members of the CDC expert committee at a meeting on Friday said 15 cases of blood clots were reported among 7.98 million vaccines administered.
The committee concluded use of the vaccine should be resumed in the US, provided recipients are warned of rare cases of severe blood clots.
A joint statement by the CDC and the FDA said the benefit of the vaccine outweigh its risks.
It said healthcare providers administering the vaccine should review the fact sheets which cover the risks.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky urged people to get vaccinated, saying inoculations can protect them from disease, hospitalization and death.
A statement by Johnson & Johnson said, "We will collaborate with health authorities around the world to educate healthcare professionals and the public to ensure this very rare event can be identified early and treated effectively."
It said the "single-shot, easily transportable COVID-19 vaccine with demonstrated protection against multiple variants can help protect the health and safety of people everywhere."
Key words : Biden overseas
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210424_10/US officials say President Joe Biden will visit Britain and Belgium in June for his first overseas trip since assuming office.
Biden has not traveled abroad since being inaugurated in January, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Friday Biden will attend the G7 summit in Britain, which will take place from June 11 to 13 in Cornwall. She said the president will confirm coordination among major democracies to address the pandemic and climate change.
Biden will also hold bilateral meetings with G7 leaders, including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Psaki said the president will then travel to Brussels, Belgium, where he will join the NATO Summit on June 14.
Biden will also participate in a summit with representatives of the European Union while in Brussels.
Psaki said the trip will highlight the president's "commitment to restoring our alliances, revitalizing the Transatlantic relationship, and working in close cooperation with our allies and multilateral partners."
Key words : authorities France
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210424_07/Authorities in France say a knife-wielding man fatally stabbed a female administrative employee at a police station outside of Paris.
They are treating the attack on Friday as a possible case of terrorism.
The attacker stabbed the victim in the throat as she was making her way into the police station in Rambouillet. He was shot dead by police at the scene.
Local media are reporting that the attacker was in his 30s and originally from Tunisia.
He was reportedly not on any police watch list. A witness heard him shout in Arabic, "God is great," during the attack.
Prime Minister Jean Castex rushed to the scene and President Emmanuel Macron wrote in a tweet that France will stop at nothing to combat terrorism.
The incident comes amid efforts by French authorities to address the threat of extremism.
Last October, a teacher who had shown his students caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in a class was killed by a man of Chechen origin from Russia in a Paris suburb.
About two weeks later, three people were stabbed to death at a church in Nice, southern France, by a man from Tunisia.
Key words : end of july
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210424_03/Japan's Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has declared the nation's third state of emergency to contain the coronavirus pandemic. It takes effect on Sunday in Tokyo and the western prefectures of Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo.
The declaration will remain in effect for just over two weeks through May 11, and covers an annual weeklong holiday.
Bars and restaurants that serve alcohol or offer karaoke will be asked to close, as well as shopping malls and department stores.
Cases are surging in the affected prefectures, and officials are on alert for the spread of more contagious variants of the virus.
Suga said, "I decided to declare another state of emergency ahead of the weeklong holiday. We need to contain the spread of the virus by focusing on intensive measures over a short period of time."
The government has also decided to implement stricter measures in Ehime Prefecture without declaring a state of emergency.
Measures already in place in Miyagi and Okinawa prefectures have been extended until May 11 from the initially planned end date of May 5.
Suga suggested the government will work to have the country's elderly population vaccinated by the end of July. Officials plan to consider ways to help municipalities enhance the rollout.
Key words : weeklong holiday 8 p.m.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210423_38/Japan's prime minister has declared the country's third state of emergency of the pandemic to contain rising COVID-19 cases. The measure will take effect in Tokyo, and three western prefectures on Sunday.
Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide said, "We're concerned that the current surge in the major cities could spread across the country. Amid these circumstances, I decided to declare a state of emergency again ahead of a weeklong holiday. We need to contain the spread of the virus by focusing on intensive measures over a short period of time."
The declaration covers Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Hyogo prefectures. It will remain in effect for just over two weeks, through May 11.
Governors will be allowed to take tougher measures, although they won't be as strict as a lockdown. They're asking bars and restaurants that serve alcohol or offer karaoke to close. Other eateries will be asked to close at 8 p.m.
Train, subway and bus services will be reduced, with shorter operating hours. Shopping malls and department stores will also be asked to close except for daily essentials.
Prime Minister Suga apologized for the inconvenience, and promised financial support for businesses that will be affected.
Osaka Prefecture is the largest hot spot. Its daily tally has now topped 1,000 for four days in a row.
Osaka Governor Yoshimura Hirofumi said, "The state of emergency will be a huge burden on social and economic activity, but the spread of infections and the state of the medical system are extremely serious. I want to stop the surge and overcome the crisis."
And in Tokyo, the governor said while the tougher restrictions will be more of a burden, they're necessary.
Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko said, "If each one of us can start taking stricter measures today, the situation will get better in 10 days to two weeks."
Across the country, over 5,100 new infections were reported on Friday. And more than 800 patients are in serious condition.
Key words : 876
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210424_13/The Tokyo Metropolitan Government says it confirmed 876 new cases of the coronavirus on Saturday.
The number is the highest since the second state of emergency for the capital ended on March 21.
The figure is up 117 from last Saturday, marking a week-on-week increase for a 24th straight day.
The total number of people who have tested positive for the virus in the capital since the pandemic began now stands at 134,538.
Tokyo officials say 51 people are in serious condition on Saturday. That's down one from the previous day.
Key words : test event
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210424_01/Seven test events for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics will be held in the capital without spectators during a state of emergency that starts Sunday and runs until May 11.
The declaration, announced by the government on Friday due to a surge in coronavirus cases, also takes effect in three western prefectures.
The same day, it was announced that a volleyball test event scheduled for May 1 and 2 at the Ariake Arena will be held without spectators.
The Tokyo organizing committee also said an athletics test event planned for May 9 at the National Stadium will be held without spectators.
Officials had already decided to hold a diving test event from May 1 through 6 at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre without spectators.
The competition serves as the final qualifier for the Olympics, but Australia has withdrawn. The country's diving body said, "it would not be safe to send our athletes and officials."
Officials were hoping to use the events to refine anti-virus measures and guidance for spectators in the run-up to the Games, which start less than three months from now.
Key words : olympic opening
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210424_12/Security personnel for the Tokyo Olympics have started work, with less than three months remaining before the event's scheduled opening on July 23.
About 40 people, including private guards from a joint venture of security firms, joined a starting ceremony on Saturday at the National Stadium. A manager encouraged them to do their best to ensure the event's safety.
The staff were then deployed at the entrances of the stadium. They directed trucks delivering equipment and conducted patrols for suspicious objects.
The ceremony came amid a nationwide surge in coronavirus cases, with a state of emergency to be imposed in Tokyo and other areas from Sunday.
It remains undecided whether visitors will be permitted to view the events. Spectators from overseas have already been banned.
The Olympic organizing committee has arranged for 14,000 security personnel to be available for the event, but says it will review its plans depending on the situation.
A senior official of the security joint venture, Sugimoto Yoichi, said staff will prepare for the Games as much as possible, including measures to prevent virus infections and heatstroke.
