Key words : south african world
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211226_15/
The South African Nobel Peace Prize laureate and anti-apartheid leader Desmond Tutu has died. He was 90 years old.
The country's presidential office said on Sunday that Tutu died in Cape Town earlier in the day.
As a cleric, he led a campaign to abolish the racial segregation system while anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela was imprisoned.
Tutu urged the international community to step up pressure on the white minority government.
He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.
After Mandela became president, Tutu was appointed as head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to look into human rights abuses under apartheid and promote reconciliation.
Tutu was also actively involved in ending conflicts around the world.
Key words : omicron fukuoka
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211226_03/
Japanese officials are on high alert as the Omicron coronavirus variant has started spreading in communities.
Untraceable Omicron infections have been detected in Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo, and Fukuoka. The infected people have not been abroad recently.
The first community transmission in Fukuoka was confirmed on Saturday. The infected man had been in Osaka and Kyoto until two days before he developed symptoms. Officials are investigating whether he contracted the variant there.
The governments of Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo have started allowing residents to take a virus test for free, even if they don't have any symptoms.
The weekly average of new daily coronavirus cases is rising. Risk of infection increases during the New Year holidays as many people travel and attend gatherings.
Government officials are worried the Omicron variant could spread rapidly and put a strain on the medical system. They are working with local officials to secure hospital beds and boost testing capabilities.
Key words : pope queen
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211226_09/
World leaders have called for dialogue and cooperation in their Christmas messages as the coronavirus pandemic continues around the globe.
Pope Francis delivered his message from the balcony of Saint Peter's Basilica on Saturday. He noted that the pandemic has tested social relationships. He said there is a growing tendency to withdraw and to stop making an effort to do things together.
The Pope said that on the international level, there is the risk of avoiding dialogue. He added that there is the risk that this complex crisis will lead to taking shortcuts rather than setting out on the longer paths of dialogue.
He said only those paths of dialogue can lead to the resolution of conflicts and to lasting benefits for all.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed the importance of international cooperation, apparently with vaccine inequity in mind. He tweeted that Christmas is "an opportunity for compassion, reflection and solidarity with others."
Britain's Queen Elizabeth said in her message, "While COVID again means we can't celebrate quite as we may have wished, we can still enjoy the many happy traditions."
Key words : indian tsunami
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211226_14/
Sunday marks 17 years since the Indian Ocean tsunami left more than 220,000 people dead or missing over a vast area from Southeast Asia to eastern Africa.
A memorial ceremony was held in the worst-hit Indonesian province of Aceh, where over 160,000 of the victims perished.
The ceremony started at 8 a.m., the time when the powerful earthquake that triggered the tsunami occurred on December 26, 2004.
About 300 people gathered at a coast where the tsunami swept away all but one tree.
Local authorities have been providing training for disaster preparedness, but the coronavirus pandemic makes it hard to conduct evacuation drills for children.
Aceh Governor Nova Iriansyah said at the ceremony that people should not feel satisfied with the current level of disaster preparedness.
A woman who lost three children in the tsunami says she will tell young people to leave the coast immediately in case an earthquake happens.
Reconstruction work is making progress, but new homes are being built near the coast and people who didn't experience the tsunami are moving in.
Key words : telescope
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211226_08/
The next-generation space observatory has been launched on a mission to explore the Universe for the first galaxies and stars some 1.5 million kilometers beyond the Earth.
The James Webb Space Telescope lifted off aboard an Ariane 5 rocket from a space center in French Guiana at 12:20 UTC on Saturday.
The telescope was jointly developed by the US, European and Canadian space agencies.
The liftoff comes over 20 years after the more than 9-billion-dollar megaproject was inaugurated.
Having a mirror measuring about 6.5 meters across, James Webb is expected to observe space much farther away from the Earth compared with the Hubble telescope currently in use.
The telescope is tasked with finding the first galaxies and the first stars that are believed to have started shining some 200 million years after the birth of the Universe.
It has an expected operational period of 5 to 10 years.
After flying about 1.5 million kilometers to its destination, Webb is scheduled to begin observation as early as mid-2022.
Key words : vietnam
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211225_15/
As automobile companies around the world begin to shift toward electric vehicles, Vietnamese carmaker VinFast has begun delivering the country's first domestically manufactured model to customers.
VinFast is the automobile unit of a major Vietnamese conglomerate. Its first electric SUVs are being assembled at a factory in Hai Phong, northern Vietnam.
The carmaker says the vehicle can travel about 285 kilometers on a single charge. It is priced at about 30,000 dollars.
One buyer in her 40s said it is her first time to drive an electric car. She said she is proud of VinFast, which is promoting eco-friendly efforts.
VinFast is also aiming to expand into overseas markets.
In November, the company's electric models were unveiled at an auto show in the United States. The carmaker plans to begin accepting orders in the US and elsewhere as early as 2022.
The move comes as carmakers in China and European countries are accelerating their shift toward EVs. Emerging economies, such as Indonesia and Thailand, are also seeking to tap into the trend to boost their auto industries.
Key words : dmv
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211226_04/
A railway company in western Japan has started commercial operation of what are known as Dual-Mode Vehicles, which run on both tracks and roads.
The minibus-modified hybrid transporter started running through rural areas in the Shikoku region on Saturday. Tokushima Prefecture says it's the world's first commercial operation of DMVs.
The first DMV departed a terminal in southern Tokushima Prefecture in bus mode around noon.
The vehicle was carrying 18 passengers. Its capacity has been reduced due to the coronavirus.
When it got to a station, it turned itself into a train by lowering wheels onto the tracks. It then traveled to a town in eastern Kochi Prefecture.
The DMVs are operated by a small public-private partnership firm, Asa Coast Railway Company.
It hopes the vehicles can attract more passengers because they can go to their final destinations, such as local shopping facilities or hot springs, without transferring from a train to a bus.
The company plans to make the service a major attraction of local tourism, utilizing the currently unprofitable train line.
The longest route is about 50 kilometers.
A railway fan who rode the vehicle called it a precious experience because DMV service is not available anywhere else.
Key words : weather officials air mass suspended
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211226_10/
Weather officials are warning of heavy snow in areas along the Sea of Japan, and are urging people there to refrain from non-essential outings.
The Japan Meteorological Agency says a severe cold air mass is flowing over the country, bringing strong winds and snow. Officials say snowfall is intensifying on Sunday, especially in a wide area from northern to western parts of Japan.
The cold air mass will likely move to the Pacific side of western Japan. It could bring snow to urban areas of the Kansai and Tokai regions, as well as the flatlands of the Shikoku and Kyushu regions.
Winds are also expected to intensify across wide areas.
The Meteorological Agency is warning that heavy snow could disrupt traffic and trigger avalanches. It also says snow accumulating on power cables could cause blackouts.
The rough weather has affected public transportation.
More than 100 domestic flights have been canceled.
Some railway services are suspended.
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