Key words : britain local election
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230506_10/
Britain's ruling Conservative Party has suffered a steep loss of seats in local elections, adding to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's leadership woes.
Voters went to the polls across England on Thursday to choose representatives in 230 local councils. More than 8,000 seats were up for grabs.
Vote counting was almost over on Friday. Public broadcaster BBC says the Tories lost more than 1,000 seats.
The BBC says the party took a majority in 33 councils, down from 81 before the polls.
The opposition Labour Party gained control of 71 councils after increasing its number of seats by more than 500.
The Liberal Democrats, the second largest opposition party, added more than 400 seats.
The latest polls were seen as a bellwether for Britain's next general election, which must be held by January 2025, and as an electoral test for Sunak.
The Conservatives' setback suggests voters were frustrated with the increasing cost of living as the country continues to suffer steep inflation.
Key words : russian complain deadline
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230506_N01/
Russian mercenaries with the Wagner Group have complained of not having the ammunition they need to complete their objectives in Ukraine. Their leader has threatened to pull out of the key city of Bakhmut. On Friday, he announced the deadline will be May 10.
The Wagner Group has been trying to capture Bakhmut for months and has lost thousands of fighters. Leader Yevgeny Prigozhin says they will start their pullout one day after the holiday marking Russia's victory in World War Two.
Prigozhin said, "We were put on what's known as an 'artificial ammunition deficit.' It's ammunition hunger. But the things we need are freely available in the depots."
He added that the Wagner Group's operation in Bakhmut has drawn in Ukrainian troops and given the Russian army a breather. In a video, he put the blame on defense officials in Moscow while screaming and gesturing toward the corpses of his fighters.
His claims have fueled speculation that Russian stockpiles are dwindling. Still, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has made sure regular Russian troops have all the weapons they need. He was shown inspecting new equipment in a video released on Friday.
Ukrainian officials are skeptical about Prigozhin's claims. Some say he is making excuses for his fighters failing to take Bakhmut by the May 9 holiday.
Key words : world health announced
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230506_02/
The World Health Organization has announced that COVID-19 is no longer a public health emergency of international concern.
Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says the designation was lifted based on the advice of an emergency committee.
He adds that COVID-19 still remains a threat, saying that the virus claimed one life every three minutes last week.
The WHO chief also cites the potential for new variants and a surge in cases.
The WHO issued its highest level of alert over COVID-19 in January 2020.
Key words : world health significant
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230505_06/
The World Health Organization has convened an expert committee to discuss whether COVID-19 remains a global health emergency.
Experts and health officials from around the world gathered at the periodic meeting on Thursday.
They held closed-door talks on whether to stop calling the coronavirus outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus opened the session with his remarks.
He noted that for each of the past 10 weeks, the number of weekly reported deaths from the virus has been the lowest since March 2020, when the pandemic was in its early stages.
Tedros said the sustained trend has allowed life to return to "normal" in most countries.
But he cautioned that some critical uncertainties about the evolution of the virus persist and that surveillance and genetic sequencing efforts have declined significantly around the world.
Tedros is expected to announce in the near future whether to lift the emergency after studying the committee discussions.
The WHO declared the emergency in January 2020.
Key words : world health shigeru
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230506_03/
Japan's chief advisor on the coronavirus has commented on the World Health Organization's decision to no longer classify COVID-19 as a public health emergency of international concern.
Speaking on Friday, Omi Shigeru described the move as appropriate. But he also warned that the change does not mean infections are over.
Omi, who heads the government's advisory panel on the pandemic, pointed out that cases have gradually declined around the world, adding that fewer fatalities pose less of a burden on healthcare providers.
Japanese authorities have reclassified COVID-19 as an infectious disease on par with the seasonal flu. The downgrade takes effect on May 8.
Omi said his advice remains the same. He's urging people to draw on their experiences from the past few years to make judgements, and refrain from high-risk activities.
Key words : local authorities congo
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230506_12/
Heavy rainfall has caused flooding in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in central Africa. Local authorities say at least 176 people have died.
Reuters and other media outlets say rivers burst their banks in the South Kivu province in the country's east on Thursday. Floodwater inundated and destroyed homes, schools and other buildings.
Local authorities say rescue workers are searching for more than 100 missing people.
Footage from the region shows people trying to remove mud from collapsed buildings, and a stream of people visiting a hospital to receive treatment.
One local doctor says they are running short of medicines, syringes and other medical supplies.
Heavy rain has also triggered flooding and landslides in Rwanda and Uganda, which border the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Local authorities from both nations said on Wednesday that they had confirmed more than 130 deaths.
Key words : us think tank north
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230506_09/
A US think tank says recent satellite imagery shows new activity at North Korea's Punggye-ri nuclear test site.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies on Thursday released its analysis of the images taken on April 21.
The analysts say there has been activity around a tunnel whose entrance collapsed in 2018. They say construction of a road leading to the entrance has been completed and two new buildings have appeared in front of that entrance.
But they say there are no signs of activity around another tunnel where they believe preparations for a nuclear test were completed almost a year ago.
Key words : foreign minister paraguay diplomatic tie
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230506_11/
Japan's foreign minister and Paraguay's new president have agreed that the two nations will work together to reinforce the international order based on the rule of law.
Hayashi Yoshimasa visited Paraguay on Friday on the last leg of his five-nation trip to Latin America and the Caribbean. He spoke with president-elect Santiago Pena for about an hour.
Hayashi said Paraguay is a longtime friend of Japan with the 10,000 people of Japanese descent in the country and an important partner that shares values and principles. He said he wants to continue to strengthen bilateral ties with the incoming Pena administration.
Pena won last Sunday's presidential election, and his campaign included a pledge to maintain ties with Taiwan.
Paraguay is the only remaining country in South America to have diplomatic ties with Taiwan despite China's increasing assertiveness.
Hayashi also met with Paraguay's foreign minister Julio Cesar Arriola Ramirez earlier in the day.
Regarding Japan-China diplomacy, Hayashi said Japan will assert its position and ask Beijing for accountable behavior, while seeking bilateral cooperation in tackling common challenges.
Arriola voiced his support for Japan's efforts to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Hayashi said in an online news conference he will take into consideration what he heard from each country to prepare for the discussions at the G7 Hiroshima Summit, slated for two weeks from now.
Key words : saudi sudan
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230506_08/
Saudi Arabia says it has invited delegates from Sudan's warring parties to prepare the ground for talks to ease tensions in the African country.
The Saudi Arabian government announced on Friday that Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud discussed the Sudan issue with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken over the phone.
It said it has invited representatives of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, to the western Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah. It added that the plan is backed by the US government.
The Sudanese military said it had sent its delegation to Jeddah. The Associated Press reported that talks will begin there as early as Saturday, based on information from both sides.
Fighting continues in Sudan despite the announcement of ceasefire agreements. The country's health authorities say 550 people have been killed since violence erupted on April 15.
Saudi Arabia is believed to have influence on Sudan. Observers say the dialogue could ease tensions amid rising concerns about the humanitarian crisis there.
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