at 18:00 (JST), July 26

20250726180000_english_1.mp3

 Welcome to NHK Newsline. I'm Ramin Malagard in Tokyo.

UN SECURITY COUNCIL MEETS OVER THAI-CAMBODIAN BORDER CLASHES

The United Nations Security Council has met behind closed doors amid border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia.
Military clashes erupted on Thursday in the disputed border region between the two countries. Thai authorities say at least 14 people are dead, while Cambodia's defense ministry says 13 people have died. The UN's emergency security meeting took place on Friday at Cambodia's request. Cambodia's ambassador to the UN spoke to reporters after the meeting. 

Cambodia asked for immediate sea fire, so the unconditional is and we also called for the peaceful solution of the disputes.

The ambassador also said members of the Security Council called on both parties to exercise maximum restraint and find a diplomatic solution. Thailand's permanent representative to the UN released a statement after the meeting. It says Thailand condemns in the strongest possible terms Cambodia's indiscriminate and inhumane attacks on civilian infrastructure. It also says that Thailand urges Cambodia to immediately cease all hostilities and acts of aggression and resume dialogue in good faith.

TOKYO GOVERNOR PROPOSES RELOCATING PARTS OF UN TO JAPAN'S CAPITAL

Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko has proposed relocating parts of the United Nations functions to the Japanese capital.
Koike made the proposal during a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the world body's headquarters in New York on Thursday. Koike said she stressed that Tokyo offers numerous advantages, including safety and the weak yen.

I told the Secretary General that we would like to support various UN activities in Tokyo.

The governor, said Guterres, responded that the UN has received similar cooperation offers from around the world.
In June, Koike proposed the relocation of functions of the UN Security Council, the WHO and the OECD at the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly. Under pressure from the administration of US President Donald Trump, the UN is aiming to significantly reduce costs. Personnel from the UN's Population Fund have begun moving to Kenya's capital, Nairobi, from New York, where prices and expenses are high.

POTSDAM MARKS 1945 ATOMIC BOMBINGS OF HIROSHIMA, NAGASAKI

The victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have been remembered at a ceremony in the German city of Potsdam. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the attacks.
Then US President Harry Truman is said to have given the go-ahead for the bombings while attending the 1945 Potsdam Conference. On the post war treatment of Germany and conditions for Japan's surrender. The order to drop the bombs was issued by the military on July 25. The memorial ceremony took place on Friday. It was held at the Hiroshima Nagasaki Square, located in front of the building where Truman stayed while attending the conference. Participants laid flowers and origami cranes in front of a monument.
Made of a streetcar paving stone from Hiroshima and another stone from a shrine in Nagasaki. They then observed a moment of silence.

I came to remember that this should never happen again.

This is a monument to remind my son of what happened and that such things should never happen again.

I want people to know that this is a very important place in regard to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

IRAN AND EUROPE HOLD NUCLEAR TALKS

Diplomats from Tehran and Europe have met in Turkey to discuss Iran's nuclear program. The talks have been stalled since Israel and the US attacked Iranian facilities last month.
The European delegation includes officials from Britain, France, and Germany. They met for about four hours.
Iranian leaders have been resolute in maintaining their nuclear enrichment program. The European powers have warned that if a deal isn't reached by the end of August, they will trigger what's known as a snapback. That's the mechanism which automatically reimposes UN Security Council sanctions that were lifted in 2015.
Reuters is reporting the Europeans urged Iran to avoid the situation that situation by committing to key issues. Those include full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency and accounting for the whereabouts of highly enriched uranium.
An Iranian official with the foreign ministry said the talks were serious, frank, and detailed. He says his delegation explained what he called Tehran's principled positions, including those on the threat of UN sanctions. And he says they agreed to continue consultations.

TRUMP IN SCOTLAND FOR TALKS WITH UK, EU LEADERS

US President Donald Trump is in Scotland for a five-day visit. He's scheduled to meet with the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. They're set to discuss the trade deal they reached earlier this year.
Trump is expected to remain in Scotland till Tuesday. US media have reported that he'll visit golf resorts owned by his family's business. The US and Britain were the first to announce what Trump called a breakthrough in tariff negotiations. The two leaders later signed the agreement. Trump says he's now turning his attention to Europe.

I'll be meeting with the EU on Sunday and we'll be working on a deal. We'll see if we make a deal. Ursula will be here, highly respected woman. So we look forward to that. That'll be good.

Trump will return to the UK in mid-september as a state guest. He'll be making the trip on an official invitation from King Charles.

JAPAN'S ONISHI PRAISES ISS ASTRONAUTS BEFORE RETURN TO EARTH

Japanese astronaut Onishi Takuya has praised his crew at the end of his stint as commander of the International Space Station. Onishi has been on the ISS for more than four months since arriving in March. It's his second long term stay in space and he's the third Japanese to serve as ISS commander. He is engaged in various scientific experiments during his mission. Onishi spoke to reporters from the ISS on Friday, Japan time.

It's been a great honor for me to be the commander of this excellent crew. I am so lucky to have such an excellent crew members.

Onishi also said he's looking forward to seeing a fellow Japanese astronaut Yui Kimiya. Yui will arrive at the ISS on a spacecraft scheduled to be launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida next Thursday.
Onishi is due to return to Earth. after a short handover period.

JAPAN PLANS TO RAISE CAP ON INTL. HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS

The Japanese government plans to boost the country's global competitiveness in higher education by allowing institutions to accept more international students.
Now, the changes could come into effect as early as the next academic year.
Enrollment limits, including overseas students for universities and colleges, are determined on factors such as their size. Institutions that exceed the upper limit are subject to penalties, such as a reduction in state subsidies.
The Education Ministry plans to raise the cap by five percentage points when certain conditions are met. These include their management of international students. Officials say they plan to start accepting applications from educational institutions as early as later this year. That would mean the upper limit for overseas students would be raised in the academic year starting next April. The officials say they hope the measure not only boosts the competitiveness of higher education institutions, but also Japanese students.

♪

And those are the top stories for this hour.

♫～　3-DAY FORECAST　～♫

And that is a wrap for this edition of NHK Newsline. I'm Ramin Mellegard. Thank you very much for joining us.