ISRAEL, HAMAS SIGN FIRST PHASE OF PEACE PLAN
The US president says that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first phase of his peace plan to pause the fighting and release the hostages. Donald Trump made the announcement on social media on Wednesday. He says Israel will withdraw their troops to an agreed upon line, and he told Fox News that the hostages held in the Gaza Strip will probably be released on Monday. Trump had earlier suggested that he is considering a visit to the Middle East soon. People in Gaza celebrated the news of the deal.Now we are very happy that the war stopped. This is something joyful for us and we thank our brothers and anyone who contributed.
People in Israel expressed similar sentiments.We're very happy about that and I'm very excited. Really something that we waited for for two years.
GAZA CEASEFIRE: DONE DEAL?
For more on this, earlier, I spoke with Tanaka Koichiro. He's a professor at KO University and an expert on international relations and the Middle East.Why did Israel and Hamas agree to the ceasefire deal now?
Well, I think the main reason here is that US President Donald Trump had exerted an enormous amount of pressure to both of the warring parties, but especially on the side of Israelis. So far, I believe that the Israelis were not. Actually ready to negotiate a deal and especially to agree to any sort of a ceasefire. And while the Hamas had been already deserted by most of the Arab countries and since they had little to offer. And so this was one case of a successful Donald Trump.
How do you evaluate the strength of the first days of this deal?
The most interesting part or the most difficult part of the deal is that both parties, even as of today, are still dubious about the other side's intentions. There's a total lack of trust and how that's going to be managed throughout the entire deal and also the implementation stage. It's going to be really tough.
Now, the plan seems a bit different from what Trump initially unveiled. What made major changes stick out to you and what still needs to be negotiated?
Prime Minister Netanyahu, I thought that the deal itself was sort of a package packaged deal and but now the one that I see today or the announcement that has been made out of salmon, she sounds like it's sort of a phased 1 phased deal. So that would mean that it resembles. Quite a lot with the original deal that existed back in January 2025, just a day prior to President Trump's inauguration, and that which I thought that it would hold all the last for a while, but eventually fell apart. So that would mean that there are still loose ends. There are a lot of second maybe. 3rd even other stages to be negotiated and to to be agreed upon. And the most difficult thing here is that how are the Israelis going to actually actually withdraw their forces out from Gaza because this was 1 issue that actually brought the. January deal and scrapped it all together in the very end. So that's that's one thing. There's another issue I would say that the Arab leaders or Arab countries or surrounding countries are supposed to guarantee the guarantee the safety of Israel. By not allowing Hamas to reorganise or to regroup, but what kind of an assurance would they be able to provide to Israel? I think is still in the air.
Palestinians are celebrating this deal. What does this mean for Gaza, especially with regards to the humanitarian crisis there?
And then they could also expect that they would not be bombed regularly day and night by the Israeli forces. So they can just live in peace or at least sleep at peace.
Israelis are also celebrating what looks to be the return of the hostages, but we also know the political situation there is more complicated. What can you tell us about that?
We've seen, and we haven't seen for a while, but the government, the Netanyahu government or the administration might be a little bit shaky from then on, from now on, because there are those elements within his own cabinet that are quite, say, extreme in their views. And also they are. Expression and one of them, the minister Ben Gabriel, who is in charge of state security has just yet I think yesterday visited the Temple Mount and where the which is considered to be the third holiest cycle, the Muslims and there I mean usually. Any sort of apriori, so rituals by the Jewish people are forbidden. Even that is the case, I believe this minister had performed his rituals there and it may ignite a sort of a negative or even negative say sentiment now from the Palestinians living in West Bank. So now we're seeing a better situation or could expect things better in Gaza, but we're not sure what's going to happen with the conditions in the West Bank and also with the current Netanyahu administration, because if the extremists are to, say, threaten Mr. Netanyahu. Come with the drawing, their support for the coalition, maybe the government might fail for our fall and that's going to be the tragedy for Mr. Netanyahu in the very end. So I believe that he could still say drag his feet when it comes to the implementation of withdrawing forces from Gaza or any other. Commitment that he is supposed to implement.
Thank you as always professor, for your insight. Well, welcome.
MYANMAR MILITARY PARAGLIDER ATTACK KILLS 24 VILLAGERS
Myanmar's pro democracy camp says 24 people, including children, were killed when the country's military used paragliders to bomb villagers during a Buddhist festival. The national unity government says more than 40 people were also. Injured in the attack on Monday evening in Sagaing region in northwestern Myanmar. Fighting has continued between the NGO's forces and the military since the junta seized power in a coup 4 years ago. The NUG says more than 100 people were at a primary school for a traditional prayer ceremony to mark full moon. And protest against the junta It says motorized paragliders attacked twice to drop bombs A spokesperson for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said if the strike were confirmed it would add to what he called a disturbing pattern of indiscriminate attacks on civilians. The junta has announced it will hold the. General election in December. In the meantime, it's intensifying its offensive against pro democracy forces and armed ethnic minority groups. That's seen as a bid to expand the area under its control where voting is possible.CHINA TIGHTENS EXPORT CONTROLS ON RARE EARTHS
Authorities in China are tightening export controls on rare earths. The materials are crucial in many high tech products such as electric vehicles. The commerce ministry made the announcement on Thursday.Beijing's export controls on the materials have been an issue in ongoing trade talks with Washington. It remains to be seen how the latest announcement will affect the discussions. Chinese commerce ministry officials say they plan to promote fair trade by strengthening communication with other countries.
Officials say exports for military purposes will not be approved in principle. They also say exports will be curbed for semiconductors. An artificial intelligence that could be used militarily. China has an abundance of rare earths, which are used for manufacturing high-powered magnets.
900 STRANDED CLIMBERS DESCEND FROM MOUNT EVEREST
Hundreds of people have been rescued from a camp on the Chinese side of Mount Everest. They had been stranded for days due to heavy snow. Media in the country says snow began falling Saturday in the area in Tingri County in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Many were making the track during the National Day holidays.Nearly 600 hikers and more than 300 guides reportedly left the camp by Tuesday following rescue operations.
On Sunday, heavy snowfall also trapped many climbers in the inland province of Qinghai. More than 250 were reportedly rescued, but one person died of hypothermia and altitudes thickness.
HEAVY RAIN WARNING DOWNGRADED FOR HACHILO TOWN
Japan's weather agency has downgraded the heavy rain emergency warning for Hachijo town in Tokyo's Izu Islands to a warning. It is still urging people to stay alert for landslides. The agency says that as of 3:00 PM Thursday, the typhoon is believed to be moving east northeast over the seas. Southeast of Kanto at a speed of 40 kilometers per hour, it's forecast to move eastward. In the southern part of the islands, bands of rain clouds developed on Thursday morning and a notice of significant heavy rain was issued. Over 280mm of rain fell in six hours on the island, the highest since records began in 2003. Strong winds are still expected in the ISU Islands in the next several hours. Meanwhile, power outages have occurred in some of the affected areas. It remains unclear when power will be restored.BUSINESS
Now we go to Gene Otani with the latest in business news.Ross, thanks At our top business story this hour.
NIKKEI 225 SETS RECORD HIGH, CLOSES ABOVE 40,000
Tokyo's main stock index set another record high on Thursday. The Nikkei 225 finished above the 48,000 mark for the first time as investors picked up chip related shares following all time highs on Wall Street overnight.The benchmark ended at 48,580, up nearly 1.8%. The rally followed remarks by the CEO of US chip giant NVIDIA on Wednesday that demand for AI computing has gone up substantially in the last six months.
The Nikkei index saw record closes on three consecutive trading days through Tuesday that included a 4.7% surge on Monday, fueled by expectations the new leader of Japan's main ruling party would ramp up fiscal spending.
Meanwhile, the broader topics advanced about 0.7% to 3,257 on Thursday, setting. A record closing high for the fourth straight day.
JAPAN'S REAL WAGES DROP FOR 8TH MONTH IN AUGUST
Wages in Japan are down for the eighth straight month as price rises continue to outpace pay growth.Preliminary data released by the Labor Ministry on Wednesday show inflation adjusted pay in August fell by 1.4% from the same month last year. The ministry's monthly survey covers about 30,000 businesses nationwide with at least five employees. Workers took home an average of. Just over ¥300,000, or roughly $1,970 in August. That includes base pay, overtime and other income.
The figure is up 1.5% year on year, marking the 44th month of increase. Base pay rose by 2.1%. Training for the 46th month in a row.
But ministry officials note that the margin of increase for nominal wages was small compared with June and July, when summer bonuses had an impact, they say.
Real wages are continuing to decline due to soaring prices, they add. That minimum wages are being raised across the country and they are carefully watching what impact the step will have.
SEAFOOD INDUSTRY LOOKS TO 'SUSHI-TAINABLE' FUTURE
Sushi has grown in popularity worldwide over the decades, but its continued success has also raised questions about management of fish stocks. The future of maritime resources was a hot topic at the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, NHK World's HIratau Miyu reports.Are you an agency that tracks more than 2500 seafood stocks worldwide says over 1/3 are fished at levels beyond natural recovery?
If this continues, the future could involve conflicts over resources and even hunger. We must not allow that to happen.
Meanwhile, a major Japanese conveyor belt sushi chain is rolling out initiatives under the slogan sustainable. To conserve fish stocks. The company offers a menu item you will not usually find anywhere else. This sushi is made with Nisa Thai or Sotel. The fish is unpopular due to its strong smell. Mouse fishers discarded if caught.Their sushi chain successfully reduced the order by feeding their fish cabbage. They normally eat seaweed.
Even and on the utilized species, is a valuable marine resource. We think about the best way to use it.
Artificial intelligence also helps make fish farming more sustainable.Right behind me is an AI powered heater. It analyzes the fish's appetite and delivery food at just the right time. This is one of the ways technology is transforming agriculture. AI determines when the fish need feeding and how much to give them. These cuts down feed waste by 5%. Staff can monitor their feeding remotely with smartphones, meaning fewer people are needed to manage fish farms.
If this could be introduced at all my farms, we could raise three times the fish with the same number of staff.
Attention at the Expo is also focused on aquaponics, a land based system that uses plants to help raise fish.Bacteria in the tank convert fish waste into nutrient. This is pumped to the plants. The plants absorb it, purifying the water, which then goes back to the tank. Challenges remain. Most plants will not grow in salt water in this experiment.
The salinity of the water is reduced to 1% from 3%, allowing both marine fish and vegetables to thrive. The project is led by a professor at Osaka Metropolitan University.
With the world's population increasing rapidly, we must find efficient, low impact ways to produce food. Aquaponics using marine fish could become a key technology for the future.
As a world fish stocks continue to be pressured, sustainable initiatives like these are drawing attention. Hirata Miyu NHK World.MARKETS
All right, let's have a look at the markets.♪
And that's it for business news.
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KITAGAWA HOPES NOBEL PRIZE WILL CREATE NEEDS FOR MATERIALS
Japanese scientist Kitagawa Susumu says he hopes that winning this year's Nobel Prize in chemistry will help promote wider use of the materials he developed.A day after the announcement, Kitagawa was welcomed by staff and students at Kyoto University, where he is executive vice president. In an exclusive interview with NHK, Kitagawa said he has high expectations his work will be put to practical use.
And I was hoping that I would get a big break if things went well. My research style has always been about taking on challenges. I have high hopes that a variety of needs will arise now.
Beyond winning the prize, I want to explain clearly to people about these materials and what they can do.
The award ceremonies for the Nobel Prize winners will be held in December in Stockholm.NOBEL PRIZE WINNER UNAWARE HE WON FOR NEARLY 12 HOURS
And Speaking of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, one of the winners only learned of the honor about 12 hours after the announcement.That's because he was on vacation camping and hiking with his wife. And the Rocky Mountains. Fred Ramsdell is a scientific advisor for a US biotech firm. He was awarded the prize along with Sakaguchi, Shimon and US based scientist Mary Brunkow for their work in immunology. The New York Times says Ramsdale was contacted by the Nobel Committee. Early Monday morning, but he did not notice because his phone was on airplane mode. That afternoon, when the couple parked their vehicle at a campground in Montana, Ramsdell's wife realized he had received a number of congratulatory text messages.
My wife shared screaming Oh my God, Oh my God, I said what? They said you won the Nobel Prize, and I said, no, I didn't. And she said, yes, you did. I have 200 text messages that says you won the world Prize. I'm like, that's unbelievable.
WEATHER
Now let's check the weather. The Izu Islands have been battered by Typhoon Halong, but there's another storm to watch out for. Our meteorologist Yumi Hirano has the details.Hello and brought vehicle breaking rainfall and gassed to HachijoJima on Thursday.
People were explained. Over 350mm were weighing in just one day and the gusts of almost 200 kilometers per hour.
The storm is now moving away from the island and the weather is improving gradually. However, the next system has already formed over the Pacific. Nakri is moving towards the Okinawa and Amami regions into Saturday, and then it's likely to approach around the islands on the Holiday Monday. The system is not expected to intensify as much as Halong, but the people there should prepare again.
The storms develop. The South is still covered by warm air, but farther north cold air is surging in. The high in Sapporo with only 15.3°. That's the lowest high so far this season people in Hokkaido could see signs of autumn.
Mount to Asahidake, the highest mountain in Hokkaido, had its first snowfall of the season on Thursday. This is 14 days later than normal and the fourth latest on record. Officials say temperatures dropped to -1°C, Mount Rishiri also in Hokkaido had its first snowfall on Tuesday.
The high in Sapporo will stay in 16 on Friday, Beijing will also see a chilly day with a high of 13, but the temperature will be 31 in Shanghai and 35 in Chongqing.
Between warm and cold air downpours are possible in parts of China. Intense wind is likely in Havei and Shanxi provinces on Friday.
That's it for now, have a nice day.
♫～ 3-DAY FORECAST ～♫
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