Key words : british omicron italy
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211128_06/
Cases of a new variant of the coronavirus, known as Omicron, have been reported in Britain and Germany for the first time. The variant was initially detected in South Africa.
Countries around the world are tightening their borders for travelers from southern Africa to block the variant. The World Health Organization has designated Omicron as a "variant of concern".
Britain's health authorities confirmed two cases of Omicron on Saturday. Germany also confirmed the infection of two people arriving from South Africa.
Cases of Omicron had been confirmed earlier in South Africa, Botswana, Hong Kong, Israel, and Belgium.
In the Netherlands, 61 airline passengers from South Africa have tested positive for the coronavirus. The country is waiting for further test results as there are multiple suspected cases of the new variant.
Italy and the Czech Republic say suspected Omicron cases have been reported in their countries.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday said at a news conference, "As always with a new variant, there are many things that we just cannot know at this early stage." He added, "It does appear that Omicron spreads very rapidly, and can be spread between people who are double vaccinated." He explained that's why Britain is tightening border controls.
On Saturday, South Korea, Thailand, and Sri Lanka joined countries that have announced tightened entry rules for people arriving from South Africa and surrounding countries.
Key words : US omicron raised
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211128_10/
US citizens are now advised not to travel to eight countries in southern Africa as the new coronavirus variant Omicron has been identified in various parts of the world.
The state department raised the travel advisory levels for South Africa, Botswana, Malawi and five other countries to "Level 4 Do Not Travel," on Saturday.
Infection with the Omicron variant, which was first identified in South Africa, is feared to be spreading globally.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday also raised its travel recommendation to "Level 4 Very High".
US President Joe Biden's Chief Medical Advisor Anthony Fauci said in an interview with US television network NBC that the Omicron variant has not been detected yet in the country but he "would not be surprised if it is."
Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor by phone on Saturday.
They confirmed the importance of partnership in helping vaccinate populations in Africa in an effort to prevent further infection with the new variant.
Key words : world health african low
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211128_01/
The rates of vaccination against the coronavirus remain low in African countries. The World Health Organization warns that the gap with wealthy nations could undermine global efforts to combat the virus.
The WHO's Regional Office for Africa says only about six percent of the people in Africa had been inoculated against the virus as of late October.
The WHO estimates that most of Africa's 54 countries are set to miss the organization's goal of vaccinating at least 40 percent of their populations by the end of this year. Only five countries, including Seychelles and Mauritius, are expected to meet the goal.
In addition, a preliminary analysis by the WHO shows that only about 27 percent of healthcare workers in Africa have been fully vaccinated, compared to above 80 percent in 22 mostly high-income countries.
The WHO attributes the delay in Africa to insufficient vaccine supply, slow progress of vaccination plans in each country, and syringe shortages.
People's distrust of the vaccine is another problem. In Malawi, southern Africa, part of the donated doses had to be trashed because the shots expired before they could get to people.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned in a news conference in October that there will be a new vaccine-resistant variant if the spread of the virus is not contained in low-income countries.
He said that would make developed countries' efforts to vaccinate their populations fall apart. He said not having equitable distribution of vaccines is "a question of being stupid."
Key words : brazil
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211128_12/
A gigantic Christmas tree has been lit up in Brazil, where people are wishing for an end to the coronavirus pandemic.
Preparations for Christmas are in full swing in the country in the southern hemisphere, which is at the height of summer.
A 50-meter tall tree was unveiled in Sao Paulo on Saturday. The illuminated tree created an impressive sight.
The tree is displayed with wishes from people that the spread of the virus will be stopped, and human relationships lost in the pandemic will be restored.
Over 600,000 people have died of COVID-19 in Brazil. Even today, the country's daily tallies of new infections often exceed 10,000.
The discovery of a new variant in South Africa has added to people's concerns over a new outbreak. The government announced that it will restrict entry of travelers from six southern African nations.
A local university student who took part in the tree lighting ceremony says there is not much information about the new variant, but he feels he should continue to take all possible preventative measures.
Key words : fukushima undersea
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211128_09/
The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has begun a series of undersea surveys for a planned discharge of treated water from the facility.
Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, sent two ships about a kilometer away from the plant on Saturday. The area is a planned site for discharging treated water through an undersea tunnel to be constructed.
Saturday's survey, which lasted from 6 a.m. to around 4 p.m, was designed to check for any obstacles to the tunnel's construction. A magnetic probe using sensors and visual examination by divers were conducted. TEPCO says the magnetic probe will continue through Sunday and that boring surveys for tunnel construction will start on Wednesday at the earliest.
The Japanese government plans to discharge treated water through a submarine tunnel around spring of 2023. Under the plan, the treated water will be released after tritium and other radioactive substances have been diluted below government safety standards.
Local communities and some critics are voicing concerns that the planned discharge could cause the spread of misinformation about the safety of local marine products.
The government faces a challenge of getting their understanding and taking effective measures against misinformation.
Key words : researcher monkey
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211128_11/
A team of Japanese researchers says a vaccine they are developing has successfully eliminated HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, in monkeys.
Researchers at Japan's National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition injected a processed HIV virus in cynomolgus monkeys, also known as crab-eating macaques, that had been inoculated with the new vaccine.
They say four of the seven monkeys tested were infected, but the virus later became undetectable in their bodies. Researchers assume that the monkeys' immuno-response stimulated by the vaccine caused HIV in them to disappear. They say they hope to begin clinical trials on humans in around five years.
Yasutomi Yasuhiro, the director of the institute's Tsukuba Primate Research Center, says their discovery could lead to complete cure of AIDS, which has been difficult, and that success could further promote the development of drugs and vaccines.
AIDS, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, causes a variety of complications. More than 20,000 people have tested positive for HIV in Japan.
Key words : haircuts for everyone
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Key words : taliban education
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211128_07/
The acting prime minister of the Taliban interim government in Afghanistan has said in a speech that education for girls as well as for boys is compulsory, indicating that girls will be allowed to go to school as conditions permit.
Mullah Hasan Akhund touched upon the topic of girls not being allowed back in secondary education in the capital, Kabul, and elsewhere.
Afghanistan's state media broadcast his audio speech on Saturday.
He said that education is compulsory for Muslim boys and girls. He indicated that when schools are ready to facilitate separate education for them, girls will go back to school step by step.
Akhund said women in Afghanistan are free to go anywhere and can get education and work. He added that they are enjoying peace.
It was the first broadcast of a speech by the acting prime minister since the Taliban formed an interim government.
It is believed that he hopes to have the government accepted by other countries by showing willingness to respect women's rights.
The international community is cautiously watching the extent of the Taliban's restoration of women's rights.
Key words : nakamura
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211128_02/
People have gathered in Japan to remember doctor Nakamura Tetsu, who was killed nearly two years ago while working on humanitarian projects in Afghanistan.
Nakamura, representing a Japanese non-governmental organization, had spent years in helping Afghans in healthcare, farmland regeneration, and other projects. He was shot and killed on December 4, 2019, at the age of 73.
About 250 people, including Nakamura's family members and people with links to the NGO, Peshawar-kai, gathered on Saturday in Fukuoka City, southwestern Japan, where the NGO is based. They offered silent prayers to Nakamura.
Nakamura's oldest daughter Akiko expressed her sense of loss, saying she feels as if her father were doing his favorite yard work right there with his straw hat on.
The NGO says the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, such as food shortages, has been growing since the Taliban retook power. That is because of the delay in international assistance and the impact of drought.
The group's leader, Murakami Masaru, said the lives of Afghan people are increasingly at risk. He expressed the group's determination to continue to assist those people.
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