Key words : norway
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211204_08/
At least 13 people in Norway have been confirmed to be infected with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus after attending a corporate Christmas party in the capital Oslo.
Norwegian health authorities said on Thursday that more than 50 attendees tested positive for the virus, and one of them had the new variant. Officials found 12 more cases of the variant on Friday.
Reuters and other media outlets say everyone at the party was fully vaccinated, and none had tested positive before the event.
The 13 people infected with the variant are reportedly showing mild symptoms and not seriously ill.
The health authorities suspect there was an outbreak of the variant at the party. The number of infections is expected to rise as officials check the other attendees.
Key words : south africa topping
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211204_07/
South Africa is battling a surge in coronavirus cases driven by the new Omicron variant, with the daily case count topping 10,000 for the first time in three months.
Health authorities in the country were the first to sound the warning about the variant after detecting it in samples in November. On Thursday, they reported 11,535 new cases of COVID-19, a dramatic rise from just over 300 cases 10 days earlier.
Health Minister Joe Phaahla told reporters on Friday that South Africa is being hit by a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections, and that the Omicron variant is responsible.
Genetic analysis by health authorities in November of 249 samples taken from people who tested positive showed that 22 percent were infected with the Delta variant while 74 percent had the Omicron variant.
Only about 30 percent of people in South Africa have been vaccinated. Phaahla said research findings show the Omicron variant is highly transmissible. He urged people to get fully vaccinated and take thorough antivirus measures. He said vaccination is the best way to prevent people from becoming seriously ill.
Key words : shionogi
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211204_02/
Japanese pharmaceutical company Shionogi has started clinical trials in which a coronavirus vaccine it is developing will be used as a booster.
There are 200 participants in the trials, which began Friday. All have received two shots of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine at least six months ago.
Half will receive Shionogi's vaccine as a booster, and the other half will receive Pfizer's. The Osaka-based company will then compare efficacy and safety.
Shionogi aims to put the first Japanese-made coronavirus vaccine to practical use by next March.
Japan started rolling out booster shots this month. A company official says a domestic vaccine will ensure a steady supply.
Key words : Biden white paper
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211204_11/
The Chinese government has released a white paper on the country's democracy, saying that "China practices a rich and extensive form of democracy."
The move comes before the administration of US President Joe Biden is set to host the Summit for Democracy next week.
The Chinese government unveiled the white paper titled "China: Democracy That Works" at a news conference on Saturday.
The paper says that China did not duplicate Western models of democracy in its modernization drive, but created its own.
It says, "Democracy is rich in form, and there are many ways to achieve it. Countries with different histories, cultures and national conditions may choose different forms of democracy."
The paper also says, "Whether a country is democratic should be judged by its people, not dictated by a handful of outsiders."
Minister of the State Council Information Office, Xu Lin, said at the news conference that democracy "is the right of the people of all countries, not the patent of a few countries."
He criticized the US, saying the country considers itself the leader of democracy, but in reality has suppressed other countries with different social systems and development models under the name of democracy.
The Biden administration is scheduled to hold the two-day online Summit for Democracy" starting Thursday, and has invited leaders from about 110 countries and regions.
.
Key words : chinese government macao
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211204_09/
The Chinese government has decided to create new posts in Macao to oversee national security affairs.
The state-run Xinhua news agency reported the decision on Friday.
It said four officials from Beijing's liaison office in Macao, including its director, will take up the new posts on Macao's Committee for Safeguarding National Security.
The report also said the national security affairs adviser will supervise and guide the Macao government in safeguarding national security.
A similar post was established in Hong Kong when the national security law for the territory was enacted in June 2020.
Like Hong Kong, Macao comes under the "one country, two systems" framework.
Pro-democracy members of Macao's Legislative Assembly lost their seats in an election in September after they were barred from running for being "disloyal."
The influence of democracy advocates is already limited in Macao, but the latest move is seen as Beijing's attempt to tighten its control on dissidents further, just as it has done in Hong Kong.
Key words : us defense arrangement
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211204_05/
US and Chinese defense officials have held working-level talks apparently aimed at ensuring bilateral tensions do not boil over.
In a statement, the US Defense Department said the two sides discussed the Pentagon's annual report on the Chinese military during an online meeting on Tuesday.
The report, released last month, warns of China's rapid military buildup, including possession of nuclear warheads.
The US statement said they "held a constructive discussion to build understanding and maintain open channels of communication between the Department of Defense and the People's Liberation Army."
US government sources say arrangements are being made for phone talks between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart.
The talks are apparently aimed at avoiding accidental clashes amid rising tensions over China's activities in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea.
Key words : struggling evergrande
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211204_06/
China's struggling Evergrande Group says it will negotiate a workable restructuring plan with offshore creditors after revealing it may not have enough funds to fully meet its debt obligations.
The real estate developer said on Friday that it had received a demand from creditors to pay about 260 million dollars.
Evergrande said in a statement there is "no guarantee that the group will have sufficient funds to continue to perform its financial obligations." It said it plans to "engage with offshore creditors to formulate a viable restructuring plan."
The announcement prompted a swift response from Guangdong Province, where the company is based. The provincial government summoned Evergrande Chairman Hui Ka Yan for an explanation. It said it will send a working group to the company to oversee risk management, tighten controls, and get operations back to normal.
Chinese financial authorities are trying to stop the impact of Evergrande's financial woes from spreading to the broader property sector.
The central bank, the People's Bank of China, said in a statement that Evergrande's problem was mainly caused by its own mismanagement and reckless expansion, and that risks to the general financial market can be contained.
Key words : nakamura kill
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211204_04/
Saturday marks exactly two years since widely revered Japanese doctor and aid worker Nakamura Tetsu was gunned down in Afghanistan.
Nakamura was fatally shot in the eastern province of Nangarhar on December 4, 2019, while working on a humanitarian project. He was 73 years old.
He devoted his career to improving the lives of Afghans as the local head of Japanese NGO Peshawar-kai.
Authorities including Afghan intelligence agencies are yet to identify any suspects for the killing.
Investigations have virtually gone back to square one since the Taliban regained power in August. Many government officials are hiding or have fled the country.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told NHK in September that the gunmen were probably paid to shoot Nakamura. He also said the Taliban will eventually track down the perpetrators and hold them to account.
The investigation is growing more difficult, because the murder took place in a stronghold of the Islamic State militant group, which is a rival of the Taliban.
Key words : kanazawa
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211204_10/
Workers in the Japanese city of Kanazawa have begun a seasonal ritual to preserve earthen walls around former samurai residences.
They are covering them with straw mats called "komo" to insulate them against the snow and keep them from peeling and cracking.
About 30 workers, including some who are studying gardening, gathered on Saturday in the historical Nagamachi district where samurai once resided.
With help from veteran gardeners, the workers suspended the komo mats over the walls using ropes. A typical komo measures one-meter tall by 3.5-meters wide.
Tourists took photos of the event.
A woman in her 50s from Osaka said that she was impressed to see the workers brave the cold hail to protect the cultural assets. She said she wants to come back in the middle of winter.
The work to protect the walls will continue on Sunday. The komo will stay on the walls until mid-March.
0 件のコメント:
コメントを投稿