Key words : heatstroke alert 38
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220731_11/
Japanese authorities have issued a heatstroke alert for prefectures from northeastern through western regions as an intense sunshine is bringing another sweltering day on Sunday.
As of 11 a.m., temperatures stood at 36.5 degrees Celsius in the city of Komatsu in Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan, and the city of Hirakata in the western prefecture of Osaka. The mercury hit 33.5 degrees in central Tokyo.
Daytime highs are expected to reach 39 degrees in the city of Kumagaya, north of Tokyo, 38 degrees in the northeastern city of Fukushima and 37 degrees in the western city of Kyoto.
People should take precautions against heatstroke, such as staying indoors and refraining from exercise. They should also use air conditioners and take off their masks outdoors when not talking.
Meanwhile, heavy rain may pound the western region of Shikoku as well as Tokyo and surrounding prefectures later in the day.
The Meteorological Agency is calling on people to stay vigilant against mudslides, swollen rivers and floods, as well as lightning and gusty winds.
Key words : four children
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220731_07/
Devastating floods have claimed lives of at least 25 people including four children in the US state of Kentucky.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear confirmed the deaths on Saturday. He said he expects the number of victims to rise as many people are still unaccounted for. Search and rescue efforts are continuing.
CNN reported that the four children were siblings and that they were on the roof of their family's mobile home when floodwaters washed them away.
President Joe Biden declared a major disaster in the state on Friday. He instructed the federal government to provide aid to support the local recovery efforts.
Heavy rain since Wednesday caused rivers to swell and water to overflow in large areas in Kentucky.
Aerial images show residential areas being submerged, with only the roofs of many houses visible above the muddy water.
Key words : monkeypox new york
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220731_05/
In the US state of New York, the governor has declared an emergency over the rapid spread of the monkeypox virus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 5,189 cases had been confirmed across the country as of Friday.
New York, with about one in four cases, has reported more infections than any other US state.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul is calling for increased measures to contain the outbreak.
Hochul wrote on Twitter that the declaration will allow health care workers to take additional steps to get more New Yorkers vaccinated.
She added that officials are working to secure more vaccines, and expand testing capacity.
The US government has distributed 340,000 doses of monkeypox vaccine to state authorities. It has also decided to allocate about 790,000 more doses in response to shortfalls seen in many places.
Monkeypox is spreading mainly in Europe and the United States.
Data compiled by the CDC show 22,485 cases were confirmed in 79 countries and regions as of Friday. Spain and Brazil have reported their first monkeypox deaths.
Key words : iraq
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220731_04/
Thousands of supporters of Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr again occupied Iraq's parliament in the capital of Baghdad on Saturday for the second time in a week.
Iraq's state-run television and the health ministry said the protestors clashed with security forces, injuring more than 120 people on both sides.
The protesters are opposed to a new candidate for prime minister nominated by a rival Shia alliance.
The rival alliance took the majority of seats in parliament after more than 70 lawmakers from al-Sadr's bloc resigned one month ago after negotiations to form a coalition government stalled.
The Al-Sadr bloc won the largest number of seats in last October's parliamentary election.
But political disagreement made it difficult to build a governing coalition and choose a president and prime minister.
Al-Sadr's bloc says Iraq should eliminate the influence of neighboring Iran, a majority Shia country. Its rival alliance of Iran-backed groups attaches importance to relations with the country.
Key words : myanmar kubota three people
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220731_03/
A Japanese man has been detained by security forces in Myanmar. Local media outlets say he was at a demonstration that was being held to protest against the country's military.
The media outlets say three people were taken into custody in the largest city of Yangon on Saturday. They say Kubota Toru was one of them.
The Japanese embassy in Myanmar told NHK it has confirmed that the detained man is a Japanese national in his 20s. It also said he is being questioned by police, and that it will call for his immediate release.
Myanmar's military seized power in a coup in February, 2021.
Japanese journalist Kitazumi Yuki was detained by security forces in Myanmar in April of last year.
He was indicted and charged with engaging in several actions, such as spreading false information. But Kitazumi was freed one month later, after the Japanese government demanded his release.
Key words : japanese automaker
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220731_10/
Japanese automakers are delaying delivery of vehicles and suspending new orders for some models largely due to the need to cut production amid a global semiconductor shortage.
Eight major carmakers say they assembled roughly 3.4 million vehicles in the first half of this year. That's a drop of more than 14 percent from the same period last year.
Toyota Motor is not accepting new orders for the sport utility vehicle Land Cruiser. The firm says it will take up to four years to deliver Land Cruisers because the number of orders is far above output capacity.
Toyota also says that owing to a limited number of units available for delivery it had to cancel some orders.
Nissan Motor and Honda Motor also aren't taking orders for some models. A growing number of customers at other automakers are having to wait several months to have their vehicles delivered.
Cases of the coronavirus were found at factories in July, leading some assembly lines in Japan to suspend operations.
Analysts say it will likely take some time for vehicle production to return to normal.
Key words : ukrainian prison blamed
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220731_09/
Ukraine and western countries are condemning Russia after dozens of Ukrainian soldiers were killed in an attack on a facility where they were held as prisoners of war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that more than 50 people were killed in the attack on Olenivka prison in the eastern region of Donetsk.
Ukrainian and Russian officials blamed each other for the shelling.
Zelenskyy called the attack "a deliberate Russian war crime." The intelligence agency of Ukraine's defense ministry says many Ukrainian soldiers captured at the Azovstal steel works in the eastern city of Maruipol were in the prison.
It also says that a private Russian military organization, the Wagner Group, is believed to have carried out the strike.
Russia's defense ministry says the Ukrainian military shelled the prison using a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System provided by the United States.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell issued a statement condemning Russia over the attack.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken assured Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in a phone call that the US is committed to "hold Russia accountable for atrocities."
The International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement that "All prisoners of war, wherever they are held, are protected under international humanitarian law" and they "should not be attacked."
Families and relatives of Ukrainian POWs demonstrated on Saturday in Kyiv. Some carried signs reading "Russia is a terrorist state."
Key words : footage defense war crimes
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220730_15/
Kyiv has accused Russia of the deaths of dozens of Ukrainian soldiers in an attack on a facility where they were being detained in the country's pro-Russian-forces controlled area.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that more than 50 people were killed in the attack on Olenivka prison in the eastern region of Donetsk. He said, "It was a deliberate Russian war crime, a deliberate mass murder of Ukrainian prisoners of war."
Ukrainian prosecutors say they have begun an investigation to pursue Russia's responsibility for the incident.
Russia's defense ministry also reported the attack on Friday. Video footage from Russia's state-run news agency shows a shattered facility with destroyed ceilings and rows of charred bunk beds.
The ministry said the strike was delivered using a US-made HIMARS rocket system, and called it a provocation from the Ukrainian side.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has categorically denied Russia's claims. It says, "The committed explosion is a cynical terrorist act of Russian Federation, a military provocation and a typical false flag operation, the purpose of which is to cover up war crimes."
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell issued a statement over the prison attack. He said, "The European Union condemns in the strongest possible terms the atrocities committed by the Russian forces and their proxies."
Key words : high school
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20220731_01/
High school students in Tokyo organized an online forum to learn about the current situation in Ukraine, and to discussed how Japanese students can lend their support.
The students organized the event after learning about how young people in Ukraine are losing their lives in Russia's ongoing invasion, fighting on the front lines away from their families and friends.
About 100 Japanese middle and high school students took part in the event held on Saturday.
Bogdan Parkhomenko, who spent time in Japan between the ages of 4 and 16, has been disseminating information on Ukraine on social media from the country's capital Kyiv.
He told the participants that in the past few days alone, rockets have been fired into his neighborhood, and a facility where a friend of his brother was detained as a prisoner of war has been blown up, killing more than 50 people.
Three high school and university students evacuating from Ukraine to Japan also shared their experiences of how the invasion caused sudden changes in everyday life.
The participants also discussed how they can support the Ukraine people. They suggested collecting signatures and donations, as well as expressing their opinions on social media.
One of the students who organized the forum said the issue is too difficult for even the United Nations or politicians to resolve. But he said he wanted to think about what contributions students can make.
