Key words : trump first convict
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20240531_17/
Trump found guilty, sentencing set for July 11
Donald Trump has become the first-ever former US president to be convicted of a crime. A New York jury found him guilty on all 34 counts related to hush money paid to an adult film star ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
Prosecutors say Trump led a conspiracy to influence the outcome of the race. They say he covered up a 130,000-dollar payment to buy actor Stormy Daniels' silence about a sexual encounter.
After weeks of hearings and two days of deliberations, a 12-person jury agreed with their arguments.
Trump maintains he is innocent, and claims the outcome of the court case was politically-motivated. "Our whole country is being rigged right now. This was done by the Biden administration in order to wound or hurt an opponent, a political opponent," he said.
Trump could face from probation to four years in prison per count. His sentencing date is set for July 11th -- just days before the Republican national convention kicks off in Wisconsin, where he's expected to win the nomination.
Trump said: "The real verdict is going to be November 5th by the people. And they know what happened here and everybody knows what happened here."
Under the US Constitution, Trump's conviction does not prevent him from running in the presidential election. He is also expected to appeal the verdict, a process which could take months.
Outside the courtroom, reactions were split between Trump's critics and his supporters.
US President Joe Biden weighed-in on social media, posting, "There's only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: At the ballot box."
US public broadcaster PBS surveyed people about how the conviction would affect their vote. Seventeen percent said they are "less likely to vote for Trump" while 15 percent said they are "more likely."
Some political analysts also say many in the US already have entrenched opinions about Trump. They say the verdict will not have a significant impact on who people choose to vote for on election day.
Key words : commentator hanazawa yuichiro
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/videos/20240531152014357/
What Trump's guilty verdict means for the US election
Former US president Donald Trump has been found guilty on all counts in his hush money criminal case. Trump's sentencing date is set for July 11th, just days before he's expected to win the Republican nomination. NHK examines what this means for the election.
Key words : north conducted 600
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20240531_08/
North Korea says it conducted 'demonstration firing of super-large artillery'
North Korea says it has conducted a demonstration firing involving super-large multiple rocket launchers. The announcement comes a day after the country reportedly launched ballistic missiles.
North Korea's ruling Workers' Party newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, reported this on Friday. It says the country's leader, Kim Jong Un, supervised the firing of the 600- millimeter rocket artillery.
A photo shows 18 missiles being fired simultaneously from mobile launchers.
The report says artillerymen hit an island target 365 kilometers away. South Korean media say a major air base in the South would be within the missiles' range.
The North claims that the missiles are capable of carrying nuclear warheads. It says the demonstration was conducted to show the country will not to hesitate to carry out a preemptive attack against South Korea.
Kim reportedly said his country's nuclear forces should be more thoroughly prepared to promptly and correctly perform the important mission of deterring a war and taking the initiative in the war.
The South Korean military said the North launched more than 10 projectiles believed to be short-range ballistic missiles from the Sunan area near Pyongyang on Thursday.
The US Department of State said in a statement on Thursday that the United States condemns North Korea "in the strongest possible terms," adding that the launches were in direct violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions.
It said the launches serve as a reminder of the need for all countries to fully implement North Korea-related UN Security Council resolutions that prohibit Pyongyang from acquiring technologies and materials to advance its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs. The comment apparently has Russia in mind, as Moscow is stepping up its military cooperation with Pyongyang.
Key words : Biden reportedly
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20240531_13/
US media: Biden allowing Ukraine to attack some areas in Russia with US weapons
Major US media outlets say President Joe Biden has given Ukraine permission to use US-supplied weapons to strike some limited areas inside Russia. This is an apparent shift in US policy. The Biden administration had only allowed Kyiv to use US-supplied weapons to fight against Russia inside Ukraine.
Political news website Politico and other outlets quoted US government sources in news reports that they issued on Thursday.
They quoted one of the officials as saying that the president recently directed his team to ensure that Ukraine can use US weapons for counter-fire purposes in Kharkiv, so Ukraine can hit back at Russian forces hitting them or preparing to hit them.
The reports indicate that Biden's decision applies only to targets over the border close to the eastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv. They suggested that Ukraine can now use US-provided arms, such as rockets and rocket launchers, to target Russian missiles heading toward Kharkiv, Russian troops amassing on the border close to Kharkiv or Russian bombers launching bombs toward Ukrainian territory.
The US administration is reportedly not allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles to attack deep inside Russia.
The shift in policy was apparently made in response to the recent intensification of Russia's offensive. Earlier this month, Russia's troops crossed the border near Kharkiv and took control of dozens of settlements near the border.
Key words : israeli military captured
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20240531_02/
Israel seizes control of border area between Gaza, Egypt
The Israeli military says it has captured a border area between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. This comes amid Israel's continued military operation in southern parts of the enclave.
An Israeli military spokesperson said on Wednesday that Israeli forces had taken "operational control" of the Philadelphi Corridor. He added that about 20 tunnels had been discovered there.
Israel says the area was used to smuggle weapons and other goods from Egypt to Gaza. Israel had controlled the roughly 14-kilometer-long corridor until 2005.
Egyptian media quoted a high-ranking Egyptian official as denying the presence of tunnels in the area.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces continued their attacks on Rafah, where many people are taking shelter.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society said on Wednesday that two of its staff were killed when an ambulance carrying them was struck by the Israeli military in western Rafah.
The Israeli military also resumed fighting Hamas combatants in northern Gaza, an area it said earlier that its troops had taken control of.
A senior Israeli government official said on Wednesday that the fighting in Gaza is expected to continue for another seven months to destroy the military and governing capabilities of Hamas.
Health authorities in Gaza said on Wednesday that the death toll in the enclave since the start of the conflict had climbed to 36,171.
Key words : openai online
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20240531_11/
US firm OpenAI: Russia, China groups use AI for influence operations
US tech firm OpenAI says it identified five groups, based in various countries, that have been using its technology in attempts to manipulate public opinion. The firm developed the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT.
OpenAI on Thursday reported the latest trends in covert influence operations. It said five groups, based in Russia, China, Iran and Israel, used generative AI for a range of tasks, such as making up names and bios for social media accounts, creating comments and translating texts.
The content posted by the groups focused on a wide range of issues, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the conflict between Israel and the Islamic group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and politics in the United States.
The firm said a group based in China generated texts in English, Japanese and other languages that criticized Japan's release of treated and diluted water from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean. The texts were posted on online platforms.
The report points out the risk of influence operations by generative AI ahead of the US presidential election and other events.
Key words : world weather Yuumi Hirano
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Key words : kuroyanagi
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20240531_04/
Japanese author of 'Totto-chan' attends China event to mark sequel publication
The Japanese writer of a memoir that became a bestseller in China has expressed hope that her book will foster mutual understanding between people of both countries.
Actor and TV personality Kuroyanagi Tetsuko attended an event in Beijing on Thursday to commemorate the publication in China earlier this month of a Chinese version of a sequel to "Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window."
The original autobiography first came out in Japan in 1981. It tells of Kuroyanagi's memories of her life at a Tokyo school, to which she transferred as a first grader.
Roughly 26 million copies of the book have been printed, with 65 percent of them published in China. The story also appeared as a textbook material in the country.
The 90-year-old author said she penned what she found interesting and that the content may have reverberated more among Chinese than among Japanese.
She added she was surprised that the Chinese sequel hit bookstores less than eight months after its Japanese version became available.
A Chinese reader told the author that her book has taught reading is fun. Another said reading "Totto-chan" was a life-changing experience.
