at 18:00 (JST), November 30 (Ai-CC by Clipchamp)

20241130180000_english_1.mp3

Welcome to NHK Newsline. I'm Ramin Mellegard in Tokyo. 

Now, sources familiar with Japan-China relations say a man detained in southern China for allegedly stabbing a Japanese schoolboy to death has been formally arrested. In September, a man wielding a knife attacked the 10-year-old who was on his way to a Japanese school in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. The boy died of his injuries.
The suspect, who is in his 40s, was taken into custody at the scene. Chinese authorities have not provided any information about his motive.
Japanese officials are still asking for an explanation.

The U.S. government has condemned the seven-year prison sentence given to a veteran Chinese journalist for espionage.
A court in Beijing handed down the ruling on Friday. Dong Yuyu was the deputy head of the Guangming Daily's commentary section. The newspaper is affiliated with the ruling Communist Party. He also worked as a researcher at Harvard University. In a statement, the U.S. State Department called Dong's sentencing unjust. It said it highlights China's failure to protect the right to freedom of speech and the press.
It also acknowledged Dong's achievements as a journalist and his contributions to people-to-people ties between the two countries. Washington is calling for his immediate and unconditional release.
Dong was detained in 2022, shortly after meeting with a Japanese embassy official.
He was indicted last year on charges of spying. Dong was well known among Western journalists and diplomats.

And North Korean media say leader Kim Jong Un has conveyed to Russia's defense minister the willingness to enhance ties with Moscow in military and other areas.
Kim met Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov in Pyongyang on Friday. In the meeting, Kim reportedly criticized Western countries, including the United States. For allowing Ukraine to use long range strike weapons supplied by them to attack targets in Russia, he also called the move direct military intervention. Kim was quoted as saying that it is an exercise of the right to self-defense for Russia to take resolute action to make the hostile forces pay the price. He reportedly affirmed his support for Russia's stance of defending its sovereignty and territory in the military operation against Ukraine. Kim also expressed A readiness to strengthen bilateral relations in all fields based on their comprehensive strategic partnership treaty. The deal calls for mutual military assistance if either country is attacked. The two countries have completed procedures to ratify the pact. South Korea's Yonhap news agency says experts have raised the possibility of Russia asking Pyongyang to further provide weapons or send troops in exchange for compensation from Moscow. 

And Japan's defense ministry says it detected a total of 10 aircraft of the Chinese and Russian militaries flying near the country on Friday.
The ministry said two Chinese and two Russian bombers staged a joint flight over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea and that one Russian fighter jet joined them. It also said a total of five Chinese military planes, including fighter and intelligence gathering aircraft, flew over the same area.
Japan's Air self-defense Force scrambled fighter jets in response.
Officials say there was no violation of Japan's airspace. The Defense Ministry says that it has conveyed grave concern to China and Russia through diplomatic channels, respectively. This is the first time since December last year the ministry has announced joint flights of Chinese and Russian military planes near Japan. It is the ninth time in total. Officials remain on alert as Beijing and Moscow are apparently stepping up military cooperation.

Local officials in Kiev said on Friday that overnight Russian drone strikes significantly damaged a medical facility in Ukraine's capital. They said one person was injured.
Ukraine's military says Russia launched 132 drone attacks across several regions. It says 88 were intercepted. Residential buildings also suffered extensive window damage, illustrating the intensity of the attacks.

When it, I was shaking so much I couldn't stop. I just jumped up as I didn't know whether to run or what to do.
This is an act of destruction against us and our country.

Ukraine's military also said Russia conducted large-scale attacks targeting energy infrastructure on Thursday. The attacks caused widespread outages in the western region of Lviv, about 1,000,000 households. Were left without power.

Now concerns are mounting of the growing number of casualties in the Gaza Strip, as Israel says it will keep fighting until it eliminates the Islamic group Hamas.
Israeli forces continued strikes in the enclave on Friday. Local media say 12 people in central and northern Gaza were killed.
Gaza health authorities said on Friday that over a 24 hour period, 33 people had died. They say 44,363 people have been killed in Gaza since last October. When Israel and Hamas began fighting.

On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a local broadcaster conditions have improved for a ceasefire in return for Hamas releasing Israeli hostages. But he said he won't end the war until Hamas is eliminated.

In the Israeli occupied West Bank on Friday, a shooter attacked a bus.

Israeli media say eight people were wounded. The suspect was reportedly shot dead by security forces. Hamas has claimed responsibility for the attack.

And British lawmakers gave initial approval to a bill legalizing assisted dying. The bill would allow terminally ill residents of England and Wales to seek medical help to end their lives.

The House of Commons voted in favor on Friday by 330 to 275. The bill would allow adults who are expected to have fewer than six months to live to seek medical help to end their lives. Decisions would be subject to approval from 2 independent doctors and. A High Court judge. The legislation is subject to a second vote in the lower house, followed by a debate in the upper chamber before it can become law. British Parliament voted down a similar bill in 2015, but in a recent poll, more than 70% of respondents were in favour of assisted dying in principle. Hundreds of people on both sides of the issue gathered outside the parliament.

I will, if I have to, take my own life. I am not ashamed. I am not afraid of it. I would rather go out on my own terms. A lot of people think that that it would be kind to let us die. We don't want to die. We want the assistance to live.

Western nations, including Canada, Switzerland and Spain have legalized the practice. So have some U.S. states. Other countries are currently debating whether to do the same.

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And those are the top stories for this hour.

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And that is a wrap for this edition of NHK Newsline. I'm Ramin Mellegard.
Thank you very much for joining us.