at 18:00 (JST), December 02 (Ai-CC by Clipchamp)

20241202180000_english_1.mp3

Welcome back to NHK News Line. Here's the latest we have for you at this hour.

Police in northern Japan were busy dealing with an unwelcome visitor. They say a bear has been caught and removed from a supermarket after entering the store two days ago. On Saturday, the bear entered the shop in Akita city and attacked a 47-year-old employee who sustained a head injury. On Monday morning, the police said the bear was found in a trap after the Akita Prefectural Government informed them its sensor had been activated. They say the animal was taken away later in the day. Bear sightings around schools and in urban areas in Akita have been frequent since the beginning of November. The prefecture has decided to extend a bear warning until the end of December. It was originally scheduled to end on Saturday.

I feel it's dangerous for children to play near homes and outside on roads.
We have been a little careless thinking bears won't be here, so we'd like to teach students about safety in class.

Bear attacks have become a social problem across Japan. The number of people who've suffered injuries or other damage caused by the animal hit a record high in the fiscal year that ended in March.

U.S. President Joe Biden has announced that he's pardoned his son, Hunter, just weeks before the end of his term and reversing promises not to. In June, a jury found Hunter Biden guilty of felonies connected to his illegal purchase of a gun in 2018. He was found to have made false statements related to his illegal drug use.
Hunter was also indicted for failing to pay taxes. US media outlets say he was scheduled to be sentenced this month.
President Biden released a statement on Sunday. He said he has watched as his son has been selectively and unfairly prosecuted. He added that Hunter was singled out because he is the president's son. Biden said he hopes Americans will understand why a father and a president would take such a step. Until now, he'd repeatedly said that he would respect judicial decisions and not issue a pardon.

Meanwhile, US President-elect Donald Trump has lashed out at Biden's pardon of his son. He called the action an abuse and miscarriage of justice.

Trump unleashed his criticism in a social media post on Sunday, taking the opportunity to refer to his supporters involved in the riot in the Capitol on January 6  2021. He asked does the pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J6 hostages who have now been imprisoned for years? Trump himself pardoned a number of people or commuted their sentences in December 2020, just before his first presidential term ended.Those pardoned included members of Trump's 2016 campaign, who were convicted of charges linked to the alleged Russian interference in the presidential election. Charles Kushner, the father-in-law of Trump's daughter Ivanka, also received a pardon. Kushner had pleaded guilty of tax evasion and other charges. Trump announced on Saturday that he has tapped Kushner as a new U.S. ambassador to France in his incoming administration.

The US president-elect is also named his point person on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs, Masad Boulos, a businessman and father-in-law of Trump's daughter, Tiffany. In a social media post on Sunday, Trump said Boulos is a highly respected leader in the business world with extensive international experience.
He also said Boulos is an unwavering supporter of peace in the Middle East.
U.S. media reports say that Boulos is a Lebanese-American who helped Trump garner Arab-American votes in battleground states in the presidential election.
Boulos reportedly has ties with Palestinians, including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
The announcement comes as Palestinians in Gaza could soon be facing even more humanitarian hardship. International organizations are suspending their work after an aid vehicle was hit by an Israeli airstrike. The UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees, or UNRWA, announced on Sunday it's paused aid deliveries through Keram Shalom in southern Gaza. The checkpoint is the main crossing point for humanitarian aid.
UNRWA has cited a lack of safety.
That move came after World Central Kitchen announced Saturday that it was suspending activities in the enclave. One of its vehicles suffered an Israeli airstrike,... killing at least one person. The Israeli military says it struck a vehicle carrying a terrorist who took part in the surprise Hamas attack on Israel in October last year. It says that person worked for World Central Kitchen. The incident comes amid a worsening food shortage. The Associated Press reports two children and a woman were crushed to death on Friday when a crowd of Palestinians rushed to get bread at a bakery in Gaza.

In Lebanon, a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah remains in effect after it was brokered between the U.S. and France, but peace talks in Gaza remain stalled. Hamas appears to be putting more pressure on Israel and the U.S. to bring them back to the negotiating table. The group has released a video claiming to show an American hostage. The footage, released Saturday, shows a young man pleading for intervention to secure his release. A White House official says he's an American-Israeli, and that they have been in touch with his family.
Negotiators have failed to reach consensus on the first-ever global treaty on plastic pollution. They agreed to postpone a draft agreement amid divisions over several proposals, including the reduction of plastic production.
The chair of the negotiating committee says participants need more time to hammer out the United Nations treaty. He released a revised draft on the last day of the week-long talks in Busan, South Korea. One option sided with a proposal by the European Union to set a global target to cut plastic output and require countries to report steps they take to achieve the goal. Another option omitted such restrictions, reflecting strong opposition by oil-producing nations. And we have reaction to the meeting from a top conservation group, as well as a look at one way plastic pollution is affecting people in Southeast Asia.

We came to Busan hoping for something different than what we got, that's for sure. The World Wildlife Fund's Erin Simon says even if the agreement may not be there yet, the problem definitely is. And it's getting worse. Global plastic waste output hit 353 million metric tons in 2019, more than double the amount produced in 2000. Imports of that waste are surging in Malaysia.

This is not local. That's why you see this is not our local waste. This is Europe. They are brought into the country for recycling, but there have been many cases of illegal dumping and incineration.

This is very unfair and this is very like not respect our human right.

This woman moved to the area two years ago. Here we always have plastic, plastic burning smell.

She says her family suffers sore throats due to the pollution.

I feel very sad. Why my son have to face this problem?

Malaysia's government has taken measures to forcibly return plastic waste illegally brought in from Japan, Europe and elsewhere. It's an example of how international this problem is, experts say, reducing the amount of plastic being produced. is a key step in solving it.

We are already producing way more than the world can manage in plastic today, with a dump truck of plastic waste entering our ecosystems every minute. And the best predictions are within the next 15 years, we'll double what we produce and therefore triple what we leak. Many of these like-minded or oil producing countries do not like that idea of stopping production. So that continues to be the major tension.

And so continues the challenge of trying to find consensus.

I am hopeful because the right bones are there. I'm hopeful because the majority, the overwhelming majority of countries agree with what needs to be in that treaty to make it actually have teeth. And now it's just about kind of getting it done.

Negotiators plan to meet again next year.

A traditional winter festival took place in the mountains of Fukushima Prefecture Sunday. About 300 people took part in the procession.
About 50 giant flags were waving as part of Nihon Matsu City's annual Kohata Banner Festival. It's set to date back over 900 years. Participants carried the 9-meter tall flags for several kilometers to shrines at the foot of a local mountain.

When December arrives, I feel like it's the season for this festival.

The tradition is based on a legend dating back to the 11th century. It's said that an army had holed up on the mountain.
When they saw snow blanketing the trees, they mistook it for the white banners of their enemies and fled. The Japanese government designated the festival as an important, intangible folk cultural property.

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And we'd like you to access the NHK World Japan website for more details.

It is time to check the world weather with our meteorologist, Jonathan Oh.　Jonathan, it was a bit of a mess for those in the northeastern United States as That winter storm rolled in through the region. How are things looking now?

Hello, a bit of a bitter blast rolled through the northeastern portions of the United States and in the process dumped a significant amount of heavy snow. We have this phenomenon over in the Great Lakes, where when you have really cold air running over these lakes that are really large enough to create these big snow clouds, it really dumps a bunch of snow in the region. To show you what's happening, take a look at this video, give you an idea of how it looks like on the ground. Intense lake effect snow blanketed the Great Lakes region, causing disruptions throughout the holiday weekend. Blizzard like conditions caused traffic jams as some roads and highways had to be closed. Officials say there were more than 200 incidents in a 24 hour period between Friday and Saturday morning. The National Weather Service says the cold air is expected to last through Monday, with temperatures well below average. So while a lot of the moisture is kind of tried to wrap, but we still have aBit of that northwesterly flow. So we'll still be looking at the possibility of seeing a little more snow with that another little back toward the West across the Midwest. You're thinking how far South can this go?Well, we're looking at the possibility down to the southeast and maybe talk about some snow as far South as. Tennessee to Kentucky as we head toward late Monday into Tuesday. But the reason is because it's just so cold. All the cold air bringing temperatures down to minus 12 in mid Winnipeg for the daytime high coming up on Monday. So so possible to Chicago as well. But back toward the West, a little bit reprieve 22 for the high in Los Angeles with sunny skies as you go through Monday. Speaking of some warmer weather, Tokyo seeing temperatures that are still slightly above average for this time of year and that will continue as we head toward Tuesday now toward the north. We have a cold front that's going to sweep on through. We're talking about some rain and maybe even some snow possibilities as we go through Tuesday. Sapporo look at a high of five Niigata at 11. But look at this 18 in Tokyo and Osaka, 17 Fukuoka. That's not normal for this time of year. And so try to get a little bit outdoors if you get a chance to enjoy a little bit because it's going to not last forever here. High pressure back for the West bringing some dry weather to places like Beijing as we go through Tuesday.Hope you have a good day wherever you are.

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That brings us to the end of this edition of NHK Newsline.

We'll have more for you soon. Thank you very much for joining us.