Hello, welcome back to NHK Newsline. I'm Maria Sato in Tokyo.
FT: Us Intervened in Currency Market to Prop Up Yen
Britain's Financial Times says the US Treasury Department intervened in the currency market on Friday by selling euros and buying yen.
Japan's government and the Bank of Japan stepped in on Thursday to prop up the yen, which had plunged to historic lows.
The yen was bought intermittently toward Saturday morning Japan time, driving up the currency to the lower 157 range at one point against the dollar.
That's the highest level in around two and a half months.
This has prompted speculation that Japanese authorities intervened once again following the yen buying operation on Thursday.
On Friday, the Financial Times quoted sources familiar to the matter as saying that the Federal Reserve Bank of New York undertook the unusual move of conducting a sale of euros to buy yen on behalf of the Treasury.
Meanwhile, Reuters news agency ran a story with a photo of a notepad placed in front of US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant during a cabinet meeting on Friday.
The notepad has a message saying, Buy Japanese yen, 5 to 10 billion dollars.
If Japan and the US conducted coordinated intervention this time around, it will be the first time since 2011 when the yen surged following the Great East Japan earthquake.
Such a move would be deemed extremely uncommon.
Iran Conflict Reports: US Plans to Strike Iran as Early as This Weekend
American media outlets reported on Friday that the US administration of President Donald Trump is planning to launch strikes with Israel on energy infrastructure in Iran as soon as this weekend.
CBS News quoted multiple sources as saying that the US and Israel are planning what would be one of the harshest bombing campaigns to date against energy infrastructure targets in Iran.
But sources told CBS that Trump has not yet given the final green light for the strikes.
CBS also reported that some White House aides in charge of politics were strongly opposed to the plan.
White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt commented to NHK that Iran broke a memorandum of understanding with the US, shot at commercial ships and killed American soldiers.
She said that Iran will continue to pay until they come to the table in what President Trump deems a meaningful way.
On Saturday, Iran's Tasnim news agency, which has links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, quoted a senior security official as saying Iran has prepared a comprehensive plan to respond to any potential American recklessness.
The official reportedly said Iran's response plan includes Israel's critical infrastructure and US energy infrastructure in the Middle East.
Thousands of Migrants Surge Into Spanish Enclave
Spain has been facing a massive surge of migrants from Morocco over the past few days.
Officials say about 60,000 people have entered the Spanish North African enclave of Teuta and they've now deployed troops there to boost security.
Spanish officials say 57 people have died during the crossings and more than 48,000 have already returned.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says it's a violation of Spain's territorial sovereignty.
Deuta has long been a destination for migrants seeking to reach Europe.
Local media say a recent court ruling may have spurred the mass crossing.
The Spanish Supreme Court ruled in July that migrants intercepted at sea cannot immediately be returned to Morocco.
The influx has sparked concerns across Europe about the migrants flowing into other countries. Spain is part of the Schengen area.
It allows the free movement of people across much of the European Union.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says her country has decided to temporarily suspend the Schengen arrangements with Spain.
And neighboring France has announced tighter border controls.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen issued a statement.
She calls the images coming from the enclave unacceptable.
She adds that the EU cannot let people enter without following its rules.
An EU official says there are no signs that migrants have moved from Teuta to other member states.
Kumamoto Quake Recovery Efforts Continue in Intense Heat
Recovery efforts continued under scorching heat in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, following Tuesday's magnitude 7.1 earthquake.
Authorities advised people in the area to avoid heat stroke.
Crews had combed through a wrecked shopping mall in Kashima town where seven people died and five were injured in an explosion that took place after the earthquake.
Officials say search and rescue operations at the mall ended Saturday.
Temperatures in some parts of Kumamoto have reached over 36 degrees Celsius.
The prefecture is expected to hit 40 degrees on Monday.
People should avoid going out during hot hours, keep hydrated and rest.
Officials are scrambling to secure drinking water.
Authorities say the quake dust toll may now reach 36.
The figure is still subject to confirmation.
They also say 1,500 houses were damaged and more than 9,000 people have evacuated.
Water outages are continuing in some areas.
Many people there are still unable to take a bath.
00:06:21 話者 2
I haven't been able to wash my hair at all. I want to wash my body. It's such a shock.
I don't even have tears. I don't know what to do.
00:06:31 (Maria Sato)
So-called instant housing has been set up in hard-hit Hikawa town for people whose homes were damaged.
Some residents viewed the temporary homes on Saturday.
00:06:44 話者 3
I think it takes a lot of days to build temporary housing, but these go up quickly and they have privacy, so I don't necessarily need to care too much about other people.
00:06:57 (Maria Sato)
Support is being mobilized from across the country to help people in Kumamoto.
Hikawa Town has received so-called toilet cars from Noto Town in central Japan's Ishikawa Prefecture.
00:07:12 話者 4
Toilets are the biggest problem. We are very grateful for the support.
00:07:19 (Maria Sato)
Hikawa provided aid to Noto in 2024 when the Noto Peninsula earthquake struck the region.
Un Chief Calls for Urgent Action to Tackle Extreme Heat
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for urgent action to deal with extreme heat.
The UN weather agency forecasts above normal temperatures across much of the world over the next three months.
Guterres made the appeal in response to the temperature outlook for August through October released on Friday by the World Meteorological Organization.
00:07:55 話者 5/Antonio Guterres
The climate crisis is in overdrive. Extreme heat has long been called the silent killer.
Yet even that description may understate the crisis.
00:08:08 (Maria Sato)
Gutierrez warned of rising heat-related deaths across the world.
He also noted that extreme heat is widening inequalities and deepening hunger.
He urged countries to introduce heat health action plans and early warning systems.
He also called for governments and employers to adjust working hours and take other steps to protect workers from heat.
He said protection from extreme heat must be designed into homes, schools and hospitals.
00:08:41 話者 5
Unless we act to protect people and tackle the root cause of the crisis, it will become deadlier still.
00:08:49 (Maria Sato)
Guterres also appealed for urgent action to reduce the use of oil and other fossil fuels.
Those were the headlines for this hour. This is NHK Newsline.
♫～ 3-DAY FORECAST ～♫
And that's the latest we have for you at this hour on NHK Newsline.
I'm Maria Sato in Tokyo. Do stay with us for more on NHK World Japan.
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