Hello, welcome back to NHK Newsline. I'm Maria Sato in Tokyo.
BRICS Summit Urges Restraint in Middle East
The BRICS emerging economies have adopted a joint communique calling for maximum restraint in the Middle East.
The BRICS leaders began their two-day summit in the Indian capital New Delhi on Saturday.
The declaration, which was adopted on the first day of the conference, also urges countries to avoid actions that could further aggravate the situation.
The leaders issued an appeal for more dialogue and diplomacy to achieve a long-term understanding that will contribute to lasting peace, security and stability in the region.
Sources say that Iran, the United Arab Emirates and other countries were at odds during discussions about the Middle East situation.
The wording of the declaration was reportedly finalized through behind-the-scenes coordination, and the document does not explicitly name the United States and Israel.
Chinese President Xi Jinping made remarks about China's position.
China's foreign ministry quoted Xi as saying that BRICS countries should reject violations of other countries' sovereignty and interference in their internal affairs and that China will work with fellow BRICS members to play a dual role in bringing peace and tranquility to the Middle East.
Iran Conflict WSJ: Iran Used China Satellite Data to Attack US Target
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Iran obtained high-resolution satellite images of a US base in Jordan from Chinese entities before carrying out its attack on the target in July.
The US Central Command says three American soldiers were killed in the strike.
The Journal on Friday quoted US officials as saying that when the issue was raised with their Chinese counterparts, their concerns were repeatedly dismissed.
The article also quoted a military expert as saying the latest high-resolution satellite images could help Iran select the most impactful targets in a timely manner.
Media reports say Iran may have used commercial satellites launched by Chinese firms to collect images of US military bases in the Middle East as targets of attacks.
But the Chinese government denies the allegation.
IEA Cuts Global Oil Supply Projection
The International Energy Agency has cut its global oil supply forecast for this year.
It cites the protracted diplomatic standoff between the United States and Iran as the reason.
An IEA report released on Friday says the world's oil supply is expected to fall to 100.7 million barrels per day in 2026.
That's down 5.7 million barrels a day from the previous year.
It's also 1.3 million barrels a day lower than an estimate made in August.
The report says the US-Iran standoff continues to hamper the normalization of oil flows.
It notes renewed attacks in both the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea are also preventing flows from returning to normal.
The Red Sea has been serving as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz.
The IEA points out oil production of more than 10 million barrels per day has been suspended in the Gulf countries.
The agency says unexpected full recovery in supplies from the oil-producing nations in the Middle East has been deferred until next year.
The agency says progress toward resolving the Middle East conflict is needed more than ever to avoid further market tightening and demand destruction.
Benchmark WTI futures rose to the mid 104 dollar a barrel range at one point on the New York crude oil market on Friday. It was the highest level reached since May.
Japan Government to Help Firms Recycle Plastic
Japan's environment ministry is planning to support businesses that establish large-scale production bases for recycling plastic.
The move comes after the situation in and around Iran affected the distribution of naphtha-derived chemical products.
Nafta is a petrochemical used as a raw material for plastic goods.
The ministry says as of 2024, about 70 percent of the naphtha consumed in Japan was imported.
It notes the remaining 30 percent was produced domestically but refined from crude oil.
The ministry points out much of the crude oil Japan uses comes from imports.
The ministry is thinking about supporting business operators that established facilities to produce reprocessed plastic.
The operators will collect large amounts of plastic waste from home appliances, food trays, discarded automobiles and other items.
They will then sort and crush them before manufacturing recycled plastic merchandise.
The ministry plans to include the necessary funds and its budget request for the next fiscal year.
It hopes to meet about 20 percent of domestic naphtha consumption through recycled resources in the future.
Only about 4.7% of plastic waste was recycled in the country as of 2024.
Heavy Rain Affected Over 500 Chiba Businesses
Chiba Prefecture, neighboring Tokyo, is still getting the full picture of the damage from last month's heavy rain.
Officials say over 520 businesses were affected, creating losses of over 2.6 billion yen or roughly 17 million dollars.
In mid-August, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued Level 5 emergency warnings, the highest on its scale for heavy rain and landslides in multiple municipalities.
In Chiba City, about three times the average rainfall for the whole of August fell in just half a day. 13 people were killed and more than 7,000 houses were damaged.
According to a prefectural survey, as of early September, 529 companies had reported damage to their shops, offices or equipment.
The Chiba Chamber of Commerce and Industry and other organizations have set up consultation desks to help small and medium-sized firms with cash flow and other concerns.
Insurance companies have brought in more adjusters to ensure claims are paid quickly.
But even one month after the heavy rain, some companies are unable to resume operations.
others have decided to close down leaving authorities with the challenge of how to assist them.
Trump Makes Rare US Comment on Irish Unification
US President Donald Trump has commented on efforts to unite Ireland breaking with his country's stance of not commenting on the issue.
Trump met Saturday with Irish Prime Minister Michal Martin, he was asked his view on the unification of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
00:07:45 話者 2/Donald Trump
I'd love to see it here.
Now the UK will have something to say about it, but I think it would be a great day.
00:07:53 (Maria Sato)
Northern Ireland saw years of violent conflict between Catholics seeking separation from the United Kingdom and Protestants opposing the move.
In 1998, a peace agreement was reached.
Political parties on both sides have since run a power-sharing government.
But calls for unification continue. The issue is a sensitive one in the UK.
The British Prime Minister's Office responded to Trump's comment by emphasizing Prime Minister Andy Burnham's stance of sticking to the peace deal.
The leader of the largest opposition, Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, called the comment loose talk about the future of democratic countries and said it's unhelpful and creates tension.
The New York Times said the comment breaks with decades of US neutrality on the issue.
World Weather
Now here's the three-day weather forecast around the globe.
♫～ 3-Day Forecast ～♫
And that's the latest we have for you at this hour on NHK Newsline.
I'm Maria Sato in Tokyo. Thank you for joining.
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