Global infections grew beyond the 60 million mark wednesday, as countries try to protect their Health Systems and citizens. 1. 4 Million People have died. The largest outbreak is still in the United States, which has logged more than 12 million cases and more than 260,000 deaths. India and brazil also have infection counts well above 5 million and a troubling number of deaths. Europe has been struggling under high caseloads for months, with many countries deploying antivirus measures, including lookdowns. But numbers show a downward trend. The president of france told his country tuesday the second wave is beyond its crest and hell now ease a national lockdown. If conditions continue to improve, macron said more measures can be lifted. Translator all around the country during this period, meaning starting from december the 15th, a curfew from 9 00 p. M. To 7 00 a. M. Will be in place. We can go around freely on the nights of december 24 to share these moments with our families. The British Government says it will temporarily relax stay at home restrictions so families can spend christmas togeth. I cant say that christmas will be normal this year, but in a period o adversity, its even more precious for people of all faiths. We allant some kind of christmas. We need it. We simply feel we deserve it. The government says meetings of up to three households will be allowed outdoors or indoors for five days from december 23rd to 27th. In the United States, where cases continue to rise, theres growing concern that thanksgiving holiday could further spread the virus. The state of new york saw 6,200 infections on tuesday, doubling the daily tally from three weeks ago. Nearly 173,000 cases were reported across the nation that day, the latest in three weeks of six digit counts. A private Research Organization says as of tuesday, more than 88,000 people in the u. S. Are being treated for the coronavirus in hospital. Over 17,000 people are in intensive care. With families celebrating thanksgiving this weekend, the centers for Disease Control and prevention is concerned about an increased covid19 risk. It called on people not to gather with family and friends outside their households. Joe biden weighed in, calling on residents to sacrifice a beloved custom for a greater good. This year were asking americans to forego so many of the traditions that we have long made this holiday. Biden urged people to avoid large get togethers, wear masks, and maintain social distancing. Shifting now to the coronavirus situation here in japan. The number of infections in tokyo continues to rise with 401 new cases reported on wednesday. The increase has compelled officials to ask bars and restaurants that serve alcohol to close by 10 00 p. M. Beginning this weekend. Translator 54 coronavirus patients in tokyo are in serious condition as of today. The figure is rapidly increasing. We need to prevent death, prent serious cases and prevent a collapse of the medical system. Stricter measures are necessary now. The request for establishments that serve alcohol to close early is expected to last for 20 days. Officials say businesses that comply will entitled to subsidies. Tokyo officials are also planning to suspend a campaign that offers discounts on dining and are urging residents to refrain from nonessential outings. Pub owners hit hard by the pandemic are disappointed with the news. This is the third time since april theyve been asked to close early. Translator the last two times, i thought the measure was inevitable. But this time i feel, not again. They shouldnt just ask us to shorten our Business Hours but rather take drastic steps to tackle the virus. Otherwise this will happen again. The measures come one day after the Central Government temporarily excluded the cities of sapporo and osaka from a Domestic Tourism campaign aimed at stimulating the economy. Despite tokyos spike in cases, the capital will stay in the campaign. There are more than 1,900 new cases reported nationwide on wednesday. Over 130,000 people have tested positive since the outbreak began, with the death toll exceeding 2,000. Officials and experts met to discuss ways to curb the spread of the virus and to alleviate strain on medical workers. The experts called on local governments to try to reduce travel between places where infections are rapidly spreading the minister in charge of the Coronavirus Response says unless strict measures are put in place immediately, it could take a heavy toll on the medical system during the new year holidays, when the system is most vulnerable. Translator the next three weeks are a critical period. It will be the most important three weeks, which will decide whether we can contain the ongoing spread of infections. The minister says if the virus continues to spread rapidly, officials may have to consider declaring a state of emergency once again. A Business Survey has found abunexpected upside of the coronavirus pandemic here in japan. Inbound Foreign Direct Investment has been growing on stronger demand for digital devices and services. The japan external trade Organization Says in a report, fdi in the first nine months of this year stood at 6. 5 trillion yen, about 62 billion. Thats more than double the amount from the same period last year. It already surpasses the figure for all of 2019. It attributes the increase to larger investments in the digital sector to meet growing demand for teleworking and automation. Translator Foreign Companies are keenly looking at new fields of demand, such as remote medical care, factory automat n automation, new payment systems, and food tech. The level of Inbound Investment last year was up from 2018. The figure was 3. 9 trillion yen, up 37 from the previous year. It was the second largest amount since 2014 when comparable data became available. The head of the International Olympic committee is encouraging athletes to concentrate on preparations for next years tokyo games. Athletes, this is the place to be nine months from now. The video was shot at the Olympic Village in tokyo. Bach was visiting to ensure the olympics can be held safely, even if the pandemic is ongoing. He said the ioc is ready to cover the costs to help athletes get vaccinated before setting foot in japan. Get ready for these olympic games. Train even harr, even unr very difficult situations. Mo of you are in that at this moment. He added he is looking forward to seeing the athletes in tokyo next year. Chinese president xi jinping congratulated joe biden on his victory in the u. S. President ial race. Bilateral ties have been chilly under president trumps presidency. Xi voiced hope theyll warm up. Chinas Foreign Ministry says xi sent compliments on wednesday. Xi said promoting healthy and Stable Development of chinau. S. Relations not only serves the fundamental interest of the people in both countries but meets the common expectation of the International Community. The chinese president added he hopes the two sides will uphold the spirit of nonconflict, nonconfrontation, Mutual Respect and win win cooperation. He said he wants their countries to manage their differences and join hands with the International Community to promote world peace and development. In other news argentina is in mourning for a soccer legend considered one of the greatest players in history. He died wednesday at the age of 60 after suffering a heart attack. He played in the world cup four times in a row from 1982 and lifted the trophy for argentina in 1986. He was beloved in his hometown. And in napoli where he played for italys top league. His life became rocky. Later in his career, he fought addiction to alcohol and drugs. He had Significant Health problems and a statement from his lawyer says he underwent brain surgery earlier this month. Players and public figures at home and abroad were quick to pay tribute. Argentinas president tweeted, he took his country to the top of the world and made us immensely happy. Lets check in with our meteorologist Tsietsi Monare for world weather. We have been talking about this from earlier the week. People across Southern India are dealing with a cyclonic storm that brought heavy rain. How much rain are we talking about . Quite a lot of rain in fact. Its moving towards Southern India. The eye of the storm has made landfall. Its causing havoc. The amount of rainfall is quite shocking. We saw close to 250 millimeters in 17 hours. Lets jump into this video so you can get a good picture of whats happening on the ground there. The cyclone approaches Southern India with heavy rain and violent gusts on wednesday. Officials say more than 35,000 people have been rescued by the National Disaster response force. People should prepare for power cuts due to uprooted trees and power lines that could be damaged due to the strong wind. You can see people are working preparing for other areas that might be affected as the storm makes its way in towards southern parts. Its going to lead to more flooding. People in low lying areas and along rocky regions should look out for mudslides that could be very possible. Up until sunday, expect almost half a meter of rainfall in certain parts, which will be very significant. Closer to the far eastern side of asia, High Pressure keeping things clear. There will be a low pressure developing across the sea of japan. As well as on the pacific side of japan. It could lead to showers developing by friday in certain parts. Your temperatures for tokyo, around 19, which is an improvement compared to what the temperatures were on wednesday when it was very cold. Temperatures dipping to around 10 to 11 in certain parts. Sunny skies expected. Getting ready for thanksgiving preparations and celebrations, its going to be a calm one for the rockies, going towards the plains and southern United States. Moisture will develop from texas going all way up towards new england by friday, maybe even into saturday due to low pressure and the front. Temperatures are looking good. Upper teens and some dry and sunny skies are expected in certain places. Thats all your weather. Take care. Thats all for now on this edition of nhk newsline. Im raja pradhan in tokyo. From all of us at nhk worldjapan, thanks for watching. Welcome to newsline in depth. Im yanaka marie. Today, we bring you the stories of atomic bomb survivors, known as hibakusha, and their hope for a nuclear free world. The treaty on the prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was adopted by the United Nations in 2017. By october 24th of this year, 50 nations and regions had ratified it. Meeting the minimum for the comprehensive nuclear ban accord to become International Law. It will take affect in january 2021. The japanese government has not ratified the treaty. People in japan have long been at the forefront of the movement to eliminate Nuclear Weapons. Our first report looks at the situation. Translator i hope this means there will be no more Nuclear Weapons. Translator we must pass memories of the tragedy down to the next generation so it will never be repeated. This man survived the bombing of nagasaki. Now 80 years old, he has spent years urging all countries to ratify the treaty. Translator i think the treaty will be the beginning of the end of Nuclear Weapons. I will continue to raise my voice for the cause. When the treaty goes into effect, Nuclear Weapons will be illegal under International Law for the first time. The treaty covers Armed Conflict and bans development, possession and use of nuclear arms. Countries with Nuclear Weapons and those without remain divided over the treatys true value. The five Major Nuclear powers as well as countries such as japan that fall under the u. S. Nuclear umbrella, have not joined the treaty. Japans top Government Spokesperson reconfirmed the countrys position on the treaty on monday. Translator japan will not sign the treaty because its approach towards advancing Nuclear Disarmament is different from our countrys. One expert says japan is in a complicated position between two conflicting forces. On the one hand, the push to control arms in asia. On the other is japans moral obligation to make sure the tragedy of 75 years ago is never forgotten. Japan is surrounded by Major Nuclear powers, including china, russia and u. S. We have north korea developing their Nuclear Weapons. Japans government must handle this reality, which is a security threat, as well as our moral obligation at the same time. Japans says it will continue to be for the abolition of nuclear arms. A top u. N. Official has high hopes that japan will play a leading role when the treaty comes into force. Translator our exptations for jan regarding Nuclear Disarmament are greater than ever. As the only country to have sufferedtomic bombs in war, we hope japan will strength its efforts. One of the efforts is to bridge the gap between nuclear and nonnuclear stat. Survivors in hiroshima and nagasaki hope the horrors they have experienced will never be repeated. The treaty is set to go into affect on january 22nd of next year. 90 days after meeting the requirements. The treaty is set to go into affect, hibakusha feel their work is not done. They continue to spearhead the Global Movement to create a nuclear free world. Along with ngos that advocate peace, they launched a Signature Campaign urging the japanese government to ratify the treaty. Hibakusha plan to continue their efforts, calling on all possible participants to join the agreement. Next, we meet two hibakusha who devoted their lives to the movement, helping it to advance to where it is now. A warning for our viewers, the following story contains graphic images. Yamaguchi senji pioneered the hibakusha movement in nagasaki. He was 14 working alongside other children at a weapons factory when the bomb was dropped. This footage shows the upper half of yamaguchis burntody and the scars on his face known as kelloids. Hibakusha faced discrimination, and he strgled to get a jo he decided to form an Association Th fellow survivors to win acceptance from society. Yamaguchi later traveled across japan to campaign for the abolishment of Nuclear Weapons. He also came to represent the National Confederation of hibakusha organizations. In 1982, yamaguchi became the first abomb survivor to speak at the United Nations. Yamaguchi also traveled extensively around the world to spread the message. In the United States, he met people who had a completely different way of thinking about the atomic bombings. At the head of it, it said Sergeant Virgil sell. He is dead. If we had missiles back then, we probably would have had our brother here. In 1989, a u. S. Navy vessel entered the port of nagasaki. Yamaguchi and others suspected it might carry nuclear missiles. So they protested what would amount to a violation of japans principle not to admit Nuclear Weapons on its territory. But their protests fell on deaf ears. During his final years, he became increasingly pessimistic about the prospect of abolishing Nuclear Weapons. When he passed away, another survivor was ready to follow in his footsteps. He was 16 when the bomb was opped. He w delivering mail on his cycle. S back tk the brt of the blt. And seven nths in spital. His discharge only marked the beginning of a life of suffering. His encounter with yamaguchi turned out to be the me ging of his career as an activist. The burns on his back never completely healed. And needed constant care. Even so, he decided to devote the rest of his life to the abolition of Nuclear Weapons. He traveled three times to new york to participate in a conference on Nuclear Disarmament. Wherever he went, he never hesitated to show the red scars on his back. Even his Business Card bore a photo of it, as a graphic reminder of the inhumane consequences of Nuclear Weapons. I have a 7yearold son. I dont want my son or any child to ever go through that. After the events in the footage, the treaty was adopted by the u. N. In 2017. However, countries with Nuclear Weapons such as the United States and japan, which is protected by the u. S. , did not participate in negotiations. He was 88 years old at the time and heard about it from his hospital bed where he was fighting cancer. He spoke with nhk. He died shortly after this statement. Neither of the two taniguchi died shortly after this statement. Neither of the two denuclearization activists lived to see the ratification of the treaty. The average age of hibakusha is now 83. The time to listen to their testimony is running out. U. S. President elect joe biden said during his campaign that he will continue former Barack Obamas efforts to realize a nuclear free world. Hibakusha hope the president elect will visit nagasaki or hiroshima, and that the experience will encourage him to lead efforts to abolish Nuclear Weapons. Donald trump parted michael flynn. The former National Security advisor had pleaded guilty of lying in the russia investigation. Kim hello. Im kim vennell. One of the greatest soccer players in the world has died, argentina announces three days of morning. These are pictures of fans in buenos aires, at a memorial for the football legend. We will have an update. Fears