NHK WORLD News 🇯🇵

⁣US special envoy to meet Zelenskyy after Moscow visit US special envoy Steve Witkoff is scheduled to visit Ukraine's capital Kyiv on Sunday for talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy following talks with Russia's president in Moscow. Witkoff and Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, are attempting to broker peace negotiation efforts between Ukraine and Russia. The two visited Moscow on Saturday and held talks with President Vladimir Putin for more than 3 hours. Putin aide Yuri Ushakov says Putin reaffirmed his commitment to continue working with the United States to seek political and diplomatic solutions to the situation in Ukraine. A White House official told NHK on Saturday that the United States and Russia had discussed "substantive plans for next steps" during the Moscow talks. The official added the meeting had been joined by US officials from the State Department and Treasury Department. Ahead of Witkoff and Kushner's visit, Zelenskyy said on social media on Saturday, "On the diplomatic track, our actions must be, and will be, just as strong and effective--one hundred percent." Zelenskyy also wrote that he is ready for "a substantive conversation" with Witkoff and Kushner. Peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia mediated by the US have stalled due to the situation in Iran. Attention is focused on whether the envoys' visit will help break the impasse. Read Full Article HERE or click watch clip button if available #World @NHKworld

⁣Report: Pentagon gave officers polygraph tests over leaks The New York Times says the US Defense Department has conducted polygraph tests to investigate whether military officers leaked information to news media, following reports that the operations against Iran had diminished US precision missile reserves. The report in Friday's edition quoted multiple officials as saying that the Pentagon ran the tests in August on about 50 members of the Joint Staff, including officers and civilian employees, to assess their psychological conditions. The tests reportedly asked whether they had disclosed classified information to members of the press, and if they provided information about diminished US munitions stocks. The New York Times said the tests were unprecedented in scale. It added that the leakage of information has "intensified an atmosphere of deep distrust and paranoia inside the Pentagon." Defense Department spokesperson Sean Parnell told NHK that the department does not comment on investigative matters but takes all leaks of classified national security information extremely seriously and investigates accordingly. Read Full Article HERE or click watch clip button if available #World @NHKworld

⁣Downpours expected along Japan's Pacific coast Japanese weather officials are urging residents of Hachijo Island in Tokyo's Izu Islands to be on high alert for mudslides. Heavy rain is also expected along the Pacific coast from western to northeastern Japan. Residents are advised to check the latest weather and traffic information, evacuate early from places at risk of disaster, and stay away from dangerous places such as flooded roads. The Japan Meteorological Agency said a series of rain clouds developed over the Izu Islands. Hachijo Island recorded 291 millimeters of rainfall during the 12-hour period through 11 a.m. on Sunday, reaching nearly 80 percent of the average rainfall for the entire month of September. People on the Izu Islands are advised to be on high alert as bands of heavy rain clouds could form through dawn on Monday. The agency also announced that bands of heavy rain clouds could develop in the southern Kanto and Tokai regions from Sunday night through Monday, dramatically raising the risk of a heavy rain disaster. The autumn rain front and the Tropical Storm Krovanh are expected to bring heavy rain to a wide range of regions along the Pacific coast from western to northeastern Japan. The agency said people should be on the alert for heavy rain through Thursday. Heavy rain could have a major impact during the hours when people are returning home on Sunday and commuting to work or school on Monday morning. Read Full Article HERE or click watch clip button if available #Japan @NHKworld

⁣German far-right AfD likely to win state assembly election An anti-immigrant political party in Germany is expected to win the most votes in Sunday's state assembly election in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt. The Alternative for Germany party, or AfD, maintains its exclusive stance on immigrants and refugees and is recognized as a far-right group. It is likely to become the largest party in the Saxony-Anhalt assembly. The former East German state has a population of 2.1 million. A point of contention is the assessment of the immigration and economic policies of the administration of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who took office in May last year. The latest opinion poll released by Germany's public broadcaster on Thursday shows the AfD gaining 41 percent of support. In the ruling camp, the center-right Christian Democratic Union garnered 23 percent, and the center-left Social Democratic Party, 8.5 percent. In May last year, Germany's intelligence agency classified the AfD as a "confirmed right-wing extremist movement." The group became the largest party in the state assembly election in 2024 in the eastern state of Thuringen for the first time. It made a big leap to become the second largest party in the federal election in February last year. If the AfD leads the Saxony-Anhalt state government, it would be the first time a far-right party has done so in Germany since World War Two. Germany has placed importance on tolerance and diversity as a result of its reflection on Nazism. Read Full Article HERE or click watch clip button if available #World,#Europe,#Politics @NHKworld

⁣British right-wing party pledges to stop immigrants' boats The leader of a British right-wing party has pledged to stop illegal immigrants from crossing the English Channel by boat to reach his country if his party wins power. Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, delivered a speech at a party conference in Birmingham on Friday, and said, "We will stop the boats within the first 100 days." Farage called for a general election, criticizing Prime Minister Andy Burnham for not having the mandate of the people. Burnham leads the ruling Labour Party and took office in July. In 2025, more than 40,000 illegal immigrants crossed the English Channel from France to Britain. The leader of France's far-right National Rally party, Jordan Bardella, also took part in the party conference. Farage and Bardella signed a memorandum to confirm that they would work together to tighten immigration control if they take power in their countries. Reform UK has the top support rate among British political parties. But the Labour Party, which is focusing on measures against rising prices, has been catching up under Prime Minister Burnham. Observers say Reform UK is trying to raise its support rate by reiterating its commitment to immigration issues. Read Full Article HERE or click watch clip button if available #World @NHKworld

⁣CENTCOM: US attacks 3 Iranian oil tankers Amid rising tensions in the Middle East, the United States has attacked three Iranian oil tankers in response to Iran's firing ballistic missiles at two US warships. The US Central Command announced in a statement on Saturday that it had struck three Iranian crude oil carriers near Iran's largest oil shipping hub, Kharg Island, and in the Gulf of Oman. CENTCOM said that the strikes were in response to a ballistic missile attack by Iran on a US aircraft carrier and a destroyer patrolling waters around the Middle East. It added that the two US vessels successfully evaded the Iranian missiles. CENTCOM also said that if Iran shoots at two US ships, the US will respond by taking out three of Iran's vessels. A released video shows the three tankers being attacked from above, as flames and smoke rose from the ships. Iran has reported that an Iranian oil tanker was struck by US missiles near Kharg Island, and that no one was injured. Tehran claims control of the Strait of Hormuz and warns of attacks on ships that do not comply with its demands. The US continues its naval blockade of Iran as part of its efforts to step up economic pressure on the country. The latest US attack is expected to raise tensions in the region. Read Full Article HERE or click watch clip button if available #World @NHKworld

⁣Putin meets US special envoy Witkoff concerning Ukraine Russian President Vladimir Putin has met with special envoy from the United States Steve Witkoff in Moscow, where they likely discussed a peace plan for Ukraine drawn up by Washington. The Russian presidential office made the announcement on Saturday, adding that the meeting also included Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump. At the start of the talks, Putin said that Russia is ready to explain how it sees the current situation involving Ukraine, which he described as "difficult." Witkoff said that he had been looking forward to the meeting. Before the talks, Trump said on Friday that Witkoff would share with Moscow Washington's proposal to end the conflict in Ukraine and stressed his desire to overcome the impasse. Russia's invasion of Ukraine is in its fifth year, and both countries are increasing long-range attacks. It's unclear whether the latest talks will be a catalyst for peace. Read Full Article HERE or click watch clip button if available #World @NHKworld

⁣France minister: Heat deaths hit 7,000 by end of July Read Full Article HERE or click watch clip button if available #NHKworld @NHKworld

⁣UN promoting new world maps showing Africa's true scale The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a resolution that recommends stopping the use of maps created with the widely used Mercator projection and instead promoting other methods that more accurately reflect the true size of African countries. More than 70 nations, mainly from Africa, jointly proposed the "Correct the map" draft resolution at the General Assembly on Friday. The draft resolution says the Mercator projection particularly distorts continental masses located far from the equator, resulting in a proportional shrinkage of Africa and other regions. It encourages member states, international organizations and other relevant entities to disseminate and use the Equal Earth projection and other methods, saying they more accurately reproduce the actual areas of the continents. Robert Dussey, foreign minister of the West African country of Togo, spoke on behalf of the sponsors. He said that when maps present a distorted image of the planet, there is a risk of perpetuating inaccurate representation that has been passed down through generations. The resolution was supported by a majority vote of 164 countries, including Japan. Ukraine and five other countries abstained. Only the United States voted against it. A US representative said the resolution "cannot be separated from the much larger and more radical ideological project it belongs to." The US is apparently expressing a sense of caution that the resolution could be linked to the issue of compensation in the future. Read Full Article HERE or click watch clip button if available #World @NHKworld

⁣US sanctions Iran-linked Turkish bank The US Treasury Department on Friday announced sanctions against an investment bank and its subsidiaries in Turkey, accusing them of facilitating funds for Iran. The department says it has designated the Turkey-based Golden Global Bank and its subsidiaries as sanction targets for allegedly mediating financial transactions by the Iranian government. It says the investment bank was established to transfer oil revenues from China to Iran. The Treasury Department accuses the institutions of mediating deals worth tens of millions of dollars for the Quds Force, an external operations branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement, "we will continue to take action together with our allies and partners until we have buried the head of the Iranian snake." The move follows the department's announcement on August 28 that it will take measures to block a branch of an Egyptian state-run bank in the United Arab Emirates from doing dollar transactions with US financial institutions. The department accuses the bank of being a source of funding for Iran. The administration of US President Donald Trump announced late last month that it has started imposing massive economic sanctions on companies and individuals that do business with Iran in an effort to isolate the country, shifting its focus to economic tightening in a bid to get Iran to make concessions. Read Full Article HERE or click watch clip button if available #World @NHKworld

⁣More torrential rain forecast to pound southwestern Japan Japanese weather officials are urging people in the southwestern prefecture of Kagoshima to stay on high alert as the risk of landslides remains extremely high after record rainfall hit the prefecture. From Sunday, heavy rain is forecast across wide regions from Okinawa and Amami in the southwest to Tohoku along the Pacific in the northeast. The rain will likely continue through Thursday. The Japan Meteorological Agency says rain clouds have been developing since Friday night over southern Kyushu and other areas due to an autumn rain front near the southern coast of the main island of Honshu as well as Tropical Storm Krovanh. On Saturday, the agency issued a Level 5 Emergency Warning for landslides for the town of Yakushima in Kagoshima Prefecture lasting from dawn until shortly before noon. Record rain pounded various areas. In the 48-hour period through 4:30 p.m., rainfall measured 576.5 millimeters in the town's Onoaida district, the highest since record-keeping began. People are advised to remain extremely vigilant and stay in safe places, as the ground has been saturated by recent heavy rains. Localized torrential downpours were forecast for southern Kyushu, Okinawa and Amami on Saturday due to Tropical Storm Krovanh, which is moving south near the main island of Okinawa. From Sunday, a tropical depression in the country's south is expected to move north and intensify the rain front. Extremely heavy rain or heavy rain accompanied by thunder is likely in the Nansei Islands as well as wide regions along the Pacific coast from Tohoku to Kyushu. The risk of disaster could rise with additional rain in areas that have already received heavy rainfall. Downpours are also expected in the southern Pacific side of the Tohoku region as well as the Kanto region, raising the risk of flooding and mudslides. Authorities are calling on people to keep updated with the latest weather information to ensure their safety. They are urging them to evacuate promptly from places at risk of disaster and to avoid flooded roads. Read Full Article HERE or click watch clip button if available #Japan @NHKworld