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Hello, and thanks for tuning in

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to NHK Newsline. I'm Yoshio Gasawara.

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We start with Hong Kong, where

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an appeals court has approved a

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government request to ban a popular

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protest song, but with some exceptions.

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The decision by the court overturns

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an earlier ruling on the song

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Glory to Hong Kong that was

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sung at mass demonstrations across the

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territory in 2019. In

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June last year, the Hong Kong government filed

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for a court injunction to ban the song,

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saying some of the lyrics incite

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secession. But a court

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rejected its bid the following month,

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stressing the importance of freedom of

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expression. The government appealed

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the verdict. The appeals court

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noted that if the situation is

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left as it is, any

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further damage to national security would

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likely be irreparable. It

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ordered a ban on performances of

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the song and its dissemination online,

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among other acts, with the intention

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of inciting secession and provoking hatred

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toward the government. But

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the court said the song can

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still be played if it's for

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academic or journalistic activities. Chinese

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Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jiang

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expressed support for the verdict.

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Stopping anyone from using and disseminating the

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song is a legitimate and necessary measure

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for Hong Kong to fulfill

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its constitutional responsibility of

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safeguarding national security under

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the dignity of the national anthem. to

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fishers in the disputed South China

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Sea. The

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coalition group told reporters on Wednesday that

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about 100 fishing boats

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of various sizes will sail near

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Scarborough Shoal next week. The

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vessels will depart on May 15. China

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has been stepping up maritime activities

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in the area, which Manila claims

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is a traditional fishing ground for

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Philippine boats. The organizers

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say the voyage is aimed at

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peacefully asserting the country's sovereignty in

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the contested waters. By

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peacefully but firmly asserting our

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presence, we demonstrate our unwavering

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commitment to defend our maritime

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territory and uphold the rule

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of law. Our

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heart is overflowing with happiness because this

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is not just our fight, but

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also a fight by everyone, by all

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Filipino people. The

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coalition attempted a similar voyage in

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December. It was believed

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to have headed near the Second Thomas

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Shoal, where a Philippine military outpost is

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located. But the trip

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failed after members said they were

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harassed by the Chinese Coast Guard

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and militias. Tensions

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are continuing to rise in the South

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China Sea. On April 30, Chinese

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Coast Guard ships fired water

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cannons at Philippine vessels near

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the Scarborough Shoal. Former

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Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen

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has asked Myanmar's top general

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for permission to speak with

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Aung San Suu Kyi. The

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Cambodian government says Hun Sen made the

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request in a video call with General

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Ying Ang Klein on Tuesday. Hun

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Sen described detained Nobel Laureate Aung

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San Suu Kyi as a long-time

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colleague and said the

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two have discussed many ASEAN-related issues.

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He also asked the military chief to

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implement ASEAN's peace plan, known as

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the Five Point consensus, including

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an immediate cessation of violence

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in Myanmar. Hun

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Sen says Ming Aung Hlaing agreed to

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give his utmost attention to the proposals.

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78-year-old Aung San Suu Kyi has been detained

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since the 2021 military coup. The

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pro-democracy leader was convicted of

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corruption and other charges. Her

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prison term was reduced last August, but

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she still has over 25 years to

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serve. Hun

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Sen visited Myanmar during his chairmanship of ASEAN

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in 2022 and was the first foreign leader

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since the coup to meet with Ming Aung

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Hlaing. Observers say his

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request to speak directly with Aung

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San Suu Kyi is an attempt to

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highlight his presence on the diplomatic front

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after assuming the presidency of

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Cambodia's Senate last month. North

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Korea's state-run media say the country's

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propaganda chief, who served all three

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generations of the ruling Kim family,

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has died at the age of

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94. Kim

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Guinam reportedly passed away from

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multiple organ failure on Tuesday.

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He began overseeing Pyongyang's ideology

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control operations in the 1980s

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after working as the ruling party

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newspaper's chief editorial writer. According

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to South Korea's Yong Hap

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news agency, he orchestrated the

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idolization of North Korea's leaders.

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Kim Jong-un reportedly paid tribute

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to the late propagandist on

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Wednesday and is planning a

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state funeral. Russia

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and Belarus are coordinating activities

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involving nuclear arms apparently to

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step pressure on the United

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States and its European allies.

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Russia's defense ministry says preparations

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are underway for military drills

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by its tactical nuclear weapons

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units. comes upon the

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instruction of President Vladimir Putin.

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In Belarus, the Defense Minister

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says President Alexander Lukashenko has

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ordered the country's nuclear weapons

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units be checked for readiness.

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Russia has been deploying tactical nuclear

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weapons in Belarus, and a senior

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Belarusian national security official says the

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check is being synchronized with the

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Russian drills. Belarus'

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state-run news agency quotes

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Lukashenko as saying the

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tactical nuclear weapons deployed in this

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country are for deterrence purposes. It

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also said he cites as a

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reason military provocations carried out by

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Western nations. The

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news agency says Lukashenko will

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meet Putin in Moscow on

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Wednesday to discuss future drills.

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A Florida judge has indefinitely

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postponed the trial of former

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President Donald Trump over

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his alleged mishandling of

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classified documents. The

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trial was set for May 20. The

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judge said numerous issues must be resolved

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before a new date can be set.

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Trump is accused of illegally

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keeping top-secret documents at his

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Florida home after leaving office.

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Some of the documents pertain to

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nuclear and other military secrets. Trump

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is facing four criminal cases as

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he campaigns to return to the White House.

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Three of the four have been postponed,

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including the classified documents case. U.S.

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media say it's highly likely the ongoing

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hush money case will be

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the only one tried before the November

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election. The judge's

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decision to delay could be advantageous

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to Trump, who wants to avoid

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any negative fallout from these cases

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during his campaign. It's

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now been one year since the

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Japanese government downgraded COVID-19 to the

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same level as the seasonal flu.

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Tourism has been on the rebound

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with popular areas crowded to pre-pandemic

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levels. Even so, many

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Japanese are still wary about the

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threat of infection. Data

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shows Japanese hospitals continued to

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see waves of patients with

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COVID following last year's downgrade

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even after rules around mandatory

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case reporting were loosened. Many

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nursing homes maintain strict rules for

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visitors to protect the elderly from

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infection. At this facility

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in Chiba Prefecture, visitors are

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only allowed 15 minutes with

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their loved ones in a designated room

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where they're kept separate by a plastic

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curtain. It

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would be nice if I could hold my mother's

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hand and feel her touch. They're

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taking precautions because COVID could put the

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residents' lives at risk. Last

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month was the first time since the

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start of the pandemic the facility recorded

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zero cases among residents or staff. Its

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operators are considering easing the

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visitation rules. We

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are trying to strike a balance

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between protecting people and

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getting back to normal life. Japanese

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clinics are also continuing to treat

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people suffering from the after-effects of

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COVID. Symptoms like shortness

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of breath and fatigue are a

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persistent problem for some long

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after infection. I

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really feel tired. I'm gradually

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getting better. better after coming here. Even

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as normalcy returns for many in Japan

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and around the world, experts

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say there's still a need for vigilance. The

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coronavirus is not a disease

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that will disappear once

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its season is over. People

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should continue to take a certain amount

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of precautions. Japan's

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health ministry is warning of a

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coming dementia boom. Officials estimate

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that by 2040, more than 5.8 million elderly people

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will have the condition —

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that's about 15 percent of the

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total senior population. Ministry

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researchers based the estimate on the

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prevalence of dementia among people aged

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65 or older in four municipalities

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across the country. They

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say the number of elderly with dementia will increase

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by more than 1.1 million over the

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next 15 years. What's

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more, they say over 6.1 million

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people will have mild cognitive impairment

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by 2040. People

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with MCI have memory loss, but

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it doesn't significantly impact their daily

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lives. However, it often

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leads to dementia. More

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of those with dementia will be living alone.

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One expert stresses the need for

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community assistance. The

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general public is going to have to come

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together to set up systems

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of support for people with dementia.

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He warns there won't be enough

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professionals to care for everyone. A

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multi-day severe storm setup is causing serious

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damage to central parts of the United

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States. Our meteorologist Jonathan

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O has the details in world

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weather. That

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it continues to unfold in the

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central and eastern areas of his

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eyes. States were taught years of

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serious damage portion of your Hibor

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valleys into the sensor plays like

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Oklahoma and now we're looking. Concerns

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is specially focused around were supportive

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turns to Kentucky it into poor

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said Missouri and Arkansas. Make sure

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you're paying attention to the where

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the situation the area is were

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talk was strong for Nader. Threads

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are law Was a serious damage

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as came from the strong winds

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as well. As these stores are

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staying active even during the late overnight

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periods. See, you want to make sure

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you know how to get the Lays

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whether mission for your local area because

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I'm in the thread extension Texas through

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the Mid South into the Carolinas as

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you go or throughout the day on

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Wednesday and he says the Thursday as

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well. Looky a thunderstorm for us into

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Atlanta points north of eastwards, so make

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sure that your pay attention as you

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go forward in time. Meanwhile, as you

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look at what's. Happening in South

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America were toggles of rare snow

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in places they Santiago lower tons

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of real of high water loss

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due to some heavy rain over

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force of last over Santiago over

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in silly where the capital so

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rare snowfall blazing areas. Who said

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authorities was dresses to be aware

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of the fourth temperatures and slippery

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road conditions. The snow did cause

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power supply issues affecting more than

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two hundred thousand people, but they're

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making the best of it. seems

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as though of snowmen me while

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recent. Have you res and Southern Brazil

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has horses gloves and forces local local

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media. The amount of water the horses

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three times was more mobile office overseas

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Consensus Horrify says or take a look

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at it look as a rain to

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concede to impact of the southern areas

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of Brazil's our bedside. Several years a

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drier conditions coming up thus of to

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forecast. Hope he has a good day

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he will. He.

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And is all for this edition of

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Nhk Design and your of us we're

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in Tokyo and for joining us.