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This is Asian View from NHK World Japan.

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I'm Raja Pradhan. An

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appeals court in Hong Kong has banned

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a popular protest song at the government's

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request. The decision overturns

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an earlier ruling on Glory to

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Hong Kong. The song was sung

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at mass demonstrations across the territory in 2019.

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Last June, the Hong Kong government filed for

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a court injunction to ban the song, saying

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some of the lyrics incite secession.

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But a court rejected its bid the following

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month, stressing the importance of freedom of expression.

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The government appealed the verdict. The

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appeals court noted, if the situation

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is left as it is, any

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further damage to national security would

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likely be irreparable. The

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leaders of China and Serbia have agreed

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to enhance their cooperation to build

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a shared future. Xi Jinping and

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Alexander Vucic met on Wednesday in

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the Serbian capital, Belgrade. It's

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Xi's second stop in his first tour of

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European nations in five years. The

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leaders signed agreements promoting economic

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cooperation and personnel exchanges. Xi

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expressed support for Serbia over its

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position on Kosovo, which declared independence

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from Serbia in 2008. He

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said he backed Serbia's efforts to

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safeguard its territorial integrity. Vucic

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supported the Chinese position that views

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Taiwan as part of China. The

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US Navy has announced one of its

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destroyers sailed through the Taiwan Strait,

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a move that's drawn protests from

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China. The US Seventh

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Fleet said the guided-missile destroyer USS

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Haozi crossed through the strait on Wednesday.

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The US Navy has been performing such transits

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regularly as China strengthens military

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pressure on Taiwan. Taiwan

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is set to inaugurate Lai Qingde as its new

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president on May 20. China sees him as

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a separatist. This is NHK

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World, Japan. Prosecutors

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say Japanese baseball star Otani Shohei's

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former interpreter has agreed to plead

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guilty to bank fraud Mizuhara

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Itte allegedly stole millions of dollars

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from Otani. US Justice Department

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officials made the announcement on Wednesday They

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charged Mizuhara with embezzling nearly 17

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million dollars from a bank account opened

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in Otani's name They say

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he used the money to pay off gambling debts He's

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agreed to plead guilty to one count of

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bank fraud and another to submitting a false

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tax return The crimes carry

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a maximum sentence of 33 years in prison

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Private groups in the Philippines are planning

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a mission to give food oil and

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other supplies to fishers in the disputed

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South China Sea The

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coalition group says about a hundred boats

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of various sizes will sail near Scarborough

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Shoal The vessels will depart

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next Wednesday China has

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been stepping up maritime activities in the

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area which Manila claims is a traditional

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fishing ground for Philippine boats Rafaela

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David is the leader of the

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Akbayan Party Coalition The

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coalition attempted a similar voyage in

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December But members said they were

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harassed by the Chinese Coast Guard and

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militias Two rival

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companies in Japan have teamed up to

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develop a mosquito spray to fight the

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growing spread of dengue fever in Southeast

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Asia Kao Corporation

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and Earth Corporation say the fine

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mist Saturates the mosquitoes to prevent

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them from flying It

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does this by using a solution in

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the spray with low surface tension that

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reduces the ability of the insect's body

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to repel water The

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companies say the spray does not contain

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any chemical insecticides The

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World Health Organization says global dengue fever

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infections last year hit a record high

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of more than six and a half

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million. The surge came

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amid concerns global warming will

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expand the mosquitoes habitats further

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spreading the potentially deadly infection.

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The stage adaptation of the

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popular Japanese anime film Spirited Away

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is being performed at a London

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theater. The show kicked off Tuesday

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in the West End. The production is

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presented in Japanese with English surditals.

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The 2001 Oscar-winning

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film directed by Miyazaki Hayao tells

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the story of a girl who

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stumbles into a mysterious spirit world.

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The stage play opened in Japan two

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years ago. The performance received

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a standing ovation in London. Production

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company Toho expects about 300,000 people

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to watch the show over the next four months.

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The company also says it's rare for

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a Japanese language stage play to have

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a long run overseas. This

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is Asian View from NHK World Japan.