Daily English News: December
December 30, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. Japan’s government plans to come up with new policies on how the Coast Guard can deal with an increase in illegal fishing by foreign vessels in the nation’s territorial waters.
2. Chinese authorities crack down on 16 domestic and foreign banks for helping to allow the flow of speculative foreign funds into the country.
3. This year saw Japanese firms engaged in the most mergers amid acquisitions of overseas firms in the last decade as their way of coping with shrinking domestic markets.
4. A large natural gas field is confirmed off the coast of Israel, but its discovery could create tensions with neighboring Lebanon.
December 29, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms.Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. China’s government says it is planning to further reduce rare earth exports in the New Year, a move that is expected to increase the cost of manufacturing many hi-tech products.
2. The four-member “BRIC” grouping of the fast-emerging economies—Brazil, Russia, India and China—is about to get bigger with the addition of South Africa.
3. Despite a territorial dispute over four islands in the northern Pacific, Japan has become the top importer of East Siberian crude oil shipped from a port in Russia’s Far East.
4. Japan’s government plans to reintroduce an investment and loan program for the private sector to help businesses win overseas infrastructure projects.
December 28, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. South Korea’s government says it will use the word “enemy” to describe the North Korean government and military in this year’s military white paper that is due out this week.
2. Four Russian cabinet ministers are said to be planning a visit early next year to the Russian-held islands claimed by Japan as its northern territories.
3. Prime Minister Naoto Kan considers a reshuffling of his cabinet before the Diet reconvenes in January in order to get key bills through the Upper House.
4. A parcel bomb is found at the Greek embassy in Rome just days after last week’s explosion with parcel bombs at two other embassies in the Italian capital.
December 27, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. The United Nations refugee agency expresses fears for the 14,000 people who fled Cote d’I-voire amid violence stemming from the stand-off over the outcome of last month’s presidential election.
2. Thousands of Turks turn out in Istanbul to welcome the return of an aid ship seized by Israeli commandos in May, while trying to deliver humanitarian aid to the Palestinian-controlled Gaza Strip.
3. Authorities in Kagoshima prefecture continue efforts to prevent the spread of infectious diseases one week since an endangered crane wintering in Izumi Plain tested positive for the bird flu virus.
4. Snowstorms blanket the U.S. East Coast leading to the declaration of emergence in five states.
December 26, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson
1. Yet another crane has tested positive for the bird flu virus in a wintering site in southwestern Japan.
2. Multiple explosions cause more than 100 casualties in Nigeria on Friday evening.
3. The Indian space agency has exploded in midair a rocket carrying a communication satellite immediately after a failed launch.
December 25, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says his country is ready to promote economic cooperation with Japan. But he says that readiness does not mean Russia will give up four islands claimed by Japan.
2. North Korean soldiers have appeared in a program on state –run TV to defend the country’s shelling of a South Korean island last month.
3. Prime Minister Naoto Kan has held discussions with the small opposition Sunrise Party of Japan about joining the ruling coalition government.
December 24, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. A diplomatic shake-up in Japan comes in the wake of a recent visit by the Russian president to one of the four disputed northern islands off Hokkaido claimed by Japan.
2. The presidents of the United States and Russia agree that the U.S. Senate’ approval of the new strategic arms reduction treaty is a historic event for both countries.
3. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates plans to visit China and Japan next month to discuss the rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula and the planned relocation of a U.S. base in Japan.
4. The U.N. Human Rights Council adopts a resolution strongly condemning the violence in Cote d’I-voire following last month’s presidential election.
December 23, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. The Japanese government replaces its ambassador to Russia, following the Russian president’s recent visit to Kunashiri Island, one of the four disputed islands off northern Japan.
2. In a show of force against provocations by the North, South Korea’s military is staging a massive live-fire exercise near the border on the divided peninsula.
3. President Barack Obama earns a major diplomatic achievement as the U.S. Senate approves a new nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia.
4. Thousands of people visit the Imperial Palace here in Tokyo to celebrate the Emperor of Japan turning 77 years old on this Thursday.
December 22, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. Iraq has a new government more than nine months after an inconclusive parliamentary election. But ministers for key security-related posts still haven’t been appointed.
2. China’s government praises the willingness of North Korea to accept U.N. nuclear inspectors. A senior U.S. official says it is still too early to resume the six-party talks on denuclearizing North Korea.
3. Japan’s ambassador to China visits the eastern city of Nanjing to boost Japan’s business links and improve bilateral ties that have been worsened in recent months.
4. The world’s leading central banks will continue to supply dollar funds to the short-term money markets until August 2011.
December 21, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. As the U.N. Security Council remains divided over last month’s artillery attack on a South Korean island by North Korea’s military, the North says it won’t retaliate for South Korea staging a live-fire drill on Monday.
2. A strong earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 6.5 has hit southeastern Iran’s Kerman Province, with casualties reported in Hosseinabad.
3. The anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd prepares for a new season of protests against Japan’s whaling program, with a new vessel dubbed the Gojira.
4. A Japanese government study panel that includes experts from universities and security companies has held its first meeting to discuss how to deal with cyber attacks.
December 20, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. South Korea’s military says it will soon resume live-fire drills on Yeonpyeong Island in the Yellow Sea, the first since the island came under an artillery attack from North Korea on November 23.
2. The Japanese government has completed drafting a record high one trillion dollar budget for fiscal 2011 that will take effect from next April.
3. A series of suicide attacks in the Afghan capital Kabul and in the northern part of the country has claimed the lives of 10 soldiers and civilians.
4. Due to a worsening job market, a record number of Japanese households received welfare benefits in September.
December 19, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson
1. The U.N. Security Council will unofficially hold an emergency meeting on Sunday as South Korea plans to resume firing drills on a border island of Yeonpyeong, potentially escalating tensions with North Korea.
2. A Chinese fishing boat has collided with a South Korean Maritime patrol ship and has sunk. One Chinese fisherman is dead and two remain unaccounted for.
3. The highly infectious H5N1 virus has been detected in a sick swan leading the Japanese government to increase its surveillance of wild birds.
December 18, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Japan’s Prime Minister Naoto Kan has inspected a U.S. military base and its relocation site in Okinawa from the air, while a group of residents have staged a rally to oppose relocating the base within the prefecture.
2. The Russian ambassador to Japan has expressed the hope that Prime Minister Kan will visit Russia next year.
3. North Korea has issued a warning to South Korea, saying it will launch another artillery attack if the South resumes live-fire drills on Yeonpyeong Island in the Yellow Sea.
December 17, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. Japan’s government approves a new set of defense policy guidelines that call for faster responses to contingencies in northeast Asia.
2. South Korea’s military will resume regular live-fire exercises on the Yeonpyeong Island that were suspended since the North’s shelling on the island last month.
3. As bombs continue to take the lives of civilians in Afghanistan, U.S. President Barack Obama says significant progress has been made in military operations in the country.
4. The Japanese prime minister’s cabinet approves tax reform guidelines for fiscal 2011, including a corporate tax cut to boost employment and end deflation.
December 16, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. A senior U.S. delegation has arrived in the Chinese capital Beijing for a three-day visit to discuss with Chinese officials issues related to North Korea.
2. China’s vice president tells the visiting leader of a Japanese opposition party that he is committed to improving strained relations with Japan.
3. The U.S. Senate votes to begin debate on ratifying a new arms reduction treaty with Russia. But, amid Republican opposition, it is unclear whether it can be ratified by the end of the year when the current congressional session ends.
4. Japan’s new graduates continue to face a difficult job market as an uncertain economic outlook leads businesses to cut back on hiring.
December 15, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. A U.S. delegation is heading to Beijing to meet with Chinese officials, who have been calling for an emergency meeting of the chief envoys to the six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear program.
2. A senior U.S. official and a South Korean newspaper say North Korea has other uranium enrichment sites in addition to the one made public last month.
3. The U.S.-brokered Middle East peace initiative comes to a halt after Palestinians refuse to resume even indirect talks with Israeli government negotiators.
4. Business sentiment among Japan’s major manufactures worsens for the first time in seven quarters as the strong yen and the end of government subsidies for eco-friendly cars dampen the demand for automobiles.
December 14, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. Japan’s prime minister will visit a Pacific island to inspect possible mass grave sites of about 13,000 Japanese soldiers killed in World War II.
2. Japan’s government plans to reduce the corporate tax rate of 5 percentage points to 35 percent from next fiscal year, starting in April 2011.
3. A U.S. envoy resumes brokering indirect talks between negotiators from the Palestinian Authority and Israel to revive the Middle East peace process.
4. In Hanoi, Japanese officials sign an agreement with their Vietnamese counterparts to help improve the nation’s century-old sewage system built under the French rule.
December 13, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. South Korea’s military prepares for live-fire exercises that have been suspended after North Korea’s artillery attack on a South Korean island on November 23.
2. Japan’s top diplomat and the head of the Arab League have agreed that international unity is needed to convince North Korean and Iranian leaders to abandon their nuclear program.
3. Negotiators from Japan and the U.S. are discussing Japan’s financial contribution toward maintaining U.S. troops in the country.
4. China’s government decides on a shift from fiscal stimulus to reducing inflation, while continuing an active fiscal policy to maintain stable growth.
December 12, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson
1. The U.N. climate change meeting in Cancun, Mexico, has adopted a draft agreement that effectively postpones a decision on whether to extend the Kyoto Protocol until next year’s round.
2. Senior Japanese and Chinese officials have discussed the situation on the Korean Peninsula following North Korea’s attack on a South Korean island last month.
December 11, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Japan will expand aid to Myanmar following the release of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest.
2. U.S. President Barack Obama says this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo is far more deserving of the award than he was last year, while China has again criticized the award, saying it was a “political farce.”
3. Two Japanese Noble chemistry prize winners each received a medal and a diploma from Sweden’s King Carl Gustav at an awarding ceremony in Stockholm.
December 10, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. The final preparations are being made for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony in the Norwegian capital, Oslo. Neither the winner nor his family will be in attendance.
2. Negotiations at the U.N. climate change conference now underway in Cancun, Mexico, have deadlocked over whether to extend the Kyoto Protocol.
3. Japanese officials are asking their Russian counterparts to make efforts to dissuade North Korea from any more provocative actions.
4. The U.S. Navy has opened to the media its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the U.S. S. George Washington in waters east of Okinawa in southern Japan.
December 9, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. A group of Japanese supporters of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo has arrived in Oslo, Norway, to attend the award ceremony.
2. A recent poll shows that more than 80 percent of Russians support President Dmitry Medvedev’s visit last month to one of the four Russian-held islands off northern Japan.
3. Yet another Russian reconnaissance plane has been spotted over the Sea of Japan where a joint Japan-U.S. military drill is underway.
4. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says Israel-Palestinian peace talks are in a state of crisis over the building of illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
December 8, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. A British court has denied bail to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and remanded him in custody for possible extradition to Sweden on allegations of sexual misconduct.
2. A NATO plan to demand three Baltic states from possible Russian attack is described in one of the U.S. diplomatic cables disclosed by WikiLeaks.
3. North Korea again fires artillery rounds into waters near South Korea, for the shells fell on the north side of the maritime border.
4. Negotiators from Iran and six key Western nations concluded a 2-day meeting in Geneva on Tuesday but could only agree to continue talks on Iran’s nuclear program next month.
December 7, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. The foreign ministers of the United States, Japan and South Korea agree to urge China’s government to exert its influence on North Korea to calm the tense situation on the Korean Peninsula.
2. For the first time in more than a year, negotiators from Iran and six Western countries resume talks over the Iranian nuclear development program.
3. Legal council for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says arrangements are under way for his clients to be interviewed by police in Britain.
4. Japan’s first-ever probe to Venus fires its main engine to enter the planet’s orbit, but the mission control has yet to confirm whether the thrust maneuver has been completed as planned.
December 6, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. With tensions still high on the Korean Peninsula, South Korea’s military resumes regular live fire exercises involving army, navy and air forces.
2. Japan’s foreign minister leaves for Washington to discuss North Korea’s shelling of a South Korea’s island with his U.S. and South Korean counterparts.
3. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange remains defiant despite the many death threats he has received over the publication of U.S. diplomatic documents.
4. On the medical front, Japanese researchers have reported that two visually impaired patients had their eyesight partially restored in test cases for artificial retinas.
December 5, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson
1. The U.N. climate conference in Mexico is at the midpoint of scheduled talks with developed and developing nations still at odds over whether to extend the Kyoto Protocol against climate change.
2. U.S. President Barack Obama says a free trade agreement with South Korea will contribute significantly to achieving his goal of doubling U.S. exports.
December 4, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Japan’s Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara has urged North Korea to take a step toward denuclearization by allowing U.N. inspectors to return to its nuclear facilities.
2. The U.N. nuclear watchdog has adopted a repository to guarantee the stable supply of nuclear fuel to its member nations.
3. The United States and South Korea have reached a deal on a free trade agreement.
December 3, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. Japan and the U.S. begin a large-scale joint military exercise in waters off Japan’s main island of Honshu and the southernmost islands of Kyushu and Okinawa prefectures.
2. China plans to keep a close watch on an upcoming meeting of Japan, the United States, and South Korea in which North Korean issues will be discussed.
3. The U.S. ambassador to Japan has explained to the Japanese foreign minister issues concerning the recent WikiLeaks’ release of U.S. diplomatic documents.
4. In Cancun, Mexico, the World Meteorological Organization says 2010 is on course to be one of the three hottest years on record.
December 2, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. South Korea’s intelligence chief warns that North Korea’s leadership is likely to again attack the South in an attempt to shake up the administration of President Lee Myong Bak.
2. The foreign ministers of Japan, the United States and South Korea will meet in Washington next Monday to discuss the recent tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
3. Leaked U.S. diplomatic documents suggest the pro-American stance of the Japanese head of a U.N. nuclear agency has compromised his neutrality in mediating between nuclear and non-nuclear nations.
4. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton goes into damaged control mode after the recent WikiLeaks released damaging American diplomatic documents.
December 1, 2010 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. Joint U.S.-South Korean naval exercises are set to end in a few hours, as tensions remain high in the region after North Korea’s shelling of a South Korean island last week.
2. U.S. officials say they are reviewing weaknesses in classified information systems following the disclosure of sensitive files by the whistle blower website WikiLeaks.
3. The U.N. meteorological agency calls for prompt measures to stop global warming, as recent natural disasters may have been caused by rising temperatures.
4. For the first time since October, Iranian authorities have agreed t oresume talks next week on their nuclear program.