Daily English News

 

March

 

March 1, Thursday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      North Korea has announced that it will take steps toward denuclearization.

2.      The United States plans to retain a key Marine Corps command in Okinawa even after some of the troops are moved out of the country.

3.      Iran has for the first time opened its space facility on the outskirts of Tehran to the foreign media.

March 2, Friday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Raja Pradan

1.      The leaders of 27 European Union countries have approved a second Greek bailout package.

2.      A gun attack has killed two American soldiers in Afghanistan.

3.      The United States and the two Koreas are stepping up diplomatic activities following the U.S.-North Korea agreement on the North’s nuclear moratorium.

March 3, Saturday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1.      U.S. and North Korean officials will meet in Beijing next week to finalize plans for U.S. food aid to North Korea.

2.      The international committee of the Red Cross is urging Syria to allow medical supplies and food into districts of the central city of Homs, for government forces bombarded the opposition’s stronghold for nearly four weeks.

3.      European Union leaders have signed a treaty designed to tighten the fiscal discipline of member nations and prevent a repeat of a Greek-style debt crisis.

March 4, Sunday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

1.      Hard-line conservatives backed by Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, are set to claim a decisive victory in Iran’s parliamentary election.

2.      Russians began visiting polling stations on Sunday, to elect a new president.  The focus of interest is on how much support Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will receive amid criticism over his returning to the presidency.

3.      The Japanese government has detected high levels of radioactive cesium in the fallen leaves collected in forests around the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

March 5, Monday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Asumi Ukon

1.      Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has won Sunday’s presidential election.

2.      China has lowered its economic growth target for 2012 to 7.5 percent from the 8 percent it has enjoyed over the past seven years.

3.      Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to visit the United States for talks with President Barack Obama amid growing tensions over Iran’s nuclear development.

March 6, Tuesday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Yuriko Yamada

  1. 1. U.S. President Barack Obama has urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to respond calmly to Iran.
  2. 2. In Iran, hardline conservatives loyal to Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have scored a landslide victory in parliamentary elections.
  3. 3. Thousands of people protested against Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday.  They are contesting his victory in a presidential election on Sunday.

    March 7, Wednesday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Helen Lewis and Mr. Michael Rhys

    1. 1.Board members of the International Atomic Energy Agency have discussed North Korea's recent
    2.    agreement with the United States on its nuclear program.
    3. 2.Tribal leaders in Eastern Libya have declared they will set up their own government for the region.
    4. 3. Tokyo prosecutors plan to serve new arrest warrants on former executives of Olympus

March 8, Thursday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Risa Shimizu

  1. 1. The head of the U.S. nuclear regulator has praised the recent disclosure of its minutes, showing
  2.     how it handled the Fukushima nuclear accident.
  3. 2. Top nuclear envoys from North and South Korea are attending an international security conference
  4.     in New York.
  5. 3. Japan’s current account balance in January slipped into the red for the first time in three years.

    March 9, Friday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Mr. Raja Pradan

    1. 1. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says the United Nations will continue to
    2.   support the reconstruction efforts for the March 11th earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan.
    3. 2. A senior U.S. senior official says the United States is cautiously optimistic it will be able to reach
    4.   a deal on delivering food aid to North Korea.
    5. 3. Greece is set to announce the outcome of debt-reduction talks with private sector investors
    6.     on Friday.

    7. March 10, Saturday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

      1.      A U.N. commission has unanimously adopted a resolution, calling for the protection of women in the event of major disasters.

      2.      Eurozone finance ministers have agreed that Greece has met the terms for an additional bailout.  This comes as many of the private owners of Greek sovereign bonds agreed to debt-reductions.

      3.      Israeli air strikes on Gaza have killed 10 Palestinians, including the leader of a militant group.

    8. March 11, Sunday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

      1.      Sunday marks the first anniversary of the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan.

      2.      The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency says his organization will continue to actively support decontamination efforts in Japan.

      3.      North Korea’s top nuclear envoy has reportedly showed willingness to implement the agreement with the United States on its nuclear program.

      March 12, Monday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Yuriko Yamada

      1.      Municipalities along the coastlines in northeastern Japan last month need more assistance from the central government to stop the outflow of population.

      2.      Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda says the government will ask local authorities to accept debris from regions hit by last year’s earthquake and tsunami.

      3.      A U.S. soldier has gone on a shooting rampage in Afghanistan , killing at least 15 people.

      March 13, Tuesday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

      1.      The bodies of 45 women and children have been found in Syria’s central city of Homs.

      2.      Eurozone countries have given their official approval to a second bailout for Greece worth about 130 billion euro, or 170 billion dollars.

      3.      North Korea’s chief envoy to the six-party talks on the country’s nuclear program says it will accept inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency.

      March 14, Wednesday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

      1.      Japan’s Nuclear Safety Commission has ended a series of meetings with independent experts to review the stress tests for halted reactors in central Japan.

      2.      New York stocks surged over 200 points on Tuesday as optimism over a U.S. economic recovery prompted buy orders on a wide range of shares.

      3.      Japan, the United States and the European Union say they will file complaints against China with the World Trade Organization.

      March 15, Thursday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

      1.      For the first time since the accident a year ago, Tokyo Electric Power Company sent workers to the basement of No.2 and No.3 reactor buildings to examine the suppression chambers.

      2.      The International Atomic Energy Agency says it is concerned about the safety of the world’s nuclear power plants as 80 percent are more than 20 years old.

      3.      U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron have agreed to step up pressure against Iran to abandon its nuclear development program.

      March 16, Friday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

      1.      The International Monetary Fund has officially approved a four-year bailout for Greece worth 28 billion euros.

      2.      The European Union has decided to block information necessary for inter-bank settlements to Iran.

      3.      Political maneuvering in China is expected to increase in the wake of the apparent dismissal of Chongging chief Bo Xilai.

      March 17, Saturday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

      1.      The Japanese government continues to press North Korea not to launch a rocket next month.

      2.      The United States says that it will be difficult to implement the planned aid to North Korea if the country does not drop its planned rocket launch.

      3.      Voters in East Timor are heading to the polls to elect a president in the year marking the tenth anniversary of its independence.

      March 18, Sunday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

      1.      Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has expressed concern over the military activities of China and North Korea.  He also called for deepening the alliance with the United States.

      2.      North Korea says it has notified relevant international agencies of its plan to launch a satellite in April, in an apparent effort to ward off criticism from the U.S. and its allies.

      3.      Bombings in the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Saturday are reported to have killed nearly 30 civilians.

      March 19, Monday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Asumi Ukon and Mr. David Crystal

      1.      Declassified South Korean documents have revealed that North Korea began providing arms to Iran after the Iran-Iraq War broke out in 1980.

      2.      Japan’s defense minister says he will consider ordering the Self-Defense Forces to destroy ballistic missiles from North Korea if the country launches one next month.

      3.      In Yemen, U.S. forces using an unmanned drone have killed 16 members of an Al-Qaeda-linked military group.

      March 20, Tuesday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Mick Corliss

      1.      Japan, China and South Korea will meet in China next month ahead of North Korea’s planned rocket launch.

      2.      Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has backed a call by the International Committee of the Red Cross for a daily humanitarian truce in Syria.

      3.      A gunman killed four people, including three children, in front of a Jewish school in the southern French city of Toulouse.

      March 21, Wednesday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Helen Lewis and Mr. Raja Pradan

      1.      The U.S. government has exempted Japan and 10 other countries from its financial sanctions again Iran.

      2.      Japan’s defense ministry is considering deploying missile interceptors in Okinawa Prefecture to prepare for an expected North Korean satellite launch next month.

      3.      Myanmar has agreed to allow observers from Southeast Asian countries to monitor next month’s parliamentary by-elections.

      March 22, Thursday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Risa Shimizu

      1.      The U.N. Security Council has unanimously adopted a presidential statement on the Syrian issue.

      2.      The International Atomic Energy Agency says it has begun talks with North Korea on how to monitor a planned moratorium on the North’s uranium enrichment activities.

      3.      A suspect in the shooting rampage in Toulouse, France, remains barricaded on Thursday, one day after the police surrounded his home.

      March 23, Friday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Mr. Raja Pradan

      1.      Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda is expected to outline a new vision for defending nuclear power plants at the coming Nuclear Security Summit.

      2.      The deadly shooting of four people near a Jewish school in Toulouse has raised the issue of public security into the French presidential election next month.

      3.      The U.N. Human Rights Council has adopted a resolution urging the Sri Lankan government to thoroughly investigate alleged abuses committed during the country’s civil war.

      March 24, Saturday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

      1.      North Korea says it plans to go ahead with a satellite launch on a lon-range rocket as scheduled, although it’s been widely criticized as a cover for testing missile systems.

      2.      Japan’s Defense Ministry is preparing to form a joint Self-Defense Forces unit to prepare for the planned rocket launch by North Korea.

      3.      Japan’s nuclear agency has compiled a basic plan on regulating power plant operators to prevent serious accidents in unforeseeable circumstances.

      March 25, Sunday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

      1.      U.S. President Barack Obama has arrived in South Korea to attend a nuclear security summit that begins on Monday.

      2.      Japan is to call on the United States, Britain, France and South Korea to step up cooperation in securing safe transport of nuclear fuel.

      3.      An outgoing senior Japanese official at the United Nations says to meet international expectations Japan should play the role of a democratic leader in East Asia.

      March 26, Monday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

      1.      The Nuclear Security Summit has opened in South Korea’s capital of Seoul on Monday.

      2.      Tokyo Electric Power Company has stopped the energy output from a nuclear reactor in Niigata  Prefecture while it carries out regular inspections on Sunday.  Only one other reactor is currently operating in Japan.

      3. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has offered full support to the U.N. and Arab League special

          envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, in his efforts to end violent conflicts there.

      March 27, Tuesday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Mick Corliss

      1. 1. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak opened the second day of the Nuclear Security Summit,
      2.     calling for international cooperation.
      3. 2. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda called on countries to press North Korea to give up
      4.    its planned satellite launch.
      5. 3. Amnesty International estimates that China executed thousands of prisoners last  year.

        March 28, Wednesday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

        1. 1.Tokyo Electric Power Company has detected extremely high levels of radiation inside one of
        2.    the crippled reactors of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
        3. 2. The Japanese government will extend its sanctions on North Korea for one more year after
        4.     the current bans expire on April 13th.
        5. 3. U.N. special envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, says the government of President Bashar al-Assad 
        6.     has agreed to accept a peace plan backed by the U.N. Security Council.

        March 29, Thursday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Raja Pradan

        1. 1. North Korea has revealed that it invited foreign journalists and experts to witness preparations for
        2.     its planned rocket launch next month.
        3. 2. The leaders of Japan and Italy have agreed that the countries will work together on measures for   
        4.     fiscal reconstruction and economic growth.
        5. 3. The first Arab League Summit in Iraq in more than two decades opens in Baghdad on Thursday.

        6. March 30, Friday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

          1. 1. Japan’s government has approved a bill to double the nation’s consumption tax rate.
          2. 2. Japan’s Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka has ordered the Self-Defense Forces to intercept any   
          3.    debris that could land on Japan from North Korean rockets to be launched in mid-April.
          4. 3. Leaders of Arab League countries have expressed support for the U.N. –brokered peace plan on 
          5.    Syria.

          6. March 31, Saturday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

            1. 1. A Japanese destroyer equipped with the Aegis air defense system and interceptor missiles hasleft   a port near Tokyo to prepare for North Korea’s planned rocket launch next month.
            2. 2. Finance ministers of 17 euro countries have agreed to boost their bailout lending capacity for indebted members to 700 billion euros, or about 933 billion dollars.

             

             

           

         

         

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

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