Daily English News

 

June

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

1.      On the Tokyo Foreign Exchange, the euro was trading at the upper 96-97 yen level on Friday morning after briefly hitting its lowest level in New York since December 2000.

2.      Direct trading between the Japanese and Chinese currencies has started in Tokyo and Shanghai foreign exchange markets.

3.      Human rights activist Chen Guangcheng has urged China to learn from Eastern democracies like Japan or South Korea and establish its own style of democracy.

June 2, Saturday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1.      Syrian troops have fired on demonstrators who were protesting last week’s killing of over 100 people in the village of Houla.  At least 30 people were shot dead on Friday.

2.      U.S. and European stock markets plunged on Friday after disappointing jobs data out of the United States.

3.      Japan has registered a protest with South Korea over an exhibit at a 2012 international exposition in the country’s southern coastal city of Yeosu, Japan decided not to send senior officials to a “Japan Day” ceremony on Saturday.

June 3, Sunday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Risa Shimizu

1.      Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda is preparing to reshuffle his Cabinet on Monday.

2.      Countries involved in territorial disputes with China have expressed support for the U.S. military plan to deploy more Navy ships in the Asia-Pacific region.  But the new U.S. defense strategy drew a different reaction from China.

3.      Defense officials from Japan, the United States and Australia say the three countries plan to draw up a new action plan to improve defense cooperation.

June 4, Monday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Asumi Ukon

1.      The 21-member Asia –Pacific Economic and Cooperation forum will discuss concrete steps toward liberalizing regional trade and investments by 2020.

2.      Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda is set to reshuffle his Cabinet on Monday, replacing at least five ministers, the move that it is aimed at winning opposition support for the passage of bills during the current Diet session to raise the consumption tax.

3.      Police are searching the home of an Aum Shinrikyo cult member who was arrested on Sunday after being wanted for years in connection with the 1995 Tokyo subway nerve gas attack.

June 5, Tuesday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Helen Lewis and Mr. Mick Corliss

1.      Japan will move forward its plans to start discussions with countries negotiating a free trade agreement known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

2.      Group of Seven nations will hold an urging conference call on Tuesday to discuss the European credit crisis.

3.      A record number of people in Hong Kong held a candlelight vigil on Monday to mark the 23rd anniversary of the government’s crackdown in Tiananmen Square.

June 6, Wednesday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      South Korean President Lee Myung-bak says his country will deal strictly with any provocation from North Korea.

2.      The leaders of Russia and China have pledged to further develop their strategic partnership.

3.      The United Nations says Syria has agreed to allow humanitarian workers and supplies into four sites.

June 7, Thursday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Helen Lewis and Mr. Patrick Devolpi

1.      The E.U. has proposed a new system to aggressively step up supervision of eurozone banks.

2.      Israel’s Defense Minister Ehud Barak has admitted for the first time that his country has carried out cyber attacks.  He says Israel needs to be pro-active in cyber warfare.

3.      A major Japanese real estate company has announced plans to build a large-scale solar power plant in an area hit by last year’s disaster and nuclear accident.

June 8, Friday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda is planning to hold a news conference on Friday on the Ohi nuclear power plant.  He is ready to explain to the public the necessity of restarting the reactors in Fukui Prefecture.

2.      The U.N. Security Council met to discuss the escalating violence against civilians in Syria, but failed to narrow the divide between western nations and Russia and China.

3.      Major credit rating agency Fitch has downgraded Spain’s sovereign bonds amid concern that the European debt crisis could spread further.

June 9, Saturday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1.      U.N. monitors reached an alleged massacre site in Syria on Friday.  The spokesperson says there was a smell of flesh and body parts lay scattered around the deserted village.

2.      Officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency say they have made no progress in talks with Iran on a deal to resume inspections into the country’s suspected weapon facilities.

3.      A bomb exploded on a bus on the outskirts of the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Friday, killing at least 18 people and wounding 40.

June 10, Sunday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

1.      The eurozone has announced an intention to provide Spain with financial aid of up to 100 billion euros, or 125 billion dollars, to bail out its troubled banks.

2.      Human rights activists in Syria say 95 people have been killed by government forces over the past two days.

3.      In the western African nation of Cote d’Ivoire, at least 15 people, including U.N. peacekeepers, have been killed in an attack by an armed group.

June 11, Monday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      The Japanese government is expected to authorize the resumption of a nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture as early as Saturday.

2.      Private research firms are predicting that new President Francois Hollande’s Socialist and other left-wing parties will likely assume a majority in the French Lower House elections.

3.      Myanmar’s President Thein Sein has announced a state of emergency in the western province of Rakhine.

June 12, Tuesday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      The mayor of Ohi Town, which hosts a nuclear power plant, is expected to give consent to a resumption of the plant’s operation.

2.      An NHK poll suggests 41 percent of Japanese people support Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda’s new cabinet.

3.      Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara has criticized the Japanese government’s handling of the Senkaku Islands issue.

June 13, Wednesday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Michael Rhys

1.      U.N. observers in Syria were attacked on Tuesday by crowds of people.

2.      The interest rate on Spanish bonds has hit its highest level since the country adopted the euro, reflecting persistent concerns about the European debt problem.

3.      The Tunisian government has imposed a curfew in the capital Tunis and seven other areas, following a series of riots triggered by an art exhibition.

June 14, Thursday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      In Syria, government forces have retaken one of the strongholds of the opposition Free Syrian Army north of the country.

2.      A Tunisian court has sentenced ousted president Zine Ele ABidine Ben Ali to life in prison for ordering the killings of hundreds of demonstrators.

3.      The mayor of Ohi Town in Fukui Prefecture has approved the restart of two nuclear reactors in his town.

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

1.      Tokyo police have arrested the last fugitive member of the Aum Shinrikyo cult who was on the run for 17 years.

2.      Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court has ruled that the parliamentary election held after the ouster of former president Hosni Mubarak was unconstitutional.

3.      Tokyo Electric Power Company says it has detected extremely high levels of radiation on a floor just above the No.2 reactor at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.

June 16, Saturday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1.      The Japanese government has decided to restart the Ohi nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan.  It will be the first nuclear plant to operate since May.

2.      The governing Democratic Party has reached an agreement with two major opposition parties on a set of tax and social security reform bills.  One of the bills raises the consumption tax rate from the current 5 percent to 10 percent in 2015.

3.      The head of the U.N. mission to Syria says the intensifying fighting in the country is restricting their monitoring and the crisis could be described as a civil war.

June 17, Sunday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

1.      U.N. observers in Syria say they have suspended all cease-fire monitoring activities in the country because of escalating violence between government and opposition forces.

2.      Greek voters are going to the polls to decide whether the country continues with its austerity policies.

3.      Myanmar’s pro-democracy opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has finally delivered an acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize she won 21 years ago.

June 18, Monday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Asumi Ukon and Mr. Raja Pradan

1.      Greece’s pro-authority New Democracy party has won Sunday’s parliamentary election rerun.

2.      France’s Socialist Party and its left-wing allies have won a solid majority in parliamentary run-off election held on Sunday.

3.      As vote counting continues in Egypt’s presidential run-off elections, the Muslim Brotherhood announced on Monday that its candidate Mohamed Morsi won.

June 19, Tuesday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      E.U. leaders have pledged to the heads of the G20 countries that they will recover confidence in the credit of the eurozone countries.

2.      Egypt faces a new wave of turmoil after the Islamic fundamentalist group declared victory in the presidential election while the interim military administration is strengthening its authority.

3.      North Korea is stepping up efforts to strengthen the public image of the young leader Kim Jong Un, who is seen as lacking in political experiences.

June 20, Wednesday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

1.      Leaders of the Group of 20 major economies have issued a declaration that urges the eurozone countries to take all necessary measures to contain the debt crisis.

2.      Both candidates in Egypt’s presidential runoff have claimed victory following the voting on Saturday and Sunday.

3.      The latest round of talks over Iran’s nuclear program has ended without progress.

June 21, Thursday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Patrick Devolpi and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto

1.      Three pro-austerity parties in Greece have agreed to form a coalition government.

2.      Egypt’s election officials have delayed announcing the winner of the presidential runoff, saying they need to study complaints from the candidates.

3.      An international meeting on how to balance environmental conservation with economic development has opened in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

June 22, Friday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Mr. Mick Corliss

1.      Eurozone finance ministers have confirmed they will speed up the process of helping Spain’s troubled banks. 

2.      A new pro-austerity coalition government has been formed in Greece.

3.      U.S. credit rating agency Moody’s has downgraded the ratings of 15 global banks due to the European debt crisis.

June 23, Saturday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1.      Japan’s southern prefecture of Okinawa is observing the 67^th anniversary of the end of fierce battles in the final days of World War II.

2.      A U.N. meeting on sustainable development has ended in Rio de Janeiro after adopting a statement calling for developing a green economy and eradicating poverty.

3.      Leaders of the eurozone’s four biggest nations have agreed on a 130 billion euro package to boost economic growth in Europe.

June 24, Sunday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

1.      Greece’s new coalition government has outlined a plan to ease austerity measures that were the basis for receiving a bailout package.

2.      Egypt will announce the result of its presidential election on Sunday.  Voters went to the polls a week ago to pick a successor to the deposed long-term ruler, Hosni Mubarak.

3.      Japan’s land and infrastructure ministry estimates that public spending on the reconstruction of disaster-stricken northeast Japan will total about 50 billion dollars this fiscal year that ends in March, creating nearly half a million jobs.

June 25, Monday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. David Crystal

1.      More than 50 Diet lawmakers from Japan’s ruling Democratic Party are expected to vote against controversial bills to hike the sales tax.

2.      Egypt’s election commission has officially announced the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi has won the country’s presidential run-off.  The election was the first since the fall of former president Hosni Mubarak’s government.

3.      New Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras will follow his doctor’s advice and not attend the European Union summit.

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

1.      A set of bills to raise the consumption tax are expected to be approved in a Lower House plenary session on Tuesday, although Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda is calling for the support of the legislation from his party.  Around 55 party members are planning on voting against the bills.

2.      Cyprus has asked its partners in the European Union for a financial bailout.

3.      Egyptian President-elect Mohamed Morsi has began forming a cabinet.

June 27, Wednesday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1. Shareholders of Tokyo Electric Power Company will likely approve a public bailout on Wednesday.

2. The former leader of Japan's ruling Democratic Party, Ichiro Ozawa, is expected to decide to leave the party soon.

3. The UN peace-keeping chief says the escalating conflict in Syria is preventing UN truce observers from resuming their mission.

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

1. The leadership of Japan's ruling Democratic Party is continuing efforts to avoid splitting the party.

2. The highest level of radiation to date has been detected inside the No. 1 reactor vessel at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

3. A UN commission investigating the ongoing violence in Syria says the situation is worsening.

June 29, Friday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko

Kitadai

1. Japan's unemployment rate improved in May for the first time in three months.

2. European leaders have agreed to allow the use of rescue funds to recapitalize ailing

banks directly.

3.The US Supreme Court has upheld President Barak Obama's healthcare
reform law.

June 30, Saturday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1. The US military has begun its largest-ever maritime exercise off Hawaii joined by 22 countries, mostly from the Asia pacific region

2. The UN Security Council says it suspects North Korea of illicitly exporting weapons by way of China to Syria and other countries.
3. Leaders of 17 EU countries have agreed to let European rescue funds provide financial assistance directly to struggling banks in the region.