Daily English News

 

July

 

July 1, Sunday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

1. One of the reactors at the Ohi nuclear power plant in central Japan on Sunday will go back online.

2. Power companies in Japan will have to purchase electricity generated by renewable energy sources.

3. The European Union has banned from Sunday its member nations from importing Iranian oil.

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

1.      One of the most influential politicians in Japan, Ichiro Ozawa, and 51 colleagues

are leaving the governing Democratic Party.  They are expected to launch a new

parliamentary group.

2. A re-activated Japanese nuclear reactor reached criticality on Monday for the first time in 15 months.

3. Members of the Syrian opposition have criticized the agreement reached at an international meeting on Saturday in Geneva.

July 3, Tuesday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Helen Lewis

1. The secretary-general of the Arab League has urged Syria's fragmented opposition groups to unite to rescue their country from its current crisis.

2. U.S. Osprey military transport aircraft are en route to Japan for their planned deployment at the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Okinawa prefecture.

3. The Bank of Japan's business sentiment report says the country's leading manufactures as well as non-manufactures plan to spend more on plants and equipment for the current fiscal year.

July 4, Wednesday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev says he is determined not to give in over a territorial dispute with Japan.
2. Technical experts from Iran and six major powers have met to discuss Iran's nuclear program.
3. New car sales in the United States jumped in June with Japanese automakers marking a comeback in the market.

July 5, Thursday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Helen Lewis and Mr. Keith McPharen
1. A nuclear reactor in central Japan has begun generating electricity after being reactivated on Sunday.  The reactor is the first one to resume operations after all of Japan's fifty commercial reactors went offline in May.
2. Japanese peace keepers are making final preparations for their mission in South Sudan.
3. Palestinian officials plan to investigate the death in 2004 of their longtime leader Yasser Arafat, following reports that he may have been assassinated by radioactive poisoning.

July 6, Friday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Ms. Kaori Nimura

1.      A Diet-appointed panel has criticized the Prime Minister’s Office for disrupting the emergency response to the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

2.      Japan is imposing new sanctions on Syria to increase pressure on the administration of Bashar al-Assad to halt its violent crackdown on anti-government forces.

3.      Japan is negotiating with other nations and international agencies to raise a total of 15 billion dollars in aid for Afghanistan by 2015.

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

1.      Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda says his administration has started purchase negotiations with the private owners of the disputed Senkaku Islands to protect the area’s peace and stability.

2.      An international meeting on Syria has called on the U.N. Security Council to use threats of sanctions to end the Syrian crisis and facilitate political transition in the country.

3.      In Libya, unidentified gunmen fired on a helicopter carrying voting material for Saturday’s national assembly election, killing an election commission worker.

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

1.      Countries have pledged to continue financial assistance for Afghanistan at an international donor conference in Tokyo.

2.      France’s foreign minister says his country and other nations should try to gain support from Russia and Chinas to end the Syrian crisis.

3.      An electric power generator at a nuclear reactor in central Japan has achieved 100 % power output after it was reactivated on July 1st.

 July 9, Monday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      Delegates at the Afghan aid conference in Tokyo have pledged to donate 16 billion dollars to Afghanistan through 2015.

2.      Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has urged ASEAN countries to draw up rules for peacefully resolving territorial disputes among some of its members and China in the South China Sea.

3.      A nuclear reactor in central Japan has achieved its full operating capacity.  The nuclear reactor was restarted on July 1st after being shut down for maintenance that lasted for 15 months.

July 10, Tuesday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      Foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations failed to release a joint communiqué on Monday as planned.

2.      U.N. special envoy Kofi Annan says he has reached an agreement with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on ways to end the violence in Syria.

3.      Japan’s Defense Minister Satoshi Morimoto says he will ask the United States to pay due attention to safety when flying the Osprey military aircraft over Japan for training.

July 11, Wednesday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      Tensions are running high in Egypt after the Supreme Constitutional Court invalidated a decree by the new president to reconvene parliament.

2.      U.N. special envoy Kofi Annan has asked Syria’s ally Iran to get involved in efforts to stop the violence in Syria.

3.      Japan’s Coast Guard says three Chinese patrol boats briefly entered Japanese territorial waters near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea on Wednesday morning.

July 12, Thursday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      The foreign ministers of members of the ASEAN regional forum will hold a conference in Cambodia to discuss security in the Asia-Pacific region.

2.      The U.N. Security Council has been unable to decide its next step in Syria.

3.      The European Union’s banking watchdog says major banks in the region have successfully bolstered their capital to withstand the lingering debt crisis.

July 13, Friday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      Foreign ministers of the ASEAN members may fail to issue a joint statement due to differences over territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

2.      The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has detected high levels of radiation in the basement of the No.3 reactor, with a maximum doze of 360 millisieverts per hour.

3.      China says its GDP growth slowed to 7.6 percent in the April to June quarter.

July 14, Saturday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1.      U.N. special envoy Kofi Annan says he is “shocked and appalled “ by reports of mass killings in Syria.  U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has also called on U.N. member nations to take collective and decisive action to stop the tragedy.

2.      China is hardening its stance regarding territorial claims with Japan over the Senkaku Islands and with Southeast Asian countries over disputed islands in the South China Sea.

3.      U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has declared Myanmar open to U.S. investment.  This follows the recent easing of U.S. economic sanctions against the Southeast Asian country.

July 15, Sunday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

1.      A Russian Soyuz spacecraft has lifted off in Kazakfstan, carrying Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide.

2.      Record rainfall has pummeled Japan’s southwestern region of Kyushu, resulting in dozens of casualties.

3.      Japan’s ambassador to China has left Beijing for a brief return to Tokyo.  The diplomat will report on China’s recent actions concerning the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.

July 16, Monday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Asumi Ukon and Mr. Raja Pradan

1.      Japan is facing growing difficulties in making a quick entry into the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade talks.

2.      Japan’s Self-Defense Forces have begun drilling for a major earthquake.

3.      Syria’s Foreign Ministry has denied reports that government forces massacred villagers in central Syria.

July 17, Tuesday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Raja Pradan

1.      U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the United States will use all elements of American power to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

2.      U.N. special envoy Kofi Annan held talks with Russia’s foreign minister to discuss ways to solve the conflict in Syria.

3.      A former executive of British bank, Barclays has admitted that he ordered the filing of a false report on a benchmark interest rate.

July 18, Wednesday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

1.      Anti-government forces in Syria are attacking soldiers and security personnel in Damascus.

2.      North Korea says leader Kim Jong Un has been named Marshal of the Republic.

3.      A U.S. Senate panel says leading British bank HSBC was involved in various illicit transactions including money laundering by Mexican drug cartels.

July 19, Thursday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Helen Lewis and Mr. Patrick Devolpi

1.      The second nuclear reactor in Japan to be restarted since the Fukushima accident has reached criticality.

2.      Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s administration is about to retaliate, following a fatal explosion in the national security building in Damascus on Wednesday.

3.      A high-ranking North Korean official, who was recently dismissed from all posts within the ruling Workers’ Party, has been removed from the country’s key military position.

July 20, Friday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Mr. Maxwell Powers

1.      Russia and China have vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution which would have imposed sanctions against Syria.

2.      Former Egyptian vice president Omar Suleiman has died at the age of 76.

3.      The Japanese government has informed Yamaguchi Prefecture and Iwakuni City in western Japan about the scheduled arrival of Osprey military transport aircraft at a U.S. military base.

July 21, Saturday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1.      The second nuclear reactor in Japan to be restarted since last year’s accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant has begun to generate electricity.

2.      Japan’s space agency has successfully launched an H2B rocket.  Onboard is a cargo carrier, which will deliver goods to the International Space Station.

3.      Fighting in Syria between government and rebel forces has reportedly killed more than 360 people over the past two days.

July 22, Sunday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Keiko Kitagawa and Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki

1.      Japan’s Coast Guard says a U.S. F-16 fighter jet has crashed off the northern island of Hokkaido.

2.      A cargo ship carrying Osprey military transport aircraft is expected to arrive at a U.S. base in western Japan on Monday amid controversy over the plane’s safety.

3.      Syrian government troops and opposition forces have engaged in heavy fighting in the country major city, Aleppo.  It’s a city where violent clashes had seldom occurred.

July 23, Monday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. David Crystal

1.      A fleet of Osprey transport aircraft has arrived at a U.S. military base in western Japan amid an on-going controversy over the craft’s safety.

2.      The Syrian government is hitting back at insurgents with intensive strikes in both Syria’s capital and second city as fighting rages on.

3.      The government kept its economic assessment unchanged in its monthly report for July, saying Japan is on a moderate recovery path.  But it expressed concern over the outlook for the economy amid signs of a weakening global expansion.

July 24, Tuesday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      Syria’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson says the country has chemical weapons and is ready to use them if foreign troops intervene in its internal conflicts.

2.      A Japan-U.S. panel of foreign and defense officials will meet on Thursday in response to public concerns over the safety of the Osprey transport aircraft.

3.      The yield of 10-year U.S. Treasury bonds hit a record low on Monday as traders rushed to safety amid concern over worsening credit crises in Spain and Italy.

July 25, Wednesday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      The second reactor to resume operation in Japan after the nuclear accident in Fukushima is now generating power at full capacity.

2.      Prosecutors in Japan have decided to accept criminal complaints over the Fukushima nuclear accident.

3.      Spain and Germany have expressed strong concerns as Spain’s funding costs hit a new high.

July 26, Thursday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      Japanese and U.S. officials are meeting in Tokyo to discuss how to ensure the safe operation of the U.S. military’s osprey transport aircraft.

2.      Syrian government forces have deployed jets to attack several opposition-held strongholds.

3.      The International Atomic Energy Agency will examine a nuclear plant in northeastern Japan next week to see how it was affected by the earthquake on March 11th last year.

July 27, Friday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called on all warring parties worldwide to lay down their weapons during the London Olympic Games.

2.      Japan beat Spain in an Olympic soccer.

3.      Japan’s Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yukio Edano has urged restraint in deciding whether to restart another nuclear power plant.

July 28, Saturday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1.      Syrian government forces are laying siege to the country’s second largest city, Aleppo.  A major attack on opposition forces in the northern city is expected to start at any time.

2.      The London Olympic Games have opened with athletes from 204 countries and territories taking part.  It is the third time the British capital has hosted the Olympics, the most for any city in Olympic history.

3.      Japan’s unmanned cargo transporter has successfully docked with the International Space Station orbiting about 400 kilometers above the Earth.

July 29, Sunday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki ande Ms. Keiko Kitagai

1.      Japan and Russia have agreed to maintain territorial dialogue at various levels over a group of Russian-held islands claimed by Japan off Hokkaido.  But the rift between the two countries is large.

2.      Syrian government forces have launched a large-scale offensive to regain control of Aleppo, the north Syrian commercial hub.

3.      Japanese athletes and designers have organized a series of events during the Olympics aiming to show gratitude to the world for the support after last year’s earthquake and tsunami.

July 30, Monday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto

1.      Syrian government forces are attacking the country’s second city of Aleppo to retake districts held by rebels.

2.      On the third day of the London Olympics on Sunday, Japan’s Masashi Ebinuma won the bronze medal in men’s judo 66 kilograms along with the women’s archery team which also took the bronze.

3.      Tens of thousands of people have taken part in a rally in Tokyo on Sunday to protest the restart of a nuclear plant in Fukui Prefecture.

July 31, Tuesday, 2012 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Helen Lewis

1.      Citizens in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo are facing a hard situation as food and water supplies have apparently been halted.  This is in addition to intensifying attacks by government forces.

2.      Japan won its first Olympic gold at the Olympics on the fourth day of the London Games on Monday.

3.      The Tokyo Electric Power Company has received one trillion yen in government funds, putting the operation of the Fukushima nuclear power plant under effective state control.