Daily English News
February 28, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. While thousands flee his country, Libyan leader Muammar al-Qadhafi defiantly says he and his supporters will resist anti-government demonstrators in the capital Tripoli.
2. Meanwhile, in Oman on Sunday, clashes between police and protesters who are demanding political reform have left two people dead.
3. China’s government increases its security measures following renewed on-line calls for pro-democracy protests across the country this past Sunday.
4. In Christchurch, New Zealand, rescue operations continue at a collapsed building, where students, including Japanese, were attending language school.
February 27, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. New Zealand authorities are now focusing on the identification of victims following a powerful earthquake that hit Christchurch on Tuesday.
2. The United Nations Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution calling for sanctions against Libya, in response to the government’s continued violence against anti-government protesters.
3. Russia says it will modernize military units on a group of Russian-held islands claimed by Japan.
February 26, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Mark Robinson
1. In the Libyan capital Tripoli, a clash between anti-government protesters and security forces escalated into a shoot-out.
2. Mass demonstrations have been held across the Middle East after Friday prayers.
3. For four full days after a powerful earthquake hit Christchurch in New Zealand, international search and rescue operations are continuing. About 200 people are believed to be trapped under rubble.
February 25, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. Heavy fighting is reported in and around the Libyan capital Tripoli, as security forces try to fend off anti-government protesters closing in on the stronghold of the country’s leader, Muammar al-Qadhafi.
2. While anti-government protests in the region have claimed hundreds of lives, the Middle East’s largest arms fair went ahead as scheduled this week in the United Arab Emirates.
3. Rescuers are continuing their search for survivors three days after Tuesday’s massive earthquake struck New Zealand’s Christchurch City.
4. The latest census shows Japan’s population recording its smallest growth on record.
February 24, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. As waves of anti-government protests continue across Libya, Colonel Muammar al-Qadhafi is facing mounting pressure from world leaders to step down as the nation’s leader.
2. As the unrest continues in Libya, the prices of crude oil futures rise in Tokyo and New York, amid the concerns that Libya’s government may cut off supplies.
3. In New Zealand, a Japanese rescue team has joined the round-the clock efforts to find survivors in quake-hit Christchurch.
4. The resignation of a Democratic Party lawmaker from a senior government post has highlighted a deep rift within the governing party led by Japan’s Prime Minister Naoto Kan.
February 23, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. Round the clock rescue operations continue in Christchurch on New Zealand’s South Island, where a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck on Tuesday.
2. The U.N. Security Council condemns the Libyan government’s use of force against civilian protesters, and calls for an immediate end to the military crackdown.
3. Tens of thousands of opposition supporters held another protest rally in Bahrain’s capital, demanding the end of the monarchy and the resignation of the government.
4. The leaders of Japan and Pakistan agree to continue working together to bring stability to Pakistan’s neighbor Afghanistan as well as to expand bilateral economic cooperation.
February 22, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. Libyan leader Muammar al-Qadhafi surfaces for the first time since the start of pro-democracy uprising, and expresses his determination to remain in power.
2. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon becomes the latest world leader to call on the Libyan government to immediately stop the violence against its people.
3. Yet another earthquake in New Zealand causes widespread damage and injuries around Christchurch on the country’s southern island.
4. As the monthly assessment of Japan’s economy in February is upgraded, a new survey estimates a record number of Japanese jobless for a year and more in 2010.
February 21, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. In Libya, protests against the rule of Colonel Muammar al-Qadhafi have spread to the capital, Tripoli, from cities, mainly in the north eastern part of the country.
2. The governments of Japan and the United States are urging Libyan authorities to stop their use of deadly force against anti-government protesters.
3. In eastern Afghanistan, an attack by NATO-led forces on Taliban has left 64 civilians dead in the eastern Kunar Province.
4. Higher raw material prices will make tires more expensive as major Japanese car and motorcycle tire makers plan to raise the prices by seven to eight percent from April.
February 20, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. G 20 finance ministers and central bank governors have agreed to cooperate to deal with soaring food and crude oil prices. They have also agreed on guidelines and indicators to monitor global economic imbalances.
2. The death toll from anti-government demonstrations has been on the rise in the northern African country of Libya.
3. Chinese President Hu Jintao has ordered Communist Party leaders to tighten oversight of the Internet.
February 19, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Mark Robinson
1. Uprisings are intensifying across the Middle East. In Libya, 46 anti-government protesters have been reportedly killed in clashes with security forces, while in Bahrain, security forces opened fire on anti-government protesters, wounding at least 50.
2. Meanwhile, in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, tens of thousands of people have gathered to celebrate the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak one week ago.
3. Finance ministers and central bank governors of the Group of 20 countries are meeting in Paris to discuss ways to achieve sustainable economic growth.
February 18, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. Anti-government protests continued on Thursday throughout the Middle East as more demonstrations are killed in clashes with security forces.
2. A rift within the ruling Democratic Party of Japan is likely to further deepen after 16 lawmakers tell the party leadership that they are leaving the parliamentary group.
3. Singapore’s prime minister expresses support for Japan becoming a member of a Pacific free trade agreement.
4. Japan’s Fisheries Ministry calls off this winter’s research whaling because of the obstruction of operations by a conservation group in the Antarctic waters.
February 17, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. Across the Middle East, anti-government protests and crackdowns by security forces have left people dead and injured in Bahrain, Libya, Yemen and Iran.
2. The top diplomats of Japan and South Korea agree that inter-Korean talks should be held on the North’s denuclearization before the proposed resumption of 6-party talks.
3. A further tightening of export controls for rare earth metals by China’s government has aroused concerns in Japan , the U.S. and some European countries.
4. The decision by the government of the U.S. state of Florida to refuse federal funds to build a high-speed railway line in his state could end negotiations on shinkansen bullet train technology.
February 16, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. A new economic partnership agreement signed by Japan and India is expected to increase the flow of trade and investment between the two countries.
2. Tensions rise in Iran when reformists held protests in various parts of the country this week, after demonstrators ousted the leaders of authoritarian governments in Egypt and Tunisia.
3. Russia’s foreign minister warns Japan’s leaders that negotiations over a territorial dispute won’t make progress until they accept the outcome of World War II.
4. The operators of the New York and Frankfurt stock exchanges will merge to become the world’s largest group for trading stocks and derivative products.
February 15, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. Following the success of anti-government protests in Tunisia and Egypt that ousted dictators, Iran’s security forces violently suppresses anti-government protesters.
2. As the wave of pre-democracy demonstrators has risen across the Middle East, Arab League member nations seek to increase economic cooperation to keep the political turmoil from spreading.
3. U.S. President Barack Obama unveils a budget plan that aims to trim the nation’s deficit by a trillion dollars over 10 years, but the Republicans say the measures don’t go far enough.
4. A Chinese company will begin seafood farming operations on one of the Russian-held islands off Japan’s northernmost Hokkaido Prefecture.
February 14, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. Newly released figures show Japan’s economy stumbled in the last quarter of 2010, contracting for the first time in five quarters and ceding to China its spot as the world’s second largest economy.
2. Egypt’s Armed Forces Supreme Council promises to hold a referendum on a draft of a new constitution in six months and then elections for president and members of the parliament.
3. Hundreds of thousands of women in Italy take to the streets to protest Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s involvement in a sex scandal.
4. A Japanese university greenlights a project to make human eggs or sperm from iPS cells on the condition that any eggs and sperm are not fertilized.
February 13, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. U.S. President Barack Obama has welcomed the Egyptian military leaders’ pledge to honor the peace treaty with Israel, stressing U.S. support for that country, including financial assistance.
2. Thousands of anti-government demonstrators took to the streets in Algeria and Yemen on Saturday, one day after the resignation of Egyptian President Mubarak.
3. Joint military exercises involving six Asian nations and the United States are in full swing in Thailand, with a focus on humanitarian assistance.
February 12, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Mark Robinson
1. After weeks of protest in Egypt, Hosni Mubarak has stepped down as president. The military Supreme Council is now in power temporarily.
2. U.S. President Barack Obama has welcomed the resignation of the Egyptian president and pledged U.S. support for Egypt’s transition to democracy.
3. The foreign ministers of Japan and Russia have discussed the territorial issue involving four Russian-held islands claimed by Japan, but differences between the two sides have not been narrowed.
February 11, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. In Egypt, the defiant Hosni Mubarak tells his nation that he is not stepping down and will continue to serve for the rest of his term that lasts through September.
2. Despite two years of negotiations on ways to reform the U.N. Security Council, a draft proposal shows that governments around the world remain far apart on key issues.
3. South Korea’s chief envoy to the six-party talks on the North’s nuclear program visits China to seek ways to break the deadlock that has lasted for two years.
4. All Nippon Airways joins forces with a Hong Kong investment firm to serve cities in Japan, China and South Korea.
February 10, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. Japan’s foreign minister will arrive in Russia on Thursday to lay the groundwork for resumption of territorial talks in Moscow with his Russian counterpart.
2. In Egypt, anti-government protesters rally in front of the parliament building, as government officials threaten military intervention to end the demonstrations.
3. U.S. officials criticize North Korean negotiators for walking out of inter-Korean military talks, saying they have missed an important opportunity to show they are sincere in wanting to improve ties with the South.
4. The London and Toronto stock exchanges announce their merge creates the largest force in terms of the number of listed companies.
February 9, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. Despite the Egyptian government’s announcement of a plan for political reform, tens of thousands of anti-Mubarak protesters are continuing their demonstrations in the nation’s capital.
2. In an apparent show of China’s determination to assuage inflationary fears, the nation’s central bank has raised its benchmark rates for the third time in just four months.
3. Four workers were exposed to radiation at a nuclear fuel plant, northeast of Tokyo, in an accident that was caused by a device that failed to work properly.
4. A U.S. government investigation concludes that there were no electronic control problems behind the alleged unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles.
February 8, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. Japan’s Defense Ministry considers a new formation of the nation’s Self-Defense Forces to tighten security near Okinawa and waters surrounding southwestern Japan.
2. Egypt’s new prime minister holds his first Cabinet meeting, while anti-government demonstrators continue to demand President Hosni Mubarak’s immediate resignation.
3. Tensions are running high between Japanese and Russian governments over a visit late last year by Russia’s president to a Russian-held island claimed by Japan.
4. A Japanese business delegation is in Iraq, seeking the support of the nation’s top leaders in securing investment opportunities in the oil-rich country.
February 7, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Kaori Nimura and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. In Egypt, government and opposition groups agree to convene a preparatory panel to revise the nation’s constitution, and to lift the state of emergency.
2. Japanese economic research institutes are forecasting a fall in gross domestic product for the last quarter of 2010, the first fall in 15 months.
3. Japanese and Australian negotiators resume talks for the first time in 10 months toward concluding a bilateral economic partnership agreement.
4. Tensions are running high around a disputed area on the border between Thailand and Cambodia as clashes resumed on Sunday night, even though the two sides had agreed to stop fighting the day before.
February 6, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. There are no signs of an early end to political turmoil in Egypt as President Hosni Mubarak refuses to resign.
2. The United States and Russia have exchanged ratification documents, for a new bilateral nuclear arms reduction treaty.
3. The Japan Sumo Association has decided to cancel next month’s major tournament, due to the on-going investigation into the match-fixing scandal.
February 5, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. A massive anti-government rally in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, is almost over and many protesters have already left Tahrir Square, but the situation still remains at a standstill as President Mubarak is showing no sign of accepting their call for his immediate resignation.
2. An international organization for freedom of the press says 101 journalists, who were covering massive anti-government rallies in Egypt, have been assaulted or detained so far.
3. More than 10 people were killed in a fresh round of fighting between Cambodian and Thai soldiers in a disputed border area on Friday.
February 4, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak tells an American television network that he has no intention of leaving office immediately, saying Egypt would sink into chaos if he did.
2. World leaders are condemning the violence on the streets of Egypt, while calling for an early transition of leadership in the country.
3. The European Central Bank decides to keep its interest rate at its lowest level ever to prop up the economies of indebted Euro zone members, such as Portugal and Spain.
4. Japan’s largest and third largest steelmakers are to plan to merge next year in response to intense competition from China and India.
February 3, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. As demonstrations continue in the Egyptian capital, demanding that long-time ruler Hosni Mubarak step down, his supporters and opponents clash head-on at mid-week.
2. A series of anti-government rallies has prompted Yemen’s long-serving ruler to say he won’t seek another term in office.
3. Yet another scandal seems set to rock Japan’s national sport of sumo, now that three of its wrestlers and a stable master have admitted their involvement in match-fixing.
4. A powerful cyclone slams into Australia’s northeastern Queensland state, washing off roads and cutting power to thousands of households.
February 2, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak bows to public pressure and tells his nation and the world that he will not seek another term in the September presidential election.
2. Amid continuing protests over a high jobless rate among the nation’s youth and rising inflation, Jordan’s King Hussein replaces the prime minister and wants a new cabinet to carry out reforms.
3. A close aide to Russia’s president says the governments of Russia and Japan should promote joint economic projects for the four Russian-held islands long claimed by Japan.
4. The prime minister of Ireland calls a snap election as his government faces criticism for its handling of the nation’s financial crisis.
February 1, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Robert Jefferson
1. Protesters in Egypt are poised to stage a million-person march in Cairo on Tuesday to pressure President Hosni Mubarak to stand down.
2. Concerns over the political unrest in Egypt are affecting Japanese companies doing business in the country while crude oil futures rose in both London and New York.
3. An erupting volcano in southwestern Japan releases its fourth explosive blast on Tuesday morning, breaking windows several kilometers away.
4. Japan’s fiscal health continues to worsen with state liabilities now exceeding assets for the first time in about 30 years due to rising government debt owed to bondholders.