Daily English News

 

April

 

April 30, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1.      The operator of the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it will restart the removal of highly radioactive water from an underground tunnel connected to the No.2 rector building on Saturday afternoon.

2.      Japanese Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have agreed on the need to hold bilateral security talks at an early date.

3.      Syria’s security forces have opened fire on anti-government protesters, leaving at least 48 people dead.  The U.N. Human Rights Council has adopted a resolution condemning Syria’s government of President Basher al-Assad for the violent crackdown on peaceful protesters.

 

April 29, 2011(2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. David Crystal

1.      The bullet train line connecting Tokyo with Shin-Aomori in northern Japan, resumed full service on Friday, 49 days after the massive earthquake in the region.

2.      The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission says the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan has “definitely improved” but still requires close monitoring.

3.      Hundreds of people have fled Syria into north neighboring Lebanon while crackdowns against pro-democracy demonstrations continue.

 

April 28, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      Japan’s industrial output in March declined 15.3 percent from the previous month, the largest ever fall on record, mainly due to the impact of the March 11th disaster.

2.      The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it aims to begin disposing of highly radioactive water starting in June.

3.      The U.N. Security Council has failed to reach agreement on a statement condemning the violence in Syria.

 

April 27, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Michael Rhys

1.      United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has called for nuclear safety at a special meeting to mark the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster.

2.      Security forces in Syria have killed more than 400 civilians since anti-government protests erupted more than a month ago.

3.      Sony Corporation has warned that users’ personal data, possibly including credit card numbers, were stolen from its online network for PlayStation computer games.

 

April 26, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Mick Corliss

1.      A memorial was held in Ukraine on Tuesday to mark 25 years since the Chernobyl disaster.

2.      The International Herald Tribune has apologized for publishing a cartoon that depicts Snow White looking skeptically at an old woman offering her an apple and asking, “Do you come from Japan?”

3.      Syria has stepped up its crackdown on anti-government protests, sending tank units into the southern city of Daara.

 

April 25, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan faces a difficult political landscape as his ruling Democratic Party suffered setbacks in nationwide local elections on Sunday.

2.      The Tokyo Electric Power Company is thinking about setting up a heat exchanger to hasten the full-scale recovery of the cooling system at the No.1 nuclear power plant.

3.      NATO-led multinational forces launch an air strike against Libyan leader Muammar al-Qadhafi’s compound in Tripoli early on Monday, reportedly wounding 45 people and destroying key facilities.

 

April 24, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

1.      The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is studying ways to increase earthquake resistance of the spent fuel pool at the No.4 reactor.

2.      The number of people who have died or are reported missing due to the March 11th Great East Japan Earthquake is now 26,320.

3.      Japan’s Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military will start a third massive search on Monday for about 12,000 people who remain unaccounted for after the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.

 

April 23, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1.      The Japanese government has expressed concern about the structural strength of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant’s Number 1 reactor, saying the ongoing water injections may be making the vessel less earthquake resistant.

2.      Tokyo Electric Power Company has started removing more highly radioactive debris from the Fukushima Daiichi plant as it battles to bring the damaged facility under control.

Syria’s security forces open fire on anti-government protesters on Friday, leaving more than 70 people dead.

 

April 22, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Risa Shimizu

1.      The Japanese government has announced the official expansion of the evacuation zone around the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to selected areas beyond the existing 20-kilometer radius.

2.      The Japanese government has hammered out a draft supplementary budget of over four trillion yen to finance the reconstruction of areas hit by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.

3.      The U.S. military has begun using armed, unmanned reconnaissance aircraft in Libya for precision attacks against Colonel Muammar al-Qadhafi’s ground troops.

 

April 21, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Risa Shimizu

1.      The Japanese government is legally enforcing a no-entry zone within 20 kilometers of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant from midnight, Thursday.

2.      Prime Minister Naoto Kan says his government will take responsibility in compensating residents affected by the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

3.      France has promised Libyan rebels that it will intensify air strikes against government forces loyal to Colonel Muammar al-Qadhafi.

 

April 20, 2011(2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Helen Lewis

1.      Tokyo Electric Power Company says the amount of highly radioactive water at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is slightly lower now.

2.      Delegates have discussed nuclear safety at an international conference to mark the25th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster on April 26th.

3.      The Foreign Ministry has learned that two Japanese nationals have been detained in North Korea since March.

 

April 19, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Asumi Ukon and Mr. Mick Corliss

1.      The operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has begun transferring highly radioactive water from the No.2 reactor to a waste processing facility.

2.      The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it will examine the seabed off the facility to ensure that no plutonium has leaked into the ocean.

3.      Nearly 28,000 people are dead or missing in the March 11th quake and tsunami in northeastern Japan.

 

April 18, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Asumi Ukon

1.      At the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, high levels of radiation have kept workers from approaching the buildings housing the first three reactors, which lost their cooling functions in the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.

2.      Prime Minister Naoto Kan and executives from the governing Democratic Party have agreed to submit to the Diet by the end of this month an extra draft budget to help rebuild areas devastated by the March 11th disaster.

3.      Toyota Motor has resumed production at all its assembly plants in Japan.

 

April 17, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

1.      The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has finalized a new plan to cool down the troubled reactors.

2.      Thirteen thousand seven hundred fifty-six people have been confirmed dead in the March 11th earthquake and tsunami in eastern Japan.

3.      U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has arrived in Japan to express her country’s support for recovery efforts following the March 11th natural disaster.

 

April 16, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1.      Finance ministers and central bank governors of the Group of 20 nations have expressed support for Japan’s recovery from the March 11th disaster.

2.      The operator of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says the level of highly radioactive water in a tunnel of the No.2 reactor has been rising.

3.      German Chancellor Angela Merkel says her government will end its reliance on nuclear power as soon as possible by increasing energy generation from renewable sources.

 

April 15, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Raja Pradan

1.      Tokyo Electric Power Company says the level of radioactive water is increasing in a tunnel at the No.2 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

2.      Fukushima University has begun checking radiation levels in the atmosphere to get a better grasp of the extent of contamination from the troubled plant.

3.      Finance ministers and central bank chiefs from the Group of Seven economies have wrapped up the first day of the two-day meeting in Washington.

 

April 14, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Raja Pradan

1.      Workers at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant are bracing for more powerful aftershocks while continuing their efforts to clear the compound of radioactive wastewater.

2.      The government’s nuclear safety agency is set to review safety measures at nuclear power plants across Japan.

3.      Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda has left for Washington to attend meetings of finance ministers and central bank chiefs from industrialized and major developing countries.

 

April 13, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Michael Rhys

1.      Japan’s top government spokesman says there will be no change in the way the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is being handled.

2.      Japan’s science ministry says small amounts of strontium have been detected in soil and plants outside the 30-kilometer zone around the Fukushima plant.

3.      The U.S. State Department has called for the release on humanitarian grounds of a U.S. male citizen now being held in North Korea.

 

April 12, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Mick Corliss

1.      Japan’s nuclear safety agency has raised the crisis level at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to 7 from the current 5.

2.      The president of Cote d’Ivoire, or Ivory Coast, Laurent Gbagbo has been arrested by opposition forces in the largest city of Abidjan.

3.      Opposition forces in Libya have rejected a ceasefire proposal by the African Union, saying it keeps Colonel Muammar al-Qadhafi in place.

 

April 11, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. David Crystal

1.      On Monday, exactly one month passed since a massive earthquake and tsunami hit northeastern Japan, but about 150,000 people are still living at evacuation centers.

2.      Finance ministers and central bank chiefs of the Group of 20 nations will likely discuss Japan’s efforts to overcome the March 11 disaster and to deal with the nuclear emergency at their next meeting.

3.      In Sunday’s elections for prefectural assemblies, Japan’s governing Democratic Party has fallen short of its pre-election strength.

 

April 10, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

1.      Prime Minister Naoto Kan has told the governor of quake-hit Miyagi Prefecture that the central government will build 70,000 temporary houses as quickly as possible.

2.      The operator of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is working to dispose of highly radioactive water in turbine buildings and a concrete tunnel.

3.      Japanese voters are going to the polls to elect prefecture governors, mayors and local assembly members on Sunday.

 

April 9, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1.      The operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has stepped up its effort to remove highly radioactive water that is hampering work to restore the reactor’s cooling systems.

2.      Thursday’s major aftershock that hit northeastern Japan has raised pressure on the operator’s nuclear power plants and related facilities to review their backup plans so they can better deal with such contingencies.

3.      Japan’s Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto will stress that Japanese food is safe at a ministerial meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

 

April 8, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Risa Shimizu

1.      A magnitude 7.4 quake occurred off the Miyagi coast, northeastern Japan, late Thursday night.

2.      The International Atomic Energy Agency says it has detected early signs of recovery at the crisis-stricken nuclear power plant in Japan.

3.      North Korea’s parliament has ended a one-day session without any sign that apparent heir Kim Jong Un has been given an important post.

 

April 7, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Risa Shimizu

1.      The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it continues to inject nitrogen gas into the containment vessel of the Number 1 reactor without problems.

2.      U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is planning to visit Japan to underline U.S. support for Japan’s efforts to overcome the devastation caused by the massive March 11th earthquake and tsunami.

3.      Japan’s ambassador to Cote D’Ivoire has been rescued safely by French troops after armed men entered his residence compound.

 

April 6, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Helen Lewis

1.      The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says radioactive water stopped leaking into the sea from a concrete pit on Wednesday morning.

2.      The official death toll from the March 11th earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan has risen to 12,468.

3.      The minutes of a U.S. Federal Reserve meeting show policymakers will keep a close watch over how Japan’s massive March 11rh earthquake will affect America’s economy.

 

April 5, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Mick Corliss

1.      The operator of the disaster-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is struggling to halt the flow of highly radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean.

2.      Japan has reported the latest details of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in northern Japan in a special seminar at the U.N. atomic energy agency.

3.      Japan and the United States intend to deepen their security alliance by working together to contain the emergency at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

 

April 4, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Asumi Ukon and Mr. David Crystal

1. Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, is continuing its efforts to identify the exact route of the highly radioactive water flowing into the Pacific from its damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex.

2. Nearly 28,000 people are dead or missing in the March 11th earthquake and tsunami in eastern Japan.

3. Japan’s central bank says business confidence was lower among major manufacturers surveyed after the earthquake.

 

April 3, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

1.      Highly radioactive water continues to leak into the sea through a crack in a pit at the troubled Fukushima Daiichi power plant, despite on-going work to pour concrete into the pit to stop the leakage.

2.      More than 12,000 people have been confirmed dead so far in the March 11th massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit northeast Japan.

3.      The Group of Seven finance ministers and central bank governors are to discuss next week Japan’s efforts to recover from the March 11th earthquake and coordinated response among the member nations.

 

April 2, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mark Robinson and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1.      Prime Minister Naoto Kan has visited areas of northeastern Japan that were ravaged by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami, and pledged the government’s full support to survivors.

2.      The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is working hard to restore systems that cool reactors in a stable manner by circulating massive volumes of water.

3.      Japan’s Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military are continuing a massive search for missing people.  More than 16,000 remain unaccounted for.

 

 

April 1, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Raja Pradan

1.      The U.S. military and Japan’s Self-Defense Forces have launched a massive operation to find those still missing in the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.

2.      Tokyo Electric Power Company says it has detected radioactive substances in underground water at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

3.      NATO says it has assumed full command of the international military operation over Libya.