Daily English News

 

July

 

July 31, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

1.      The operator of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has begun a test-run of a device to cool a spent fuel storage pool where water temperature remains high.

2.      An official of China’s Railways Ministry says faulty software at a rail network operation center led to the fatal high-speed train crash in Wenzhou in Zhejiang Province on July 23rd.

3.      U.S. congressional leaders are making last-minute efforts to seek a compromise to avert a possible default on the government’s debt.

 

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

1.      In New York, the U.S. dollar fell to the lower, 77 yen level for the first time in four-and-a-half months on Friday.

2.      The U.S. and North Korean officials have ended two days of meetings in New York, to explore ways to resume the stalled six-party talks on the North’s nuclear program.

3.      One week since the fatal high-speed train collision in China, the government is trying to calm public anger and distrust by offering more compensation to the victims’ families.  But the sloppy handling of the investigation is fueling popular resentment.

 

July 29, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Mr. Raja Pradan

1.      The Chinese government is rushing to calm the anger of victims’ families from last week’s fatal high-speed train crash.

2.      The United States and North Korea ended the first day of their 2-day talks in New York.

3.      The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it will extract air from troubled reactors at the plant to measure the amount of radioactive substances.

 

July 28, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Risa Shimizu

1.      Japan’s government is considering extending a ban on all shipments of beef cattle from Miyagi to Iwate Prefecture.

2.      The operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it will withdraw from Japan’s bid to export nuclear power technology to Turkey.

3.      China’s state-run Xinhua news agency reports that a senior railway official has admitted to insufficient safety measures in the fatal high-speed train collision last week.

 

July 27, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Helen Lewis and Mr. Michael Rhys

1.      A senior North Korean official has arrived in the United States for his country’s first bilateral meeting with the U.S. in 19 months.

2.      China will soon begin paying compensation to the families of the victims of Saturday’s high-speed train crash.

3.      Iran says its first nuclear power plant will start transmitting electricity in the near future.

 

July 26, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Yuriko Yamada

1. U.S. President Barack Obama has called on congressional leaders to approve raising the national debt ceiling soon, warning that a default could bring severe economic consequences.

2. The dollar has fallen to a four-month low against the yen in Tokyo on Tuesday morning after intensified selling.

3. The Japanese government says it will buy back beef containing unsafe levels of radioactive cesium that has already reached the distribution chain.

 

July 25, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Asumi Ukon and Mr. David Crystal

1.      In Afghanistan, the first phase of the security handover from NATO-led forces to Afghan authorities was completed on Sunday.

2.      The Chinese government has decided to dismiss three senior railway officials following the high-speed train accident on Saturday.

3.      The head of the International Atomic Agency is visiting the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant to see how the reactors are being cooled down.

 

July 24, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Fumiko Konoe

1.      The death toll has risen to 35 in a collision of two Chinese bullet trains in the eastern province of Zhejiang.

2.      The man arrested for a shooting spree in Norway and a bombing in the capital, Oslo, has reportedly admitted to responsibility. 

3.      Terrestrial and satellite analog TV broadcasts ended on Sunday in Japan in the shift to full digital broadcasting.

 

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

1.      A huge explosion in central Oslo and a shooting attack outside the capital have left at least 87 people dead.

2.      In Syria, hundreds of thousands of citizens took to the streets in major cities on Friday to demand that President Bashar al-Assad leave power.  Security forces fired bullets and tear gas at demonstrators, reportedly killing more than 10 people.

3.      Tokyo Electric Power Company is investigating the cause of a sudden power failure at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.  The blackout halted the cooling of a spent fuel pool for five hours on Friday.

 

 

July 22, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Raja Pradan

1.      Japan’s Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto says he hopes to confirm with Japan’s regional partners the need to tackle political and security issues and ensure maritime safety at an upcoming East Asian summit meeting.

2.      Japan’s Agriculture Minister Michihiko Kano says the government will swiftly consider ways to buy up all beef contaminated with radioactive cesium at levels exceeding the national safety limits.

3.      Eurozone leaders have agreed on an additional rescue package for debt-ridden Greece.

 

July 21, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      A group of Philippine lawmakers has visited a disputed island in the South China Sea, raising fears of escalating tension between the Philippines and China.

2.      The Japanese government says rice straw used for cattle feed contaminated with radioactive cesium has been found in 10 prefectures across the country.

3.      Japan’s trade balance in June posted a surplus for the first time in three months.

 

July 20, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Michael Rhys

1.      An expert says that radiation could be released from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant after about two and a half days if the injection of cooling water into reactors is halted for any reason.

2.      Officials from China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have agreed to the parameters for a set of rules to peacefully resolve territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

3.      The United States and India have to put a priority on a trilateral framework with Japan to maintain peace and stability in Asia.

 

July 19, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr.Mick Corliss and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has urged Southeast Asian countries to peacefully resolve their territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea.

2.      Japan’s agriculture ministry will ask all 47 prefectures in the country to check rice straw used to feed cattle for possible radioactive contamination.

3.      Japan’s women’s soccer team has arrived home after winning their first World Cup.

 

July 18, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. David Crystal

1.      Japan won its first ever FIFA Women’s World Cup, beating the United States 3 to 1 on penalty kicks in Germany on Sunday.

2.      Japan’s nuclear crisis minister says he wants to move the nuclear safety agency from the Ministry of Economy and Industry and integrate it with another nuclear watchdog commission.

3.      A very large and powerful typhoon is moving east of Minami Daito Island in Okinawa Prefecture.

 

 

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

1.      The Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company are set to announce that they have completed the first step of a plan to cool the nuclear reactors at the utility’s Fukushima Daiichi plant.

2.      Cattle that ate straw containing radioactive cesium on farms in Fukushima Prefecture have been shipped to 36 of Japan’s 47 prefectures.

3.      Japanese electronics and auto makers are increasingly concerned that the recent surge in the yen against the dollar could affect the performance of their export-oriented businesses.

 

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

1.      In Syria, at least 19 people were killed after security forces fired on anti-government protesters at the largest demonstration across the country on Friday.

2.      Over 30 countries, including the United States, Japan and European and Arab nations, have recognized Libya’s opposition National Transitional Council as the country’s legitimate governing authority.

3.      The Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company say they have achieved the first goal in stabilizing the crippled reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

 

July 15, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Mr. Raja Pradan

1.      The operator of the Fukushima nuclear plant has again stopped its wastewater filtering system after discovering it was still operating below capacity.

2.      The International Whaling Commission has adopted a resolution supporting efforts to prevent sabotage by the anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd.

3.      The United Nations has admitted the newly independent African nation of South Sudan as its 193rd member.

 

July 14, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Risa Shimizu

1.      Indian authorities are investigating the three deadly explosions in its commercial capital of Mumbai as a coordinated terrorist attack.

2.      Japan has advanced to its first ever final in the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany after its 3-1 win over Sweden on Wednesday.

3.      The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is set to begin injecting nitrogen into the No.3 reactor containment vessel to prevent a hydrogen explosion.

 

July 13, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Helen Lewis and Mr. Michael Rhys

1.      The dollar is trading within the 79-yen range on the Tokyo Foreign Exchange on Wednesday.

2.      A brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai has been shot and killed.

3.      The U.N. Security Council has condemned the mob attacks on the U.S. and French embassies in Syria.

 

July 12, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuriko Yamada and Mr. Mick Corliss

1.      Japan’s health minister has indicated that all beef cattle raised in some parts of Fukushima Prefecture will be considered for testing.

2.      In Europe, Italian and Spanish bonds were sold heavily on Monday, sparking concern that a chain reaction of credit problems is about to begin.

3.      Japan’s Kyoto University says it has obtained a European patent for basic technology to create induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells.

 

July 11, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Asumi Ukon

1.      Four months have passed since the March 11th earthquake and tsunami hit northeastern Japan.  A large number of people are still living in evacuation centers and removal of debris is moving ahead slowly.

2.      Key opposition groups in Syria have boycotted talks with the government on the country’s future.

3.      In separate incidents, two express trains derailed in India, leaving at least 25 people dead and 170 injured.

 

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

1.      A magnitude 7.3 earthquake hit northeastern Japan on Sunday morning.  Tsunami advisories were issued for coastal areas that were devastated by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.  The Tokyo Electric Power Company says it has found no problems with its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

2.      The Tokyo Metropolitan government has begun tracing beef from six cattle shipped from a Fukushima farm where 11 other cattle were found contaminated with high levels of radioactive cesium.

3.      Malaysian police continue to be on high alert, one day after more than 10,000 people took part in a rally for electoral reform.

 

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

1.      The operator of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant estimates that the facility was hit by a tsunami as high as 13 meters on March 11.  That figure is far higher than the company’s original estimate of 5.7 meters.

2.      Beef from Fukushima Prefecture has been found to contain levels of radiation that exceed Japan’s safety standards.

3.      South Sudan became an independent nation on Saturday following decades of armed conflict.

 

July 8, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant will send personnel into one of the reactor buildings to take steps to prevent a hydrogen explosion.

2.      Russia has repeated its call for Japan to take part in a joint development project of four Russian-held islands claimed by Japan.

3.      Japan’s National Police Agency has discovered a number of cyber attacks that occurred last year on the agency’s website came from China.

 

July 7, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Hiroko Kitadai and Mr. Raja Pradan

1.      TEPCO says a new cooling system is now working well so it will accelerate the cooling of the plant’s reactor in August.

2.      The mayor of Genkai Town in southwestern Japan says he will retract his approval for the restart of two reactors at a nuclear power plant in his town.

3.      The International Olympic Committee has selected South Korea’s northern resort of Pyeongchang to host the 2018 winter games.

 

July 6, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says the new cooling system has fallen short of its target.

2.      Japan’s Prime Minister Naoto Kan is under growing pressure to step down, following the resignation of his reconstruction minister.

3.      The World Trade Organization has found that China’s export controls on rare metals and other mineral resources are in violation of WTO rules.

 

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

1.      Newly appointed Reconstruction Minister Ryu Matsumoto has submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Naoto Kan.

2.      Japan’s government has approved a draft second supplementary budget for fiscal 2011 to fund recovery from the March 11th disaster.

3.      Japan’s foreign minister has expressed his wish for stronger ties with China at a meeting with Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping.

 

July 4, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai

1.      A group of experts at the University of Tokyo says there is a possibility that they have found a large amount of rare earth minerals, a vital component in high-tech products, in the mud of the Pacific Ocean.

2.      Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, is set to replace leaky plastic hoses that brought cooling to a halt at the Number 5 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

3.      In Thailand the opposition Pheu Thai Party, backed by supporters of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, won a majority in Sunday’s lower house election.

 

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

1.      The operator of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says that a hose has been leaking sea water used to cool the No.5 reactor, which is currently in a state of cold shutdown.

2.      A delegation of Japanese business leaders visiting Europe began on Sunday to exchange views on nuclear power generation.

3.      Voters in Thailand are going to the polls in a general election on Sunday, with the country still reeling from last year’s deadly clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces.

 

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

1.      The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says that work to stabilize the Number 3 reactor is progressing, but installing the cooling system at the Number 4 reactor may be delayed.

2.      Syrian security forces opened fire on anti-government demonstrators on Friday, killing at least nine people.  The protests are believed to be the largest yet in the country.

3.      New car sales in the United States increased almost 13 percent in the first half of 2011 from a year earlier, with the top three U.S. automakers enjoying double-digit growth.  But Japanese carmakers struggled.

 

July 1, 2011 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Mr. Raja Pradan

1.      Starting Friday, large-scale electricity users in eastern Japan are required by law to reduce their consumption by 15 percent compared with last summer’s peak.

2.      The Bank of Japan’s latest quarterly Tankan survey shows that business confidence has tumbled since the March 11th disaster.

3.      The Greek parliament has passed the second and final austerity bill essential to obtain crucial bailout funds to avert imminent default of the country’s debts.