May 1, Thursday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered decisive actions against those responsible for a deadly blast in Urumqi in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
2. Members of the International Monetary Fund board have approved billions of dollars in loans to help Ukraine avoid a default.
3. Polls have closed in Iraq’s parliamentary elections.
May 2, Friday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Mr. Raja Pradan
1. Chinese President Xi Jinping is promising decisive actions after a bombing at a train station in western China.
2. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his British counterpart David Cameron have agreed to boost bilateral cooperation to seek a peaceful resolution to the crisis in Ukraine.
3. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he hopes to conclude an economic partnership agreement with the European Union by the end of next year.
May 3, Saturday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. The top leaders of Japan and Portugal have agreed to promote cooperation in the field of maritime security, including measures to combat pirates.
2. Ukraine’s interim government has launched a military operation to force pro-Russian militants out of government buildings in the eastern Ukrainian city of Slavyansk.
3. In South Korea, a series of recent transportation mishaps are raising concerns about the safety of the country’s public transportation systems.
May 4, Sunday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the government will soon start detailed discussions on allowing Japan to use its right to collective self-defense.
2. A Japanese government panel of experts plans to recommend the preparation of legislation to allow the Self-Defense Forces to rescue Japanese nationals in the event of an emergency overseas.
3. Pro-Russian activists in eastern Ukraine are standing firm against a military operation launched by the interim government.
May 5, Monday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will meet French President Francois Hollande on Monday.
2. Prime Minister Abe and his Spanish counterpart Mariano Rajoy have agreed to promote bilateral defense exchanges.
3. Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida has urged the warring parties in South Sudan to immediately end violence in order to build a stable nation.
May 6, Tuesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Ukrainian government forces are going on the offensive in eastern parts of the country.
2. Energy ministers from the G7 nations opened a 2-day meeting in Rome on Monday to discuss how to cut their dependence on Russia for energy supplies.
3. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and French President Francois Hollande have agreed to begin talks on the joint development of defense equipment.
May 7, Wednesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has reiterated Japan’s concerns over Chinese increasing military activity in the East and South China Seas.
2. Japan and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have agreed to work together more closely in areas such as maritime security.
3. Russian nationalists are reportedly entering eastern Ukraine to help pro-Russian residents hold a referendum to seek greater autonomy.
May 8, Thursday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Patrick Devolpi and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says Japan’s diplomatic and security policies are leading the country in the right direction.
2. The standoff between Chinese and Vietnamese vessels continues in disputed waters in the South China Sea.
3. South Africa’s ruling African National Congress is on track to retain power in
nationwide polling despite growing public discontent with government corruptions and economic problems.
May 9, Friday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Mr. Maxwell Powers
1. Pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine will hold a referendum on Sunday to seek greater autonomy, despite calls by Russian President Vladimir Putin to postpone it.
2. Chinas has urged Vietnam to pull its vessels out as a condition to begin talks on the standoff over its oil drilling in the South China Sea’s disputed waters.
3. Opposition forces in Syria have blown up a hotel in the northern city of Aleppo.
May 10, Saturday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited Crimea for the first time since Russia annexed the region from Ukraine in March.
2. Tensions are mounting in eastern Ukraine as 20 people have been killed ahead of a referendum scheduled for Sunday.
3. Public discontent over China is rising in Vietnam after vessels of both countries collided in the South China Sea.
May 11, Sunday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are meeting in Myanmar amid mounting tension following collisions between Chinese and Vietnamese vessels.
2. Pro-Russian activist groups in eastern Ukraine say they will go ahead with a referendum on Sunday as scheduled.
3. The head of Japan’s national security panel has urged Russia to pursue a peaceful and diplomatic solution to the crisis in Ukraine.
May 12, Monday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yoshi Ogasawara and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Residents in eastern Ukraine cast a ballot on Sunday in controversial referenda on self-rule in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
2. Chief negotiators in the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact began four days of talks.
3. The secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations says a set of binding rules should be concluded soon to ensure regional peace in the South China Sea.
May 13, Tuesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Risa Shimizu and Mr. Mick Corliss
1. Pro-Russian activists in eastern Ukraine say they will not take part in the presidential election scheduled for May 25th.
2. Japanese and South Korean diplomats are planning to hold a second round of talks this week on issues of mutual concern with the aim of repairing bilateral ties.
3. Indian media say exit polls are showing the country’s main opposition, the BJP, is likely to win the general election.
May 14, Wednesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. The turmoil in Ukraine is deepening in the run-up to the presidential election scheduled for May 25th.
2. An explosion at a coal mine in western Turkey has killed more than 200 miners.
3. Vietnam says a Chinese ship has rammed another Vietnamese boat as the standoff between the two countries continues near a group of disputed islands in the South China Sea.
May 15, Thursday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Yuka Matsumoto and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. Tensions remain high near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea since a Chinese state-run oil company took steps to start drilling.
2. Turkish officials say they have confirmed 274 deaths in the coal mining explosion in the country’s west.
3. Three years after the March 2011 nuclear accident, the cleaning up of radioactive fallout is facing many delays in Fukushima Prefecture and elsewhere.
May 16, Friday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Fumiko Konoe and Mr. Raja Pradan
1. Vietnam’s government has pledged to ensure the safety of foreign nationals in the wake of anti-China demonstrations in the country.
2. A quadrennial summit meeting to promote confidence-building measures in Asia will open in Shanghai on Tuesday of next week.
3. Delegates from 12 countries negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade pact have wrapped up their talks in Vietnam.
May 17, Saturday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. India’s largest opposition party is returning to power for the first time in ten years.
2. In Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, two explosions have killed at least 10 people and left more than 70 others injured.
3. China and Vietnam have been locked in a maritime standoff for two weeks in the South China Sea. With both sides deploying more ships in the area, there is no possibility of resolution in sight.
May 18, Sunday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. Japan’s trade minister has urged his counterpart in Beijing to help create a safer working environment for Japanese businesses in China.
2. Vietnamese government officials say they will not tolerate further violence by anti-China protestors, amid calls for more rallies over the weekend.
3. Armed men suspected to be Boko Haram rebels appear to have kidnapped 10 people during a raid on the work site of a Chinese company in Cameroon.
May 19, Monday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Senior party officials in Japan’s governing coalition will start discussions on Tuesday on the right of collective self-defense.
2. Japan’s economic revitalization minister wants to promote discussions for an early resolution on the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement.
3. The Vietnamese government remains strongly opposed to the presence of a controversial oil rig in the South China Sea.
May 20, Tuesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Mick Corliss and Ms. Risa Shimizu
1. Thailand’s army has declared martial law across the country, citing the need to ensure peace and order.
2. The U.S. Justice Department says five military officers from China’s People’s Liberation Army have been indicted for stealing trade secrets through computer hacking.
3. Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the country’s forces deployed on the border with Ukraine back to their home bases.
May 21, Wednesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Ms. Helen Lewis and Mr. David Crystal
1. Security officials in Nigeria say two bomb explosions have killed at least 118 people and injured several dozen others in the central city of Jos.
2. Ukraine’s parliament passed a memorandum on mutual understanding and peace on Tuesday that guarantees Russian as a state language, and calls for the decentralization of power.
3. The defense and foreign ministers of Japan and Australia are to meet next month in Tokyo to discuss bilateral security cooperation.
May 22, Thursday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Patrick Devolpi and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. China has made clear it aims to take the initiative in establishing a new security order in Asia.
2. The leaders of the Philippines and Vietnam have agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in maritime security, to counter China’s assertive claims in nearby waters.
3. The United States has sent military personnel to central Africa to step up intelligence gathering in the search for hundreds of school girls kidnapped by Islamic militants in Nigeria.
May 23, Friday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Maxwell Powers and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Thailand’s National Peace and Order Maintaining Council has banned gatherings and imposed media censorship.
2. China’s state-run media says Thursday’s deadly attack in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region was a premeditated and organized terrorist attack.
3. Fighting in eastern Ukraine has left more than 30 government troops and separatist rebels dead as the presidential election on Sunday grows near.
May 24, Saturday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms .Fumiko Konoe
1. International criticism is mounting of the Thai military for declaring a coup and suggesting an extended period of military rule.
2. Chinese authorities have identified five suspects in connection with a deadly attack in Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
3. Japan’s space agency has launched an H-2A rocket carrying an earth observation satellite that can help survey areas hit by disasters.
May 25, Sunday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Hirokazu Sakamaki and Ms. Keiko Kitagawa
1. The Thai military is increasing its hold on power with its assumption of all legislative functions.
2. Japan’s Defense Ministry officials say a Chinese warplane has flown exceptionally close to Japanese Self-Defense Force aircraft over the East China Sea.
3. Voters in Ukraine go to the polls on Sunday to elect their president. It is the first such election since the ouster of President viktor Yanukovych in February.
May 26, Monday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Yoshi Ogasawara and Ms. Yuka Matsumoto
1. Thailand’s military leaders are accelerating their establishment of a junta by gaining the approval of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
2. Former foreign minister Petro Poroshenko has claimed victory in Ukraine’s presidential election.
3. Japan and North Korea will begin a new round of talks in Stockholm on Monday.
May 27, Tuesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Risa Shimizu and Mr. Mick Corliss
1. Fighting between Ukraine’s military forces and pro-Russian separatists continues in the eastern region of Donetsk.
2. Japanese and North Korean negotiators have opened a new round of talks in the Swedish capital of Stockholm.
3. In Indian politics, Narendra Modi has been sworn in as the new prime minister.
May 28, Wednesday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Michael Rhys and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. Civilians are fleeing the city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine as fighting continues between the military and pro-Russian separatists.
2. Thailand’s military administration has eased the nationwide curfew.
3. Japanese and North Korean representatives completed their second day of talks in the Swedish capital Stockholm on Tuesday.
May 29, Thursday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Hiroko Kitadai
1. A U.S. Defense Department spokesperson says thousands of Russian troops have withdrawn from an area near the Ukrainian border.
2. The U.S. president says China’s economic rise and military reach is worrying its neighbors.
3. South Korean prosecutors have taken legal steps to seize more than 230 million dollars worth of assets held by the family that owns the operator of the sunken ferry Sewol.
May 30, Friday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradan and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he hopes a new agreement will lead to the comprehensive resolution of the issue of Japanese people abducted by North Korea.
2. The United States has urged Russia to work with Ukraine’s president-elect Petro Poroshenko to ease tensions.
3. A Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman says Japanese Air Self-Defense Force aircraft flew approximately 10 meters from a Chinese plane last November.
May 31, Saturday, 2014 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. David Crystal and Ms. Fumiko Konoe
1. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has pledged to support efforts by the Philippines and Vietnam in their territorial disputes with China.
2. The defense ministers of Japan, the U.S. and Australia say they strongly oppose the use of force to unilaterally change the status quo in the East China and South China Seas.
3. Thailand’s military ruler says it is likely to be more than a year until the country returns to democratic rule.