月: 2022年2月

1.Countries are evacuating staff from their embassies in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv as a Russian invasion appears increasingly imminent. Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne announced on Sunday that she has instructed embassy staff in Kyiv to suspend operations and evacuate.
2.In the Beijing Olympics American speed skater Erin Jackson claimed gold on Sunday in the women’s 500-meter race. She became the first African-American woman to win an Olympic medal in an individual speed skating event.
3.The Court of Arbitration for Sport has ruled figure skater Kamila Valieva of the Russian Olympic Committee will be allowed to continue to compete in the Beijing Olympics despite a positive anti-doping test.

1.The top diplomats of Japan, the United States, Australia, and India have held talks on ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific region. They also discussed the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.
2.Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his intent to boost military and other forms of support for Kazakhstan in an apparent bid to increase Moscow’s influence in Central Asia.
3.Japanese snowboarder Hirano Ayumu has won gold in the men’s halfpipe at the Beijing Winter Olympics. The 23-year-old took silver at the previous two Games.

1.French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone with his US counterpart Joe Biden on Wednesday to brief him on his recent visits to Russia and Ukraine. Macron and Biden reportedly affirmed that France will continue dialogue using a four-way framework with Russia, Ukraine and Germany, in order to achieve a breakthrough in the Ukraine crisis.
2.Several vessels carrying liquefied natural gas from Japan are expected to arrive in Europe next month. This comes as Europe could face a natural gas shortage amid the tensions over Ukraine. Russia may cut gas supplies to Europe if tensions with the West rise further over Ukraine. Japan’s Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Hagiuda Koichi told EU Ambassador to Japan Patricia Flor and US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel that Japan will provide Europe with part of its LNG at the request of the United States.
3.US superstar Nathan Chen has won the Olympic gold in men’s figure skating. Japanese skaters made up the rest of the podium but two-time defending champion Hanyu Yuzuru missed out on a medal with a fourth-place finish.

1.The presidents of France and Ukraine have agreed on the need to implement a ceasefire between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian militants, as part of efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region. Emmanuel Macron held talks with his counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Tuesday, after a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow the previous day.
2.Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and his Canadian counterpart, Justin Trudeau, have agreed to support Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity amid tensions between the country and Russia. They confirmed that Japan and Canada hare grave concerns over the security of Ukraine and agreed to monitor the situation and cooperate closely on it. Russia has amassed troops near its border with the country.
3.Japanese film “Drive My Car” has made history as the first movie from the country to be nominated for Best Picture at the US Academy Awards. The film directed by Hamaguchi Ryusuke gets four nominations at the 94th awards, whose shortlist was announced on Tuesday. He receives a nod for the best director Oscar, the first Japanese nominated since Kurosawa Akira in 1986.

1.One of the most decorated Winter Olympians of all time has written another chapter in her glittering career at the Beijing Games. Dutch speed skater Ireen Wust has won gold for the fifth Games in a row. PyeongChang silver medalist Takagi Miho of Japan was the favorite heading in. She holds the world record and won all three of her World Cup races in the event this season, but yet again finished a close second to Wust.
2.At the Beijing Winter Games, the gold in ski jumping’s mixed team event went to Slovenia, but there was controversy after five jumpers were disqualified. Claimed breaches of complex rules that link suits and skis to bodyweight in an effort to remove any advantage also took out Japan, Austria and two Norwegian jumpers. Japan’s Takanashi Sara was among those sidelined.
3.In the Beijing Olympics, superstar figure skater Nathan Chen of the United States eased to a world record score in the men’s short program. Rising Japanese star Kagiyama Yuma currently stands second after a personal best score. And 2018 silver-medalist Uno Shoma, also of Japan, is in third. Chen’s great Japanese rival Hanyu Yuzuru stands eighth after a mistake on a quad salchow at the start of his program. He came into the singles aiming for a third consecutive gold.

1.A security advisor to US President Joe Biden has suggested that Russia could mount a military invasion of Ukraine during the ongoing Beijing Olympics. But White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stressed the US is seeking a diplomatic solution to the tensions over Russia’s troop buildup along the border with Ukraine.
2.Multiple US media outlets say senior government officials have told lawmakers that in the event of a large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the capital, Kyiv, could fall within two days. The Washington Post and other media reported the updated analysis of the US military and intelligence agencies over the weekend.
3.European leaders are stepping up diplomatic efforts to deescalate tension over Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and US President Joe Biden will also meet in Washington on Monday.

1.The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games officially begin on Friday. Dignitaries from 25 countries, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, are scheduled to attend the opening ceremony. The ceremony begins at 8 p.m.at Beijing’s National Stadium, known as the Bird’s Nest. Chinese President Xi Jinping is to declare the opening of the Games.
2.Sweden will lift almost all restrictions against the coronavirus next Wednesday. Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson told a news conference on Thursday that it is time for Sweden to open up again. Coronavirus cases are still rising in Sweden. But the Swedish healthcare system is not under strain and more than 80 percent of people aged 12 or older have already had two vaccinations.
3.Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has visited Ukraine and offered to become a mediator to facilitate the easing of tensions with Russia. Erdogan met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday in Kyiv. Their talks come amid Russia’s military buildup along its border with Ukraine.

1.The United States has announced plans to send an extra 3,000 troops to Eastern Europe amid heightened military tension over the buildup of Russian troops along their country’s border with Ukraine. Some 1,700 of the troops in the US will be dispatched to Poland, which borders Ukraine. Another 300 troops in the US will go to Germany, while 1,000 troops in Germany will be sent to Romania, also neighboring Ukraine.
2.British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says a Russian invasion of Ukraine would be a “tragic miscalculation.” He issued the warning during a phone call on Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Johnson told Putin that he is deeply concerned about the 100,000 soldiers massed at Ukraine’s border. British officials released a statement saying the leaders agreed that aggravation was in no one’s interest.
3.Russia’s ambassador to Japan has warned Tokyo not to join Western nations in imposing sanctions on Moscow over Ukraine. Mikhail Galuzin reiterated Moscow’s stance that expansion of NATO is unacceptable to Russia.

1.China has reacted sharply to a resolution adopted by Japan’s Lower House expressing concern about the human rights situation in China, including the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the Tibet Autonomous Region.
2. Russian President Vladimir Putin says the interests of all parties must be taken into account, including Russia’s security concerns, to avoid worsening of tensions over Ukraine. He said Russia is thoroughly analyzing the United States’ response, which refuses to consider Russia’s demands for guarantees that NATO will halt any further expansion. He added that it became clear the US has disregarded Moscow’s fundamental concerns in the reply.
3.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the latest launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile by North Korea as a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

1.Tensions are rising in Myanmar as people against military rule plan to hold a “silent strike” on Tuesday. The protest will mark the first anniversary of the coup that overturned the civilian government. People are calling on each other via social media to take the day off work, stay at home and close their businesses as a sign of protest.
2.More than 375 million people worldwide have been infected with the coronavirus since the World Health Organization declared an emergency two years ago. Some countries are now moving to relax restrictions in efforts to live with the virus. The WHO declared on January 30, 2020 that the outbreak of the new coronavirus constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.
3.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he has tested positive for the coronavirus, and urged people to get vaccinated or boosted. Trudeau tweeted on Monday, “This morning, I tested positive for COVID-19. I’m feeling fine – and I will continue to work remotely this week while following public health guidelines.”