2019年8月16日金曜日

at 20:00 (JST), August 16

South Korean's military says North Korea fired two projectiles of its eastern coast on Friday morning.


The Hong Kong government has unveiled a stimulus package to prop up an economy that has been rocked by prolonged anti-government protests.


Tropical storm Krosa is now tracking North, bringing torrential rains to northern Japan, through Saturday.


https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20190816200000_english_1.mp3


Key words : north fired presumed
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190816_28/

A South Korean military source says the projectiles launched by North Korea on Friday morning are presumed to be short-range ballistic missiles.

The source says the flight distance and altitude data support this assumption, adding that further analysis is necessary.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff says two projectiles were fired at around 8:01 and 8:16 a.m. on Friday, local time, from North Korea's eastern province of Gangwon.

It says the projectiles flew about 230 kilometers toward the Sea of Japan, and reached an altitude of about 30 kilometers.

It's the sixth time since July 25 that North Korea has launched projectiles believed to be short-range ballistic missiles. The North has denounced US-South Korea joint military drills scheduled to continue until Tuesday.

South Korea's presidential office held an emergency meeting of the National Security Council on Friday morning. It urged the North to halt the launches, as they could escalate military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.


Key words : north no intention
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190816_15/

North Korea says it has no intention of holding dialogue with Seoul after South Korean President Moon Jae-in made an appeal for economic cooperation.

The North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea issued a statement on Friday through state-run media about the speech that Moon gave the previous day.

Moon called for inter-Korean economic cooperation and the resumption of the US-North Korea talks on denuclearization.

The statement criticized Moon for proposing dialogue while the US and South Korea are conducting military exercises. Pyongyang has denounced the drills and views them as a rehearsal for an attack on the North.

It described Moon as an impudent person and said the South Korean authorities are dreaming that the phase of dialogue would arrive naturally.

The US and South Korea plan to conclude the exercises next Tuesday.


Key words : Hong Kong unveiled
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190816_33/

The Hong Kong government has unveiled a stimulus package to prop up an economy that has been rocked by prolonged anti-government protests.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan on Thursday announced the package worth 19.1 billion Hong Kong dollars, or roughly 2.4 billion US dollars, to support small and medium enterprises and to relieve financial burdens on residents.

The measures include subsidies for electricity bills, financial support for families with children, as well as income tax waivers.

Chan downgraded the territory's economic growth forecast for this year from 2 to 3 percent to 0 to 1 percent. He warned that the economic situation could further worsen.

One local media outlet calls the package "sweeteners."

A large rally is planned over the weekend. Demonstrators see the package as a way to ease public opposition to the government over an extradition bill and lessen the impact of the trade dispute with the United States.


Key words : French climber
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190816_34/

A French climber known as "Spiderman" has scaled a Hong Kong skyscraper to raise a banner calling for peace between China and Hong Kong.

Alain Robert climbed the 280-meter-high Cheung Kong Centre in central Hong Kong on Friday using his bare hands and without a harness. The 57-year-old is known for performing similar stunts worldwide.

Robert unfurled a banner depicting the flags of China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region side by side above the image of a handshake.

A crowd gathered on the ground, with many holding smartphones. Police officers were also watching.

Robert said earlier he wanted to call for peace. He said he believes there is a way for China and Hong Kong to bring an end to the weeks of protests.

The French climber descended safely, and was promptly arrested and taken away by the police.


Key words : US treasury
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190816_27/

Japan overtook China as the largest holder of US government bonds in June for the first time in about two years.

The US Treasury Department said on Thursday that Japan held about 1.12 trillion dollars of government bonds, up almost 22 billion dollars from the month before.

China's holdings of the bonds were about 10 billion dollars below those of Japan.

Market sources say Japanese investors turned to US Treasurys after the yield on the 10-year Japanese government bond fell deeper into negative territory in June.

China's holdings rose slightly from May. Attention is now focused on what China will do next.

There has been speculation that Beijing may sell off a large amount of its holdings as the trade dispute with the United States drags on.

The US government relies on bond issuances to finance its hefty fiscal spending.


Key words : US state department impose
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190816_32/

The US State Department is poised to impose sanctions on the crew of an Iranian tanker that authorities in Gibraltar released on Thursday.

The tanker was seized off the British territory more than a month ago on suspicion of shipping crude oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions.

The State Department said in a statement that the tanker was shipping oil to assist Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which the US has designated as a foreign terrorist organization.

The statement says the tanker's crewmembers may be denied visas or admission to the US.

It adds that the United States will continue to use all of the tools at its disposal to deny Iran the resources it needs to engage in malign and destabilizing activities in Syria and elsewhere.

The US has been lobbying against the tanker's release. But Gibraltar says Iran has given assurances that the ship will not sail to countries under EU sanctions.

The United States is pressuring Tehran with a plan to form a maritime coalition to ensure security in the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane for crude oil.


Key words : Indonesian
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190816_30/

Indonesian President Joko Widodo has officially proposed relocating the country's capital from overcrowded Jakarta to Kalimantan on the island of Borneo.

Joko asked for approval to move the capital to the region in a speech to parliament on Friday. Kalimantan is located almost in the center of the country. But he did not name a specific site on the island.

His government decided in April to relocate the capital outside of Java Island and has been selecting a candidate site.

The population in the greater Jakarta area has exceeded 30 million. Overpopulation and chronic traffic congestion have become serious issues.


Key words : krosa tracking north tour boat
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190816_31/

Tropical storm Krosa is now tracking North, bringing torrential rains to northern Japan, through Saturday.

Heavy rains lashed large parts of the country and rivers swelled as Krosa approached.

In Gifu city, tour boats on the Nagara river were damaged and some swept away.

The storm has disrupted transport services during Japan's peak summer holiday period.

Airlines canceled about 50 domestic flights on Friday. A passenger said, "I was afraid that the plane wouldn't be able to land because the wind was so strong. I'm glad to be back home safely."

The Meteorological Agency says as of 3 p.m. on Friday, Krosa was 340 kilometers west-southwest of Okushiri Island in the Sea of Japan.

It's expected to change into a low-pressure system by early Saturday.

Up to 250 millimeters of rain is forecast in the 24-hour period through noon on Saturday in Hokkaido and 150 millimeters in the Tohoku region.

The storm has so far left two people dead and at least 49 injured.


Key words : West Japan railway decision
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190816_38/

West Japan Railway Company is assessing the impact of its decision to cancel Shinkansen bullet trains services ahead of the approach of severe tropical storm Krosa.

The company, known as JR West, says 311 scheduled bullet trains were canceled on the Sanyo Shinkansen Line on Thursday, affecting about 198,000 people.

All services were called off between Shin-Osaka and Kokura stations, both in western Japan. The decision was announced the day before Krosa made landfall in western Japan.

The train stoppages came at the height of the summer holiday period. Many foreign tourists were also affected.

JR West says it provided information in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean on its website and Twitter account.

It says it beefed up its foreign language services, after being criticized for failing to keep international travelers fully updated during last year's typhoon season.

JR West officials say they've yet to find out whether they did a better job this time. They add that they hope to continue working hard to provide multilingual services.


Key words : Hisahito
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190816_25/

Japan's Prince Hisahito has set off on his first overseas trip to Bhutan. His parents, Crown Prince and Princess Akishino, will also visit the country.

The 12-year-old prince and his mother were seen off by Imperial Household Agency officials at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Friday morning. The prince bowed and smiled at the boarding gate when reporters wished him a safe trip.

The family is traveling on commercial aircraft. Crown Prince Akishino boarded a separate plane minutes later.

The Crown Prince is first in line to the throne, while his son is ranked second. Agency officials say the use of separate flights is a precautionary measure. They say it's unprecedented for two Imperial heirs to travel abroad at the same time.

In Bhutan, the family is due to pay a courtesy call on King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck in the capital, Thimphu.

They are also planning to view a performance of archery, Bhutan's national sport, and visit a cattle pasture to experience the country's traditional culture and natural beauty.

The family is scheduled to return to Japan on August 25.


Key words : organizing committee video
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190816_19/

The organizing committee of the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics has released a video of soccer superstar Andres Iniesta playing blind soccer.

The committee asked the former member of Spanish national team, who now plays for Vissel Kobe in Japan's top league, to help promote the Paralympic sport. It took one year to plan and make the two-minute video.

In blind soccer, visually impaired players wear eye masks and try to score goals by listening to bells placed inside the soccer balls. They also receive instructions from guides off the field.

In the video, Iniesta is wearing an eye mask and appears impressed with the ball-handling and kicking skills of the Japanese national team. His identity is revealed when he takes off the mask.

A message then appears urging people to learn more about the Paralympics.

The committee also plans to release a "making-of" video that includes Iniesta practicing the skills used in blind soccer.

Iniesta praised the Japanese players. He said blind soccer was very difficult, but he enjoyed it. He added that he looks forward to watching some matches.


0 件のコメント:

コメントを投稿