VOA Special English News 6

On Friday, the British Broacasting Corporation ended its Portuguese Language broadcast to Africa. The BBC also ended its Serbian and Latin American services after more than seventy years of radio broadcasting. The Laitn American services will continue to be heard on the Internet. The BBC is closing five of its 32 languages services in an effort to save seventy four million dollars a year. Additonal cut is expected including ending radio program in Azeri, Mandarin-Chinese, Russian, Spanish to Cuba, Turkish, Vietnamese and Ukrainian.

（日本語訳）

金曜日、BBCのアフリカ向けポルトガル語放送が終了した。また、BBCは、７０年以上続いたセルビア語、ラテンアメリカ語放送も終了させた。ラテンアメリカ語放送は、インターネット上では続けられる。BBCは、年間７４百万ドルの経費節減のため、３２ある外国語放送のうち、５つのサービスを終了させる予定である。さらに、アゼルバイジャン語、マンダリン・チャイニーズ、ロシア語、キューバ向けスペイン語、トルコ語、ベトナム語、ウクライナ語によるラジオ番組の終了が予定されている。

VOA Special English News 5

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the Taliban in Afghanistan must reject violence and stop working with al-Qaida. She warned that failure to do so will make the Taliban the enemy of the international community. And she says the group can not survive military pressure from the United States. Secretary Clinton spoke in New York Friday about America's policy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan. She says the policy is to strengthen the governments and economies in each country, fight al-Qaida and Taliban militants, and work to end the war in Afghanistan. She says the United States supports Afghan-led process to make peace with Taliban activist who reject violence and accept the Afghan constitution.

original news

ヒラリー・クリントン国務長官は、アフガニスタンにいるタリバンは暴力を拒否し、アルカイダと一緒に活動することを止めるべきだ言った。彼女は、もしそうしなければ、タリバンは世界を敵にまわすことになるだろうと警告し、アメリカの軍事圧力から生き延びることは出来ないだろうと言った。。クリントン国務長官は、金曜日、ニューヨークでアフガニスタンとパキスタンに対するアメリカの方針について演説した。彼女によると、その方針とは、それぞれの国の政府と経済を強くし、アルカイダとタリバンの軍隊と戦い、アフガニスタンの戦争を終わらせることである。また、暴力を拒否し、アフガニスタンの憲法を受け入れるタリバンの活動家との、アフガニスタンによる平和的取り組みをアメリカ合衆国は支援すると話した。

日本語のニュース

"Saka-gura-biraki"

In this season, many Sake brewers held an event called "Saka-Gura-Biraki"（酒蔵開き） that means a brewer opens its brewery to sell its newest Sake. I visited a Saka-Gura(Sake brewery) named "Mizokami Syuzou（溝上酒造）" to buy a bottle of this year's Sake. The brewery names it "Shibori-Tate Nama-Zake"（しぼりたて生酒）"(in my direct translation) Freshly squeezed, raw Sake ".

I enjoyed the Sake with "Kiritanpo-nabe"（きりたんぽ鍋） for dinner.

VOA Special English News 4

Taiwan has arrested an army general on charges of spying for China. Defense ministry officials say Major General Lo Hsien-che was arrested on January 25. He led the army's tele-communication's department. Officials say that he was reportedly hired by China when he was working in Thailand in 2004. The defense officials say he had limited contact with secret documents since he has returned to Taiwan in 2005. Some Taiwanese legislators want defense minister to resign because of the general's arrest. They say General Lo has brought shame to military.

related news

（日本語訳）

台湾で、陸軍の幹部が中国のスパイ容疑で逮捕された。台湾の国防省によると、１月２５日に逮捕された羅賢哲少将は、情報システム部門の責任者で、２００５年タイに勤務していたときに中国から買収されたのことである。（I could not translate the underlined part into Japanese well. I might have not transcribed it correctly.)　　数人の議員は、羅少将は陸軍の恥だと言って、彼の逮捕を受けて、国防大臣は辞めるべきだと言っている。

日本語のニュース

VOA Special English News 3

An American newspaper is reporting that computer criminals called "hackers", illegally entered the comptuer system of a stock exchange. The Walls Street Journal reported late Friday that the huckers broke into the Nasdaq system several times over the past year. The newspaper said it spoke with the people close to the case. It said the part of the system makes stock trade was not affected. One person said the activity was like someone entering a home illegally, but not stealing anything. The newspaper said that secret service and Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating the incident.

"original news"

(日本語訳)

アメリカの新聞は、コンピューターによる犯罪者、いわゆる「ハッカー」が株取引のコンピューターシステムに不法に侵入していたことがあったと報道した。ウォール・ストリート・ジャーナルは、金曜日遅く、「ハッカー」はナスダックのシステムに過去、数回にわたって侵入したと報じた。同社によると、ナスダックは、事情に詳しい者に話を聴いており、株取引をしているシステムに被害はない、とのことである。ある関係者は、「ハッカーの行動は、不法に家宅侵入しているだけで、何も盗んでいないようなものだ」と言っている。また、大統領警護隊（シークレットサービス）と連邦捜査局が事件を調べているとのことである。

（日本語ニュース）

I am not confident that I could dictate the underlined part. Please let me know your thought.

a store without a clerk

Now, I can buy vegetables at a JR station near my house, but I can not find any clerks. So, it is called "Mujin Hanbai"（無人販売） that means people can buy goods without seeing a clerk. The seller is a farmer who lives in a town next to my town. All vegetables are sold at a same price, 100yen.

I have never bought vegetables at this store, but it is very interesting attempt, I think.

VOA Special English News 2

An employee of the American diplomatic office in Lahore, Pakistan appereared in court Thursday on murder charges. The appearance came the day after the man, an American, shot and killed two Pakistanis. He claims the killings were in self-defense. The judge ordered him held in jail for six days while the police continued the investigation. Police said the American was stopped at a traffic light when two men on a motorcycle shot at his vehicle. Officials said he fired a gun at the attackers and reported the incident to an American security team. The two men later died in a hospital. Pakistani's officials say the third Pakistani was killed when he was hit by the American diplomatic vehicle that had gone to the aid of the American employee. The incident has worsened the feelings against Americans in Pakistan. Friday, "the Nation" newspaper published a story that read "American Rambo Goes Beserk in Lahore".

（日本語訳）

パキスタンのラホレにあるアメリカ領事館に勤務している職員が、木曜日、殺人罪の罪で出廷した。彼は二人のパキスタン人を射殺した疑いがもたれている。彼は正当防衛を主張、裁判官は調査が継続している間、6日間の留置を命じた。警察によると、そのアメリカ人は、信号停車していたときに、二人のパキスタン人から銃撃を受け、彼らに反撃、その事件をアメリカの治安部隊に報告したとのこと。二人の男は、その後、病院で死亡、三人目のパキスタン人は、アメリカ人を助けに来た領事館の車に轢かれて、死亡したとされている。この事件は、パキスタンにおけるアメリカ人に対する感情を悪化させている。"ネーション"（新聞）は、金曜日、「アメリカのランボー、大激怒」という記事を載せている。

I think the original news is here.

"Shimonoseki"

Last Thursday, I went to the city of "Shimonoseki"（下関） in my business. The city locates in the western edge of the Honshu（本州） island and belongs to Yamaguchi（山口） prefecture. It is also a historical city and has many sight seeing places.

It took about half an hour from my office, so the city locates in near area. However, it is rare for me to go there except for special events.

VOA Special English News 1

Every day morning, on my way to work place I listen to the news program on VOA Special English downloaded on my i-Pod shuffle. But, VOA does not offer any scripts of the News on its web-site. Now, I will try to dictate it on this blog to brush up my English. And also I will try to translate it into Japanese.

(If you find my mistake in the script, please tell me correct words.)

"The temporary cabinet of the government in Tunisia says it will recognize political parties that have been banned. It will also agree to pardon to political prisoners. Officials announced their decisions Thursday after the cabinet held its first meeting since the ouster of president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali. The cabinet also said they there would be three days of mourning begining beginning Friday for victimes victims of the unrest that forced Mr. Abidine to flee."

チュニジア政府の暫定内閣は、これまで禁止されていた政党を認めること、政治犯に恩赦を与えることを発表した。政府関係者は、木曜日、ザイン・エル・アビディン・ベン・アリ大統領の追放後初めて開かれた内閣の会議の後、彼らの決定を発表した。また、内閣は、アビディン大統領を追いやった紛争の被害者のため、3日間喪に服することも発表した。

"Tiger-Mask" movement

Recently, there have been heartwarming news in Japan that is called "Tiger Mask" movement.（タイガーマスク運動） In the end of December of last year, a man who called himself "Date Naoto"（伊達直人） gave "randoseru"（ランドセル）, small school backpacks to children living in orphanage. Several days later, another "Date Naoto" appeared in another place and left several gifts to an orphanage. And also third "Date Naoto" appeared in a different place. Finally, these kind of donations have been over one thousand.

"Date Naoto" is a main character of an animation movie named "Tiger Mask" in the 1970's.(Its original is a comic.) In the story, "Tiger-Mask" is a masked professional wrestler and no one knows that he is "Date Naoto". "Date Naoto" donates several gifts using the name of "Tiger-Mask" to an orphanage where he grew up.

When I was considering this movement, a spiteful idea appeared in my mind. If the first donor used the name "Kan Naoto"（菅直人）, the Japanese prime minister, how much the movement might have spread?

Many people say that the animation's ending song is one of the saddest songs in Japanese animation movies.