ニュースで学ぶ現代英語 23/5/22-26

ニュースで学ぶ現代英語 23/5/22 (月) ＷＨＯ新型コロナの緊急事態宣言を終了
WHO: COVID-19 NO LONGER GLOBAL HEALTH EMERGENCY
WHO: Covid-19 no longer global health emergency
2023年5月6日のニュース

Authorities at the World Health Organization were among the first to sound the alarm about the coronavirus. Now, more than three years into the pandemic, they’re downgrading the threat.

(Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus / WHO Director-General)
“Yesterday, the emergency committee met for the 15th time and recommended to me that I declare an end to the Public Health Emergency of International Concern. I have accepted that advice. It’s therefore with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency.”

Tedros says it’s time the world started managing COVID-19 alongside other infectious diseases. He cites falling mortality rates and increased immunity, but also says the virus remains a threat.
The WHO first classified COVID-19 as a global emergency in January 2020. Officials say as of May 3, there have been 765 million cases and close to 7 million deaths.

ニュースで学ぶ現代英語 23/5/23 (火) 英チャールズ国王の戴冠式
CHARLES III CROWNED AS KING
Charles III crowned as king
2023年5月6日のニュース

Now to the United Kingdom, where the coronation of King Charles III was held at Westminster Abbey. He succeeded his mother Queen Elizabeth II when she died last September.
The Archbishop of Canterbury placed the historic St. Edward’s Crown on the monarch’s head during the coronation ceremony on Saturday.

(Archbishop of Canterbury)
“God save the King.”

King Charles swore that as head of state he will rule the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries according to their laws. Charles’ wife Queen Camilla was also crowned there.
Crowds of people gathered around the castle to try to get a glimpse of the new king. But the more than 1000-year-old ceremony took place amid skepticism, particularly among the young, about the role and relevance of the monarchy.

ニュースで学ぶ現代英語 23/5/24 (水) 日韓首脳会談
KISHIDA, YOON WRAP UP TALKS IN SEOUL
Kishida, Yoon wrap up talks in Seoul
2023年5月8日のニュース

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol have wrapped up their summit in Seoul. The two leaders reconfirmed their plans to maintain close communication to boost security cooperation and further improve relations.

(Yoon Suk-yeol / South Korean President)
“The people of our two countries are deepening their understanding of each other. Exchanges of young people are very important in order to build trust and friendship.”

(Kishida Fumio / Japanese Prime Minister)
“I believe it is my duty as the prime minister of Japan to carry on the efforts made by our predecessors who overcame difficult times and cooperate with President Yoon and South Korea towards the future.”

Kishida also referred to the South Korean government’s plan to settle a wartime labor issue. The Japanese prime minister said he feels heartbroken that many Korean people experienced suffering and sadness under the harsh environment at that time.

ニュースで学ぶ現代英語 23/5/225 (木) アイヌの人たちの遺骨豪博物館から返還
AINU REMAINS RETURNED TO JAPAN FROM AUSTRALIA
Ainu remains returned to Japan from Australia
2023年5月8日のニュース

Remains of Japan’s indigenous Ainu people, which were kept in Australian museums, have been repatriated after more than a century. They were taken from their homelands in the early 20th century for research.
The remains had been held in Melbourne and the capital, Canberra, after Japanese academics gave them to their Australian peers between 1911 and 1936. They were originally taken from the northern prefecture of Hokkaido and the then Japanese territory of Karafuto, now the Russian island of Sakhalin.
Japanese scholars collected Ainu remains, sometimes dug from their graves, and hundreds are believed to still be in collections around the world.
On Saturday, four sets of ancestral remains were handed back to a delegation of Ainu people. The Australian government announced in 2017 its intention to send back the remains. It took years of negotiations to make the plan a reality.

ニュースで学ぶ現代英語 23/5/26 (金) ランドセル商戦早くも開始
JAPANESE SCHOOL-BAG MAKER EYEING NEXT YEAR’S FIRST-GRADERS
Japanese school-bag maker eyeing next year’s first-graders
2023年5月8日のニュース

Kids in Japan started a new year in April. But a manufacturer of satchels is already making its pitch to parents of children who will enter the first grade next year.
Tsuchiya Kaban held a sales event in the southwestern city of Miyazaki on Sunday, the last day of spring holidays. It showcased its new line of backpacks called “randoseru.”
Kids are expected to carry around their books and other items in the same bag during all six years of elementary school.
About 2,000 parents and children visited. Fifty-two randoseru models were on display. Some featured patterns on the inside. They came in 40 colors. The standard red and black were supplemented by trendier soft tones in purple, brown, and other hues.
A company official said popular models carry price tags of around 600 dollars.