Toyota, Mazda halt production of 5 models over certification test fraud

STORY: Toyota, Mazda halt production of 5 models over certification test fraud SHOOTING TIME: June 5, 2024 DATELINE: June 9, 2024 LENGTH: 00:00:41 LOCATION: Tokyo CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of cars in the street 2. various of Toyota Motor's headquarters STORYLINE: Japanese auto giants Toyota and Mazda suspended production of five car models on Thursday due to fraudulent practices discovered in national certification tests, in the wake of a cheating scandal among five major Japanese automakers. Following the order of Japanese transport ministry to halt shipments of affected models, Toyota Motor Corporation halted production of three models, including Yaris Cross, at its factories in the prefectures of Miyagi and Iwate, with the suspension expected to last until June 28. Meanwhile, Mazda Motors Corporation, ceased its production of two models, including MAZDA2 at its factories in the prefectures of Hiroshima and Yamaguchi. The suspension came after the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, T

Israeli airstrikes kill 36 military personnel in Syria's Aleppo

STORY: Israeli airstrikes kill 36 military personnel in Syria's Aleppo SHOOTING TIME: March 29, 2024 DATELINE: March 29, 2024 LENGTH: 00:01:04 LOCATION: Damascus CATEGORY: MILITARY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the explosions at the targeted site STORYLINE: Thirty-six Syrian military personnel were killed in multiple Israeli airstrikes that targeted military bases in Syria's northern city of Aleppo before dawn Friday, a war monitor reported. The strikes hit a Hezbollah warehouse in the Jibrin area near Aleppo International Airport, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Britain-based watchdog group said the attacks, which reverberated across the northern Aleppo countryside for about three hours, resulted in the most deaths of Syrian military personnel due to Israeli airstrikes. Defense factories in the Safira area were also targeted, the watchdog added. A statement from the Syrian Defense Ministry said that around 1:45 a.m. local time on Friday (2245 GMT Thursday), the Israeli

German woodworking machinery manufacturer optimistic about Chinese market

STORY: German woodworking machinery manufacturer optimistic about Chinese market SHOOTING TIME: Dec. 10, 2023 DATELINE: Dec. 11, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:57 LOCATION: SHANGHAI, China CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the German manufacturing company Homag 2. STANDUP (English): SUN QING, Xinhua correspondent 3. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): PETER LEGNER, CEO of HOMAG China 4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): PETER LEGNER, CEO of HOMAG China STORYLINE: STANDUP (English): SUN QING, Xinhua correspondent "German manufacturing company Homag has been stationed in Songjiang, Shanghai for 30 years and has experienced tremendous development. The company continues to expand investment and increase production capacity in China, and has also established its China headquarters, three factories, sales center, and R&D center here. Thanks to the large Chinese market, Homag China has maintained a revenue of over 1 billion yuan (139 million USD annually) in the past few years. With the advantages of German manufacturing and a localized tea

German-funded enterprise eager to further tap Chinese market

STORY: German-funded enterprise eager to further tap Chinese market DATELINE: Sept. 11, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:37 LOCATION: XIAMEN, China CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of factories of KION 2. SOUNDBITE (English): DARYL LEAN, Vice president of Strategy, Marketing and Product Management of KION Group STORYLINE: A senior executive of a German-funded enterprise has said that his company plans to ramp up investment in the Chinese market after great success has been achieved here over the past three decades. Established in 1993, Linde (China) Forklift Truck Corp., Ltd., a KION Group company, is one of the world's leading material handling equipment and solution providers. As one of the earliest foreign investment enterprises in Xiamen, east China's Fujian Province, the company has achieved rapid growth and witnessed tremendous achievements in Xiamen and China as a whole over the past 30 years. SOUNDBITE (English): DARYL LEAN, Vice president of Strategy, Marketing and Product Management of KION Group "Chi

Death toll from gas leak in India rises to 11

STORY: Death toll from gas leak in India rises to 11 DATELINE: May 1, 2023 LENGTH: 0:00:31 LOCATION: New Delhi CATEGORY: OTHERS SHOTLIST: 1. various of India gate 2. various of local police (Source: ANI) 3. various of National Disaster Response Force team (Source: ANI) STORYLINE: The death toll from gas leak in India's Punjab state rose to 11 on Sunday, a local administration official told Xinhua over phone. The accident occurred in the thickly-populated Giaspura area in Punjab's Ludhiana city with several factories. Local authorities suspect that dumping of some chemicals from a factory into the sewer led to the emission of poisonous gas resulting in the deaths. Among the dead were three minors and five women. They also included five members of a family. At least four persons who fell sick were still in a local hospital. All the victims were migrant laborers hailing from the northern state of Uttar Pradesh and the eastern state of Bihar. The source of the gas leakage and the type of the

Japanese businessman upbeat on Chinese market

STORY: Japanese businessman upbeat on Chinese market DATELINE: Jan. 6, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:31 LOCATION: SHANGHAI, China CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of Meiji factory 2. various of views of China 3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Japanese): TAMOTSU MATSUI, President, Meiji (China) Investment Co., Ltd. 4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Japanese): TAMOTSU MATSUI, President, Meiji (China) Investment Co., Ltd. STORYLINE: Tamotsu Matsui, President of Meiji (China) Investment Co., Ltd., expresses confidence in the Chinese market as the company is building three factories in China. SOUNDBITE 1 (Japanese): TAMOTSU MATSUI, President, Meiji (China) Investment Co., Ltd. "Currently in China, Meiji is building three factories. One is a milk/yogurt factory located in Tianjin with an investment of 620 million yuan (about 90.27 million U.S. dollars). The second one is in Guangzhou, where we invested 1.2 billion yuan (about 170 million U.S. dollars). This factory will produce milk and yogurt, chocolate and biscuit products. The third is the ice crea

Toyota restarts operations in Thailand

Toyota restarts operations in Thailand

BANGKOK, Thailand - Toyota factory workers walk to work at their factory on the outskirts of Bangkok on Nov. 21, 2011. Toyota Motor Corp. restarted production the same day at three factories in the area after halting their operations since October due to supply chain disruptions caused by flooding, Toyota officials said.

Maoists shut down Nepal on 1st day of 3-day general strike

Maoists shut down Nepal on 1st day of 3-day general strike

KATHMANDU, Nepal - Nepal's Maoists shut down a street in the center of Kathmandu on Dec. 20, 2009, the first day of a three-day nationwide general strike. Businesses, schools, factories and transportation throughout the country were also shut down.

Italy's industrial output rises by 2.3 pct in August: statistics

STORY: Italy's industrial output rises by 2.3 pct in August: statistics DATELINE: Oct. 12, 2022 LENGTH: 00:02:43 LOCATION: Rome CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of production lines in Italian factories STORYLINE: Industrial output in Italy rose by 2.3 percent in the latest index from the Italian government's main statistical entity released on Tuesday, reversing a recent trend and outpacing inflation for that month. The data from the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) showed the seasonally-adjusted index climbed in August compared to the previous month, though for the three-month period between June and August the index still retreated, falling by 1.2 percent compared to the March-May period. The rise in August showed a net increase even compared to the month-on-month increment in the country's consumer price index, which rose 0.8 percent in August compared to July. The annualized inflation rate for the month -- comparing prices in August to the year-ago period -- was 8.4 percent.

Italian companies hit by high energy costs, inflation expectations: central bank

STORY: Italian companies hit by high energy costs, inflation expectations: central bank DATELINE: Oct. 11, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:42 LOCATION: Rome CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of production lines in Italian factories STORYLINE: Sentiment among Italian businesses worsened in the third quarter, the Bank of Italy's latest survey revealed Monday. Declining confidence among businesses is due to expectations of high inflation, which has damaged the country's economic outlook in recent months and is set to continue well into the future, the survey said. The central bank surveyed Italian companies in the industrial and service sectors with at least 50 employees, between Aug. 25 and Sept. 15. According to the data, the overall economic situation worsened in the third quarter, and there was "pessimism" about the outlook for companies over the last three months of the year. This reflected "uncertainty attributable to economic and political factors and the upward trend in commodity prices," meaning surging

Spanish dairy industry grinds to a halt over transport strikes

STORY: Spanish dairy industry grinds to a halt over transport strikes DATELINE: March 18, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:40 LOCATION: Madrid CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of a supermarket 2. various of the strike 3. various of a supermarket 4. various of a livestock farm 5. various of people on transport strike 6. Spain's Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, Raquel Sanchez 7. various of the strike 8. Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez 9. various of the strike STORYLINE: Spain's dairy industry was forced to suspend activity on Thursday due to transport strikes, the country's National Federation of Dairy Industries (Fenil) said. The three-day transport strike, called by independent haulers due to rising fuel costs, has interrupted deliveries of raw materials and packaging to factories, Fenil said. Fenil warned that the supply of nutritionally basic products in people's diets, such as milk and dairy products, is at risk. Dairy produce does not have a long shelf life, Fenil emphasized, an

Maoists shut down Nepal on 1st day of 3-day general strike

Maoists shut down Nepal on 1st day of 3-day general strike

KATHMANDU, Nepal - Nepal's Maoists shut down a street in the center of Kathmandu on Dec. 20, 2009, the first day of a three-day nationwide general strike. Businesses, schools, factories and transportation throughout the country were also shut down. (Kyodo)

Toyota restarts operations in Thailand

Toyota restarts operations in Thailand

BANGKOK, Thailand - Toyota factory workers walk to work at their factory on the outskirts of Bangkok on Nov. 21, 2011. Toyota Motor Corp. restarted production the same day at three factories in the area after halting their operations since October due to supply chain disruptions caused by flooding, Toyota officials said. (Kyodo)