Calendar 2024

January

Six new nations join the BRICS grouping of big emerging economies,　turning it into BRICS+. Existing members Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa will be joined by Argentina, Egyptm Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

emerging economies=新興経済国
turning it into=～なる、変化する、一周
Existing members=既存メンバー
be joined by=加わる

The earliest version of Mickey Mouse enters the public domain. Under American copyright law, characters are only protected for 95years after initial publication. However, Mickey Mouse has been through many iterations and design updates since making his first appearance in "Steamboat Willie" in 1928, and Disney retains the rights to all later versions of the character.

The earliest version=初期
the public domain＝パブリックドメイン
copyright law=著作権法
protected=保護
initial publication=世に出て初めて、初回の出版
iterations=繰り返し、反復
"Steamboat Willie" =『蒸気船ウィリー』
appearance=見た目、外観
retains the rights=権利を保持

A global minimum corporation-tax rate of 15% comes into force, under a deal struck by 130 countries in 2021. Some countries will start collecting "top up" taxes from big firms that use legal loopholes to shift profits to tax havens with lower rates.

minimum=最小値
corporation-tax rate of 15% comes into force,
under a deal=取引
struck=合意
under a deal struckで取引に合意→協定に合意
top up=上乗せ
firms=企業
legal loopholes=法的抜け穴
profits=利益
lower rates=低い税率

Presidential elections take place in Taiwan, the self-governing island China claims as its own. The result will affect relations across the Taiwan Strait and the level of us-China tensions.

Presidential elections=大統領選挙
the self-governing island=自国領
claims=主張
affect=影響
the Taiwan Strait=台湾海峡
us-China=米中間

February

Chinese New Year is celebrated, as the year of the wood dragon begins. Those born under this sign are said to be creative, curious and determined-and frank.

the wood dragon=甲辰
Those born under this sign=この星の下に生まれた者
creative=創造的
curious=珍しいものが好き、好奇心
and determined=果敢、負けず嫌い

Super Bowl LVIII takes place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the first time the city has hosted the event.

Indonesia, the world's third largest democracy, holds presidential and legislative elections, on Valentine's Day.

democracy=民主主義国家
legislative=インドネシアの政府のこと　立法府

March

The formula One season kicks off in Bahrain, with the race running on a Saturday, rather than Sunday－a first for the kingdom. This is to allow the second race of the season, a week later in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to take place before the start of Ramadan

kicks off=開催
rather than Sunday=日曜ではなく
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia=ジッダ、サウジアラビア王国

The 13th African Games begin in Ghana. The games were due to take place in 2023 but were postponed after construction delays and a dispute over marketing rights.

due=然るべき、正当
postponed=延期
construction delays=建築の遅れ
dispute=論じる、争論 
marketing rights=販売権

The 96th Academy Awards take place in Los Angeles. Who will the Oscars go to?

April

A total eclipse of the sun, dubbed the Great North American Eclipse, will be visible across the continent.
The path of the shadow of totality, in which the Sun is entirely coverd by the Moon, runs from the Pacific coast of Mexico to South Bird Island off the coast of Newfoundland.

A total eclipse of the sun=皆既日食
continent=大陸
totalitym=皆既
entirely coverd=完全に覆う
South Bird Island=サウスバード島
Newfoundland=ニューファンドランド

The spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank take place in Washington,DC.

International Monetary Fund=IMF国際通貨基金

National Marmalade Week is celebrated, stickily, in Britain. It aims to encourage people to taste marmalade, and make their own.

National Marmalade Week=全国マーマレード週間
stickily=またもや
aims=目的
encourage=奨励、励ます

May

Celebrations begin to mark the bicentenary of the National Gallery in London. Museums and galleries in each of the United Kingdom's 12 regions will display an iconic painting from the National Gallery, ensuring that more than half the population is within an hour's journey of a national treasure. The bicentenary programme also includes a blockbuster Van Gogh exhibition, which is due to open in September.

bicentenary=the 200th anniversary
regions=地域
iconic=アイコン、象徴
iconic painting from the National Galleryでナショナルギャラリーの代表的な絵画
ensuring=保障する
within=範囲内で、の中で
includes=含む
a blockbuster=大ヒット作
Van Gogh=ゴッホ

The final of the Eurovision Song Contest takes place in Malmo, Sweden, the seventh time the country has hosted the contest.

Malmo, Sweden=スウェーデンのマルメ

The Great Wall Marathon, along a route that includes ramparts of the Great Wall of China, takes place near Beijing.

The Great Wall Marathon=万里の長城マラソン
along=沿う、伝う、通る
ramparts=城壁
Beijing=北京

cHINA

China is scheduled to launch Chang'e 6, a sample-return mission involving a robotic lander,to the far side of the Moon. The mission will also carry scientific instruments from France, Itary, Pakistan and Sweden.

China is scheduled to launch=打ち上げ
Chang'e 6=嫦娥六号
involving=巻き込み、巻き添え
lander=着陸
far side of the Moon=月の裏側
scientific instruments=科学機械

June

The men’s Twenty20 World Cup begins, hosted jointly by the United States and the West Indies. Cricket fans hope it will be a coming-out party for the sport in America. The women’s Twenty20 World Cup follows in September.

hosted jointly=共同主催
coming-out=カミングアウト？？なぜ？これはクリケットとアメリカの歴史に言及することになるのだろうか

Global Running Day is celebrated, to encourage people around the world to get moving, both for fun and for the good of their health.

Global Running Day=グローバルランニングデー

Heads of state, war veterans and officials gather on Omaha Beach in Normandy to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings during the second world war.

Heads of state=各国首脳
war veterans=老兵
officials=関係者
Omaha Beach=オマハビーチ
the D-Day=1944年6月6日※ノルマンディー上陸作戦のこと
landings=上陸

Elections for the European Parliament take place in the EU'S 27 member states, to elect representatives to the newly expanded 720-seat chamber.

Parliament=議会
the EU'S 27 member states=EU加盟27国
representatives=選出
expanded=拡大
chamber=議席

The Euro 2024 football tournament kicks off in Germany. A week later, the Copa America tournament begins in the Uneited States.

The Euro 2024=サッカー試合名
the Copa America=サッカー試合名

July

Leaders of NATO countries gather in Washington, DC for their annual summit as the expanded alliance marks its 75th anniversary.

annual summit=年に一度のサミット、定期開催
as the expanded=拡大する
alliance=同盟

The Republican Party formally nominates its candidate for America's presidential election at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The choice of location reflects the importance of the Midwest as a crucial electoral battleground.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin.=ウィスコンシン州ミルウォーキー
The choice of location reflects=反映する
crucial=欠かせない
battleground=激戦地

The 2024 Olympics begin with an opening ceremony on the River Seine in Paris, 100 years since the summer games were last held in the city. Breakdancing (also known as breaking) will be included for the first time.

River Seine=セーヌ川

August

The new city of Nusantara is formally inaugurated as the capital of Indonesia, replacing Jakarta. THe ceremony takes place on Indonesian Independence Day. Construction of the city began in 2022 and is due to be completed in 2045.

Nusantara=ヌサンタラ（新首都）
formally=正式
inaugurated=発足
replacing=代わり

The Democratic Party formally nominates its candidate for America's presidential election at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago－a location chosen, as with the Republican convention, owing to the importance of the Midwest in determining the election's outcome.

formally＝正式に
nominates=選出、指名
candidate=候補者
determining=決心
outcome=結果

The Paralympic Games begin in Paris.

September

The United Nations ”Summit of the Future "convenes in New York. Delegates will consider the reform of multilateral bodies and global governance, with the aim of enhancing co-operation on climate change and othe critical challenges.

convenes=招集
Delegates=代表団、派遣団
consider=考える
reform=改革
multilateral=多国間
aim=狙い
co-operation=協力、共同
climate=気候
climete changeで気候変動
other critical challengesで他の重大な難問

Japan's space agency, JAXA, is due to launch its MMX (Martian Moons Exploration) mission to explore Phobos and Diemos, the tiny moons of Mars. The probe will attempt to land on Phobos in 2025 to collect rock samples for return to Earth in 2029.

Japan's space agency, JAXA=宇宙航空研究開発機構
Phobos and Diemos＝フォボスとダイモス※火星の衛星
probe=探査
attempt=試みる

October

Jimmy Carter, America’s longest-lived president, is due to celebrate his 100th birthday.

The final race of the 37th Americas Cup takes place in Barcelona. The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron is defending the title, in the oldest competition in international sport.

ヨットの大会
The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadronはクラブ名
defending the titleはタイトル防衛

The Inaugural Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo takes to the stage in several venues across Hong Kong. It aims to foster artistic and cultural exchange between Hong Kong, mainland China and the world.

The Inaugural=第一回
Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo=香港パフォーミングアーツエクスポ
venues=開催

The Worldwide Music Expo(WOMEX), the international music industry's biggest conference, takes place in Manchester, England.

industry=事業、産業
music industryで音楽業界

The main annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank take place in Washington, DC.

annual=年次、定期開催

America's space agency, NASA, is due to launch Europa Clipper, a probe that will study the habitability of one of Jupiter's largest moons. Europa is thought to have a subsurface ocean that could potential harbour alien life. The probe is due to arrive at Jupiter in 2030.

America's space agency, NASA=アメリカ宇宙機関NASA
Europa=衛星の名前
habitability=居住適正
subsurface=表面下
ocean that could potential harbour alien lifeで宇宙人が居住できる海

November

The world will be watching as Americans go to the polls to elect a president and determine who controls Congress. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives, along with 34 out of 100 seats in the Senate, will be contested. The governorships of 13 states and territories are also up for grabs.

polls=世論調査、投票
determine=決める
the House of Representatives=下院
the Senate=上院
The governorships=知事選
up for grabsで誰にでもチャンスはある

The cop29 climate conference takes place. The choice of host country was delayed after Russia objected to any EU country being selected.

The cop29=国連気候変動枠組み条約第29回締約国会議（COP29）※2023年は第28回だったのでcop28と表記されている
climate=気候
conference=カンファレンス
delayed=遅らせる、延ばす

More than half a century since humans last visited the Moon, America's ArtemisⅡmission is due to blast off, sending four astronauts looping around the back of the Moon. The crew－which will include the first black man, first woman and first non-American to leave Earth orbitーwill not attempt to land.

More than=以上
half a century=半世紀
More than half a centuryで半世紀以上
ArtemisⅡ=アルテミス２
astronauts=宇宙飛行士
looping arouninclude=含む
Earth orbit=地球周回軌道
will not attempt to land=着陸は試みない

December

India's space agency, ISRO, is due to launch the Shukrayaan space probe to Venus. It will be the first mission to Earth's "evil twin" planet since Japan's Akatsuki in 2010. The probe will study the chemistry of Venus's atmosphere and look for signs of phosphine, which is thought to be present, and is normally associated with life.

ISRO=インドの宇宙機関
the Shukrayaan=金星を周回する衛星シュクラヤーン
Earth's "evil twin"=邪悪な双子※地球とそっくりな惑星らしい
Japan's Akatsuki=日本の衛星、あかつき
atmosphere=大気
phosphine=リン化水素
associated with lifeで生命に関連する

Sometime in late 2024

The European Union is expected to start rolling out its ”Entry-Exit Sytem”(EES), a registration scheme requiring non-EU citizens to scan their passports when entering the Schengen free-travel area. EES was due to launch is expected to start rolling out its ”Entry-Exit Sytem”(EES), a registration.

"Entry-Exit Sytem”(EES)=出入国管理制度
a registration scheme=スキーム、目論見、工夫
requiring=必要とする、義務
the Schengen free-travel area=シェンゲン圏自由旅行協定
launch=着手
expected=期待する
rolling out=拡大
registration=登録