TMCnet News
Kyodo news summary+(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)TOKYO, Jan. 20_(Kyodo) _ ---------- CIA says bin Laden tape authentic, U.S. reject negotiations WASHINGTON - The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency authenticated Thursday an audiotape that threatens new al-Qaida attacks inside the United States as a genuine message from Osama bin Laden, according to news reports. White House spokesman Scott McClellan stressed the United States will not negotiate with terrorists when asked about a truce offered I the tape. ---------- IAEA to hold emergency meeting on Iran's nuclear program on Feb. 2 VIENNA - The International Atomic Energy Agency said Thursday it will hold an emergency meeting on Feb. 2 in Vienna on Iran's nuclear activities at the request of Britain, France and Germany. The IAEA's 35-member Board of Governors will discuss whether to refer Iran's nuclear program to the U.N. Security Council after Tehran removed U.N. seals on uranium enrichment equipment earlier this month. ---------- Negotiator for Japan-N. Korea talks named diplomat to U.S. TOKYO - The government decided Friday to appoint Akitaka Saiki, chief negotiator for Japan-North Korea governmental talks, as envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to the United States, officials said. Saiki, 53, currently deputy chief of the Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, has taken part in diplomacy with North Korea, with which Japan has no diplomatic relations, since September 2002. ---------- Gov't approves aid package for asbestos victims TOKYO - The government on Friday approved a comprehensive package of bills to provide financial support to people suffering from asbestos-linked diseases as well as those who have lost family members to such illnesses, while also stepping up preventive measures against similar problems. Under the package, which will be submitted to the Diet when it opens later in the day and is expected to be enacted later this month, the government will set standards for certifying asbestos-linked conditions, including mesothelioma. It will issue special booklets for those who meet the standards to cover out-of-pocket medical expenses and recuperation fees, and also funeral fees when they die. ---------- Gov't approves contingency plans for 21 prefectures TOKYO - The government on Friday approved contingency plans for 21 prefectures that feature a series of measures designed to protect the public from foreign military attacks or major terrorist attacks. The move is part of a 2004 law that comprises a set of 10 laws introduced in 2003 and 2004 as Japan's first post-World War II legislation to counter foreign military attacks and other emergencies. ---------- Rice, Ban urge N. Korea to return to nuke talks WASHINGTON - South Korean Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Ban Ki Moon and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice agreed Thursday to press North Korea to "promptly" return to the six-party talks on Pyongyang's nuclear programs. Ban and Rice reached the agreement as part of broad-ranging accords during their first meeting under a new bilateral strategic dialogue, according to a joint statement issued by the two nations. ---------- Japan to pull out of deflation in FY 2006: gov't TOKYO - The Cabinet on Friday endorsed the government's economic outlook for fiscal 2006, which projects the nation's economy will pull out of deflation during the year with the nominal growth rate outpacing the real growth rate for the first time since fiscal 1999. The outlook sets the growth rates for Japan's gross domestic product at 2.0 percent in nominal terms and 1.0 percent in inflation-adjusted terms for the year through March 31, 2007. |