TMCnet News
Kyodo news summary -7-+(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)TOKYO, Jan. 23_(Kyodo) _ ---------- Film on Megumi Yokota touches audience at U.S. film festival PARK CITY, Utah - A U.S. documentary film chronicling North Korea's abduction of Megumi Yokota and depicting her family's pain moved some members of the audience to tears at a film festival in Utah on Sunday. The 85-minute film titled "Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story" was released at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City in Utah. ---------- Hong Kong pro-democracy front demands schedule for universal suffrage HONG KONG - Thirty-five pro-democracy activists led by former Chief Secretary Anson Chan and Catholic Bishop Joseph Zen urged Hong Kong's Chief Executive Donald Tsang on Monday to set a timetable for universal suffrage. In a full-page advertisement carried by both Chinese and English newspapers in Hong Kong, they urged Tsang to show "courageous leadership" in setting a timetable for universal suffrage. ---------- U.N. asks Japan for plane to aid air transport in Iraq TOKYO - The United Nations has asked Japan for a small aircraft to be at its disposal for air transportation assistance in Iraq, the U.N. deputy special representative for Iraq said Monday. "One small plane of 20 seats at full-time disposal of the U.N. in Iraq would do miracles because we would be able to quickly move without having to wait days for the coalition," Staffan de Mistura said after talks with Japanese officials in Tokyo. ---------- Japan urges U.S. to prevent recurrence of risky beef shipment TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick on Monday that Washington should act promptly to find out why spinal columns banned under a bilateral agreement were contained in a U.S. beef shipment to Japan last week and take measures to prevent any recurrence. Zoellick in response pledged to take preventive measures and said the United States will deal with the issue to help boost mutual trust between the two countries, Koizumi told reporters at his official residence. |