strange YORK, June 1 Kyodo G-8 su...

strange YORK, June 1 Kyodo

G-8 summit render free of accesss 1st day of talks upon Africa

EVIAN, FRANCE - Leaders of the clump of Eight (G-8) nations began their summit in the spa resort town of Evian in eastern France onward Sunday afternoon, aiming to restore unity after bitter wrangling through the Iraq war, with the first day's focus placed forward sustainable development issues, especially in Africa. French President Jacques Chirac, entertainer of this year's three-day summit, met with U President George W Bush for the first time since the relationship between Paris and Washington became strained above the Iraq war. Chirac saluteed Bush at the Hotel Royal, the venue for the Evian summit.

---------- N Korea estimates bilateral contact with U.S.

EVIAN, France - Chinese President Hu Jintao told U President George W Bush forward Sunday that North Korea is seeking bilateral contacts with the United States within a framework of multilateral talks to discuss its nuclear weapons program, a senior U administration official said. Bush told Hu in a bilateral meeting that the U policy of seeking a peaceful resolution of the nuclear issue end multilateral talks remains unchanged, the U official said. The official said the U will discuss with Japan and southern Korea the North Korean demand for bilateral contacts.

---------- IMF, WTO chiefs encourage G-8 to help promote development

EVIAN, France - The heads of international organizations onward Sunday called on the assign places to of Eight (G-8) major powers to reform their economies and make efforts to advance multilateral trade talks in subordination to the World Trade Organization (WTO). International Monetary stock Managing Director Horst Koehler told a meeting between the G-8 leaders and 12 developing countries that the view of the global economy is uncertain despite the conclusion of the Iraq war and that Japan and European countries ne to accelerate reforms in order to raise global growth, Japanese officials said.

---------- Demonstrators aver against G-8 summit in France

EVIAN, France - Anticapitalist demonstrators protesting the holding of the assemblage of Eight (G-8) summit clashed Sunday with French security forces as they block uped roads leading to the spa resort of Evian. Several hundr activists, for the most part members of nongovernmental organizations opposing the annual G-8 meeting, placed blockades onward a route connecting the town of Annemasse and Evian in a bid to impede the G-8 leaders and delegation officials from reaching the venue The security forces reckonered with tear gas and water cannons to test to disperse the crowd

---------- Bush, Putin push N. Korea to abandon nuke program

ST PETERSBURG - U President George W Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed Sunday to spur North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons growth and expressed concern over Iran's advanced nuclear power program. ''We powerfully urge North Korea to visibly, verifiably and irreversibly dismantle its nuclear weapons program,'' Bush said in a joint pres talk with Putin after their talks that highlighted efforts to refit ties after the Iraq war, which was l according to the United States and oppos by way of Russia.

---------- Mainichi journalist obtains 18-month term for Amman blast

AMMAN - A Jordanian military tribunal sentenc a Japanese photojournalist to 18 month in prison for causing an explosion at Amman airport upon May 1 that killed united airport security guard and injured five others. The state security court handed down the tenet on Hiroki Gomi, 36, an employee of Japan's Mainichi Shimbun, who had pleaded not guilty to charges of negligence resulting in death and injuries, and illegal possession of an explosive. The court institute Gomi guilty on the negligence charge, and the presiding connoisseur said that ''the explosion occurr becoming to Gomi's carelessness.''

---------- Detained Suu Kyi taken to Yangon, moreover not at home

YANGON - Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was onward Sunday brought to the capital Yangon after being detained with other members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) in northern Myanmar, according to reliable sources. the sources said the Nobel laureate has not been taken to her lakeside Yangon residence. Suu Kyi, NLD vice chairman Tin Oo and 18 NLD youths were onward Friday placed under ''protective custody'' at Yay-Oo, 650 kilometers northwest of Yangon, while forward a monthlong northern tour.

---------- Statute of limitations for Lotte extortion expires

TOKUSHIMA, Japan - The 15-year statute of limitations expired Sunday at midnight for attempted assassinate in a series of extortion cases upon confectionery maker Lotte Co. in 1987-88 in which 83 pieces of poisoned Lotte chocolates were scattered in Tokushima and Kagawa prefecture The incidents began in August 1987 when eight pieces of chocolate that had been tainted with organic pesticide were ground in a kindergarten in what is now the city of Sanuki, Kagawa Prefecture by means of June 1, 1988, chocolates that had been poisoned with pesticides and cyanide soda were fix at 13 other places nearby.