Thousands mark Hiroshima A-bomb 60th anniversary
HIROSHIMA, Japan (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people from around the world gathered in Hiroshima on Saturday to mark the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the city and to renew calls for the abolition of nuclear arms.
The anniversary of the world's first atomic bombing comes as regional powers continue talks in Beijing to urge North Korea to give up its nuclear program, seen by Tokyo as a potential threat and one of the reasons behind rising calls in Japan to strengthen its defense and seek closer military cooperation with the United States.
Under a blazing summer sun, survivors and families of victims assembled at the Peace Memorial Park near "ground zero," the spot where the bomb detonated on the morning of Aug. 6, 1945, killing thousands and leveling the city.
Dignitaries including Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi attended the ceremony in Hiroshima, some 690 km (430 miles) southwest of Tokyo.
At 8:15 a.m., the time when the U.S. B-29 warplane Enola Gay dropped the bomb, people at the park and throughout the city observed a minute's silence in memory of those who perished.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2005-08-05T231837Z_01_T92478_RTRIDST_0_INTERNATIONAL-JAPAN-HIROSHIMA-DC.XML
Time to exhale...
Thank goodness.
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