Rebel-called cease-fire set to end Monday in Nepal
January 1, 2006A four-month unilateral truce called by Maoist rebels in Nepal is ending Monday, perhaps also ending what many see as a lull in violence linked to Nepal's decade-long communist insurgency. The rebels fighting to abolish the monarchy since 1996 announced a three-month truce in early September last year to give an ''exit'' to Nepal's political crisis.
N. Korea urges boost in power to foil U.S. 'attempt to launch war'
January 1, 2006North Korea on Sunday called for the strengthening of the country's ideology and military might to counter a U.S. ''attempt to launch another war'' in a joint editorial of the country's official press on New Year's Day. But the annual editorial did not refer to North Korea's ties with Japan, nor did it mention the six-party talks aimed at ending the North Korean nuclear crisis, according to a dispatch by the official Korean Central News Agency monitored in Beijing.
Okinawa ambassador likely to be named ambassador to China
January 1, 2006The government is considering naming Yuji Miyamoto, ambassador in charge of Okinawa issues, as the next ambassador to China, government sources said Saturday. Miyamoto, a Chinese expert who has served as a minister at the Japanese Embassy in Beijing, would succeed Koreshige Anami, who will have been serving as ambassador to China for five years in January, the sources said.