No major progress in Japan-N. Korea abduction talks in Beijing
February 5, 2006Japan and North Korea failed to make major progress in their talks Sunday on the dispute over the abductions of Japanese nationals by North Korean agents, with both sides sticking to their differing standpoints, the countries' delegates said. The two sides, however, left open the possibility of meeting again later in the week for discussions on the topic, the negotiators said after nine hours of talks in the Chinese capital.
Rebel-called strike begins in Nepal
February 5, 2006A weeklong general strike called by Nepal's Maoist rebels across the country got under way Sunday. The shutdown, aimed at forcing the royalist government to call off municipal elections set for Wednesday, shut down schools and shops and disrupted public transportation across country.
List of chief delegates from Japan, N. Korea in 3-track talks
February 5, 2006The following is a list of the chief delegates from Japan and North Korea in the bilateral talks under a new three-track format from Saturday in Beijing. Three panels are to separately address diplomatic normalization, North Korea's abductions of Japanese citizens and Pyongyang's nuclear and missile development. DIPLOMATIC NORMALIZATION