LDP to open office in Washington: Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will soon open an office in Washington to establish contacts with the Bill Clinton administration and Congress, a Japanese newspaper said Thursday, reports Reuter from Tokyo.
The daily Asahi Shimbun said the LDP would start preparation's next month for the office, which would arrange meetings with key US politicians and hire lobbyists to collect information.
Asahi said Hiroshi Mitsuzuka, head of the LDP policy research council, told a party meeting this month that such an office was needed in view of the tough trade policies Clinton was expected to take towards Japan.
- Economists say Japan's trade surplus with the United' States is likely to hit a record of about 45 billion dollar in 1992.
Diana to visit Nepal in March: Britain's Princess Diana, estranged wife of hclr-to-throne Prince Charles, will visit Nepal tn March to see how British aid is helping local people, a spokeswoman for the royal family said on Wednesday, reports Reuter from London.
"She will focus on the work of the leprosy mission, a cause close to the Princess's heart, and the British Red Cross." the Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said.
Britain gave the Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal 7.5 million pounds (11.25 million dollar) in aid in 1991.
Diana and her two sons William, 10 and Harry, eight, flew to the Caribbean on Wednesday for a sunshine holiday break, leaving behind her husband from whom she separated earlier this month.
US donation to Latvia: rhe umied state.
will donate 200.000 tonnes of corn to Latvia under a programme that encourages agricultural reform, the Agriculture Department said on Wednesday, reports Reuter from Washington.
Under terms of the food for progress agreement. Latvia will carry out measures to expand the role of the private sector and to improve food supplies.
Latvia, which will pay for shipping costs, would sell the corn to help develop private Institutions and free markets.
The corn would be worth about 19 million dollar. 75 per cent of the com will be shipped on US flag vessels.
Avalanches kill six in Turkey: Avalanches of snow and ice killed at least six people and injured 15 in northern and southeastern Anatolia, Turkish television said on Wednesday, reports Reuter from Istanbul.
It said heavy snow had cut village roads and some parts of eastern Turkey were covered with two metres (yards) of
Three people died in northern Kastamonu province Wednesday when an avalanche hit Sihogiu village. Another avalanche struck Turkeii town of the Black Sea coast but there was no word on casualties, the television said.
Three more people were killed and 15 were injured by an avalanche at Semdinli tn southeast Turkey on Tuesday, it added.
Prague, Bratislava set up ties:
Foreign Minister of the Czech lands and Slovakia established diplomatic tics between their two countries on Wednesday, on the eve of the breakup of the 74-year-old Czechoslovak federation, reports AFP from Prague.
Josef Zlclenlcc for the Czech republic and Milan Knazko for Slovakia exchanged diplomatic notes here to swap ambassadors from January ). the news agency CTK reported.
Neither side has yet named their envoy to Prague and to Bratislava, the former coronation site of the kings of Hungary and which will become capital of Slovakia from midnight Thursday (eds 2300 GMT)
Zielenlec told a press conference on Tuesday he planned to make his first foreign trip as the Czech Foreign Minister early In January and would go to Slovakia.