US envoy to ROK resigns: us Ambassador to Seoul James Laney said yesterday he had asked President Bill Clinton to accept his resignation. AFP reports from Seoul.

Laney, who took up hie post in Seoul in 1993 at the height of the standoff with North Korea over its suspect nuclear weapons programme, said in a press statement that it had always been his intention to leave after Clinton s first term. "While I am sad to be leaving a country for which I have such affection. . I nevertheless will depart with a feeling of both accomplishment and privilege." Laney said.

Yeltsin, Kohl agree to meet on Jan 4: President Boris Yeltsin and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl confirmed in a telephone conversation Monday their plans to meet on January 4 at the Russian President s country residence. AP reports from Moscow.

The two leaders have a warm relaUonship and Kohl is one of the only world leaders who has visited during Yeltsin s recent illness. After the president underwent quintuple bypass surgery on November 5. Kohl was one of the first he invited to visit

3 executed for murder in China:

A woman and two men she hired to kill her husband were executed in southern China, a report said yesterday. AFP reports from Hong Kong.

Zhou Jianyu. 36 was executed recently along with the two accomplices she hired for 113.000 yuan (13 615 US dollars) in Shaoouan In northern Guangdong province, the Hong Kong branch of China News Service said.

Hashimoto to visit ASEAN states: Japanese Prime Minster Ryutaro Hashimoto said Tuesday he would visit Southeast Asian nations as scheduled earlv January, despite the conUnulng hostage crisis in Lima. AFP reports from Tokyo

Hashimoto told a news conference that he would go ahead with the nine-day tour starting January 7. covering Brunei. Malaysia. Indonesia. Vietnam and Singapore all of them members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Japanese officials previously said whether or not his visit would go ahead would depend on developments in Lima Israeli settler killsPalestinian: An Israeli settler killed a Palestinian Monday night in the Jewish settlement of Kfar Darom in Gaza. Israeli police said AFP reports from Kfar Darom, Gaza

The settler said he had been attacked by the Palestinian and was acting in self defence According to settlers who witnessed the incident, the Palestinian had broken into the settlement and attacked a settler who had called for help Another settler opened fire killing the Palestinian Israeli police were , investigating the matter