Maoist rebels in Nepal announced a cease-fire tonight and said they would enter into peace talks with the government, raising hopes for an end to a six-year conflict that has claimed more than 7,000 lives. In a statement faxed to news organizations in the capital of Katmandu, the rebels’ leader, who goes by the name of Prachanda, said he ordered an immediate halt to military operations against government forces in the impoverished Himalayan kingdom. In return, the statement said, the government had agreed to stop calling the rebels terrorists and to drop reward offers for the arrest of Prachanda and other rebel leaders. Full Story