Peace Treaty

Sixty years after their country came under military dictatorship, Egyptians are for the first time freely electing their president. The voting that begins Wednesday is the greatest prize won by the multitudes who took to the streets to overthrow unpopular Hosni Mubarak in the string of people-power uprisings that upended the Middle East in last year's Arab Spring. It is also a moment of truth for this most populous Arab republic, determining whether power stays in the hands of the secular elite tied to the old regime or makes a momentous shift to the long-suppressed Islamists, with...

Egyptians on Wednesday and Thursday vote to elect their first president since the fall of Hosni Mubarak on Feb. 11, 2011 after 29 years of his authoritarian rule. A second round is likely to be held between the two top vote-getters on June 16-17. Here is a look at what's at stake in the election. WILL EGYPT GO ISLAMIST? A victory by the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood's candidate Mohammed Morsi will likely mean a greater emphasis on religion in government. The group, which already dominates parliament, says it won't mimic Saudi Arabia and force women to wear veils or implement harsh...

Taiwan's opposition presidential candidate says President Ma Ying-jeou's desire to pursue a peace treaty with China will damage the democratic island's sovereignty. Wednesday's statement by Democratic Progressive Party Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen reinforces the party's charge that Ma's China engagement program is aimed at setting the stage for Taiwan's unification with the mainland. On Monday, Ma said he wanted to pursue a China peace treaty if re-elected next January, provided the idea is supported by Taiwan's people.

Sixty years after their country came under military dictatorship, Egyptians are for the first time freely electing their president. The voting that begins Wednesday is the greatest prize won by the multitudes who took to the streets to overthrow unpopular Hosni Mubarak in the string of people-power uprisings that upended the Middle East in last year's Arab Spring. It is also a moment of truth for this most populous Arab republic, determining whether power stays in the hands of the secular elite tied to the old regime or makes a momentous shift to the long-suppressed Islamists, with...

SEOUL - North Korea demanded yesterday that the United States sign a peace treaty formally ending the Korean War, as a senior North Korean diplomat visited New York to negotiate ways to restart six-nation nuclear disarmament talks. In an editorial marking the 58th anniversary of an armistice that ended the 1950-53 war, the North's official Korean Central News Agency insisted a peace treaty could go a long way toward resolving a deadlock over Pyongyang's pursuit of nuclear weapons.

SEOUL — North Korea has expressed willingness to return to international nuclear disarmament talks, a sign that it is satisfied with the UN Security Council’s decision to avoid directly blaming it for the sinking of a South Korean warship. South Korea responded to the announcement with caution Saturday, saying it wanted proof. The Security Council last week expressed “deep concern’’ about the March sinking of the 1,200-ton Cheonan and findings by a South Korean-led international investigation that North Korea had torpedoed the ship.

South Korea’s military has investigated about 70 officers found to have had memberships at a now-closed pro-North Korea online community site. The Defense Ministry said Monday that seven to eight of the officers committed “problematic’’ behavior by posting messages on the site and will face further investigation. It says the rest simply obtained membership out of curiosity. Local media reports say South Korean authorities have blocked the site from being accessed because it contained articles praising North Korea’s political system and leader Kim Jong...

South Korea's highest court has upheld a three-year prison term imposed on a pastor for making an unauthorized trip to North Korea. The Rev. Han Sang-ryol was previously convicted of visiting North Korea without permission last year, and of praising Pyongyang's communist system. The Supreme Court says its decision Thursday to uphold the sentence is final. North Korea has criticized South Korea's detainment of Han, saying it demonstrates Seoul's anti-unification, confrontational policy.

CAIRO - Mohammed Bassiouni, a former Egyptian ambassador to Israel, has died in Cairo. He was 74. Egypt's MENA state news agency quoted his son Hatem as saying Mr. Bassiouni died yesterday at home. Mr. Bassiouni, a former military officer, served as coordinator between the Egyptian and Syrian armies in the 1973 war with Israel, and as a member of the joint Egyptian-Syrian command. Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty in 1979. Mr. Bassiouni served in the Egyptian Embassy in Tel Aviv in 1982 and became ambassador in 1986.

North Korea says it is considering allowing Korean-Americans to be reunited with their separated families in the North. A North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said Thursday that the United States recently proposed discussing the issue through Red Cross and other channels. The unidentified spokesman said such an exchange would help boost confidence between the countries and help resolve other problems in the future. He did not elaborate. But a senior North Korean diplomat recently met with U.S. officials in New York to talk about ways to restart...

The United Nations said Friday that South Sudan has pulled its police force out of the disputed Abyei region on the border with Sudan. The withdrawal Thursday follows a U.N. Security Council resolution last week threatening nonmilitary sanctions against both countries if they don't stop attacking each other and return to negotiations. South Sudan won independence from Sudan last year as part of a 2005 peace treaty that ended decades of war that killed 2 million people. But the neighboring nations have been drawing closer to full-scale war in recent weeks over unresolved issues...

The unrepentant brother of the man who killed Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was released from prison Friday after serving 16 ½ years for complicity in a murder that stunned Israel and according to some destroyed an opportunity for peace. Hagai Amir, 43, is not known to have expressed remorse for his role in the death and upon his release he told Israel Radio, "I am proud of what I did. " Amir helped plan the 1995 killing. His brother Yigal Amir, an ultra-nationalist Jewish extremist, is serving a life sentence for gunning down the prime minister after a...

A South Korean official says jamming signals from North Korea have affected 250 civilian flights in and out of South Korea. Seoul's Transport Ministry said Tuesday the signals have interfered with GPS on flights since Saturday. The planes have relied on alternate navigation systems to prevent trouble. Lee Kyung-woo of Seoul's Korea Communications Commission says the signals appear to have come from the North Korean border town of Kaesong. South Korean officials accused North Korea of similar jamming in 2010 and 2011.

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt on Wednesday lifted a travel ban on seven Americans being tried on charges that the pro-democracy groups they worked for fomented unrest with illegal foreign funding. The shift signals an end to the worst crisis in relations between Egypt and the US in 30 years. The dispute had put $1.5 billion in US aid to Egypt at risk, sparking intense behind-the-scenes negotiations between US officials and Egypt's ruling military to find a solution. Egyptian officials said the travel ban was lifted by the country's top prosecutor at the recommendation of the case's...

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt said today the criminal trial of 16 Americans and 27 others will start Feb. 26 in a politically charged case against foreign-funded pro-democracy groups that has badly shaken Cairo's ties with Washington. The trial represents an escalation in what has become the deepest crisis in U.S.-Egypt relations in decades. American officials have threatened to cut $1.5 billion in aid over the spat, and high-level officials have flown in to seek a solution. Egyptian authorities have responded by blasting what they call U.S. meddling in legal affairs.

► Today is Monday, Feb. 6, the 37th day of 2012. There are 329 days left in the year. ► Today's birthdays: Actress Zsa Zsa Gabor is 95. Actor Patrick Macnee is 90. Actor Rip Torn is 81. Actress Mamie Van Doren is 81. Actor Mike Farrell is 73. Journalist Tom Brokaw is 72. Singer Fabian is 69. Actress Gayle Hunnicutt is 69. Actor Michael Tucker is 68. Producer-director-writer Jim Sheridan is 63. Singer Natalie Cole is 62. Actor Jon Walmsley is...

South Korea says it has decided to appoint a North Korean defector as head of a government research institute. It would be the highest South Korean government job that a North Korean refugee has ever taken. The Unification Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that economist Cho Myung-chul will be formally appointed as chief of the ministry-affiliated Education Center for Unification later this week. Media reports say Cho taught at Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung University and defected in 1994.

A South Korean official says jamming signals from North Korea have affected 250 civilian flights in and out of South Korea. Seoul's Transport Ministry said Tuesday the signals have interfered with GPS on flights since Saturday. The planes have relied on alternate navigation systems to prevent trouble. Lee Kyung-woo of Seoul's Korea Communications Commission says the signals appear to have come from the North Korean border town of Kaesong. South Korean officials accused North Korea of similar jamming in 2010 and 2011.

CAIRO (AP) — Ignoring a stern US threat, Egypt on Sunday referred 43 NGO workers, including 19 Americans, to trial before a criminal court for allegedly using illegal foreign funds to foment unrest. The decision marked a sharp escalation of the dispute between Cairo and Washington over Egypt's crackdown on US-funded groups promoting democracy and human rights. The two countries have been close allies for more than three decades, but the campaign against the organizations has angered Washington, and jeopardized the $1.5 billion in aid Egypt is set to receive from the US this year.

CAIRO - Three American citizens barred from leaving Egypt have sought refuge at the US embassy in Cairo amid growing tensions between the two allies over an Egyptian investigation into foreign-funded prodemocracy groups. The White House said yesterday it was disappointed with Egypt's handing of the issue, which US officials have warned could stand in the way of more than $1 billion in badly needed US aid. The growing dispute between the two longtime allies reflects the uncertainty as they redefine their relationship nearly one year after the ouster of...