CAIRO (AFP) ― Egypt’s ruling military has promised a return to the barracks once a new president is elected, but the army’s formidable political and economic weight means that such a withdrawal could be an illusion, analysts say.The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), in charge of the country since a popular uprising ousted longtime president Hosni Mubarak, has repeatedly pledged to hand over the keys of the country by the end of June after landmark presidential polls.The power transfer

TAIPEI (AP) -- Taiwan‘s president began his second term Sunday and signaled he will maintain a China policy that has reduced tensions between the sides, offering Beijing little early hope of realizing its long-term goal of unification.Speaking at a low-key inaugural ceremony in Taipei’s ornate presidential office building, Ma Ying-jeou hewed to the same formula for relations across the 160-kilometer-wide Taiwan Strait he championed during his first term."Our cross-strait policy must maintain the

CAMP DAVID, Maryland (AP) ― President Barack Obama and leaders of other major industrial powers grappled Friday with options to solidify world resolve against development of an Iranian nuclear bomb and encourage a more forceful response to worsening violence in Syria.Obama will have the ear of key players on both issues during back-to-back G8 and NATO summits that will be dominated with discussions of European economic woes and Afghanistan. Talks about Syria and Iran will be aimed directly and i

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― President Barack Obama Thursday eased investment curbs on Myanmar and named the first U.S. ambassador to the country in more than 20 years, hoping to reward a “nascent” political reform drive.But Obama, seeking maximum leverage on Myanmar’s nominally civilian government and to preserve his options in case of “backsliding,” maintained wider U.S. sanctions on Myanmar and figures linked to the former junta.“As an iron fist has unclenched in Burma, we have extended our hand, and a

The IMF said Thursday that it would hold off on contacts with Greece until new elections, despite the formation of an interim government in Athens.“We take note that elections have been called, and we look forward to being in contact with the new government once it has been formed,” spokesman David Hawley told reporters.The next IMF mission to inspect progress on reforms “would follow the elections” on June 17, Hawley said, adding that he did not have a specific date.The International Monetary F

A trawler in Scotland’s Shetland Islands has netted what experts say may be the largest oyster ever caught in Britain, an 8-inch, 2.2-pound specimen.The trawler Fidelitas was 27 miles off the island of Bressay when it brought up the shell, the BBC reported.Fidelitas skipper Mark Anderson brought the oyster to the University of the Highlands and Islands Marine Center, which documented its dimension

Seattle police are scratching their heads about this one.A car prowler shattered a window of a parked Jeep, stole nothing and left behind a little something for the car's owner — a dozen tortillas scattered across the floor. The crime happened last week near the University of Washington.Bemused by the break-in, police were moved to pun, saying, "The Seattle Police Department would like to take thi