South Korea

North Korean delegation in South for talks

A high-level North Korean delegation arrived in Seoul for talks Tuesday amid renewed optimism over reconciliation between the two Koreas, but the visit got off to a rocky start when protesters displayed banners condemning the North’s leader.

This week’s North-South meetings are aimed at improving ties and elaborating on agreements made during a surprise meeting in Pyongyang last Friday between North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and the South’s top envoy to the North.

Although the South is expected to raise the international standoff over Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program, the communist North is likely to focus on aid for its impoverished economy and maintain its insistence that the nuclear issue can only be resolved with the United States.

Formal talks were scheduled today through Friday.

Chile

Pinochet hospitalized after fainting

Former dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet suffered a mild stroke Tuesday, fainting at his home before he regained consciousness at a military hospital.

Pinochet’s condition was stable and he will “remain hospitalized for observation,” the Santiago Military hospital said.

Pinochet, 89, has suffered similar episodes in recent years, including several strokes.

His son Marco Antonio said Pinochet remained unconscious for about 30 minutes.

Pinochet also suffers from a mild case of dementia, diabetes, arthritis and has a pacemaker, according to his doctors, and courts have cited his health twice to block his trial on charges related to human rights abuses during his 1973-90 dictatorship.

A court hearing is scheduled for today on whether Pinochet will be stripped of the immunity from prosecution he enjoys as former president to allow his trial in a rights case.

Moscow

Vatican envoy to talk with Orthodox Church

A top Vatican envoy was in Moscow Tuesday for sensitive talks to pursue Pope Benedict XVI’s drive for better relations with the Russian Orthodox Church.

Benedict’s predecessor, Pope John Paul II, never fulfilled his dream of visiting Russia after the 1991 collapse of Communism because of disputes between the two churches.

Cardinal Walter Kasper, who heads the Vatican’s office for relations with other Christians, arrived late Monday to spend three days in Moscow. He is set to meet with Metropolitan Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church’s foreign relations department.

Kasper will continue the dialogue with Orthodox leaders, the Vatican said in a brief statement.

Taiwan

Warships dispatched to defend fishermen

Taiwan sent two warships Tuesday to protect fishermen who have repeatedly been chased by Japanese patrol boats away from rich fishing grounds near disputed islands in the East China Sea, a decision likely to raise diplomatic tensions.

The frigates – carrying Taiwan’s defense minister and 15 lawmakers – made no contact with the Japanese vessels during their hour-long patrol near the uninhabited islands north of Taiwan, which are known in Japan as Sakashima and in Taiwan as Hsientao.

Both Tokyo and Taipei claim the islands fall within their exclusive economic zones. Japan often fines ship owners and impounds Taiwanese fishing vessels that enter the waters, but Taiwan’s government has long avoided sending warships to protect its fishermen, fearing conflict with its neighbor and major trading partner.

The decision to send the warships came after Taiwanese fishermen complained that the government was not doing enough to protect them.