QUOTE OF THE DAY “I’m with you when you say,‘All these nice words will not mean anything … if there is not more transparency and accountability on the local level.’” Monsignor Charles Scicluna, the Vatican’s former sex-crimes prosecutor, at a United Nations committee meeting on sex abuse Article, this page Netanyahu urged to seize peace chance

AMMAN, Jordan - Jordan’s king called on visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday to seize the moment and opportunity made possible under a U.S. diplomatic push to achieve a lasting and comprehensive settlement with the Palestinians, the Royal Palace said.

The appeal came during a surprise visit by Netanyahu, who held talks with Abdullah II on the latest in the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. The palace said the two talked in private about the “developments in the peace process” and Israeli-Palestinian negotiations sponsored by the United States.

The visit was not previously announced. Netanyahu made at least three similar visits to Jordan last year.

Jordan maintains cordial relations with Israel under a peace treaty signed in 1994 - one of only two signed agreements the Jewish state has with an Arab nation.

North proposes Koreas mend fences

SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea proposed Thursday that the rival Koreas halt hostile military actions and mutual vilification to build better relations. But it said it would maintain its nuclear-weapons program, while urging South Korea to cancel military drills with the United States.

Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said South Korea would go ahead with the drills, which he insisted were defensive in nature.

Kim called for better relations in his New Year’s Day message, but South Korean officials said North Korea must first take steps toward nuclear disarmament.

The North proposed Thursday that the rivals halt military provocations and slander starting Jan. 30, a day before Lunar New Year’s Day, which is celebrated by both sides. In particular, it said, all provocations should be halted near the countries’ disputed western sea boundary, the scene of several bloody clashes in recent years.

It urged the South not to allow the United States to move nuclear-capable weapons into South Korean territory and nearby areas, while indicating that the North has no intention of giving up its own nuclear arms.

South Korea’s Defense Ministry said today that it would “unsparingly” punish North Korea if it uses the South Korea-U.S. drills as a justification for any provocation. Kim said South Korea will continue to bolster its defenses around front-line islands near the sea boundary.

Constitution passes, Egypt’s media say

CAIRO - Egyptian voters have overwhelmingly approved a new, military-backed constitution in two days of polling, according to unofficial results released Thursday by individual election committees across the country.

The government elections commission has not yet announced official results from the voting that ended Wednesday. But state news media reported Thursday that 98 percent of voters in 25 of Egypt’s 27 provinces cast “yes” ballots in the referendum, which was billed as a mandate for the interim government that replaced the ousted administration of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.

The reported turnout of roughly 35 percent to 38 percent of eligible voters this week did not significantly surpass the percentage of Egyptians who voted in a 2012 referendum on a constitution drafted by Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood and its Islamist allies, but that constitution passed with just 63 percent approval.

Election monitors reported serious violations and irregularities in the voting, including intimidation of the constitution’s opponents, but they have not officially accused authorities of fraud or ballot-stuffing.

On trail of 5 in gang rape, Indians say

NEW DELHI - Indian police said Thursday that they were closing in on five homeless men in the gang rape of a 51-year-old Danish tourist in New Delhi.

Three other suspects were earlier picked up and accused of taking part in Tuesday’s attack, which lasted nearly three hours and happened near Connaught Place, a popular shopping area in the heart of New Delhi, police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said.

Police said the Danish tourist was raped at knife-point Tuesday after she approached a group of men for directions back to her hotel. Instead of helping her, the men lured her to a secluded spot and raped her repeatedly, according to police.

One of the suspects in custody was found with the victim’s glasses case and $16, a police statement said.

Front Section, Pages 8 on 01/17/2014