W O R L D

Rival Koreas hold talks after 2 years

Seoul, June 9 North and South Korea held their first official talks after over two years today, seeking to set up a high-level meeting in Seoul after months of tensions and threats of nuclear war.

North Korean chief delegate Kim Song-Hye (L) shakes hands with her South Korean counterpart Chun Hae-Sung in Panmunjom on Sunday. — AFP

Mandela serious but stable: Docs
Johannesburg, June 9
Former South African President Nelson Mandela has spent a second day in hospital in a "serious but stable" condition with a renewed lung infection that has triggered worldwide concern for the anti-apartheid icon. Doctors say there has been little change in the condition of the 94-year-old leader, and he continues to be in a serious but stable state.

Rival Koreas hold talks after 2 years
Ministerial-level meeting likely to take place in Seoul on June 12

Seoul, June 9
North and South Korea held their first official talks after over two years today, seeking to set up a high-level meeting in Seoul after months of tensions and threats of nuclear war. The working-level discussions -- weighed down by decades of mutual distrust -- were held in the border truce village of Panmunjom where the armistice ending the 1950-53 Korean War was signed.

"The overall atmosphere was calm and the discussion proceeded with no major debate," South's Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Hyung-Seok said after the morning session between the two, three-person delegations.

In the afternoon, the two heads of delegation held further rounds of discussions.

The talks were aimed at agreeing a framework for what would be the rivals' first ministerial-level meeting since 2007 -- tentatively scheduled to be held in Seoul on Wednesday.

The agenda there will focus on restoring suspended commercial links, including the Kaesong joint industrial complex that the North effectively shut down in April as tensions between the historic rivals peaked.

"Today's talks were purely preparatory, so there was little room for dispute," said Yang Moo-Jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.

"We'll get a better sense of where things really stand on Wednesday," Yang said.

Today's talks came about after an unexpected reversal on Thursday from North Korea, which suddenly dropped its default tone of high-decibel belligerence and proposed opening a dialogue.

South Korea responded swiftly with its offer of a ministerial meeting in Seoul, the North countered with a request for lower-level talks first and — after some relatively benign to-and-fro about the best venue — today's meet in Panmunjom was agreed.

In a further signal of intent, North Korea on Friday restored its official hotline with the South, which it had severed in March.

The move towards dialogue has been broadly welcomed -- given the threats of nuclear war that were being flung around in April and May -- but there is sizeable scepticism about Pyongyang's intentions. — PTI

Mandela serious but stable: Docs

Nelson Mandela's granddaughter Ndileka Mandela (L) and daughter Makaziwe Mandela leave the Mediclinic Herat Hospital in Pretoria on Sunday. — AFP

Johannesburg, June 9
Former South African President Nelson Mandela has spent a second day in hospital in a "serious but stable" condition with a renewed lung infection that has triggered worldwide concern for the anti-apartheid icon. Doctors say there has been little change in the condition of the 94-year-old leader, and he continues to be in a serious but stable state.

Mandela was yesterday rushed to a Pretoria hospital, after his health took a turn for the worse at his Johannesburg home, where he was recovering from a lung infection after being released from hospital on April 6. This is Mandela's third hospital visit in seven months.

Meanwhile, local media reported that the doctors treating him have advised Presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj not to tell the public that he is getting better for now.

"I questioned the doctors. I said how is he? They said: Look, yes, he is able to breathe on his own. Be concerned, but don't be hysterical about it. Also don't tell the public that he is getting better," the Sunday Times quoted Maharaj as saying.

International concern around the latest hospital stay of the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, who will turn 95 next month, is being tempered by a statement from his long-time friend and associate Andrew Mlangeni, saying "God must have his own way".

"We wish Madiba (Mandela's clan name by which he is affectionately known) well, but I think what is important is that his family must release him so that God may have his own way. (The family) must release him spiritually and put their faith in the hands of God. Once the family releases him, the people of South Africa will follow. We will say thank you God, you have given us this man, and we will release him too," Mlangeni told the Sunday Times.

Mandela's wife Graca Machel cancelled a trip to London to address the World Hunger Summit, to be at her husband's bedside.

Mandela's family said they had no comment to make yet. "We will let you know when we are ready to speak," said family spokesman Mandla Mandela.

British Prime Minster David Cameron and US President Barack Obama were among the many who sent messages of goodwill from across the globe. — PTI

35 militants, one soldier killed in Pak clashes

Islamabad, June 9
Thirty-five militants and a soldier have died in fighting in the restive Khyber tribal region of north-west Pakistan during an operation to flush out rebels, the military said today. Five soldiers and 15 militants were also injured in clashes over the past two days, the Inter-Services Public Relations said in a brief statement.

Security forces had made "significant gains" over the past three days and cleared key areas of the Maidan region of Khyber Agency.

Troops have also taken "full control" of the strategic Derastani Ridge that overlooks Maidan and Kuki Khel Valley, the statement said.

The operation in the Maidan region was launched after troops cleared Muhammadi Top in Kurram Agency and Haider Kandao in Tirah Valley of Khyber Aegncy.

Security forces also flushed militants out of the heights of Darwazgai Kandao.

The military offensive in Khyber Agency was launched some weeks ago after many Pakistani Taliban fighters entered the tribal district and occupied key areas.

The latest reports of casualties could not be independently verified as journalists are barred from the tribal belt. — PTI

China wants to revive silk route with India

Beijing, June 9
China is looking forward to revive the ancient "Southern Silk Road" with South Asia through the economic corridor linking Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar (BCIM), a topic that figured prominently during Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's recent India visit.

As it opened its first South Asia Expo currently being held in Kunming, provincial capital of Yunnan, China wants it to be the "bridge head" with India and South Asia, Chinese officials said.

China is ready for the revival of the "Southern Silk Road" and plans are under discussion, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Yang Ye, a researcher with the Development Research Centre of Yunnan provincial government, as saying. Chinese scholars say the ancient silk route, originating from China's Chengdu city wandered through Myanmar and then extended to India, Bangladesh and even the Middle East.

Besides the 16 existing international transport lines linking Yunnan and some Great Mekong sub-regional countries, seven trunk roads originating from Yunnan extending to neighbouring nations and provinces have been promoted as high-grade highways, the report said. — PTI

Continued cyber theft will damage relations, Obama tells Xi

US denies ‘unilateral’ data collection from internet companies

The Obama administration has denied allegations of 'unilaterally' collecting information from internet companies, as being reported in the media, which has resulted in outrage in the country. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper declassified a portion of information related to the secretive 'PRISM' in this regard, and strongly denied that it 'unilaterally' obtains information from the servers of US Internet companies.

BRIEFLY

Culture Capital: Thousands of animals are led through Marseille in France on Sunday during the events celebrating the city’s designation as the European Capital of Culture. — AFP

Germany steps up evacuations along flood-hit river
Magdeburg: German authorities urged 15,000 people to evacuate part of a city on the swollen Elbe river on Sunday as central Europe faced its worst floods in a decade that have caused havoc in the Czech Republic and Austria and are threatening Hungary. A torrent of flood waters in Germany has turned vast areas into a brown water world, sparked a mass mobilisation of troops, firefighters and volunteers and caused billions of euros in property damage in what one lawmaker termed a "national catastrophe". In the city of Magdeburg, the authorities urged residents to clear out of the eastern bank of the river, where an almost 7.5 metre peak was expected to strain saturated dykes for the next few days. — AFP

Pakistani lawmaker flees from court
Karachi: A newly elected Pakistani lawmaker from PPP fled from an anti-terrorism court in Sindh province's Khairpur district after his interim bail in a murder case was cancelled, according to media reports on Sunday. Nawab Wassan Khan, PPP member of the National Assembly, was booked for the alleged killing of a man and injuring 16 others on May 11. After the case was lodged against him, Khan secured an interim bail from the Sindh High Court and reached the Anti-terrorism Court for confirmation of his bail on Saturday. — PTI

Patience has limit: Turkish PM
Ankara: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Sunday that the patience of his Islamic-rooted government "has a limit" as he went on the offensive against mass protests to his decade-long rule. "We remained patient, we are still patient but there's a limit to our patience," Erdogan told thousands of cheering supporters of his Justice and Development Party as he landed at Ankara's airport. — PTI

Scottish author Iain Banks dies
London: Scottish author Iain Banks has died age 59, two months after he revealed he had late-stage cancer and was unlikely to survive beyond a year, a media report said on Sunday citing his family. The author of "The Wasp Factory" was one of Britain's most prolific writers and wrote both mainstream novels and science fiction. — AFP

Ex-CIA worker revealed as source of spy agency leaks
LONDON: Britain's Guardian newspaper identified a 29-year-old former CIA technical worker as the source for leaks about US spy agencies that have rattled Washington's security services in the past few days. The Guardian, which published revelations that US security services monitored phone calls and Internet data through largecompanies such as Google and Facebook, said its source, Edward Snowden, had asked it to reveal his identity. — Reuters