W O R L D

Russia mulls asylum for US snooping whistleblower
Moscow, June 11
Russia would consider an asylum request from US contractor Edward Snowden, who leaked information on the US government's monitoring of Internet use and phone records, the spokesman for President Vladimir Putin said today.

Photos of Edward Snowden and US President Barack Obama are printed on the front pages of local newspapers in Hong Kong on Tuesday. — Reuters

Fresh clashes at Taksim Square; PM says won’t yield 
Istanbul, June 11
Turkish riot police fired tear gas and water cannon at hundreds of protesters armed with rocks and fireworks on Tuesday as they tried to take back control of a central Istanbul square at the heart of anti-government demonstrations. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan declared he would not yield to the protesters. In a further sign of the effect the crisis has had on financial markets, the central bank said it would intervene if needed to support the lira.

Musharraf gets bail in judges’ detention case
The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday granted bail to former military ruler Pervez Musharraf in the judges’ detention case. The former army strongman, who is currently confined in his farmhouse in Islamabad that has been declared as sub-jail, was directed to deposit surety bonds worth Rs 5 lakh.

India, Pakistan discuss power trade
Islamabad, June 11
Indian and Pakistani officials today discussed proposals for trade in electricity, including the setting up of a transmission line to supply 500 MW to energy-starved Pakistan.

South, North Korea talks cancelled
Seoul, June 11
Planned high-level talks between South and North Korea after a nearly six-year hiatus were scrapped on Tuesday, a South Korean government official said, after the North objected to the diplomatic rank of the South's chief delegate.

Indian restaurant owner beaten up in Australia
Melbourne, June 11
In an apparent racist attack, an Indian restaurant owner was beaten up and verbally abused by a group of teenagers in Australia's Ballarat near Melbourne. Himanshu Goyal (22) was bashed up and verbally abused while closing his Bridge Mall eatery about 9.30 pm on Friday when eight teenagers shouted racial abuses at him while another in the group punched him on face.

Russia mulls asylum for US snooping whistleblower 

Moscow, June 11
Russia would consider an asylum request from US contractor Edward Snowden, who leaked information on the US government's monitoring of Internet use and phone records, the spokesman for President Vladimir Putin said today.

Kommersant daily cited Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying that Russia would consider such a request from Snowden, if it were made. "We will take action based on what actually happens. If we receive such a request, it will be considered," he told the newspaper.

Snowden's whereabouts were shrouded in mystery as US lawmakers demanded his immediate extradition from Hong Kong over his sensational leaking of an Internet surveillance programme.

Snowden, a 29-year-old technology expert working for a private firm subcontracted to the US National Security Agency, checked out of his Hong Kong hotel after revealing his identity to the British-based Guardian newspaper on Sunday.

His explosive leaks last week of vast surveillance programmes run by the NSA that trawl through telephone and Internet records have triggered widespread consternation, gaining him admirers but also critics who denounce him as a traitor.

Snowden told the Guardian he hopes to win asylum in Iceland, but the head of Iceland's Directorate of Immigration said it had received no formal request and said Snowden would have to be on Icelandic soil to make one. — AFP

firm fires snowden
Edward Snowden, the man behind leaks exposing America's secretive Internet surveillance programmes, was on Tuesday fired by the consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton for violating the company's code of ethics. "Booz Allen can confirm that Edward Snowden was an employee of our firm for less than 3 months, assigned to a team in Hawaii. Snowden was terminated June 10, 2013 for violations of the firm's code of ethics and firm policy," the company said.

Respect right to privacy, EU tells US 
The European Union said on Tuesday it will seek a strong commitment from the United States to respect the rights of European citizens, following revelations that Washington is running a worldwide Internet surveillance programme.

Fresh clashes at Taksim Square; PM says won’t yield 

Protesters push a truck to use it to reinforce a barricade during clashes in Istanbul's Taksim Square on Tuesday. — Reuter

Istanbul, June 11
Turkish riot police moved on Tuesday into the central Istanbul square at the heart of 10 days of anti-government protests, firing tear gas and water cannon at hundreds of protesters armed with rocks and fireworks.

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan declared he would not yield to the protesters. In a further sign of the effect the crisis has had on financial markets, the central bank said it would intervene if needed to support the lira.

"They say the prime minister is rough. So what was going to happen here? Were we going to kneel down in front of these (people)?" Erdogan said after the action began. "If you call this roughness, I'm sorry, but this Tayyip Erdogan won't change."

The police backed by armoured vehicles moved soon after dawn into the Taksim Square, site of the initial protest against government construction plans 10 days ago which sparked the worst unrest in decades.

Bulldozers cleared barricades, but by early evening hundreds of protesters remained on one side and black smoke from bonfires of rubbish and plastic mingled with tear gas. Demonstrators skirmished with the police.

Tear gas drifted into the lobby of an upmarket hotel, overwhelming some guests who were moved to the basement.

What began as a protest at redevelopment plans for the Gezi Park, a leafy corner of the square, has grown into an unprecedented challenge to Erdogan. Victor in three consecutive elections, he says the protests are engineered by vandals, terrorist elements and unnamed foreign forces. — Reuters

Musharraf gets bail in judges’ detention case
Afzal Kahn in Islamabad

The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday granted bail to former military ruler Pervez Musharraf in the judges’ detention case. The former army strongman, who is currently confined in his farmhouse in Islamabad that has been declared as sub-jail, was directed to deposit surety bonds worth Rs 5 lakh.

The case was registered against Musharraf on August 11, 2009 for sacking and detaining over 60 judges of the superior courts after imposing an emergency on November 3, 2007.

Meanwhile, an anti-terrorism court in Quetta on Tuesday rejected Musharraf's bail application in the Akbar Bugti murder case. 

India, Pakistan discuss power trade

Islamabad, June 11
Indian and Pakistani officials today discussed proposals for trade in electricity, including the setting up of a transmission line to supply 500 MW to energy-starved Pakistan.

In an indication of the importance attached to the move by Pakistan’s new PML-N government, Water and Power Minister Khwaja Muhammad Asif chaired a meeting with a visiting five-member Indian delegation led by a Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Power.

Later, discussions were held between expert groups of the two countries.

Earlier, the Indian delegation held discussions with representatives of the National Transmission And Despatch Company Limited in Lahore before travelling to the federal capital.

The Indian delegation consists of experts in trade in electricity.

During today’s talks, the two sides discussed several proposals for the import of 500 MW of power by Pakistan, including the setting up of a “high-voltage direct current link” to transfer electricity, an official statement said.

The line will emanate from a grid station in India and link with a grid station in Pakistan’s Punjab province.

Reports said Pakistan’s new government would seriously consider importing 1,000 MW of electricity from India as part of a short-to-medium-term strategy to end power outages.

The World Bank has already conducted a feasibility study on the issue.

World Bank officials said 1,000 MW could be imported from India within the next two years. — PTI

South, North Korea talks cancelled 

Indian restaurant owner beaten up in Australia

Melbourne, June 11
In an apparent racist attack, an Indian restaurant owner was beaten up and verbally abused by a group of teenagers in Australia's Ballarat near Melbourne. Himanshu Goyal (22) was bashed up and verbally abused while closing his Bridge Mall eatery about 9.30 pm on Friday when eight teenagers shouted racial abuses at him while another in the group punched him on face.

Ballarat Police official Matt Hayes said the incident was being investigated and the police was viewing CCTV footage and hoped to track down the attackers soon. — PTI

BRIEFLY

Suicide blast outside Afghan Supreme Court kills 17
Kabul: A suicide car bomber struck outside the Supreme Court in the Afghan capital on Tuesday, killing at least 17 persons and wounding 39 others in the second consecutive day of militant attacks in the heart of Kabul. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying their fighter had taken down judges who obey Western powers. President Hamid Karzai condemned the bombing, saying it was another "terrorist act that once again shows the Taliban are serving the enemies of Islam". — AP

Mandela remains hospitalised
Johannesburg: Nelson Mandela spent a fourth day in intensive care and continued to be in a "serious but stable" condition, as security was beefed up at the hospital where the 94-year-old anti-apartheid icon and former South African President is battling a recurrent lung infection. "Former President Nelson Mandela remains in hospital, and his condition is unchanged," the presidency said in a statement. — PTI

Imran Khan claims assassination plot
lahore: Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan has claimed that a plot was hatched to assassinate him during an election rally in Punjab before Pakistan's general elections on May 11. "I was informed by the government before the May 11 polls that there was a plot to assassinate me at an election rally on GT Road," Khan said while talking to a group of journalists at his residence at Zaman Park here on Monday. — TNS

The Long March 2-F rocket loaded with Shenzhou-10 manned spacecraft lifts off from the launchpad in the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre, Gansu province in China, on Tuesday. — Reuters

China sends second woman in space
Beijing: China on Tuesday successfully launched its fifth and longest manned space mission with three astronauts, including a woman, on board 'Shenzhou-10' as the Communist giant aims to build an ambitious permanent space station of its own by 2020. The spaceship carrying the three astronauts blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert for a 15-day-long mission. Wang Yaping (33), the second Chinese woman to go into space, was on board while the mission is being commanded by Nie Haisheng. — PTI

Suicide bombers target police station in Damascus; 14 dead
Damascus: At least 14 persons were killed when twin explosions caused by suicide bomb attackers struck near a police station in Damascus on Tuesday, state television said, updating its earlier toll. "The number of casualties after a twin suicide attack in Marjeh square has risen to 14 dead and 31 injured," said the broadcaster. “The two suicide explosions took place near a police station," it added. — AFP

Indian artist awarded in New Zealand
Melbourne: An Indian-origin artist in New Zealand has won the top award from one of the country's leading art galleries for his painting. Prakash Patel, from Wanganui in New Zealand's North Island, scooped the top award in the Sarjeant Gallery Arts Review with his acrylic on canvas work, Astronaut. — PTI