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Putin says Snowden at Moscow airport, rejects extradition
Taliban attack Afghan presidential palace, CIA base
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Mandela critical, family prays for ‘smooth transition’
Sino-Indian border talks on June 28
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Putin says Snowden at Moscow airport, rejects extradition Moscow, June 25 In his first intervention over the chase for Snowden that has captivated world attention, Putin described the ex-intelligence contractor as a "free man" whose arrival in Russia was "completely unexpected" for the Russian authorities. The dramatic announcement ended two days of guessing over the whereabouts of the fugitive Snowden who leaked revelations of US massive surveillance programmes to the media and is now wanted by the US authorities. "It is true that Snowden came to Moscow," Putin said at a news conference while on a visit to Finland. "For us, this was completely unexpected." "He arrived as a transit passenger and he does not need a visa or other documents. He can buy a ticket and go wherever he pleases. He did not cross the state border. As a transit , he is still in the transit hall," Putin added. Snowden had been expected to board a flight for Cuba on Monday, reportedly on his way to seek asylum in Ecuador. But he never did and Putin appeared to confirm that the fugitive was still uncertain over his onward travel plans. "Snowden is a free man, the sooner he selects his final destination point, the better for us and for himself," said Putin. The United States had earlier urged Moscow to use all means to expel Snowden, who reportedly arrived at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport on a flight from Hong Kong on Sunday. However, Putin insisted that Russia only extradites foreign nationals to countries with which it has a formal extradition treaty. "We have no such agreement with the United States," he said, calling US allegations that Russia is breaking the law "nonsense and rubbish." Speaking in Jeddah, US Secretary of State John Kerry called for Russia to be "calm" and hand over Snowden, saying Washington was not looking for "confrontation". Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denied earlier in the day that Moscow is in any way "involved" with the travel plans of the 30-year-old former National Security Agency technician. "We consider the attempts to accuse Russia of violation of US laws and even some sort of conspiracy, which on top of all that are accompanied by threats, as absolutely ungrounded and unacceptable," Lavrov said. — AFP WikiLeaks cancels jets for Snowden An Icelandic businessman linked to the WikiLeaks website said three private jets chartered to bring Edward Snowden to Iceland from Hong Kong had been cancelled on Tuesday.
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Taliban attack Afghan presidential palace, CIA base
Kabul, June 25 A nearby building known to house a CIA base also came under attack as explosions and gunfire erupted for more than an hour in an area close to heavily secured Western embassies and ministry buildings. Three Afghan security guards and all four assailants were killed, officials said. It was one of the most brazen assaults on the city since President Hamid Karzai narrowly escaped assassination in April 2008 when the Taliban attacked an annual military parade. The three guards were killed close to the Ariana hotel building, used as a CIA base since 2002, but officials said neither the palace nor the CIA property were breached. Two four-wheel-drive cars using fake badges from NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) tried to pass through a checkpoint to access the sprawling palace grounds at about 0200 GMT. "The first vehicle was checked and let in, and as the second car tried to get in the guards became suspicious and tried to prevent it," said Mohammad Daud Amin, the Kabul deputy police chief. "The clash started and the cars were detonated. All the attackers were killed." The police said the cars had been fitted with radio antennae to make them look like ISAF vehicles and that the four attackers were also wearing military uniforms. The car bombs detonated near the CIA base inside the first of several layers of outer checkpoints, but a government official said the militants had not entered the palace grounds. The challenge of securing peace in Afghanistan as NATO troops exit next year was underlined when a bomb killed eight women and one child travelling to celebrate a wedding in the southern province of Kandahar. Karzai, who lives in the palace, was due to hold a press event in Kabul today morning. Officials confirmed that he was in the building at the time of the attack but not in danger.
— AFP
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Musharraf key accused in Bhutto murder case
The Federal Investigative Agency (FIA) on Tuesday listed former military ruler General (retd) Pervez Musharraf as the main accused in the Benazir Bhutto murder case and submitted a challan against him in Rawalpindi’s Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC).
The FIA presented a four-point chargesheet against Musharraf in the ATC, accusing him of hatching a conspiracy in connection with the assassination of former PM Benazir Bhutto. Benazir was assassinated in a gun-and-bomb attack outside Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh on December 27, 2007. She was killed after addressing an election campaign rally in the city. The chargesheet submitted on Tuesday contained the statements of four witnesses, including two American reporters, as well as Benazir’s own statement. The chargesheet also levelled terrorism accusations against the former president. The challan stated that the statement of the Americans established Musharraf as the prime accused in Benazir’s murder. The court subsequently ordered Musharraf to be present in the next hearing scheduled for July 2.
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Mandela critical, family prays for ‘smooth transition’
Johannesburg, June 25 "All I pray for as a daughter is that the transition is smooth. He is at peace with himself. He has given so much to the world. I believe he is at peace," Makaziwe, the sole surviving child from his first marriage to Evelyn, said. Asked whether the family should let the former statesman go, Makaziwe said they would not because Mandela had not asked them to. "In our culture, the Tembu culture ... you never release the person unless the person has told you: 'Please, my children, my family, release me'. My dad hasn't said that to us," she was quoted a saying by the Timelive.com. Mandela, South Africa's first black president, was admitted to hospital in Pretoria on June 8 for the third time this year, with a recurring lung infection. On Sunday night, doctors treating Mandela told President Jacob Zuma and ANC deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa that his condition had become "critical". Yesterday, Zuma told journalists in Johannesburg that Mandela had been asleep when they had arrived at the Mediclinic Heart Hospital on Sunday
night. — PTI
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Sino-Indian border talks on June 28
Beijing, June 25 National Security Adviser and India's Special Representative (SR) for the Sino-India border talks, Shivshankar Menon, would hold border talks with his new Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi on June 28-29, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced here today. "The Special Representatives’ meeting represents another important high-level contact between the two countries following Li's visit to India (last month). "Therefore, China pays high attention to the meeting," China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing here while announcing Menon's visit. “The two countries will follow through on the requirements of the leaders of the two countries and maintain the momentum of the negotiations, safeguard peace and tranquillity at the border areas, exchange views on bilateral relations as well as major international and regional issues and push for comprehensive and in-depth development of bilateral relations," she said. This is the first round of border talks which are taking place after China's new leadership headed by President Xi Jinping took over power and also this will be Yang's first border meeting as he replaced Dai Bingguo, who was Beijing's pointman for India for a decade. Yang, the former Foreign Minister also holds the post of State Councillor, which makes him the country's top diplomat. Also, this is the first time the two SRs are meeting after the unsavoury incident of Chinese troops erecting tents at the Depsang Valley in Ladakh area in April, which sparked off a major diplomatic crisis between the two countries weeks ahead of Li's visit. In her briefing today, Hua skipped the reference to Depsang problem and instead, focused on the fast-improving relations between the two countries. Though there is no official announcement yet, officials here say Antony would visiting Beijing in the first week of July during which the two countries are expected to discuss the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement (BDCA). The two countries also finalised arrangements to resume military exercises to enhance the defence contacts between the two countries. Also, both sides are working out a mechanism for dialogue between their three forces, the Army, Navy and Air Force in addition to the annual defence dialogue. — PTI ladakh link
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14 killed in Iraq bombings
targeted at protesters, pilgrims Lebanese army seizes Sunni cleric's HQ 37 killed in CAR gold mine collapse Oz PM knitting toy kangaroo for royal baby False bomb threats across Poland 
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Moscow, June 25
