Cairo, July 16
Egypt's new government was today sworn in along with the interim prime minister and his deputies, almost two weeks after the military ousted the first democratically elected president Mohammed Mursi.

The 35 ministers, including three deputy prime ministers, were sworn in by interim President Adly Mansour in the presence of caretaker Prime Minister Hazem al-Beblawi at a brief ceremony that was telecast live tonight.

The cabinet includes mostly technocrats and liberals. Three women were among the ministers sworn in.

The swearing-in came almost two weeks after 61-year-old Mursi, Egypt's first democratically elected president, was toppled by the military on July 3.

Mursi was last seen in public on June 26 and has been detained along with aides of his Muslim Brotherhood party.

His overthrow after massive nationwide protests demanding his resignation plunged the most populous Arab country into a turmoil, with Islamist supporters of Mursi organising rallies demanding his reinstatement.

The Muslim Brotherhood has refused to join the interim government headed by al-Beblawi. Ultra-conservative Islamist party Al-Nur kept itself away from the new cabinet.

Meanwhile, in a major crackdown on Mursi's supporters, Egyptian authorities arrested over 400 persons after violent clashes between the police and the ousted Islamist leader's followers here claimed seven lives. — PTI

The election to elect next President of Pakistan will be held on August 6. The schedule for the presidential election was announced by the Election Commission on Tuesday.

The Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan Fakhrudin G Ibrahim approved the date for presidential elections. "The schedule has been approved by Chief Election Commissioner Fakhrudin G Ibrahim in a special meeting," an Election Commission official.

The last date to submit nomination papers for the election will be July 24. The nomination papers will be scrutinised till July 26 and the final list of candidates will be announced on July 29.

The returning officers for the elections will be selected by the CEC himself.

For the first time, according to Express News, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has implemented Article 41 of the constitution which states that the process of electing the President must begin at least two months before the end of the present incumbent and elections should be conducted a month before that date.

As per schedule, September 8, 2013, will be President Asif Ali Zardari's last day in the office. Zardari's spokesperson Senator Farhatullah Babar has already announced that he will not contest the next presidential election.

Babar also trashed media reports that Zardari has left the country and will never return. Babar said the President has gone to Dubai from where he intends to go to London.

"But he will certainly return to Pakistan and will not resign," Babar added. He acknowledged that the murder of Zardari's Chief Security Officer Bilal last week was a clear message to him.

Media reports said the incident has shown that President's security network had been seriously breached and the killers knew about the unannounced movement of Bilal.

The announcement of the date for the presidential poll came as a surprise to observers as the electoral college is currently incomplete. Byelection for 42 vacant seats in the national and provincial assemblies is scheduled to be held on August 22. Four provincial assemblies and the two houses of parliament form the electoral college for the presidential poll and voting is held in the assemblies.

According to the current strength of political parties in the national and provincial assemblies, the nominee of the ruling PML-N of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will easily win the election.

Meanwhile, a senior leader of Zardari's Pakistan People's Party Khurshid Shah has criticised the decision to hold the election before the President completed his term. "I don't know why they are doing it before the completion of the electoral college. The presidential election can be legally held only after August 22," Shah told reporters.

(with PTI inputs)

Moscow, July 16
Fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden has applied for temporary asylum in Russia, a pro-Kremlin lawyer said today, after President Vladimir Putin accused Washington of "trapping" him in the country.

Snowden, wanted by the United States for revealing sensational details of its vast spying operations, is now spending a fourth week in the transit lounge at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport without crossing the Russian border.

"The application has been filed with the Russian authorities" through the Federal Migration Service (FMS), prominent lawyer Anatoly Kucherena, who has been in contact with Snowden, told AFP. "I have just left him," he said after meeting the fugitive earlier today. Federal Migration Service officials declined to comment immediately.

Kremlin-friendly lawyer Kucherena participated in Snowden's meeting with rights activists and pro-Kremlin lawmakers at Sheremetyevo last week and said Snowden had contacted him for consultations after the get-together.

"He is actively consulting with me," Kucherena said earlier today. "After the meeting we've been in frequent touch." Snowden flew into Russia from Hong Kong on June 23 and has since been marooned in the transit zone of Sheremetyevo.

He was checked in for an Aeroflot flight to Cuba on June 24 but never boarded the plane. Yesterday, President Vladimir Putin said Snowden would leave Russia "as soon as he can," likening him to an unwanted gift. — PTI

Panama City, July 16
Panama says it has seized a North Korean-flagged ship carrying what appeared to be ballistic missiles and other arms that had set sail from Cuba.

Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli told RPC radio yesterday that the ship had been headed for North Korea. There were no immediate details on the quantity of arms aboard.

Martinelli said the undeclared military cargo appeared to include missiles and non-conventional arms. He said the ship was violating United Nations resolutions against arms trafficking.

Earlier, the president said on his Twitter account that the arms were "hidden in containers underneath the cargo of sugar." He offered no details but posted a photo of what appeared to be a green tubular object sitting inside a cargo container or the ship's hold. Martinelli told RPC the 35 North Koreans on the boat resisted police efforts to take the ship to the Caribbean port of Manzanillo. The crew was later taken into custody. — AP