Ukraine tycoon offers to build Russian border fence 
Kiev, June 13
A wealthy pro-Kiev leader in restive eastern Ukraine proposed today erecting a high-voltage fence along the Russian border to keep out separatist fighters and avert further Kremlin “aggression”.

Killers of Indian-origin biz man jailed for 70 years
London, June 13
Six men were jailed today for a total of 70 years by a British court for causing the death of an Indian-origin businessman by pushing him under a lorry during a robbery. Shammi Atwal was killed last October when the men raided his cash and carry warehouse and then pushed him under a lorry as he chased after them.

Baghdad, June 13
Islamist rebel fighters captured two more Iraqi towns overnight in a relentless sweep south towards the capital Baghdad in a campaign to recreate a medieval caliphate carved out of fragmenting Iraq and Syria.

US President Barack Obama threatened military strikes against the radical Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant on Thursday, highlighting the gravity of ISIL's threat to redraw borders in an oil-rich region with the risk of any new entity turning into a launch-pad for attacks on Western interests.

In the spreading chaos, Iraqi Kurdish forces seized control of Kirkuk, an oil hub just outside their autonomous enclave that they have long seen as their traditional capital, as Iraqi government troops abandoned posts in panic over ISIL's advance.

Thrusting further to the southeast after their lightning seizure of the major Iraqi city of Mosul in the far north and the late dictator Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, ISIL entered two towns in Diyala province bordering Iran.

Saadiyah and Jalawla had fallen to the Sunni Muslim insurgents after government troops fled their positions, along with several villages around the Himreen mountains that have long been a hideout for militants, security sources said.

The Iraqi army fired artillery shells at Saadiyah and Jalawla from the nearby town of Muqdadiya, sending dozens of families fleeing towards Khaniqin near the Iranian border.

Obama said on Thursday he was considering "all options" to support Iraq's Shi'ite Muslim-dominated central government that took full control when the US occupation ended in 2011, eight years after the invasion that toppled Saddam.

"I don't rule out anything because we do have a stake in making sure that these jihadists are not getting a permanent foothold in either Iraq or Syria," Obama said at the White House, when asked whether he was contemplating air strikes.

"In our consultations with the Iraqis, there will be some short-term immediate things that need to be done militarily," he said. A US defence official said the United States had been flying surveillance drones over Iraq to help it fight ISIL. US officials later said that US ground forces would not return to Iraq.

But Obama said military action alone was no panacea against ISIL. He alluded to long-standing Western complaints that Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has done little to heal sectarian rifts that have left many of Iraq's minority Sunnis, cut out of power since Saddam's demise, aggrieved and keen for revenge. — Reuters

Kabul, June 13
For the second time in three months, voters will return to polling booths tomorrow in war-torn Afghansitan to elect the successor to President Hamid Karzai as Taliban warned people to keep away from the elections.

The run-off will take place between former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah and ex-World Bank official Ashraf Ghani.

None of the candidates polled more than 50 per cent of votes during the first round in April. Abdullah got 45 per cent of the votes while Ghani received 31.6 per cent, as per the final results, which came amid fraud allegations.

On the eve of elections, tight security arrangements was seen across the capital city with heavily armed security personnel checking all vehicles.

Afghan authorities said all arrangements are in place to ensure that the run-off, which is under threat from Taliban, is held peacefully. Taliban militants have threatened to disrupt the election.

"We hope our security measures will be even better than the last election", the Afghan army's chief of staff General Sher Mohammad Karimi said.

Authorities said nearly 400,000 soldiers and policemen have been deployed for election security.

In a statement, Taliban warned people to "remain far away from the polling stations... lest you should be hurt or killed." Interestingly, Taliban insurgents failed to launch a single high-profile attack during the first-round in April when people turned up in large numbers to cast their vote. — PTI 

General Prayuth Chan-ocha

Bangkok, June 13
Thailand's military government has fully lifted a curfew it imposed nationwide after seizing power last month, saying there is no threat of violence. The measure, effective immediately, was announced today night over all domestic television stations.

Political protests and criticism of the coup, however, remain banned by the junta, which said a return to elected civilian rule cannot be expected for at least 15 months.

In a televised address before the curfew announcement, army commander Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha briskly listed the junta's achievements including the seizure of weapons linked to political unrest and its plans, especially on the economic front.

Prayuth told civil servants earlier today that a temporary constitution would be drafted and an interim government installed in about three months, in his most specific timeline yet on a possible transfer of power after last month's coup. — AP

Kiev, June 13
A wealthy pro-Kiev leader in restive eastern Ukraine proposed today erecting a high-voltage fence along the Russian border to keep out separatist fighters and avert further Kremlin “aggression”.

Dnipropetrovsk Governor Igor Kolomoyskiy, a tycoon worth an estimated $2.4 billion and a renowned critic of Russia President Vladimir Putin, submitted the plan to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko for formal approval, his deputy said.

The proposed 1,900-km electrified metal fence could be built in six months and its $135-million cost financed by a local charity, Gennadiy Korban told local news agencies.

“This project’s objective is to prevent people from breaking in from a country that is waging aggression against Ukraine,” Korban said.

Korban said the electrified fence would be topped by barbed wire and surrounded by deep trenches that are further fortified by remote control and anti-personnel mines.

The entire region would be protected by motorised divisions of the Ukrainian interior ministry and the part-volunteer National Guard force. There was no immediate comment to the proposal from the President’s office.

Kolomoyskiy, a 51-year-old Dnipropetrovsk native, was appointed Governor on March 2 as part of the new pro-Western leaders’ efforts ensure control over the heavily-Russified east.

He has since succeeded in preventing the separatist violence that has enveloped the neighbouring Donetsk and Lugansk regions since early April from spreading to his region of Dnipropetrovsk.

Kolomoyskiy is vilified by the Russian state media for his overt support for Ukrainian nationalist causes and heavy criticism of the Kremlin.

His business empire includes Ukraine’s largest bank Privat and three small regional airlines along with some oil companies.

Kolomoyskiy also controls several national television stations and oversees the local Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk football club. — AFP