The world in brief

QUOTE OF THE DAY “Technically, there is no connection between asylum and the fact he committed a crime to

come here. But I think his chances are not very high.” Olivier Jornot, a Geneva prosecutor, on the Ethiopian co-pilot who is to be charged with taking hostages after hijacking the plane he was helping fly to seek asylum in Switzerland Article, this page Gay-rights activist detained in Sochi

SOCHI, Russia - An Italian activist shouting, “It’s OK to be gay.” and dressed in a rainbow-colored outfit and large headdress was detained Monday as she entered an arena to watch an Olympic hockey game.

Vladimir Luxuria, a former Communist lawmaker in the Italian Parliament who has become a prominent transgender-rights crusader and television personality, was stopped by four men and then driven away by police in a car with Olympic markings.

Luxuria later said she was kept in the car for about 10 minutes, then released in the countryside after the men had taken away her Olympic spectator pass. She eventually made it back to her hotel and said she was leaving Russia this morning.

Earlier Monday, Luxuria walked around the Olympic Park in Sochi for about two hours. She was shouting “Gay is OK” and “It’s OK to be gay” in both English and Russian.

Indonesia official criticizes spy programs

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Indonesia’s foreign minister said Monday that it was a “bit mind-boggling” that the Australian intelligence agency had purportedly spied on his nation’s trade deliberations with U.S. officials.

“We should be looking out for each other, not turning against one another,” said Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa. “We should be listening to one another and not to listen in.”

The New York Times reported Sunday that a U.S. law firm was monitored by the Australian Signals Directorate while representing the Indonesian government on various trade issues. A top-secret document, obtained by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, reported the Australian agency had notified the NSA that it was conducting surveillance of the talks.

In a joint news conference with Secretary of State John Kerry, Natalegawa refrained from directly criticizing the United States, saying he had been assured that President Barack Obama’s administration was undertaking a review of its spying practices.

Renzi told to form new Italian coalition

ROME - Pledging to commit all his “enthusiasm, courage and energy” to the task, Matteo Renzi, the leader of the Democratic Party, said Monday that he will try to form a new government to stabilize Italy’s politics and economy.

President Giorgio Napolitano gave a mandate to Renzi, the 39-year-old mayor of Florence, to replace Enrico Letta, whom Renzi forced out last week as prime minister in an intraparty coup.

Renzi immediately laid out an ambitious agenda, pledging to draft an overhaul of Italy’s electoral law by the end of February and to pass measures to combat Italy’s 12.7 percent unemployment rate by March. He said that by April he would submit proposed changes to Italy’s rigid public administration laws and its corporate regulations, which are widely blamed for restraining the country’s economic progress. He promised proposals to revise Italy’s tax system by May. He said that bringing down unemployment, which he called Italy’s “biggest emergency,” would be his main priority.

S. Korean roof falls; 10 dead, 105 hurt

SEOUL, South Korea - A resort auditorium’s roof loaded down with snow and rain collapsed during a welcoming ceremony for South Korean university freshmen, killing 10 and injuring more than 100, officials said today.

Emergency staff members worked through the night to pull people from beneath twisted metal and other debris and rush the injured on stretchers to waiting ambulances. Snow, sleet and icy roads hampered rescue operations.

The collapse happened Monday night. About 560 students from Busan University of Foreign Studies had gathered for a two-day freshman orientation at the Manua Ocean Resort in the southeastern city of Gyeongju when a crack appeared in the auditorium ceiling before the collapse.

Recent heavy snow combined with rain likely put too much pressure on the structure, said Kim In-you, a fire rescue squad team leader for the Busan Fire Department.

Ten people died, two people were seriously injured and 103 lightly injured, said Jung Yoon-han, director of the Disaster Management Department at the Ministry of Security and Public Administration.

Front Section, Pages 6 on 02/18/2014

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