Pak's ex-CJ Nasirul takes oath as the caretaker PM

Former chief justice Nasirul Mulk on Friday took oath as Pakistan's seventh caretaker prime minister until general elections on July 25 to oversee the secondever democratic transition of power in the country ruled by the powerful army for much of its life since it gained independence 70 years ago.

President Mamnoon Hussain administered the oath to 67-year-old Mulk, who was unanimously nominated for the post by both the government and opposition, with former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi describing the retired judge as a someone whose appointment "no one would object to", Dawn News reported. North and South Korea on Friday agreed to hold military and Red Cross talks later this month on reducing tensions and resuming reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War.

The rivals also agreed at a meeting of senior officials at the border village of Panmunjom to establish a liaison office at the North Korean border town of Kaesong and hold sports talks on fielding combined teams for some sports at the Asian Games in August, as they continue to take steps toward reconciliation.

South Korea says building trust with North Korea is crucial amid a US-led diplomatic push to persuade the North to give up its nuclear weapons, reports AP.

The high-level meeting between the Koreas followed talks in New York between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and senior North Korean envoy Kim Yong Chol on a possible summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. American delegations are also meeting with North Koreans at Panmunjom and in Singapore as part of efforts to plan the summit, which may take place June 12 in Singapore. South Korea's Unification Ministry said the Koreas agreed to set up the liaison office at a factory park in Kaesong that had been jointly operated by the countries until the South shut it down in February 2016 after a North Korean nuclear test. The Koreas agreed to hold the military talks at Panmunjom on June 16 and the Red Cross talks on June 22 at the North's Diamond Mountain resort.

The talks between sports officials were set for June 18 at Panmunjom, the ministry said.