Iran expands ‘smart’ Internet censorship
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran is to expand what it calls “smart filtering” of the Internet, a policy of censoring undesirable content on websites without banning them completely, as it used to, the government said on Friday.
Russia’s new military doctrine names NATO as key risk
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a new military doctrine, naming NATO expansion among key external risks, the Kremlin said on Friday, days after Ukraine made fresh steps to join the Atlantic military alliance.
Asia remembers devastating 2004 tsunami with tears and prayers
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (Reuters) – Survivors of Asia’s 2004 tsunami and relatives of its 226,000 victims cried and prayed as they gathered along Indian Ocean shorelines on Friday for memorials to mark the 10th anniversary of a disaster that still leaves…
Hundreds of civilians killed in Libya fighting as crisis deepens: U.N.
GENEVA (Reuters) – (This version of the Dec. 23 story removes reference in paragraph five to ambulance after official U.N. correction)
Fire at storage tank at Libya’s Es Sider port has spread to more oil tanks: officials
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – A fire at an oil storage tank at Libya’s Es Sider port has spread to two more tanks after a rocket hit the country’s biggest terminal during clashes between forces allied to competing governments, officials said on Friday.
Lawyer confident of testimony to clear Myanmar duo of Britons’ murders
BANGKOK (Reuters) – A lawyer for two Myanmar nationals indicted over the murder of two British tourists on a Thai holiday island said on Friday he was confident of persuading scared witnesses to testify and exonerate the accused.
China raises Nepal aid five-fold in regional diplomacy push
KATHMANDU (Reuters) – China will increase official aid to Nepal by more than five times from fiscal 2015-16, officials said on Friday, to develop infrastructure in the landlocked nation where regional rival India has long wielded political influence.
Turkish boy arrested for insulting Erdogan is freed pending trial: media
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – A Turkish high school student arrested on charges of insulting President Tayyip Erdogan was released on Friday pending trial but could still face up to four years in prison if convicted, local media reported.
Myanmar’s Suu Kyi says wants West to spur reform not reimpose sanctions
LONDON (Reuters) – Myanmar’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Friday called on the West to encourage her country’s government to enter meaningful reform talks but told it not to reintroduce punitive sanctions even though democratic reforms were fo…
Chinese leadership offers support for Hong Kong leader
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s central government fully approves of the leadership of Hong Kong’s chief executive Leung Chun-ying and the work of the territory’s government which has shown itself “unafraid of challenges”, Premier Li Keqiang said on Friday…
