Kremlin Internet plans could endanger free speech: watchdog
WARSAW (Reuters) – Russian proposals on protecting Internet users against threats from the West could be a Kremlin ploy to crack down on critical voices inside Russia, a representative of Europe’s main rights and democracy watchdog said.
Make Syrian civilian protection priority, world leaders told
LONDON (Reuters) – The protection of Syrian civilians must be a global priority in any further intervention in the Middle East, a coalition of 40 human rights and aid agencies said on Tuesday.
Hollande, after meeting Rouhani, expresses hope for nuclear deal
PARIS (Reuters) – French President Francois Hollande met his Iranian counterpart on Tuesday and said afterwards that he hoped for a swift agreement on Iran’s nuclear program.
Spain’s PM scraps hardline abortion reform
MADRID (Reuters) – Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Tuesday scrapped proposed changes in the abortion law that would have made Spain one of the most difficult countries in Europe in which to terminate an unwanted pregnancy, prompting the justice ministe…
Israel says its troops kill Hamas men accused of slaying teens
HEBRON West Bank (Reuters) – Israeli troops shot dead two Palestinians in the West Bank city of Hebron on Tuesday and the military said they were members of Hamas responsible for the killing of three Israeli youths in June, an attack that led to the Ga…
Defiant students give Hong Kong leader ultimatum
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong’s striking students on Tuesday gave the city’s leader 48 hours to honor his promise to listen to the people, threatening to surround and paralyze key government buildings if he failed to respond to their demands for grea…
Russian MPs back initial proposal to curb foreign media ownership
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian lawmakers gave initial backing on Tuesday to a draft law limiting foreign ownership of Russian media to 20 percent from the existing ceiling of 50 percent, a move critics say will reinforce the dominance of outlets loyal to t…
Iran says nuclear suspicions are ‘fabricated ambiguities’
VIENNA (Reuters) – Iran dismissed on Tuesday as “fabricated ambiguities” suspicions that it has carried out nuclear arms research, a day after it came under renewed Western pressure to help clear up U.N. watchdog concerns about its atomic energy progra…
Putin warns Ukraine against implementing EU deal -letter
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Moscow will curtail Ukraine’s access to vital Russian markets if Kiev implements any part of a trade agreement with the European Union, President Vladimir Putin warned in a letter, toughening his stance on a deal at the center of E…
Ghani ‘seen moving quickly to sign pact on foreign forces’ in Afghanistan
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Afghanistan’s next president, Ashraf Ghani, is expected to sign legal documents within 24 hours of taking office next week allowing foreign troops to stay in his country beyond 2014, a senior NATO diplomat said on Tuesday.
