Austrian court unfreeze ex-U.S. diplomat’s family assets
VIENNA (Reuters) – An Austrian court has unblocked assets owned by the wife of former U.S. diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad, ruling that Vienna prosecutors overstepped their authority by having her bank accounts frozen, the couple and their lawyers said.
War may make hundreds of thousands of young Syrians stateless
THE HAGUE (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Hundreds of thousands of exiled Syrian children may become stateless because of the fighting in their country, putting them at risk of exploitation and potentially hindering their return home, a senior U.N. offi…
Germany to toughen penalties against child porn
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany is seeking to widen its definition of child pornography and jail people for up to three years for owning or trading photographs of naked children that are considered pornographic, according to a new draft law.
Libyan PM seeks to reassert authority as oil production is hit
BENGHAZI Libya (Reuters) – Libya’s acting prime minister sought to reassert authority over his turbulent country by naming a new cabinet on Wednesday, but some lawmakers threatened to veto his choices and a rival assembly continued to hold sway in the …
Lithuania to vet more investments for national security risks
VILNIUS (Reuters) – Lithuania’s president Dalia Grybauskaite proposed on Wednesday that investments in strategically important sectors of the economy should be vetted by the government to ensure they do not pose a threat to national security.
Brazil’s Silva hits back at rumors, recalls hungry youth
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – In an emotional new television ad, Brazilian presidential candidate Marina Silva hit back at rumors that she would do away with popular social welfare programs if elected, citing her own youth growing up poor and hungry in the Ama…
Exclusive: Iraqi Kurdistan oil heads to Asia, in talks with China
LONDON (Reuters) – At least 3 million barrels of Iraqi Kurdish oil are on ships heading to Asia, with trade sources naming China as a possible destination as the autonomous region expands efforts to establish independent oil sales in defiance of Baghda…
Russian lawmakers propose cutting foreign ownership in media
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian lawmakers proposed cutting foreign ownership in Russian media assets to 20 percent in an attempt to limit outside influences and protect Russia’s “information sovereignty”, a copy of a draft law showed on Wednesday.
Xi sees factory China and back office India as global engine
AHMEDABAD India (Reuters) – The “world’s factory” and the “world’s back office” could together drive global economic growth, Chinese President Xi Jinping said as he began a rare visit to India on Wednesday, playing down mistrust that has long kept the …
France drops case against Iranian dissidents after 11-year probe
PARIS (Reuters) – Prosecuting judges in Paris on Wednesday dropped all charges of money laundering and fraud against nine people close to an exiled Iranian opposition group more than 10 years after they were arrested on terrorism charges.
