U.N. draft text on digital rights ducks call for spyware moratorium
U.N. member states are set to sidestep a call for a moratorium on commercial spyware, deciding instead to commission a study of how digital technology affects human rights, according to a draft U.N. human rights resolution seen by Reuters.
No Brexit deal possible with Irish backstop still in place, says UK PM candidate Hunt
Britain’s foreign minister Jeremy Hunt, one of the two contenders to be the next prime minister, said it would be impossible to have a European Union withdrawal deal that included the current Irish backstop provision.
Villagers accuse city of seizing water as drought parches ‘India’s Detroit’
In the small village of Bangarampettai, 20 miles from India’s manufacturing capital Chennai, about 150 people last month “captured” a water tanker, breaking its windscreen and deflating its tires before handing it over to a nearby police station.
Hungarian parliament passes bill tightening state grip over scientists
Hungarian lawmakers passed legislation on Tuesday to tighten state control of research bodies run by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA), overriding protests against the latest step to expand the government’s role in public life.
France urges Iran to reverse nuclear move, China hits at U.S. pressure
France on Tuesday urged Iran to rapidly reverse its first major breach of a nuclear pact, a move denounced by President Donald Trump as “playing with fire”, as world powers try to pull Washington and Tehran back from confrontation.
Lebanon’s Hariri postpones cabinet meeting after shootout
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri will delay Monday’s cabinet meeting for 48 hours to allow tensions to calm down after a shootout in the Chouf Mountains on Sunday in which two aides of a government minister were killed.
Divided EU leaders push to break stalemate on top jobs
Divided and tired, European Union leaders went into a third day of arm-wrestling on Tuesday over who would next hold the bloc’s key posts, calling for unity but sounding as split as ever on the key Commission presidency.
Merkel ally von der Leyen being considered for EU Commission head: Welt
Germany’s Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen is being touted by Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, as a potential successor to Jean-Claude Juncker as head of the European Commission, Die Welt reported on Tuesday.
Nigeria fuel truck fire kills at least 50: governor’s spokesman
At least 50 people were killed in Nigeria when fuel from a crashed truck that they were siphoning up caught fire, a spokesman for the governor in central Benue state said on Tuesday.
India curbs on highway for Hindu pilgrimage anger Kashmir residents
Curbs on civilian traffic along a highway linking disputed Kashmir to the rest of India, imposed for a Hindu pilgrimage, have angered residents of the Muslim-majority region.
