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China's national security law imposed on Hong Kong nearly two years ago has completely changed the territory's political landscape. Free speech has been curtailed, civil society groups have closed down and only Beijing-approved candidates can stand in elections. read more...
Human rights groups have criticised an Egyptian court for jailing two popular singers over a video they made with a Brazilian belly dancer. In the clip, they are seen lip-synching and smiling as the dancer, in a long dress and jacket, performs her moves. read more...
Russia warns West: Don't test our patience
LONDON (Reuters) - Russia on Thursday warned the West that there would be a tough military response to any further attack on Russian territory, accusing the United States and its key allies of undermining European security by openly inciting Ukraine to assault Russia. read more...
MOSCOW (AP) — Turkey had warned Russia in advance before moving to bar Russian planes from flying to Syria over its territory, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday. read more...
BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that Finland and Sweden would be embraced with open arms should they decide to join the 30-nation military organization and could become members quite quickly. read more...
BEIRUT (AP) — Suspected Islamic State group gunmen have attacked a Ramadan gathering hosted by a former official of a U.S.-backed group in eastern Syria, killing seven and wounding four, opposition activists said Thursday. read more...
Cutting off gas is a provocation, says EU chief
Russia's decision to halt gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria is an aggressive move that the EU considers to be a form of blackmail, EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has said. read more...
WASHINGTON (AP) — Russia and the United States have carried out an unexpected prisoner exchange in a time of high tensions, trading a Marine veteran jailed by Moscow for a convicted Russian drug trafficker serving a long prison sentence in America. read more...
Hong Kong’s free press is in “dire” straits and has been almost completely dismantled by crackdowns from China through the use of “lawfare” to curb journalistic freedom, according to a new report. The report, titled “In the Firing Line: The Crackdown on Media Freedom in Hong Kong” was published on Tuesday by the UK-based advocacy read more...
The historic £400m debt the UK paid to Iran at the time of the release of British-Iranian dual nationals Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori has still not reached Tehran, according to Iranian government sources. read more...