HK democracy activists walk free in appeal victory
AFP, Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s leading democracy activists won an appeal against their jail terms at the city’s highest court Tuesday in a case seen as a test for the independence of the city’s judiciary, which some fear is under pressure from Beijing.
Joshua Wong, Nathan Law and Alex Chow were jailed in August last year for their role in the 2014 Umbrella Movement mass pro-democracy protests, after Hong Kong’s government pushed for harsher sentences.
Putin spoke to Iranian President
Reuters, Moscow
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by telephone with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani, the Kremlin said in a statement on Tuesday.
The statement said the two leaders talked about the search for a political settlement in Syria, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the conflict in Yemen. They also spoke of their determination to implement the international deal on Iran’s nuclear program, the Kremlin said.
India-UAE to lnk 12 pacts during Modi’s visit
AFP, New Delhi
As many as 12 agreements will be signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the UAE later this week as India and the oil-rich Gulf nation look to intensify economic cooperation, a top diplomat said today. The agreements will include areas like finance and skills development.
PM Modi will start his visit to three West Asian countries – Palestine, the UAE and Oman – on Friday with focus on cooperation in key areas of defence, security and counter- terrorism.
Heavy snow disrupts flights in Spain
AFP, Madrid
Some 70 flights were cancelled in Madrid and tens of thousands of schoolchildren around Spain had to skip class Monday as snow fell heavily over much of the country.
The airport in the Spanish capital was forced to close two of its four runways, leading to the cancellation of 70 flights, a spokeswoman for airport management company Aena told AFP.
