As part of a wider amnesty, the Russian President announced he intends to release his greatest political rival, the jailed oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky. It’s a mark of just how comfortable Putin is in power.
Europe
Two Convicted in Brutal Murder of British Soldier
Drove into victim as he crossed the street and then hacked him to death
Putin To Pardon Jailed Oil Tycoon
Mikhail Khodorkovsky was the richest man in Russia before he was imprisoned almost 10 years ago
Prince William Called Kate Middleton ‘Babykins’ in Hacked Conversation
Prosecutors said for the first time Thursday that then-girlfriend Middleton’s phone was hacked.
Putin Says NSA Surveillance Necessary to Fight Terrorism
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that surveillance conducted by the United States is needed to fight terrorism, but that the government should “limit the appetite” of the National Security Agency.
Speaking a news conference in Moscow, Putin said the NSA’s surveillance “isn’t a cause for joy, it’s not a cause …
Merkel Compared NSA To Stasi in Complaint To Obama
Merkel has been a fierce critic of the NSA spying tactics abroad.
Russia Amnesty Law Could Free Pussy Riot, Greenpeace Activists
Change ahead of Winter Olympics next year in Sochi
Turkish Police Chiefs Fired After High-Profile Bribery Arrests
Five senior police officers have been sacked following Tuesday’s arrests of businessman and sons of government ministers
The Notorious Biggs, the ‘Great Train Robber’ of Britain, Escapes Again
Achieved fame by escaping prison, eluding justice for decades
Russia Gives Ukraine Financial Lifeline Amid Protests
As former Soviet state moves away from the E.U.
Amanda Knox ‘Afraid’ to Appear in Italian Court
‘I didn’t kill. I didn’t rape. I didn’t rob. I didn’t plot’
Pope Francis Turns 77
Four homeless people from outside the Vatican walls joined the Pontiff to celebrate
Can Vitali Klitschko, Ukraine’s Revolutionary Heavyweight, Be Its Next President?
The champion boxer tells TIME that Ukraine needs “surgery” to catch up with Europe and warns its current President he may end up with a “bad face”