BBC News with Julie Candler
The Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected American accusations of Russian interference in eastern Ukraine. The Kremlin said Mr. Putin told President Obama during a telephone conversation that such allegations were based on unfounded information. Washington said it was consulting with its European allies about possible sanctions on Russia. David Willis reports from Washington.
Spokesman Jay Carney told reporters the White House was very concerned about Russia's provocative actions in the region including the build-up of troops near the Ukrainian border. He said the possibility of further sanctions remained under consideration and the US was consulting with its European allies in that regard. But he stressed the focus remained on finding a solution to the crisis in Ukraine by diplomatic or economic means, rather than providing so-called lethal aid in the form of guns and bullets to the interim Ukrainian government.
Ukraine's acting President Olexander Turchynov has called for United Nations peacekeepers to be deployed in the east of the country where pro-Russia militants continue to occupy government buildings. Mr. Turchynov said an operation to remove them could be conducted jointly by Ukrainian security forces and UN troops.
In Luxemburg, the British Foreign Secretary William Hague said European Union foreign ministers had agreed to expand sanctions against Russia over Ukraine. Ben Wright reports.
There was a strong rhetorical condemnation of Russia after this meeting but only a slight toughening of sanctions. The European Commission has been told to add more names to be listed at Russians affected by asset freezes and travel restrictions. The names and numbers are not yet known. The EU has now set out its position ahead of important talks in Geneva on Thursday between Russia, Ukraine, the US and the EU. But while, the threat of further sanctions has floated, it’s not yet clear what will trigger their use.
The United Nations Human Rights chief Navi Pillay has condemned the widespread use of torture by both sides in the Syrian conflict. She was speaking after the publication of the latest UN report on Syria. From Geneva Imogen Foulkes.
This latest report from the UN's Human Rights investigators is particularly horrifying. It contains detailed testimony from 38 tortured victims. Among them, a young man detained at the Syrian Air Force Intelligence headquarters where he was beaten, burned and his toenails pulled out. A young woman suffered similar treatment, she was also raped. But the report shows that opposition groups are committing torture as well.
A television station run by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah says three of its staff have been killed during fighting in the Syrian Christian town of Maaloula. Al-Manar TV says a correspondent, a cameraman and a technician died when covering a Syrian army operation.
BBC News
The Washington Post and the US version of Britain's Guardian newspaper have won the coveted Pulitzer Prize for journalism, for their reporting on the massive US surveillance program revealed by the fugitive intelligence analyst Edward Snowden. Vincent Dowd reports.
The Guardian citation says, it helped through aggressive reporting to spark a debate about the relationship between the government and the public over issues of security and privacy. The Washington Post is praised for authoritative and insightful reports that helped the public understand how the disclosures fit into the larger framework of national security. The newspapers' revelations led President Obama to order a wide-ranging review of NSA activities.
The head of a US court-martial has upheld a 35-year prison sentence against the solider Chelsea Manning, formally known as Bradley Manning for leaking secret US documents to the WikiLeaks website. The court-martial had been considering a leniency application filed by Manning's lawyers. Last year, a military judge found Private Manning guilty of espionage and theft for leaking more than 700,000 classified military and diplomatic documents.
The trial in New York of the radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri will begin on Thursday. The trial date was set after a jury of 8 men and 4 women was chosen. The Imam who uses his birth name, Mustafa Kamel Mustafa at the trial, was extradited from Britain in 2012. He denies 11 terrorism-related charges.
Officials in Chile say it could take more than 20 days to fully extinguish a forest fire in the hills around the port city of Valparaiso. The blaze has killed at least 13 people and left thousands more homeless. The Chilean Forestry Agency said firefighters were still battling the wild fires over a large area.