U.S. President Barack Obama (L) meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the G8 Summit at Lough Erne in Enniskillen,  Northern Ireland June 17, 2013.   REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque   (NORTHERN IRELAND - Tags: POLITICS)

Putin, Obama face off over Syria at tense G8 summit

ENNISKILLEN, Northern Ireland - President Barack Obama sparred with Russia's Vladimir Putin over how to end the war in Syria on Monday during an icy encounter at a G8 summit where divisions over the conflict eclipsed the rest of the agenda.  Full Article 

Asian shares slide as upcoming Fed meeting jangles nerves 17 Jun 2013

TOKYO - Asian shares slid on Tuesday as investors waited on tenterhooks for news of the U.S. Federal Open Market Committee's plans for its stimulus program - with the mere suggestion of fine-tuning it enough to unnerve investors.

A demonstrator waves a Brazilian flag by a burning a car in downtown Rio de Janeiro June 17, 2013. REUTERS/Sergio Moraes

Protests build in Brazil as discontent spreads

SAO PAULO - Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through the streets of Brazil's biggest cities on Monday in a growing protest that is tapping into widespread anger at poor public services, police violence and government corruption.  Full Article 

A poster supporting Edward Snowden, a former contractor at the National Security Agency (NSA) who leaked revelations of U.S. electronic surveillance, is displayed at Hong Kong's financial Central district June 17, 2013. REUTERS/Bobby Yip

Snowden hits back against critics of NSA leaks

WASHINGTON - The former NSA contractor who revealed the government's top-secret monitoring of Americans' phone and Internet data fought back against his critics, saying the government's "litany of lies" about the programs compelled him to act.  Full Article 

Iranian President-elect Hassan Rohani gestures to the media during a news conference in Tehran June 17, 2013. REUTERS/Fars News/Majid Hagdost

Iran's Rohani hopes for friendly ties

DUBAI - President-elect Hassan Rohani held out the prospect on Monday of better relations between Iran and the world, including the United States, and progress on resolving the nuclear dispute.  Full Article 

A voter casts his shadow on the wall as he arrives at the polling station outside Kenilworth School during the U.S. presidential election in Phoenix, Arizona November 6, 2012. REUTERS/Joshua Lott

Court invalidates Arizona voter registration law

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Monday struck down an Arizona state law that requires people registering to vote in federal elections to show proof of citizenship.  Full Article 

U.S. President Barack Obama (2nd L) attends a news conference with (L-R) European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron at the G8 summit in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland June 17, 2013. REUTERS/Andrew Winning

EU, U.S. leaders launch free-trade talks

ENNISKILLEN - The United States and European Union launched negotiations on one of the world's most ambitious free-trade agreements, promising thousands of jobs and speedier growth on both sides of the Atlantic.  Full Article 

Turkey could deploy army to quell protests, as clashes continue

June 17 - Clashes between protesters and police continued in Istanbul and Ankara on Monday, as the country's deputy prime minister suggested the armed forces could be called up, if needed, the first time the possibility of a military role has been raised. Mana Rabiee reports.

Hugo Dixon

Turkey’s economy is vulnerable

Tayyip Erdogan’s harsh actions against protesters could backfire economically. Turkey depends on foreign investors to fund its big current account deficit. If they turn tail, interest rates will rise, hurting the economy and undermining one of Erdogan’s sources of popularity.  Commentary 

Chrystia Freeland

Economic worries and the global elite

Here’s one sign the global elite is starting to get worried that capitalism isn’t working for the Western middle class. At the TED Global gathering in Scotland’s elegant capital city this week, much of the spotlight was on what’s going wrong with the 21st-century economy.  Commentary 

Yousaf Butt

Why Russia won’t deal on NATO missile defense

The diplomatic dance around missile defense cooperation has always been like Kabuki theater. Moscow is unlikely to cooperate on a seriously flawed, expensive system against an Iranian threat it doesn't see as imminent.  Commentary 

Herman Schwartz

The real IRS scandal

Though the courts have ruled that a tax-exempt group’s political activity must be "insubstantial," lawyers have argued this means as much as 49 percent – and the IRS has gone along. Even that has been flagrantly violated.   Commentary 

Zachary Karabell

Surveilling a double standard

Why are we willing to give private corporations data, but we refuse to offer government agencies the same courtesy? That contradiction highlights a muddled, overwrought and inconsistent attitude towards privacy and freedom.  Commentary 

Lindsay Beyerstein

In defense of publishing leaks

No U.S. journalist has ever been successfully prosecuted for publishing classified information. This may seem counterintuitive. If it’s against the law to leak classified information, why is it legal for journalists to publish it?   Commentary