Free Republic

BRUSSELS — The European Union will amend its sanctions on Moscow on Wednesday by allowing the unfreezing of some funds of top Russian banks that may be required to ease bottlenecks in the global trade of food and fertilizers, a draft document showed.

US will not soften policy on Iran Mohamed ElBaradei (standing) says diplomacy must continueThe United States has said it will not accept any deal which allows Iran to enrich uranium. A new move by Russia proposes that Iran be allowed to run a small-scale uranium enrichment research programme. But the US says only a complete suspension of Iran's nuclear activities would be acceptable in order to avoid UN Security Council action. However, at talks in Vienna, the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog said he was hopeful a deal was still feasible. Mohamed ElBaradei was speaking at the start of...

After years of false starts, state lawmakers voted Tuesday evening to reduce the steep mandatory prison sentences given to people convicted of drug crimes in New York State, sanctions considered among the most severe in the nation. The push to soften the so-called Rockefeller drug laws came after a nearly decade-long campaign to ease the drug penalties instituted in the 1970's that put some low-level first-time drug offenders behind bars for sentences ranging from 15 years to life. Under the changes passed yesterday, which Gov. George E. Pataki said he would sign, the sentence for those same offenders would be...