Top news: In his first news conference since Friday's election in Iran, President-elect Hassan Rowhani said he hoped to improve relations with the United States, but ruled out direct negotiations and vowed to press ahead with his country's controversial nuclear program. "All should know that the next government will not budge from defending our inalienable rights," the former nuclear negotiator said, referring to the country's enrichment program. "We have passed that period."
Still, Rowhani, who campaigned on a reformist platform, signaled willingness to improve transparency on the nuclear issue and called Iran's lack of diplomatic ties with the United States "an old wound, which must be healed." The White House responded to Rowhani's comments with cautious optimism, both reiterating America's willingness to engage with Tehran and underscoring the non-negotiability of its position on Iran's nuclear program. In an interview broadcast Monday night, President Barack Obama said the crippling sanctions regime will remain in place "in the absence of significant steps in showing the international community that Iran is not pursuing a nuclear weapon."
NSA Leaks: In an online question-and-answer session on the Guardian's website, Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor behind the PRISM leaks, denied handing over U.S. secrets to the Chinese government. "This is a predictable smear that I anticipated before going public," he said. "Ask yourself: If I were a Chinese spy, why wouldn't I have flown directly into Beijing? I could be living in a palace petting a phoenix by now."
Middle East
- President Barack Obama on Monday pledged $300 million in additional humanitarian aid to Syria, although roughly half the non-lethal aid previously promised has yet to arrive.
- Turkey's deputy prime minister on Monday said that the country's military could be deployed to end protests that have raged for weeks.
- A pair of suicide bombings in at a Shiite mosque in Baghdad killed at least 13 people on Tuesday.
Africa
- Gunmen attacked an armory in Mozambique's central Dondo region on Monday and killed five soldiers, according to local media.
- The head of the United Nation's peacekeeping mission in Congo said Monday that security remains a "very serious concern" in the mining heartland of Katanga.
- West Africa has overtaken the coast of Somalia as the worst haven for pirates, according to a new report.
Asia
- Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced Tuesday that he will send a team of negotiators to Qatar for peace talks with the Taliban.
- Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) said Monday that he is placing a hold on $75 million worth of aid to Afghanistan until the White House explains the rational behind the CIA's secret payments to Karzai.
- China launched a pilot carbon-trading scheme on Monday in Shenzhen as part of its bid to reduce carbon emissions.
Americas
- Thousands of protesters turned took to the streets on Monday in multiple cities across Brazil, following last week's brutal police crackdown.
- Canadian authorities arrested Montreal Mayor Michael Applebaum Monday on 14 corruption-related charges.
- Thousands demonstrated on Monday against a $5 billion mining project in the Peruvian Andes.
Europe
- Russian President Vladimir Putin faced sharp criticism for his support of the Syrian regime at the G8 summit on Tuesday, as world leaders attempt to bridge their differences on Syria.
- Presidents Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin agreed to sign a new deal to replace the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, which expired on Monday.
- A Greek court ruled Monday that state broadcaster ERT, shuttered last week in an effort to cut public spending, must reopen immediately.
AFP/Getty Images
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