Watchdog

The United States has imposed sanctions on two former provincial Iraqi governors and two militia leaders for human rights abuses and corruption.

The U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement on July 18 that Ahmed al-Juburi, the former governor of Iraq's Salaheddin Orovince, and Nawfal Hammadi al-Sultan, the former governor of Niniveh Province, were designated for being engaged in corruption, including the misappropriation of state assets, and other misdeeds, the Treasury said.

Juburi has also "been known to protect his personal interests by accommodating Iran-backed proxies," the statement said.

The two militia leaders, Rayan al-Kildani and Waad Qado -- one of whom is Christian and the other a member of the Shabak minority -- were both sanctioned over "serious human rights abuses" by them or their organizations.

The Treasury said Kildani is the leader of the 50th Brigade militia and is shown cutting off the ear of a handcuffed detainee in a video circulated in Iraq last year.

Vice President Mike Pence said the United States was imposing sanctions on the leaders of two Iranian-linked militia groups in Iraq, but the Treasury statement made no mention of the commanders being tied to Iran.

"Let me be clear, the United States will not stand idly while Iranian-backed militias spread terror," Pence told a meeting on religious freedom in Washington.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP

Russia's media watchdog, Roskomnadzor, has fined Google for failing to filter traffic in accordance with strict Russian Internet laws.

Roskomnadzor said on July 18 that it fined Google 700,000 rubles ($11,000) for not complying with the laws.

According to the agency, the U.S.-based tech giant failed to censor content blacklisted by Roskomnadzor -- a violation of a law introduced in July 2018 that requires online search engines to purge any hyperlinks to materials that are banned in Russia.

Google has refused to connect to the federal information system where such websites are listed.

Roskomnadzor, which informed Google about its intention to impose the fine in May for noncompliance with the law, said Google still allows access to one-third of the websites listed on Russia's register of banned websites.

It is the second fine Google has faced in Russia since the law was introduced.

Earlier in December, Russia fined Google 500,000 rubles ($7,900) for failing to comply with the law.

Moscow has introduced tougher Internet laws after Western countries imposed sanctions against Russia in 2014 over its illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and its support for pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine.

The laws require search engines to delete some search results, messaging services to share encryption keys with security services, and social networks to store personal information about Russian users on servers within Russia.