TODAY: Obama and Putin discuss Syria situation after top ministers killed, Russia blocks proposed sanctions; U.S. Senators approve bill establishing permanent normal trade relations, but Magnitsky Act is attached; NGO ‘foreign agent’ law passed; TV chief open to working with Navalny; AAR interested in BP’s TNK-BP stake.

U.S. President Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin had a telephone meeting after a rebel bomb killed Syria’s defense minister and leader Bashar al-Assad’s brother-in-law.  Russia has promised to block the United Nations’ latest attempts to level sanctions against Syria, saying that it doesn’t want to support the rebel movement.  U.S. senators have voted unanimously for a bill that would repeal the Jackson-Vanik Amendment and establish permanent normal trade relations.  The finance committee of the U.S. Congress has reportedly included the controversial Magnitsky Act in the bill, with the WSJ saying that Republicans will not pass the bill unless the Magnitsky Act is attached.