TODAY: Kremlin asks Twitter to block access to ‘extremists’; Obama and EU threaten more sanctions over Ukraine; Syria credits Putin for end of chemical weapons; university funding announced; RDIF courts investors; rules relaxed for foreign journalists.

Russia’s communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, requested yesterday that Twitter block access to a dozen ‘extremist’ (and as yet, unidentified) accounts, part of a wider state crackdown on Internet freedoms.  Twitter says it has not complied with the request to remove the accounts, but has shown officials how to report illegal content.  In a direct call to President Vladimir Putin, U.S. President Barack Obama threatened ‘additional costs’ for Russia if he did not support the peace process in Ukraine; European ministers also called for Russia to ease tensions, and also threatening to increase economic pressure.  The BBC attempts to identify some of the fighters in eastern Ukraine as Russian, interviewing online recruiters who say they are practicing ‘armed charity’.  Vladimir Ryzhkov says Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s peace plan is tactical, not strategic, and therefore is bound to fail.  Syria’s Foreign Ministry credited President Vladimir Putin’s ‘initiative’ as it announced that it had eliminated the last of its chemical weapons.  How was Belgium able to beat Russia in the World Cup on Sunday? Bloomberg suggests its team could use more foreign players…