US agrees to loosen prison restrictions for accused Boston bomber

US officials on Tuesday agreed to loosen prison restrictions on accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev that the 20-year-old's lawyers have argued made it difficult to mount an effective defense.

In papers filed in US District Court in Boston, officials said they had modified the special rules of Tsarnaev's confinement to allow his attorneys to discuss his statements with third parties to help them prepare their defense. (Reuters)