Italy’s president hints at possible retirement date
ROME (Reuters) – Giorgio Napolitano, Italy’s 89-year-old president who helped to guarantee the country’s political stability during a period of upheaval, hinted on Tuesday he might retire early next year.
Egyptian court overturns some Muslim Brotherhood asset seizures
CAIRO (Reuters) – An Egyptian court on Tuesday overturned decisions by a special committee to seize the assets of Muslim Brotherhood leaders, without saying which members or assets will be affected.
Obama to sign new Russia sanctions bill by end of week
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama will sign legislation authorizing new sanctions on Russia over its activities in Ukraine and providing weapons to the Kiev government by the end of the week, the White House said on Tuesday.
U.S. torture report puts Romania’s role under scrutiny
BUCHAREST/WARSAW (Reuters) – The lawyer for a man tortured by the CIA said Romania’s authorities should acknowledge the role they played after a U.S. Senate report pointed to Romania as the site of the secret CIA jail where the man was interrogated.
Cameron’s plans to shake up English lawmaking worry his rivals
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s two main political parties accused each other on Tuesday of putting the future of the nation at risk as they drew battle lines over how to reform the constitution after Scotland’s failed bid for independence.
Uganda says begins sending ex-Congo rebels back home
KAMPALA (Reuters) – Uganda began sending home more than 1,000 fighters of a rebel group from Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Tuesday after Kinshasa pressured it to return them to prevent them regrouping to fight again.
Catalan statesman Pujol to testify in court in tax probe
MADRID (Reuters) – The former president of Catalonia, who became a figurehead for the region and its independence drive during 23 years in power, is to testify in court alongside some of his family members after admitting to keeping a fortune outside S…
Around 180 Syrian soldiers, jihadists reported killed in battle for base
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Around 100 Syrian soldiers and 80 Islamist fighters were killed during a two-day battle in which insurgents captured the Wadi al-Deif military base, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said on Tuesday.
Russia ‘optimistic’ on Syria peace talks early next year: Lavrov
PARIS (Reuters) – Russia is optimistic at the prospect of renewed talks between opposition figures and the Syrian government early next year, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday.
Britain faces threat of Sydney-style attack at any moment: PM Cameron
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain faces the threat of a Sydney-style ‘lone wolf’ attack at any moment, Prime Minister David Cameron said on Tuesday, after a 16-hour siege at a cafe in the Australian city in which two captives were killed.
