Russia’s Novak will not attend Davos: energy ministry
Russia’s Energy Minister Alexander Novak will not fly to Switzerland to attend the Davos world economic forum due to changes in his schedule, an energy ministry spokeswoman told Reuters on Tuesday.
Spanish government decree rejected by allies in historic defeat
Spain’s minority Socialist government suffered its first major legislative defeat on Tuesday when its main ally in parliament, Podemos, sided with the opposition to throw out its decree on housing, exposing the administration’s weakness.
Israeli shelling kills Hamas militant after soldier hurt on Gaza border
An Israeli tank fired into the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, killing a Hamas militant in what the army described as retaliation for the wounding of a soldier and a brief incursion during a violent Palestinian border protest.
EU parliament to start ratifying Brexit deal next week
The European Parliament expects to start next week its procedure to endorse the Brexit deal negotiated between the bloc and London, lawmakers said on Tuesday, despite the fact that Britain is still struggling to finalize the divorce agreement.
Uganda deports MTN executives, cites national security: police
Uganda has deported a French and a Rwandan executive from telecoms group MTN, accusing them of planning to compromise national security, while other employees were being investigated for alleged incitement to violence, police said on Tuesday.
Kenyan police on trial over killing of British aristocrat’s son
Four Kenyan policemen went on trial in Mombasa on Tuesday accused of killing the son of a British aristocrat in police custody in 2012, a high-profile case that has become a litmus test of accountability for Kenya’s security services.
Nuclear-capable Russian bomber crashes amid snowstorm: Defence Ministry
A nuclear-capable Tupolev-22M3 supersonic bomber crashed while trying to land in a snowstorm on Tuesday in Russia’s far north, the Defence Ministry said, saying the aircraft did not have any weapons on board.
Zimbabwe president condemns crackdown, backers raise impeachment fears
Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa promised action on Tuesday in response to a brutal crackdown by security forces on anti-government protesters, as two of his supporters spoke of a possible plot to remove him from office.
Haggis out? Scots fear Brexit means going veggie
Scots with a taste for traditional meat pies or haggis face “enforced vegetarianism” after Brexit, a Scottish government minister warned on Tuesday, as it may starve abattoirs of a vital European workforce.
Huge attack shows Taliban strength at outset of talks
With one of the deadliest attacks of Afghanistan’s 17-year insurgency just hours before a new round of peace talks, the Taliban rammed home its message that it intends to agree any settlement from a position of strength on the battlefield.
