Withdrawal from the European Union

Monday's decision at a Eurogroup meeting in Brussels to approve short-term debt relief measures for Greece was a "decisive step towards stabilizing the Greek economy and restoring trust," the government spokesman said on Tuesday.

Britain's Supreme Court began an historic hearing Dec. 5 to decide whether parliament must approve the government's Brexit negotiations, in a highly-charged case that could delay the country's EU exit.

Eurozone finance ministers hope to forge a compromise on Greek reforms on Monday in a final push to secure the support of the International Monetary Fund for Athens's bailout program by the end of the year.

Germany's finance minister is underlining his opposition to a debt cut for Greece and urging Athens to push ahead with reforms before a meeting with his eurozone counterparts.

The chances of the government reaching an agreement with the country's creditors by Monday's Eurogroup meeting are slim, because a number of issues remain unresolved between Athens and the eurozone and, according to a senior eurozone official, a staff-level agreement would require the consent of the International Monetary Fund.

An investor survey of the Sentix agency has shown that the chances of Italy leaving the Eurozone in the next 12 months have increased to 19.3% in November, reaching their highest level since June 2012 - the peak of the debt crisis in the region.

The European Parliament called on the EU and its states to do more to counter Russian "disinformation and propaganda warfare" on Wednesday, drawing an angry response from President Vladimir Putin.

The question of whether Turkey could really bring back capital punishment has now been followed by the question of whether Turkey could really hold a referendum on the European Union.

If the latter question had been put to me a month ago, I would have said "no," just as I would have once ruled out the possibility of reinstituting the death penalty. 

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker warned European firms he would block attempts to cut special deals with Britain ahead of formal Brexit negotiations.

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Nov. 4 told European leaders that her March deadline for triggering Brexit negotiations "remains unchanged" despite a court ruling that she first needs parliament's approval, AFP reported.