The brother of a convicted British drug smuggler facing imminent execution in China has pleaded for authorities to show compassion amid concerns over the man’s mental health at the time of his arrest.By rss.cnn.com

At least 100 British troops are likely to return to Iraq, a few months after the country withdrew its service members from their bases in and around the southern city of Basra.By rss.cnn.com

Singer Stephen Gately, a member of the Irish band Boyzone, died of natural causes, a court spokeswoman on the Spanish island of Majorca said Tuesday.By rss.cnn.com

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stressed Tuesday that Washington and Moscow are working together to ensure Iran’s nuclear program is strictly for peaceful purposes, but Russia has stopped short of committing to Iranian sanctions.By rss.cnn.com

Legendary Austrian skier Hermann Maier has ended his illustrious career at the age of 36 despite having recovered from knee surgery.By rss.cnn.com

Turkey’s decision this week to postpone a NATO war exercise appears to have been a political decision intended to exclude the Israelis, a senior U.S. military official told CNN on Tuesday.By rss.cnn.com

Spanish police arrested a well-known Basque politician linked to the armed Basque separatist group ETA on Tuesday, along with nine suspected collaborators, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.By rss.cnn.com

The man jailed for trying to kill British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in a hotel bombing in 1984 has appeared in Parliament and said he regretted his actions.By rss.cnn.com

One of Russia’s most infamous gangsters is buried at a prestigious Moscow cemetery amid unprecedented security.By news.bbc.co.uk

Spanish authorities arrest at least five senior members of Batasuna, the banned political wing of Basque separatist movement.By news.bbc.co.uk

The Czech Republic should sign the Lisbon Treaty without artificial delay, says EU Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso.By news.bbc.co.uk

A Moscow court rejects a lawsuit filed by the grandson of dictator Joseph Stalin claiming a Russian newspaper defamed him.By news.bbc.co.uk

Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic loses his appeal that war crimes charges against him be dropped.By news.bbc.co.uk

PM Gordon Brown is expected to announce that Britain is to send an extra 500 military personnel to Afghanistan.By news.bbc.co.uk

Belgian cyclist Frank Vandenbroucke dies at the age of 34, with reports suggesting he may have suffered a blood clot.By news.bbc.co.uk

Austrian ski star Hermann Maier announces his retirement, blaming physical problems for his decision.By news.bbc.co.uk

BBC Europe editor Gavin Hewitt on the big stories of the day.By bbc.co.uk

A new Leonardo da Vinci portrait may have been discovered after a fingerprint thought to belong to him is found on it.By news.bbc.co.uk

French President Nicolas Sarkozy says his son has been “thrown to the wolves” over a bid to secure a top-level business job.By news.bbc.co.uk

Authorities on the Greek island of Evia evacuate hundreds of tourists from their hotel as a forest fire rages nearby.By news.bbc.co.uk