POLITICS
* Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi said in his address to the nation late on Wednesday that he cedes the top legislative authority to the Shura Council, the upper chamber of the Egyptian parliament
RUSSIA
* A group of Russian nationals with a petition to Russian President Vladimir Putin not to sign a controversial bill banning US adoptions of Russian children were denied entry to the premises of the Russian Embassy in Washington as embassy staff had not been informed of the event, a spokesman for the embassy said
* Russia’s former defense minister, who lost his job last month over corruption allegations, has been summoned for questioning, a procedure that no top Russian official has faced for years
* Russian President Vladimir Putin said he plans to sign into law a controversial bill banning US nationals from adopting Russian children
* Russian Children’s Rights Ombudsman Pavel Astakhov has sent a report to President Vladimir Putin offering justifications for a bill that would ban US adoptions of Russian children
* Russia and China are starting construction work on the second stage of the Tianwan nuclear power plant, Russian officials said
* The United States said it regrets Russian lawmakers’ approval of a bill that would ban US adoptions of Russian children, saying the legislation would deny many young people a childhood outside state custody
DEFENSE
* Russia will gradually increase the annual amount of the state defense order to 2.8 trillion rubles (about $92 billion) by 2015, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said
BUSINESS
* Officially registered capital outflow from Russia frequently reflects Russian business investment abroad, President Vladimir Putin said
CRIME
* Almost 9 million Russians regularly take illicit drugs, Federal Drug Control Service head Viktor Ivanov said
SPORTS
* The United States sauntered to an 8-0 drubbing of Germany to start its junior world hockey championships campaign in style