News of the world: Sarko yanked, indictments in Hariri probe, Obama sends Gates off with Medal of Freedom

The Envoy

• In a surprise, outgoing Defense Secretary Bob Gates is awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Obama at a send-off ceremony. Gates quiped he should have known Obama had gotten pretty good at covert ops. (MSNBC)

• Confirmation votes: Senate to vote today to confirm Gen. David Petraeus as CIA director; may fast-track confirmations today of Gen. John Allen to succeed Petraeus as top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Anne Patterson to be ambassador to Egypt. (Hill sources)

• Special tribunal indicts four people in 2005 assassination of Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri. (New York Times)

• What was redacted from that yanked USAID Inspector General report on Kabul Bank. (Public Intelligence)

• French President Nicolas Sarkozy yanked by 32-year-old, unarmed man at campaign stop. (Associated Press)

• Arrests in Moldova over alleged nuclear smuggling. (New York Times)

• John Brennan rolls out new White House counter terrorism strategy. (New York Times)