Queen’s coffin arrives in London: A plane carrying the body of Queen Elizabeth II landed at a royal airforce base in west London on Tuesday, as the coffin heads to Buckingham Palace before lying in state in parliament from Wednesday. Thursday marks the first of four full days that the Queen’s coffin will lie in state in Westminster Hall, where she will remain until the morning of the state funeral on Monday. Russia, Belarus and Myanmar will not receive an invite to the funeral on Monday, Whitehall sources have said. reuters.com, bbc.com, independent.co.uk

• King Charles III makes first visit to Northern Ireland as monarch. bbc.com
• Arrests of anti-royal protesters spur free-speech debate. bloomberg.com

Germany’s Scholz tells Putin to withdraw: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to completely withdraw his troops from Ukraine during a phone call Tuesday. “The chancellor stressed that any further Russian annexation moves would not go unanswered and would not be recognised under any circumstances,” a German government readout from the 90-minute call said. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has accused Germany of ignoring Kyiv’s pleas for Leopard tanks and Marder infantry fighting vehicles, saying Berlin offered only „abstract fears and excuses“ for not providing such military hardware. politico.eu, reuters.com

UK says Russian forces severely weakened: The British Ministry of Defence says Russia could take years to rebuild one of its most prestigious tank units after the retreat from Kharkiv oblast. In its latest intelligence briefing on Twitter, the MoD said the 1st Guards Tank Army had been severely degraded, leaving Russia’s conventional forces severely weakened. Despite Ukraine’s advances, Russia said there was no discussion of a nationwide mobilisation to bolster its forces. Ukraine’s Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said more than 300 settlements were liberated during the latest counteroffensive by the armed forces of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that his troops had retaken roughly 6,000 square km of territory this month. theguardian.com, reuters.com, ukrinform.net, independent.co.uk

• Putin faces calls to resign over lack of strength in Ukraine war. nypost.com
• Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin calls for tougher Russia sanctions. euractiv.com
• Yet another energy executive’s death adds to the tally of powerful Russian bosses who have died this year under mysterious circumstances. fortune.com
• Bulgaria reopens its embassy in Kyiv. euractiv.com

EU weighs price cap on power from renewables and nuclear: The EU is zeroing in on a plan to cap energy companies’ profits and channel the cash to consumers, as it steps closer to energy rationing in a bid to tame the energy price crisis. The European Commission wants to cap revenues from lower-cost power generators; introduce a levy on fossil fuel companies’ excess profits; and introduce a mandatory consumption cut. However, the Commission is retreating from imposing a price cap on Russian gas. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will give her annual State of the Union address to the EU Parliament this Wednesday. It is expected that she will use the speech to outline the plans. bloomberg.com, theguardian.com

• France keen to push Brussels on capping Russian energy imports. euractiv.com
• Slovakia has enough gas for winter if Russia puts total halt on supplies. euractiv.com
• Spanish lawmakers discuss controversial tax on banks, energy companies. euractiv.com

US considers China sanctions to deter Taiwan action, Taiwan presses EU: The United States is considering options for a sanctions package against China to deter it from invading Taiwan, with the EU coming under diplomatic pressure from Taipei to do the same, according to sources familiar with the discussions. Meanwhile, Lithuania’s new representative office in Taiwan has already effectively begun operations, despite criticism from China. The EU Commission is set to unveil its proposal for an EU-wide ban on all products made using forced labour. Despite the EU’s insistence that it is not directly targeting China, Brussels‘ latest proposals will inevitably hit Beijing. reuters.com (Sanctions), reuters.com (Lithuania), euronews.com (Forced labour)

• China’s charm offensive loses ground in the Baltics. euractiv.de

About 100 troops killed in clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan: Fighting on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan has killed about 100 troops as attacks on both sides fed fears of broader hostilities breaking out between the longtime adversaries. Armenia has said it will appeal to the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) — a security bloc of former Soviet states — as well as the UN Security Council. The EU and the US called for an end to the fighting. theguardian.com, dw.com

New rules for companies to help limit global deforestation: To fight global climate change and biodiversity loss, the EU Parliament demands companies ensure that products sold in the EU do not come from deforested or degraded land. MEPs also want companies to verify that goods are produced in accordance with human rights provisions in international law and respect the rights of indigenous people. europarl.europa.eu

EU explores closer trade ties with Saudi Arabia: EU Council President Charles Michel spoke with Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman in Jeddah. During Michel’s one-day visit, the topics of climate change and energy security were also discussed. In addition, the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia was addressed. faz.net