⊂ EUROPE ⊃
Rebels burn Syria evacuation buses: Several buses sent to transport the sick and injured from two government-held villages in Syria’s Idlib province have been burned by rebels. Evacuations of civilians and rebels from Aleppo resumed late Sunday after several hours of delay. UN Security Council diplomats have signaled that they have reached a compromise deal to send monitors to oversee the evacuations. Russia had threatened to block a Security Council resolution, drafted by France, that called for sending international observers to Aleppo. But after negotiations on Sunday, diplomats said that they would vote on it Monday.
bbc.com, cnn.com, nytimes.com
Gregor Gysi elected president of European Left: The Party of the European Left (EL) has elected Gregor Gysi, the former leader of Germany’s Left Party, as its new president. He succeeds French communist Pierre Laurent. The EL is a party and association of democratic-socialist and communist parties from 27 countries both inside and outside the EU. It includes not just the Left Party in Germany, but also the Coalition of the Radical Left of Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. The EL presidency is just the latest office Gysi has held in a political career stretching back almost five decades.
dw.com
Tusk calls for respect of people and constitution: EU Council President Donald Tusk has called on the authorities in Poland to respect the constitution as a standoff between the opposition and the ruling party continued. Tusk, Poland’s former prime minister, invoked the word dictatorship and reminded his audience of protests in Poland under communism that ended in bloodshed. He warned that whoever was undermining the European model of democracy in Poland was exposing us all to strategic risks.
nytimes.com
US Electoral College prepares to select Trump: The Electoral College will meet on Monday to vote on the next president and vice president of the United States. Some 538 electors will gather in each of the 50 states‘ capitals along with the District of Columbia to cast their ballots to have the final say on who holds the US‘ highest office. A vocal movement has pressured Republican electors to abandon Trump even though he won 30 states, giving him the electoral voters needed to be president. Most base their plea on the fact that Clinton won some 2.8 million more popular votes.
dw.com, independent.co.uk
Russia: US senators amplify call for special investigation into foreign cyber warfare politico.eu
⊂ QUOTES ⊃
„If Germany is financing the teachers at this school, it has a say in what they teach, and the government needs to make that clear to Ankara.“
Franz Josef Jung, a lawmaker from German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), expresses dismay that a German high school in Istanbul had cancelled its Christmas celebrations.
dw.com
⊂ COUNTRIES ⊃
Protests grow in Poland: A third day of protests has taken place against plans by Poland’s ruling Law and Justice Party (PIS) to restrict journalists’ access to parliamentary sessions. Protesters gathered outside parliament, where opposition MPs have been holding a sit-in since Friday. President Andrzej Duda, who is aligned with the governing party, is holding talks with opposition leaders and has offered to mediate between the two sides. Opposition politicians and protesters claim the PIS is attempting to stifle press freedom.
euronews.com, bbc.com
German school in Istanbul cancels Christmas: Berlin expressed its dismay on Sunday that a German high school in Istanbul had allegedly cancelled its Christmas celebrations. The move was seen by German politicians as part of a larger change under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan away from secularism across Turkey. Germany’s Foreign Office called the decision regrettable and said it would seek dialogue with its Turkish partners over the incident. An attack in Kayseri in central Turkey has killed 14 soliders.
dw.com, euronews.com (Kayseri)
Thousands protest austerity measures in Spain: Thousands have marched through Madrid to demand an end to austerity measures in Spain. The demonstration, organised by the country’s two main unions (UGT and CCOO), is the first major protest since the government was named in November. Last week, the International Monetary Fund said Spain should step up economic reforms and gradually trim its public deficit.
euronews.com
Seven candidates in running for French left-wing primaries: January’s French primaries for the left wing will see seven candidates battle it out to win the nomination for the 2017 presidential election. Four party members of the ruling Socialists have made it on to the official list, in addition to two ecologists and a representative of the Radical Left Party. Manuel Valls, the Prime Minister until earlier this month, is seen as the leading contender to win his party’s nomination. President François Hollande said earlier this month he would not seek re-election.
politico.eu, euronews.com
Croatia: Overloaded van with 67 refugees intercepted dw.com
Germany: Minister wants courts to go after fake news reuters.com
⊂ JOB-BOARD ⊃
politjobs.eu: PlasticsEurope seeks Public Affairs Manager (m/f) *** GIZ seeks Policy Advisor (m/f) *** Siegfried Mureșan MEP offers Traineeship *** European Sunlight Association seeks Communication Officer *** ChildFund Alliance seeks Director – Brussels Office *** Mototrola Solutions seeks Director of Government Affairs – Europe and Africa *** Bundesverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft sucht Praktikant (m/w) *** Uni Europa seeks Policy Officer (m/f)
politjobs.eu, politjobs.eu/submit (Inserat schalten)
⊂ MALFUNCTION ⊃
US President Trump ends Thank You tour: Donald Trump has wrapped up his post-election “thank you” tour on Saturday with celebratory geysers from water cannons, greetings from hoop-skirted Southern belles and some gloating over the TV newscasters who had expected him to lose. Trump recounted blow-by-blow the tale of his victory, a pared-down version of his stump speech that featured mockery and impressions of the news media, rhetorical questions and the occasional dig at the confidence of the Hillary Clinton campaign heading into Election Day.
cnbc.com, nytimes.com