⊂ EUROPE ⊃

Germany says Russia cannot ‚dictate‘ to NATO: German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht on Sunday said Russia cannot „dictate“ to NATO on regional security, as tensions soar between Moscow and Western capitals over the conflict in Ukraine. She spoke during a visit to Lithuania, which along with its Baltic neighbours Estonia and Latvia is worried about security after Russia deployed tens of thousands of troops near its border with fellow ex-Soviet Ukraine. Ahead of her visit, Lambrecht called for harsher sanctions against Russia over its troop deployment.
france24.com

• NATO mulls deploying troops to Bulgaria, Romania dw.com
• Russia issues list of demands it says must be met to lower tensions in Europe theguardian.com
• Nord Stream 2 starts filling second pipe with natural gas reuters.com
• US Senate confirmed more than 30 ambassadors and other Biden administration nominees after Majority Leader Chuck Schumer agreed to schedule a vote on sanctions on the company behind the Nord Stream 2 pipeline nbcnews.com
• Biden administration considers sending Ukraine military equipment once bound for Afghanistan wsj.com

David Frost resigns as UK Brexit minister, Liz Truss takes over: Brexit minister David Frost has resigned from the UK government over „concerns about the current direction of travel“. In his letter of resignation, Frost said it was the introduction of plan B coronavirus measures, including the implementation of Covid passes, that prompted his decision. He also said he had become disillusioned by tax rises and the cost of net zero policies. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is to take over responsibility for the UK’s relationship with the EU. She will be adding ministerial responsibility to her foreign portfolio with immediate effect.
bbc.com, theguardian.com

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Azerbaijan releases Armenian prisoners of war after EU talks: Azerbaijan released ten Armenian prisoners of war Sunday following EU-hosted talks between Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed on a ceasefire at their border last month, after Russia urged deescalation following a flareup in fighting. The November incidents represented the worst clashes since a 44-day war last year which resulted in significant military gains for Azerbaijan. Earlier this month, Azerbaijan handed over ten Armenian soldiers in exchange for maps revealing the location of landmines in the Karabakh region, a deal mediated by Russia. A similar exchange was negotiated in June by the EU and United States.
politico.eu

Autonomous weapons: International community fails to outlaw killer robots nytimes.com
Taxonomy on sustainable investments in the energy sector: EU Commission will not decide on „sustainable nuclear power“ until January heise.de
5G mobile communications: EU Commission provides one billion euros for fast networks heise.de
Chile: Leftist Gabriel Boric wins presidential election bbc.com

⊂ QUOTE OF THE DAY ⊃

„There will not be a lockdown before Christmas here. But we will get a fifth wave – we have crossed a critical number of Omicron infections. This wave can no longer be completely stopped.“
Germany’s health minister Karl Lauterbach ruled out a Christmas lockdown on Sunday.
reuters.com

⊂ COUNTRIES ⊃

Netherlands reimposes strict lockdown: The Netherlands entered a strict new lockdown Sunday due to fears over the Omicron coronavirus variant. Indoor gatherings will now be limited to a maximum of two guests per household until at least mid-January, Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced Saturday. That number is extended slightly around Christmas and New Year’s Eve to four guests. Non-essential shops, hospitality venues and cultural institutions will also be closed, while schools will remain shut until at least 9 January.
cnn.com

• Italy eyes new Covid measures amid Omicron worries reuters.com
• Spanish PM calls national Covid crisis meeting for early next week majorcadailybulletin.com
• Denmark to close cinemas and theatres under new Covid restrictions thelocal.dk
• Austria to require Covid tests for arrivals without a booster shot bloomberg.com
• Vienna commemorates pandemic victims with a ’sea of lights‘ abcnews.go.com
• Home office rules in Portugal tagesschau.de
• EU orders additional 20 million BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine doses bloomberg.com

Thousands in Brussels protest renewed Covid restrictions: Thousands of peaceful protesters demonstrated in Brussels on Sunday for a third time against reinforced COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the Belgian government to counter a spike in infections as the omicron variant sweeps across Europe. The protesters also included Belgian health care workers who will have a three-month window in which to get vaccinated against the virus beginning 1 January or risk losing their jobs.
abcnews.go.com

Poles protest against new media law: Tens of thousands of Poles protested on Sunday against what they see as the ruling party’s attempt to force out Discovery Inc. as the owner of the country’s most popular private television broadcaster. Demonstrations spilled into more than 100 cities and towns after Poland’s parliament unexpectedly approved media law changes on Friday, triggering rebukes from Washington and Brussels.
bloomberg.com

Georgia jailed ex-leader Saakashvili ‚tortured‘ in custody: The health of Georgia’s jailed opposition leader and ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili has been seriously damaged as a result of torture and ill-treatment in custody, an independent council of medics said Saturday. The doctors, who had examined him in custody, said he had been diagnosed with the potentially life-threatening brain disease Wernicke encephalopathy and with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), among other conditions. Earlier in November, Saakashvili said he was subjected to psychological torture that included death threats, sleep deprivation and physical abuse.
france24.com

Switzerland extradites Russian businessman to US: Switzerland extradited Russian businessman Vladislav Klyushin to the US on Saturday, where he faces insider trading charges involving tens of millions of dollars. According to Switzerland’s Federal Office of Justice, Klyushin was handed over to American police officers in Zurich, who accompanied him on the flight.
politico.eu

Germany: Chancellor Scholz travels to Italian capital this Monday faz.net
Italy: Prosecutors seize parts for Boeing 787 aircraft cnbc.com
Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich gains EU citizenship via Portuguese passport theguardian.com

⊂ POLITJOBS ⊃

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⊂ LAST BUT NOT LEAST ⊃

Spanish researchers discover possible location of legendary temple of Hercules Gaditanus: Experts from Seville University may have solved one of the holy grails of archaeology thanks to digital terrain modeling, which has identified a monumental structure in the Bay of Cádiz
english.elpais.com