⊂ EUROPE ⊃
British parliament rejects election bid: Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday evening failed to get the House of Commons to support his call for an election, his third unsuccessful attempt since taking office in July. Johnson told MPs he will propose a short, one-off piece of legislation to trigger an election on 12 December. The advantage of this route is that it requires just a simple majority of MPs to vote in favour of it, instead of two-thirds of the house. The Lib Dems and SNP want the election to take place on 9 December, while the prime minister has insisted on 12 December. The EU has agreed to a Brexit delay of up to three months.
politico.eu, reuters.com
Praise for outgoing ECB president Draghi: Prominent political figures have congratulated outgoing European Central Bank President Mario Draghi on his eight-year tenure at the helm of the bank. German Chancellor Angela Merkel praised Draghi’s role in stabilising Europe during the sovereign debt crisis, saying she remembered times when markets were actually betting on the collapse of the euro. Because of Draghi’s policy the euro zone – despite all the problems at hand – was now much stronger than it was during the crisis. French President Emmanuel Macron said Draghi’s action had been decisive to save Europe from sinking. He praised Draghi’s efforts to arrive at a genuine banking union in the euro area. Italian President Sergio Mattarella noted he viewed Draghi as a man with and extraordinary commitment to serve Europe.
dw.com, apnews.com
Merkel and Putin discuss Syria: German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin have discussed the situation in Syria by phone, the Kremlin said on Monday. During the phone call, Putin stressed the importance of restoring Syria’s territorial integrity. Russia has called for the withdrawal of all US troops. US President Donald Trump’s announcement of the death of Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi revealed a slew of sensitive details about the secret military operation that could imperil future raids, special operations and intelligence, veterans fear. Trump went into unusual detail about the mission inside hostile territory in Syria, describing how the Army Delta Force was inserted into the heavily fortified compound, including the number and route of the commando’s helicopters.
reuters.com, handelsblatt.com (Merkel); politico.eu (Trump)
Ukraine and Russia fail to clinch gas deal: Russian and Ukrainian negotiators have failed to agree on a new long-term natural gas transit contract. EU Energy Commissioner Maros Sefcovic, who supervised the talks, said he was disappointed by the outcome of Monday’s talks in Brussels and warned that time was flying as the current gas contract expires on 1 January. He said the sides lacked the political will and Russia demanded that solutions to the Stockholm arbitration between Gazprom and Naftogaz, anti-monopoly decisions and future volumes of its direct gas supplies to Ukraine were all part of any deal. The gas talks between Ukraine, Russia and the EU will continue at the end of November. A Russian court has ordered opposition leader Alexei Navalny and his allies to pay $1.4 million in damages for libelling the Moscow Schoolchild catering company.
washingtonpost.com, reuters.com (Gas); uk.reuters.com (Navalny)
Von der Leyen meets alternative candidates from France and Hungary: Incoming EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has renewed efforts to complete her team. On Monday she met the new candidates from France and Hungary, Thierry Breton and Oliver Varhelyi. Their respective countries‘ first choices were rejected by the EU Parliament, which is delaying the start of the new EU Commission until December.
euronews.com
Lobbying: Former EU top diplomat Catherine Ashton becomes security lobbyist euobserver.com
Schengen Area: Europe’s free travel zone is set to get bigger — but what are the implications? euronews.com
Juncker: „Alcohol allegations used to bother me“ merkur.de
Chile: President sacks whole cabinet after protests bbc.com
Iraq: Four killed in Iraq as protests persist reuters.com
⊂ QUOTES ⊃
„Whoever votes for the AfD votes for an anti-democratic Germany.“
The president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, voiced concerns about the surge in support for far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in state elections in Thuringia on Sunday.
dw.com
⊂ COUNTRIES ⊃
Two injured in France mosque shootings: An elderly man suspected of firing shots outside a mosque in the south-western city of Bayonne has been arrested, French police say. The gunman was trying to set fire to the mosque’s door and shot two men who interrupted him. They were both seriously injured and taken to hospital. The suspect then set fire to a car before fleeing. He was arrested close to his home in the Landes. A police source told „Reuters“ that the suspect was a candidate in local elections in the Landes in 2015 for Marine Le Pen’s far-right party, Front National, which has since been renamed National Rally.
bbc.com, theguardian.com
League wins landslide victory in Italian regional election: A coalition led by the far-right former interior minister Matteo Salvini has swept to power in the central Italian region of Umbria. Donatella Tesei of the League, backed by the far-right Brothers of Italy and Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia, won almost 60% of Sunday’s vote. Salvini will use the League’s landslide victory to demonstrate he still has the backing of most Italians despite having pulled the plug on the government over the summer and having been forced into opposition.
theguardian.com, politico.eu
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Italian bank UniCredit hit by hacker attack: UniCredit has uncovered a data breach involving the personal records of 3 million domestic clients, it announced on Monday. The lender, which said the latest breach related to a 2015 file containing emails and phone numbers of millions of Italian clients, has spent 2.4 billion euros since 2016 to upgrade its IT systems and boost cyber security. An internal investigation is ongoing and a spokesman for UniCredit said no details could be disclosed on how the breach happened.
reuters.com
France: Government orders EDF to tackle nuclear project failings reuters.com
Estonia: Government accuses Russia of airspace violation stern.de
Poland: Investigation into Smolensk plane crash orf.at
Belgium: Step toward parole of child rapist and murderer sparks outrage wsj.com
⊂ JOB-BOARD ⊃
politjobs.eu: Bitkom sucht Referent europäische Digitalpolitik (w/m) *** Int. Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory seeks Innovation Project Manager *** Int. Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory seeks Project Assistant for EU Funded Projects *** PwC seeks Public Affairs Senior Manager Belgium *** Johnson & Johnson seeks Policy Assistant, Government Affairs & Policy EMEA *** Public Policy Manager, Connectivity *** Ryanair offers Public Affairs internship
politjobs.eu, politjobs.eu/submit (Inserat schalten)
⊂ MALFUNCTION ⊃
Trump booed at World Series: US President Donald Trump appearance at Game 5 of the World Series drew loud boos and jeers when he was introduced to the crowd. Chants of „Lock him up!“ broke out in some sections, including one below where the president was sitting. The chilly reception, which came during a ballpark-wide salute to US service members, wasn’t particularly surprising in predominantly liberal Washington, DC. Frequent Trump critic and chef Jose Andres threw out the ceremonial first pitch of the game.
cbsnews.com, cnn.com