EU must not ‘appease’ Viktor Orbán by unfreezing billions earmarked for Hungary

Commission may be prepared to to give Budapest €10bn after leader threatens to derail EU plans to open accession talks with Ukraine

The European Commission has been urged not to “appease” Viktor Orbán by unfreezing billions of euros for Budapest, as the Hungarian prime minister threatens to derail EU plans to open accession talks with Ukraine and grant Kyiv fresh aid.

The Hungarian government’s moves in recent years to undermine independent institutions, as well as concerns about corruption and alleged misuse of European funds, have led Brussels to withhold over €27bn (£23bn) earmarked for Hungary.

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US ‘out of money’ for Ukraine: six things to know about the aid standoff

White House urges Congress to approve extra funding for war against Russia – but hard-right Republicans are holding out

The White House issued an urgent warning to Congress on Monday, predicting that Ukraine will soon lose ground in its war against Russia without another infusion of financial aid from the US.

“I want to be clear: without congressional action, by the end of the year we will run out of resources to procure more weapons and equipment for Ukraine and to provide equipment from US military stocks,” Shalanda Young, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, wrote in her letter to congressional leaders.

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White House condemns protest targeting Philadelphia Jewish restaurant as ‘completely unjustifiable’ – as it happened

This live blog is now closed. You can read our full report below:

Back in Philadelphia, Brendan Boyle, a Democratic congressman representing the city, condemned the protest outside Jewish restaurant Goldie as “despicable”.

From his account on X:

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Boris Johnson considered ‘raid’ on vaccine plant in the Netherlands

Covid inquiry expected to be told former PM was open to ‘military options’ to obtain ‘impounded’ jabs from factory in Leiden

Boris Johnson’s appearance before the Covid-19 inquiry is not until Wednesday but it is already making headlines in the Netherlands amid a mixture of amusement and alarm at claims he asked for British spies to plan a “raid” on a Dutch vaccine plant.

The operation – according to sources who briefed Johnson’s employer, the Daily Mail – would have taken place against the backdrop of a tit-for-tat row in March 2021 between the then prime minister and the EU, which was moving towards restricting exports of vaccines across the Channel.

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Emmanuel Macron says Israel must define more precisely its Gaza aims

French president says there is no lasting security for Israel if it comes at the cost of Palestinian lives

Emmanuel Macron has ramped up his criticism of Israel’s military strategy, saying its stated objective of the elimination of Hamas could take a decade and stoke “the resentment of all public opinion in the region”.

In his strongest warning yet, the French president said at the weekend that the Israeli authorities needed to “define more precisely” their aims in Gaza, adding that the proper response to a terrorist group was not “to bomb the entirety of civilian capabilities”.

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Father of British student tells Paris court her killer ‘devastated’ family

Roger Parrish says murder of daughter Joanna by serial killer Michel Fourniret in 1990 had never-ending impact

The father of a British student murdered by a French serial killer has told a court how the “narcissistic psychopath” devastated his “perfect” family.

Roger Parrish, 80, whose daughter Joanna was beaten, raped and strangled by Michel Fourniret in 1990, said: “Never-ending devastation doesn’t even come close to describing the effect Joanna’s murder has had on our family.”

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Fossil fuel firms should volunteer to help vulnerable countries, says Spanish minister

Co-leader of EU delegation at Cop28 says climate should be at centre of all financial and economic decisions

If fossil fuel companies are serious about tackling the climate crisis, they could contribute to funds for poor and vulnerable countries stricken by its effects, Spain’s environment minister has said.

Teresa Ribera, a co-leader of the EU delegation at the Cop28 UN climate summit in Dubai, said: “Private corporates should be stepping into a different development model in vulnerable countries. We went through some language on that that was broadly supported by all [EU] member states, which is: why not just start by an invitation to the oil and gas companies to dedicate part of the profits to invest in sustainable development of the most vulnerable countries. And that’s on a voluntary basis [at first], because why not?”

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Weather tracker: temperatures to plummet across Russia

East of country may fall to close to -50C, while Moscow has its third snowiest November this century

Temperatures across large parts of Russia are expected to plummet in the second half of this week. A large area of high pressure will sit over a large portion of the west of the country, introducing arctic air to the region, and keeping temperatures well below the seasonal average.

In Perm and Omsk, daytime temperatures are not forecast to rise above -25C later this week, which is about 20C below the seasonal norm. For the Perm region, this week is expected to be the coldest since 2016.

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Russia-Ukraine war: Poland will demand EU restores permits for Ukrainian truckers as first vehicles cross border – as it happned

Polish prime minister says ‘we will strongly and unequivocally’ demand restoration of permits in de-escalation of border trade blockade

It is 2pm in Kyiv and here is a summary of today’s events so far:

Maj Gen Vladimir Zavadsky, the deputy commander of Russia’s 14th Army Corps, has been confirmed killed in Ukraine, said the governor of Russia’s Voronezh region, Alexander Gusev. He said Zavadsky had died “at a combat post in the special operation zone”, but further details have not been released.

The US is running out of time and money to help Ukraine fight its war with Russia, say the White House. Its budget director, Shalanda Young, issued the warning in a letter to the Republican House speaker, Mike Johnson, and other congressional leaders on Monday.

Ukraine’s air force said it shot down 18 Russian drones and one missile. It also added that a cultural centre and a shop were hit in Kherson.

Empty cargo trucks have crossed the border between Ukraine and Poland. In the first steps towards a de-escalation of a border blockade that has crippled Ukrainian trade. Estimates of the Ukrainian trade loss so far, exceed €400m ($440m). Processing of empty trucks began at the Uhryniv-Dolhobychuv checkpoint by customs services at 1am (Kyiv time), in accordance with an agreement between Kyiv and Warsaw announced on Monday.

Ukraine’s forces attacked an oil depot in Russia-controlled Luhansk on Sunday night using combat drones. A fire that broke out after the attack was extinguished and there was no information about casualties.

Russia are opening new fronts in the battle for Avdiivka, say Ukrainian officials, who have accused Russian forces of assaulting the industrial town in the eastern Donetsk region from two new directions.

The Hungarian carrier Wizz Air has restarted inbound flights to Chisinau, Moldova, in eastern Europe, having suspended flights to the country in March due to tensions linked to Russia’s war with Ukraine.

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Rockall fishing rights dispute between Scotland and Ireland deepens

Countries at loggerheads over access to fishing grounds in north Atlantic since Brexit referendum in 2016

Irish fisheries leaders have warned of fresh conflicts with Scotland over fishing rights around the north Atlantic islet of Rockall as evidence emerged about the roots of the long-running sovereignty dispute.

Scotland and Ireland have been at loggerheads over access to fishing grounds within 12 nautical miles of Rockall since the Brexit referendum in 2016, which signalled an end to the UK’s membership of the common fisheries policy.

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‘It was heartbreaking’: Muslim mayor comes to terms with Dutch election result

Ahmed Marcouch, directly targeted by Geert Wilders during his career, grapples with how best to heal country’s wounds

Soon after news broke that the populist Geert Wilders and his anti-Islam Party for Freedom (PVV) had won the most votes of any party in the Dutch elections, Ahmed Marcouch found himself comforting his distraught eight-year-old.

Earlier in the day, a teacher at his son’s school had explained the election results, discussing the wide differences between parties. Now Marcouch’s son was terrified that the family would have to leave the country.

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Europe is ‘miles behind’ in race for raw materials used in electric car batteries

EU and UK carmakers have secured just 16% of lithium, cobalt and nickel needed to hit 2030 targets, says study

European carmakers have secured less than a sixth of the key raw materials they will need by 2030 to make electric vehicle batteries, according to analysis that highlights the expected scramble for green-tech resources.

Carmakers have secured contracts for 16% of the lithium, cobalt and nickel required to hit their 2030 electric car sales targets, according to public disclosures analysed by Transport & Environment (T&E), a Brussels-based campaign group.

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Russia-Ukraine war live: Ukraine launches inquiry into ‘execution’ of captured soldiers – as it happened

Ukraine says Russian troops committed war crime as video appears to show two men surrendering before being shot

There it is, on a wintry morning: charred masonry, gnarled metal, glass shards, rubble and dust.

Yet another ravaged building in Ukraine: each has its own story, and this violation is against Kherson’s regional library for children, a place of effervescent creativity with a wonderful collection, named Dnipro Seagull library, after the birds that soar over the city’s mighty river – a symbol of the region.

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Ukraine investigating ‘execution’ of surrendering troops by Russian forces

Video shows two unarmed Ukrainian soldiers being shot dead as they emerged from dugout near Avdiivka

Ukraine is investigating the “execution” by Russian forces of two Ukrainian soldiers who emerged from their trench near the town of Avdiivka and were shot dead as they surrendered.

The public prosecutor’s office said it had launched an inquiry into the gruesome incident. Video showed the Ukrainian soldiers’ last moments. One raised his arms in the air. Next, Russian service personnel gunned both men down at point-blank range.

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Brexit-backer Richard Desmond invokes EU law to sue Gambling Commission

Ex-Express owner is expected to claim regulator made errors during bidding war for national lottery contract

Richard Desmond, the Brexit-backing media tycoon, is invoking EU law to sue the gambling regulator after it rejected his “fanciful” bid to run the national lottery, in a suit that could deprive good causes of millions of pounds.

The former owner of the Daily Express has vowed previously to seek damages from the Gambling Commission after his company Northern & Shell missed out on a 10-year contract, worth £6.5bn, to run the lottery from next year.

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Alleged killer of tourist in Paris attack had pledged allegiance to Islamic State

Suspect detained after German-Filipino man killed and two – one British and one French – injured near Eiffel Tower

A 26-year-old man suspected of killing a German-Filipino tourist and wounding two others near the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Saturday night had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in a video released online.

The French anti-terrorism prosecutor, Jean-François Ricard, said the French suspect, named as Armand Rajabpour-Miyandoab, “had recorded a video before committing the act”, in which he spoke in Arabic, swore allegiance to Islamic State and supported its jihadists in different areas from Africa to Iraq, Syria and Pakistan.

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Russia-Ukraine war at a glance: what we know on day 648

Russia attempting to quell dissent from wives of soldiers deployed in Ukraine; former Ukraine president Poroshenko prevented from leaving the country

Russian authorities are attempting to quell dissent from the wives of soldiers deployed in Ukraine, the UK’s Ministry of Defence has said. The MoD said in its daily intelligence briefing that some were being paid off while others have been discredited online.

Russian shelling killed one civilian and destroyed two houses in the eastern town of Chasiv Yar on Saturday, Ukraine’s interior ministry said. Chasiv Yar is less than 5km west of the frontline city of Bakhmut, which Russia claimed to have captured in May after a devastating, months-long assault.

Ukrainian border guards prevented the ex-president Petro Poroshenko from leaving the country on Friday because he planned to meet the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, Kyiv’s security services said. Ukraine’s SBU security services said the former leader – who was in power from 2014 to 2019 – was turned back due to his planned meeting with Orban, an EU leader chided by Kyiv for his pro-Russian stance.

Ukraine has become progressively stronger over the past year and will soon be able to reopen Kyiv’s international airport, Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak said.

The Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant lost its power supply after the last remaining line to it from Ukrainian-controlled territory was disrupted, but it has since been repaired. Ukraine’s energy ministry said.

OSCE Conference participants have accused Moscow of undermining the Vienna-based organisation. Latvia’s representative, Katrina Kaktina, accused Russia of obstructing the OSCE agenda and of committing war crimes in Ukraine.

Ukraine is developing plans to allow spectators to attend sports stadiums. Its sports ministry is developing a system that will allow fans to attend stadiums and watch games which have been off limits to the public since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

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Leaning tower in Bologna to be saved as city announces €4m repair project

Work to be carried out on Garisenda tower in new year after area around it was cordoned off due to collapse fears

Officials have announced plans to repair one of two 12th-century towers in the Italian city of Bologna after the area around it had to secured last month over fears its leaning could lead to collapse.

The city said the €4.3m (£3.7m) project to shore up the Garisenda tower – one of the Two Towers that look out over central Bologna, providing inspiration over the centuries to painters and poets and a lookout spot during conflicts – would proceed in January and February.

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Heavy snow brings chaos to southern Germany as Munich suspends flights

Winter weather also disrupts train traffic and causes Bayern Munich v Union Berlin match to be called off

Heavy snowfall has brought chaos to parts of southern Germany, with air and rail traffic blocked in the Bavarian state capital of Munich.

After first suspending flights until noon on Saturday (1100 GMT), Munich airport later said it would remain closed until 6am on Sunday.

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‘Alone you are weak’: top German politician calls for closer links between UK and EU

Martin Schulz, former leader of Germany’s ruling SPD, says the Brexit divide is harming efforts to solve international crises

A leading figure in Germany’s ruling Social Democratic party (SPD) has called for far closer links between the UK and the European Union, amid rising concerns the Brexit divide is harming efforts to solve international crises, including mass migration.

Martin Schulz, a former SPD leader and candidate to be chancellor of Germany, said it was vital that regular meetings, known in EU jargon as “structured dialogue”, be set up to bind the UK closer to the EU – and Germany – once again.

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