Russia’s foreign ministry published a list of demands (Moscow Times) for North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries, which includes guarantees that Ukraine will never join NATO and that NATO will abandon its military activities in Ukraine, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. A Kremlin spokesperson said yesterday that Russia stands ready to negotiate (AP). 

Concerns over Russia’s military buildup near its border with Ukraine also prompted European Union (EU) leaders to threaten “massive consequences” (Politico) in the case of “further aggression.” As efforts to resolve the standoff continue, German regulators announced yesterday that a decision on whether to authorize (Bloomberg) the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany will not be made before July 2022. Some EU leaders have suggested blocking the pipeline as part of a potential sanctions package against Russia.

Voters will choose between Beijing-vetted candidates (Bloomberg) on Sunday and directly elect only around one-fifth of members on Hong Kong’s Legislative Council.
 
CFR’s Jerome A. Cohen talks to experts about the future of Hong Kong at this virtual roundtable.
 
China: The U.S. Department of the Treasury blacklisted drone maker DJI (CNN) and seven other Chinese companies, saying they facilitated abuses against Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang region and other minorities.

From January to November 28 of this year, Iran sent back (LA Times) more than one million Afghans, a nearly 50 percent increase from the same period in 2020, according to the International Organization for Migration.
 
Afghanistan/Pakistan: A drone strike apparently targeted a senior leader of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, on the Afghan side of the countries’ border. However, it failed to explode, Reuters reported.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said four of the companies were founded or based (Al Jazeera) in Israel and one each was based in China, India, and North Macedonia.
 
In Foreign Affairs, Jacquelyn Schneider discusses how to address cyberthreats in a world without trust.
 
Iran: Diplomats will temporarily adjourn talks (Reuters) on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal after meeting today and plan to resume them later this month.

Health authorities officially declared the outbreak (WHO) on October 8. It was the second in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) this year.
 
DRC: The country’s central bank never registered (Bloomberg) a $530 million payment that state mining company Gecamines said it paid to the government during former President Joseph Kabila’s final term, the country’s top anticorruption official said.

The deal, signed with Australia, is the first pact that the United Kingdom (UK) negotiated from scratch (BBC) after Brexit instead of rolling over terms from when the UK was part of the EU. It is Australia’s second-largest trade deal with any country.

Far-right former Congressman Jose Antonio Kast Rist has risen in polls (Axios) in recent weeks and is virtually tied with leftist former student leader Gabriel Boric Font.
 
For Foreign Affairs, CFR’s Paul J. Angelo discusses Chile’s uncertain next chapter.
 
Brazil: Federal officials are expelling (FT) the International Monetary Fund’s office in the country due to dissatisfaction with its economic forecasts.

The new rule from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could help women circumvent abortion restrictions (NBC) in states, such as Texas, where such pills must be picked up in person and cannot be acquired through telemedicine.