Russia sets out tough demands for security pact with NATO
MOSCOW — Russia on Friday published draft security demands that NATO deny membership to Ukraine and other former Soviet countries and roll back the alliance’s military deployments in Central and Eastern Europe — bold ultimatums that are almost certain to be rejected by the U.S. and its allies.
The proposals, which were submitted to the U.S. and its allies earlier this week, also call for a ban on sending U.S. and Russian warships and aircraft to areas from where they can strike each other’s territory, along with a halt to NATO military drills near Russia.
The demand for a written guarantee that Ukraine won’t be offered membership already has been rejected by the West, which said Moscow doesn’t have a say in NATO’S enlargement.
NATO’S secretary-general emphasized Friday that any security talks with Moscow would need to take into account NATO concerns and involve Ukraine and other partners. The White House similarly said it’s discussing the proposals with U.S. allies and partners, but noted that all countries have the right to determine their future without outside interference.
The publication of the demands — contained in a proposed Russia-u.s. security treaty and a security agreement between Moscow and NATO — comes amid soaring tensions over a Russian troop buildup near Ukraine that has raised fears of an invasion. Moscow has denied it has plans to attack its neighbor but wants legal guarantees precluding NATO expansion and deploying weapons there.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Russia’s relations with the U.S. and NATO have approached a “dangerous point,” noting that alliance deployments and drills near Russia have raised “unacceptable” threats to its security.
Moscow wants the U.S. to start talks immediately on the proposals in Geneva, he told reporters. NATO Secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance had received the Russian documents, and noted that any dialogue with Moscow “would also need to address NATO’S concerns about Russia’s actions, be based on core principles and documents of European security, and take place in consultation with NATO’S European partners, such as Ukraine.”
Israel Palestinians: Jewish settlers burst into several villages in the occupied West Bank on Friday, smashing homes and cars and beating up at least two people, Palestinian officials said. The attacks came a day after Palestinian gunmen killed an Israeli man in a shooting ambush in the territory.
The death of settler Yehuda Dimentman, killed when gunmen opened fire on his car near a West Bank settlement outpost late Thursday, threatened to ignite further violence between Palestinian residents and Israeli settlers. Two other passengers in Dimentman’s vehicle were lightly wounded.
Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian Authority official who monitors settlement activities, said groups of settlers entered several Palestinian villages near the northern city of Nablus early Friday, smashing up cars and homes. Two Palestinians required hospital treatment.
In the Palestinian village of Qaryout, settlers broke into one house and tried to abduct a local resident, according to Daghlas.
Hong Kong election: Hong Kong voters are preparing to vote for the first time this weekend since election laws were changed, amid a dearth of opposition candidates months after the city began cracking down on dissent.
The legislative elections, to be held Sunday, come after Beijing in March passed a resolution for electoral reform in Hong Kong that gives Beijing more control over who is elected to Hong Kong’s legislature. Beijing has tightened its grip over the semi-autonomous Chinese city following months of pro-democracy protests in 2019 that at times descended into violent clashes between police and protesters.
Hong Kong later amended its laws in May, reducing the number of directly elected lawmakers to 20 from 35, even as the legislature was expanded from 70 to 90 seats. Most of the lawmakers in the legislature would be appointed by largely pro-beijing bodies.
Under the new laws, legislative candidates will also be vetted by a largely pro-beijing committee to ensure that only “patriots” loyal to Beijing rule the city.
Fox Dominion lawsuit: A judge Thursday rejected an attempt by the Rupert Murdoch-owned Fox News Media to dismiss a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems over the network’s coverage of the company’s role in the 2020 presidential election.
In the ruling, Judge Eric M. Davis of the Superior Court of Delaware, where Fox is incorporated, wrote that he had denied Fox News Media’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit because it was “reasonably conceivable that Dominion has a claim for defamation.”
Dominion, an election technology company, sued Fox News Media in March, accusing it of advancing lies that devastated its reputation and business. Dominion was at the center of a baseless pro-trump conspiracy
theory about rigged voting machines that were promoted by the president and his advisers, including Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, who appeared on Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network.
California population loss:
For the first time, California’s major population centers of Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area lost population in the same year, according to data released Friday.
California as a whole lost 173,000 people in the year ending July 1 that included 12 months of the pandemic.
It’s just the second time ever the state has reported an annual population loss. But it’s the first time Los Angeles County and all nine Bay Area counties lost population in the same annual count.
Los Angeles County is the nation’s most populous by a wide margin but the latest tally shows it lost about 67,500 people to fall just under 10 million. The Bay Area counties, which have a population of about 7.7 million, lost roughly 64,000.
Denmark outbreak: Denmark’s prime minister announced Friday that theaters, cinemas, concert halls, amusement parks, museums and art galleries across the country must close down under new restrictions to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the measures also require stores smaller than 21,528 square feet and restaurants to limit their number of customers.
The partial shutdown order was approved later Friday by Parliament’s 21-member Epidemic Committee. Most restrictions apply as of Sunday at 8 a.m.
The Danish government is advising residents to limit social contacts over the Christmas holidays, and urged public and private companies to have employees work from home where possible.