The Russian national team will not be able to participate under its flag in the World Cup in Qatar in 2022. This was stated by the Chairman of the WADA Compliance Committee Jonathan Taylor, Vedomosti reports. The team will be able to take part in the tournament under a neutral flag if they qualify. According to Taylor, the International Football Federation (FIFA) is obliged to follow WADA's recommendations. The qualifying tournament for European teams will take place in 2021.

On the eve of the meeting of the Normandy Four in Kyiv, the participants of the Landing on Bankova rally set up tents in front of the Office of the President of Ukraine. According to UNIAN , the organizers of the rally announced their intention to be on the street at least until the announcement of the results of the meeting. Thus, they want to warn the Ukrainian authorities about the inadmissibility of capitulatory decisions within the framework of the Normandy Summit.

Due to Russia's actions, the Ukrainian economy has lost between $50 and $150 billion since 2014, Ukrainian Minister of Economy, Trade and Agriculture Tymofiy Mylovanov said hours before the Normandy Four meeting. “Direct losses in 2014-2015 amounted to 15-20% of GDP. The total losses are estimated to be between $50 billion and $150 billion,” he wrote on Facebook . According to him, the value of state-owned real estate remaining in Crimea and Donbass is $3.6 billion.

Memorial announced a fundraiser to pay numerous fines imposed by the courts on human rights defenders for non-compliance with the law on “foreign agents” — the lack of appropriate labeling on the materials of human rights defenders. You can support Memorial here . On the site, you can make donations for any amount one-time or monthly. Detailed reports on the spending of funds will also be published there.

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived at the Elysee Palace, where the meeting of the leaders of Russia, France, Germany and Ukraine begins on the settlement of the conflict in Donbass. Putin was met by the host of the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron, TASS reports . In addition to the Normandy format talks, Paris will also host a series of parallel bilateral talks between the heads of state.

After one of the largest peaceful rallies in the history of protests in Hong Kong on Sunday, demonstrators set fire to the courthouse, threw gasoline bombs and painted the walls of buildings. It is reported by Reuters . On Monday, December 9, after the police spoke about the aggressive actions of the demonstrators, Hong Kong protesters went on strike throughout the city. Rail and transport links worked only during the morning rush hour.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet in Washington on December 10. The parties plan to discuss "a wide range of regional and bilateral issues," the US State Department said, Interfax reports . The American media, commenting on the message, draw attention to the fact that the meeting will take place the next day after the negotiations in the Normandy format.

Presidents of Russia and Ukraine Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky held talks for more than an hour with the participation of members of the delegations, in addition, they talked tête-à-tête for 5-10 minutes. The bilateral meeting took place on the sidelines of the Normandy Four summit. From the Russian side, Energy Minister Alexander Novak and the head of Gazprom, Alexei Miller, took part in it, Interfax reported .

As evidence in a lawsuit for 3 million rubles against Lyubov Sobol and Georgy Alburov because of the rally on August 3, the State Budgetary Institution "Automobile Roads" presented contracts without seals and signatures. And the data in them disagreed with the claims, writes MBKh Media with reference to the lawyer of the Anti-Corruption Foundation Alexei Molokoedov. “Contracts are not signed, there is no date on them, some of them were edited in Word and it says “Option 1” or “Option 2”.

UPD: At least five people died as a result of the volcanic eruption, according to Reuters . A volcanic eruption has begun on the popular tourist island of White Island in New Zealand. During the release of steam and ash, one person died and several more were injured. 23 tourists were evacuated, and the exact number of missing people has not yet been established. About 50 people were on the island, according to the Associated Press .

To introduce anti-corruption lessons in schools, criminal liability for legal entities and equate embezzlement from the budget with treason - such proposals were voiced to improve the situation in Russia on International Anti-Corruption Day. Chairman of the Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin believes that criminal liability for legal entities for involvement in corruption-related crimes could be relevant.

The Executive Committee of the World Anti-Doping Agency suspended Russia from international competition for four years. Athletes will only be allowed to compete under a neutral flag, and only those who are not involved in doping violations will be allowed to participate. In addition, Russia lost the opportunity to host several major competitions, Kommersant reports .

Russia has forgotten how to be friends even with traditionally close partners. Bulgaria, which for decades was called fraternal, moved to the status of "unfriendly". As in the case with other EU countries, not without the participation of Russian special services, political analyst Ivan Preobrazhensky notes. “If the Bulgarian state does not want…” Moscow expels a Bulgarian diplomat. The Russian Foreign Ministry gave an official notice to the ambassador about this.

The Moscow City Court extended for three months, until March 13, 2020, the arrest of the former head of the Serpukhov district of the Moscow region, Alexander Shestun, who is accused of abuse of office and taking a bribe on an especially large scale. According to the correspondent of MBKh Media , the prosecutor's office said that Shestun is accused of committing grave and especially grave crimes, and he can contact the participants in the case who are on the international wanted list.

Operators of two lines of the Paris metro voted to extend the strike until the end of the week. Due to the protest of transport workers associated with a possible change in the pension system, the capital plunged into chaos, according to Reuters . In France, the fifth day of strike representatives of trade unions. They want to force President Emmanuel Macron to change his mind about pension reform. The strike hit the transport sector the hardest.