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Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko threatened Stop the transportation of natural gas and cargo If the EU imposes further sanctions on his regime over the immigration crisis on the border between Belarus and Poland, he will be transferred to Europe.

Lukashenko is responding to the European Commission President Ursula Vonderlein’s announcement on Wednesday that the European Union will expand sanctions, accusing Minsk of directing immigrants to the EU border in an attempt to destabilize the European Union’s “cynic geopolitical power game.”

Lukashenko warned on Thursday that he would respond to any “unacceptable” sanctions.

According to the Belarusian state news agency Berta, he said: “We are heating Europe and they are threatening to close the border.” “What if we cut off the gas supply to them?.. We should not stop in order to defend our sovereignty and independence. Not move forward.”

Lukashenko’s remarks came as European natural gas prices soared due to concerns about insufficient supply before the winter.

Thank you for reading FirstFT Europe/Africa.This is the rest of the news today-Gary

There are five more stories in the news

1. Foreign ownership of residential properties tripled Number of homes owned by overseas buyers in England and Wales Almost tripled In the past decade, the influx of residents from tax havens and Asia into the UK real estate market has raised concerns that wealthy overseas investors will shut out locals. Hong Kong is the largest single source of buyers.

2. Conservative MPs accuse Johnson of hypocrisy Boris Johnson ordered members of Congress this week to “dedicate themselves to your constituents first,” instead of doing a second job. Revenue exceeds £4 million According to the calculations of the Financial Times based on the register of members of Congress’s financial interests, the past 14 years have come from external interests.

3. Tegnell says Sweden is no longer a leader in the pandemic In a committee investigating Sweden’s response to Covid-19, epidemiologist Anders Tegnell-the designer of his early “no lockdown” approach- Tell the Financial Times The country is one of the countries with a low excess mortality rate in Europe, while it is close to average on other measures.

4. With the impact of inflation, Hungary implements a fuel price ceiling Hungary will restrict the prices of gasoline and diesel from Monday Control rising inflation, Prime Minister Victor Orban’s chief of staff said before a close election is expected next year.

5. Uber CEO flies to London due to shortage of drivers Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi spent 24 hours in London this week – this was his first international trip during the pandemic – because the ride-hailing giant faced Shortage of 20,000 drivers Before the peak of Christmas.

COP26 summary

• A sort of Sino-US Thaw Cooperation on climate change has Changed mood At COP26, even the joint statement did not include any major commitments.

• Negotiator is Eager to agree Rules governing a Global carbon market, Called Article 6.

• European Eight Leading business school Shelving competition Build alliance Training, research and action on climate change.

• View: We shouldn’t be too quick to ignore the “nonsense, nonsense, nonsense” on the climate, Gillian Tett wrote.

Thanks to readers who shared ideas about progress or lack of progress at COP26. Reader John Bittleston from Singapore:

“Has COP26 made enough meaningful progress? Obviously not, but the expansion of cooperation plus the US-China agreement shows that cooperation is now a buzzword. This is a big step forward.”

the day before

Libya Conference French President Emmanuel Macron will co-host a game International conference Today in Libya in Paris. Egyptian President Abdul Fatah Al-Sisi will also attend. (Reuters)

Indian inflation Expected consumer price index Hold steady Today, but the release will be Closely Get the final clues on inflation before the Reserve Bank of India’s December interest rate setting meeting. (Reuters, Financial Times)

income AstraZeneca Report today, Investors seek to clarify whether the drugmaker plans to sell its Covid-19 vaccine after the pandemic is over.Deutsche Telekom, Mizuho, ??Lotte, Sumitomo Mitsui and Toshiba Also set report results.

Other content we are reading and watching

The main brokerage brace of the new era Banks in Europe and the United States have long used prime brokerage services, which, although their returns are stable, are not compelling Build a more profitable relationship With hedge funds. In the aftermath of the collapse of Archegos Capital, Credit Suisse decided to withdraw from the business, which highlights the changes that are taking place in the industry.

Weak British economy emerges from Covid fog Has the economy recovered the land lost during the crisis, or is the loss so severe that it will take two years to return to pre-pandemic levels? According to the National Bureau of Statistics, both statements are true. Chris Giles wrote.

Can the Vatican reform its finances? one FT Film survey The financial situation of the Holy See, and consider how the landmark litigation related to the controversial London real estate transaction will affect Pope Francis’ reforms in this city-state.

India’s ID card system warns the world The Aadhaar biometric digital recognition system has helped India’s online activity surge. But it also makes it possible to build fragmented large-scale surveillance infrastructure, John Thornhill wrote.

The party is back-but what are the rules? Our closed days are over, which means returning to the old routine-and parties.As Social spirit Esquire’s editor-in-chief, Alex Bilmes, once again exerted influence on New York and London, he asked: Will things be the same as before?

books

What is your favorite book in 2021?The Financial Times wants Reader recommendation Best reading of the year. The response will be published as part of our annual book series, which includes a selection of FT writers and critics.