08 Tuesday, September 8, 2020 Europe / Americas Georgia hosts major drills with NATO forces UK police arrest man over Birmingham Harry refunds house refurb bill from VAZIANI: Georgia on Monday launched large-scale joint military mass stabbings Netflix deal exercises with NATO forces as part of its longstanding bid to join the LONDON: A 27-year-old man has been arrested in connection LONDON: Prince Harry has paid back £2.4 million ($3.2 News alliance, which has angered Tbilisi’s Soviet-era master Russia. Some with the mass stabbings in Britain’s second city Birmingham million) of British taxpayers’ money used to renovate his 2,800 troops from the United States, France, Britain, and Poland will that left one person dead and two critically wounded, police home at Windsor Castle, using cash from his recent Netflix in brief take part in the Noble Partner 2020 exercises held at the Vaziani and said on Monday. The man was held on suspicion of murder and deal, his spokesman said on Monday. The Duke of Sussex, Camp Norio training centres near Tbilisi. Georgia’s Prime Minister seven attempted murders that were carried out after midnight as he is formally known, and his wife, American former ac- Giorgi Gakharia said the drills are “the most important component of Saturday, West Midlands Police said. The suspect was detained tress Meghan Markle, retired from royal duties earlier this efforts to make Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration achievable”. (AFP) in the Selly Oak area at around 4.00am (0300 GMT). (AFP) year in a quest for “financial independence”.(AFP) Spain surpasses 500,000 virus cases: Health ministry AFP This gives Spain a per-cap- During the past two weeks deaths a day were reported, as to send their children to class. MADRID ita infection rate about twice the country has recorded an the median age of new infec- The government has im- that of France and Italy, ac- average of 7,000 to 8,000 new tions has dropped to around plemented several measures Spain’S total coronavirus cas- cording to an AFP tally based cases per day, around a third 40. to curb the risk of infections es have crossed half a million, on official data. Asymptomatic cases also in schools, including making health ministry data showed Spain was one of the account for a far greater pro- the use of masks mandatory on Monday, as the government worst-affected countries when During the past two weeks portion of positive results, for anyone aged six and over struggled to contain a surge of the coronavirus struck Europe the country has recorded an largely due to a rise in testing. and requiring frequent hand infections in one of Europe’s this year before one of the average of 7,000 to 8,000 “The situation is much washing. hardest-hit countries. world’s most stringent lock- new cases per day, around more favourable but we re- Last month it ordered The country of around 47 downs helped reduce the out- main in an upwards phase,” nightclubs and cocktail bars million people has recorded break’s spread. a third of them in the the health ministry’s emergen- to close and shortened restau- 525,549 confirmed cases of But infections have surged Madrid region cies coordinator Fernando Si- rant operating hours to try to COVID-19, and 29,516 relat- since the lockdown measures mon told journalists. curb the increase in infections. ed deaths, since its first case were fully removed at the end of them in the Madrid region. The rise in infections The government expects was diagnosed on January of June, the rise in infections But the mortality rate is far be- comes as Spain is reopen- the country’s tourism-depend- 31 on the remote island of La often attributed to the return low that recorded at the height ing its schools after they were ent economy will contract by A teacher checks the temperature of a student arriving to a municipal Gomera in the Canaries, the of nightlife and group activi- of health crisis in late March closed in March, with some 9.2 percent this year under the school on the first day of classes for the new academic year in Valen- ministry said. ties. and April, when nearly 900 parents saying they are afraid weight of the pandemic. cia on Monday. (AFP) Kremlin critic out of medically Belarus’ senior opposition figure induced coma: Berlin hospital AFP However, the hospital said BERLIN it was too early to determine the long-term impact of the ‘snatched off the street’ as over RUSSIAN opposition leader poisoning. Alexei Navalny, who Germany Navalny fell ill after board- says was poisoned by a weap- ing a plane in Siberia last ons-grade Novichok nerve month. He was initially treated agent, is now out of a medical- in a local hospital before being ly induced coma and is being flown to Berlin for treatment. 600 protesters nabbed by police weaned off mechanical ven- The German government tilation, the Berlin hospital said last week that toxicology AFP ploying troops, water cannon treating him said on Monday. tests have found “unequivocal MINSK and armoured vehicles. “He is responding to verbal evidence” that Novichok was Local media reported stimuli,” Charite hospital said used on Navalny, prompting BELARUS said on Monday hooded men in civilian clothes in a statement, reporting that Chancellor Angela Merkel and that police had detained more with batons chased and beat the 44-year-old’s condition her Western counterparts to than 600 people at weekend demonstrators. “has improved”. demand answers from Russia. protests and the opposition Interior Ministry spokes- said a senior figure had been woman Olga Chemodanova snatched off the streets, as au- said that 633 people had been thorities intensified efforts to detained on Sunday for illegal end weeks of demonstrations. mass gatherings, one of the Assange’s extradition to US The opposition’s Coordi- largest wave of arrests since nation Council said one of its the early days of the demon- hearing resumes in London high-profile members Maria strations. Kolesnikova had been “kid- Kolesnikova’s office said AFP hacker was “shining the light on napped by unknown people witnesses described her be- LONDON all the corruption in the world” in central Minsk” along with a ing snatched off the street in while his father told the crowd spokesman and executive sec- the capital Minsk on Monday WIKILEAKS founder Julian the hearing was an “abuse trial.” retary. morning by unidentified men Assange returned to court Earlier, Assange’s part- “Their whereabouts are un- in black who bundled her into in London on Monday for a ner, Stella Moris, delivered an known,” it said, accusing Presi- a minibus marked “Communi- hearing to decide whether he 80,000-strong petition oppos- dent Alexander Lukashenko’s cations”. should be extradited to the ing his extradition to Prime regime of “openly using meth- “More than 8 hours have United States for leaking se- Minister Boris Johnson’s ods of terror”. passed and we still don’t know crets about the wars in Iraq Downing Street office. Lukashenko’s main rival where Maria is and what is and Afghanistan. In an interview published Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said happening to her,” said law- Supporters protested as in The Times newspaper on the abductions were an at- yer Maxim Znak, a member of the 49-year-old Australian Saturday, Moris, 37, said she tempt to disrupt the work of the Coordination Council, in a was brought to the Old Bailey, feared he would take his own the Coordination Council. Belarusian police officers detain an opposition supporter during a rally to protest against the disputed Au- video blog on Monday evening. brandishing placards reading life, and their two young sons, It was set up to ensure a gust 9 presidential elections results, while witnesses say men in black grabbed Maria Kolesnikova (inset), a The Coordination Council “Don’t Extradite Assange” and who were conceived during his peaceful transfer of power af- leading opposition figure, and pushed her into a minibus, in Minsk on Monday. (AFP) said its press secretary Anton “Stop this political trial”. asylum in Ecuador’s London ter opposition candidate Tikh- Rodnenkov and executive sec- Fashion designer Vivienne embassy, would grow up with- anovskaya rejected Lukashen- retary Ivan Kravtsov had also Westwood said the former out a father. ko’s claim to have won an Germany demands ‘clarity on whereabouts’ disappeared, while police said August 9 presidential election they had no information on de- with 80 percent of the vote. of Belarusian opposition figure tentions. “The more they try to scare Znak said Kravtsov and us, the more people will take BERLIN: Germany on Monday said: “We demand clarity on The opposition Coordina- Rodnenkov went missing af- France, UK step up cooperation to the streets,” Tikhanovskaya demanded “clarity on the the whereabouts and the re- tion Council had said earlier ter heading to Kolesnikova’s said in a statement. whereabouts” of Belarusian lease of all political prisoners Monday that Kolesnikova had flat in search of her. He added against migrant smugglers The Coordination Council opposition figure Maria Kole- in Belarus. been “kidnapped by unknown that Kravtsov’s flat had been demanded the detainees’ im- snikova, who allies say was “The continued arrests and people in central Minsk” along searched by a state agency that DPA busy shipping zone. mediate release and the free re- snatched off the streets in repression, including and in with a spokesman and execu- probes financial violations. PARIS About 5,000 people in turn of other activists who have Minsk as authorities cracked particular against members of tive secretary.