12 Friday International Friday, December 27, 2019 Russian police detain top opposition leader Navalny MOSCOW: Russian police yesterday detained the newspaper said in a statement. “So far this top opposition leader as they looks like an abduction,” said. conducted fresh searches at his Moscow-based It added that the searches were linked to No- anti-corruption foundation, a spokeswoman vaya Gazeta publications including those con- said. “Alexei has been forcibly detained and led cerning “illegal armed groups” operating in the away,” his spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said on war-torn eastern Ukraine where Kiev is battling Twitter. against pro-Kremlin separatists. “He did not put up resistance,” she said, Authorities have been steadily ramping up adding that searches at the FBK anti-corruption pressure on Navalny and his allies in recent foundation were currently under way. years with regular searches and short jail terms Yarmysh suggested that the authorities chose for President ’s top opponent and to raid the offices yesterday because Navalny his allies. was scheduled to address supporters in a The 43-year-old Navalny helped organise weekly YouTube programme in the evening. major protests against the government this sum- Navalny’s staff released a video showing how mer when tens of thousands took to the streets law enforcement agents tried to break into the of Moscow to demand fair elections. A number FBK offices using a saw, with sparks flying of people received jail terms for taking part in around. “New Year’s fireworks,” Navalny’s ally those protests. Nikolai Lyaskin quipped on Twitter. Another On Wednesday Navalny said that one of his video showed men clad in black uniforms and allies had been forcibly conscripted and sent to sporting masks and helmets serching the FBK serve at a remote Arctic base, in a move his sup- office premises. porters also said amounted to kidnapping. Rus- In a separate development, Russia’s top op- lan Shaveddinov, a project manager at Navalny’s position newspaper Novaya Gazeta said yester- FBK foundation, went missing Monday after po- day that authorities had searched the Moscow lice broke into his Moscow flat and his phone’s apartment of its special correspondent Yulia SIM card was disabled. MOSCOW: Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny stands near law enforcement agents in a hallway Polukhina. He resurfaced Tuesday at a secret air defence of a business centre, which houses the office of his Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), in Moscow yes- After the raid, the mother of two children had base on the remote Novaya Zemlya archipelago terday. Russian police conducted fresh searches at Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s anti-corruption been taken away to “an unknown destination,” in the Arctic Ocean. — AFP foundation, with his team calling the raid a new bid to disrupt their work. — AFP

can never really be severed”. The Dutchman’s EU chief writes letter concluded with the words: “We’re not tion of hiking taxes or cutting spending to find going away and you will always be welcome to Italy education the funds he demanded. The budget was ap- ‘love letter’ to come back.” The prospects of Prime Minister proved on Monday ahead of a Dec. 31 dead- Boris Johnson reversing his decision to take line. “It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that Britain out of the European Union on January 31 minister resigns a minister keeps his word,” Fioramonti told Britain over Brexit are close to nil. Reuters in an interview on Wednesday. Fiora- Johnson won a thumping majority in this over lack of funds monti said he would still support the govern- month’s general election on a promise to “get ment in parliament, where he is a lower house LONDON: A top Brussels official has written a Brexit done” after more than three years of in- deputy. “love letter” to Britain expressing his grief at its for ministry decision and delays. Britons voted by a 52 to 48 Italy spends 3.6% of gross domestic prod- decision to leave the European Union — and percent margin to leave the other 27 EU member uct on primary to university education, com- stressing it was always welcome back. states in a 2016 referendum. Most opinion polls ROME: Italian Education Minister Lorenzo pared with an average of 5% among 32 “I know you now. And I love you. For who you indicate a slight majority in favour of remaining are and what you gave me. I’m like an old lover. I Fioramonti told Reuters on Wednesday he had countries in a report by the Organisation of in the European Union today. know your strengths and weaknesses,” European resigned after failing to obtain from the gov- Economic Cooperation and Development. As Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans But parties supporting a second Brexit refer- ernment billions of euros he said were needed a proportion of public spending, Italy came wrote in yesterday’s edition of The Guardian endum that could reverse the first one got to improve the country’s schools and univer- bottom in the OECD. newspaper. drubbed in this month’s vote. Johnson has further sities. The resignation is a blow to the embat- Fioramonti, a former economics professor “You have decided to leave. It breaks my indicated that he has no plans to extend the tled government, whose ruling parties are at at South Africa’s Pretoria University, has been heart, but I respect that decision,” he added in a post-Brexit transition period beyond the end of odds on issues ranging from euro zone reform one of Italy’s most outspoken ministers during missive titled “My love letter to Britain: family ties next year. — AFP to migrant rights. his three months in office. His proposals for It also underscores the problems of the new taxes on airline tickets, plastic and sugary anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, Fiora- foods to raise funds for education were at- identify the owner and reunite him with the monti’s party, which is trying to reorganise tacked by critics who said Italians were al- Honest German backpack and its precious contents. The man amid widespread internal dissatisfaction with ready over-taxed. who found the bag “refused a finder’s fee, be- its leader Luigi Di Maio. Fioramonti told A vocal supporter of green policies, Fiora- returns bag with cause it was Christmas,” Krefeld police wrote on Reuters he had tendered his “irrevocable res- monti made headlines when he announced Facebook. “There really are people who do good ignation” to Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in Italy would next year become the first country deeds over Christmas,” they added. a letter on Dec. 23. to make it compulsory for schoolchildren to 16,000 euros In Germany, anyone who returns a found ob- This month three 5-Star senators jumped study climate change and sustainable devel- ject is entitled to a finder’s fee based on the value ship to join the right-wing League in opposi- opment. of the item. In this case, the finder would have tion. Fioramonti said shortly after the govern- Earlier this month he said Italian energy FRANKFURT AM MAIN: A 63-year-old man in been 490 euros richer if he had accepted the re- ment of 5-Star and the centre-left Democratic giant ENI should halt oil exploration and focus Germany had a very Merry Christmas indeed ward. The police’s Facebook post sharing the Party was formed in September that he would on renewable energy. “I have sometimes felt I after an honest finder returned the backpack he feelgood story attracted over a 1,000 likes and quit unless education spending was raised by could have had more support from my own had forgotten under a tree — filled with presents nearly 180 comments, although some expressed 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) in the 2020 party over my proposals on the environment,” and 16,000 euros ($17,700) in cash. surprise that anyone would walk around with so budget. Fioramonti said. The 51-year-old finder alerted police after much cash. A Krefeld police spokesman told AFP Few believed him, even as the budget con- “5-Star was born 10 years ago with a stumbling upon the bag near the centre of the yesterday that while it was “unusual”, the back- tinued its passage through parliament and it strongly green platform, but it seems to have western city of Krefeld shortly before midnight pack’s owner had said “he felt safer” carrying his became clear the government had little inten- got lost along the way.” — Reuters on Christmas Eve. Officers were able to quickly money on him. — AFP