Europe

LONDON, Sept 9 (NNN-Xinhua) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will announce a ban on social gatherings of more than six people in England to curb the spread of COVID-19, local media reported Wednesday.

New measures reducing the maximum number of social gatherings from 30 to six — both indoors and outdoors, including private homes, parks, pubs and restaurants — are set to come into force from Monday, Sept. 14, according to reports.

BIRMINGHAM, Sept 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — British police will charge Zephaniah McLeod, 27, with one count of murder and seven counts of attempted murder following a spate of stabbings in Birmingham City on Sunday, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

“This decision was made following careful consideration of the evidence presented to us by West Midlands Police as a result of their ongoing investigation,” Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor of CPS West Midlands Suzanne Llewellyn said in a statement.

McLeod will appear in court on Wednesday over the attacks in the city centre.

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain announces legislation on Wednesday for life outside the EU after throwing its trade talks with the bloc into jeopardy by announcing in advance that the new plans would break international law and “clarify” a deal it signed in January.

The announcement of the plans, which the government said would break international law “in a very specific and limited way”, has contributed to concerns Britain could be cast out of the European Union’s single market with no agreement on trade.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia’s foreign minister criticized Germany on Wednesday over its handling of official requests by Moscow about the condition of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, Interfax news agency reported.

Navalny, an opponent of President Vladimir Putin, is being treated in a Berlin hospital where he was taken after falling ill on a Russian domestic flight. Germany says he was poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok. Russia has said it has seen no evidence he was poisoned.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Police carried out searches on Wednesday at the Open Russia opposition group’s office in Moscow and the homes of several opposition activists running in local elections this weekend, raids that the Kremlin’s critics described as intimidation.

The Open Russia group financed by Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky said the police searches were taking place as part of an old criminal investigation into Yukos, a defunct oil giant once owned by Khodorkovsky.

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil futures clawed back some of the losses they sustained in the previous session, but a rebound in COVID-19 cases in some countries undermined hopes for a steady recovery in global demand.

Brent crude LCOc1 was up 20 cents, or 0.5%, at $39.98 a barrel by 1119 GMT after dropping more than 5% on Tuesday to fall below $40 a barrel for the first time since June.

U.S. crude CLc1 was up 42 cents, or 1.1%, at $37.18 a barrel, having fallen nearly 8% in the previous session.

Both major oil benchmarks are trading close to three-month lows.

OSLO (Reuters) - A Norwegian lawmaker has nominated Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for 2021 for helping broker a deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, the second time he has put forward the U.S. president for the honor.

Thousands of people are eligible to nominate candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize, including members of parliaments and governments, university professors and past laureates.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee, which decides on the award, declined to comment.

London, Sep 9 (PTI) UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is planning tougher new restrictions on social gatherings of more than six people in England starting next Monday, following a significant rise in the coronavirus cases.

A law change to be introduced will ban larger groups of friends and family meeting anywhere socially indoors or outdoors, to be enforced through a 100 pounds fine if people fail to comply and doubling on each offence up to a maximum of 3,200 pounds.

BRUSSELS, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- The post-pandemic top priority for the European Union (EU) is implementing the recovery package agreed by EU leaders and ensuring that the aid reaches the people, the European Commission's top echelons told the Brussels Economic Forum on Tuesday.

Addressing the annual economic event, executive Vice President of the European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis and European Commissioner for Economy Paolo Gentiloni both stressed the importance of building economies for future generations.

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Thousands of migrants fled a camp under COVID-19 lockdown after multiple fires gutted much of the site on the Greek island of Lesbos, authorities said early Wednesday.

Some 12,500 people were living at the Moria camp and the surrounding area, where additional restrictions have been imposed over the past week after a Somali resident tested positive for the coronavirus.