U.K. lockdown flouters clash with police
LONDON -- At least 22 police officers were injured after a street party in the south London district of Brixton that violated coronavirus lockdown restrictions descended into violence.
On Thursday, the Metropolitan Police agency said officers were called overnight to "a large unlicensed music event in the street" and that officers first sought to encourage the crowd to leave.
As a result, more officers arrived and the revelers started turning "hostile," the agency said. Footage on social media showed that a number of police vehicles were smashed and bottles were thrown at officers. Police said none of the officers was seriously injured but that two required hospital treatment.
Police said four people were arrested on charges of assault and public-order offenses and they remain in custody.
Home Secretary Priti Patel described the images as "utterly vile scenes." Police commander Colin Wingrove said the violence was "totally unacceptable" and an investigation is taking place.
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London Mayor Sadiq Khan said large gatherings during the pandemic are "deeply irresponsible" and are a risk to life. "I'm in touch with the Met Police about the completely unacceptable events in Brixton overnight," he said. "Violence against the police will not be tolerated."
Belarusian calls Russia, Poland meddlers
MINSK, Belarus -- The president of Belarus has accused unidentified forces in Russia and Poland of interfering in the country's presidential election, in which he is seeking a sixth term.
Alexander Lukashenko on Thursday alleged that "puppet masters" in the two countries are behind those campaigning to run against him. The president added that "hideous" fake stories about him and his family are being spread in Belarus as part of the meddling campaign.
"We will talk about it with [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin soon, when we meet, but this situation is very complicated. The most sophisticated fake [news] technologies are being used," Lukashenko said.
The Kremlin rejected the accusations. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia "has never meddled, does not meddle and doesn't plan to meddle" in elections in other countries, and added that Minsk should provide "arguments" in support of the allegations.
As the Aug. 9 presidential election approaches, Belarusian authorities have intensified efforts to disrupt the opposition, detaining about 360 opposition activists during mass protests across the country.
Lukashenko, 65, has ruled the nation of 9.5 million with an iron fist since July 1994 and relentlessly cracks down on the political opposition and independent media.
Belgians round up trafficking suspects
BRUSSELS -- During a major operation linked to a cross-border investigation into human trafficking, Belgian police on Thursday arrested 10 people suspected of smuggling migrants into Britain.
Officers carried out 12 house searches in the Liege area as part of their efforts to dismantle the trafficking network, Belgium's federal public prosecutor's office said.
The suspects were presented to an investigating judge who will decide whether they should be kept in detention.
Meanwhile, British immigration enforcement officers arrested two people during searches carried out simultaneously, the prosecutor's office said.
Describing the network's operations, the Belgian prosecutor's office said migrants were housed in hotels before being transferred to the Netherlands. Once there, they were put on rental boats from the small port of Breeskens.
The federal prosecutor's office said the investigations would continue in both countries.
Arrests made in Montenegrin unrest
PODGORICA, Montenegro -- Montenegrin police have detained dozens of people after seven officers were injured in clashes with pro-Serb opposition protesters in several towns.
Police say two opposition lawmakers were among those detained during protests late Wednesday in the capital, Podgorica, and other towns.
The incidents reflect mounting political tensions in the small Balkan nation ahead of a parliamentary election set for Aug. 30. Main opposition parties in the country of 620,000 people are seeking closer ties with Serbia and Russia.
The Montenegrin government on Thursday described the riots as "a well-known pattern of certain political subjects aimed at destruction of the state and its institutions and fueling of instability in Montenegro."
The demonstrations began in the coastal town of Budva, where tensions have been high for days over a dispute among municipal authorities. Police used tear gas to disperse the protesters and detained 17 people.
Hundreds of people gathered in other towns and started throwing rocks, bottles and other objects at police. At least 50 people were detained, police said.
The opposition Socialist People's Party on Thursday accused the state of police brutality in Budva and attempts to affect the vote in the town.
