World news in brief
New Zealand police officer shot dead during routine stop
A man has been arrested after an unarmed police officer was shot dead and another was wounded when they tried to pull over a car in New Zealand’s largest city, police said. The suspect and another person escaped in a second car, sparking a large search in Auckland. Police later said they had arrested and charged a 24-yearold man with murder. He is due to make his first court appearance on Saturday. Officers said other people could face charges. A bystander was hit by the suspect’s car and injured.
Spain’s £3.8bn rescue plan for tourism industry
The Spanish government has unveiled a €4.2bn (£3.8bn) aid package that will help the country’s tourism sector recover from the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. The country aims to reopen its borders next week to visitors from the EU, including the UK, after three months of restrictions and closures that have paralysed the industry, leading to an estimated €80bn (£72bn) in losses.
The package comes at a crucial time for a sector that accounts for 12 per cent of Spain’s gross domestic
product (GDP). The initiative, dubbed the Tourism Sector Promotion Plan, will provide airlines with incentives to travel to Spain in an effort to attract the greatest number of international visitors. Announcing the plan, Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez said: “This is an imperative aid plan for tourism. “It is of great importance to the image and reputation of our country.”
China charges 2 Canadians with spying
Chinese prosecutors charged two detained Canadians with spying yesterday in an apparent bid to step up pressure on Canada to drop a US extradition request for a Huawei executive under house arrest in Vancouver. Michael Kovrig was charged by Beijing on suspicion of spying for state secrets and intelligence. Michael Spavor was charged in Dandong, a city near the North Korean border, on suspicion of spying for a foreign entity and illegally providing state secrets. The charges were announced by China’s highest prosecutor’s office in brief social media posts.
Asked what evidence China had against the two, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said only that each is charged with “secretly gathering state secrets for overseas forces with particularly serious consequences.” “The facts are clear and the evidence solid and sufficient,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters at a daily briefing. Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said he was “very disappointed” by China’s latest move and called it a very difficult time for the two Canadians and their families.
‘Into the Wild’ bus removed from Alaskan wilderness
The abandoned bus made famous by the book and film Into the Wild has been removed from the Alaskan wilderness. The Forties-era vehicle was airlifted from its spot near the Teklanika river by a US Army helicopter. It was made famous when 24-year-old hiker Chris McCandless took shelter in it during the summer of 1992. He died of starvation after spending 114 days in the wild. The National Guard said the bus was a public safety issue because a number of tourists had attempted to find it.