Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Kremlin critic Navalny was under police surveillance before falling ill: paper

Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who fell gravely ill on Thursday after what his allies believe was a poisoning, was under intense police surveillance in preceding days, a Russian tabloid newspaper cited law enforcement sources as saying. Before he collapsed on a flight during a trip to Siberia Navalny was followed by plainclothes FSB officers and his movements were closely monitored via CCTV, the report in the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper said.

New Zealand mosque shooter arrives in Christchurch for sentencing

The suspected white supremacist who killed 51 Muslim worshippers last year, a massacre that prompted a global campaign to stamp out online hate, arrived in Christchurch on Sunday ahead of sentencing hearings. Brenton Tarrant disembarked a New Zealand air force plane at Christchurch Airport on Sunday afternoon, wearing a protective vest and helmet and escorted by armed officers, before being directed into the back of a white van, television footage showed.

EU trade chief Hogan won’t resign over Ireland COVID-19 breach

Phil Hogan will not resign as European Commission for Trade over his attendance at an event in his native Ireland that is being investigated for breaching COVID-19 regulations, an EU official close to the commissioner said on Sunday. “The commissioner is not resigning,” the official said.

Global coronavirus deaths exceed 800,000

The global death toll from the coronavirus surpassed 800,000 on Saturday, according to a Reuters tally, with the United States, Brazil and India leading the rise in fatalities. Nearly 5,900 people are dying every 24 hours from COVID-19 on average, according to Reuters calculations based on data from the past two weeks that ended on Friday.

U.S.-led troops withdraw from Iraq’s Taji base

United States-led international coalition troops withdrew from Iraq’s Taji military base on Sunday and handed it over to Iraqi security forces, Reuters witnesses and the coalition said. The base, 20 km (12 miles) north of Baghdad, had been the site of frequent rocket attacks by Iran-backed militias targeting U.S.-led troops in recent months.

Iran says black boxes from downed Ukraine jet show missiles hit 25 seconds apart

Analysis from the black boxes of a downed Ukrainian passenger plane shows it was hit by two missiles 25 seconds apart and that passengers were still alive for some time after the impact of the first blast, Iran said on Sunday. The announcement by the head of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization marks the first official report on the contents of the cockpit voice and data recordings, which were sent to France for reading in July.

Tel Aviv erases ‘Peeping Toms’ beach mural after suspected gang rape

Israeli authorities on Sunday erased a “Peeping Toms” mural that had long been a fixture at a Tel Aviv beach, responding to public outrage over the suspected gang rape of a 16-year-old girl in the southern resort of Eilat. Painted 18 years ago and often criticised as sexist, the mural was removed by a municipal worker with a paint roller from the exterior wall of a women’s changing room. The image showed two young men in bathing suits peering inside.

German lawmakers flag private party ban as coronavirus cases rise

Germany should temporarily ban private parties, several lawmakers suggested on Sunday, after the number of coronavirus infections in Europe’s largest economy reached a four-month high. The number of confirmed cases in Germany rose by 2,034 to 232,082, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Saturday, the highest level since late April. The reported death toll rose by seven to 9,267.

Belarus army to take over protection of memorial monuments

The Belarus army will take over responsibility for protection of national memorials from protesters, the defence ministry said on Sunday as people began to gather in Minsk for an opposition rally in the third week of unrest in the country. Any unrest near such monuments and statues would no longer be responded to by police forces but by the army, the statement said.

India coronavirus cases cross 3 million mark as economy opens up

The number of coronavirus infections in India crossed the 3 million mark with 69,239 new cases reported on Sunday even as the country opened up various sectors from a lockdown that ground businesses to a halt and hurt economic growth. With the fifth straight day of more than 60,000 new cases, India’s tally stands at 3.04 million, federal health ministry data showed, behind only the United States and Brazil. Deaths in India from COVID-19 rose by 912 to 56,706.