anchor: you are watching live from paris on "france 24." these are the headlines at this hour. should julian assange be extradited to the united states? that is the question judges in the u.k. have to answer, with the wikileaks founder wanted stateside on spying charges. he could spend decades in jail if found guilty there. we will be taking you to the old bailey in london, where our british correspspdent, benenedie paviot, is standing by. after clocking up a further 90,000 infections, india overtakes brazil as the second worst hit country for the

coronavirus. the e.u. commission president says she trusts the u.k. to respect the brexit withdrawal agreement after boris johnson's government announced it is tonning legislation overwrite a deal. more about thohose tents divorce talks. -- tense divorce t talks. ♪ ♪ first, julian assange is appearing in a london court today as his battle to avoid extradition from the u.k. to the u.s. resumes. the hearings at the old bailey were meant to start again back in may, but were pushed back because of t the coronavirus. the 49-year-old wikileaks founder faces criminal charges related to his alleged hacking of u.s. government computers,

and for his apparent violation of spying laws. u.k. correspondent is following proceedings for us, and benedict w -- benedicte paviot joins us from outside the old bailey. i understand the court is taking a break but this morning's proceedings have been rather heated. indeed, this first day of the resumption of the extra day or soon -- extradition hearing of julian, wanted by the united states -- you can hear some vocal protesters who have been here for several hours now. we have had speeches. but you are right. that face-off has gotten off to a lively start between the prosecution and the defense. julian assigned has been formally arrested in relation to a new warrant after a fresh indictment earlier launched in the u.s., which actually previous one.

julian assange was brought to court today all the way from a high security prison, bill marsh prison, where he has been for 16 months. you will remember he came out or was taken out of the ecuadorian embassy, where he jumped they'll and had taken refuge. name,ted again today his but said he was not willing to be extradited. of course, that is the position we know he is held all along, and it is his worst fear. the last 10 years, he said he fears if you were extradited, he would not get a fair trial and that this is politically motivated. let's are member he faces 18 charges to hack computers and aspiring to obtain and disclose national defense information. to some, he is a hero for freedom of speech. if you were to lose, this would have huge implications for press

freedom in the u.k. and across the world. for the u.s. government, he is very much a wanted terminal that they very much want to be extradited as soon as possible from the united kingdom. anchor: as we can hear behind you, there are also supporters of julian assange who have come out to call for this whole case to be dropped, and you have been talking to some of them. benedicte: indeed, i spoke to a wikileaks editor who was disgusted. he was given a seat and all he could see that she could not see julian assange. he could not see the courtrt properly. he could just about see journalists working on computers, and he thinks that is not the way the current editor of wikileaks should be treated. we have also had quite a lot of ngo's.going on as far as if you are not physically in

court -- there are only six seats for the family, we are told. two seats for anybody else. after making, repeated representations, have now been allowed in the court. international and doctors without borders have had an online possibility of watching the trial revoked. the court was suspended because the prosecution only wanted 16 witness statements to be set in writing. they don't want any witnesses answering questions. the defense is not happy with that. as we speak, julian assange is for the first time in six months meeting face-to-face with his lawyer.

anchor: close to 91,000 new cases have been confirirmed of covid-19 in indus - -- in india, in the latest 24 our reporting period. the total number of infections now standing at over 4.2 million. despite this surge in the caseload, the modi government has been relaxing restrictions recently to revive the economy. the metro system in the capital, new delhi, has come back into service. reporter: if you look at w what you just said, after brazil, we have b become t t s second-hight number of cases in the world. in termsms of the ofofficial dea toll, the 71,000 mark, which means the deatath toll numumbers rank uss aroundd t the top spotn the world d -- even t though the

absolute death count is increasing, the ministry of healalth and family affairs in india say the fertility count is well below 2%. lotis has raisesed questions a -- among a lot of experts. they are saying, are we really under coming the number of deaths, underestimating the covid deaths from india? these unregistered deaths in villages becauause people have t been able to reach the hospitall in time? undercount ofen an the official death count? more than 60% of the active cases -- the loadad is being suffered by five major states in india, including tamil nadu and sh.er par -- -- utter prade the hospitals are not great in these states.

beds are increasingng they have e more oxygen. more people can come and takake care of themselves in the hospital. becauseople have died they have not been able to get into a hospital l and geget a pr medical trtmtment. around is a discrepancy what is really happening in india right n now in teterms ofe poible s situationon. private hospitals are turning or are too expensive for many indians. even though they are expensive, do they have enough space for the case numbers we are seeing? high alert in france has uptick.llowing a sharp 28n and dijon are in so-called red zones. an increasingly alarming trend in france. health authorities have reported 25,000 new cases of covid from

friday to sunday alone. to work andurn school after summer holidays. amid the surge, the government has pushed seven more departments into red zones, a distinction shared by a quarter of all departments, which gives local authorities more power to impose safety measures mandatory masks. ,n the northern city of lille the annual carnival is still being held. masks are required for everyone. [speaking french] stall operators are hohoping to avoid more restricte measures. >> [speaking french]

paul: health officials say the virus is circulating mostly among young people, that the number of new hospitalizations continues to rise. while still far from the levels overspring, more than 1700 the last week, the number has tripled since mid july. anchor: meanwhile, a blanket of new restrictions has been thrown over the area surrounding the spanish capital as authorities raced to contain a spreading virus. who do notof people share the same home are being limited to a maximum of 10. it is also the start of a new school year this monday. with covid-19 still circuculati, many parents are refusing to let their children enter a classroom. with new coronavirus cases comeme new restrictions.

places of worship are at 60% capacity, with a ban on dancing at weddings and a limit on crowds at theme parks. >> [speaking spaninish] reporter: in the past week, 73 of the 191 deaths from covid-19 were in madrid. within the space of a fortnight, the city saw 31,000 new infections. spain becomes the epicenter of europe's second wave. residents are increasingly worried. >> [speaking spanish] >> [speaking spanish]

reporter: 15% of hospital beds in madrid are occupied by covid-19 patients, the highest in the country. authorities say the outbreak in the capital is stable and controlled and nothing like the pace of the pandemic in march and april. are racing to finish a hospital set to open in november, just five months after breaking ground. it will be able to treat over a thousand people -- thousand patients. the european union says it has engaged constructively with the u.k.ith about britain's divorce from brussels. the e.u. president has warned the u.k. is legally obliged to respect brexit withdrawal agreements which she says must form the basis of any future

relationship. the mood has soured somewhat after the u.k. warned it could effectively overwrite the divorce deal it has already signed, unless britain agrees to a free trade deal by mid-october. the block's chief brexit negotiator has told french radio that he is worried, saying the u.k. is wanting the best of two worlds. speaking french] anchor: for more e on thiss sto, we bring in europe editor catherine nicholson, who is standing by. we heard from michelle garnier, giving europe's take on these discussions, which is proving to be problematic and sluggish. erine: j just to recap what is

going on in ththe u.k., they "eport in "the f financial times thatat the u.k. is planning to override aspecects of the withdrawal treaty, including related to what would happen with customs and trade on the northern ireland and republic of ireland border. hasot 10 downing street denied this, but issued a statement that it is considering a fallback option if no trade deal can be found by december 31, and it is working hard to resolve problems with the border and with customs. nonetheless, sterling fell ,gainst the dollar on this news seeming as it would be that it deal brexit and complicated trade relations much more likely. the cat has been put among the pigeons in brussels. --is and linda von der leyen bandar lyon, head of the

european commission, saying it is an obligation to live up to withdrawal treatment -- treaty. he talked about protecting peace in ireland and the development of the single market. 27 e.u. membership 8 -- member states trade. talk on the new u.k. relationship with the e.u. coming to a crunch point. we are now well in to september. the transition period out of the e.u. will end on december 31. that means the new trading relationship, one way or another, will l start on january 1. so a deal, if there is going to be one, would have to be struck quite soon, so certain legal steps can happen, so it can be ratified in time. big sticking point over what they called a level playing field. that is to do with there being fair competition in trade. the e.u. side worried about whwh

ght happenen with the state aid rules,s, a potential for the u.. government to give its own companies big advantages and create much cheaper goods and services, in comompetition with e.u. neighbors. there is alsoo a mucuch more symbolic battle over fishing amount which is a small of gdp for the u.k. and e.u. but very i importantnt to many coaol communities and their livelihoods. theave been hearing from european side that theyey really feel the ball is in the u.k.'s court, firstly to clarify how they are committed to the withdrawal agreement, and also where they want to move from here. i spoke toto francncis new eurue minister on n friday. he said it is up to o the u.k. o momove. we h have had the same e thing m the german government this mornrning. s says he isier prepararing for a new round of talks. he says they are difficult. it is up to the u.k. to clarify at this point its commitment to

the withdrawal treaty. anchor: catherine nicholson, our europe editor. that's all we have time for, but thank you for being with us. time for a quick recap of the main world headlines this hour. should julian assange be extradited to the u.s.? that is the question the judges in the u.k. have to answer, with the wikileaks founder wanted stateside on spying charges. he could spend decades in jail if found guilty. clocking up a further 90,000 new infections, india overtakes brazil become the world's second worst hit country for the coronavirus. just heard, the e.u. commission president says she trusts the u.k. to respect brexit withdrawal agreements after boris johnson's government announced it is planning legislation to override parts of the deal. next, the world's top tennis player has apologized for his

most recent on court behavior, with novak djokovic saying the incident has l left him sad and empty. this is the unauthorized move that got novak djokovic kicked out of the u.s. open. world's top player smacked the ball, hitting a line judge unintentionally. aboutic had been angry --iling public radio booster carreno-busta. players who hit the ball dangerously must be disqualified even if they doo not intend to hurt anyone. he later issssued an apology. novak: this whole e situation lt me sad and emptyty. i checked on the linesperson and thank god she is feeling ok

i'm sorry i caused her so much stress -- so intended -- unintended, so wrong. reporter: the incident could short the tournament for the serbian champion, who was largely favored to win. his main rivals on the circuit, nadal, had skipped the u.s. open. other players have exprpressed shock and regret, i including hs opponent on n the cocourt. pablo: of course i think this was not intetentional.l. reporter: others also saw djokovic's departure is a chance to open up the competition. >> now it gets interesting. now i think is the time where it gets really interesting. reporter: the so-called big three have won every grand slam in the past four years. this is the first time in 16 years that none of them are in the quarterfinals. is time now for a look at the day's top business news. for that, i am joined in studio by business journalist brian

quinn. you are starting with the potential for some major economic repercussions from the poisoning of the russian opposition figurehead alexey navalny. brian: navalny is still in berlin, recovering from what german authorities say was an attempted assassininatio via a russian chemical nerve agent known as novichok. there are threaten sanctions against russia over the poisoning. the government is suggesting those sanctions could include the north stream to project, a multibillion euro pipeline to transport russian national gas to europe. construction on the pipeline is nearly initial. it has been stalled nearly a year over the threat of sanctions from the u.s., with fears the p project will make germany to dependent on russian energy. the detailils. reporter: the futurure of a multibibillion euro joint russin -euro gagas pipeline i in doubts

berlin presses the kremlin for answers in the poisoning of opposition leader alexey navalny. navalny fell ill while on a flight to moscow and is being treated at a hospital in berlin. doctors they say navalny was poisoned with the new nerve claim thechok, a kremlin rejects. the german foreign minister warned a lack of cooperation from russia could cause t the german government to rethink its stance on the north stream to -- nordrdstream 2 pipeline. this would hurt european interests too. >> there are still good reasonss for r this pipeleline. they havave always been there. otherwise, this project would not exist. more than n 100 europeanan comps arare invoed in n this projejec. half of f them from gerermany. taking measures against this project would affect them as well. 2 would: nordstream deliver russian national gas directly to germany under the

baltic bypass in ukraine. only about 150 kilometers of the twin pipeline project remains to be built. it is owned and will be operated by russian state-controlled energy giant gazprom. the project is not without controversy. the u.s., as well as several and then eastern europe baltics, have repeatedly expressed concerns about the pipeline, warning it will increase vladimir putin's geopolitical influence. construction has been stalled nearly a year over the threat of sanctions from the u.s.. some of ththe countries involved say there is increasing possibility the project will never be completed. new no deal brexit fears taking a a bite out of the brith pound on the currency market. sterling is s currently down around three quarters of a percent against the euro, and nearly a full percent against

the dollar. the dip in value giving a boost to british exporters on the equity market. london's ftse 100 index is up around 1.75 percent. other european indexes on the rise as investors buy back in after big declines on markets last week. is up, current - -- cac 40 and the dax is up.p. to australia next, where the govevernment announced monday it has released agreements with pharmaceutical firms for the production of potential covid-19 vaccines. the deal is worth 1.7 billion australian dollalars. we will see britain's oxfoford university partner with astrazeneca. quinlan u university partners up with csl. they will provide 85 million doses to be produced in melbourne. prime minister scott morrison touting the deal mondnday, while reminding that numbers will depend on the vaccines being proven safe and effective. morrison: develop andnd

produce that vaccine here in australia and produce the astrazeneca vaccine and australia. that is giving us a sovereign compact to get a australians wht theyey earned, should both of those vaccines prove successful as the growth theieir trials. brian: s spain's prime minister sending a supportive note on a merger, saying the plan to up of caixabank and bank cia has positive aspects, and the sector needs to take steps forward in terms of size with the potential deal would create spain's biggest domestic lender and third-largest international banknk, with assets of 65050 min euros.s. the firms arere expected d to annonoce a merger deal i in the coming days. fifinally, foror business, the unitedtatates is s placintrtrade restrictions on hong kong as beijing cracks down on the city's pro-democracy movement. any products exported from hong kong to o the u.s. . can no lonr

be lababeled "made in hohong ko" eyey will be labeled "made in china" instead. the symbolic movove has left the owner of an iconic soy sauce factory with a a bitter tasteten his mouth. camille has the story. camille: it is the end of an era. a family owned hong kong brand was founded on most 100 years ago. it's soy sauce and other condiments are staples in kitchen cupboards aroundnd the world. but workers must now replace "m"made in h hong kong" witith e in china" for all shipmentnt's o the u.s. the owner, the fourth generation of the family to run the company, feels a piece of heritage is being wiped out. >> this is only affecting one country, the u.s. but 30 years froro now, people will p put made in china and forget about hong kong. does thahat mean we forget our heritage, forget our culture, forget all the hard work that

our ancestors have been builildg ? camille: the change comes after hongng kong lost its special trading status witith thee u.s.n retaliation at beijing's controversial security law, which undermines the territory's autonomy. the new rules were annouounced o shipment toa atlanta. they had to scramble to get them all relabeled. regulations had been due to come into force at the end of september, but were pushed back until after the presidential elections in november. >> at least we can still use some of the original "made in hong kong" labeled product, and ship it as fast as i came to the timewithin this period of to meet the deadline. camille:e: over r half of the experts go stateside. but hong kong as a homely not be so severely impacted. in 2019, in exported just 400 milliou.u.s. dlalars to thee

u.s., not even a percent of overall exports. brian: c counterintuitivive to china bychina-based -- slapping a made in china label on products.

. russia is a mtetery.