The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has deployed several battalions of soldiers to the eastern tip of Europe in anticipation of a possible Russian attack on alliance territory.

For over three months, the Spanish army has been leading this contingent of more than 2,800 soldiers from six different countries.

Of these NATO soldiers, 1,100 are stationed on the Slovakian maneuver site as part of the “task force”, the permanent corps ready to go into combat if necessary.

In the event of war, the Riecky military base in Slovakia has the capacity to mobilize up to 60,000 soldiers in less than 10 days.

On a daily basis, the battle group prepares itself to be ready in the event of war. Soldiers from one of NATO’s eight battle groups prepare for a possible real-life confrontation, in this case with Russia, on one of Europe’s largest maneuver areas, covering more than 145 square kilometers.

Thousands of protesters opposing a proposal that would allow Russians to buy property in Abkhazia, a Russian-backed separatist region of Georgia, stormed the parliament and presidential offices on Friday.

Opponents of the property agreement argue that it would inflate apartment prices and increase Moscow’s influence in the region.

At least eight people were injured in the clashes in the regional capital of Sukhumi on the Black Sea, according to news reports.

The protests forced parliament to postpone the session as the demonstrators gathered outside the gates of the government compound.

Local media reports say MPs had earlier planned to discuss and ratify the controversial investment measure.

Instead, demonstrators rammed the parliament gate with a truck and streamed inside the grounds, throwing rocks at police, who responded with tear gas.

According to local reports, police left the parliament building, but demonstrators remained, demanding the resignation of Abkhazia’s president, Aslan Bzhania.

Demonstrators also stormed into the presidential administration building and vowed to remain there until Bzhania resigned and snap elections were called.

The president’s office later announced he was preparing an order to remove the measure from consideration.

The unrest had been building up since Monday following the arrest of five opposition figures at a similar demonstration. The arrests set off wider protests the next day, in which bridges leading to Sukhumi were blocked.

Abkhazia’s scenic mountains and Black Sea beaches attract many Russian tourists, creating strong demand for holiday homes.

Most of the region broke away from Georgia following a conflict that ended in 1993, and Georgia lost control of the remaining territory after a brief war with Russia in 2008.

While Russia recognises Abkhazia as an independent state, many Abkhazians fear that their region, with a population of around 245,000, is effectively becoming a client state of Moscow.

MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines evacuated tens of thousands of people from their homes and cancelled dozens of flights on Saturday, as a super typhoon threatened to unleash heavy rains and powerful winds that could trigger floods and storm surges.

Packing winds of 185 kph (115 mph), the storm Man-Yi was heading for the eastern part of the main island of Luzon, spurring the weather agency to raise its second-highest alert for the provinces of Catanduanes and Camarines Sur.

“Pepito is approaching its peak intensity,” it added, using the domestic name for the super typhoon, which it said was likely to make landfall near Catanduanes on Saturday night or early Sunday.

Close to 180,000 people in the central region of Bicol have been evacuated, data from the disaster agency showed.

The sixth tropical cyclone to hit the Philippines in a month, Man-Yi has also forced cancellation of dozens of flights in the eastern Visayas region facing the Pacific Ocean.

The weather agency also warned of dangerous storm surges that could exceed 3 m (10 ft) in coastal areas of Luzon.

While Man-Yi was expected to weaken as it moved over the island, it added, the storm would probably stay a typhoon until it reached the South China Sea.

About 20 tropical storms strike the Philippines each year on average, bringing heavy rain, strong winds and deadly landslides.

In October, floods and landslides brought by Tropical Storm Trami and Typhoon Kong-rey killed 162 people with 22 missing, government figures show.

Four storms churned in the western Pacific ocean at the same time this month for the first time since records began in 1951, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.