Europe

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed a bill to withdraw from an international treaty allowing surveillance flights over military facilities, following the U.S. exit from the pact.

The bill was endorsed by Russian lawmakers after U.S. officials told Moscow last month that President Joe Biden’s administration had decided not to reenter the Open Skies Treaty that the U.S. left under President Donald Trump.

PARIS (AP) — The French national financial prosecutor’s office has opened a preliminary investigation into the actions of Lebanon’s central bank governor involving potential money laundering, the prosecutor’s office said Monday.

The French move came months after Switzerland started a probe into possible money laundering and embezzlement at Lebanon’s central bank, which is now at the center of an unprecedented financial crisis roiling the small Mediterranean country.

VIENNA (AP) — Iran has failed to answer questions about the discovery of uranium particles at former undeclared sites in the country, the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said Monday, calling on Tehran to provide information “without further delay.”

Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has been pushing Iran for answers on three sites dating back many years where inspections had revealed traces of uranium of man-made origin, suggesting they were once connected to Iran’s nuclear program.

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria’s interim prime minister on Monday urged the government to redouble its efforts to fight endemic graft, calling for changes in prosecutors’ offices, the judiciary and all law enforcement agencies.

Prime Minister Stefan Yanev spoke at a meeting of the government security council that he convened to discuss new anti-corruption policies following U.S. sanctions on Bulgarian officials and businessmen for their allegedly “extensive” roles in corruption.

PARIS (AP) — France’s anti-competition watchdog decided Monday to fine Google 220 million euros ($268 million) for abusing its “dominant position” in the online advertising business, an unprecedented move, the body said.

Practices used by Google “are particularly serious because they penalize Google’s competitors” in certain markets and publishers of mobile sites and applications, the statement by the Competition Authority said.

07 June 2021; MEMO: France has opened a preliminary investigation into the wealth of Lebanon's central bank governor, Riad Salameh, AFP reported yesterday.

London, Jun 7 (AP-PTI) England fast bowler Ollie Robinson was suspended from international cricket pending an investigation into discriminatory tweets he posted from 2012-13.

Robinson will not be available for the second test against New Zealand starting Thursday, the England and Wales Cricket Board said on Sunday.

Robinson made his test debut in the first match of the series at Lord's, taking seven wickets across New Zealand's two innings and also hitting 42 in England's first innings.

BERLIN, June 6. /TASS/: Russian-Chinese cooperation is becoming closer and is "a new dimension and a serious challenge" for the North Atlantic Alliance, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview with German newspaper Welt Am Sonntag.

"We consider that Russia and China have developed closer political and military cooperation lately," Stoltenberg said. According to him, Moscow and Beijing are more often coordinating their steps in international organizations, including in the United Nations.

MOSCOW, June 6. /TASS/: Iranian Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Ali Asghar Mounesan is arriving in Moscow on Sunday to sign a deal on lifting individual visa requirements for tourist groups, Iran’s Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali wrote on his Facebook page on Sunday.

"Today, Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Ali Asghar Mounesan is arriving in Moscow to sign an agreement on lifting visa requirements for tourist groups," the ambassador wrote.

MOSCOW, June 6. /TASS: Effective Russian-Belarusian cooperation is not part of NATO’s plans, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel, commenting on a statement of NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who voiced concerns over cooperation between Moscow and Minsk.