Europe

02 June 2021; MEMO: A UN Human Rights Rapporteur has condemned attacks on Palestinian by extreme right-wing groups in Israel, including settlers with the backing of state security forces. The international organisation's Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues urged the Israeli government to protect all of its citizens fully and equally without discrimination, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has reported.

MOSCOW, June 2. /TASS/: Advanced weapons and munitions will be supplied under the guise of NATO’s Sea Breeze 2021 drills to the Ukrainian troops and nationalist formations stationed close to the areas of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions outside of Kiev’s control, Russian Defence Ministry Spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said on Wednesday.

"Advanced armaments, munitions and materiel are planned to be delivered precisely to that region for the Ukrainian troops under the guise of holding the drills," the spokesman said.

MOSCOW, June 2. /TASS/: The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Mauritius has approved the use of Sputnik Light, a single-dose vaccine against coronavirus, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said in a press release on Wednesday. 

"The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund) announces the approval of the Russian single-dose Sputnik Light vaccine against coronavirus by the Ministry of Health and Wellness of the Republic of Mauritius," RDIF said.

MOSCOW, June 2. /TASS/: Kremlin is not trying to interfere in investment activities of Russian regions and to restrict the governors who turned to Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk with a proposal to establish the production of Tesla cars in their regions, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.

"Of course not," he said, answering the question whether the Kremlin was holding back the governors of the regions who offered locations for the development of the automobile industry to the American entrepreneur.

MOSCOW, June 2. /TASS/: The official US delegation will not take part in the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum and embassy representatives will be present on Forum floors to assist the US business representatives, press secretary of the US Embassy in Moscow Jason Rebholz told TASS on Wednesday.

"There is no official U.S. delegation from Washington and no high-level U.S. Government speakers," the press secretary said.

ST.PETERSBURG, June 2. / TASS /: The Nord Stream 2 facilities in the Leningrad Region will start working in a test mode next week to prepare for the launch of gas in Germany, the Leningrad Region Governor Alexander Drozdenko told reporters on Wednesday.

(Reuters) --- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday he would be cautious in lifting coronavirus restrictions as it is still unclear how protected the population would be against a new surge of COVID-19 cases should lockdown end as planned in June.

Johnson has previously warned that the swift spread of the B.1.617.2 variant of concern first identified in India could derail his plans to end England's COVID restrictions on June 21.

(Reuters) --- A Russian court on Wednesday rejected a lawsuit brought by jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny designed to force his prison to overturn his designation as 'a flight risk,' his Anti-Corruption Foundation said on Twitter.

Navalny says the designation was used as a pretext to wake him up every hour during the night to verify his whereabouts, a practice he has called absurd.

(Reuters) --- The remaining parties to the Iran nuclear deal will meet in Vienna on Wednesday, the European Union announced, as diplomats said the meeting will wrap up the latest round of talks on reviving the deal and adjourn discussions for at least a week.

(Reuters) --- European Union governments agreed on Wednesday to add Japan to their small list of countries from which they will allow non-essential travel, while holding off until at least mid-June for British tourists, EU sources said on Tuesday.

Ambassadors from the EU's 27 countries approved the addition of Japan at a meeting on Wednesday, with the change to take effect in the coming days.