Europe

24 May 2021; MEMO: A third of the members of the British cabinet, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, have been funded by Israel or pro-Israel lobby groups, Declassified UK has revealed. The investigative journalism website uncovered the various ways through which the occupation state has courted members of the government over the years, a trend that was denounced as "disgusting" last month by a senior Conservative former minister.

Lausanne, May 28 (AP-PTI) Olympic athletes were told by the IOC that a waiver they must sign releasing Tokyo organizers from liability for COVID-19 issues was "standard practice" for major sports events.

The issue was raised when IOC president Thomas Bach took questions to cap a two-day online conference hosted by the official Olympic commission representing athletes.

ATHENS, May 27 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) is strengthened through crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and today moves forward stronger united, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and EU leaders said on Thursday.

The leaders made the remarks here at a celebratory event to mark the 40th anniversary of Greece's accession to the European Economic Community (EEC), the predecessor of the EU.

BRUSSELS, May 27 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Mission to the European Union (EU) expressed on Thursday its firm opposition to the remarks in the joint statement of the EU-Japan Summit, saying they "have completely gone beyond the norm of developing bilateral relations."

"Such remarks undermine international peace and stability, damage mutual understanding and trust between countries in the region, harm the interests of third parties and run counter to what they claim 'working for a more secure, democratic and stable world'," said a spokesperson of the Chinese Mission.

BERLIN (AP) — Germany has reached an agreement with Namibia that will see it officially recognize as genocide the colonial-era killings of tens of thousands of people and commit to spending a total of 1.1 billion euros ($1.3 billion), largely on development projects.

The accord announced Friday is the result of more than five years of talks with Namibia on the events of 1904-1908, when Germany was the southern African country’s colonial ruler.

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was meeting Hungarian President Viktor Orban on Friday, and faced criticism for inviting the hardline European leader to 10 Downing St.

Johnson’s office said it was a routine meeting with the leader of a major European Union nation. The prime minister’s spokesman, Max Blain, said “cooperation with Hungary is vital to the U.K’s prosperity and security.”

MOSCOW (AP) — Belarus’ authoritarian leader heads to Russia Friday to seek assistance amid a bruising showdown with the European Union over the diversion of a flight to arrest a dissident journalist.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is set to meet with Russia’s Vladimir Putin at his Black Sea residence in Sochi for talks on closer economic ties, according to the Kremlin.

ABOARD HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH (AP) — As tensions with Russia simmer, thousands of NATO troops, several warships and dozens of aircraft are taking part in military exercises stretching across the Atlantic, through Europe and into the Black Sea region.

The war games, dubbed Steadfast Defender 21, are aimed at simulating the 30-nation military organization’s response to an attack on any one of its members. It will test NATO’s ability to deploy troops from America and keep supply lines open.

BERLIN (AP) — German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier announced Friday that he will seek a second term, saying he wants to help heal divisions widened by the coronavirus pandemic.

Steinmeier made his pitch for another five years as Germany’s head of state four months before the country elects a new parliament, which will have a large say in whether he keeps the job.

In February, an assembly made up of the members of parliament’s lower house and representatives of Germany’s 16 states will choose the next president. Steinmeier’s current term ends in March.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Raman Pratasevich has been part of the Belarus political opposition for over a decade and has long feared the authorities would try to abduct him, even though he was living abroad. The 26-year-old dissident journalist couldn’t imagine, however, just how far they would go.