Eurotopics.net

Russia has seen a crackdown on Kremlin critics in recent weeks. The authorities have taken harsh action against several independent opposition figures, including arrests, searches and investigation proceedings. The critical news website newsru.com has had to shut down after 21 years in operation, and Vtimes will also be discontinued on 12 June. Commentators are alarmed.

Naomi Osaka has dropped out of the French Open. Currently ranked world number two by the by the Women's Tennis Association, she had boycotted mandatory press events on the grounds that too little attention was being paid to players' mental health. Following persistent criticism and a fine by the French Tennis Federation, she withdrew from the tournament and admitted she was suffering from depression and anxiety. This sends an important signal, Europe's press comments.

Germany has officially recognised that the mass killing of Herero and Nama peoples between 1904 and 1908 in the colony of German South West Africa (now Namibia) constituted genocide. Namibia is now to receive 1.1 billion euros from Berlin over a period of 30 years, however not as compensation but in the form of development aid for the country's infrastructure and education system.

The prevention of fraud, embezzlement and corruption in connection with EU funds is the mission of the newly established European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), which began its operations on Tuesday. The head of the authority, which is based in Luxembourg, is Laura Codruța Kövesi, who gained a reputation as a committed anti-corruption fighter in Romania. Commentators examine the opportunities offered by cross-border cooperation.

After six years of negotiations, Germany and Namibia have agreed on a declaration on German crimes committed in the colony of German South West Africa, which existed from 1884 to 1915. In the document, Germany officially recognises the mass killings of members of the Herero and Nama peoples between 1904 and 1908 as genocide. Germany has agreed to pay Namibia 1.1 billion euros over a period of 30 years.