A Russian journalist has been banned from covering football's European Championship by Azerbaijan's organising committee over his visits to the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh, sparking outrage in Moscow on Wednesday.

Nobel Arustamyan, a journalist with Armenian ancestry working for the Russian Match TV station, said Tuesday that Azerbaijan's organising committee has denied him accreditation for Euro 2020 that is being organised in 11 European cities including the Azerbaijani capital, Baku.
The approval of the 11 national organising committees is necessary for journalists to be accredited.
The oil-rich country on the Caspian Sea is set to host three group games in June -- Wales v Switzerland, Turkey v Wales, Switzerland v Turkey -- and a quarter-final in July.
The vice president of the Azerbaijani Football Federation, Elkhan Mammadov, confirmed his country was behind the refusal.
-This person has repeatedly visited the occupied lands of Azerbaijan for many years and during these visits did not receive permission from the relevant structures of Azerbaijan- Mammadov told journalists.
-He violated the laws of our country, showing disrespect for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.-Azerbaijan's Armenian-populated breakaway region of Karabakh was last year at the centre of a six-week war between the arch-foe neighbours.
The war has claimed the lives of some 6,000 people and ended in November with a Russian-brokered ceasefire that saw Armenia cede swathes of territories it had controlled for decades.
Azerbaijan's move to block Arustamyan's accreditation sparked outrage among Russian journalists and elicited a protest from his channel.
-The refusal of a regional federation to approve the name of our commentator is a violation of the spirit of the international sports movement- the general producer of Match TV, Tina Kandelaki, wrote on her Telegram channel.
Sports journalist Vasili Utkin denounced "a bestial injustice."
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the ministry had "worked all night" with UEFA to ensure Aroustamyan is allowed "to exercise his professional activities."
-I believe a solution will be found- she added.
Azerbaijani laws prohibit the entry into its territory of those who have visited Nagorno-Karabakh without permission from Baku.
In 2019, Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan missed, for security reasons, the Europa League final between his then team Arsenal and Chelsea that was played in Baku.

Nobel Arustamyan, a journalist with Armenian ancestry working for the Russian Match TV station, said Tuesday that Azerbaijan's organising committee has denied him accreditation

Azerbaijan organisers ban Russian journalist from Euro 2020

A French mayor who continued to run his town near Paris from jail after being convicted for rape has been formally replaced following months of pressure and criticism from women's rights groups.

The town council in Draveil elected deputy mayor Richard Privat late on Tuesday to replace Georges Tron who resigned from his cell at the end of May after more than 25 years at the helm. 
Tron, a junior minister under right-president Nicolas Sarkozy, began serving a three-year sentence in February for raping a council employee who the court found had been pressured into sex.
Several women testified that Tron imposed foot massage sessions on them that would involve groping and digital penetration, at times turning into threesomes with his deputy Brigitte Gruel.
While feminists saw his conviction as a victory for France's MeToo movement, Tron denied the allegations, saying that the foot massages were not sexual and that he was the victim of a political "plot".
In his resignation letter at the end of May, he wrote of the "very painful decision" to relinquish his mayoral responsibilities, arguing that he should still be presumed innocent because he had not exhausted all legal appeals.
His decision to carry on running Draveil, a town of 30,000 people in the southern suburbs of Paris, outraged opposition councillors and women's rights groups.
In April, at a council meeting attended by AFP, a subordinate opened proceedings by reading out a letter and instructions on the budget drafted by Tron, 63, in jail. 
-The seriousness of the allegations for which Georges Tron has been found guilty deprive him of the moral authority needed to carry out his duties- the opposition group in the council said in a statement at the time. 
Government spokesman Gabriel Attal said in May that there was "ongoing work" into revoking Tron's mayoral title, but he acknowledged "legal issues." 
Tron remains a town councillor and a member of the regional assembly, but this latter mandate expires at the end of the month.

Georges Tron resigned from his cell at the end of May after more than 25 years at the helm

Tron, a junior minister under right-president Nicolas Sarkozy, began serving a three-year sentence in February for raping a council employee who the court found had been pressured into sex

End of era for convicted French mayor who ran town from prison

A MiG-29 fighter plane of Bulgarian Air Force crashed into the Black Sea in the early hours of Wednesday while taking part in the Shabla 21 military exercise, said the Bulgarian Defense Ministry.

A search and rescue operation is ongoing, the statement said, adding that the exercise has been suspended.

Search, rescue operation under way, says Bulgarian Defense Ministry

Bulgarian MiG-29 fighter plane crashes into Black Sea

Leaders of Serbia and Kosovo will meet on June 15 for a new round of talks on normalization of ties, an EU official announced on Wednesday.

-The new round of dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina will be held in Brussels next Tuesday- EU Commission spokesperson Peter Stano said at a news conference.
Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić, Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti, and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell will take part in the talks, which will be the first since Kurti became premier this March.
The focus will be on “how to proceed in the future,” Stano said, adding that hopes are high that efforts ongoing since 2011 will result in a comprehensive normalization agreement.
The EU has been leading negotiations between the two sides for nearly a decade, but the process has suffered setbacks due to heightened tensions over the past few years.
Last September, Serbia and Kosovo agreed to take steps towards economic cooperation after talks held in the US.
Serbia, however, had turned down calls for mutual recognition.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in February 2008 and is recognized by more than 100 countries, including the US, the UK, France, Germany, and Turkey.
Belgrade, however, still claims Kosovo as a breakaway province. China and Russia are among the countries yet to recognize Kosovo as an independent state.

New round of dialogue in Brussels will focus on how to proceed in future, says EU Commission spokesperson

Serbia, Kosovo normalization talks to resume on June 15

The United States President Joe Biden has expanded the scope of the Executive Order defining sanctions for individuals and organizations from the Western Balkans, which threaten the peace and stability of the region. The Executive Order on sanctions was first passed by the then US President George W. Bush in 2001, and since then the sanctions have been regularly extended, Radio Free Europe reports.

The United States is "modernizing" its sanctions policy in the Western Balkans by further targeting corruption, human rights abuses, and acts that threaten democracy in the region, the State Department said.
-The United States recognizes that corruption threatens economic equity, global anti-poverty and development efforts, and democracy itself- Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on June 8.
The updated policy came in the form of an executive order from President Joe Biden, expanding on two longtime decrees related to the Western Balkans.
The White House said the executive order provides for additional sanctions, including the targeting of individuals or entities threatening peace and stability in the region, undermining democratic processes, or engaging in serious human rights abuses and corruption.
Under the new policy, U.S. authorities will also be armed with the ability to sanction actors who violate or obstruct the implementation of regional agreements and the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, the successor to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
The presidential decree adds the 2018 Prespa Agreement resolving a dispute between Greece and North Macedonia as well as agreements that ended the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina to the previous list of regional agreements.

Besides that, they are targeting corruption, human rights abuses, and acts that threaten democracy in the region

US 'modernizes' sanctions policy for Western Balkans to go after corruption

UN human rights experts Monday expressed outrage at the arrest, alleged torture, and forced confession of a Belarus journalist and human rights defender and the continued crackdown on independent media in Belarus.

A group of United Nations Special Rapporteurs appointed by the Human Rights Council in a statement described the incident as a "reckless manner in which Roman Protasevich was arrested."*
On May 23, a Belarusian MIG-29 fighter jet scrambled to escort a Ryanair Boeing 737-8AS passing through Belarus' airspace while heading from Athens, Greece to Vilnius, Lithuania, forcing it to land in Minsk over a bomb threat.
Authorities then detained Protasevich, a social media activist, wanted in Belarus for what they claimed was his involvement in "terrorist incidents."
-Reports that he may have been tortured to extract a false confession, was denied access to his lawyer, and fears that he could face a harsh sentence show an utter disregard for international human rights norms by the authorities in Belarus- the experts said.

They expressed deep concern for Protasevich's life and called for his immediate release – and that of journalists, human rights defenders, and activists detained for exercising their rights to freedom of expression or peaceful assembly.

-The outrageous manner in which Mr. Protasevich was intercepted and arrested shows that there is no limit to what this government will do to silence critics- they said.
-It is an egregious example of a severe and relentless crackdown on all independent voices since the contested election results of August 2020- the experts explained.
The experts include Irene Khan, the special rapporteur on protecting the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Mary Lawlor, the special rapporteur on human rights defenders; Nils Melzer, the special rapporteur on torture and other inhuman punishment, and Anais Marin, the special rapporteur on human rights in Belarus.
The experts recalled that on May 18, the authorities searched the editorial offices of the largest Belarusian independent online news site Tut.by, which had covered the protests that followed the election results.
At least 13 Tut.by staff were reportedly detained, some of them without access to a lawyer, ostensibly concerning a criminal investigation into tax evasion.
In December 2020, Tut.by was stripped of its media license for supposedly spreading "false information."
-Recent events indicate that media freedom in Belarus has entered a black hole with no end in sight- the experts said.
-In the run-up to the 2020 presidential election and its aftermath, the authorities have arbitrarily detained and beaten journalists, opposition members, human rights defenders, and citizens participating in peaceful protests- they said.
They "prosecuted them on politically motivated charges, revoked media workers' accreditation, raided their homes and offices, and blocked their websites."

UN special rapporteurs say Belarus is 'black hole' for media freedoms after 'egregious attacks'

UN experts voice concern over Protasevich arrest

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law, completing Russia's withdrawal from the Open Skies Treaty (OST), the Kremlin said on Monday.

The bill was initiated by Putin after the US announced its intention to withdraw from the treaty and was approved by both chambers of the Russian parliament -- the State Duma and the Council of Federation -- the Kremlin said in a statement.
-The USA withdrew from the Treaty under a far-fetched pretext, which significantly violated the balance of interests of the parties to the Treaty -- and reached at conclusion. Thus, compliance with the Treaty and its importance in building confidence and transparency were seriously damaged, and the national security of the Russian Federation was threatened.&nbsp;In connection with these circumstances, a decision was made to withdraw the Russian Federation from the Treaty- the statement noted.The US launched the withdrawal process from the OST in November under the former Donald Trump administration, triggering a symmetrical response from Russia.
After Joe Biden was elected new US president, Moscow said it was ready to return to the treaty if Washington also reaffirms its commitment. But expectations have been subverted.
According to the procedure, Putin had to get approval from the Russian parliament and sign the withdrawal bill, sealing Russia's withdrawal from the agreement.
The Open Skies Treaty took effect on Jan. 1, 2002. It was drafted to enhance mutual understanding and transparency in military building and suggests the possibility of unarmed aerial surveillance flights above the entire territory of its participants.

Putin signs law, sealing Russia's withdrawal from Open Skies Treaty

Russia completes withdrawal from Open Skies Treaty

In the continuation of the exhumation process at the location of Dobro Polje, in the municipality of Kalinovik, the remains of two more victims were found in the mass grave. 

So far, the remains of at least seven people have been found, as well as multiple skeletal remains of large bones, which will significantly help establish the identities of missing persons whose remains have been found.
An investigator from the Special Department for War Crimes coordinates the work and activities of authorized officials involved in the exhumation process, which has been carried out at the aforementioned, very inaccessible location for seven days.
Upon completion of the exhumation process, the remains will be sent to the prosecution in Visoko, in order to begin the process of establishing the identities of the victims found in this area as soon as possible.
Traces of binding objects were found on the remains, as well as damage caused by firearms, which will significantly help in the investigation in this case of the Special Department for War Crimes of the Prosecutor's Office of B&amp;H.
The exhumation process was attended by representatives of the Institute for Missing Persons - IMP B&amp;H, the International Commission for the Search for Missing Persons (ICMP) in B&amp;H, a forensic pathologist who worked on the identification of remains, essential workers, and machinery, as well as SIPA police officers, and police officers of the RS Ministry of the Interior who secured the location of the exhumation, which was visited in the previous days by representatives of international institutions involved in the process of searching for missing persons in B&amp;H.

The remains will be sent to the prosecution in Visoko, in order to begin the process of establishing the identities of the victims found in this area as soon as possible

An investigator from the Special Department for War Crimes coordinates the work and activities of authorized officials involved in the exhumation process, which has been carried out at the aforementioned, very inaccessible location for seven days

Exhumation in Kalinovik area - Remains of seven victims found

The Police Administration of Una-Sana Canton (USK) and the Cantonal Prosecutor's Office confirmed that early this morning at around 2 AM in the Bihać settlement Žegar there was a conflict between migrants, in which one person was killed.

-In the area of ​​the settlement of Žegar and the wreath below Plješevica in the early morning hours, the criminal acts of murder and attempted murder took place. One person suffered life-threatening bodily injuries as a result of which he unfortunately died, while another injured person was hospitalized in the Cantonal Hospital 'Dr. Irfan Ljubijankić 'where they were provided with adequate medical assistance. The injured persons are migrants, i.e. citizens of Afghanistan and Pakistan- said the spokesperson of the Cantonal Prosecutor's Office of the USC, Jasmina Husić.
It was emphasized that detailed investigative actions are currently being carried out under the supervision of the acting prosecutor, with the aim of obtaining evidence, establishing the complete facts, and finding the perpetrator of these crimes.
Unfortunately, this is another in a series of conflicts between migrants in the area of ​​Bihać and Velika Kladuša, which resulted in death or severe bodily injuries.

The injured persons are citizens of Afghanistan and Pakistan

It was emphasized that detailed investigative actions are currently being carried out under the supervision of the acting prosecutor, with the aim of obtaining evidence, establishing the complete facts, and finding the perpetrator of these crimes

Fight between migrants in Bihać, one person dies

The head of the OSCE Mission to B&amp;H, Kathleen Kavalec, said in Travnik on Monday that the municipality could serve as a model in the fight against corruption, one of the burning problems in B&amp;H.

-This especially refers to the transparency of access to information of the citizens of the municipality of Travnik. We are pleased to be able to help continue this fight because we see that corruption is one of the burning issues that undermines citizens' trust in the state and processes- Kavalec told reporters after a meeting with the mayor of Travnik.
Mayor Kenan Dautović said that the Municipality of Travnik has created a framework that will enable a quality fight against corruption, recalling that the Anti-Corruption Team has been formed.
Since the formation of that team in 2019, citizens, he said, have reported 30 cases of corruption, four of which have been forwarded to the Central Bosnia County Prosecutor's Office (SBZ).
-At the beginning of this year, a register with property cards of public officials was created and everything is being done to raise transparency. Corruption requires at least two participants and it is very important that our citizens do not participate in it. I understand why corruption occurs, but if we as citizens do not participate, I am convinced that this plague will subside, which is much worse than this pandemic. If we do not all work together, it will not disappear- said Dautović.
Apart from the fight against corruption, the meeting of the representatives of the OSCE Mission to B/H and the Municipality of Travnik also discussed the potentials of that municipality in Central Bosnia, when it comes to the development of tourism and attracting investments.

They also discussed the potentials of that municipality  when it comes to the development of tourism and attracting investments

The head of the OSCE Mission to B&H Kathleen Kavalec

Kavalec: Travnik Municipality can serve as model in fight against corruption

The final verdict against Ratko Mladić, former commander of the Republika Srpska Army's (VRS) General Staff, who is charged with the most serious war crimes committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992-1995), including genocide, will be handed down on Tuesday, June 8, after he was sentenced to life in prison in the first instance.

The second and final verdicts will be handed down by the Appeals Chamber Judges Prisca Matimba Nyambe, Aminatta Lois Runeni N’gum, Seymour Panton, Elizabeth Ibanda-Nahamya, and the newly appointed Judge Mustapha El Baaj, as announced by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
The indictment of the Hague Prosecution of Ratko Mladić as one of the key actors of joint criminal enterprises (JCE) in B&amp;H, among other things, charges with the intention of permanent removal/persecution of Bosniaks, Bosnian Croats and other non-Serbs from large parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The ruling will close the case against the man dubbed the Butcher of Bosnia who has challenged his 2017 conviction and life sentence for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes committed during Bosnia and Herzegovina's 1992-95 war.
Mladić, 78, is expected to be in court, where he has previously delivered angry outbursts against the West and accused the judges of lying.
Relatives of some of the men and boys killed at Srebrenica in the worst act of bloodshed on European soil since World War II will be outside the court where they have long campaigned for justice.
Mladić has maintained his innocence. The appeal case has been repeatedly delayed by his ill health and, more recently, by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The court also found Mladić's political chief, Radovan Karadžić, guilty of similar charges, including genocide, in 2016, and sentenced him to 40 years in prison. In 2019, Karadžić’s prison term was changed to a life sentence.
Karadžić and Mladić were among the last suspects put on trial by the UN tribunal in The Hague for the civil war.

The second and final verdicts will be handed down by the Appeals Chamber Judges Prisca Matimba Nyambe, Aminatta Lois Runeni N’gum, Seymour Panton, Elizabeth Ibanda-Nahamya, and the newly appointed Judge Mustapha El Baaj

Mladić, 78, is expected to be in court, where he has previously delivered angry outbursts against the West and accused the judges of lying

Delivery of final verdict against Ratko Mladić scheduled for Tuesday, June 8

People look at the Balkans and see a ‘morass’ of problems – all these ethno-national divisions, the people leaving the region by the thousands, the failure to make progress towards joining NATO and the EU, even the air pollution, said in an interview for "Avaz" a prominent professor at the American University "Johns Hopkins" and foreign policy analyst Edward P. Joseph.

-In fact, the problem and the solution actually is very clear and even manageable. We know this from the successes like the Ohrid Agreement, the Prespa Agreement, and the full reconciliation between Montenegro and Croatia. The common element in all of these agreements is that the parties all accept the Western order: that the Balkans are under a NATO and EU security and economic umbrella; that all countries in the region are equal, with equal access to NATO and EU membership; that the borders are fixed and final - said Joseph.
He added that the problem is the only country in the Balkans that does not accept the Western order, and that, in his opinion, is Serbia.
-Serbia is an EU candidate, but its candidacy is a charade. It is promoting the values, and at times the agendas, of Russia and China. It has an important model and ally in Hungary. And yet it is praised by Western officials, who turn a blind eye to the assault on democracy and Serbia’s subversion of a NATO ally like Montenegro. Why? Because Serbia holds leverage over Kosovo. And because of this leverage, Serbia cannot accept Kosovo’s independence, which is another formative component of the Western order in the region - stated Joseph. 
He believes that this is the same problem that always arises, and it was evident in B&amp;H during the war.
-The problem is divisions within the EU. Serbia has leverage only because five EU countries (four of which belong to NATO) do not recognize Kosovo. If Spain, Slovakia, Romania, Greece and Cyprus recognized Kosovo, the entire region would be transformed, including Bosnia. Why? Because then Serbia’s leverage would be gone, and without any pressure or coercion they would accept and recognize Kosovo as an independent state. In that way, Serbia would accept the Western order for the region, including that Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro are separate, sovereign state - said Joseph.
He pointed out that the acceptance of the Western order by Serbia is a condition for constitutional reform and a functioning B&amp;H.
-It is that simple. All the other issues, including the Croat-Bosniak issues, become manageable once this happens, once all actors in the region accept the Western order. The Western order is democratic coexistence. This all becomes plausible in this scenario. Bosnia becomes a functional country. The whole ‘secession of Republika Srpska’ threat goes away. The alternative to democratic coexistence is changing borders and, in several cases, moving populations. This is the Russian way. It is the way of chaos and continued ethno-national tensions, not solutions – Joseph pointed out.

Speaking about Croatian non-paper, Joseph points out that it cannot be compared to the one from Slovenia.
- The Croatian non-paper is largely benign, and even constructive. Overall, Zagreb can play a constructive or a negative role in the Balkans. It is conflicted in Bosnia-Herzegovina because of the votes for HDZ from Croats. Zagreb has played a negative role in welcoming Dodik and Čović at highest levels, and in warmly receiving Lavrov after his deliberately provocative visit to Sarajevo. And, as well, in executing deals with Dodik, without approval of Sarajevo- stated Joseph.

<h2>Bosniak politicians are unfair to Croats</h2>

Joseph especially points out that Bosniak politicians are also to blame for the deterioration of Croat-Bosniak relations.
-Electing the Croat member of the Presidency with votes of Bosniaks – while the Bosniak member is elected with Bosniak, not Croat, votes -- is not in the spirt of the Dayton Agreement. It is a violation of fundamental principles of fairness and equity. Also, utilizing demographic superiority to press political advantage is contrary to the spirit of the Dayton Agreement- Joseph pointed out.

If Spain, Slovakia, Romania, Greece and Cyprus recognized Kosovo, the entire region would be transformed, including Bosnia

Joseph: Serbia is an EU candidate, but its candidacy is a charade

Professor Edward P. Joseph for "Avaz": The borders in the Balkans are final

The Libyan government has decided to sign the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change, Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh announced on Sunday.

-Libya is one of the few countries that has not signed the Paris Climate Agreement, and the Government of National Unity has today decided to sign it with pride and responsibility- the state television quoted Dbeibeh as saying at a ceremony marking World Environment Day.
The agreement will be sent to the parliament for approval, he added.
He said that his country is among the countries most affected by the negative effects of climate change due to its climate and geographical location.
The Paris Agreement is considered a landmark document in global climate change efforts and a legally binding treaty.
It entered into force in 2016 and has been adopted by over 190 parties, aiming to curb global warming compared to pre-industrial levels to well below 2, preferably 1.5, degrees Celsius.
Libya has recently witnessed positive developments following a breakthrough in which rival parties agreed on Feb. 5 on a unified new executive authority that will govern in the lead-up to national elections.
Libyans hope the new government will end years of civil war that have engulfed the country since the ouster and killing of strongman Muammar al-Qaddafi in 2011.

Paris Agreement to be sent to parliament for approval, says premier

Libyan government to sign Paris climate deal

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) will remain the largest party in Sachsen Anhalt's parliament, fending off a challenge from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), according to an exit poll released Sunday. 

The state election was seen as a major political test for the CDU, as the AfD was originally projected to land an upset victory.

The election is a major political test for the CDU ahead of September's nationwide vote

CDU fends off far-right AfD in Saxony-Anhalt state election

Pope Francis expressed his "pain" Sunday over the discovery of the remains of 215 children in a mass grave at a former indigenous boarding school in Canada run by the Church.

But he did not go so far as to offer the apology that many people have been calling for over the unfolding scandal.
-I follow with pain the news coming from Canada about the shocking discovery of the remains of 215 children- he said, following Sunday prayers at Saint Peter's Square.
The discovery of the remains of the children last month sent shockwaves through Canadian society.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday called on the Catholic Church to take responsibility for its role in the deaths at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia.
He has already promised "concrete action" from the government and urged his fellow Catholics in Canada to make it clear to the Church that they expected its full cooperation too.
-Before we have to start taking the Catholic Church to court, I am very hopeful that religious leaders will understand that this is something they need to participate in- he added.
In his speech Sunday, Pope Francis said: "I unite with the Canadian bishops and the entire Catholic Church in Canada in expressing my solidarity with the Canadian people traumatised by this shocking news.
-The sad discovery further increases awareness of the pain and suffering of the past- he added.

The pope called for Canada's political and religious leaders to work together to "shed light on this sad matter" and begin the process of "reconciliation and healing".

But in his comments Friday, Trudeau stressed: -We need to have truth before we can talk about justice, healing and reconciliation.-UN rights experts on Friday urged both Ottawa and the Vatican to hold swift and thorough investigations into the affair.
On Wednesday, Vancouver Archbishop J Michael Miller offered an apology on behalf of the Church in a statement.
But there have been growing calls for an apology from the pope himself -- including from some Canadian government ministers.
The Kamloops Indian Residential School was the largest of 139 boarding schools set up in the late 19th century to assimilate Canada's indigenous peoples, with up to 500 students registered and attending at any one time.
Only 50 deaths were ever officially recorded at the institution, where a principal once pleaded for more funds to properly feed students.
It was operated by the Catholic church on behalf of the Canadian government from 1890 to 1969, before Ottawa took over its administration and closed it a decade later.

The remains of 215 children were found last month

'I follow with pain the news coming from Canada,' said the pope

Pope's 'pain' over bodies found at Canadian indigenous school

It would be "unimaginable" for Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz to stay in office if convicted of perjury, the country's vice chancellor and leader of the Greens, Werner Kogler, said in remarks broadcast on Saturday.

Kogler's comments suggest the coalition between his party and Kurz's conservatives could collapse if Kurz, whom prosecutors have placed under investigation over his testimony to a parliamentary commission, were charged and then convicted.
Kurz has said he spoke the truth but also depicted himself as the victim of opposition lawmakers trying to catch him out while questioning him at the commission about the extent of his involvement in appointments to state posts. He says he expects to be charged but not convicted.
-A convicted chancellor is in fact unimaginable- Kogler told ORF radio, when asked whether it was possible for Kurz to stay in office if found guilty.
The commission at which Kurz testified is looking into possible corruption revealed in a video sting that ensnared his then coalition partner, Heinz-Christian Strache, who was forced to resign as leader of the far-right Freedom Party and as Austrian vice chancellor in 2019. That coalition then collapsed.
Kurz and members of his party have said the case against him is politically motivated and criticised the anti-corruption prosecutors' office that is handling the case - a stance which opposition parties have condemned.
Kogler said it would be necessary to wait and see if Kurz is charged and then examine the case brought against him. But if there was a conviction, he said: "Then we are on a different level in terms of assessing whether someone is fit for office.
-It is hard to imagine that Austria can afford to have a convicted head of government.-

Kurz and members of his party have said the case against him is politically motivated

Austria's Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, wearing a protective face mask, talks to journalists during his visit to a public school, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in Vienna, Austria, June 2, 2021.

Azerbaijan organisers ban Russian journalist from Euro 2020

End of era for convicted French mayor who ran town from prison

Bulgarian MiG-29 fighter plane crashes into Black Sea

Serbia, Kosovo normalization talks to resume on June 15

US 'modernizes' sanctions policy for Western Balkans to go after corruption

UN experts voice concern over Protasevich arrest

Russia completes withdrawal from Open Skies Treaty

Exhumation in Kalinovik area - Remains of seven victims found

Fight between migrants in Bihać, one person dies

Kavalec: Travnik Municipality can serve as model in fight against corruption

Delivery of final verdict against Ratko Mladić scheduled for Tuesday, June 8

Professor Edward P. Joseph for "Avaz": The borders in the Balkans are final

Libyan government to sign Paris climate deal

CDU fends off far-right AfD in Saxony-Anhalt state election

Pope's 'pain' over bodies found at Canadian indigenous school

'Unimaginable' for Austria's Kurz to stay on if convicted, vice chancellor says

News

Azerbaijan organisers ban Russian journalist from Euro 2020

End of era for convicted French mayor who ran town from prison

Bulgarian MiG-29 fighter plane crashes into Black Sea

Serbia, Kosovo normalization talks to resume on June 15

US 'modernizes' sanctions policy for Western Balkans to go after corruption

UN experts voice concern over Protasevich arrest

Russia completes withdrawal from Open Skies Treaty

Exhumation in Kalinovik area - Remains of seven victims found

Fight between migrants in Bihać, one person dies

Kavalec: Travnik Municipality can serve as model in fight against corruption

Delivery of final verdict against Ratko Mladić scheduled for Tuesday, June 8

Professor Edward P. Joseph for "Avaz": The borders in the Balkans are final

Libyan government to sign Paris climate deal

CDU fends off far-right AfD in Saxony-Anhalt state election

Pope's 'pain' over bodies found at Canadian indigenous school

'Unimaginable' for Austria's Kurz to stay on if convicted, vice chancellor says