Kosovo on the threshold of EU membership

Kosovo is the last southeastern European country to sign the EU Association Agreement. But the country still has a long road to EU membership.

Deutsche Welle, 26 Oct 2015

Kosovo and EU flag

"To us, this is a historic moment, a historic step. Kosovo has begun an irreversible journey towards EU membership," asserted Kosovo's minister for EU integration, Bekim Collaku, in an interview with Deutsche Welle.

Together with the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa, he will sign the EU Stabilization and Association Agreement on in Strasbourg on Tuesday. The goal of the agreement is to create required conditions before accession talks with the EU are initiated. In doing so, Kosovo commits itself to implementing the necessary reforms, while the EU assumes responsibility for providing the country with additional support.

Kosovo's government is aware of the fact that this first step is being taken despite many challenges, like the recent blockades and violence in Kosovar parliament, where the opposition repeatedly set off tear gas. They were protesting against an agreement mediated by the EU about autonomy rights for the Serbian minority and the treaty that has finally fixed the border between Kosovo and Montenegro.

Ever since the Kosovo War in 1999 – and especially since the country's declaration of independence in 2008 – the country has adopted several laws that adhere to EU standards. "Kosovo has very modern laws. The problem is enforcing them, because only a constitutional state and a sound judicial infrastructure will attract foreign investors. And foreign investments are needed," said the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo, Safet Gerxhaliu, in an interview with DW.

Only poverty is plentiful

Kosovo has often been called Europe's poorhouse. According to the World Bank, the average per capita income in 2014 was $2863.47 (around 2,600 euros) per year. The official unemployment rate remains high, at 35 percent. The transition from a centrally planned economy to a market economy was made by privatizing many state-owned assets. However, liberalization has been fraught with irregularities and corruption. Last year, Kosovo's economy grew by around three percent.

Despite progress made since independence, Kosovo's economy is still weak. More than 90 percent of goods in Kosovo are imported from foreign countries. About 18 percent of the population is said to be suffering from severe poverty, meaning that people must make ends meet with less than a dollar a day. And around 15 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) is maintained by payments transferred from the diaspora. Bureaucracy is too cumbersome and is still rooted in central planning. Kosovo also faces the challenge of tackling corruption and organized crime, and it is suspected that high-ranking politicians are involved.

Serbian blockade

At the moment, Kosovo does not enjoy the full support of the EU. Its declaration of independence has been recognized by 111 countries to date; among them are 23 EU members. And although they support the Association Agreement with Kosovo, Spain, Slovakia, Cyprus, Greece and Romania refuse to recognize the country's independence. Relations with Serbia have strained the integration process, as Serbia adamantly opposes Kosovo's independence. Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic used the world "terrible" to describe the EU's recent call for a complete normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo.

Pope Francis closes synod with final Mass, calling for 'more mercy'

At the end of a historic synod that endorsed a new direction for the Catholic Church, Pope Francis has called for the Church to be less judgemental and more compassionate. But Catholic clergy remain divided.

Deutsche Welle, 25 Oct 2015

Pope Francis on Sunday stated that "Today is a time of mercy!" at a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica marking the end of a three-week divisive Vatican summit that reviewed the Catholic Church's teaching on the family.

In his homily, Francis said pastors were charged with bringing "people into contact with the compassionate mercy," and not with "lecturing" them on Church dogma, saying faith was not a mechanical exercise.

"A faith that does not know how to root itself in the life of people remains arid and creates other deserts, rather than oases," he says.

His words appeared to be a veiled warning to conservative bishops who at the synod opposed moves by the progressive wing of the Church to changing doctrine to allow divorced and civilly remarried Catholics to receive Communion.

Split in the Church

Although the 94-point document issued at the end of the synod did not explicitly allow such Catholics to receive the sacraments, as liberal prelates advocated, it does suggest that exceptions could be made on a case-by-case basis, emphasizing the role of discernment and individual conscience.

 

The bishops failed to agree on
several points of doctrine

Even such a seemingly small change caused such division in the assembly of 275 synod "fathers" that the statement was endorsed by just one vote.

Although synods do not have the power to take decisions, the passage of the document will give Francis scope to elaborate his reformist views on family matters in a future official document.

German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, who headed a theological initiative that was instrumental in gaining a majority on the issue of divorce and remarriage, has suggested that such a document could be issued during his upcoming Jubilee Year of Mercy starting on December. 8.

The document however failed to make any changes to the Church's strongly disapproving stance on homosexuality.

tj/rc (dpa, AP)

Video: a Dutch view of why refugees should go to Denmark instead

DutchNews, October 20, 2015

Dutch satirical television programme ‘Zondag met Lubach’ has weighed in to the refugee debate in the Netherlands with a humorous message urging asylum seekers to go to Denmark instead. 

Denmark, unlike the Netherlands, may qualify for European football next year, everyone rides bikes and you get to build a house from lego, the video tells would-be refugees.

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Johan Cruijff confirms lung cancer diagnosis

DutchNews, October 22, 2015

Dutch football legend Johan Cruijff has lung cancer, his management confirmed on Thursday. 

The cancer was confirmed by a hospital in Barcelona and Cruijff is now undergoing further tests to decide what treatment he should be given. Cruijff, who is 68, has lived in Spain for years. 

Spanish media reported earlier on Thursday that Cruijff was sick and his former club, Barcelona, have wished him well. 

Cruijff had heart trouble in the early 1990s and underwent a bypass operation. He also stopped smoking around that time. 

Having advertised cigarettes when a player, Cruijff took part in an anti-smoking commercial in Catalonia. In the advert, Cruijff said football had given him everything but that smoking had taken almost everything away.

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"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems  (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it),  Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse),  Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

" ... The Shift in Human Nature

You're starting to see integrity change. Awareness recalibrates integrity, and the Human Being who would sit there and take advantage of another Human Being in an old energy would never do it in a new energy. The reason? It will become intuitive, so this is a shift in Human Nature as well, for in the past you have assumed that people take advantage of people first and integrity comes later. That's just ordinary Human nature.

In the past, Human nature expressed within governments worked like this: If you were stronger than the other one, you simply conquered them. If you were strong, it was an invitation to conquer. If you were weak, it was an invitation to be conquered. No one even thought about it. It was the way of things. The bigger you could have your armies, the better they would do when you sent them out to conquer. That's not how you think today. Did you notice?

Any country that thinks this way today will not survive, for humanity has discovered that the world goes far better by putting things together instead of tearing them apart. The new energy puts the weak and strong together in ways that make sense and that have integrity. Take a look at what happened to some of the businesses in this great land (USA). Up to 30 years ago, when you started realizing some of them didn't have integrity, you eliminated them. What happened to the tobacco companies when you realized they were knowingly addicting your children? Today, they still sell their products to less-aware countries, but that will also change.

What did you do a few years ago when you realized that your bankers were actually selling you homes that they knew you couldn't pay for later? They were walking away, smiling greedily, not thinking about the heartbreak that was to follow when a life's dream would be lost. Dear American, you are in a recession. However, this is like when you prune a tree and cut back the branches. When the tree grows back, you've got control and the branches will grow bigger and stronger than they were before, without the greed factor. Then, if you don't like the way it grows back, you'll prune it again! I tell you this because awareness is now in control of big money. It's right before your eyes, what you're doing. But fear often rules. ..."

Starbucks, Fiat ordered to pay huge EU back taxes

Yahoio – AFP, Alex Pigman, 21 Oct 2015

Starbucks and Fiat must each repay up to 30 million euros in back taxes 

under an EU ruling (AFP Photo/Karen Bleier)

Brussels (AFP) - The European Union ordered Starbucks and Fiat on Wednesday to each repay up to 30 million euros ($34 million) in back taxes in a landmark tax avoidance case launched in the wake of the LuxLeaks scandal.

Brussels said tax deals that the Netherlands offered US coffee giant Starbucks and Luxembourg gave Italian automaker Fiat were illegal, dealing its first major blow to big business in a campaign against sweetheart tax arrangements.

The Netherlands and Luxembourg both said they disagreed with the European Commission's demand that they reclaim years of unpaid tax from the two companies and vowed to fight the decision.

European commissioner for competition 

Margrethe Vestager warned that the Fiat 

and Starbucks cases will not be the last

(AFP Photo/Emmanuel Dunand)

Decisions on Apple and Amazon are also looming after the EU launched a series of probes last year following the LuxLeaks affair, which revealed that top global companies had negotiated lower tax rates, in some cases as low as one percent, in secret pacts with Luxembourg.

"Tax rulings that artificially reduce a company's tax burden are not in line with EU state aid rules -- they are illegal. All companies, big or small, multinational or not, should pay their fair share of tax," EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said.

The LuxLeaks revelations were a huge embarrassment to Jean-Claude Juncker, who took over as European Commission president last November after serving nearly 19 years as Luxembourg's prime minister, covering the period when the tax deals were made.

'More investigations'

Tax deals between EU member states and companies -- known as tax rulings -- are not in themselves illegal and the firms involved insist they fully comply with the tax laws where they operate.

But they have run afoul of the European Commission's tough rules on state aid, which are designed to ensure fair competition. It argues that the rulings unfairly benefit bigger companies at the expense of smaller, often less influential rivals.

In Fiat's case, Vestager said that if the tax bill truly reflected market conditions, "the taxable profits declared in Luxembourg would have been 20 times higher."

Vestager -- a former Danish economy minister who has taken a tough line on tax avoidance since taking office last year -- warned that the Fiat and Starbucks cases were not the last.

"I hope it is a clear message that these are the first two cases taken in this mandate but we have ongoing investigations and there may be more investigations to come," she said.

Brussels said tax deals that Luxembourg gave Italian automaker Fiat were

illegal (AFP Photo/Giuseppe Cacace)

Luxembourg said it would explore all legal options.

"Luxembourg disagrees with the conclusions reached by the European Commission in the Fiat Finance and Trade case and reserves all its rights," Finance Minister Pierre Gramegna said.

An official in Luxembourg who wished to remain anonymous told AFP that this could include bringing the case to the European Court of Justice, the EU's highest court.

'Tip of the iceberg'

The Netherlands said it was "surprised" by the Commission's finding and would decide on its next move in the coming weeks.

"The method employed by the Netherlands when it comes to the Starbucks case has been internationally recognised," Dutch Deputy Finance Minister Eric Wiebes said.

Starbucks in a statement said it stood by the Dutch government's reaction, adding that it would seek to appeal the decision.

Eva Joly, a Green MEP and longtime critic of tax rulings, warned that Luxembourg and the Netherlands were hardly alone in abusing the practice.

Internet retailer Amazon is still awaiting the EU's judgement on its tax deals 

with Ireland (AFP Photo/Leon Neal)

"The commission has only addressed the tip of the iceberg," Joly said.

Activists for fairer taxation said the decision would do little to change corporate habits.

"It's clear that if the tax system isn't changed, the Commission will not be able to keep up with the tax-related acrobatics of multinational corporations," said Tove Ryding, a tax specialist for the NGO Eurodad.

US tech giant Apple and Internet retailer Amazon are still awaiting the EU's judgement on their tax deals with Ireland and Luxembourg respectively.

Vestager is already involved in a bitter anti-trust fight with Google, which the EU accuses of abusing its dominant market position to promote its own services.

But attacking Apple and Amazon would come at a delicate time for EU-US business ties as Brussels and Washington negotiate a huge free trade deal.

It would also follow a decision by the EU's top court to reject a transatlantic personal data pact that risks punishing Silicon Valley companies operating in Europe.

Smile, it's an emergency: clowning around with refugees

Yahoo – AFP, Simon Sturdee, 19 Oct 2015

Members of the 'Red Nose Clown doctors' perform for migrants at the main

train station in Vienna, Austria (AFP Photo/Patrick Domingo)

Vienna (AFP) - It's miserable and raining outside as a few hundred tired migrants mill around a damp underpass at Vienna's main train station waiting to continue their long journey to northern Europe.

Suddenly, a man wearing a red nose, tartan plus-fours and a brown leather aviator's cap enters, leading a noisy procession of three clowns -- all with a silly but also serious mission.

They are from "Red Noses Emergency Smile Austria", a project using 66 clowns to spread some cheer among the thousands of migrants still arriving Austria daily, particularly the children.

Project 'Red Noses Emergency Smile 

Austria' uses 66 clowns to spread some 

cheer among the thousands of migrants

 still arriving daily, particularly the children

 (AFP Photo/Patrick Domingo)

"You don't need to know the language, you just laugh and you feel a connection," Simone Mang, a spokeswoman for the organisers, told AFP.

"Children need to have a little time to themselves, and play and laugh and forget about the circumstances," she said.

At first there is a stunned silence as the clowns -- professional actors who underwent special training -- stomp in, playing an accordion and rattling tambourines.

But as the trio engage in a slapstick routine, the ice breaks. Laughter, clapping and cheering erupts as people gather round, carrying children on their shoulders and filming the scene on their phones.

Then there is a dancing session just for the children, who are given tambourines, ribbons and little pots of bubble-blowing solution.

Afterwards they are led away, giggling, to a special play room where they can draw, paint and interact with the clowns.

"They are happy, at least we find peace," said Hossam, a Palestinian, as he watched his four young children play, blowing bubbles and leaping onto a blue crash mat.

"I escaped from my country for them... For their future, to have good education, to have a good life, if God is willing."

Beautiful eyes

"The (reaction) is amazing. So many eyes, so many beautiful eyes. Such beautiful colours, so clear and so direct," one of the clowns, Marie Miklau, 37, told AFP.

'Red Noses Emergency Smile Austria' project came from Red Nose Clowndoctors,

 a charity sending clowns into Austrian hospitals to cheer up patients since 1994

and now active in 10 countries (AFP Photo/Patrick Domingo)

"But at the same time we had very sensitive moments to look behind the party to see the more silent people, the humans inside. You see also the journey they had, and also the suffering," she said.

The project came from Red Nose Clowndoctors, a charity sending clowns into Austrian hospitals to cheer up patients since 1994 and now active in 10 countries.

It is part of an immense voluntary effort that has sprung up since migrants began flooding into Austria in large numbers in September -- mostly on their way elsewhere -- and who keep coming every day.

"Train of Hope", for example, a private initiative coordinating the volunteer effort, has 3,500 helpers who have put in a total of 300,000 man-hours in the past five weeks, its spokesman Benjamin Fritz told AFP on a tour.

"It began with a couple of tables and some bottles of water," the 26-year-old explains on a tour of tents and containers around the back of the station, a hive of activity. "Now it's like a small town."

Organised largely on social media, the initiative provides everything from hot food and medical help -- they even have an electrocardiogram machine with doctors on hand -- to clothing and hygiene articles.

There are also interpreters, psychologists and a missing persons point that posts pictures on Facebook and shares information with other organisations abroad.

'Red Noses Emergency Smile Austria' is part of an immense voluntary effort that 

has sprung up since migrants began flooding into the country in large numbers in

 September 2015 (AFP Photo/Patrick Domingo)

Winter's coming

The project has been so successful that organisers have asked people to stop donating certain items such as crayons for kids, toilet paper, tampons and even wheelchairs.

They still need many things, however, like formula milk, cereal bars and razors. And with winter fast approaching, the Facebook page now calls for warm coats, thick socks, hats and gloves.

More and more of the new arrivals are becoming sick because of the weather. And at the same time, there has been a noticeable drop in donations and volunteer numbers, Fritz said.

"If it snowed tomorrow, then we would clearly have a problem. But we have had countless problems every day over the past five weeks and we solved them. We will manage somehow," he said.

"We will keep doing this until there are no more migrants here."

Dafne Schippers again voted European athlete of the year

DutchNews, October 19, 2015

Dutch sprinter Dafne Schippers has been voted European athlete of the year for the second year running. 

This makes Schippers the first woman athlete to take the title two years in a row. Schippers took the world 200 metres title at this year’s championships in Beijng and was second in the 100 metre event.

‘This was a very special year,’ Schippers said at the award ceremony. ‘The European title and a European record, silver and gold at the world championships… I can’t believe it.’ 

The men’s prize went to British long jumper Greg Rutherford.

WINNER @dafneschippers becomes the first female to win European Athlete of Year in consecutive years #GoldenTracks pic.twitter.com/lqQpUIqFvZ

— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) 17 oktober 2015

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Dafne Schippers wins 200 metres gold at world championships

Germany ready to support Turkey's EU accession process, says Merkel

Chancellor Merkel has said Germany will support Turkey's EU membership bid, during a visit aimed at securing Ankara's help in stemming a migrant influx to Europe. Turkish PM Davutoglu hailed Europe's "better approach."

Deutsche Welle, 18 Oct 2015

Merkel and Davutoglu shake hands at a joint-press conference

Germany is ready to accelerate Turkey's EU accession process, said German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday at a joint press conference with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

Merkel spoke of organizing the accesion process "more dynamically."

"Germany is ready this year to open Chapter 17, and make preparations for (Chapters) 23 and 24. We can talk about the details," she said.

Kanzlerin #Merkel zu Gesprächen in #Türkei eingetroffen. Im Mittelpunkt: Syrien+Kooperation in der Flüchtlingskrise. pic.twitter.com/15vLrwt6jM

— Steffen Seibert (@RegSprecher) 18 oktober 2015

Merkel's statement comes as she visits Turkish leaders on Sunday in a bid to secure Ankara's support in stemming the current migrant influx into the EU.

'Better approach'

Davutoglu hailed the EU's latest moves to foster collaboration between Brussels and Ankara as a "better approach."

"Unfortunately Turkey was left alone by the international community in terms of burden sharing. We are very pleased there is a better approach now. The issue of sharing going forward is very important," Davutoglu said.

The Turkish premier also praised Merkel for "not turning a blind eye" to the crisis.

However, Davutoglu noted that "significant new waves of migration" were likely to occur if a political solution to the Syrian conflict does not emerge.

Turkey has taken in more than two million Syrian refugees since a civil war erupted there in 2011, according to UN figures.

Thousands of refugees have crossed the Aegean Sea to enter EU member
state Greece from Turkey

Whole package?

According to officials, the EU offered Ankara an aid package of at least 3 billion euros ($3.4 billion) along with an easing EU visa restrictions for Turkish citizens, which Merkel and Davutoglu discussed.

The German chancellor later met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said he asked Merkel to support Turkey's EU membership bid. Erdogan added that he also asked France, Britain and Spain for support.

The EU is struggling to cope with the current influx of asylum seekers, with more than half a million migrants having crossed into the 28-nation bloc in 2015, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported in September.

ls/tj (Reuters, AFP, dpa)

Germany, Turkey hail progress in handling refugee crisis http://t.co/KzSFwV7skC pic.twitter.com/HgwlJBVOOH

— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) 18 oktober 2015

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Australia doctors demand children be freed from immigration detention

Australia doctors demand children be freed from #immigration detention http://t.co/oSHkZyvn5V pic.twitter.com/s9yLBKHA2Z

— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) 12 oktober 2015

Stabbing victim Reker set to win absolute majority in Cologne mayoral race

Henriette Reker, victim of a racist attack on the campaign trail, is expected to be elected the first female mayor of Cologne. Intial vote counts gave Reker an overwhelming victory over rival Jochen Ott.

Deutsche Welle, 18 Oct 2015

Early results on Sunday indicated that Henriette Reker, the victim of a knife attack the day before , has been elected mayor of Cologne. With an absolute majority predicted of around 52 percent, Reker was set to become the city's first woman in the position.

Her closest competitor was Jochen Ott of the Social Democrats (SPD), who have been in the power in Cologne since 2009. Ott garnered around 32 percent of the vote, marking a clear victory for Reker, an independent supported by Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), as well as the Greens and the Free Democrats (FDP).

Originally scheduled for September, the Cologne mayoral election was pushed to Sunday after some voting slips were printed incorrectly, which may be why the ballot was not postponed after the attack against Reker.

Xenophobic attacker targets Reker

A 44-year-old man stabbed the 58-year-old Reker in the neck while she was visiting an outdoor market in Cologne's Braunsfeld neighborhood on Saturday. According to police, the man - an unemployed former painter and varnisher living on welfare – took issue with Reker's pro-refugee policies. Witnesses said he was shouting about refugees as he struck Reker.

As part of her work at the city of Cologne's social services department, Reker was charged with arranging accommodation for the thousands of asylum seekers in the city.

The assailant stabbed four more people before being subdued by police. No one was fatally wounded, but Reker was rushed to the hospital and immediately underwent surgery. A candlelit vigil to protest xenophobia was held in Berlin as well-wishers gathered outside Cologne's city hall to show support for Reker.

University Hospital Cologne told the press that "the healing process for this kind of injury usually takes a certain amount of time," but that Reker's prognosis was very positive.

es/tj (dpa, Reuters)

A profile of Cologne's Henriette Reker, who was seriously wounded in the neck http://t.co/Zgc3fC10fG pic.twitter.com/L8zvaxwPvY

— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) 18 oktober 2015

Germany's politicians call for thorough probe into 2006 World Cup corruption claims

Foreign Minister Steinmeier has demanded an immediate inquiry into new claims Germany won the 2006 soccer World Cup by buying votes. One politician has asked for an external probe - not trusting soccer to police itself.

Deutsche Welle, 17 Oct 2015

Germany's top diplomat Frank-Walter Steinmeier joined a chorus of politicians on Saturday clamoring for a swift and thorough investigation into allegations the German Football Association (DFB) won the opportunity to host the 2006 soccer world cup through bribery.

"That is in the interest of sport and football. But it is also in our common interest that nothing remains from it," Steinmeier said while on a visit to Tehran.

Saturday's edition of "Der Spiegel" magazine covers claims that the German bid committee had a slush fund for vote-buying, funded by Adidas CEO Robert Louis-Dreyfus. The magazine claims that the money was used to sway four executives from the Asian branch of FIFA, soccer's international governing body.

Call for external probe

Late on Friday, FIFA said it would investigate the "very serious allegations."

An investigation is not enough, however, for Dagmar Freitag, who heads the sports commission in the German parliament. Freitag. She doesn't trust soccer to reform itself, criticized the internal probe led by the DFB and called for outside experts to look into the claims.

"My personal opinion is that internal investigations by the DFB are not the measure of all things ... And I believe that the prosecution office could also be interested in these things," said Freitag.

The DFB said it "categorically rejects the baseless allegations ," with the caveat that a payment of 6.7 million euros (7.6 million dollars) it received from FIFA "may not have been used for its intended purpose."

es/tj (dpa, SID)

Pope apologizes for series of Vatican scandals

Pope Francis has offered a public apology for a number of recent scandals to rock Rome and the Vatican. The pontiff is presiding over a three-week council to discuss church teachings and family.

Deutsche Welle, 14 Oct 2015

The apology from the head of the Roman Catholic Church comes as the Vatican finds itself at the center of a number of scandals, including a gay priest coming out against the church's stance on homosexuality and statements against Rome's mayor, who resigned last week.

"I want, in the name of the Church, to ask forgiveness for the scandals which have recently hit Rome and the Vatican. I ask you for forgiveness," the pope said to an audience at Saint Peter's Square on Wednesday.

The pontiff is overseeing a three-week global council of cardinals and bishops to discuss church teachings and the family. It started off with a Polish priest who had been at the Vatican for 17 years coming out as gay and criticizing homophobia within the church. He was dismissed.

That was followed by Rome's mayor, Ignazio Marino, resigning over a scandal in which he wined and dined friends and family using city funds. The pope and church had said they had little confidence in the mayor's ability to handle millions of pilgrims for the Jubilee Year of Mercy in December. The pope also said on his return from the US that the mayor had not been invited to Philadelphia but had come anyway.

In another scandal, a leaked letter showed that at a dozen conservative cardinals had criticized the way the synod was being run and questioned any compromises the church took on marriage.

In issuing the apology, the pope did not mention any particular scandal or provide examples.

cw/kms (AFP, AP)

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Catholic priest in Malta accused of sexually abusing boys - New
Vatican priest fired after coming out as gay ahead of key summit on family

Catholic priest in Malta accused of sexually abusing boys

A chaplain has been arraigned on charges that he sexually abused three teenage boys. The news comes as the Catholic Church attempts to deal with the growing number of sexual abuse cases around the world.

Deutsche Welle, 14 Oct 2015

More than 90 percent of Maltese inhabitants are Catholic, according to
the CIA World Factbook

A Catholic priest in the largely Catholic country was officially accused on Wednesday of sexually abusing three teenage boys between 2010 and 2013.

The 44-year-old, Donald Bellizzi, the current chaplain of the airport chapel, pleaded not guilty to the charges. The court rejected his lawyer's request for bail.

Bellizzi is accused of sexually abusing three boys who attended a group encouraging them to join the priesthood. The boys, who were minors at the time, are now between the ages of 18 and 19 years old, German news agency dpa reported.

The Maltese Church Safegaurding Commission confirmed the case in an online statement, saying they immediately passed the complaint on to police. In the past, the Catholic Chuch had sought to deal with such issues internally without law enforcement.

The accusation comes as the issue of sexual abuse grows more and more pressing for the Catholic Church. Last month, Pope Francis met with victims of sexual abuse during his tour of the United States.

"For the sexual abuse of children, these cannot be maintained in secret, and I commit to a careful oversight to insure that youth are protected and all responsible will be held accountable," he said during a speech in Philadelphia.

blc/msh (dpa)

Buk missile brought down MH17, airspace should have been closed

DutchNews, October 13, 2015

Photo: OVV.nl

Flight MH17 was brought down by a Buk missile made by Russia, the Dutch safety board which is investigating the cause of the accident, said on Tuesday.

‘We are talking about a 9N314M missile which was fired by a Buk launcher,’ OVV chairman Tjibbe Joustra said. ‘It hit the left-hand side of the cockpit. This is why the cockpit broke off from the body of the plane.’ 

Flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was brought down over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 people on board. Most were Dutch nationals. 

Joustra also said that airspace above eastern Ukraine should have been closed because of the risk to aircraft.

‘Well before the disaster there was information available which pointed to the fact that civil aviation faced dangers,’ he said. ‘But despite this information, Ukraine did not close the airspace.’ 

According to the report, 16 Ukrainian military aircraft had been shot down by rebel forces prior to the crash.

‘Not just Ukraine but airlines, other countries and international organisations did not adequately estimate the risks,’ he said. ‘No-one thought about the risk to a civilian aircraft.’ 

Victims

The report also says the three crew members in the cockpit were killed by the missile explosion instantly, and that traces of the missile were found in their bodies. 

However, it is unclear at which point the other occupants died and the possibility that some remained conscious for up to 90 seconds could not be ruled out, the report said. 

One passenger was found with an oxygen mask around their neck. The report said there is no information about how this body was found on the ground. Nor was there dna or fingerprint evidence to determine if the mask been put on by the victim. 

Responsibility

The long-awaited report, which does not state who was responsible for firing the rocket, was presented to the public at the Gilze-Rijen airbase in the early afternoon. 

Despite the international interest, journalists were not allowed to ask questions about the report’s contents, Dutch media reported. 

The investigation into who is responsible for the downing of Malaysian Airways flight MH17 will continue well into next year, a spokesman for the Dutch public prosecution service said earlier this week. 

Russia

Russia, which presented the results of its own investigation into the crash also on Tuesday, has strongly denied the Dutch claims that one of its missiles caused the crash. 

Officials from the Buk manufacturers held their own news conference in Moscow earlier on Tuesday. 

According to Ian Novikov, director of the Buk missile factory, its tests show that the plane was brought down by an older missile, a type produced in the days of the Soviet Union and used by the Ukrainian army. 

The OVV report

The wrecked fuselage of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 is presented to the press during

 a presentation of the final report on the cause of its crash, at the Gilze Rijen airbase

October 13, 2015 (AFP Photo/Emmanuel Dunand)

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Matthew message (Channelled by Suzanne Ward, Aug 3, 2014) - (MH17)