Category: News

An Egyptian court has upheld the death sentence imposed on ousted ex-President Mohammed Morsi over a mass jailbreak, the BBC reports.

The sentence was initially passed in May, but was confirmed after consultation with Egypt’s highest religious figure, the Grand Mufti.

The death sentences of five other leading members of the Muslim Brotherhood, including its supreme guide Mohammed Badie, were also upheld.

Morsi’s supporters have described the sentence as “farcical”.

The verdict is subject to appeal. One hundred and one other defendants were also sentenced to death in absentia.

Morsi escaped from Wadi Natroun prison in January 2011 and was accused of colluding with foreign militants in a plot to free Islamists during mass prison breaks.

The 2011 uprising brought an end to Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year rule and Morsi was elected president a year later.

Armenia’s Hrachik Babayan, 18, came 5^th in the final of the 10m Air Rifle event at Baku Games.

He earned 629.3 points, setting a new European youth record in the qualification round.

The result ensures an Olympic berth for Armenia at Rio 2016.

The Catholicosate of the Holy See of Cilicia has issued a statement to clarify the nature and purpose of its claim for the return of its historical Seat in Sis (present-day Kozan in Turkey), currently pending before the Turkish Constitutional Court:

The lawsuit claims the right of ownership and religious worship with regard to the Monastery and Cathedral of St. Sophia, the Seat of the Catholicosate from 1293 until at least 1921. To comply with the procedures for filing of property claims before the Turkish Constitutional Court, the application indicated a provisional estimated value for the property. The demand however is clearly and emphatically for return of the property and its restoration and use for religious worship, and this demand cannot be satisfied by the payment of monetary compensation.

The claim therefore is for restitution of the property and not for compensation.

The decision of the Catholicosate to initiate this lawsuit was motivated by the historical and religious significance of this property for the Armenian Church and Nation. There are two separate legal grounds for the claim; namely (1) the property rights of the Catholicosate; and (2) the religious rights of the Catholicosate. While the ownership rights of the Catholicosate may raise issues of compensation under Turkish laws and procedures, the rights of religious worship are a separate matter and can only be remedied by return of the property, its restoration and use for worship. This is a non-negotiable demand that will not be withdrawn under any circumstances.

The lawsuit has been submitted to the Turkish Constitutional Court to satisfy the requirement of the exhaustion of domestic remedies as a precondition for any appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. If the Turkish court ruling is not favourable, or if the Turkish Government does not otherwise return the property, the Catholicosate will appeal the decision to the European Court of Human Rights, and seek to enforce its rights under international law.

The lawsuit is a matter of great complexity and sensitivity and the legal process will unfold over the coming months and years. It is unfortunately not possible to reveal all details and aspects of the case while it is still pending before the courts, as this will prejudice the claim of the Catholicosate. During this period, uninformed comments and speculation in the media will not contribute to the success of this historical initiative against the many obstacles it will invariably encounter.

The Catholicosate will pursue every possible means within the law to assert its property and religious rights, to reclaim its historical Seat, and to reclaim the historical heritage of Armenian Church and Nation.

Borussia Dortmund have confirmed the signing of Swiss international goalkeeper Roman Bürki from relegated side SC Freiburg, according to Bundesliga’s official website.

The 24-year-old is BVB’s third major summer recruit, following the arrivals of Gonzalo Castro from Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Julian Weigl from Bundesliga 2 outfit 1860 Munich.

Bürki, who has two full international caps for Switzerland, moved to Freiburg from Grasshoppers Zurich last summer and had an outstanding debut season in the Bundesliga, saving over 76 per cent of all shots fired at him. Nevertheless, even he was unable to prevent the Black Forest side slipping down to Bundesliga 2.

President Serzh Sargsyan has sent a congratulatory message to Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Prime Minister David Cameron on the national holiday of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the official birthday of Queen Elizabeth II.

The Armenian president has congratulated the queen, the royal family and the friendly people of Great Britain and has sent them his best wishes. The president wished the United Kingdom further prosperity and continued progress. Serzh Sargsyan expressed confidence that Armenian-British relations will continue to broaden and deepen to ensure the well-being of the two peoples.

In his congratulatory message to Prime Minister David Cameron, Serzh Sargsyan expressed his belief that only through joint efforts they will manage to further strengthen friendly relations between Armenia and the United Kingdom both in bilateral and multilateral formats.

Serzh Sargsyan today also visited the Embassy of the United Kingdom in the Republic of Armenia and congratulated Ambassador Katherine Jane Leach and the entire embassy staff on the occasion of British National Day.

AC Milan have confirmed the dismissal of coach Filippo Inzaghi halfway through his two-year contract with the Italian outfit, Goal.com reports.

The former youth-team coach only took charge of the senior squad last summer, succeeding Clarence Seedorf at the helm.

However, after a disappointing 2014-15 campaign, which saw Milan fail to qualify for Europe after finishing in 10th in Serie A, the Rossoneri decided to part company with the World Cup winner.

“AC Milan announces that it has sacked the coach of the first-team squad, Filippo Inzaghi, who has been thanked for the work done,” read a short statement released on the club’s official website.

Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi had already been publicly pursuing a new coach, having done his utmost to try to persuade former boss Carlo Ancelotti to return to San Siro after his Real Madrid exit.

However, with Ancelotti having opted to take a break from the game to recover from scheduled back surgery, the Rossoneri are now set to hire Sinisa Mihajlovic, who stepped down as Sampdoria coach at the end of last season.

 

 

 

The Ministry of Education and Science has announced Armenian schoolchildren will not participate in the 47^th International Chemistry Olympiad to be held in Baku from July 20-29.

It was initially reported that Minister of Education and Science Armen Ashotyan would lead the team to Azerbaijan.

However, the Azeri side failed to provide security guarantees to Armenia before June 15 – the deadline for registration.

Minister Ashotyan today called on international organizations to take note of this particular case and refuse from organizing international scientific-educational events in Baku in the future.

American pop superstar Lady Gaga was paid a whopping $2 million to sing at the opening ceremony of the European Games in Baku, according to Eurosport.

Yerevan has expressed its willingness to provide refuge to the animals left without shelter after the Tbilisi Zoo was destroyed as a result of heavy flooding in the Georgian capital, Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan said during working consultations at the City Hall.

Specialists of the Yerevan Zoo left for Tbilisi immediately after the disaster on Sunday to provide every assistance to the Georgian counterparts.

Pope Francis said on Monday that  oil and weapons seem to weigh more on the scale of economic interests than the  lives of thousands of Christians in the Middle East, and while proclaiming peace and justice the world tolerates traffickers of death, Vatican Radio reports.

The Pope’s  words of condemnation were pronounced as he greeted participants of ROACO’s 88th Plenary Assembly in the Vatican.

In his address the Pope said the continuing conflict in the Middle East “make us feel the cold of a winter and a frost in the human heart that never seem to end”, and he remarked that “the land in these regions, crossed by the footsteps of those who seek refuge, is irrigated by the blood of so many men and women, including many Christians persecuted for their faith.

Pope Francis spoke with gratitude of the daily work and experience of the “sons and daughters of the Eastern Churches and their Pastors”, who share the suffering of the people and carry out the work of listening and service that is inscribed in the statute of the agencies coordinated by the Congregation for Eastern Churches.

He encouraged the delegates to continue in their humanitarian assistance with a Christian approach promoting people and nations with compassion and mercy.

Looking back to the drama that has been unfolding in the past months, Pope Francis said it would appear that the world’s conscience has been jolted and it has opened its eyes to the fact that Christians have been present in the Middle East for millennia.

And with a heartfelt appeal, Pope Francis encouraged those present to “continue the service of Christian charity, to denounce all that tramples on human dignity.”

Pope Francis also noted that during the Assembly particular attention with be devoted to the situation in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

According to the Official Vatican Network, on the occasion of the centenary memorial of the Medz Yeghern suffered by the Armenian people, a session will be dedicated to the Armenian Catholic Church in Eastern Europe, which is present in Georgia and Russia, as well as Armenia.