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Imagine disgusting Australian politician praising Azerbaijan election that surpassed Australia’s experience

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Craig Kelly

Craig Kelly

The Armenian National Committee of Australia has condemned Federal Australian parliamentarianCraig Kelly for comments he has made praising Azerbaijan’s democracy after leading a delegation to observe the oil-rich dictatorship’s most recent presidential elections.

Kelly, the Member for Hughes, remarked to Azerbaijan’s Azernews media outlet, that he “saw an election organisation that surpassed Australia’s experience in this field” and that “we, together with my colleagues, will undoubtedly bring this useful experience home.”

Kelly also said: “I learned a lot of new things and I propose to apply it in Australia. I saw the birth date of voters, there was a man born in 1928. This means that he is 90 years old. This is a significant day for him, since he voted in democratic conditions.”

The Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU) expressed their dismay that these quotes by an Australian politician were so different to the testimonies of observers from other democratic countries, who have almost universally condemned the undemocratic environment in which these elections were held.

“We think it is a legitimate question to ask,” said ANC-AU Executive Director Haig Kayserian. “Why is Craig Kelly out of sync with every other international observer from a recognised democracy who monitored the very same elections?”

“To ignore that Azerbaijan has been ranked below countries such as Iran, Iraq, China and Russia in terms of civil and political freedoms by Freedom House, and to suggest Australia should learn from such a regime, is completely unacceptable,” Kayserian added.

Australian ‘terror bomb package mailed from Turkey’ “No surprise”

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Australian ‘terror bomb, from turkeyAn Australian man sent his unsuspecting brother to Sydney airport to catch an Etihad Airways flight carrying a homemade bomb disguised as a meat-mincer built at the direction of a senior Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) commander, police said on Aug. 4.

Detailing one of Australia’s “most sophisticated” militant plots, police said high-grade military explosives used to build the bomb were sent by air cargo from Turkey as part of a plot “inspired and directed” by ISIL, police Deputy Commissioner National Security Michael Phelan said.

The plot targeted an Etihad Airways flight on July 15 but the bomb never made it past airport security, he said.

“This is one of the most sophisticated plots that has ever been attempted on Australian soil,” Phelan said.
Police allege that one of the two men charged late on Aug. 3 had been introduced to ISIL by his brother, who they said was a senior member of the group in Syria.

Communication between the accused man and ISIL began around April, police said. Under the instruction of the unidentified ISIL commander, the men built a “fully functioning IED” [improvised explosive device].

One of the brothers was unaware that he was carrying a bomb, disguised as a commercial meat mincer, in his luggage, and tried to check it in at the airport, police said.

“We’ll be alleging that the person who was to carry the IED on the plane had no idea they were going to be carrying an IED,” Phelan said.

Such a device would work like a large grenade, exploding with enough force to blow a hole in an airplane, even if it went off in the cargo hold, said Professor Greg Barton, a security expert at Deakin University in Melbourne.

“I think the logic would be that you pack your explosives in and seal it up, and if someone does a quick physical inspection it just looks like what it is, a meat grinder, because it’s not electrical or electronic, it’s less likely to be suspicious.”

Police said there was “a little bit of conjecture” about what happened next, but it appeared one of the accused then left the airport, taking the luggage with him. The man’s brother boarded the plane and has not since returned to Australia.

“I want to make it quite clear – it never got near screening. I don’t want anyone to suggest that it … penetrated airport security layers … because it did not. It didn’t go anywhere near it,” Phelan said.

Etihad said in a statement on Aug. 4 it had been working closely with the Australian investigation.

August/04/2017

Armenian genocide movie The Promise to be released in Australian cinemas

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Australian cinemas the Promise

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian MP at the Australian premiere of ‘The Promise’.

At the Australian premiere, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian MP urged people to go and see the film when it hits cinemas next week.

The Australian premiere of The Promise was held on Tuesday 6 June at Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace in Cremorne, with the support of the Armenian National Committee of Australia, Armenian General Benevolent Union of Australia, and Armenian Youth Federation of Australia.

The event’s special guest was New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian MP who said that she hopes more people will watch the film in her heartfelt address.

“It is an extremely important topic for all Armenians,” she said, thanking the late Armenian philanthropist Kirk Kerkorian for backing the creation of the movie in full, covering all costs.

The much-hyped controversial period drama was produced on a $100 million budget, a massive figure for an independent film.

“The Armenian community must take every chance to contribute to the recognition of the Armenian genocide,” she stressed.

The film starring Christian Bale and Oscar Isaac will be released in Australian cinemas next Thursday 15 June.

Directed by Terry George, The Promise follows the story of an Armenian medical student (Isaac) and an American journalist (Bale) who both fall in love with the same Armenian woman, played by Charlotte Le Bon. Their story is set against the Armenian genocide in Turkey at the outset of World War I.

Source: http://neoskosmos.com/news/en/Armenian-genocide-movie-The-Promise-to-be-released-in-Australian-cinemas

The glass cliff: Gladys Berejiklian becomes latest woman to take the reins in a time of crisis

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This week, New South Wales got a new premier. Taking over the leadership of the Liberal Party, and taking the reins from Mike Baird, is Gladys Berejiklian who will become just the second woman to run Australia’s biggest state.

Such a statement has been made by reporter Alana Schetzer in her article published in ABC News Australian news agency.

“For progressives across the country striving for gender equality, this is a momentous occasion. This should be reason for celebration, but there is a darker undertone of why the duty to steer NSW through its heavy infrastructure calendar and ongoing controversies about its lock-out laws fell onto the shoulders of a woman, and not a man,” the article reads.

The author notes that the Research, and a long list of historical examples, have shown that when governments and businesses find themselves in trouble, they seek out women and other minorities to take over.

A 15-year research project that analysed the CEO changes of Fortune 500 companies in the US revealed that women and people of colour were more likely to be asked to lead when their companies were in crisis or their performance was weak.

She observes that this is not a case of smashing the glass ceiling, but tackling the glass cliff, which is what happens when a woman rises to the leadership under such circumstances. It creates an equal playing field for a short time, but only because it suits those who already control power.

“And taking over during such a precarious time means that women are brought in to clean up the mess, and it often sets them up to fail,” she added.

The author reminds of other similar cases when women took power in the similar circumstances_ Julia Gillard, Theresa May, Marissa Mayer, Joan Kirner and the others.

“The fact that it remains a near-novelty when a woman climbs to the top of her field is a reminder that women are still rarely welcomed to take power when there are other options that fit the historic mould of what a person in charge should look like: an affluent white man of Christian background,” she noted.

The author observes that despite those who persist with the disproven myth that sexism has been solved and that the world is equal for men, women, and other genders, being a woman in power remains a minefield of blatant sexism. At her first press conference as premier, Berejiklian was asked whether she thought she would be disadvantaged because she’s unmarried and childless. Men are simply not asked this question, nor does it even register with journalists and the public to think of it.

“The glass ceiling remains in part because of the glass cliff; if women are mostly considered only worth taking a risk on during times of crisis, then society will continue to view women’s leadership potential only when it needs a janitor,” she concluded.

The source reminds that Alana Schetzer is a Melbourne-based journalist and editor. She worked at The Age as a news journalist for five years and now freelances and teaches writing and journalism at University of Melbourne.

 

Source Panorama.am

Australian Armenian Gladys Berejiklian expected to become next NSW Premier

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ABC – New South Wales Treasurer Gladys Berejiklian confirms she will stand for the state’s top job, as outgoing Premier Mike Baird says: “I haven’t backed anyone”.

Mike Baird announced his resignation, citing the need to support his family.

A partyroom meeting is planned for Monday and a leadership spill is expected to happen on Tuesday, but it is unlikely there will be a ballot, as the ABC has been told the leadership positions will be decided by the partyroom earlier.

On ABC News, Mr Baird said he had not backed anyone.

“Gladys Berejiklian would be outstanding, no doubt about it,” he said.

“There is an incredible, talented group of ministers, many have huge potential both short-term and long-term.”

In a statement confirming she would run for the top job, Ms Berejiklian said she was “deeply saddened” by Mr Baird’s decision to retire.

“Mike has been an inspiring leader and a man of enormous integrity who has left an outstanding and indelible mark on the state of NSW,” she said.

“Today is Mike’s day — but I would like to make it clear that I will be standing for the leadership.”

It is likely that Dominic Perrottet will be the deputy leader of the NSW Liberal Party.

The ABC understands Transport Minister Andrew Constance is also considering running.

While it was expected that Planning Minister Rob Stokes would also run for the leadership, he has since confirmed he will bow out of the race.

These are the likely frontrunners who may contest the leadership positions:

Treasurer and the Deputy Leader of the NSW Liberal Party, Ms Berejiklian is considered the frontrunner to be the next Premier.

Ms Berejiklian is part of the Liberal Party’s moderate faction and was elected unopposed as Mr Baird’s Liberal deputy in April 2014.

The 46-year-old former Commonwealth Bank executive was elected the Member for Willoughby, on Sydney’s lower north shore, in 2003.

She was appointed transport minister after Barry O’Farrell led the Coalition to a landslide win in 2011, a position she held until Mike Baird appointed her Treasurer after the 2015 election.

She is NSW’s first female Treasurer.

In October 2016, Ms Berejiklian declared the state debt free with a final surplus for the 2015-16 financial year of $4.7 billion.

Labor attributed the debt-free status to the sale of infrastructure assets including the partial sale of Ausgrid, but the Government pointed to investment in other projects such as Sydney’s WestConnex and the light rail.

Ms Berejiklian is the daughter of Armenian migrants and a granddaughter of victims of the 1915 Armenian genocide.

Australia MP speaks about his Armenian heritage

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australian-armenian-mpNew Australian MP Tim Wilson acknowledged his Armenian heritage when he delivered his maiden speech in the House of Representatives.

Wilson rose to political fame in Australia as an outspoken believer of true liberalism and has advocated for maximum “freedoms” as a think tank director and as Human Rights Commissioner in the past, and he pledged to do the same in Federal Parliament, Armenian National Committee of Australia reported.

Wilson’s wide-ranging maiden speech touched on his upbringing and family tree, as these speeches often tend to do. He referred to the bloodied past of his mother’s father, who had to endure and survive the Armenian Genocide, which was a source of inspiration for Wilson.

He said: “My maternal Grandpa left behind the genocide of his people. I never met him. He died before I was born. But I still see him everyday when I look into the mirror and into his dark and recessed Armenian eyes.”

Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia) Executive Administrator, Arin Markarian said: “We congratulate Mr. Wilson on his fantastic maiden speech as he enters public office. It is also encouraging to see Mr. Wilson seek inspiration from his family’s history, mentioning his grandfather who survived the Armenian Genocide.”

 

Clinton bikini/niqab mural becomes black wall as Melbourne authorities win censorship battle

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Cinton-australiaA mural of a scantily-clad Hillary Clinton created by an Australian artist was briefly changed into a Muslim woman dressed in a niqab, following a complaint by the local council. However, the latest makeover also left the authorities unimpressed.

After seeing the mural of the woman in the niqab, with just her eyes visible, which was created by a street artist known as Lushsux, Maribyrnong Council in Melbourne did not take kindly to the new creation.

A post on social media by Lushsux with the caption “Looks like the council wins” shows a council worker with a brush painting over the Muslim woman, so the wall is completely black in a move that Lushsux told RT was “pathetic.” 

The controversy originally started after Maribyrnong Council threatened Lushsux with a fine after he painted a mural of Democratic presidential candidate Clinton wearing a star-spangled swimsuit with $100 bills tucked into it. Lushsux said he got the idea from a meme on the internet and wanted to paint it so “the virality of the meme has now turned into the virality of the wall.”

https://twitter.com/streetartglobe/status/760115551653855232

First-ever Australian film on Armenian Genocide slated for July 31 release

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armenian children moveThe first ever Australian-produced film on the Armenian Genocide, Shahane Bekarian’s “Children of a Genocide” will Premiere at Event Cinemas in Top Ryde on July 31, the Armenian National Committee of Australia reports.

This 62-minute documentary, produced in association with ANC Australia, is about the struggle of Armenian children who narrowly survived the genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Empire in 1915. Exiled from their homes and forced onto death marches into the Syrian desert of Deir ez-Zor, more than 1.5 million perished.

Sydney-based Bekarian uncovers archival interviews of 40 survivors who disclose their shocking stories. Driven by his grandfather’s story, the filmmaker searches for identity amongst a mélange of separate cultures. Having tracked down other survivors’ grandchildren, 100 years after the genocide, they compare today’s struggle to retain their ancient culture from assimilation and homogeny in the “lucky country” of Australia.

With the 101st Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide commemorations in Australia having a particular focus on Australian links to the Armenian Genocide, the film “Children of a Genocide” will add to this awareness as it looks at eyewitness testimonies recorded in the 1980s to help understand the severity of the tragedy, ANC Australia says.

Many descendants play a part in telling their story and how they live their day-to-day lives remembering the pain and sufferings of their ancestors.

Regarding the Premiere of the film, Bekarian said: “I’m very excited and proud to bring my film Children of a Genocide to the greater community.”

“The film intends to raise questions on how we’re coping with cultural preservation in multicultural Australia and how we deal with the genocide 101 years on, on an interpersonal level and in our day-to-day lives.”

He added: “I hope that, with the use of survivor archive footage, it preserves the cause of our forefathers, echoes the connection to the youth, and helps us unite as a singular community.”

Australian Mosque Firebombed as Hundreds Prayed Inside

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Mosque bombedAn Australian mosque was vandalized and firebombed on Tuesday evening, as hundreds of Muslims, including children, were inside for their evening prayers.

The vandals spray painted the words “F**k Islam” on a wall outside the mosque at the Australian Islamic College in Thornlie, near Perth, before setting a car on fire with an accelerant.

After hearing the cars explode, worshippers rushed outside to see vehicles ablaze and three people fleeing the scene. Authorities believe that a gasoline bomb was used inside one vehicle, which spread and damaged four others.

Luckily, nobody was injured during the attack, which was also in a heavily populated residential area.

“The way I see it, it was more targeted at people praying than the school, because the school was not in operation at that time,” Dr. Abdullah Khan, principal of the Australian Islamic College, told Perth Now.

The school is not caving to the act of hate, however, and will continue to operate normally.

“We have given [the parents] instructions that it is business as usual and children should come to school as they do every single day,” Khan said.

The school has been vandalized repeatedly over the last few years, but parents of students are now concerned about an increase in violent attacks.

“We get a lot of hatred, just racism really,” Zahra Alasadi, a mother of a student, told Perth Now.

Mosque Imam Yahya Adel Ibrahim took to Facebook on Tuesday to speak out about the incident, noting that it was the act of a few individuals and not an entire portion of society.

“Thankfully our community won’t start hating and playing blame games and singling out groups of people in our society. This, undoubtedly, is a criminal act of hate, but it is the act of a person or group not the greater whole,” Ibrahim wrote.

“Despite what just transpired, everyone stayed to finish their prayers refusing to give into the terror that had just occurred,” he continued. “I know the outpouring of support from the community will be overwhelming because Perth has the best, kindest, and most warm-hearted people.”

During a press conference on Wednesday, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull stated that he “cannot condemn strongly enough any attacks of that kind.”

https://youtu.be/ADxYwl6joaQ

Campaign Launched to Raise Funds for Australian Armenian Genocide Film

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YEREVAN (Public Radio of Armenia)—The Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia) has partnered with Sydney-based filmmaker Shahane Bekarian to produce the first Australian-made documentary on the Armenian Genocide. Today, ANC Australia launched a crowdfunding campaign with Kickstarter to help raise funds for the project.

The film, titled “Children of the Genocide,” draws on archival footage of interviews with Australia-based survivors of the Armenian Genocide, who are now no longer alive. It also features interviews with their descendants, currently living in Australia.

The filmmakers have set up a Kickstarter campaign where one can easily pledge to donate. Click here to see and donate.

“This is the first such film produced in our community, and through this grassroots fundraising campaign on Kickstarter, members of our community can be part of this historic project,” said ANC Australia Community Relations Director, Stephen Abolakian.

“Children of the Genocide” is described as, “an examination of the sentiment of Armenians in Australia 100 years after the genocide, which saw them flee their motherland after World War One. The issue to be explored relates to the surviving Armenians who found refuge in Australia. Although they fled to survive, we explore whether relocation is enough to settle the attempt of genocide and the upheaval from their homeland. After their families were brutally killed and their livelihood destroyed, was surviving enough? What basic human needs remained unsettled? Perhaps the success in maintaining their [heritage] can only be measured by the strength of their new roots in Australia, the stability of life they have laid out for their kids and the separation they have made from racial intolerance. Is Australia the place? Have they gone down the path of cultural assimilation or integration in Australian society?”

ANC Australia is seeking to raise $20,000 to help fund the production of the film, which is set to be release in 2015.