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France: ISIS Knife-wielding man shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ shot dead in Paris on Charlie Hebdo anniversary

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568e5943c36188676f8b458ePolice in Paris have shot a man dead who tried to enter a police station armed with a knife, shouting “Allahu Akbar.” The man was found to be carrying a cellphone and a paper with an Islamic State flag, the Paris prosecutor says.

The shooting took place at the Goutte d’Or police station in Paris’ 18th district. Anna Polonyi, a journalist from the New York Times, witnessed the events unfolding and published a photo of a man lying on the ground outside the building. She also tweeted a photo of what appeared to be a robot inspecting the body.

Another eyewitness said two or three shots were heard, AFP reported. Police sealed off the area.

France: Armenian New Year’s Ball at The Valentine in Bourg-Les-Valence

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arton120673-480x320The Armenian Ball New Year’s Eve to the room La Valentine Bourg-Les-Valence (Drôme) with the Garo Bardakjian singer from Greece kept all its promises. The large audience spent the New Year’s Eve to the rhythm of songs Armenian, Greek, French, Spanish, Arabic and English. A beautiful rendering of the Garo singer who was popular with the public the dance floor filled with dozens of people and kotcharis and sirtakis galore. An evening of New Year in the Armenian which allowed the guests to accompany the arrival of the new year in a warm atmosphere. Congratulations to Joseph Kazazian and his team for this festive event.

Krikor Amirzayan

France: Charlie Hebdo cover targets fanatics in attacks anniversary issue

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CX4XnGoWsAAaPAIFrench Satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo is preparing one million copies of a special edition to mark the anniversary of the deadly Islamist attack on its offices with a cover featuring a bearded man with a gun, representing God.

“One year on, the killer is still on the run”, reads the front page splash.

Charlie Hebdo, known for satirical covers lampooning Islam and other religions as well as politicians, lost many of its top editorial staff in the January 7 attacks when Islamist militants opened fire on journalists inside the newsroom.

The attack was claimed by al Qaeda’s branch in the Arabian Peninsula, known as AQAP. It followed a 2011 firebombing of its offices that forced the publication to move premises. Staff at the magazine had been under police protection since it published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in 2006.

A month before the attack, Charlie Hebdo was close to shutting down as sales had dipped below 30,000. Its brand of provocative, no-holds-barred humour appeared to have gone out of fashion.

Cartoonist Laurent Sourisseau, who took over the management of the weekly in the aftermath of the attack, also penned an angry editorial in defence of secularism. It denounces “fanatics brutalised by the Koran” as well as those from other religions who hoped for the death of the magazine for “daring to laugh at the religious”.

The three gunmen were themselves shot dead by security police during three days of violence which ended with a hostage-taking at a Jewish deli in which four hostages were also killed.

Source: France24

EDITORIAL 2016: the best for France and for Armenia

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arton120453-480x3202015 is finished. One is tempted to say at last, even though this year marked the centenary of the genocide will undoubtedly enabled the struggle to achieve recognition of its significant advances, particularly in terms of international public opinion. Undoubtedly, with this sad anniversary, the 1915 tragedy emerged from the shadows. In France in particular, with its assumption by the Republic.

Francois Hollande in Yerevan on April 24 with the government of Armenia, or to Manuel Valls Anne Hidalgo alongside the CFC in the capital, are the highest authorities of the country paying tribute to the victims. A far cry from the days when state officials on the Armenian genocide practiced the policy of the ostrich, to please Ankara. From this point of view at least, a huge step has been taken.

Moreover, the statement of the Pope, that of German President Joachim Gauck, who referred to the responsibility of his nation, an ally of Turkey, various recognition of the genocide in Latin America or in the European continent, which must be added the tens of countries represented at the commemoration in Armenia have given this event an international dimension worthy of his major role in the terrifying story of the mass crimes committed during the last century. This is not politically indifferent, after decades of conspiracy of silence.

Was the episode of the ECHR marked by the impression of tolerance denial that gave a deleterious judgment delivered on behalf of the sacrosanct defense of freedom of expression in 2015 has brought to the Armenian cause this she was in a position reasonably to expect, given the balance of power and the level of international standards of human rights. And it is not to Turkey where things have evolved further, including in the media coverage, the biggest taboo of the country.

Although the balance sheet of 2015 thus appears as “generally positive”, the end of this year symbol does not leave any regrets. And, since it should allow us to finally get out of this “all Memorial”, which must to be in such circumstances will nonetheless, in the long, somewhat stuffy.

The struggle for recognition of the genocide is of course always a priority for the Armenian world, in terms of justice, moral reparation, but also security implications for Armenia. As we know, the State denial in Turkey stems from a propensity for recurrence. But except to become a formidable factor of alienation, this fight can not replace the other challenges facing the Armenians.

At their numbers include the issue of Nagorno Karabakh, the economic development of Armenia, and the challenge of democracy which is in following a secular movement for emancipation. So many issues that are in a logic of life, especially against the totalitarianism in its pan-Turkish version, has led to irreversible damage is known, and whose surviving generations still suffer the consequences.

May 2016 bring the best response that is genocide: that of a living people and welded around a strong Armenia, finally free of all mortgages that continue to weigh on his fate. A huge challenge not only relate to external threats, but also takes us, perhaps mainly, to ourselves, to our collective will and our ability to give it body democratically wherever we exist yet .

May this new year bring also internal security to France with full force struck by the jihadist madness and give it the means to defend its values, the values ​​of the Republic, we share naturally. This issue concerns us primarily, not only because we are French full and proud of it, but also because current events in the country inevitably found in Armenian DNA particular resonance, the fight against barbarism nondividing.

Ara Toranian

France: Dozens take part in fresh anti-Muslim protest in Corsica after attack on prayer hall

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France-corsicaAround 100 people marched in the Corsican capital of Ajaccio on Saturday, shouting anti-Muslim slogans. The protest happened in the same low-income neighborhood that violence erupted in earlier this week.

The demonstrators used firecrackers and shouted offensive nationalist slogans, witnesses said on social media.

Local authorities asked the protesters to stop their action, with the prefect of Corsica, Christophe Marmand, saying that their actions “give a disastrous image of Corsica,” Le Figaro reported.

France phonathon raises €1,330,000 for Armenia and Karabakh

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France phonathonA total of €1,330,000 was collected during the four-day phonathon that was held in Paris, and to raise funds for the development of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

French Armenian Nouvelles d’Arménie monthly magazine correspondent Jean Eckian informed Armenian News-NEWS.am that 800 people attended the banquet devoted to this phonathon, and they were invited by the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo.

Funds were raised also to help Syrian and Iraqi Armenians.

World-renowned French Armenian singer, songwriter, actor, public activist, and diplomat Charles Aznavour (born Shahnour Vaghinag Aznavourian), and numerous other celebrities as well as politicians and diplomats attended this dinner.

 

Marine Le Pen’s National Front leads in first round of French regional elections – exit poll

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La panMarine Le Pen’s far-right National Front is leading in six out of 12 regions in the first round of regional elections, Reuters reports citing exit polls.

Le Pen and her niece, Marion Marechal-Le Pen, are both set to take more than 40 percent of the vote in the north and southeast of the country, TV exit polls showed on Sunday.

Assemblies in the 13 regions of metropolitan France and in four overseas territories were being elected. Results for Paris are not yet in.

The Ifop, OpinionWay and Ipsos project polling agencies predict that the National Front won between 27 and 30 percent of the ballots in Sunday’s voting, followed by former President Nicolas Sarkozy’s party, The Republicans, and President Francois Hollande’s governing Socialists.

If confirmed, it would be the first time the National Front has captured any of France’s regions as well as boost Marine Le Pen’s chances for the presidential election in 2017.

The far-right National Front (FN), led by Marine Le Pen, has been expected to secure at least two seats: one in the northern region of North-Pas-de-Calais, and another in the southern Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur, where Le Pen’s niece Marion is running.

Voters from the east of France, from Alsace to Burgundy, as well as from parts of the center and south, are also expected to choose La Pen and her party.

Since the Paris attacks, Marine Le Pen has been focusing her attention on security and the immigration crisis. Her strong emphasis on these issues in the final days of campaigning has attracted a significant number of new supporters.

A rather high abstention rate of nearly 50 percent is also expected to influence the returns.

Gearoid O Colmain, a French political analyst, believes that Le Pen has been successful due to her rhetoric, which is quite clear for the French.

“It [National Front] speaks the language people understand,” he said. “People say ‘She seems to be the only person is talking sense around here.’ When she says we need to support Assad [to fight terrorism] – she is right.”

The elections will include two rounds, with a candidate needing to secure more than 50 percent of the vote to win in the first round, and at least 10 percent to reach the second round, which takes place if no candidate gets more than 50 percent in the first.

Regional elections are regarded as a launch pad for the presidential elections in 2017, and a win could significantly boost a candidate’s chances.

France: MARTIGUES Inauguration of a monument to the memory of Armenian genocide victims

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PHOTO_10_SARKIS_PANOSSIAN.DISCOURS_M.LE_MAIRE_CHARROUX_MARTIGUES_LE_05.12.2015-360x480-360x480The monument commemorating the centennial of the genocide of Armenians in 1915 in Martigues was inaugurated by the Deputy Mayor Gaby Charroux Saturday, December 5th at 11 am 30, the Lapidary Garden Avenue Félix Ziem. The ceremony took place in presence of the Armenian community represented and the Consulate General of the Republic of Armenia in Marseilles.

 

Proposal Boyer: the ball in the camp of power, “criminalize denial of genocides”

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arton119438-480x275by Ara Toranian

The Valérie Boyer proposed law to criminalize denial of genocides have had at least one merit: that of updating a subject that indeed seemed to have fallen through the cracks of the political class. Yet, the debates led this text December 3 in the National Assembly have left no room for ambiguity: all speakers proved to agree on the need to suppress this scourge and protect the victims 1915 as that of their descendants. Now, almost 10 years after a first proposal Socialist law on the matter, scope at the time by Christophe Masse, MP for Bouches-du-Rhône, this need expressed on all the benches of Parliament has continued to face headwinds.

It is in fact that this struggle for human dignity is not the taste of Ankara, and that therefore it interferes number of interests in Turkey. Will not go back here on diplomatic and commercial pressure to which it gave rise, nor on the political and legal vicissitudes that have marked all attempts to make it succeed. But the result is there: almost 4 years after the election of Francois Hollande, who had posed as the champion of the criminalization of Holocaust denial, the promise remained outstanding. He had to get out of this torpor. Valérie Boyer has. Somewhat cavalierly, it is true. And that is what the majority has been criticized by denouncing improvisation of its proposal which experienced erratic judged, according hearings and amendments.

The initial project, filed on November 23, has indeed little to do with the latest version of the text, made public the day before the debates in the Assembly. Could one, on a subject that ran aground on the reefs of the Constitutional Council in 2012 and the State Council in 2013, taking the risk of precipitation? In good faith or not, the government and the Socialist Party who requested the referral of the proposal in committee had beautiful game to justify in the name of that fear their position. We will welcome they have avoided the pitfall of a very bad signal: that to beat the text, which was in their power, given the majority it has in the Assembly. Should we regret however that they have not taken political responsibility for the vote in defiance of the constitutional danger? We’ll know very quickly in terms of the means that they give out of the rut that proposal, within a reasonable time.

The latest version of Valérie Boyer initiative is in any case requires the deposit of eminent jurists, including especially some of those who had worn the iron against her in 2012. The text on which floor will the Law Committee has already been a true reflection. The good faith of those who pleaded the legal security by requiring his removal will take on their reactivity to validate or develop it in the right direction. Everyone knows that when one wants to drown a problem a commission is created. The government and its majority are now on this issue, feet to the wall. It is up to them to take responsibility before history and to meet their commitments, taking into account their proposal, in the refining, or presenting an alternative. The ball is in their court.

Ara Toranian

Sarkisian Addresses Climate Change Conference in Paris

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President Sarkisian delivers his opening remarks at the Paris climate summit on November 30, 2015 (Source: President.am)

President Sarkisian delivers his opening remarks at the Paris climate summit on November 30, 2015 (Source: President.am)

PARIS—President Serzh Sarkisian is currently attending the twenty-first session of the conference of parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which opened yesterday in Paris, the presidential press service reports.

The UNFCCC is the parent treaty of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol and has near universal membership. The ultimate objective of both treaties is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system.

The conference is being attended by the heads of state and government from 150 countries and by thousands more delegates. At the beginning of the opening session, delegations held a moment of silence as tribute to the victims of the November 13 terror attacks in Paris.

In their opening remarks, President of France Francois Hollande, French Minister of Foreign Affairs Laurent Fabius, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Prince Charles of Great Britain and other speakers underscored the importance of the conference for the future of the planet, and noted that people all over the world are looking to Paris for a decision to tackle climate change.

In his statement, President Sarkisian first expressed gratitude to President Hollande for the organization of the conference and hospitality despite the terror attacks which shocked France and the world.

Sarkisian stressed that climate change threatened all states equally, regardless of their size or level of development. Even though Armenia’s share in global emissions is not large and does not exceed two hundredth of a percent, according to the Sarkisian Armenia attaches great importance to the need of combining efforts of all countries to address the issue, and as a developing nation has committed itself to contribute to the global endeavor to curb climate change.

“The Armenian national position was reflected in the ‘Plan of Actions defined at the National Level’ adopted by our government. It is built upon the following principles:

First, global emissions of the greenhouse gases shall be limited at the threshold, which would keep the temperature increase below two degrees Celsius.

Second, we shall adopt an approach that is general but differentiated, and take into account the varying degree of the current and historical responsibility of the numerous countries.

Third, the responsibility and burden-sharing for limiting the emissions of greenhouse gases shall be distributed by taking into account the rights of contemporary and future generations to utilize the climate resources.

And, finally, fourth, not to do anything that would make developing countries slide back.”

“Armenia stands ready to undertake a commitment of a quantitative limitation to the increase of the emissions of greenhouse gases,” said Sarkisian.

Sarkisian ended his speech by noting that the threat of climate change, as well as other contemporary global threats, does not recognize national borders, international law, or any civilizational norms. According to Sarkisian, a challenge that a country may face in the modern interdependent and globalized world is, in a collective sense, a challenge to everyone.

“Therefore, the solutions shall be comprehensive, agreed upon, and coordinated,” Sarkisian said. Sarkisian said that it is important for world leaders to evaluate foundations of global cohabitation and refine the tools at their disposal. According to Sarkisian, joint response to the challenges of climate change, should it be successful, may become a precedent for new kinds of global endeavors.