Category: News

At least 50 killed in Lybia truck bomb blast

Emil Lazarian

At least 50 people have been killed after a truck bomb targeted a police training centre in the western Libyan city of Zliten, the BBC reports.

Media in Libya said the attack struck the al-Jahfal training camp.

The training centre had been a military base during the rule of ousted Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Libya has been hit by instability since his overthrow in 2011, and there is concern Islamic State (IS) militants are gaining a foothold there.

The Lana news agency, run by the internationally-recognised government, said at least 50 people were killed and 127 injured in the blast, which was reportedly heard 60km (40 miles) away in Misrata.

Urgent calls for blood donations are being made to Zliten residents, the agency said

Genocide must be acknowledged before it can be stopped

Nahapetian Zhanna

By Kathryn Jean Lopez
 

A sign with a flower outside a cathedral at what has to be one of Manhattan’s busiest intersections on 34th Street and Second Avenue stands as a subtle reminder of genocide. One wonders how many diplomats on the way to and from the United Nations headquarters, tourists and commuters have passed it this year without noticing the banner for the centennial year of the Armenian genocide outside St. Vartan Cathedral.

2015 marked the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, even as the massacre still goes unacknowledged throughout the world. As Philadelphia archbishop Charles J. Chaput put it in a speech: “Starting in 1915, Turkish officials deliberately murdered more than 1 million members of Turkey’s Armenian minority. The ethnic and religious cleansing campaign went on into the 1920s. [The victims] were overwhelmingly Christian. Turkey has never acknowledged the genocide. It’s one of the worst unrepented crimes in history.”

And there could be other such crimes on the way. By way of a brief tour, Chaput said: “Today we have our own tragedies, from church bombings in Pakistan to the beheadings of Christians in North Africa. More than 70 percent of the world now lives with some form of religious coercion. Tens of thousands of Christians are killed every year for reasons linked to their faith.”

I was heartened to see President Obama issue a statement just before Christmas recognizing “brutal atrocities” being committed against Christians in Iraq and Syria. “In some areas of the Middle East where church bells have rung for centuries on Christmas Day, this year they will be silent; this silence bears tragic witness to the brutal atrocities committed against these communities by [ISIS].”

In the weeks preceding Christmas, it was reported that the White House soon would issue a statement labeling the slaughter of the Yazidi people in Iraq genocide. While applauding that move, an ecumenical coalition urged that the administration include Middle Eastern Christians in the designation.

As the letter sent to Secretary of State John Kerry signed by pastors, scholars and activists put it: “We have extensive files supporting a finding that ISIS’ treatment of Iraqi and Syrian Christians, as well as Yazidis and other vulnerable minorities, meets this definition. They include evidence of ISIS assassinations of church leaders; mass murders; torture; kidnapping for ransom in the Christian communities of Iraq and Syria; its sexual enslavement and systematic rape of Christian girls and women; its practices of forcible conversions to Islam; its destruction of churches, monasteries, cemeteries and Christian artifacts; and its theft of lands and wealth from Christian clergy and laity alike.”

In testimony before Congress shortly thereafter, Carl Anderson, head of the Knights of Columbus, which has an emergency aid campaign supporting church efforts in the region, urged: “The United States is rightly viewed as the world’s leading defender of vulnerable minorities, and it is critically important that the State Department consider the best available evidence before issuing a statement that would exclude Christians. An official government declaration of genocide is an opportunity to bring America’s religious communities together to pursue the truth, to support victims, and to bear witness to the noble principle of ‘Never Again.’”

The White House could listen to its own ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, Rabbi David Saperstein. He was in Rome in December, where he said that the West “cannot remain silent” about what is happening to Christians, who are in danger of being “wiped out.” President Obama, not for the first time, said something beautiful about religious freedom. Acknowledging the fact of genocide against Christians in the world today would put some teeth to his words.

Kathryn Jean Lopez is senior fellow at the National Review Institute, editor-at-large of National Review Online and founding director of Catholic Voices USA.

Pope’s visit to Armenia on 101st anniversary of the Genocide a possibility

Arpi Talalian

Visiting Armenia in April 2016, the 101st anniversary of the 1915 genocide, is a possibility for the Pope, although this has not been absolutely confirmed, according to .

He hopes to visit the country, but admits, “I am old and these trips are heavy.”

The Pope may also visit three South-American nations: Peru, Colombia and Venezuela. Argentina, Chile and Uruguay are also awaiting a visit from the Pope.

Pope Francis confirmed that he will be visiting Mexico in the first half of 2016.

Pope Francis will also be leading World Youth Day in Kraków, Poland, the city of Pope John Paul II and Divine Mercy mystic, St. Faustina Kowalska.

The real focus of the Pope’s 2016 schedulve will be the Jubilee of Mercy, which may attract 25 million visitors. He will be modeling the corporal and spiritual works of mercy in Catholic doctrine, starting with a Jubilee for Pilgrimage Workers from January 19-21, 2016.

US, Japan, S Korea pledge united response to N Korea nuclear test

Chalian Meline

The US, South Korea and Japan have said they will be united in their response to North Korea’s claim to have successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, the BBC reports.

North Korea said it carried out the test on Wednesday – if confirmed it would be its fourth nuclear test, and its first of the more powerful H-bomb.

The UN Security Council has also agreed to start drawing up new measures against North Korea.

But scepticism remains over whether the North really did conduct such a test.

Experts have said the seismic activity generated by the blast was not large enough for it to have been a full thermonuclear explosion.

House Foreign Affairs Committee questions Warlick in wake of escalation of Azerbaijani attacks

Parkev Tvankchian
U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) urged the Obama Administration to speed up implementation of Royce-Engel proposals for Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) peace, during a classified briefing with Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group Co-Chairman James Warlick held earlier today, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
Over a dozen U.S. House Members attended the closed-door briefing, organized by the House Foreign Affairs Committee.  In an official “read-out” from the meeting, Chairman Royce stated:
“Violence in the Nagorno-Karabakh region is at the highest point in decades.  Just last month we heard reports of heavy weapon attacks and tank artillery fire – a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement.  As Ambassador Warlick has said, this isn’t a ‘frozen conflict,’ but is a forgotten conflict – with a real risk of spinning out of control.  That is why we need all snipers to be withdrawn, more international monitors to be deployed and gunfire locator systems to be put in place to increase transparency and accountability for each and every cross-boundary violation.  Acts of aggression must be clearly condemned.  The faster the administration can help put these in place, the quicker it can help put an end to the killing and avert war.”
ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian welcomed the Committee’s efforts to spotlight increasing Azerbaijani aggression against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh – and, in particular, the implementation of concrete steps to end the violence: “Chairman Royce is driving the U.S. agenda for a sustainable Nagorno Karabakh peace, working, on a bipartisan basis, to press the Obama Administration over its failure to confront Aliyev’s aggression and demanding decisive steps to implement the life-saving Royce-Engel proposals to avert the renewed outbreak of war.”
The special briefing comes in the wake of an October 26th Congressional letter addressed to Ambassador Warlick, initiated by Chairman Royce and Ranking Democrat Eliot Engel (D-NY) and cosigned by over 80 of their House colleagues, outlining three concrete steps to address escalating Karabakh violence: the removal of snipers, an increase in OSCE monitors, and the deployment of a gunfire locator system.  Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh have both expressed support for these life-saving initiatives; Azerbaijan has not.  The text and list of signatories of the Royce-Engel letter is available at:
Chairman Royce first announced the Committee’s intention to host a briefing with Ambassador Warlick at the Capitol Hill celebration of Nagorno Karabakh’s commitment to peace, held on December 9th, in conjunction with the nationwide “ANCA Fly-In for #NKPeace” advocacy campaign.
“Why are the snipers not pulled back? […] Why have we not deployed those special [gun fire] direction finders?” asked Chairman Royce at the Capitol Hill event, citing reports of unprecedented Azerbaijani tank fired shelling and high-powered rifle fire, which claimed the life of 24-year-old Garik Gurgen Avanesyan earlier that day.
Chairman Royce concluded his remarks, noting “I retain hope that one day the people of Nagorno Karabakh will be able to live in peace, enjoying security and a flourishing trade with its neighbors in the region, and I give thanks to those of you here who are committed to that peace and who are committed to stay engaged to see that that happens.”

Michel Platini will not stand in FIFA presidential election

Dabaghian Diana

Suspended Uefa president Michel Platini says he will not stand in the Fifa presidential election next month, the BBC reports.

Platini, along with Fifa president Sepp Blatter, has been banned from football-related activities for eight years by world football’s governing body.

Both men were found guilty of breaches surrounding a $2m “disloyal payment” made to Platini in 2011.

They are appealing against their bans, but Platini says the timing of the 26 February election means he cannot run.

“I’m withdrawing from the race for the Fifa presidency,” the 60-year-old Frenchman told the Associated Press.

“The timing is not good for me. I don’t have the means to fight on equal terms with the other candidates.

“I have not been given the chance to play the game. Bye bye Fifa, bye bye Fifa presidency.”

Man shot in Paris on Charlie Hebdo anniversary

Emil Lazarian 
Photo: APTN

 

French President Francois Hollande has promised 5,000 extra police posts in an “unprecedented” strengthening of French security, a year after the attack on Charlie Hebdo magazine by jihadists, the BBC reports.

Soon after he spoke, Paris police shot and killed a suspect who allegedly tried to break into a police station.

Earlier Mr Hollande urged police and other security forces to co-ordinate their work and share intelligence.

Gunmen killed 17 people a year ago at Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket.

Mr Hollande said 5,000 extra police and gendarmes would be added to existing forces by 2017. In addition, 2,000 extra jobs are being created in the intelligence services.

Shortly after his speech at the police headquarters in Paris news broke about the shooting in the 18th district, in northern Paris.

French officials say the man shouted “Allahu Akbar!” (God is Great) outside a police station in Goutte d’Or, near Montmartre, where police shot and killed him.

Reports say he was wielding a knife and may have had a suicide belt. A police robot used for bomb disposal is checking the body in the street.

A year ago police killed three jihadist gunmen who inflicted three days of terror on Paris. But questions remain about their jihadist contacts and possible accomplices in the Middle East.

Three police officers were among the 17 victims of the gunmen on 7-9 January, 2015.

Armenians in Turkey celebrate Christmas

Nahapetian Samvel

Turkey’s Oriental Orthodox Christians, the country’s largest Christian denomination, held mass on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning to celebrate Christmas, the birth of Jesus, which they observe on Jan. 6, reports. 

On Tuesday evening, Christmas Eve mass was held at several Oriental Orthodox churches throughout the city. The pews of the Surp Vartanants Armenian Church were filled during the service, which was conducted in Armenian. Those present sang hymns such as Der Voghormia (Lord of Mercy). The congregation then filed out of the church holding candles and sang and prayed together in the front yard of the church. The candles are held to symbolize the light that Jesus brought the world with his birth. Afterwards, bread and salt were distributed to symbolize the abundance of food for the next year.

The Surp Vartanants Armenian Church is located in the Feriköy neighborhood of İstanbul’s Şişli district, where many members of the local Armenian community reside. Armenians are Turkey’s largest Christian minority population and celebrate the Nativity of Christ in Bethlehem as well as the Feast of the Epiphany on Jan. 6.

There are an estimated 65,000 Armenian Orthodox, 15,000 Syriac Orthodox, 8,000 Chaldean Catholic and 2,500 Greek Orthodox Christians in Turkey. There are also members of other denominations such as Bulgarian Orthodox and Georgian Orthodox, as well as Protestants.

Qantas named world’s safest airline

Edgar Tavakalian 
Photo: Alamy

 

An annual survey of the world’s biggest airlines has seen Qantas named the world’s safest for the third year running, reports.

The Australian carrier was praised for its “extraordinary fatality-free record in the jet era”, while Virgin Atlantic was the only UK airline to make it into the top 20.

In a separate ranking for low-cost airlines, two British carriers featured – Flybe and Thomas Cook.

The lists were compiled by, an independent plane safety and product rating website.

The website provided safety ratings for 407 airlines, awarding them up to seven stars for safety. Of those surveyed, 148 were given the top seven-star safety ranking but almost 50 had just three stars or less.

The website’s star ratings take mutliple factors into account, including whether an airline has been certified by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), if it is on the EU’s airline blacklist, its crash record and whether the fleet has been grounded over safety concerns. A star is removed if the airline operates only Russian-made aircraft.

Along with Qantas, other airlines to make the top 20 included Air New Zealand, American Airlines, Etihad, Emirates, Finnair, KLM, Lufthansa, Swiss, United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic.

Surp Pırgic got its land back, but can’t use it

Kalantarian Kevo

– The land, on which Zeytinburnu Stadium is located, has been returned to Surp Pirgic Armenian Hospital Foundation, but also has turned into a green space by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.

Yedikule Surp Pirgic Armenian Hospital Foundation, after continuous efforts, was able to get the old gardening zone (a land of 42.259 square meters) across the hospital back on January 22, 2014 with the decision of Foundations General Assembly. These lands include the Zeytinburnu Stadium, a sport complex belonging to Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, as well as an open-air marketplace and a parking lot. After the deed of the land was returned, Zeytinburnu Municipality filed a suit against the decision of returning and lost the suit. Moreover, the municipality made some changes on the zoning plan and turned a part of the land (8000 square meters) that was registered as commerce space into green space on October 18, 2014. The changes on the zoning plan were approved during the meeting of municipal council held last week.

Surp Pirgic Armenian Hospital Foundation filed a lawsuit against the changes on zoning plan made by Zeytinburnu Municipality. Also, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality requested an opinion concerning the changes on the zoning plan from Surp Pirgic Armenian Hospital Foundation as the proprietor. The foundation delivered a negative opinion. In the letter of opinion, the foundation pointed out that the changes violate the principles of administrative law and the lawsuit is on trial. The foundation also reminded the precedent decisions of the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court.

Surp Pirgic Armenian Hospital Foundation Vice President Herman Baliyan spoke to Agos about the developments: “It is true that the land in question was turned into a green space. Zeytinburnu Municipality managed to get an approval for the changes, but we will continue struggling. The case we opened is on trial in Administrative Court. We think that Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality will make it right by considering our previous applications about this change.”

This land was one of the most important properties that the Armenian community had lost because of 1936 Declaration. In the past, it was a gardening zone on which “Hampartsum” festival was held in May. In 1974, one morning, bulldozers entered the land and it was confiscated on the ground that it has no owner. After this incident, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality bought a large part of the land. Now, a sport complex, an open-air marketplace and a parking lot make up the land.