Category: News

French PM Manuel Valls has warned that France could face chemical or biological attack from terror groups, as MPs debate extending the state of emergency after the Paris attacks, the BBC reports.

Belgian police are meanwhile raiding six properties in and around Brussels, linked to suspected Paris attackers Bilal Hadfi and Salah Abdeslam.

It remains unclear whether the suspected organiser of the attacks was killed in Wednesday’s raid in Paris.

Friday’s attacks killed 129 people.

Most of the Belgian raids are targeting properties in Jette and Molenbeek connected to Bilal Hadfi, a Frenchman living in Belgium who was one of the seven suicide attackers who died in the attacks in Paris, Belgian broadcaster RTBF reports.

A further raid, in Laeken, is also linked to the Paris attacks.

Mr Valls is addressing the French parliament ahead of a vote to extend the state of emergency by three months.

A hearing on “Journalists’ Eyewitness Accounts on Armed Conflicts: The Case of Nagorno-Karabakh” was held in the European Parliament with the participation of a large number of guests, Members of the European Parliament from different political groups and countries as well as Belgian Members of Brussels Parliament.

The hearing was co-organized by the EU-Armenia Friendship Group in the European Parliament and the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD)  under the patronage of MEP Dr. Eleni Theocharous (EPP, Cyprus). Dr. Theocharous was in Artsakh several times during the war and volunteered in the hospital of Stepanakert as a surgeon.

Dana Mazalova from the Czech Republic, Tsevatana Paskaleva from Bulgaria and Anna Karapetyan from Armenia presented their eyewitness accounts on the liberation war in Nagorno-Karabakh. All these three journalists were on the ground in Artsakh during the different stages of the war, from the days of the armed conflict to the signing of the cease-fire agreement.

Bedo Demirdjian of the European Armenian Federation responsible for public relations and communications opened the hearing and welcomed the participants. Dr. Theocharous reiterated her support for the people of Artsakh and their right for self-determination. Tatoul Markarian, Ambassador Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary stated that not only the negationist policy of the Turkish authorities but also the official policy of Azerbaijan of distorting facts and reality needs to be combated. He spoke highly of the role of journalists on the panel as well as their devotion and the professionalism of their work.

During her brief speech addressed to the European Parliament, Tsvetana Paskaleva emphasized that the aggressive policies of Azerbaijan need to stop since it can unleash another war any time. Ms Paskaleva stated that the people of Artsakh won the war at the expense of high sacrifice and claimed their right to peaceful life. Her speech was followed by the screening of one of her documentaries which started with depicting the turbulent days of the armed conflict and ended with the current peaceful life.

Czech journalist Dana Mazalova focused on the events in Khojaly, on the current misleading propaganda of Azerbaijan, on her interview with the President of Azerbaijan at the time Ayaz Mutalibov as well as on her meetings with Azerbaijani journalist Cengiz Mustafayev. Mazalova also mentioned about the current anti-Armenian and antidemocratic reality of Azerbaijan.

Journalist Anna Karapetyan elaborated on the ceasefire-agreement signed in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan in May 1994 where she was present as a journalist. Ms Karapetyan focused on the fact that Nagorno-Karabakh Republic officially co-signed the cease-fire agreement – something that Azerbaijan tries to hide.

The eyewitness accounts of the three journalists were followed by a question and answer session. The MEPs present expressed their support for Artsakh and the right of its people for self-determination.

Kaspar Karampetian, President of the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy, emphasized the importance of such hearings. “The European Institutions as well as various European countries need to be informed appropriately about the truth on the conflict in Artsakh. This is essential in order to combat Azerbaijani state propaganda. Today these courageous journalists raised their voice in the center of Europe against caviar diplomacy,” said Kaspar Karampetian.

 

A man armed with a knife attacked the Russia Today (RT) office in Tel Aviv on Thursday. The channel’s staff is safe, but at least two people have been killed and one was injured, reports.

Syrian army forces have recaptured the Al-Jamiliyah neighborhood in northwestern city of Aleppo from Islamic State, reports. 

The seizure occurred on Wednesday, the Lebanon-based Arabic-language al-Mayadeen satellite news network reported.

Meanwhile, in another development on the same day, ISIS elements transferred heavy weapons and Christian families from the town of al-Shaddadah, located in Syria’s northeastern province of Al-Hasakah, to the city of Deir Ezzor.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, also reported that ISIS militants and their families are leaving their command base in Syria’s northern city of Raqqa and moving to the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.

There are further reports saying that French and Russian forces have intensified their strikes on positions held by ISIS in Raqqa following the November 13 attacks in the French capital city of Paris, which left 132 people dead and over 350 others injured.

 

The Syrian army entered the strategic town of Maheen in the Central Province of Homs after weeks of fierce clashes with the Takfiri terrorists, reports.

The Syrian forces began their wide-scale attack at the village of Hawareen after advancing from the recently captured village of Hadath.

The troops reportedly destroyed Islamic State positions at the Sadad-Hawareen checkpoint, and took full control over the checkpoint before advancing inside Hawareen village and finally regained full control over this small village that is located directly North of the Maheen Orchards.

The Syrian army also seized back the al-Dawa region in the city of Palmyra in Homs province.

The Syrian forces launched a large-scale attack on ISIL positions in Al-Dawa, killing over 20 militants and destroying the terrorists’ primary weapons hub in Western Palmyra.

Later, the forces managed to take full control over the Al-Dawa region in Western Palmyra.

The Syrian army recaptured the villages of Umm Zilaylah, Tal Ayyoub and Umm Al-Marra in Aleppo province.

The Syrian army and its allies managed to retake the three villages located North of Jabboul Lake in Aleppo province after they launched a powerful attack on the villages and destroyed ISIS positions.

The Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan are expected to meet early in December, Spokesman for the Republican Party of Armenia Edward Sharmazanov said after the Party’s sitting Wednesday.

“The Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan are set to meet. The meeting will probably take place in the coming weeks,” he said, adding that additional information about the date and venue of the meeting would be provided later.

US Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group James Warlick said earlier the Presidents would meet by the end of the year.

The parents of Lola Ouzounian, a 17-year-old Armenian girl who was attending the concert at Bataclan when the venue was attacked by terrorists on Friday, confirmed her death, adding they had identified her remains, Asbarez reports.

Lola was attending the Eagles of Death Metal concert at Bataclan when the terrorists stormed the venue. During the commotion the father and daughter were separated. There has been search for Lola since Friday.

Paris became the latest target of attacks by groups affiliated with the Islamic State. French officials put the death toll at 129, with 352 injured, 99 of them critically when terrorists attacked several sites in Paris on Friday, one of them the Stade de France, where French President Francois Hollande was attending a friendly match between France and Germany.

A date for Ouzounian’s funeral services has not been announced.

On 18 November Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan received the delegation of the city of Montebello, California, let by its Mayor Jack Hadjinian.

Issues related to cooperation between Stepanakert-Montebello sister-cities were on the agenda of the talks.

President Sahakyan highlighted consistent deepening and expansion of ties between Artsakh capital and Montebello, considering it exemplary in terms of sincere friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation.

Photo: Valery Sharifulin/TASS

 

The Syrian army supported by Russian warplanes has liberated 80 populated localities and regained control over a territory of over 500 square kilometres, Valery Gerasimov, the chief of staff of the Russian Armed Forces, reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, TASS reports.

“The Syrian army has liberated 80 populated localities for the first time during the four years of military hostilities and has established control over a territory of more than 500 square kilometres,” Gerasimov said.

Russia started a military operation against the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist groups on September 30 this year at the request of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.