Category: News

Passengers were evacuated from a plane flying from Warsaw to Hurghada after a report about a bomb aboard, reports. 

A passenger jet flying from Poland to Egypt has made an emergency landing in Burgas, Bulgaria, after a report by a passenger that a bomb was placed on board the aircraft, Bulgaria’s Nova TV reported Thursday.

“A 64-year-old passenger reported the bomb and is already being questioned by law enforcers,” Nova TV said.

The passengers were evacuated from the plane flying from Warsaw to the Egyptian resort city of Hurghada.

“I think this is one of the best seasons of my career so far and I am obviously very happy with it,” Armenian international Henrikh Mkhitaryan said at a press conference preceding the encounter with Hamburg.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan warned his team-mates not to underestimate Hamburg, before voicing his delight with his sublime form this campaign.

“We have worked hard over the past two weeks and are ready for the game against Hamburg,” Mkhitaryan added.

“We are calm and optimistic ahead of the game. It is an important match for us. We have had some tough games in Hamburg in recent years.

“I think this is one of the best seasons of my career so far and I am obviously very happy with it.”

Photo: Leemage/UIG via Getty Images

 

– It was described by US President Theodore Roosevelt as “the greatest crime of the war” and now the Armenian genocide which began in 1915 has been commemorated with a special exhibition of photographs at Cork City Library.

“The Iconic Images of the Armenian Genocide” – officially opened by Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Chris O’Leary – features a series of old photographs which depict the genocide of 1.5 million Armenians living in what is now present day Turkey.

One of the organisers, Jimmy Lynch explained that the exhibition has been put together by the Armenian community in Ireland to mark the centenary of the genocide and it is based on an original project by the Armenian National Institute and Armenian organisations in the US.

“In Ireland we rightly remember what happened in World War I in places such as Gallipoli and Suvla Bay where many Irish suffered and died but we should also be aware of what happened in Armenia – this is an important and emotional year for the Armenian community in Ireland and worldwide.

“They will be remembering and commemorating what happened to their family antecedents in those dark times from 1915 to 1918 and the people of Cork can share in that remembrance by visiting and viewing the exhibition in Cork City Library,” he said.

According to Mr Lynch, the panels of photographs depict the various aspects of the genocide, known in Armenian as Medz Yeghem, including executions, massacres, deportations and starvation of Armenians within the Ottoman Empire by the Young Turk movement.

“Together these photographs recreate a sense of the terror exercised by the Young Turk regime and reveal the extent of the dispossession and decimation of the Armenian people in their historic homeland,” said Mr Lynch.

“With panels displaying photographs of survivors, rescued women, homeless children and refugees, the scale and depth of the uprooting of the Armenian people is revealed,” said Mr Lynch.

Many of the images were taken in the teeth of a strictly enforced ban on photography by the Ottoman authorities and the collection represents photographs that survived and were scattered across several continents before being brought together, he added.

Photo: AFP/GETTY IMAGES

 

An explosion in the Nigerian city of Yola has caused multiple deaths and injuries, with some reports saying more than 30 people may have died, the BBC reports.

The blast appears to have struck a busy market area where traders were closing up for the day.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari visited Yola on Saturday, declaring that the Islamist militant movement Boko Haram was close to defeat.

Yola has twice been hit by deadly bomb attacks this year.

The city lies in the north-eastern state of Adamawa, one of the worst hit by the Boko Haram insurgency

Turkish fans booed during the minute’s silence for the victims of the Paris attacks before their national team drew 0-0 with Greece in a friendly international soccer game on Tuesday, Reuters reports.

According to The Daily Mail, chants of ‘Allahu Akbar’ were reportedly heard in Istanbul as some Turkey fans shamefully booed a pre-match minute’s silence for the victims of the Paris attacks.

The mark of respect was observed at matches across Europe, including at Wembley where France faced England, after Islamic State militants struck Paris on Friday killing 129 people.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras watched the game together, in a sign of reconciliation between the two neighbors, whose relationship has suffered from hostilities in the past.

It was the first time the two teams had met for eight years and the Turkish Football Federation had announced a string of additional security measures before the match at the Istanbul Basaksehir stadium, which was a 17,000 sell out.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs warns citizens of the Republic of Armenia against visiting Egypt.

“We advise the citizens of the Republic of Armenia to temporarily refrain from visiting Egypt without an urgent necessity,” the Ministry said in a Facebook post.

Three terrorist suspects have been killed in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis during a major security operation linked to the deadly attacks that rocked the French capital five days ago, a police source said. The targets of the raid are believed to have included the purported mastermind of the attacks, CNN reports.

Three people have also been arrested, according to BBC.

The focus of the operation is reported to be Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the alleged mastermind of the Islamic State-claimed attacks that killed 129 people.

Roads have been blocked off around Rue de la Republique in Saint Denis, in the same district as the Stade de France, where suicide attackers detonated bombs on Friday.

Truckloads of soldiers joined armed police at the scene.

 

Fifa president Sepp Blatter and vice-president Michel Platini have had their appeals against 90-day bans rejected by world football governing body’s appeal committee, the BBC reports.

They were suspended in October while Fifa’s ethics committee investigates corruption claims against them.

Blatter, 79, is accused of signing a contract “unfavourable” to Fifa and making a “disloyal payment” to Uefa president Platini.

Both men deny wrongdoing.

Platini – who wants to succeed Blatter – has said the 2m euros (£1.35m) payment was “valid compensation” from his time working under the Swiss more than nine years ago.

They were suspended after the Swiss attorney general opened criminal proceedings against Blatter, who has been Fifa president since 1998.

The ethics committee’s investigation focuses on allegations around a 2005 TV rights deal between Fifa and Jack Warner, the former president of Concacaf, the governing body of football in North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Blatter was discharged from hospital last week after what was described as a “small emotional breakdown”.

The Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s 16^th annual Pan-European Phoneathon, led by the fund’s French affiliate, will take place during November 18-22. Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris, and Patrick Devedjian, president of the General Council of Hauts-de-Seine, will serve as the godmother and godfather of the Phoneathon, respectively, making appeals for support throughout the five days of the event.

Proceeds from the Phoneathon will be used to build community centers in Nagorno Karabakh, expand agricultural-development projects in Armenia’s Tavush Region, and provide assistance to Armenian refugees from Syria and Iraq.

Following the terrorist attacks in Paris on November 13, the fund’s French affiliate stated: “Today France, our country, lies wounded after being assailed at the hands of barbarians. We are in mourning. Many of the children of our own nation, which was subjected to similar atrocities in 1915, are now being forced out of their native communities in Syria and Iraq and once again taking the road of exile. The November 13 attacks in Paris were a blow to a civilization built on compassion, respect for human dignity, tolerance, and freedom. Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh are part of a civilization that shares those very same values. We must, therefore, safeguard the borders of the twin Armenian republics, and also support the tens of thousands of Armenians who need our urgent assistance. As agreed by Mayor Anne Hidalgo and Patrick Devedjian, the godmother and godfather of our Phoneathon, we will carry the event through, exactly as planned. The words ‘You don’t scare us,’ which are emblazoned on buildings at Paris, fully reflect our stance.”

The Phoneathon was preceded by an opening Gala Dinner on November 12, held at the Paris City Hall under the auspices of Mayor Anne Hidalgo.

In the course of the Phoneathon, more than 600 volunteers stationed in Paris, Marseille, Toulouse, and Lyon will call some 50,000 households, businesses, and organizations in France, Germany, and Switzerland to request their support. The Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s other affiliates in Europe — including those of Britain, Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden, Romania, and Greece — as well as Cyprus will organize their own fundraising events in the run-up to the fund’s Thanksgiving Day Telethon on November 26.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian received today Bridget A. Brink, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of European & Eurasian Affairs.

The Armenian Foreign Minister hailed the high level of partnership between Armenia and the US, stressing that considerable progress has been achieved in the bilateral relations over the past years, which opens up new perspectives for the further reinforcement and expansion of cooperation.

Bridget A. Brink noted, in turn, that the US values the partnership with Armenia and is willing to take practical steps with a view of deepening the cooperation.

The interlocutors referred to the perspectives of development of Armenian-American economic relations and exchanged views on the results of the first meeting of the Armenia-U.S. Council on Trade and Investment.

“I’m proud that the US is one of the largest direct investors in Armenia,” Bridget A. Brink said, voicing hope that the high-level meetings will help boost mutually beneficial cooperation.

The Armenian Foreign Minister and the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State exchanged views on the process of peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict, emphasizing the impermissibility of violation of the ceasefire regime.

Edward Nalbandian and Bridget A. Brink referred to a number of issues on international and regional agenda, the ways of fighting terrorism and resolution of conflicts.

The US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State praised Armenia’s contribution to global security and the country’s participation in peacekeeping operations.