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Justice Dept. Files Reveal Activities Of Firms Lobbying for Turkey

Posted on August 27, 2014 by ankakh

By Harut Sassounian

www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

Last week, I described the terms of the $1.4 million contract signed by the Gephardt Group, the lobbying firm of former House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt, to promote Turkey’s interests in Washington.

Realizing that its relationship with the United States has seriously deteriorated, the Turkish government has been pouring millions of dollars into the coffers of several U.S. firms, hoping to improve its image by whitewashing the dark stains of its dictatorial regime. For that purpose, Ankara signed a contract on May 12, 2014 with former Turkish national swimming champion Huma Gruaz and her Chicago-based public relations firm Alpaytac, Inc., for $1,420,000 a year. Oddly enough, instead of making monthly payments, the Turkish government gave Alpaytac $1 million up front upon signing the agreement, and paid the balance of $420,000 in the first three months. Alpaytac thus replaced the public relations firm of Fleishman-Hillard which received from the Turkish Embassy $779,805 for the six-month period from Nov. 1, 2013 to April 30, 2014, at which time its contract was terminated.

In addition, Ankara benefits from the activities of Turkish Coalition of America (TCA) which spent over $1 million to sponsor 170 congressional trips to Turkey since 2000. TCA was founded in 2007 by Massachusetts microchip millionaire Yalcin Ayasli who has donated close to $140,000 in the past 18 months to several pro-Turkish members of Congress, according to Al-Monitor.

Most people are unaware that pursuant to the Foreign Agents Registration Act, American firms representing foreign clients are required to report to the U.S. Justice Department their day-to-day activities every six months.

Alpaytac’s six-month report is not yet due. However, we would like to present excerpts from the detailed files the Gephardt Group and its subcontractors — Greenberg Traurig, Lydia Borland, Brian Forni, and Dickstein Shapiro — submitted to the Justice Department regarding their specific activities on behalf of Turkey from August 1, 2013 to January 31, 2014:

— On Sept. 19, 2013, forwarded a letter from Turkish Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek to Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Patrick Leahy.

— Sent emails to Representatives Castro, Cohen, Connolly, Deutch, Esty, Foxx, Frankel, Gabbard, Kennedy, Schneider, Wagner, and Whitfield; and Sen. Murphy regarding the upcoming visit of Turkey’s former Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu; contacts were also established with several other members of Congress to discuss Syria, Iran sanctions, Hamas, and Missile Defense.

— Dick Gephardt reported making campaign contributions from Sept. 24 to Dec. 12, 2013 to: Representatives Alcee Hastings ($1,000), Barbara Lee ($1,000), Marjorie Margolies ($1,000), Richard Neal ($1,250), Brad Schneider ($500), Debbie Wasserman-Schultz ($1,500), Marc Veasey ($1,000), and Henry Waxman ($1,000); and Senators Dick Durbin ($2,500), Mary Landrieu ($1,000), Claire McCaskill ($1,000), Mark Pryor ($1,500), and Ron Wyden ($2,500).

— Gephardt Group employees contributed to Senators Dick Durbin ($500) and Jeanne Shaheen ($1,500); and Representatives Steve Cohen ($500), Colleen Hanabusa ($1,250), Jim Moran ($500), Brad Schneider ($500), and Cong. Henry Waxman ($500).

— Employees of Gephardt Group subcontractor Dickstein Shapiro LLC contacted Ben Branch, Legislative Director to Cong. Gregory Meeks, “regarding legislation focused on Turkish regional issues.” On behalf of Dickstein Shapiro, former House Speaker Dennis Hastert met with Turkish Ambassador Namik Tan and Sen. Ron Johnson “regarding U.S.-Turkey relations.”

— Other Dickstein Shapiro employees contacted the offices of Representatives George Holding, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Sheila Jackson Lee, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Gregory Meeks, Chellie Pingree, Robert Pittenger, Dana Rohrabacher, Ed Royce, and Ed Whitfield; and Senators John Boozman, Ron Johnson, Rand Paul, and Roger Wicker to discuss Turkish regional issues, Cyprus, Travel to Turkey, and U.S.-Turkey relations.

— Dickstein Shapiro employees contributed over $60,000 to the political campaigns of congressional candidates from July 20 to Dec. 19, 2013, including: Senators Lamar Alexander ($2,500), Kay Hagan ($9,000), Amy Klobuchar ($2,000), Mitch McConnell ($2,500), Mark Pryor ($2,500), and Tim Scott ($1,000), and Representatives Sanford Bishop ($2,500), Emanuel Cleaver ($1,500), Rick Crawford ($2,500), Steve Daines ($2,500), John Dingell ($1,000), Bill Huizenga ($2,500), Eddie Bernice Johnson ($1,000), Adam Kinzinger ($2,500), Mike McIntyre ($5,000), Buck McKeon ($1,500), Dutch Ruppersberger ($2,500), and Ed Whitfield ($2,500).

Since the lobbying firms hired by Turkey are obligated by law to report their detailed activities, it is important to check regularly their Justice Department filings in order to find out who are they contacting in Congress, for what purpose, and how much are they contributing to their political campaigns?

Turkic Groups Fund Questionable Congressional Trips to Azerbaijan

Posted on August 13, 2014 by ankakh

By Harut Sassounian

www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

The international media is replete these days with scandalous stories about European and American politicians being wined and dined in Azerbaijan and Turkey, for self-serving ulterior motives.

The latest such exposé, published by the Houston Chronicle on July 27, was titled: “Congress members’ trips raise red flags.” The article revealed that five Turkic non-profit groups spent $274,459 for the lavish travel of 10 members of Congress and 35 staffers to Azerbaijan in May 2013. The funds were contributed by:

— Turquoise Council of Americans and Eurasians (Houston): $101,680

— Turkish American Federation of the Midwest (Chicago): $68,324

— Turkic American Alliance (Washington, DC): $52,975

— Turkic American Federation of the Southeast (Atlanta): $26,550

— Council of Turkic American Associations (New York): $24,930

The 10 members of Congress travelling to Baku on all-expenses-paid trip were:

— Danny Davis (D-IL): $24,084

— Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX): $19,962

— Jim Bridenstine (R-OK): $14,173

— Ted Poe (R-TX): $13,431

— Steve Stockman (R-TX): $13,431

— Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM): $12,780

— Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX): $12,034

— Leonard Lance (R-NJ): $9,798

— Yvette Clark (D-NY): $8,701

— Gregory Meeks (D-NY): $6,431

The actual purpose of the congressional trip was to attend a conference sponsored in part by SOCAR (Azerbaijan’s national oil company) which along with one of its partners, NIOC (Iran’s national oil company), was embarking on a $28 billion project to develop the Shah Deniz gas field. It was no coincidence that the junket was organized at a time when Congress was considering additional sanctions against Iran. The Azeris and their Iranian partners desperately needed an exemption from Congress to carry out their mega-project. Not surprisingly, less than two months after the congressional delegation’s return from its extravagant trip, the House of Representatives went along and approved the sought after exemption!

The Houston Chronicle explained the speedy approval of this bill by a usually slow-moving Congress by the fact that “SOCAR, along with other Azeri government interests, has become one of Washington, D.C.’s big spenders in efforts to win American allies to get its petroleum products to markets worldwide…. Lobbyists, the Azeri government and energy companies all participated in the elaborate Baku gathering” at the plush Heydar Aliyev Center with Pres. Ilham Aliyev as keynote speaker. “At least four congressmen took along a spouse or a fiancé. Some flew first-class and extended their trips with stays in luxury hotels in Turkey. The congressional travel tabs alone totaled $270,000.”

Interestingly, the Turquoise Council of Americans and Eurasians, the main organizer of the visit, “did not disclose any corporate support or foreign government assistance for the Baku congressional trips,” as required by Federal law, the Chronicle reported. The five Turkic non-profit organizations and 10 Members of Congress may have violated congressional ethics rules and federal law by not disclosing corporate donations for the trip, the Chronicle stated.

Records show that Cong. Meeks “did not disclose his Baku trip expenses until a year after the deadline,” the Chronicle disclosed. Moreover, Cong. Stockman had received an additional $5,000 in campaign contributions in three installments, during the same month as the trip, from Kemal Oksuz, president of the Turquoise Council, who leads two non-profits that share the same address in Houston. “Both groups were identified as sponsors or organizers of the Baku conference, and both have accepted money from SOCAR. One group, the Assembly of the Friends of Azerbaijan, operates as a U.S.-based public relations arm of SOCAR,” according to the Chronicle.

Oksuz reportedly told an American journalist in Baku that the oil conference had cost $1.5 million. He also said that some guests had received hand-woven rugs as gifts — which would be a violation, if not reported to proper U.S. authorities.

The Chronicle revealed that “many of those non-profits are led by followers of Fetullah Gulen, a moderate Turkish ex-Imam who lives in exile in an enclave in Pennsylvania…. Collectively, Turkic groups have funded 272 foreign trips for members of Congress and their staffs from 2009-2013″ to Azerbaijan and Turkey.

In addition to its eye-opening investigative article, the Houston Chronicle published a blistering editorial, chiding the 10 members of Congress for “being distressingly naïve or disgustingly corrupt,” and in return for “a few well-placed donations,” serving the interests of Azerbaijan, “a corrupt kleptocracy ruled by the Aliyev family, which lines its pockets while keeping political dissent firmly quashed.”

Australia Must Dismiss Foreign Minister For Denying the Armenian Genocide

Posted on July 30, 2014 by ankakh

By Harut Sassounian

www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

The Turkish Sabah newspaper published last week the following disturbing news: “Australian FM: Armenian Case not Genocide.”

Sabah described the events that led to its nefarious headline. Gunay Evinch, board member and past president of the Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA), had recently visited Australia to brief local Turkish groups on the Movsesian lawsuit. He told them that “the United States Supreme Court let stand a 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision invalidating a California law that had defined the Armenian case as genocide, because it was US federal policy not to define the Armenian case as genocide.”

Sabah also reported that Evinch’s visit was “a part of a broader Anglo-Turkish Diaspora Cooperation Program in which Turks in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Jersey (sic) share best practices based on a common jurisprudential and political heritage.”

Following Evinch’s advice, Ertunc Ozen, President of Australian Turkish Advocacy Alliance, wrote to Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop on May 5, “expressing concern at motions passed by the parliament of New South Wales in May 2013 regarding Turkey and the fate of various communities of the Ottoman Empire during and after World War I.”

Foreign Minister Bishop wrote to Ozen on June 4: “The Australian Government acknowledges the devastating effects which the tragic events at the end of the Ottoman Empire have had on later generations, and on their identity, heritage and culture.” Astonishingly, she added: “We do not, however, recognize these events as ‘genocide.’ Australian states and territories have no constitutional role in the formulation of Australian foreign policy. While respecting the rights of individuals and groups to have strong views on the matter, the long-standing and clear approach of the Australian Government has been not to become involved in this sensitive debate.”

The Foreign Minister is wrong on three counts: 1) She erred in stating that Australia does not recognize the Armenian Genocide. While the Australian government prefers not to use the term genocide in order not to antagonize Turkey, no other official has ever stated that it was not genocide; 2) She incorrectly wrote that the Australian states that recognized the Armenian Genocide were formulating foreign policy. These states had simply acknowledged a historical fact; and 3) She contradicted herself by stating that the Australian Government does not get involved “in this sensitive debate,” yet she did permit herself to get involved by stating that it was not genocide!

Vache Kahramanian, Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of Australia, immediately dispatched a strongly-worded letter to the Foreign Minister, calling her ‘misguided statement’ ‘deeply insulting and hurtful to the Armenian-Australian community.’ He also characterized Bishop’s views as ‘intolerable,’ ‘inexcusable,’ ‘a grave offense,’ and ‘a disservice to all Australians.’ Kahramanian justifiably wondered, “How can Australia’s moral conscience become so corrupted?”

ANC-Australia’s Executive Director reminded the Foreign Minister that her statement was in stark contrast to “the views held by many senior ministers in the current government. As recently as April 2014, Australia’s Treasurer, the Hon. Joe Hockey MP, issued an official statement on the 99th anniversary commemoration of the Armenian Genocide marking April 24 as the day ‘we gather to remember the 1.5 million people who perished in the genocide.’ Ministers Turnbull, Morrison, along with ranking members from Labor, the Greens, minor parties and Independents have called on the Australian Parliament to officially recognise the events of 1915 as genocide. Australia’s Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, during his years as Opposition Leader, issued an annual statement referring to the Armenian Genocide with no qualifiers or euphemisms.”

Kahramanian also told the Foreign Minister: “By denying the Armenian Genocide you are also denying Australia’s very own history. Located within Australia’s National Archives are countless numbers of testimonies by ANZAC prisoners of war who were held captive in the Ottoman Empire…. These testimonies vividly recall the suffering and annihilation of the Armenian people.”

ANC-Australia Chairman Greg Soghomonian urged the Foreign Minister to “immediately reverse this critical error of judgment,” and requested a meeting with her.

I suggest that Australian-Armenians ask Prime Minister Tony Abbott whether the Foreign Minister had cleared her deeply offensive letter with him beforehand. If she had not, the ANC-Australia should demand her immediate dismissal. ANC should ask all three Australian state parliaments that have recognized the Armenian Genocide to adopt a new resolution condemning Foreign Minister Bishop’s denialist stand and urging the Prime Minister to fire her!

Millions of Muslims across the world celebrate the start of Eid to mark the end of fasting for Ramadan

Posted on July 29, 2014 by ankakh

Millions of Muslims across the world have been celebrating the start of the Eid al-Fitr holiday this week, which marks the end of the month-long fast of Ramadan.

Celebrations have been taking place across the world for the three-day holiday to mark the end of Ramadan which sees observant Muslims refrain from eating or drinking anything from dawn to sunset in a show of spiritual devotion.

The festival of Eid al-Fitr – the ‘breaking of the fast’ – sees devout Muslims meeting to exchange gifts, enjoy food and decorate their homes in a show of thanksgiving.

While celebrations have been taking place across the world, the mood has been dark for millions of people affected by the Syrian civil war, the Gaza war and the militant advance in Iraq.

During Eid celebrations, Muslims traditionally greet each other with the greeting of Eid Mubarak, which translates roughly as ‘Eid blessings’.

As well as the special prayers and celebrations, customs of Eid include dressing up in new clothes, eating special delicacies, giving presents and, for women, decoration of the hands with henna.

This year’s celebrations however have been darkened across many parts of the world.

In Gaza City yesterday, streets were largely deserted, as residents huddled indoors for safety. More than 1,110 Palestinians have been killed, more than 6,500 wounded and tens of thousands displaced in the last three weeks of fighting between Israel and Hamas, according to Palestinian officials. Israel has seen 53 Israeli soldiers and three civilians killed.

It’s about BEE-ing the best: The men and women who have got Ontario abuzz in annual Best Bee Beard competition

Posted on July 29, 2014 by ankakh

It’s not exactly a competition for the faint-hearted, but let’s hope there was no sting in the tale for any of these brave bee beard growers.

The remarkably daring men and women have got Ontario all abuzz after taking part in the tenth annual Clovermead Bee Beard Competition.

The contest sees four teams of competitors entice swarms of bees to the head and torso of a ‘beard grower’ before two winners are chosen by the audience and the official judges.

Beebearding is thought to date back to the 1700s when an English beekeeper discovered he could create a beard of bees by tying the queen to a thread around his neck and would parade through the streets wearing the unusual costume.

At the Clovermead competition however, once in place, the beards are weighed before each wearer goes on to strut their stuff and perform a little dance in front of the watching crowds.

The Bee Beard Champion is then chosen by judges, while the audience is also able to pick their Crowd Favourite.

Dutch call for Putin’s daughter to be deported after it is discovered she lives in Holland with her boyfriend: Ukrainians also plan protest outside her apartment

Posted on July 25, 2014 by ankakh

Her father has been blamed by many for the death of 193 Dutch citizens.

So for Maria Putin, who lives in a smart suburb of The Hague, relations with her neighbours must be more than a little strained right now.

The 28-year-old is reported to have resided in the Netherlands for several years with Dutch partner Jorrit Faassen, 34, an executive for a Russian consultancy firm.

He owns a two-storey penthouse apartment at the top of a luxury high-security block in Voorschoten, next to an idyllic canal.

Yesterday, anti-Putin activists from around the world were posting the address on Twitter and urging Dutch people to set up a protest outside.

The mayor of the city of Hilversum, Pieter Broertjes, yesterday called for Ms Putin to be deported from the country in a radio interview.

He later apologised for his comments, saying the demands were ‘not wise’ but ‘stemmed from a feeling of helplessness that many will recognise’.

Maria is understood to divide her time between Russia and the Netherlands, with the couple remaining very much within Putin’s inner circle.

She appears to keep her distance from her neighbours and her father and his staff are said to keep a close protective watch over her.

Putin is said to be so paranoid about her safety that he has not allowed her to be photographed as an adult in the Russian media and sent her to university under a different name.

Footprints of a 36,000-year-old family discovered: Romanian cave found to hold some of Europe’s oldest ever human tracks

Posted on July 22, 2014 by ankakh

Some of Europe’s oldest human footprints have been discovered by researchers in Romania’s Ciur-Izbuc Cave.

The 400 footprints were originally unearthed in the Carpathian Mountains in 1965. At the time, they were thought to belong to a man, woman and child and dated to 10,000 to 15,000 years old.

But now radiocarbon measurements of two cave bear fossils unearthed just below the footprints suggests that these early humans left their impressions 36,500 years ago.

Today, cave explorers have damaged all but 51 of the original 400 footprints. The remaining hollows, however, suggest that six or seven individuals, including at least one child, entered the cave after a flood.

The Romanian footprints are one of the oldest to be described in a peer-reviewed journal, but a number of researchers believe they have found footprints that are much older.

For instance, in 2011 scientists said human tracks at Tanzania’s Engare Sero site were 120,000 years old.

Those findings have not been published yet in a peer-reviewed journal, and David Webb of Kutztown University in Pennsylvania believes this suggests a problem with footprint authenticity.

Robert Downey Jr named Hollywood’s highest paid actor for SECOND year in a row with $75million in earnings

Posted on July 22, 2014 by ankakh

He really is the Iron Man of Hollywood.

Robert Downey Jr has been named for the second year in a row by Forbes as the highest earning actor in the movie industry.

The 49-year-old is estimated to have earned the same amount for the past two years with a whopping $75 million in both 2012 and 2013.

Also topping the list, coming in second, is Dwayne Johnson with an estimated $52 million in earnings last year.

Coming up third on the list is Bradley Cooper with a mixture of critically acclaimed films and blockbuster comedies, garnering him an estimated $46million.
Fourth on the list is Leonardo DiCaprio, who earned an estimated $39million with films such as The Great Gatsby and The Wolf Of Wall Street.

Ranking fifth is newcomer Chris Hemsworth with a whopping $37million, mostly due to his god-like turn as Thor in both his own star vehicles and the Avengers film.

դոլար, զբաղեցնում է հինգերորդ տեղը:

Inside China’s fat camp: How middle-class children are beasted into shape ‘to prepare them for life in the world’s largest economy’

Posted on July 18, 2014 by ankakh

Donning swimming caps and goggles, they stare wearily ahead as they stretch their arms by the side of an outdoor pool.

These middle-class children are among numerous overweight youngsters taking part in a gruelling fat camp at a university in Beijing, China.

They have been sent to the summer camp by their parents in a bid to get them into shape and to prepare them for the challenges of life in one of the world’s largest economies.

On a daily basis, they are forced to swim, run, lift weights and perform exercises under the supervision of strict Chinese trainers.

They are also required to undergo medical and weight checks by professional nurses at the facility.

Obesity is a growing problem among the burgeoning middle-class in China. According to recent studies, the country is now the second fattest in the world behind America.

Անկախ

Climbers on Mont Blanc discover body of young guide who disappeared on solo climb 32 YEARS earlier frozen in glacial ice

Posted on July 10, 2014 by ankakh

The body of a young climber has been found preserved in the glacial ice of the Mont Blanc range of the French Alps, 32 years after he went missing.

Mountain climbers discovered the body of Patrice Hyvert, a trainee mountain guide, as they scaled the western side of the Aguille Verte mountain, part of the Mont Blanc massif.

The 23-year-old was last seen alive on the morning of March 1, 1982, when he took off on a solitary climb up the range which straddles the French-Italian border.

Bad weather set in that afternoon. Another climber was evacuated from the same mountain two days later, but Mr Hyvert was never found.

Local police confirmed to newspaper Dauphine Libere and other media that the frozen body was that of the missing climber after finding his identity card still in his wallet.

The discovery last Thursday came as a shock to Mr Hyvert’s 82-year-old father, Gerard.

The dangerous terrain, and inclement weather, of the Mont Blanc range results in scores of deaths of mountain climbers each year.

The bodies of the missing are often discovered the following year after the ice thaws.

Անկախ

Turkey’s Declining Support in Congress After Blunders at Home and Abroad

Posted on July 2, 2014 by ankakh

By Harut Sassounian

www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

Due to Prime Minister Erdogan’s widespread human rights abuses of his own citizens and foreign policy blunders vis-a-vis Armenia, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Israel, and Syria, Turkey has lost much of the support it once enjoyed in the United States, and indeed, around the world.

The most recent evidence of this downturn is the adoption of House Resolution 4347 (Turkey Christian Churches Accountability Act) on June 26 by the Foreign Affairs Committee. Because of souring relations between Ankara and Washington, the U.S. Government refrained from spending its political capital on the Hill to prevent the bill’s passage.

In addition, intra-Turkish feuds such as the one between Erdogan and Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish cleric with extensive influence in Turkey and abroad, have deprived Ankara of important grassroots support in the United States. Gulen-affiliated groups did not lift a finger to bail out Erdogan’s government from a humiliating defeat in the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Due to another internal political dispute, the Turkish Coalition of America refused to sign the joint letter sent by three other Turkish-American groups to House Committee members opposing the Churches bill. In a desperate search for supporters, the Turkish groups recruited to their lobbying efforts the Azerbaijan American Council, which has no business sticking its nose in a matter involving the status of Christian churches in Turkey. By signing such a hostile joint letter, the Azeri group further antagonized Armenians worldwide, making it more difficult to reach a fair settlement in the Karabagh (Artsakh) conflict.

Finally, the Turkish government’s clash with Israel after the Mavi Marmara attack and Turkey’s new Ambassador Serdar Kilic’s recent angry letter to the American Jewish Committee for recognizing the Armenian Genocide deprived Ankara of any lobbying support it used to receive in Congress from the Israeli government and some Jewish-American organizations.

In the absence of all support from its traditional allies, the Turkish government could only rely on its hired guns — highly-paid US lobbying firms — to implement the standard Turkish tactics used in opposing any initiative that Ankara deems to be against its interests:

1) Object firmly to any anti-Turkish initiative to prevent its consideration;

2) If step 1 does not work, propose amendments to dilute the initiative;

3) Even after diluting the initiative, pressure the committee members to vote against it.

In the case of the churches bill, the Turkish government failed to block its consideration by the House Foreign Affairs Committee and was unable to collect enough votes to defeat the measure. The only thing left for Ankara to do was having some members of the Congressional Turkish Caucus to propose amendments to dilute the bill. This tactic had a modest success because Cong. Ed Royce (Rep.-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, tried to reach a consensus on the bill and went out of his way to accommodate the handful of dissenting members of Congress. After all, who in their right mind would oppose a bill that called for the return of religious properties to their proper owners which happen to be the Christian churches!

This is the second major defeat that Turkey suffered in Congress in the last three months. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee had adopted an Armenian Genocide resolution with a vote of 12-5 on April 10 — a further indication of the declining Turkish political clout in Washington. One simply needs to read two recent articles in the New York Times (“After Opening Way to Rebels, Turkey is Paying Heavy Price”) and the Wall Street Journal (“An Unhelpful Ally”) to see the degree of damage Erdogan has caused to his country’s reputation.

In addition to the loss of clout, the Turkish government is wasting the millions of dollars it pays each year to high-powered, but apparently useless American lobbying firms that make big promises, pocket large amounts of money, and deliver practically nothing. When will the people of Turkey demand an account from their corrupt and irresponsible leaders who are throwing away Turkish citizens’ hard earned tax dollars in a vain attempt to whitewash their genocidal history?

Pundits are predicting that despite Prime Minister Erdogan’s dismal record both at home and abroad, he is expected to be elected president next August. Armenians, Greeks, Kurds and other oppressed ethnic and religious minorities are only too happy to see Turkey ruled by an incompetent leader who will bring the country to its knees!

Privacy blitz for Clooney wedding: Actor persuades mayor of Italian town where he is likely to marry to introduce new laws

Posted on June 27, 2014 by ankakh

George Clooney has persuaded the mayor of the Italian town where he is likely to marry his British fiancée to bring in draconian laws to guarantee his privacy.

Anyone caught swimming within 100metres of his mansion on Lake Como will be fined up to £450 by the local authorities. Pedestrians will also be banned from stopping on the road outside the property, which is in the picturesque Lombardy area of Italy.

The laws announced by Laglio Council are in operation 24 hours a day until September 30. Notices have been stuck on lampposts in the area with a warning in red type.

Laglio mayor Roberto Pozzi said that in the past there had been ‘unpleasant episodes’ when fans had gone up to Clooney’s windows and yelled out his name.

The new rules were designed to stop them doing the same and to prevent paparazzi from getting too close to his home, he said.

Clooney is currently making the most of his Italian mansion and has been taking his fiancé on a number of romantic dates in the area.

EXCLUSIVE: Iraqi Kurdistan leader Massoud Barzani says ‘the time is here’ for self-determination

Posted on June 24, 2014 by ankakh

Iraqi Kurdish President Massoud Barzani gave his strongest-ever indication on Monday that his region would seek formal independence from the rest of Iraq.

Iraqi Kurdish independence has long been a goal, and the region has had autonomy from Baghdad for more than two decades, but they have never before said they would actually pursue that dream.

But the latest crisis, in which Sunni extremists have captured a large swath of Iraqi territory on the border of Iraqi Kurdistan, seems to have pushed the Kurds over the edge.

Barzani said that he would make that case to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry when they meet in Erbil Tuesday; America is a close Kurdish ally, but opposes independence for the region.

A reconciliation, Barzani said, could be possible “if there was understanding between Shias and Sunnis, and if there is a guarantee of a true partnership in the authority.”

Letter to the European diplomatic missions to Armenia

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Վարդուհի Իշխանյան

Representation of the Council of Europe

Mr. Oleksandr Pavlyuk, Head of Representation

Delegation of the European Union to Armenia

H.E. Mr. Traian Hristea, Ambassador, Head of Delegation

Embassy of the French Republic

H.E. Mr. Henri Reynaud, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany

H.E. Mr. Reiner Morell, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

Embassy of the Hellenic Republic

H.E. Mr. Ioannis Taghis, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

Embassy of the Italian Republic

H.E. Mr. Giovanni Ricciulli, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania

H.E. Mr. Erikas Petrikas, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

Embassy of the Republic of Poland

H.E. Mr. Zdzislaw Raczynski, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

Embassy of Romania

H.E. Mr. Sorin Vasile, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

Embassy of the Kingdom of Sweden

H.E. Mrs. Diana Janse, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

Embassy of Switzerland

H.E. Mr. Lukas Gasser, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

Embassy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

H.E. Mrs. Katherine Jane Leach, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

Mr. Timothy David Straight

Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of Norway, Honorary Consul of Finland

Copy: media

17.06.2014

Your Excellencies,

On behalf of “SOS Afrikyan Club Building” civic initiative we would like to draw your attention to the attempt by the Armenian Government of breaking the Convention for the Protection of the Architectural Heritage of Europe (Granada, 3.10.1985), ratified by the National Assembly of Armenia on 21.10.2008. According to Article 5 of the Convention, “Each Party undertakes to prohibit the removal, in whole or in part, of any protected monument, except where the material safeguarding of such monuments makes removal imperative. In these circumstances the competent authority shall take the necessary precautions for its dismantling, transfer and reinstatement at a suitable location.”

The Afrikyan Club Building is a unique late 19^th-20^th century structure listed among architectural heritage of national importance. According to N1616-N decision of the RA Government dated 7.10.2004, the Club building was subject to replacement. This decision, however, has lost its power after the ratification of the above mentioned Convention guided by Article 6 of the Armenian Constitution.

We are deeply concerned by the fact that since 2011 the Government of Armenia, particularly the Ministry of Culture, has been ignoring our pledges to act in line with its international commitments, therefore to annulate its decision about replacement of the monument and undertake the protection and conservation of the sight. Particularly, starting from June 9, 2014 the contractor agency started to dismantle the building. Thanks to the efforts of a few dozens of citizens, professionals and media it has been possible to abort the dismantling attempts so far. However, at any moment the dismantling may be re-launched. We are working in various layers: legal processes, awareness raising and public mobilization, all-day-long presence at the sight by shift, and other actions.

“SOS Afrikyan Club Building” civic initiative involves activists, professionals, media and NGOs which have been actively engaged in series of civic movements on cultural, environmental, public space and human rights causes, such as Mashtots Park civic struggle, Save Open-Air Hall of Moscow Cinema, Save Teghut civic initiative, Public Transport movement, and more.

We urge you to act as guarantors of the respective European Convention, to closely monitor the situation and react accordingly. This could involve supporting statements and media interventions, negotiations, public political pressure, etc.

Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to your reaction at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

“SOS Afrikyan Club Building” civic initiative

Turkish Denialists Fail to Block Genocide Speech at Australian Parliament

Posted on June 18, 2014 by ankakh

By Harut Sassounian
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

The Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of Australia had invited this writer to speak at commemorative events in Sydney and Melbourne, and deliver a formal address at the New South Wales Parliament during the week of April 24.

On April 27, the Australian Turkish Advocacy Alliance sent a three-page letter to all Parliament members urging them to boycott my presentation. A Parliament member forwarded a copy of the letter to the Armenian National Committee of Australia in advance of my talk on April 29. The cleverly-worded letter, most likely written by the Turkish Embassy’s professional lobbyists, made several false claims and defamatory accusations.
The Turkish denialist group sought to import Ankara’s human rights restrictions to a democratic country like Australia by trying to muzzle not only this speaker’s right to free speech, but also the Parliament’s right to invite whomever it chose. Calling me a ‘propagandist’ who ‘benefits from conflict and hatred,’ the Turkish letter ‘strongly’ advised Parliament members not to attend my talk.

Gunes Gungor, Executive Director of the Australian Turkish Alliance, falsely reported that I am ‘related’ to Hampig Sassounian, simply because I shared his last name. Hampig was convicted of assassinating the Consul General of Turkey in Los Angeles in 1982. While the life of any human being is precious, Gungor sheds crocodile tears over the death of a single Turkish diplomat, ignoring the wholesale killings of 1.5 million innocent Armenians! How would Gunes Gungor like it if I were to accuse him of being related to several criminals I found on the internet, just because they shared the same last name?

Gungor in his letter also badmouthed the distinguished jurist Raphael Lemkin who coined the term ‘genocide’ based on his detailed studies of the extermination of Armenians by the Ottoman Turkish government. In a desperate search for any reason to tarnish Lemkin’s impeccable reputation, Gungor claimed that “towards the end of the meetings because of his aggressive comments he [Lemkin] was asked to leave the room.” Gungor did not even know how to spell Lemkin’s first name.

The Turkish propagandist finally attempted to draw a distinction between the Armenian Genocide and the Jewish Holocaust. After pretending to be an expert on the Armenian Genocide, Gungor confessed his ignorance by stating that “much about the late Ottoman Empire has yet to be learned and many conclusions have yet to be drawn.”

Despite Gungor’s attempts to undermine my address, Parliament members and guests, including scholars, elected officials, and Jewish community leaders gave me a standing ovation. Surprisingly, Gungor showed up at the Parliament to hear me speak, not trusting his own ability to have the event cancelled. While members of the audience were given ample time to ask any question they wished, Gungor and his two Turkish colleagues did not ask a single question. More surprisingly, as the three Turks were leaving the Parliament hall, one of Gungor’s colleagues was overheard saying, “on nights like these, I wonder what we are doing here!”

My other talks took place with packed audiences without disruption. According to the ANC of Australia over 1,100 people attended my first talk on April 24 in Sydney. I gave a second talk the next night in the same city. I then spoke at a similar event on April 27 in Melbourne at the presence of around 500 guests.

The only sour note during my journey was Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s message sent to the Sydney commemoration. Taking a page from Pres. Obama’s playbook, Abbott used every other word (horror, tragedy, terrible events, lost lives) except for genocide in his brief message. Vache Kahramanian, Executive Director of the ANC of Australia, wrote to the Prime Minister, telling him that his message will not be read to the audience because it is “of great insult to the Armenian-Australian community with its blatant omission of the Genocide word.” Kahramanian reminded the Prime Minister of his previous year’s message while he was opposition leader in which he had properly characterized the Armenian Genocide. In contrast to the Prime Minister, Australia’s Treasurer, Joe Hockey, the country’s most senior government minister, issued a formal statement clearly acknowledging the Armenian Genocide.

I left Australia greatly impressed with the political activism of the Armenian community of 50,000 which runs circles around the much larger Turkish community of over 200,000.

Ukrainian official: Russian tanks have entered the country

Posted on June 13, 2014 by ankakh

Three Russian tanks and other military vehicles crossed the border into Ukraine on Thursday, prompting a skirmish between Ukrainian and Russian forces, acting Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry told the BBC that the claim was “another fake piece of information.”

According to Avakov, tanks crossed the border at a checkpoint controlled by pro-Russian separatists in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine. Armored vehicles and artillery were part of the columns, Avakov said, citing Ukrainian intelligence.

Two of the tanks split off and headed in the direction of Gorlovka, also known as Horlivka, and were attacked by Ukrainian military forces, Avakov said.

Part of that column was destroyed, he said.

Also on Thursday, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin “held a substantial and long phone conversation,” the Ukrainian President’s media office said, but it was unclear if that conversation occurred before or after the reported tank incursion.

The leaders discussed Poroshenko’s peace plan to resolve the situation in the east of Ukraine, the media office said.

World’s oldest man dies at age 111

Posted on June 10, 2014 by ankakh

A 111-year-old New Yorker who had been certified as the oldest man in the world has died.

Alexander Imich died Sunday morning at a senior residence in Manhattan, his niece, Karen Bogen, confirmed to CNN.

Imich was certified as the oldest man in the world this April by the Gerontology Research Group of Torrance, California.

Imich was born in Poland on February 4, 1903, according to a longtime friend in New York, Michael Mannion.

His wife, who was a prolific artist and therapist in New York, died in 1986, according to Bogen.

They had no children.

Mannion told CNN that when Imich learned he was the oldest man in the world, he “enjoyed the attention.”

A 116-year-old Japanese woman, Misao Okawa, is the world’s oldest living person, according to the Gerontology Research Group. The title of world’s oldest man now goes to Sakari Momoi, also of Japan, who was born just a day after Imich in 1903, the group said.

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Iraq, Iran Top World’s Unhappiest Countries List

Posted on June 4, 2014 by ankakh

Do you live in one of the world’s unhappiest places?

A new study released this week by Gallup cited Iran as the country with the highest negative emotions — a close second behind Iraq.

Just last month, six Iranians were arrested in the country for dancing to Pharrell’s “Happy” in the country’s capitol, Tehran. They have since been released.

Gallup measured negative emotions in 138 countries in 2013 by asking people whether they experienced a lot of anger, stress, sadness, physical pain and worry the previous day. Gallup compiles the “yes” results into a Negative Experience Index score for each country. The higher the score, the more pervasive negative emotions are in a country.

In another Gallup study ranking positive emotions, Paraguay ranks first in positive experiences, and Syria was the least likely country worldwide to report positive experiences.

Giving Iran a run for its money — at least as far as unhappiness is concerned — are these other countries:

Iraq
Iran
Egypt
Greece
Syria
Sierra Leone
Cyprus
Northern Cyprus
Cambodia

10. Lebanon

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Brad Pitt Talks About ‘Nutter’ Who Attacked Him on Red Carpet

Posted on June 3, 2014 by ankakh

Brad Pitt broke silence on red carpet incident at the “Maleficent” premiere which took place on Wednesday, May 28. In a statement to PEOPLE, Pitt recalled the moments when an Ukrainian “nutter” Vitalii Sediuk approached him when he was signing autographs for fans.

Pitt was not injured following the incident, but a previous report suggested his glasses got broken. Sediuk, who previously targeted Bradley Cooper, Leonardo DiCaprio and America Ferrera at other events, was ordered to stay away from Pitt and Angelina Jolie, do community service, undergo psychological counseling for one year, pay a fine, and was put on a 36-month probation.

Before Pitt released his statement, the former TV journalist also opened up about the red carpet incident, saying that reports of him punching the “12 Years a Slave” star were not true and that he was just trying to hug the actor. “I never hit, I never punched, I never slapped Brad Pitt in the face. This is absolutely false information,” he said, as reported by The Associated Press. “It is something that hurts not only me, but also my family.”

“I’m a normal guy. I’m not crazy,” the Ukrainian man said, adding that the red carpet prank was just “for fun.”

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Brad Pitt attacked at Hollywood premiere of ‘Maleficent’

Posted on May 29, 2014 by ankakh

Actor Brad Pitt was struck in the face as he was signing autographs at a movie premiere Wednesday, Los Angeles police said.

Pitt was at the Hollywood premiere of “Maleficent,” starring his partner Angelina Jolie, when a man hopped a barrier and attacked the actor, Sgt. Leonard Calderon said.

Officers arrested the suspect, 25-year-old Vitalii Sediuk, on suspicion of battery.

Sediuk has a history of confronting celebrities at red carpet events. In 2012, he was slapped by actor Will Smith after he attempted to kiss Smith.

At the 2013 Grammy Awards, Sediuk charged the stage before singer Adele could accept her award.

Sediuk also hugged actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Bradley Cooper around the knees at separate events earlier this year.

Most recently, he put his head up America Ferrara’s dress at the Cannes premiere of “How to Train Your Dragon 2” last week.

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