Armenian church of French Alfortville attackedApril 4, 2017 - 12:53 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A fire erupted in the Armenian Evangelical Church of Alfortville, France at around 6 a.m. on the morning of April 2, in what is being described as an arson attack -the third attack on the church in the last 12 months, The Armenian Weekly said. According to reports, the flames woke Pastor Gilbert Léonian and his wife, who live in the first floor of the building. Though no injuries reported in the incident, Léonian said that the two were shocked to wake up to the fire. The church’s entrance also sustained substantial damage as a result. According to reports, a trash bin in front of the church was deliberately set on fire. Firefighters arrived on scene on time to stop the spread of the fire to the rest of the building. Eight days earlier, stones were thrown against the facade of the church causing some damage. Léonian became the pastor of the church 18 months ago and leads the congregation of about 30 people. The Mayor of Alfortville Luc Carvounas was quick to condemn the attack and expressed his solidarity with the church’s congregation and leadership. Top stories Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. Freedom House concerned by mounting reports of police violence in Armenia Freedom House urged Armenian authorities to investigate this pattern of excessive force and inhumane treatment. CSTO recognizes Armenia’s sovereign right to withdraw Tasmagambetov has said that if Armenia decides to leave the organization, “it will be the sovereign right of Armenia.” |