Pope Francis wrapped up his trip to Armenia with an open-air liturgy and a visit to the Orthodox country’s closed border with Turkey amid new tensions with Ankara over his recognition of the 1915 “genocide”.

The German parliament has voted to label the killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks a century ago as genocide, prompting Turkey to recall its ambassador to Germany.

Safe havens for Christian and other minorities in the Middle East should be a foreign policy priority for the EU and Ireland, writes Rónán Mullen

Syria is in a state of collapse. Millions of people are being displaced and refugees are fleeing overseas to often cold welcomes overseas.

Two decades after the massacre at Srebrenica, Gwynne Dyer reports on how Serbia and its people, with some exceptions, refuse to accept it was an act of genocide

I agree with Mr Edward Horgan’s letter regarding the Armenian Genocide (Irish Examiner, April 28) in which he writes: “The failure to acknowledge genocide ensures other evil states and dictators will be encouraged to commit similar crimes knowing the Armenian genocide was such a dreadful “success” ... Hitler learned these lessons and went on to commit the Holocaust against the Jewish people.”

Pope Francis yesterday honoured the 100th anniversary of the slaughter of Armenians by calling it “the first genocide of the 20th century” and urging the international community to recognise it as such, a politically explosive declaration that angered Turkey.

This week, the Holocaust is remembered worldwide. 

This year marks the centenary of the Armenian genocide that cost the lives of up to a million people. What makes this genocide so important is that because it was so “successful” from an Ottoman Turk point of view, it became a blueprint for genocide.

2015 is the centenary of the Armenian genocide that cost the lives of up to a millions Armenian men, women and children.

Sherlock star Yasmine Akram is set to play another femme fatale in a new comedy sitcom.

A EUROPE badly shaken by a faltering economy and rising populism is set to commemorate the centenary of the First Word War, the conflict still known as the “Great War” that scarred the continent and shaped the 20th century.

There are certain sayings that should be banned from the language.

From the island of saints and scholars to this: Ireland now ranks as one of the world’s least religious countries.

Liam Mackey reflects on the memorable moments, on and off the pitch, from Ireland’s Euro 2012 qualifying campaign

FRENCH lawmakers have easily passed a measure to make it a crime to deny that the mass killings of Armenians in 1915 by Ottoman Turks amounted to genocide.

FRENCH lawmakers have easily passed a measure to make it a crime to deny that the mass killings of Armenians in 1915 by Ottoman Turks amounted to genocide.

Turkey has retaliated against France after MPs there passed a bill to make it a crime to deny the mass killings of Armenians in 1915 by Ottoman Turks amounted to genocide.

French MPs have passed a measure that would make it a crime in France to deny that the mass killings of Armenians in 1915 amounted to a genocide.

WITH all eyes now focused on the European Championship finals next summer, there’s a reminder today that there are further big tests in store for Giovanni Trapattoni and his players come the autumn.

ALTHOUGH Giovanni Trapattoni insists he has no particular preference about who Ireland get in today’s European Championship play-off draw, he observed yesterday that Estonia tend more towards the physical than the creative — and teams high on creativity are the ones which cause him most concern.

THE drama moves from the pitch to a podium in Krakow today with all eyes on the play-off draw for next summer’s European championships.

ROBBIE KEANE has rated his chances of featuring in next month’s European Championship play-offs as “touch and go”.

HAVING had so little luck on the pitch last night, the Armenian manager Vardan Minasyan surprisingly had even less to say off it.

LET there be no more talk of Paris.

IT wasn’t pretty, of course it wasn’t. But it was effective. Just about.

Republic of Ireland 2 Armenia 1

Republic of Ireland 1 Armenia 0

Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni has urged his players to keep their composure for tonight's final Euro 2012 qualifier.

TONIGHT won’t come for Robbie Keane, the man who reportedly got up and sang Garth Brooks’ Tomorrow Never Comes, not to mention, Mustang Sally, with the house band in a pub in Malahide on Sunday night.

AS it was in the beginning is by no means necessarily how it’s going to be in the end.

FROM Andorra to Armenia might be a short step alphabetically but there will be a world of difference in the challenge facing Ireland at the Aviva Stadium tomorrow evening, after Friday’s night’s Group B results effectively turned this final qualifying game into a play-off for the play-offs.

Robbie Keane was today undergoing a scan just three days before the Republic of Ireland’s decisive Euro 2012 qualifier against Armenia.

RUSSIA’S victory against Slovakia last night makes Ireland’s mission on Tuesday against Armenia a simple one: Don’t lose.

SO, Ireland face a play-off in order to get to a play-off. But at the least, unlike Paris, Giovanni Trapattoni’s side only need a draw against Armenia on Tuesday to jump this particular hurdle.

Andorra 0 Republic of Ireland 2

Giovanni Trapattoni was happy to settle for a 1-0 victory in Armenia as the Republic of Ireland survived a test of their Euro 2012 credentials.

It was gut-wrenchingly tense at times but, thanks to a goal on his competitive debut by substitute Keith Fahey, Ireland came away from a hot and heavy night in Yerevan with a vital win in their opening Group B European Championship qualifier.

SO farewell then Yerevan, and apologies to sensitive newspaper readers and television viewers at home who might have been exposed to disturbing glimpses of the milky white thighs of the travelling Irish press corps over the past 48 hours.

Republic of Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni has warned his side’s Euro 2012 qualifying rivals they face the sternest of tests in Armenia.

Giovanni Trapattoni is refusing to throw caution to the wind as he attempts to launch the Republic of Ireland’s Euro 2012 qualifying campaign with victory in Armenia.