The latest edition of Charlie Hebdo is out (LIVE BLOG)

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Air France gives passengers copies of Charlie Hebdo

Heightened security at Liberation newspaper in Paris

GlobalPost senior correspondent Corinne Purtill reports:

Newspapers across Paris have posted additional security this week in the wake of last week's attacks on the Charlie Hebdo staff. That's especially true at Liberation, a daily newspaper that has been sharing office space with the surviving Charlie Hebdo employees since the shooting.

 

Offices of Liberation newspaper – now housing surviving #CharlieHebdo staff – under armed guard. The sign reads "The crime of blasphemy was abolished in 1789!" #globalpost

A photo posted by Corinne Purtill (@corinnepurtill) on Jan 14, 2015 at 4:43am PST

The paper is no stranger to violence either. Left-wing Liberation — Libé as it's known colloquially here — has received threats for its coverage in the past, and its Paris office was attacked by a gunman in November 2013. 

On Wednesday, armed police officers stood guard outside its office on the Rue Beranger in Paris's 11th arrondissement. News trucks lined the sidewalk opposite the building, which was surrounded by tributes left by well-wishers. The increased security in the neighborhood made some locals nervous.

Angela da Silva, an American expat who has lived in Paris for 21 years, was among a group of concerned parents who visited the local city offices that morning to ask for an armed guard at their children's school, which is just a few doors down from Libé. 

The police will leave Libé eventually, da Silva said, but the threat will remain.

The attack, she says, has changed everything. Since last Wednesday, she has wondered if it's worth moving her family from Paris. 

"I don't know if it's because I'm a parent now, but this is the first time I feel fear," da Silva said. "It won't be the same anymore. I don't think Paris will have the same tranquility."

Meanwhile, in Russia…

GlobalPost senior correspondent Dan Peleschuk sends in this update from Kyiv, Ukraine:

Oddly enough, the effects of the new Charlie Hebdo issue have reverberated even across Russia's vast Eurasian landmass. The country's communications watchdog reportedly threatened criminal charges on Wednesday against publications that run Charlie Hebdo cartoons.

Editors at the Russian news outlet Perm News, in central Russia, said the organization received a phone call from the local branch of the federal watchdog, Roskomnadzor, warning them against what they said would amount to "extremism."

It's a notorious charge that in recent years has become synonymous with official campaigns against the political opposition.

"On the question of freedom of speech, the Roskomnadzor official on the other end, who by the way did not introduce himself, answered very evasively," the outlet said in a post.

Meanwhile, officials in the far eastern region of Kamchatka also reportedly made their rounds reminding local editors that any cartoons depicting religious figures were "unacceptable," according to RBC Daily. 

And yes, in both cases, even hyperlinks to other sources that show the cartoons would be considered a violation.

French newspapers feature Charlie Hebdo cover

The site Kiosko.net shows the front pages of major newspapers around the world, including those in France. Some French papers like Le Monde and Libération have published versions of the front cover of the new issue of Charlie Hebdo.

The issue sold out rapidly when it hit newsstands this morning.

"It is a record for any French newspaper, with versions being printed in Spanish, Arabic, Italian, Turkish and English for the first time," France 24 reports.

Mexican media outlets choose to publish the Charlie Hebdo cover

GlobalPost's senior correspondent in Mexico Ioan Grillo weighs in:

Mexico's media had no qualms about republishing images of the Charlie Hebdo front cover on Wednesday. The nation's best selling news magazine Proceso posted images of the cover, showing the drawing of Prophet Muhammad on its website. The popular website of Mexican newspaper El Universal also put photos and videos showing the image.

Mexico has a small Muslim community — less than 1 percent of its population. The country is majority Catholic but secular by law. But the country is no stranger to attacks on press freedom. In Mexico, 97 journalists and other workers for media outlets have been killed since 2010, according to the National Human Rights Commission. 

Following the Charlie Hebdo attack last week, Mexican cartoonists on Saturday released a solidarity video:

Not funny in France

Last year, GlobalPost's Paul Ames wrote about the French comedian Dieudonné M'bala M'bala who was arrested today:

"M'bala M'bala's Holocaust "humor" has forced its way to the top of the French political agenda as government efforts to ban his performances are triggering an impassioned debate about the limits of free speech," Ames wrote. "The comedian’s popularity, particularly among disaffected big-city youth, is provoking wider concerns about anti-Semitism in some parts of French society."

French comedian's arrest for attacks comment sparks free speech debate

Agence France-Presse's Marianne Barriaux reports:

Notorious French comedian Dieudonné M’bala M’bala was arrested Wednesday for condoning terrorism over a comment suggesting he sympathized with one of the Paris attacks gunmen, in a move that sparked a debate about free speech.

Prosecutors had opened the case against the comedian on Monday after he posted on his Facebook page "Tonight, as far as I'm concerned, I feel like Charlie Coulibaly" — mixing the popular slogan "Je suis Charlie" used in homage to the slain Charlie Hebdo magazine journalists with a reference to Islamist gunman Amedy Coulibaly.

Coulibaly killed four Jews at a supermarket on Friday and a policewoman the day before. Dieudonne's arrest is one of 54 cases that have been opened in France for "condoning terrorism" or "making threats to carry out terrorist acts" since last week's Islamist shootings that left 17 people dead.

His lawyer David de Stefano said his arrest was "shocking."

"We are in the land of freedom of expression? This morning, the government provided the demonstration of that," he said sarcastically. Dieudonne is a controversial figure who has made headlines in the past, most notably with his trademark "quenelle" hand gesture that looks like an inverted Nazi salute, but that he insists is merely anti-establishment.

Last year, French footballer Nicolas Anelka was banned for five matches by English football authorities for using the hand gesture during a match. Branded a "pedlar of hate" by the government, Dieudonne has also attracted controversy over sketches widely viewed as anti-Semitic that have occasionally prompted local authorities to ban his shows.

Nevertheless, the polemicist's arrest over his Facebook post has sparked huge debate over where freedom of expression starts and ends, particularly after France has for days vaunted the importance of free speech following killings that took aim at journalists among others.

Turkish police raid printing plant

NBC News is reporting that Turkish authorities "raided the printing plant of a Turkish newspaper producing excerpts of the special edition of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo."

Read more here.

Angry reactions to the front cover of the new issue

Watch the video report on France 24:

#FreedomOfSpeech: What that means in the US, Britain and France

"Americans know something about their First Amendment," GlobalPost's Corinne Purtill writes. "International law also protects freedom of expression and opinion — it's in the second sentence of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. In practice, it varies considerably by country, even within Europe."

Here's a brief explainer on the different legal interpretations of free speech in the three countries.

Copies of Charlie Hebdo in the US

TIME Magazine has details on the distribution of the magazine in the US:

LMPI, a distributor of foreign magazines and newspapers in the U.S. and Canada, told TIME that Charlie Hebdo has been unavailable in the U.S. since 2010 due to low sales. But it will resume delivery specifically for this week’s issue.

Charlie Hebdo issue in high demand

Mashable UK's deputy editor Tim Chester shared this Vine of Charlie Hebdo magazines selling like hotcakes:

AQAP claims responsibility for deadly assault

In a video posted on YouTube, Al Qaeda in Yemen or AQAP said it was behind last week's fatal attack on the Charlie Hebdo offices.

"As for the blessed Battle of Paris, we … claim responsibility for this operation as vengeance for the Messenger of God," Nasser bin Ali al-Ansi, a leader of the Yemeni branch of Al Qaeda (AQAP), was quoted as saying by Reuters.

For background on the militant group, take a look at this explainer published by the Council on Foreign Relations. From the piece:

The militant Islamist group al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) was formed in January 2009 through a union of the Saudi and Yemeni branches of al-Qaeda. Jihadist antecedents in the region date to the early 1990s, when thousands of mujahedeen returned to Yemen after fighting the Soviet occupation in Afghanistan. Analysts rate the Yemen-based group as the most lethal Qaeda franchise, carrying out a domestic insurgency while maintaining its sights on striking Western targets. 

What will supporters think of Charlie Hebdo once they actually read it?

GlobalPost contributor Marie Doezema reports:

A paper with a relatively small circulation and funding problems just a week ago, Charlie Hebdo now finds itself with broad support across France and the globe. Tragedy has catapulted the struggling, outspoken paper to become a global symbol of free expression and resistance in the face of terror.

Some observers have described it as “sacralized” by those who've jumped to support a publication they hardly know, while others marvel at the previously unimagined “mainstream” support it has received. Founded in 1970, Charlie Hebdo came on the heels of another irreverent weekly, Hara Kiri, which was banned after satirizing the death of former President Charles de Gaulle. From the beginning, the approach at Charlie Hebdo was sharp and met with varying success, with readership and funding oscillating significantly over the decades.

In 1981, the newspaper shut down and remained closed until 1992. Its weekly circulation up to last week was about a sixth of what mainstream newspaper Le Monde puts out every day.

But many of those who have “become Charlie” — the #JeSuisCharlie hashtag has been used millions of times in the last week — aren't actually readers of the publication. Abroad, few had even heard of the provocative newspaper, one of the few publications that dared to reprint controversial Muhammad cartoons after they were published by a Danish newspaper in 2006.

Continue reading here.

Snapshots of newsstands and tributes

GlobalPost's Corinne Purtill is covering the release of the latest Charlie Hebdo edition in Paris, France — follow Purtill on Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates. 

 

Zaher Alkurst,33, had a line of 400 ppl at 5:30 am this morning looking to buy today's #CharlieHebdo. He typically sells a single issue per week; placed an order today for another 2k copies. #globalpost

A photo posted by Corinne Purtill (@corinnepurtill) on Jan 14, 2015 at 3:39am PST

 

"No Charlie Hebdo – wiped out." Paris newsstands inundated with people asking for copy of first post-attack issue. #globalpost

Une photo publiée par Corinne Purtill (@corinnepurtill) le Janv. 14, 2015 at 3:45 PST

 

Place de la Republique, Paris #globalpost

Une photo publiée par Corinne Purtill (@corinnepurtill) le Janv. 14, 2015 at 4:26 PST

 

Floral tributes outside 10 Rue Nicolas Appert, #CharlieHebdo offices

Une photo publiée par Corinne Purtill (@corinnepurtill) le Janv. 14, 2015 at 1:17 PST

New Charlie Hebdo issue sold out across France

Agence France-Presse — The new Charlie Hebdo issue has sold out across France just hours after it hit newsstands, the UNDP union representing news vendors throughout the country said Wednesday.

A total of 700,000 issues of the magazine, which was the victim of a deadly Islamist killing a week ago, were distributed early Wednesday but other copies of the magazine will be made available for sale throughout the week.