Month: September 2015

“Along with aggravating the situation on the line of contact and making repeated attempts of reconnaissance and sabotage, as well as continuously shooting with large caliber mortars and artillery, Azerbaijani authorities have launched a hysterical campaign against the ongoing democratic processes in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic,” NKR Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

“On August 31, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning the forthcoming September 13 elections to local self-government in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. This statement contains the traditional set of baseless accusations against the NKR and Armenia is actively disseminated in international organizations and structures. In its turn, the state-controlled Azerbaijani media have started a race in their attempts of attaining similar accusations from the representatives of various countries and international organizations,” the Ministry said.

“Condemnation of the municipal elections in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic by Azerbaijan is a manifestation of panic phobia of Azerbaijani leadership towards the democratic processes taking place in the NKR. This is especially evident against the background of the deteriorating situation with human rights and freedom of speech in Azerbaijan, where elections are an open ended process of inheritance, human rights activists and journalists are persecuted for dissent, and the population deprived of the opportunity to fully realize their fundamental rights and freedoms. Bringing to the end any illusion of democracy in its country, the leadership of Azerbaijan does not fall short of attempts to impose its own “standards” of human rights throughout the international community including its neighboring countries,” the statement reads.

The Ministry notes that in line with its commitment to democratic values and principles, the organization of public life and the formation of the NKR authorities are carried out solely by means of free, fair, transparent and competitive elections, which have become an integral part of the political culture of the NKR.

Forthcoming September 13 elections are the sixth elections to the local government in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. The first municipal elections, including the elections of the mayor of Stepanakert, were held on September 27, 1998.

Implementation of the local self-government in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, safeguarding the citizens to participate directly in the conduct of public affairs is regulated by the Constitution of the NKR in full compliance with international law and, particularly, the European Charter of Local Self-Government.

“Attaching special importance to the institution of local self-government as a form of direct and representative governance by the people as well as the foundations of any democratic regime, the NKR authorities will spare no efforts to enhance its further development and strengthening,” the Ministry concluded.

Queen Elizabeth II becomes Britain’s longest-reigning monarch later when she passes the record set by her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria, teh BBC reports.

The Queen will have reigned for 63 years and seven months – calculated at 23,226 days, 16 hours and approximately 30 minutes at about 17:30 BST.

Prime Minister David Cameron will lead tributes in the House of Commons and there will be a River Thames salute.

Business in the Commons will be postponed for half an hour so MPs can pay tribute to the Queen.

Buckingham Palace has released an official photograph to mark the occasion, taken by Mary McCartney in the Queen’s private audience room.

This is where she holds weekly audiences with prime ministers of the day, and receives visiting heads of state and government.

La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra performed a concert in Rome dedicated to the 100^th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The orchestra was let by famous British conductor Daniel Harding.

The concert titled “For you, Armenia” was organized by the “Yerevan Perspectives” International Music Festival under the auspices of the State Commission Coordinating the Armenian Genocide Centennial Events and the Armenian Embassy in Italy.

In his opening remarks Armenian Ambassador to Italy Sargis Ghazaryan emphasized the role of music in uniting people around universal values. He noted that “there is no language more universal than music that can touch the human souls and tell them about a crime against humanity such as genocide.”

“The persecution of religious and ethnic minorities in the Middle East comes to prove that the issue of genocide is still urgent,” the Ambassador added.

Works by Aram Khachaturian, Beethoven and Dvorak were performed at the concert.

Attending the concert were Armenian Minister of Culture Hasmik Poghosyan, Italian culture and public figures, Ambassadors accredited to Italy, representatives of the Armenian community and journalists.

The headquarters of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish opposition party has been attacked. Windows were smashed at the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) building in Ankara, Euronews reports.

Nationalist anger towards Kurds has increased in response to a number of recent attacks on security forces and police officers by the outlawed Kurdish militant group PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party).

“Tonight alone, 186 attacks were carried out. And our headquarters were targeted. This is definitely a planned attack that was orchestrated from one particular place,” said HDP Deputy Chaiman Alp Alitinors. “The president and his staff at the palace are the ones behind these attacks.”

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused the HDP of links to the PKK, which is considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. Erdogan has suggested that the immunity from prosecution of its lawmakers be lifted.

The attack on the HDP’s building comes after 14 police officers were killed on Tuesday (September 8) by Kurdish militants in a bomb attack in the east of the country.

A consultation on constitutional amendments was held today at the Presidential Palace. For that purpose, President Serzh Sargsyan had a meeting with the representatives of the United Labor Party, Gurgen Arsenyan, Vigen Khachatryan, Hripsime Avetisyan, Valeri Nazaretyan, Artur Movsisyan and Vahe Manukyan.

Iran has agreed to open its airspace for Russian planes carrying humanitarian cargo for Syria, press secretary of the Russian Embassy in Iran Maxim Suslov told TASS on Wednesday.

On Monday, the Greek Foreign Ministry announced that it had received a US request to close its air space for the flights of Russian aircraft with humanitarian cargoes for Syria. Athens said that the Russian side chose the route to the east of Greece for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Syria.

On the same day, Bulgaria refused to provide an air corridor to Russia for these purposes. Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said earlier Moscow would continue to supply humanitarian aid to Syria on alternative routes.

Seventeen members of the Tovmasyan family, who fled Kobane to Turkey after the Islamic State attack earlier this year, have found refuge in Armenia with the assistance of the Ministry of Diaspora.

Hovsep Tovmasyan, 43, was killed by ISIS in front of his 13-year-old son. Other members of the family (families of four Tovmasyan brothers including 11 children) managed to escape and lived in a school building in Turkey’s Suruc region for three months.

The family moved to Armenia thanks to financing from Raffi Ardhaljian, a US-based adviser to the Minister of Diaspora.

The family has been provided housing in Yerevan’s Silikian district.

Armenia ranks 43rd among 96 countries in the developed and constructed by HelpAge International.

The aim of the Index is both to capture the multidimensional nature of the quality of life and wellbeing of older people, and to provide a means by which to measure performance and promote improvements.

The HelpAge International has chosen 13 different indicators for the four key domains of Income security, Health status, Capability, and Enabling environment.

The best 10 countries to grow old are Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, Iceland, Japan, United States, and United Kingdom. The worst countries are Mozambique, Malawi and Afghanistan.

Armenia’s neighbors Georgia and Turkey are ranked 29th and 75th respectively. Armenia’s partners in the Eurasian Economic union are placed as follows:  Russia – 65^th, Kyrgyzstan – 51^st, Belarus – 64^th.

Armenia ranks moderately on the Index, at 43 overall. It ranks highest in the capability domain (9). It also ranks high in the income security domain (32) with 100% pension income coverage. It ranks low in the enabling environment domain (73) with the lowest value in its region for the civic freedom indicator (42%). It ranks lowest in the health domain (74), with below average life expectancy at 60 compared to other countries in this region.

Facebook founder snagged the top spot on Vanity Fair’s latest – the 21st annual ranking of the most powerful people in business and media, NBC reports.

The list is broken up into two categories: “Disrupters,” which ranks 50 people who are shaping the way we interact, work, play and consume, and the “Powers That Be,” which includes 25 visionaries in business and entertainment who have used their influence to impact cultural change.

Zuckerberg is the youngest person to ever top the New Establishment list.

25-year-old Taylor Swift, who made headlines this summer for prompting policy change at Apple, leads the “Powers That Be” ranking. Rapper Kanye West and reality star Kim Kardashian are ranked 12^th in the list.

According to the Vanity Fair, “The West-Kardashian coupling represents a strong argument in favor of corporate synergy.” West gives Kardashian artistic legitimacy, and the reality star and spokesperson offers her acclaimed yet famously difficult rapper husband something bordering on broad appeal. Kardashian’s new book, Selfish, earned what seemed like genuine praise—at least in a Warholian way—from some book critics. West is currently recording his next album, under the working title Swish, which reportedly includes collaborations with Paul McCartney and Bruno Mars. It promises to be even more Spotify-friendly than his critically beloved Yeezus.

Kardashian and West also demonstrated a well-honed alacrity for entering new industries. Kardashian authorized her likeness to an app developer in a deal that could pay her up to $85 million. West, who is moving further into the fashion business, recently released his latest collaboration with Adidas, the Yeezy Boost 350, a limited edition that fetched up to $10,000 on eBay from eager sneakerheads.

Asbarez – Vista Players, the acclaimed theater ensemble that “set the standard by which others were judged” (Sacramento News & Review), will stage the world premiere of “Happy Armenians,” the latest work by Elly Award-winning playwright and director Aram Kouyoumdjian. “Happy Armenians” will open on October 2, 2015 at the NoHo Arts Center, where it will enjoy a 12-performance run over four weekends through October 25.

“Happy Armenians,” a dramedy, tells a “parallel world” version of history in which Armenia has become a global empire, upending the world order as we know it. Its king, however, has only 30 more days to live, and Levon, a blood relative, is the unexpected – and unwilling – heir to the throne, who must manage a war against Switzerland, the geopolitics of African and South American colonization of Europe, and his budding love for a brilliant scientist named Siran.

A humorous, imaginative, and poignant rumination on love, war, and the burdens of history, “Happy Armenians” boasts a stellar cast, led by Daniel Hubbard as Levon and featuring the talents of Heather Lynn Smith, Tavis L. Baker, Jade Hykush, and Mark Eric Howell.

Maro Parian is designing the production’s towering set and constructing its unique costumes. Henrik Mansourian is the show’s lighting designer and Armineh Hovanesian its stage manager. Ara Dabandjian is composing the play’s original music score.

Performances are on Friday and Saturday nights at 8:00 pm (except on Saturday, October 3, when the curtain rises at 7:00 pm), and on Sundays at 3:00 pm. Due to the intimate nature of the performances, no late seating will be allowed.

Kouyoumdjian is the winner of Elly Awards for playwriting (“The Farewells”) and directing (“Three Hotels”), and has been hailed for having “an adventurous artistic sensibility for intelligent productions” (Sacramento Bee). His directing credits include “Arcadia,” “Far Away,” “Marvin’s Room,” “The Play About the Baby,” and “Six Degrees of Separation.” His feature plays and solo pieces have been performed in half a dozen cities, from Los Angeles (Fountain Theatre) to London (Finborough Theatre). His most recent productions include “Ancient Gods” (Garni Theatre Ensemble at the NoHo Arts Center, 2014) and, earlier this year, the open-air, site-specific performance “i Go On” at DTLA’s Grand Park.

Vista Players is an award-winning theater ensemble devoted to staging contemporary plays of social relevance. It was founded in Northern California, where its premier outing was “Six Degrees of Separation.” Over the course of six seasons, the “acclaimed” troupe (Sacramento Bee) staged esteemed productions of nine plays by such leading playwrights as Tom Stoppard, Caryl Churchill, and Edward Albee. Vista Players is now L.A.-based, and “Happy Armenians” marks its relaunch in Southern California.