Month: November 2016

The film “Earthquake” based on the real events surrounding the disastrous earthquake which struck Armenia in 1988, has been submitted for 2016 Golden Globe Awards.

The terrible earthquake claimed at least 25,000 lives and left about half a million people homeless.

For director Sarik Andreasyan it was a very special project, in which he wanted, after almost 30 years, to tell the story not only of death and destruction but also to show the hope and community spirit in the face of the nightmare, according to the .

The story is built around a Russian family living in the Armenian city of Leninankan. Anna Berezhnaya (Maria Mironova) with her son Vanya (Daniil Izotov) and daughter Katya (Anastasia Savkina) awaits the return from prison of her husband (Konstantin Lavronenko) who eight years prior was sentenced to prison for the death of two people in a car accident.

Konstantin Lavronenko says that he immediately accepted the invitation for the role: “I knew right away when I heard the suggestion that this is not an easy film, and immediately agreed to participate. I do not want to repeat the lofty words about the tragedy and memory, but thanks to this movie, we can live and feel the terrible events, and then to feel how beautiful and fleeting life is, how important it is to appreciate each other. It is necessary to empathize with the pain of our loved ones – because, unfortunately, we are starting to get used to the deaths of thousands of people.”

The director Sarik Andreasyan and producer Ruben Dishdishyan recall how the original script underwent a lot of changes, despite the fact that they liked it very much. They decided to make the story more understandable to people not privy to the events of 1988. The script added some Russian and French characters, to show the role of other countries in the assistance to the victims.

“The tragedy that united the world” – is the slogan of the film. Part of the filming took place in the Armenian city of Gyumri, former Leninakan – one of the four cities most affected by the earthquake. Some locations there still look the same as they looked after the quake in 1988.

The Spanish website  has listed Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev among the 48 dictators of the world.

“In 1993, the democratically-elected President Abulfaz Elchibey was overthrown by a military insurrection led by Colonel Surat Huseynov, which resulted in the arrival of Heydar Aliyev,” the website writes.

In 2003, Ilham Aliyev succeeded his father as president and his government has been charged with maintaining many of the policies of his predecessor, as well as seeking greater openness to the West and turning Azerbaijan into an industrialized nation.

According to the publication, to date the country has not fulfilled its commitments. “Although its constitution allows conscientious objectors to opt for alternative civilian service, the Government has not yet adopted a law to establish this alternative to military service. Conscientious objectors are currently being pursued, and there are reports of prolonged illegal detentions in military barracks.”

The leaders of Belarus, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan are also included in the list.

Minister of Culture Armen Amiryan briefed President Serzh Sargsyan on the priority directions of the Ministry’s activity –popularization of the Armenian culture in Armenia and abroad, new initiatives aimed at intensification of the cultural life outside capital Yerevan.

Minister Amiryan presented the issues raised during his meetings with culture workers.

Armen Amiryan offered to create a pan-Armenian symphony orchestra that will bring together talented Armenians from different sides of the world. He said the first concert is expected on April 24, 2017, after which the orchestra will perform in different cities of the world.

The President welcomed the idea, underling that it goes in line with his vision of Armenia-Diaspora cooperation and can well serve an example for cooperation in other spheres, as well.

Armenian Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan attended a reception at the Armenian Embassy in Russia on November 28.

Representatives of the Russian legislative and executive authorities, outstanding political analysts and experts, heads of Armenian community organizations, public and political figures who have contributed to the deepening of Armenian-Russian relations were present at the reception.

The Armenian Defense Minister briefed the attendees on the ongoing reforms in the Armed Forces, the new cooperation programs with different Diaspora organizations within the framework of the Army-society ties.

During the meeting the participants exchanged views on the reinforcement of the Armenian-Russian strategic partnership, the deepening of friendly relations between the two countries, as well as the need for steps stemming from the regional developments.

US President-elect Donald Trump has named Obamacare critic Tom Price as his choice for health secretary, the BBC reports.

The Georgia congressman and orthopaedic surgeon, 62, chairs the budget committee in the House of Representatives.

He would play a central role in Republican plans to replace the Affordable Healthcare Act.

In his campaign, Mr Trump vowed to repeal and replace the act, considered President Obama’s flagship measure.

However, he has since said he favours keeping certain provisions.

French Ambassador to Armenia Jean-Francois Charpentier has welcomed the decision to hold the next summit of the International Organization of the Francopnonie in Armenia.

“The 16^th summit of the Francophonie in Antananarivo unanimously decided to hold the next summit of the heads of the member states of the International Organization of the Francophonie in Armenia in 2018.

I warmly congratulate Armenia for this decision and for the commitment to the values and ideas cherished by the Francophonie,” the Ambassador said in a statement.

“I’m confident it will serve as yet another opportunity to boost the role of the French language in Armenia,” Amb. Charpentier said.

Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan received today Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Georgia to the Republic of Armenia Giorgi Saganelidze.

Pleased with the current level of political dialogue between Armenia and Georgia, the Prime Minister said more vigorous efforts are needed to overhaul economic cooperation and tap the existing potential.

Giorgi Saganelidze stressed that the Armenian-Georgian relations are based on centuries-old friendship between the two peoples, and Georgia is interested in developing mutually beneficial cooperation with our country.

During the meeting, the interlocutors discussed a broad range of issues high on bilateral cooperation agenda. In particular, they exchanged views on the joint projects and future plans in energy, logistics, transportation and other areas.

A piece of music handwritten by Gustav Mahler has broken the record for the highest price for a musical manuscript sold at auction, the BBC reports.

The composer’s Second Symphony, which spans 232 pages, fetched £4.5m at Sotheby’s on Tuesday morning.

But a controversial manuscript which the auction house said was handwritten by Beethoven failed to sell.

The authenticity of the manuscript for the composer’s 1817 piece, Allegretto in B minor, had been questioned.

Sotheby’s had stood by the manuscript’s authenticity and expected it to fetch up to £200,000.

But ahead of the auction, Prof Barry Cooper, a musicologist and Beethoven scholar, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme there were inconsistencies within the piece.

Photo: AFP    

Francois Fillon is to be the conservative candidate in next year’s French presidential election after his rival Alain Juppe admitted defeat, the BBC reports.

With virtually all the results counted, Mr Fillon won Sunday’s run-off with nearly 67% of the vote.

Mr Fillon promised to build a fairer society, saying France wants “truth and it wants action”.

He is likely to face a Socialist candidate and the far-right’s Marine Le Pen in next April’s election.

Mr Juppe, the more moderate candidate, congratulated Mr Fillon on his “large victory” and pledged to support him in his bid to become president.

PHOTO: AFP/GETTY IMAGES

 

Thousands of civilians have left rebel-held eastern Aleppo districts, as the Syrian army continues its offensive to take full control over the city, the BBC reports.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said as many as 10,000 residents fled to government-controlled western areas and a Kurdish-run northern district.

Syrian state media put the number at more than 1,500, while Russia said that 2,500 civilians had left.