Author: Boshkezenian Garik

Photo: ANU

 

The Australian National University has called on the public to help scour through images of the southern sky taken by the ANU SkyMapper telescope at Siding Spring to assist in the search for a new planet in our solar system, the so-called Planet 9, reports.

ANU astrophysicist Dr Tucker is leading the project. He said astronomers had long discussed the likelihood of a ninth planet on the outer edges of the solar system, but nothing had been found yet.

“We have the potential to find a new planet in our solar system that no human has ever seen in our two-million-year history,” he said.

Planet 9 is predicted to be a super Earth, about four times the size and 10 times the mass of our planet. It is also though to be cold and far away, about 800 times the distance between Earth and the sun.

Manchester United will play games in the United States of America this summer for Tour 2017, presented by Aon, the club’s official website informs.

Jose Mourinho’s men will play five games in five cities, including matches in Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Santa Clara and Washington DC.

In the previous two visits to the USA, the club has welcomed more than half a million supporters to games across the States, in a country where United has over eight million followers.

The two-week tour forms part of the club’s preparations for the 2017/18 Premier League campaign, with further details regarding Tour 2017, including opposition teams, venues and ticket details, to be announced in the coming days.

United first visited America in 1950 as part of a close-season tour, playing against local clubs. The long-standing relationship with the USA has seen the club make a further 14 visits to the country facing American and Mexican sides as well as a host of clubs from across Europe.

Speaking of the summer plans, United’s executive vice-chairman, Ed Woodward, said: “Visiting North America will give the team the best possible preparation for the new season, using top-class training facilities and playing in some great stadiums.

“We have witnessed first-hand the passion and support for the club in the US in recent years, so naturally it is something that everybody is very much looking forward to this summer.”

Aon is the presenting partner of Manchester United’s Tour 2017, offering its expertise in risk management, insurance, reinsurance brokerage and human resources solutions.

President and chief executive officer of Aon, Greg Case, said: “We are pleased to partner with Manchester United as the club makes its return to the United States for Tour 2017. In the US, and around the world, we work with organisations to empower results by reducing volatility and finding opportunities to improve performance. Like Manchester United, we believe that success requires a compelling strategy, strong execution and above all, leadership. We look forward to supporting the club on their journey to greatness.”

Photo: Reuters

 

Military action against North Korea is “an option on the table”, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said during a visit to South Korea, the BBC reports.

The policy of “strategic patience” had ended, he said, and the US was exploring a new range of diplomatic, security and economic measures.

He also defended the deployment of a US missile defence system in South Korea – a move that has angered Beijing.

Seoul and Washington say the system is needed to defend against North Korea.

Mr Tillerson spoke shortly after visiting the demilitarised zone which divides the two Koreas.

He arrived in South Korea from Japan, where he said that 20 years of efforts aimed at persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions had failed.

The Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Russia will discuss a wide range of issues of bilateral cooperation, as well as regional and international politics on February 22, Press Service of the Russian Foreign Ministry has said, noting that “Armenia and Russia share a common stance on a number of issues on international and regional agenda.”

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian will visit Moscow from February 20-22. “The visit will be the logical continuation of the rich Russian-Armenian dialogue targeted at the further development of close cooperation in political, economic and humanitarian fields,” the Ministry said.

Armenia and Russia will mark the 25^th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations on March 3.

“1.5 mln +1” Armenian. Today  marks the 10th anniversary of the murder of Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink. Dink was shot dead by a young Turkish ultranationalist outside the office of the Agos newspaper, where he was editor-in-chief.

Hrant Dink, who was respected inside and outside Turkey, was emphasizing the importance of Turkey’s democratization, freedom of speech in the country, protection of human and minority rights. He was a strong believer that the Armenian community would once be able to live in Turkey freely and without any pressure. Today the staff of the “Agos” newspaper he established strives to accomplish the work Dink left unfinished.

Looking back at the changes that have taken place in Turkey over the past 10 years, Agos editor-in-chief Yetvart Danzikyan says Turkey has maintained its policy with some quasi changes. The Armenian Cause remains a painful issue in Turkey. A vivid evidence is the suspension of MP Garo Paylan from Parliament for his “genocide” comments.

“Six or seven years after Dink’s assassination, the Turkish society was speaking more about the Armenian Cause. Today we keep trying to move along the path we have chosen, but the Turkish policy has changed, the word ‘genocide’ has started to trouble them,” Yetvart Danzikyan said in an interview with Public Radio of Armenia.

The editor ensures that despite the obstacles and difficulties, they’re trying to build upon Dink’slegacy and raise awareness about the Armenian Cause. “Agos” is committed to its path and is still considered the microphone of Istanbul Armenians. Unfortunately, Hrant paid with his life for this,” he said.

Yetvart Danzikyan does not see perspectives for any melting in the Armenian-Turkish relations, as “little brother Azerbaijan” plays a role here.

Although his assassin, just 17 at the time, was rapidly arrested and sentenced, the trial into the killing still grinds on with Dink’s supporters losing confidence on its ability to shed light on the plot.

“The disclosure of Hrant Dink’s murder will be a confession on the part of the Turkish authorities,” expert of regional studies Sargis Hatspanyan said.

“The trial is in process, but the past ten years have shown that Turkey has no desire to solve the crime,” he said.

Photo: Reuters

 

Tens of thousands of Iranians have turned out in the capital Tehran for the funeral of former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the BBC reports.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will perform prayers at the ceremony, which is being held at Tehran University.

Mr Rafsanjani, president from 1989 to 1997, died of a heart attack on Sunday at the age of 82.

Three days of official mourning began on Monday.

The former president will be buried next to Iranian revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini.

Armenian Parliament’s Vice-Speaker Edward Sharmazanov is also attending the funeral.

The Greater Worcester Armenian Chorale will present a special concert Jan. 8 in celebration of Armenian Christmas (which falls on Jan. 6), reports.

The program features traditional Christmas music in Armenian and English.

Mezzo-soprano Gohar Manjelikian is guest soloist. Born in Armenia and now living in Cranston, Rhode “How Great Thou Art,” an arrangement of sacred Armenian songs, is her first CD.

The concert will take place on January 8 at Soorp Asdvadzadzin Armenian Apostolic Church.

Armenia and EU have achieved progress in the six rounds of negotiations on a new framework agreement, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalabndian told a press conference after the 8^th informal meeting of the informal meeting of the European Partnership Foreign Ministers.

The Minister informed that the next round of talks is set to be held in December and added that the talks will be completed after 2-3 rounds.

“Both Armenia and the European Union want the new framework agreement to fully express the new quality, depth and volume of relations we have,” Minister Nalbandian said.

Minister Nalbandian said the implementation of the provisions of the Riga Declaration has been in the spotlight over the past two years.

“We have held six rounds of talks on a new framework agreement and have registered progress. We have joined a number of programs, such as the COSME program of SME development, the Horizon 2020 research and innovation program. We have kicked off the process of joining the Creative Europe program, which will provide an opportunity to expand the framework of cultural exchange. In the near future we expect to start negotiations towards joining the European Common Aviation Area. We also hope to start the dialogue on visa liberalization soon,” Minister Nalbandian said.

All EEC economies are expected to generate positive growth in 2017, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development said in a report on the Regional Economic Prospects in EBRD Countries of Operations in November 2016.

The EBRD leaves the growth forecast for Armenia unchanged at 2.0 per cent in 2016 and 2.0 per cent in 2017.

“Armenia’s economy made a good start in 2016 but growth slowed in the second quarter; GDP growth decelerated from 4.5 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter to 1.5 per cent year-on-year in the second quarter of the year. In the first half of 2016, growth in exports and government consumption was offset, in part, by contraction in gross fixed capital formation and household consumption. Deflation in the first eight months of 2016 reflected weak domestic demand and low import prices. Armenia’s economy remained exposed to spill-overs from the recession in Russia. In the first half of 2016, net FDI inflow was low and remittances declined, albeit at a lower rate than in 2015. The current account deficit remained contained in the first half of 2016 after sizable adjustment in 2015 which was driven by a reduction in imports. In the first nine months of 2016, the dram was mostly stable vis-à-vis the US dollar,” the report reads.

“International reserves provided approximately five months of import coverage as of September 2016. Tax and customs revenues were affected by deflation and by decreased nominal value of import flows. The fiscal deficit is expected to widen in 2016 on the account of revenue shortfall, followed by fiscal consolidation in 2017. In response to slowing growth, negative inflation and a stabilizing exchange rate, the Central Bank of Armenia gradually lowered refinancing rate from 10.50 per cent in August 2015 to 6.75 per cent in September 2016. In the first seven months of 2016, commercial bank lending remained mostly flat in the context of weak domestic demand and continued consolidation in the banking sector. The conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region presents a risk to the growth outlook. Our growth forecast for Armenia is unchanged at 2.0 per cent in 2016 and 2.0 per cent in 2017,” the EBRD said.

On 31 October Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan received minister of education and science of the Republic of Armenia Levon Mkrtchyan.

Issues related to the cooperation of the two Armenian states in the sphere of education and science were on the discussion agenda.

President Sahakyan noted that such cooperation with the Republic of Armenia contributes greatly to the development of education and science sphere in Artsakh and efficient solution of various issues existing in the field.