Author: David Nargizian

Chess: PRO Chess League Semifinals: Saint Louis Arch Bishops vs. Armenia Eagles

David Nargizian
Chess.com
 
 
PRO Chess League Semifinals: Saint Louis Arch Bishops vs. Armenia Eagles
 
PROChessLeague
Updated: Apr 30, 2019, 7:18 AM|
 
With the PRO Chess League semifinals and finals just days away, the margin for error is slim and some key factors will determine who goes home and who will stand at the podium as the 2019 PCL champions.
 
The PRO Chess League regular season produced some dramatic storylines that saw teams rise and fall over the course of a few wild final weeks. Chess.com takes a look at three important aspects of the second semifinal match: the Saint Louis Arch Bishops vs. the Armenia Eagles.
 
The matches will be played live at the Folsom Street Foundry in San Francisco on May 4 starting at 10 a.m. PDT., and will be streamed live on www.Twitch.tv/Chess and www.Chess.com/TV.
 
The Fabiano Factor:
 
Fabiano Caruana will hope that his pedigree helps lead his team over the defending champion Armenia Eagles.
 
Last season, the Eagles beat the Arch Bishops in the semifinals but there was one key difference: Fabiano Caruana was not on the Arch Bishops team. This season, the Arch Bishops have the world number-two in their lineup and will need a big performance from him to advance to the fFinals.
 
Caruana comes into the match in fine form, currently sporting his peak Chess.com blitz rating of 3025. Despite being known for his brilliant tactics and methodical opening preparation, Fabiano has clearly been working on his game in faster time controls and has now gained over 100 Chess.com rating points in the last year.
 
In case of a tie, the Eagles will have to get through Fabiano in order to win the match. In the live finals, the PRO Chess League uses an elimination-style format as tiebreaker, which means a team must defeat every player on the other team in order to win.
 
The Eagles, rapid and blitz specialists:
 
Zaven Andriasian (right) will have all eyes on him as he demonstrates why he’s board one for the defending champions
 
Zaven Andriasian won the title for the Eagles by defeating Wang Yue in a thrilling blitz match in 2018, despite being rated almost 100 points lower. The Eagles are all known for being excellent in faster time controls and this is a main contributor to their success in the PRO Chess League. The Eagles are all remarkably strong at blitz, with Andriasian, Martirosyan and Shant Sargsyan all rated in the top 50 of the Chess.com blitz leaderboard, and they’ll feel confident that they can even beat Caruana if it goes to a tiebreaker.
 
Shant Sargsyan vs Bok and Theodoreau:
 
Will Benjamin Bok overcome the pressure as he attempts to take points off a red-hot Armenia Eagles team?
 
Shant has been tearing it up this season with a performance rating in the 2600s. While he counts as only 2470 towards the team’s rating, his current FIDE is above 2500 and it’s clear that this 16-year old is a rapidly-improving young talent. If the Arch Bishops’ middle boards can subdue him, then it’s easy to see Saint Louis winning the match. However, if he continues his torrid streak against strong players and manages to go 1.5-0.5 or 2-0 against the Arch Bishops’ Bok and Theodorou, the Eagles should be in prime position for victory.
 
The PRO Chess League semifinals and finals weekend kicks off May 4 at the Folsom Street Foundry and tickets are selling fast. Tickets can be purchased at The Ticket Fairy for just $25 plus fees for the entire weekend. Each ticket purchased also comes with a limited edition 2019 PRO Chess League finals t-shirt.
 
For more information about the PRO Chess League, visit www.prochessleague.com.
 
You can also catch all the action live at www.Twitch.tv/Chess and www.Chess.com/TV.

Another wounded soldier starts working at Armenian Presidential Office on Citizen’s Day

David Nargizian

Another wounded soldier starts working at Armenian Presidential Office on Citizen’s Day

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12:16,

YEREVAN, APRIL 27, ARMENPRESS. On the Day of the Citizen in Armenia, the Presidential Office hired another citizen, Liparit Melkonyan, who was wounded and became disabled while defending the Homeland, reports Armenpress.

“A year ago President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian has made a call to assist the defenders of the homeland. The talk was about providing soldiers, who were wounded and became disabled while defending the homeland, with jobs.

As an example, as a moral duty, the President’s Office made this step months before by hiring soldier Gor Darmanyan who receives treatment in the Rehabilitation Center for the Defender of the Homeland and has professional skills.

President Sarkissian also stated that this process will be continuous. And today, on the Citizen’s Day in Armenia, another defender, Liparit Melkonyan, starts working at the Presidential Office. Another citizen of Armenia is provided with job.

Let’s continue assisting our soldiers, who sacrificed their health for the peace and security of our country and all of us, by providing them with jobs”, the Presidential office said in a statement on Facebook.

Citizen’s Day is being celebrated in Armenia for the first time on the last Saturday of April.

A number of events are scheduled on this Day across the Republic.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan




‘Today I am here as a citizen, not as a PM’ – Pashinyan tells reporters on Citizen’s Day

David Nargizian

‘Today I am here as a citizen, not as a PM’ – Pashinyan tells reporters on Citizen’s Day

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13:15,

YEREVAN, APRIL 27, ARMENPRESS. Today I am here as a citizen, not as a Prime Minister, Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan told reporters on April 27 on the occasion of the Day of the Citizen. The PM asked the journalists not to ask questions on this day. Nevertheless, the reporters managed to get the responses of several questions.

Asked to what extent it was right to provide 124 million drams for holding the events on the Citizen’s day, if it was possible to spend these sums in another direction, the PM stated: “Sums will be spent on other directions as well. This year the citizen overfulfills the budget revenues by 40 billion drams”. Pashinyan added that the money provided by the government from the budget will also be equally spent in the provinces.

Asked what has changed in his life within a year, Pashinyan said with a joke: “This has changed in my life that I cannot walk freely in my home town”.

Photos by Tatev Duryan

Citizen’s Day is being celebrated in Armenia for the first time on the last Saturday of April.

A number of events are scheduled on this Day across the Republic.

On April 9 the Parliament adopted the bill on making amendment in the Law on Holidays and Remembrance Days. According to the bill, last Saturday of April would be celebrated as the Day of Citizen of the Republic of Armenia. In case when May 1 coincides with Saturday, the Citizen’s Day will be celebrated on the last Sunday of April.

The Armenian government has provided 124 million drams from the reserve fund for the holding of events on the occasion of the Day of the Citizen.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan




Sports: Four freestyle wrestlers from Armenia qualified for European Games 2019

David Nargizian
Panorama, Armenia
Sport 15:05 13/04/2019 Armenia

The Armenian freestyle wrestling team have gained for qualifications for the European Games Minsk 2019. As the Wrestling Federation reports, the Armenian athletes will be represented in the 57kg, 65kg, 97kg, and 125kg weight categories.

To remind, the 2nd European Games MINSK 2019 will take place in the capital of Belarus, Minsk, from 21 to 30 June 2019. The continent’s biggest sports forum will feature more than 4,000 athletes from 50 countries who will compete for 199 sets of medals in 15 sports. 

168: RESOLUTION: Recognizing and Condemning the Armenian Genocide

David Nargizian
| 18:18 | April 10 2019
Categories
Politics
World

Presented by Republican Party of Armenia (RPA)

CDI Executive Committee meeting, Brussels, April 10th, 2019

  • Recalling the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights of December 10th 1948, whereby recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world;
  • Guided by the respective principles and provisions of the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 96 (1) of December 11th 1946, the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide of December 9th 1948, the United Nations Convention on the Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity of November 26th 1968, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of December 16th 1966 as well as all the other international documents on human rights;
  • Taking into consideration that while adopting the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the United Nations specifically underlined the importance of international cooperation in the struggle against that criminal offence;
  • Considering the 1919-1921 verdicts of the courts-martial of the Ottoman Empire on the grave crime perpetrated “against the law and humanity’’ as a legal assessment of the fact;
  • Appreciating the joint declaration of the Allied Powers on May 24th 1915, for the first time in history defining the most heinous crime perpetrated against the Armenian people as a “crime against humanity and civilization” and emphasizing the necessity of holding Ottoman authorities responsible, as well as the role and significance of the Sevres Peace Treaty of August 10th 1920 and US President Woodrow Wilson’s Arbitral Award of November 22nd1920 in overcoming the consequences of the Armenian Genocide;
  • Recalling the EPP resolution of 3rd of March 2015 on the Armenian Genocide and European Values;
  • Reaffirming the principles on Human rights;
  • Paying tribute to the memory of the innocent victims of all genocides and crimes committed against humanity;
  • Stressing that the timely prevention and effective punishment of genocides and crimes against humanity should be among the main priorities of the international community;

The CDI states the following:

·  We condemn the genocidal acts against the Armenian people, planned and continuously perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire and various regimes of Turkey in 1894-1923, dispossession of the homeland, the massacres and ethnic cleansing aimed at the extermination of the Armenian population, the destruction of the Armenian heritage, as well as the denial of the Genocide, all attempts to avoid responsibility, to consign to oblivion the committed crimes and their consequences or to justify them, as a continuation of this crime and encouragement to commit new genocides;

  • We commemorate all the innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide and all those martyred and surviving heroes who struggled for their lives and human dignity. Moreover, we recognize, that the Genocide resulted in the death and dispossession not only of Armenian people but also extended to the Pontic Greeks and Assyrians peoples, and we commemorate them as well;
  • We join and strongly support the commitment of the Armenian people to continue the international struggle for the prevention of genocides, the restoration of the rights of people subjected to genocide and the establishment of historical justice;
  • We call upon the Government of Turkey to fully respect and implement the legal obligations which it has undertaken including those provisions which relate to the protection of cultural heritage and, in particular, to conduct in good faith an integrated inventory of Armenian and other cultural heritage destroyed or ruined during the past century;
  • We appeal to international organizations and all people of good will, regardless of their ethnic origin and religious affiliation, to unite their efforts aimed at restoring historical justice and paying tribute to the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide.
  • We support those segments of the Turkish civil society who nowadays dare to speak out against the official position of the authorities. We express the hope that recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide by Turkey will serve as a starting point for the historical reconciliation of the Armenian and Turkish peoples. Therefore, we invite the Turkish Government to take the following measures pursuant to its international commitments:
  • To recognize and condemn the Armenian Genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire and to face its own history and memory through commemorating the victims of that heinous crime against humanity;
  • To provide a vision and an implementing plan of action worthy of a truly democratic Turkey, including a comprehensive resolution of issues relating to the freedom of _expression_ and reference to the Genocide in state, society and educational institutions, as well as the repair of religious and other cultural sites and their return to the Armenian and other relevant communities;
  • To launch the long-awaited celebration of the Armenian national legacy based on a total Turkish-Armenian normalization anchored in the assumption of history, the pacific resolution of all outstanding matters.


Armenia’s president, UN Sec Gen discuss Armenia-Azerbaijan summit on Karabakh

David Nargizian
TASS, Russia
April 6 2019
Armenia’s president, UN Sec Gen discuss Armenia-Azerbaijan summit on Karabakh

YEREVAN April 6

YEREVAN, April 6. /TASS/. Armenia’s President Armen Sarkissian held talks with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Amman on Saturday, the Armenian president’s press service said.

The talks focused on the summit meeting held by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev on March 29 in Vienna.

“Armenia’s president underscored the importance of UN support to the OSCE Minsk Group as the only mission internationally authorized to find a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” the presidential press service said. “Sarkissian and the UN Secretary General hailed the summit meeting between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and pointed out that there was no other option but a peaceful solution to the conflict.”

Sarkissian and Guterres exchanged views on future cooperation within the United Nations and its agencies.

Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev held the first official meeting in Vienna on March 29, seeking peace for Nagorno-Karabakh.

History of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

The highland region of Nagorno-Karabakh (Mountainous Karabakh) is a mostly Armenian-populated enclave inside the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan. It was the first zone of inter-ethnic tensions and violence to appear on the map of the former USSR in February 1988. Then, the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region declared independence from Azerbaijan, a republic within the Soviet Union at the time. In 1992-1994, hostilities broke out in the region between pro-Baku forces and Armenian residents, which resulted in the Nagorno-Karabakh’s de facto independence. In 1994, a ceasefire was reached but the relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia have been strained since then.

Since 1992, the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) co-chaired by Russia, France and the US have been holding talks to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.

Asbarez: Prelate Attends Reception Honoring World Council of Churches Leader

David Nargizian
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Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian (left) and World Council of Churches General Secretary Rev. Dr. Olav Fyske Tveit (right) with religious leaders and community members

On the occasion of World Council of Churches General Secretary Rev. Dr. Olav Fyske Tveit’s visit to Los Angeles, on Tuesday, April 2 and Wednesday, April 3, where two events were held. These events were organized in order to offer religious leaders and the Christian community the opportunity to meet and interact with the General Secretary.

Rev. Fr. Movses Shannakian (left) with World Council of Churches General Secretary Rev. Dr. Olav Fyske Tveit (right)

By the invitation of Father Alexei Smith, Ecumenical and Interreligious Officer for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, on Wednesday, April 3, Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate, participated in a reception and conversation with Rev. Dr. Tveit at Hollywood United Methodist Church. The event was organized by the Southern California Christian Forum in partnership with Hollywood United Methodist Church. Dr. Tveit spoke on the WCC’s current and future endeavors and projects, followed by a question and answer session.

On the evening of Tuesday, April 2nd, Dr. Tveit delivered a lecture at the Huffington Ecumenical Institute of Loyola Marymount University on the theme for the 2021 WCC Assembly, “Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity.” Rev. Movses Shannakian represented the Prelate. The lecture was followed by a panel discussion with Dr. Tveit and three respondents: Bishop Mary Ann Swenson, United Methodist Church Bishop and Vice-Moderator of the World Council of Churches; Michael Huffington of the Huffington Ecumenical Institute, and Fr. Alexei Smith.

Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 03-04-19

David Nargizian

Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 03-04-19

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17:12, 3 April, 2019

YEREVAN, 3 APRIL, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 3 April, USD exchange rate up by 0.38 drams to 486.85 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 2.52 drams to 547.51 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.04 drams to 7.47 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 7.02 drams to 641.72 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 34.28 drams to 20196.54 drams. Silver price down by 0.52 drams to 235.18 drams. Platinum price down by 36.54 drams to 13304.7 drams.

Sports: Friday Ubong Relishes Transfer To Armenia

David Nargizian
Football Live, Nigeria
March 6 2019
By Kenec Alexander

March 6, 2019

 

Footballlive.ng can report that the youthful attacker was ecstatic, after signing the dotted lines in midweek, as the former home-based Eagles star and silver medalist at the 2017 WAFU Cup of Nations believes he can now further his national team ambitions.

Ubong took to social media to celebrate his surge, after signing a three-year-deal with the Armenian top-flight league returnees.

The fast-rising attacker-cum-winger, who left Akwa Starlets to join their more prestigious city mates in 2015 season, said the only thought on his mind now is to help his new club soar higher.

Ubong, who helped The Promise Keepers to win the Federation Cup in 2015 and 2017, added that he hopes to excel personally and collectively with Lori, who gained promotion to participate in this season’s Armenian Premier League after winning the country’s First League last term.

Seyran Ohanyan’s pension account has been blocked

David Nargizian
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The embargo placed on the pension account of former RA Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan, who is accused of subverting the constitutional order in the “March 1” criminal case, was lifted by the investigator’s decision.


Earlier, during the preliminary investigation, the investigator made a decision to seize Seyran Ohanyan’s property, including financial resources, within the framework of which the pension account was also seized.


Seyran Ohanyan does not accept the accusation against him.