Author: Elizabeth Jabejian

Eurozone leaders have agreed to offer Greece a third bailout, after marathon talks in Brussels, the BBC reports.

Amid one of the worst crises in the EU’s history, the head of the European Commission said the risk of Greece leaving the eurozone had been averted.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said that after a “tough battle”, Greece had secured a “growth package” and debt restructuring.

Greece will now have to pass reforms demanded by the eurozone by Wednesday.

An EU statement spoke of up to €86bn (£61bn) of financing for Greece over three years.

Five airports in Indonesia have been shut, including those in the tourist hotspot Bali, because of a volcanic eruption, transport officials say.

Mount Raung in East Java has been spewing ash into the air for nearly a week, raising concerns it could interfere with aircraft safety.

A spokesperson for state airport operator Angkasa Pura said Indonesian that Denpasar would be closed until at least 21:30 local time (13:30 GMT).

However, Indonesian transport ministry official JA Barata said the re-opening of the airports would be based on the activity on Mount Raung, which is about 120km from Denpasar airport.

The four other affected airports are the International Airport in Lombok, Selaparang Airport also in Lombok, Blimbingsari Airport in Banyuwangi, East Java and Notohadinegoro Airport in Jember, East Java.

Scores of flights have been postponed indefinitely or cancelled by airlines, including Jetstar and Virgin Australia who have halted all flights in and out of Denpasar Airport.

 

The ongoing protests in Armenia against the planned electricity price hike and the promise of the authorities to nationalize the Electric Networks of Armenia could make Inter RAO UES sell the Company, according to Russian

The paper reports, quoting its sources that the holding has already held negotiations with Russian businessmen of Armenian descent, namely Samvel Karapetyan – the owner of the “Tashir” Group.

However, finding a new buyer could be problematic, considering the huge debts of the Electric Networks, the Russian paper writes.

James Horner, the Hollywood composer who wrote the score for the Oscar-winning film hit Titanic, has died in a California plane crash aged 61, the BBC reports.

A trained pilot, he is reported to have been alone aboard a small private plane which crashed north of Santa Barbara on Monday morning.

The two-time Oscar winner worked on three James Cameron films, as well as A Beautiful Mind, Troy and Apollo 13.

He won one Oscar for the Titanic film score and one for its theme song.

The plane crash left an impact crater and sparked a brush fire that had to be put out by firefighters, local fire authorities said.

Borussia Dortmund have confirmed the signing of Swiss international goalkeeper Roman Bürki from relegated side SC Freiburg, according to Bundesliga’s official website.

The 24-year-old is BVB’s third major summer recruit, following the arrivals of Gonzalo Castro from Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Julian Weigl from Bundesliga 2 outfit 1860 Munich.

Bürki, who has two full international caps for Switzerland, moved to Freiburg from Grasshoppers Zurich last summer and had an outstanding debut season in the Bundesliga, saving over 76 per cent of all shots fired at him. Nevertheless, even he was unable to prevent the Black Forest side slipping down to Bundesliga 2.

Armenia’s Olympic Committee President will not attend Friday’s opening ceremony at the inaugural European Games, nor will he travel to Azerbaijan for the 16-day event as relations between the neighbours remain tense, according to

The two countries are at odds over Nagorno-Karabakh and as recently as April several soldiers from both sides were killed and more injured.

“The President of the National Olympic Committee of Armenia was never attending,” European Olympic Committees President Patrick Hickey told reporters. “He told us that from day one.”

Hickey tried to play down Gagik Tsarukyan’s absence, saying the businessman was otherwise occupied.

“He seldom attends many events. He prefers to operate within his own country. He has a lot to do as he is a successful businessman.”

The Armenian team, which will march into the stadium at the opening ceremony later on Friday to what is widely expected to be a frosty reception, has sent 25 athletes to the June 12-28 event, competing mainly in wrestling and boxing.

“We know there is a conflict,” Hickey said. “But we are so happy this is happening here with Armenia participating.”

“I want to praise authorities of Armenia for coming and Azerbaijan for making them feel welcome,” Hickey said.

Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan received Governor of Sweden’s Uppsala County Peter Egardt who is in Armenia to discuss the prospects of cooperation between Uppsala County and Lori Marz of Armenia.

Welcoming the Governor’s visit, the Prime Minister stressed the importance of enhancing cooperation between the regions in order to promote economic relations and tap the existing potential. The Premier noted that our country is eager to expand cooperation with the EU-member States, and in this respect, Sweden is an important partner for Armenia.

Thankful for the reception, Peter Egardt said it was the first time he had been visiting our country and that he was impressed by our people’s hospitality. Noting Sweden’s keen interest in developing relations with Armenia as an Eastern Partnership country, the Uppsala Governor assured that practical steps would be taken in this direction.

The interlocutors exchanged views on ways and programs of expanding cooperation in different areas. In particular, they discussed prospects of cooperation in the fields of education, agriculture, nuclear security, as well as possibilities for exchange of know-how relevant to regional and local self-government.

For his part, Lori Marz Governor Arthur Nalbandyan briefed the Premier on the outcome of his talks with the Governor of Uppsala County, which may give a new impetus to bilateral relations.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has approved a free trade zone agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) and Vietnam, the cabinet announced in a Monday statement, Sputnik News reports.

“The implementation of the agreement will contribute to an increase in the mutual trade turnover and the development of trade and economic relations between its participants, as well as help solve the problem of getting the EEU involved in the integration processes in the Asia-Pacific region,” the statement said.

Vietnam will be the first country to sign a free trade agreement with the EEU, which includes Russia, Armenia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. The agreement is expected to be inked on Friday in Moscow.

 

President Barack Obama sent his first tweet from his very own account on Twitter on Monday, quickly amassing tens of thousands of followers in the latest of many White House efforts to amplify his message with social media, reports.

“Hello, Twitter! It’s Barack. Really! Six years in, they’re finally giving me my own account,” Obama tweeted from his verified @POTUS account, which had more than 217,000 followers in its first 45 minutes.

Hello, Twitter! It’s Barack. Really! Six years in, they’re finally giving me my own account.

— President Obama (@POTUS)

His Twitter page featured an image of Obama, his family and civil rights leaders crossing Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, on the 50th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday march earlier this year.

He described himself as “Dad, husband, and 44th President of the United States” and followed his alma maters, his beloved Chicago sports teams, cabinet members, government departments, and key members of the army of White House staff who tweet.

Obama also followed former presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton, but is not following @HillaryClinton, his former Secretary of State who is considered the frontrunner for the Democratic race for 2016.

It’s not the first time Obama has tweeted. He has occasionally signed tweets from the @WhiteHouse account with his initials, “-bo” and also has used @BarackObama, which is an account run by Organizing for Action, Obama’s former campaign team.

The @POTUS account will be “a new way for President Obama to engage directly with the American people, with tweets coming exclusively from him,” said Alex Wall, a social media strategist with the White House, in a blog post.

And when his time in office is done, @POTUS will be passed on to future presidents, Wall said in a tweet.

The Senate of Spain on Wednesday has rejected the bill to recognize the Armenian Gencide tabled by Entesa, a political group active in the Catalonian region – with 130 votes against and 14 in favor, along with 68 abstentions, Daily Sabah reports.
The People’s Party was the only national political party that voted against, while the main opposition Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party, Catalonian nationalist coalition Convergence and Union, Canarian Coalition, Asturias Forum and Navarrese People’s Union abstained.