Greco-Roman wrestling vice-champion Mihran Harutyunyan won another victory in MMA.
Armenian athlete met 40-years-old American David Douglas nicknamed “Tarzan” at UpNextFighting tournament in Los Angeles and won in the first round.
David Douglas had 20 fights in MMA, 10 wins and 10 losses.
Mihran Harutyunyan had 7 fights in MMA, scored 6 wins and suffered 1 loss.
11:05,
YEREVAN, AUGUST 13, ARMENPRESS. A historic culmination during the Space Race – the 20th-century competition between two Cold War rivals, the Soviet Union and the United States to achieve superior spaceflight capability – was the American Apollo 11 mission which landed the first man on the Moon in 1969. Years later, in 1972, Apollo 17 became the final mission of NASA’s Apollo program, the most recent time humans have set foot on the Moon or traveled beyond low Earth orbit.
In the 21st century, man is again looking up to the Moon and Mars, with dreams to colonize them and transform mankind into an inter-planetary species.
The fifth STARMUS Festival once again brought together the most brilliant minds on the planet to discuss these very ideas.
Ahead of the 6th edition of STARMUS which will take place in Armenia, ARMENPRESS brings you the highlights from the previous festivals.
The fifth Starmus Festival took place in 2019, in Zurich, Switzerland. The festival opened with Hans Zimmer’s homage to the Apollo Missions, Once Upon a Time on the Moon. The musical component of the festival also featured Brian May, Rick Wakeman, Steve Vai and other stars on stage with the 21st Century Orchestra and Choir. The Stephen Hawking Medal was awarded to Elon Musk, Buzz Aldrin, Brian Eno and the documentary Apollo 11, screened during the festival for the first time in Europe. Dedicated to the humanity’s first step on the Moon and Apollo missions, Starmus V featured Apollo astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Al Worden, Charlie Duke, Harrison Schmidt, Rusty Schweikart, Walt Cunningham joined by ESA astronauts Helen Sharman, Claude Nicollier, Tim Peake, former NASA astronauts Garrett Reisman, Sandra Magnus, Nicole Stott and Russian astronauts Gennadiy Padalka and Yuri Baturin. The festival featured more than 50 high-profile scientists, astronauts, engineers and artists including: Buzz Aldrin, Fabiola Gioanotti, Brian May, Donna Strickland, Hans Zimmer, Tony Fadell, Helen Sharman, Peter Gabriel and Nicole Stott.
STARMUS V: A Giant Leap: Homage to Apollo Missions
STARMUS V was dedicated to man’s first steps on the Moon and the Apollo missions.
The festival was titled A Giant Leap – an homage to Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong’s famous words “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind” when he became the first human to set foot on the Moon.
Renowned retired astronauts and moonwalkers were again among the speakers, as well as more than 50 scientists, Nobel laureates, artists and engineers. Then-President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian was also among the speakers.
The physicist President of Armenia on stage at STARMUS V
Sarkissian was the first sitting world leader to participate in the STARMUS festival and deliver remarks.
STARMUS founder Garik Israelian invited Sarkissian on stage, who then delivered a speech.
In his remarks, Sarkissian described the festival as a “fantastic event” which unites scientists and artists. “People think that this is no place for us, politicians. But I am here for a couple of reasons. I will name the first one a “dream”, because Garik is a dreamer. He is dreaming of wild things and they become true,” President Sarkissian said.
“We all have dreams. I will tell you a story about a little boy born in Soviet-Armenia, who was dreaming to become an astronaut. When he was 10, he even won a prize for a beautiful drawing of an astronaut on the Moon. That was long ago, in 1963. This dream is still with me….,” Sarkissian said, referring to himself.
Speaking about another component of the STARMUS – art, particularly about the impact of music, he noted that the Berlin wall and other walls were way too low to stop music. “I believe that music had enormous influence on the world, in changing Soviet Union, in making many nations, including my own nation, free and independent.”
He named “STARMUS and Armeni” as the most important reason for attending the festival. “I invite the next, sixth STARMUS to come to Armenia. We will be happy to see you all – scientists, Noble Laureates, astronauts, musicians, artists, and political figures- in Armenia,” President Armen Sarkissian underscored and noted that Armenia is one of the most ancient civilizations of the world. “I will be happy to show you special educational sites because your topics – technologies, music, education, bring science closer to the people.” The President spoke also about Yerevan, which is more than 2800 years old, as well as about the Metsamor – the observatory from the Urartu period and noted in particular, “Armenians were looking into the sky 4500 years ago and registered the data on the stones. I would also like to show you the famous Byurakan observatory. Armenians appreciate science and education.”
Months later the Board of Director of the festival officially approved that the next edition will be held in Armenia.
President Armen Sarkissian of Armenia delivering remarks at STARMUS V
Reaching Mars requires colonizing the Moon
One of the main speakers at the festival was Buzz Aldrin, the second man to set foot on the Moon, who dedicated his Forward to the Moon speech to NASA’s Artemis lunar program. The Artemis program is a human spaceflight program led by NASA to explore the Moon, aiming for its first touchdown on the lunar south pole by 2024. Aldrin said that the far-reaching goal of the program is the future mission to Mars.
Retired American astronaut Buzz Aldrin delivering remarks at STARMUS V
Aldrin said that theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking once told him that humanity must colonize the Moon before reaching Mars.
“I was in his office and I had been anxious that we should make a continuous orbit between Earth and Mars. He said, in that computerized voice of his, ‘colonize the Moon first’ and I realized that there are so many things we need to do before we send people to Mars and the moon is absolutely the best place to do that,” Aldrin said, as the Daily Star reports. “And hopefully we can do it with international partners so they can help to pay the bills.”
Beware of lunar dust
Future visitors of the Moon should beware of lunar dust, which could cause an allergic reaction, American astronaut Harrison Schmitt from the Apollo 17 (last Apollo mission) said.
During the 1972 mission, Schmitt – a geologist by profession – was responsible for collecting samples from the Moon’s surface. Among them was Troctolite 76535 – the lunar sample which NASA described as “most interesting sample returned from the Moon.”
‘First time I smelled the dust I had an allergic reaction, the inside of my nose became swollen, you could hear it in my voice,’ Schmitt said, The Telegraph reports.
‘But that gradually went away for me, and by the fourth time I inhaled lunar dust I didn’t notice that.’
He elaborated on the bizarre reaction and said some people had a more severe reaction than others.
Schmitt said: ‘A flight surgeon taking suits out of the Apollo 17 command module, after we had splashed down, he had such a reaction that he had to stop doing what he was doing.
‘For some individuals we need to find out whether they are going to have a reaction, if they are going to be exposed chronically to Moon dust.
‘Now my suggestion is don’t ever let them be exposed to lunar dust and there are many engineering solutions since I was flying to keep dust out of the cabin, to keep it off the suit. It’s going to be primarily an engineering problem.’
The same problem is faced by Mars missions, and it may be worse for those landing on the red planet as this may be poisonous due to the high concentration of iron oxide.
The final people to walk on the moon were Eugene (Gene) Cernan and Harrison (Jack) Schmitt.
Before he left the moon, Cernan scratched the initials of his daughter Tracy into the lunar regolith. Since the moon does not experience weather conditions like wind or rain to erode anything away, her initials should stay there for a very long time.
Exoplanets: potential alternative to the Earth
At the last day of the festival, astrophysics Professor Natalie Batalha of the University of California, Santa Cruz delivered a lecture on exoplanets – planets outside the Solar System.
Batalha spoke about the methods of detecting such planets – Doppler method, transit photometry and others. New technologies have naturally allowed scientists to significantly expand their capabilities. By 2009 only 400 exoplanets were discovered, but since the launch of the Kepler space telescope that year the number rose to over 4000.
Natalie Batalha speaking about the exploration of new exoplanets
Batalha noted that the diversity of planets in the galaxy far exceeds the diversity of planets in the Solar system.
She said that the nearest potentially habitable planet is 10 light years away from Earth.
STARMUS V saw the first Lifetime Achievement Award presentation
The Stephen Hawking Medal was awarded to Elon Musk, Buzz Aldrin, musician Brian Eno and the documentary Apollo 11, screened during the festival for the first time in Europe.
Elon Musk made an acceptance speech online from the Kennedy Space Center, where the Falcon Heavy rocket was about to be launched.
The legendary Queen guitarist Brian May said that Musk “has taken the first bold steps towards space travel and the colonisation of other worlds by private enterprise. And whereas he has re-ignited public belief in the world of innovation and exploration of the Cosmos, and encouraged a whole new generation to look to the Stars.”
Elon Musk accepting the award online
The very first Stephen Hawking medal for Lifetime Achievement was awarded to Buzz Aldrin, who “made world history by flying a man-made machine to land on another world – and walk on the Moon. And Whereas he has since that time devoted his life to Science outreach. Whereas he is the ONLY Apollo astronaut with over 1,000 lectures to his name, all inspiring a whole new generation to prioritise missions to other planets. Whereas he is now 90 years old and still tirelessly promoting space science.”
STARMUS coming to Armenia
In two weeks, from September 5 to 10, over 50 astronauts, renowned scientists, Nobel prize laureates, musicians and artists will gather in Armenia for the 6th edition of STARMUS, titled 50 Years on Mars: From Mars 3 and Mariner 9 to Starship.
The sixth Starmus will be dedicated to Mars, from the very first Soviet MARS 3 to the ambitious manned landing plans and spectacular NASA missions. It has been 50 years since MARS 3 performed the first soft landing on the Red Planet and sent back to the Earth the first image of its surface. This milestone was followed by dozens of successful missions by NASA providing us with more accurate images and information from our neighbour in the Solar System. Following the established tradition, the Festival will address pressing issues and screen films about the exploration of Mars.
Read also:
A Look Back At First STARMUS Festival
From rhino with spider legs to secrets of black holes: Looking back at STARMUS II Festival
When bright people talk about dark things: retrospective view of Starmus III
15:01,
YEREVAN, AUGUST 22, ARMENPRESS. All the songs, thoughts, plans for the future in and about the motherland: campers know – there is no better place than Armenia. The formula for life is to learn, become a good specialist and strengthen the country.
For six years now, the office of Financial System Mediator has been conducting summer educational programs to impart financial knowledge to children. Game-competitions and discussions are organized for children. Through them children learn what services financial institutions provide, what financial insurance, deposit and, in general, money is.
Acba bank is also participating in the educational program, organizing an interactive program for the campers. The bank employees convey the ideas of friendship, mutual help, unity and team work to children through games.
Ahead of the educational year, Acba bank has also prepared gifts for the campers – stationery and books. In September, the campers will go to school as good friends, with warm memories and enriched with knowledge.
“The main goal of the day is to make children happy, spend a good day together, and create good memories. The games were based on the idea of mutual help and cooperation. The children were able to play the game by helping each other, uniting around one idea and cooperating”, mentioned Armine Tumanyan, Non-Financial Services Team Lead at Acba Bank.
More details in the video.
The bank is supervised by the Central Bank of Armenia.
Monday,
Opposition Bloc Condemns ‘Provocative’ Leaflets
• Naira Nalbandian
Armenia -- Opposition lawmaker Gegham Manukian at a news conference in Yerevan,
December 20, 2020.
The main opposition Hayastan alliance on Monday demanded that Armenian
law-enforcement authorities identify and punish individuals who spread
pro-Russian leaflets falsely attributed to it.
The leaflets which appeared in various parts of Yerevan on Sunday described
Crimea and other internationally recognized parts of Ukraine as well as Georgia
and Kazakhstan as Russian territory. They also called for Nagorno-Karabakh to be
incorporated into Russia.
Gegham Manukian, a lawmaker representing Hayastan, insisted that the bloc headed
by former President Robert Kocharian has nothing to do with the leaflets which
he said are aimed at discrediting it.
“The level of organization, the quality of printing, the use of the Hayastan
alliance’s emblems shows that this is a well-organized provocation against the
Hayastan alliance, its parliamentary group and the opposition [as a whole,]” he
told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.
Manukian said law-enforcement bodies must launch an inquiry. “Instead of
executing stupid orders of Nikol [Pashinian,] the National Security Service
should deal with such dangerous provocations,” he said.
The NSS did not immediately react to the demand. A spokesman for the Armenian
police said, meanwhile, that they are not investigating the matter because they
have not yet received any formal complaints.
Manukian refused to comment on the content of the leaflets, saying that the
“provocateurs” wanted Hayastan to do just that.
The Armenian government has refrained from publicly criticizing Russia’s
invasion of Ukraine, let alone joining Western sanctions imposed on Moscow.
Armenia’s main opposition groups have adopted a similar position on the
continuing conflict.
The pro-Russian leaflets were disseminated by unknown individuals just days
after the Russian Embassy in Yerevan sent a rare protest note to the Armenian
Foreign Ministry. The embassy demanded action against Armenian fringe groups and
activists that implicated Moscow in last week’s massive explosion at a Yerevan
market that left at least 16 people dead.
Envoy Confirms End Of EU Trade Preferences For Armenia
Armenia -- Andrea Wiktorin, head of the EU Delegation in Armenia, attends a
seminar in Yerevan, March 6, 2020.
A senior European Union diplomat has confirmed that Armenian manufacturers no
longer have tariff-free access to the EU’s common market because Armenia is now
regarded as an “upper middle income” country.
Armenia was covered by the EU’s Generalized System of Preferences (GSP+) from
2009 through the end of last year. Thanks to this preferential trade regime, the
EU collected no import duties from 3,300 types of Armenian products and applied
reduced tariffs to 3,900 others.
In an interview with the Armenpress news agency published on Monday, Andrea
Wiktorin, the head of the EU Delegation in Yerevan, said that Armenia is not
eligible for GSP+ anymore because World Bank upgraded its status from a “lower
middle income” to an “upper middle income” nation in 2017.
“According to the EU’s GSP regulations, the moment you are an upper middle
income country for three [consecutive] years, plus a transition period of one
year, you lose the status of a GSP+ beneficiary … and this means that starting
from January of this year Armenia can no longer benefit from these preferential
import tariffs,” she said.
Armenia - Commercial trucks parked at the Bagratashen border crossing with
Georgia, November 29, 2018. (Photo by the State Revenue Committee of Armenia)
Wiktorin suggested that the loss of that status could be offset by Armenia’s
Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the EU signed in
late 2017. She argued that the CEPA, which has no free-trade component, could
benefit the Armenian economy through its provisions calling for an improved
business environment in the country.
The diplomat also argued that the wide-ranging agreement allows Armenian
companies to participate in EU procurement tenders and will make it easier for
them to provide financial, transport and other services in the 27-nation bloc.
Russia replaced the EU as Armenia’s number one trading partner after the South
Caucasus country joined the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union in 2015. It has
solidified that status in the last few years.
According to Armenian government data, Russian-Armenian trade surged by 50
percent, to $1.65 billion, and accounted for almost one-third of Armenia’s
overall foreign trade in the first half of this year. By comparison, Armenia’s
trade with EU member states totaled over $980 million.
Despite the end of the trade preferences, Armenian exports to the EU, dominated
by copper and other metals, reached $426 million in this period, up by 43
percent year on year.
Dead Gunman’s Family Unconvinced By Police Claims
• Nane Sahakian
Armenia - The area around the Masis municipality building cordoned off by
police, August 20, 2022
Relatives of a man who died after breaking into a local government building in
Armenia questioned on Monday police claims that he committed suicide during a
standoff with security forces.
Edvard Margarian, a 36-year-old resident of the town of Masis, reportedly threw
a hand grenade and fired two gunshots after entering the local municipality
building on Friday night for still unclear reasons. Law-enforcement authorities
say Margarian shot and killed himself inside the office of Masis Mayor Davit
Hambardzumian early on Saturday as police officers tried unsuccessfully to
negotiate with him.
Members of Margarian’s family suspect, however, that he was killed. They include
his mother Rima, who also tried to talk to him during the standoff.
“For three times I asked my son, ‘Dear Edo, please respond, I’m your mother, let
me come up … If he was alive [at that point,] wouldn’t he respond?” she told
RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.
Rima Margarian also argued that her son had no criminal record and history of
psychiatric problems or drug abuse. She said that Edvard, who is a former member
of the town council, had fallen out with Hambardzumian and wanted to meet with
the mayor to sort out their dispute.
According to the Investigative Committee, just hours before bursting into the
mayor’s office Margarian phoned a police station in the small community about 20
kilometers south of Yerevan to warn that the dispute could leave him and a dozen
other people dead.
The law-enforcement agency has released no other details of the call. Nor has it
shed light on the gunman’s problems with the municipal administration.
Hambardzumian, who is affiliated with an opposition group, could not be reached
for comment on Monday.
Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2022 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
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18:45,
YEREVAN, AUGUST 19, ARMENPRESS. It is critical that international community understands the severity of the humanitarian issues in post-war Artsakh and makes Azerbaijan to retreat from its aggressive behavior and its policy of ethnic cleansing of the Armenians of Artsakh, leading to further complication of the already dire humanitarian situation, ARMENPRESS reports Human Rights Defender of Artsakh Gegham Stepanyan said in his message on the occasion of the World Humanitarian Day celebrated on August 19.
“World Humanitarian Day is a reminder that we must act to alleviate human suffering irrespective of his/her origin, belief and other circumstance. Each year, World Humanitarian Day brings together partners from across the humanitarian system to advocate for the survival, well-being and dignity of people affected by crises.
As a result of the September 27, 2020 war against the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), an unprecedented situation of humanitarian crisis flared up in the country: thousands of casualties and disabled people – among them civilians and kids; about 40.000 forcibly displaced persons; prisoners of war, who are still illegally held in Azerbaijan under unknown conditions. Behind these statistics stand individuals, families whose lives are undermined and fates totally vague.
The November 10, 2020 Trilateral statement stopped the active phase of armed hostilities but inflicted new serious security and gross human rights violations by Azerbaijan, such as taking civilians hostage and threatening them, killing civilians (still with impunity), deliberate disruption of civilian infrastructure for causing serious humanitarian consequences, intimidation of the Artsakh people by different methods and regular violation of ceasefire regime. All these have been accompanied by hate speech against the Armenians by Azerbaijani’s president in his public speeches and on a state level discourse.
Due to unrecognized status of the Republic of Artsakh, the UN and other international organizations do not have presence in Artsakh, to monitor the cases of violations of the ceasefire, to record violations of international law or to provide humanitarian assistance. Although some support has been provided to Artsakh by different individuals and organizations, however a number of calls to the key international humanitarian actors are unfortunately still up in the air.
It is critical that international community understands the severity of the humanitarian issues in post-war Artsakh and makes Azerbaijan to retreat from its aggressive behavior and its policy of ethnic cleansing of the Armenians of Artsakh, leading to further complication of the already dire humanitarian situation.
On this day, I thank all those who supported the people of Artsakh in overcoming the existing humanitarian issues and want to once again urge all the international organizations from across the humanitarian system to mobilize their will and resources to alleviate the suffering of the people of Artsakh․ The UN and other organizations with humanitarian mandate have a great role and responsibility in promoting international awareness and action on these issues”, reads the message.
Natalia Rotenberg nominated as candidate for Yerevan Mayor
17:16,
YEREVAN, AUGUST 20, ARMENPRESS. Natalia Rotenberg has been nominated as a candidate for the Mayor of Yerevan at the first congress of the “Strength of the Homeland” Party held on August 20.
“People have stopped dreaming, many have given up, but we still believe and continue to move forward,” ARMENPRESS reports, Rotenberg said in her speech.
It should be noted that the “Civil Contract” Party will nominate former Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan for the position of Mayor.
The village of Yeraskh on the Nakhichevan border is the site of one of the proposed border checkpoints
Armenia’s National Security Service circulated a draft proposal on setting up several new checkpoints on its borders with Azerbaijan. These proposals have made residents of the towns and cities surrounding the areas uneasy, especially in Yeraskh, which borders Nakhichevan.
Specifically, the proposal suggests opening border crossings at three points along the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border, in particular near the villages of Sotk (bordering Kelbajar) in the Gegharkunik Province and Karahunj (bordering Eyvazli) in the Syunik Province on the eastern border. Another proposed checkpoint is near the village of Yeraskh (bordering Sadarak) on the western border at Nakhichevan.
The NSS proposal came after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on August 4 instructed relevant bodies to make proposals that require the government approval.
Some residents of Yeraskh voiced concerns over the impact these border checkpoints will have on their daily activities, among them taking children to school and other aspects that could alter their lives.
“Nobody will agree with this,” Anush Martirosyan told Azatutyun.am’s Armenian Service, criticizing Pashinyan for not considering the welfare of the citizens in the affected areas.
“You can’t trust the Azerbaijani. How many agreements for peace has Azerbaijan signed. Has anything happened? No,” Martirosyan added.
Areg Kochinyan, an expert on military and political issues, told Azatutyun.am’s Armenian Service that he believes that with this step Armenia is trying to show some proactivity in order to neutralize Azerbaijan’s claims about opening what Baku calls the “Zangezur Corridor,” a scheme advanced by Baku that seeks a land corridor through Armenia to connect mainland Azerbaijan with Nakhichevan.
On Friday, the proposal was added to an official website—e-draft.am—which is a portal designed to engage and encourage public debate on government proposals and actions. st1yle=”font-size:16px;margin:0px 0px 1.25em;padding:0px;border:0px;line-height:inherit;,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline”>
MOSCOW, August 20. /TASS/. Russia is negotiating the use of Mir payment card with several countries, including Azerbaijan, China, and Egypt, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin said in an interview with TASS.
“The unreasonable blocking of all Russian customers by the largest international card payment systems has increased the priority of expanding the geography of using Mir cards. We are actively working on it,” he said. “Negotiations with Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Egypt, India, China, Cuba, Myanmar, Nigeria, Thailand, and other countries are at different stages,” Pankin said.
He recalled that the Russian payment system currently can be used in such countries as Abkhazia, Armenia, Belarus, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, South Korea, and South Ossetia.