Author: Garnik Tadevosian

Three people have been released without charge by French police investigating a Paris jewellery robbery that targeted TV reality star Kim Kardashian West, the BBC reports.

They include her chauffeur in Paris, Michael Madar. The three were among 17 people arrested in co-ordinated raids across France on Monday.

The driver’s brother is still being questioned by police, reports say.

Kardashian West was held at gunpoint and tied up by the robbers while staying at a hotel in Paris in October.

She was targeted at the exclusive flat near Place de la Madeleine while her bodyguard looked after her sister at a nightclub.

The gang stole €9m of jewellery, including a diamond ring valued at around €4m.

With support from Argentinean-Armenian donors, the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund has launched the third phase of its increasingly popular greenhouse program in 10 communities of Armenia’s Tavush Region.

Metal framed greenhouses, each measuring 100 square meters and covered with high-quality polycarbonate and polyethylene, will be built for 57 farming families in the villages of Voskevan, Artsvaberd, Koti, Nerkin Tsaghkavan, Berdavan, Aygehovit, Koghb, Zorakan, Ditavan, and Kirants. Two additional greenhouses will be constructed in the village of Khachardzan, with the financial support of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s Australian affiliate. As part of the project, the beneficiary families will also receive seedlings and be provided with technical consultation at the initial phase of the greenhouse growing.

Maraim Zenjirjian, the project’s coordinator, says that beneficiaries are selected through a lottery process and must assume a portion of the greenhouse-construction cost. The selection of the communities has been made considering the List of the Border Villages defined by the Government of Armenia. After announcing the launch of the program’s third phase the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund has received 100 applications for construction of 59 greenhouses. Each greenhouse costs US $5,400 equal AMD, of which 200,000 AMD is covered by the beneficiary. “Year by year, the number of greenhouse owners increases considerably in the region reaching from 10 to 102. Hopefully, the new tariff of electricity fixed from 2017 will ease the financial burden of the greenhouse farmers.” Zenjirjian says.

Greenhouses have helped significantly boost farming throughout Tavush while providing families with a stable source of income. As a result of the first and second phases of the program carried out through 2013 to 2015, 43 households in the villages of Ditavan, Kirants, Baghanis, Aygehovit, Vazashen, Gandzakar, and Khachardzan now own and operate their own greenhouses.

The Azerbaijani side kept violating the ceasefire in the southern /Hadrut/, eastern /Martuni-Akna/ and northeastern /Martakert/ directions of the line of contact with the Karabakh forces last night, the NKR Defense Ministry reports.

The rival used firearms of different calibers, also as a 60 mm mine thrower in the Martakert direction.

Committed to the strategy chosen, the front divisions of the NKR Defense Army mostly refrained from responding to Azerbaijan’s provocative steps and resorted to retaliatory measures only in case of extreme necessity.

The Artsakh forces keep performing their military duty all along the line of contact, the Ministry said.

The 19th annual Telethon of the Hayastan All Armenian Fund raised $15,428,777.

Funds raised at the worldwide telethon “My Artsakh” will be allocated to initiatives for rebuilding war-ravaged communities in Artsakh, various measures to ensure the safety and security of the peaceful population of the republic, and the construction of homes for Artsakh large families.

Parallel to this, special projects will continue in Armenia and Artsakh.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan is hoping to be given a new start at Manchester United after playing a key role in their 4-0 Europa League win over Feyenoord at Old Trafford.

Mkhitaryan was named in the starting XI for only the second time since his July arrival from Borussia Dortmund and gave a performance that featured six shots and three chances created as United took a huge step towards the knockout stages.

The Armenia international has been out of favour under manager Jose Mourinho but believes his lively showing on Thursday could act as a fresh beginning.

“It was a pleasure to play again and start the game,” Mkhitaryan told BT Sport.

“I try to do my best and it’s a very good result.

“It has been difficult to watch the team from the sidelines but you have to have passion and work hard.

“I hope it is a new start for me.”

Henrikh Mkhitaryan did not show any rustiness despite having played only once for his club since 10 September. He had six shots, made 55 passes (accuracy 85.5%) and won the ball back eight times.

He linked up well with team-mates, and would have got on the end of a through ball from Rooney had the England captain not overhit it, after a slick one-touch passing move between the pair.

One of the game’s outstanding moments came when Mkhitaryan ran from his own half, taking on several Feyenoord defenders, before going down under pressure from Jens Toornstra. The Dutch champions were fortunate the referee did not give a free-kick, which would also have resulted in a red card.

The 27-year-old had six shots, including blocked efforts, and came off, alongside Rooney, to a standing ovation after 82 minutes.

Georgia became the winner of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2016. The country was represented by Mariam Mamadashvili. She is ten years old and has been performing since she was four years old.

Armenia – represented by Anahit Adamyan and Mary Vardanyan – came second.

Photo: AFP

The death toll following the derailment of a train in India’s northern Uttar Pradesh state has now passed 100, with more than 150 injured, police say, the BBC reports.

Fourteen carriages of the Indore-Patna Express derailed just after 03:00 local time on Sunday (21:30 GMT Saturday) near the city of Kanpur.

Rescuers are still trying to reach the injured and recover the dead from the twisted carriages.

The cause of the crash near the village of Pukhrayan is not yet known.

However, the Times of India quoted sources as saying a fracture in the track could have been to blame.

Iran’s Deputy Oil Minister for International Affairs Amir-Hossein Zamani-Nia will hold talks with Vitaly Markelov, Deputy Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee.

According to daily, Amir-Hossein Zamani-Nia will try to convince the Russian companies to get involved in Iran’s oil and gas projects.

The source says increased supplies of Iranian gas to Armenia will be on the agenda of the talks.

Gazprom currently supplies gas to Armenia through Georgian territory, but the transit agreement will expire by the end of the year, and Gazprom seeks reduction of transit fees.

In addition to a broad range of infrastructure projects, the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund implements several social-assistance programs in Armenia and Artsakh. One such initiative is the Gyumri Housing Project, as a result of which 26 homeless families in Gyumri now live in apartments in the city’s Mush and Ani neighborhoods.

The apartments are fully renovated and furnished, and feature a full complement of modern amenities and comforts, including appliances. The Gyumri Housing Project was launched by Armenia Fund US Western Region in 2014, through a special Telethon held in collaboration with ARTN Shant TV of Los Angeles.

The apartments were purchased, renovated, and furnished with proceeds from the 2014 and 2015 special Telethons. The grassroots support raised by these Telethons has been complemented by major contributions from individual benefactors including Antranig Baghdassarian, Vahe Karapetian, Haro and Diana Jordan, Haig Keledjian, Zakar Chaghatzbanian, Dr. Harout Mesrobian, Doctors Vrage and Svetlana Minassian, and Samvel Balasanyan.

The joint Armenia Fund US Western Region-ARTN Shant TV Telethons have made it possible to provide apartments to 22 homeless families. They include the families of Karen Khachatryan, Hovhannes Badoyan, Arsen Khachatryan, Davit Hovsepyan, Shoghik Shaboyan, Yeranuhi Safaryan, Shoghik Antonyan, Goharik Gomktsyan, Natalya Struk, Anna Melkonyan, Arusyak Barseghyan, Roza Erzrumyan, Tereza Bedishova, Anahit Martirosyan, Rima Petrosyan, Aida Stepanyan, Liana Muradyan, Stella Mkrtchyan, Zhenya Grigoryan, Fenya Sahakyan, Ruzanna Yeghoyan, and Nelly Chakhchyan. Soon one more family will be presented with an apartment.

The next special Telethon is slated for 2017. Additionally, ever since 2014, the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s German affiliate has been allocating its local proceeds from the annual Pan-European Phoneathon to the Gyumri Housing Project. To date, donations from the German-Armenian community have enabled the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund to provide apartments to four Gyumri families: those of Artur Galstyan, Anahit Sukiasyan, Anna Sargsyan, and Ruzanna Yeghogyan.

Hayastan All Armenian Fund is a non-profit organization established in 1992 with the aim of facilitating humanitarian assistance and infrastructure development in Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. The Fund has 22 affiliates worldwide. – 2 – Ara Vardanyan, the executive director of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund, said that in selecting beneficiaries of the Gyumri Housing Project, priority is given to young, destitute families with multiple children.