Author: Garnik Zakarian

Armenpress News Agency , Armenia
May 18, 2017 Thursday
'The Promise' soundtrack author, Grammy winning singer Chris Cornell dead at 52
YEREVAN, MAY 18, ARMENPRESS. Chris Cornell, lead singer of Soundgarden
and Audioslave, died Wednesday night, his representative told CNN.
Cornell, 52, was in Detroit performing with Soundgarden, which had
embarked on a US tour in April. Brian Bumbery, his representative,
called Cornell's passing "sudden and unexpected" in a statement to
CNN.
"His wife Vicky and family were shocked to learn of his sudden and
unexpected passing, and they will be working closely with the medical
examiner to determine the cause," the statement read. "They would like
to thank his fans for their continuous love and loyalty and ask that
their privacy be respected at this time."
The Grammy-winning rocker had performed Wednesday night at the Fox
Theatre in Detroit, CNN reported.
Cornell wrote and performed the ‘Promise’ song for the eponymous movie
on the Armenian Genocide. Speaking about the movie , he said : "That
was one of the things that was important to me, was not just telling a
century-old story, but telling that story because it's happening
today," he said. "We need to be aware that these things happen now. We
need to kind of be slapped in the face with the fact that, as
horrendous as this was a century ago, in many parts of the world we
haven't gotten anywhere."

President Serzh Sargsyan participated today in the festive events in Stepanakert and Shushi dedicated to Victory Day, the 25th anniversary of the creation of the Defense Army of Artsakh and liberation of Shushi.

This morning, together with the Artsakh authorities, members of the governmental delegation from Armenia, people of Artsakh and guests, who have arrived to Artsakh to participate in the festivities, at the Revival Square in Stepanakert Serzh Sargsyan marched with the participants of the event to the Stepanakert Memorial and paid tribute to the memory of those who had fallen in the Great Patriotic War and heroes of the Artsakh Liberation War.

In the framework of the festive events, Serzh Sargsyan visited also Shushi and laid flowers at the pedestal of the Tank-Memorial and later at Vazgen Sarkissian’s statue paid tribute to his memory. President Sargsyan was present at the concert held at the V. Sargsyan Square in Shushi and observed the Town of Arts and Crafts exhibition.

Festive events in Artsakh continue.

The family of a prominent Armenian folk singer who died following routine gallbladder surgery accused her surgeon of missing obvious signs of infection after the operation in a medical malpractice trial currently underway in California state court,  reports.

An attorney for Flora Martirosian’s adult children accused Dr. Mardiros Mihranian of failing to prescribe adequate antibiotics and discharging their mother from Glendale Memorial Hospital despite her running a fever after surgery. During her opening statement on April 28, Amanda McClintock of Girardi & Keese LLP told jurors that these errors resulted in Martirosian’s unnecessary death.

“If the defendants had been practicing according to the standard of care, they would have kept Mrs. Martirosian in the hospital,” she said.

Martirosian was a well-known folk musician in Armenia who later developed a loyal following in the United States, going on to perform with headliners like Stevie Wonder. She underwent emergency gallbladder surgery in 2012 and died days later of sepsis at the age of 55.

McClintock told jurors that infection is one of the most common complications from this type of surgery, and that Dr. Mihranian should have determined the cause of the fever Martirosian presented the morning she was discharged. She said infection should have been even more of a concern due to Martirosian’s weight and the presence of a lap band in her abdomen, two factors that make infection even more of a risk.

When Martirosian returned to Glendale in respiratory distress after being discharged, Bradford said she was treated by a team of doctors that didn’t include Mihranian, and that everyone agrees the original surgery was done correctly.

The trial before Judge Brian Currey is still underway and expected to continue through at least May 9.

Photo: Getty Images

Bob Dylan will finally accept his Nobel Prize for Literature in Stockholm this weekend, the academy has announced, the BBC reports.

The American singer was awarded the prize in October but failed to travel to pick up the award, or deliver the lecture that is required to receive the 8m kroner ($910,000) prize.

The academy said it would meet Dylan in private in the Swedish capital, where he is giving two concerts.

He will not lecture in person but is expected to send a taped version.

If he does not deliver a lecture by June, he would have to forfeit the prize money.

Over the millennia, countless nations and countries have arisen and disappeared into the annals of history, but some have stuck around, Armenia among them.

presents ten of the oldest countries and nations in the world. Armenia is included in the list along with Greece, China, Portugal, France, Japan, Iran, San Marino, Ethiopia and Egypt.

“Armenia is a nation well known for its great diaspora. Nonetheless, the Armenians have possessed a country for most of the last 2600 years, with the first mentions of Armenia occurring in the 6th century BCE,” the website writes.

“Yerevan, now the capital of Armenia, was founded as far back as 782 BCE. The Armenians were also the first state to officially accept Christianity as a state religion in 301, and the country still adheres very strongly to their own Armenian Apostolic Church. Besides the diaspora, another unfortunate similarity that the Armenians share with the Jews was a genocide perpetrated against them at the hands of the Ottoman Empire in 1915-16,” The Culture Trip writes.

Greece

Greece Fort © Pixabay

China

On March 24, Edward Nalbandian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, received Ibrahim Rahimpour, Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran.

Edward Nalbandian congratulated Ibrahim Rahimpour on the occasion of Nowruz wishing progress and prosperity to the people of Iran.

Ibrahim Rahimpour conveyed to Edward Nalbandian good wishes from Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

The parties touched upon the process of implementation of the agreements reached during the visit of the President of Iran to Armenia late last year. Ibrahim Rahimpour underlined that visits of the President, First Vice-President and a number of ministers of Iran to Armenia in 2016 attest to the importance attached by Iran to the relations with Armenia.

Minister Nalbandian and Deputy Minister Rahimpour discussed a wide range of issues on bilateral agenda. Both sides highlighted the importance of continuous efforts aimed at further deepening of trade and economic cooperation.

Issues of EAEU-Iran cooperation were on the agenda of the meeting.

The interlocutors noted with satisfaction the presence of numerous Iranian tourists in Armenia on the occasion of Nowruz and emphasized the importance of the agreement on visa liberalisation reached between the two states last year.

Edward Nalbandian and Ibrahim Rahimpour touched upon the issue of regular consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two countries.

The sides also exchanged views on urgent international and regional issues and the situation in the Middle East.