Author: Hagop Kamalian

An overnight fire at a hospital in southern Saudi Arabia has killed at least 25 people and injured more than 100 others, officials said, the BBC reports.

The blaze broke out in the intensive care and maternity departments of the Jazan General Hospital, the Civil Defence Agency tweeted.

The fire is now over and those injured have been transferred to other hospitals in the area, it added.

An investigation is under way to find out the cause of the blaze.

Some 21 civil defence teams helped extinguish the fire, according to the agency.

Jazan is near the border with Yemen, which has seen months of fighting between Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed forces.

People are really, really curious about Kim Kardashian and Lionel Messi. The  American Armenian reality TV star and the Argentine soccer player each earned the distinction of being the most-searched person in 26 different countries in 2015, tying for first place in Google ranking, reports.

Kardashian was the most-searched person everywhere from France to New Zealand to the U.S., while Messi topped the list in Cuba, Chad, the Congo and more.

Kardashian and Messi were followed close behind by another star soccer player, Cristiano Ronaldo, who took the top spot in 21 nations, while pop stars Nicki Minaj and Rihanna finished with 13 and 11 countries, respectively, allowing them to claim the next two highest spots on the list.

Check the interactive map below to see the results:

“We think that the summit on Nagorno Karabakh offered the presidents an important opportunity to meet face to face for the first time in over a year and to clarify their positions,” Spokesperson of the US Department of State John Kirby told a daily briefing.

“The presidents themselves recognized that the situation on the ground has deteriorated and expressed concern about civilian casualties caused by the use of heavy weapons. At their request, the Minsk Group co-chairs will continue to work on proposals to reduce the risk of violence. The co-chairs are also prepared to support a meeting of the presidents next year to continue their discussions on a settlement,” Kirby said.

“As a co-chair country, the United States remains firmly committed to mediating a peaceful resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” he said.

“We support proposals to reduce the risk of violence along the line of contact. Our Minsk Group co-chair, Ambassador Warlick, together with his Russian and French counterparts, continues to discuss these – all these measures with both sides. Another way to reduce tensions, we believe, is to increase people-to-people contacts, especially among the communities of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenians and Azerbaijanis live side by side for generations, and we believe that for peace to come, they will need to trust each other once again,” the Spokesman said.

Islamic State terrorists in Syria received all necessary materials to produce deadly sarin gas via Turkey, Turkish MP Eren Erdem has told , insisting there are grounds to believe a cover up has taken place.

The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) member, Erdem, brought up the issue for public discussion in parliament last week, citing evidence from an abruptly-closed criminal case. He accused Ankara of failing to investigate Turkish supply routes used to provide terrorists with toxic sarin gas ingredients.

“There is data in this indictment. Chemical weapon materials are being brought to Turkey and being put together in Syria in camps of ISIS which was known as Iraqi Al Qaeda during that time,” Erdem told RT.

Sarin gas is a military-grade chemical that was used in a notorious attack on Ghouta and several other neighborhoods near the Syrian capital of Damascus in 2013. The attacks were pinned on the Syrian leadership, who in turn agreed to get rid of all chemical weapons stockpiles under a UN-brokered deal amid an imminent threat of US intervention.

 

US rock band Eagles of Death Metal have appeared on stage in Paris, less than a month after deadly attacks during their performance in the French capital, the BBC reports.

The band took to the stage to perform at the end of a U2 concert at the AccorHotels Arena.

“They were robbed of their stage three weeks ago and we would like to offer them ours tonight,” said singer Bono.

Ninety of the 130 people who died in the 13 November attacks were killed at the concert at the Bataclan venue.

Bono embraced Eagles of Death Metal singer Jesse Hughes ahead of an emotional joint rendition of Patti Smith’s People Have The Power.

EODM then performed I Love You All The Time.

An appearance by the Eagles of Death Metal at the 16,000-capacity arena had been heavily rumoured.

Turkey has entered the war on the side of the Islamic State, the Vice President of the Italian Senate Roberto Calderoli said after a Russian Su-24 jet was downed over Syria with an air-to-air missile launched by a Turkish F-16 fighter, Sputnik News reports.

On Tuesday morning a Russian Su-24 fighter jet crashed in Syria with two people aboard. Ankara claims Turkish F-16s shot down the plane because it violated the country’s airspace. Contrary to Turkey’s accusations, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the aircraft was 0.6 miles away from Turkey when it was shot down.

“Turkey has officially entered the war on the side of ISIS by downing at the order of [President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan a Russian aircraft which has participated in operations against Islamic terrorists in Syria,” the leading member of the Northern League (Lega Nord) Party wrote on his Facebook page.

According to Calderoli, Turkey is a “’Trojan Horse’ with which assistance the Islamic fundamentalism would like to take a clear shot at the West.”

“Why is Turkey still in NATO after what happened? What else can be expected of the UN apart from taking a strong stand on ISIS and its allies?” Calderoli wondered.

The politician has also criticized Rome’s official stance.

“The Government [of Matteo Renzi] is on the wrong side with [German Chancellor Angela] Merkel, instead of taking the side of Putin in this war to defend our values, our freedom and our traditions,” Calderoli wrote.

Photo: Donat Sorokin/TASS

 

Iran’s ambassador to Russia said on Monday that Moscow had started the procedure of supplying Tehran with S-300 anti-missile rocket system, according to the Tasnim news agency.

Russia and Iran signed a contract for Moscow to supply Tehran with S-300 surface-to-air missile systems on Nov. 9.

“Iran and Russia signed a new contract and the procedure of delivery of S-300 has started,” Iran’s Ambassador to Russian Mehdi Sanaei was quoted as saying by Tasnim.

Photo: Handout/RIA Novosti/Getty Images

 

A joint missile Russian-Armenian air defense system will put the brakes on Azerbaijan’s goal of retaking Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent territories, Stratfor said as it analyzed the motives behind the Russian-Armenian air defense deal. Excerpts from the analysis are provided below.

On Nov. 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed his government to sign an agreement with Armenia to create a joint missile air defense system in the region. Not long after, the Armenian government confirmed that Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev is expected to visit Armenia in late November to officially sign the air defense system deal.

The move, though reminiscent of Moscow’s actions in Central Asia and Belarus in previous years, comes at a time when Russia is being forced to respond to a wider array of challenges than ever before. Threats are rising from the Near East, while the West is ramping up its military activities in Georgia and Nagorno-Karabakh moves closer to changing its political status.

And as Russia increases its military presence in Armenia, its competition with major regional powers for influence in the South Caucasus will intensify, adding to the growing list of issues Russia must contend with outside its borders.

An expanding military presence will put Russia in direct competition with Turkey’s ambitions in the South Caucasus and Georgia’s cooperation with NATO and U.S. forces. It will also put the brakes on Azerbaijan’s goal of retaking Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent territories.

For Armenia’s part, the joint air defense deal comes at an opportune time. Its government has received mounting criticism from Armenian politicians and media amid a growing belief that the country’s membership in the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization and its reliance on Russia as a security guarantor have yielded few results, particularly as Azerbaijan pursues a more assertive military posture around Nagorno-Karabakh.

Under the new agreement, Armenian air defenses will be strengthened, and the country will likely see new air defense equipment, radios, radar systems and combat helicopters deployed to its territory. Armenian Minister of Territorial Administration and Emergency Situations Armen Yeritsyan also recently announced that the Stepanavan Airport, located a mere 20 kilometers (about 12 miles) from the Armenia-Georgia border, will host Russian Mi-24 and KA-32 heavy helicopters starting in 2016. While these aircraft do not amount to a projection of Russian force because of their limited range, they do reflect the Kremlin’s broader policy of boosting its air capabilities in Armenia — a process that dates back to January 2014, when Russia announced that it would strengthen Armenia’s Erebuni Airport with Mi-24P, Mi-8MT and Mi-8SMV helicopters. Along a similar vein, Nagorno-Karabakh’s president has said Russian forces may use his region’s Stepanakert Airport for air operations, an offer that may be in response to the recent uptick in air cooperation between Armenia and Russia.

Russia’s growing military presence in the South Caucasus will be especially worrisome to Turkey and Azerbaijan, Armenia’s longtime rivals in the region. The two countries have ramped up their joint military exercises with Georgia over the past year, posing a heightened threat to Armenia, whose strategic position is already weak. Since Turkey already had less ability than Russia to project power into the South Caucasus, the Kremlin’s recent moves will only increase the gap between Russian and Turkish influence there, thus intensifying their competition for sway in the wider region.

Meanwhile, Russia’s stronger aerial presence in Armenia could alter the military balance of power between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani politicians have already voiced concerns about the air defense agreement, and on Nov. 11 — the same day Putin gave his orders to sign the deal — Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev visited his country’s S-300 anti-aircraft missile brigade, the unit responsible for Azerbaijan’s aerial defenses.

The timing of the deal is significant for a number of reasons. First, it signals Russia’s response to recent developments in the ongoing standoff between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh. As talks progress on Armenia handing over to Azerbaijan several regions adjacent to the breakaway territory, Russia will boost its military presence in the South Caucasus to ensure the security of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh and to make any further territorial concessions more politically palatable to Yerevan. Second, as Russia becomes more involved in the Syrian conflict, Moscow is keen to increase its ability to monitor its southern borders — a goal that a military presence in Armenia, with its proximity to the Middle East, is ideally suited to achieve.

About 70 cases of ceasefire violation by the Azerbaijani side were registered at the line of contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan overnight.

The rival used weapons of different caliber, including 60mm mortars as it fired more than 900 shots in the direction of the Armenian positions.

The activeness of the rival was pressured as a result of retaliatory measures taken by the NKR Defense Army.

The Armenian troops confidently continue with their military duty all along the line of contact, the NKR Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

Two of Hyderabad’s most famous Armenians, Albert Abid and Alexander Jacob, are not buried at the Armenian cemetery in Uppuguda. But the cemetery is preparing to enlighten people on the role of the two Armenians in the 16 and 17 century After lying in a state of neglect for decades, the Armenian cemetery, will be opened to public shortly, reports.

The Department of Archaeology and Museums, which is the custodian of the cemetery, renovated the premises some months ago.

“ A caretaker will be posted at the cemetery to look after its maintenance,” said Sunita M. Bhagwath, Director, Archaeology and Museums Department.

Armenians came to India between 16th and 17th centuries as traders travelling through Persia, Afghanistan and Tibet. “A large number of Armenians settled in Hyderabad during the 17th century. Though there are no written records of their activities, traditions and social conditions , the Armenian epitaphs acknowledge their presence,” M.A. Qayyum, former Deputy Director Archaeology and Museums said.

There are about 20 graves in the cemetery, 19 are of Armenians and one is of a Dutch trader.

The graves of two priests Rev Johannes, who died in 1680, and Rev. Margar, who died in 1724, are also here. A single dome on the premises representing the Qutb Shahi style of architecture and two mandapa-like structures, one square and the other octagonal, are distinct features of the cemetery.

The existence of the cemetery of Armenians was brought to light by Mohammed Ziauddin Ahmed Shakeb, a historian from the city in 1970.

“Dr. Shakeb chanced upon a letter written by British Resident W. Haig in Hyderabad to a government official in 1907 about the Armenian cemetery. Soon, officials were informed about it and the place was identified,” Qayyum explained.

The department spent around Rs. 25 lakh for renovating the place. Wild shrubs were cleared and the height of the compound wall has been increased. The authorities took care to see that the wall was renovated using granite, lime and mortar to keep in tune with the character of the precinct.

The tough task ahead for them is to see that the basalt stones with Armenian engravings on the graves are restored. “We will be seeking the help of experts for the job,” Ms. Bhagwath said. Historians suggest that the government seek the Armenian authorities’ help in establishing the identity of all those who are buried here.