Author: Hambik Zargarian

The Armenian national team will face Montenegro on November 11 in a 2018 World Cup qualifier.

The fixture will take place at Republican Stadium in Yerevan, the kick-off is at 21:00.

US President Barack Obama is set to meet his successor Donald Trump in the Oval Office for talks aimed at ensuring a smooth transition of power, the BBC reports.

However, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in several cities to voice their opposition to Mr Trump.

They shouted the slogan “Not my President”, a term that was also trending on social media.

Mr Trump will become the 45th US president after securing a surprise victory over Hillary Clinton.

Mr Obama – who had branded Mr Trump “unfit” for office and campaigned against him – urged all Americans to accept the result of Tuesday’s election.

“We are now all rooting for his success in uniting and leading the country,” he said.

Defeated Mrs Clinton also told supporters Mr Trump had to be given a “chance to lead”.

About 35 cases of ceasefire violation by the Azerbaijani side were registered at the line of contact with the Karabakh forces last night.

The rival used firearms of different calibers as it fired over 6,100 shots in the direction of the Armenian positions, the NKR Defense Ministry reports.

The Azerbaijani side used DShK large-caliber machine guns (1,160 shots) in the southern direction.

The front divisions of the NKR Defense Army resorted to response actions to pressure the activeness of the rival and confidently continued with their military duty.

President Serzh Sargsyan sent today a congratulatory message to Antonio Guterres on his election as Secretary General of the United Nations.

“It is gratifying and inspiring that the responsible mission of leading the global Organization is assumed by a professional statesman such as yourself who has a decades-long experience in the national as well as international areas. Your wisdom, knowledge and abilities are in great demand particularly now when the international peace, security, and development are going through a turbulent period of time. I have no doubt that your skillful leadership will strengthen the structure of the United Nation and move forward its agenda items. I wish you every success in this difficult and important mission.

I would like to express Armenia’s and my own support to you with the anticipation that we will have many opportunities for cooperation. Armenia will undoubtedly continue to bring her input to the implementation of the goals and aspirations of the United Nations,” reads the congratulatory message of the President of Armenia.

A commuter train has crashed into a rail station in the city of Hoboken, in the US state of New Jersey, the BBC reports.

The New Jersey emergency management system reports more than 100 people have been injured and others are trapped.

Emergency crews have arrived. Photos on social media show extensive damage to the train carriage and station.

A local radio station anchor said the train went through ticket barriers and “into the reception area”.

Hoboken is seven miles outside New York City. Many use the station to travel into Manhattan.

The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) should broaden cooperation in defense and security, Russia’s Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov said on Thursday, TASS reports.

“Taking into consideration that the situation on the external borders of the Commonwealth is far from being stable, we have a common task not to allow the spread of terrorism to the CIS space,” Gerasimov told a meeting of the Committee of Chiefs of Staff of CIS member states.

“In this uneasy situation it is necessary to broaden cooperation in the sphere of defense and security,” the general said, adding that the military cooperation in the CIS format “allows successful cooperation in a broad range of areas.”

The International Army Games, the International military-technical forum “ARMY-2016” and other joint events held earlier this year show great possibilities and prospects of the military cooperation of the CIS countries, he said.

The legal basis for this is a concept of military cooperation of the CIS member-states up to 2020 approved by the CIS Council of Heads of State, he reminded. “The concept envisages strengthening our armed forces, maintaining national security and developing good neighborly relations.”

The CIS, a regional organization formed during the collapse of the Soviet Union, now consists of nine countries – Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Turkmenistan and Ukraine are associate members.

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Armenia’s independence, Acting Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan and Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces visited the Yerablur Pantheon today to pay tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for the sake of freedom and independence of the Motherland. They were accompanied by the senior leadership of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia.

 

– A well-known Spokane doctors has been helping patients for more than 40 years but now he need your help.

Hrair Garabedian is trying to track down family heirlooms recently stolen by a burglar. Among the items taken was a medal personally given to him by the President of Armenia for his volunteer work in the country.

Garabedian said it happened back on August 23. In a matter of moments, he said they made off with jewelry, family heirlooms and a medal only owned by a few people on earth.

“They fill up everything in the pillow case and take off,” he explained.

Garabedian has been a doctor in Spokane for 45 years. He is a congenital heart specialist at Providence Sacred Heart and has also served as a pediatric heart specialist. Over the years he figures he’s treated roughly 60,000 to 70,000 patients. He also volunteers lot of his time, and medical expertise to Armenia. In 2012, the Armenian President recognized Garabedian for his efforts with a medal. A medal only given to one person each year.

“It means so much to me. Some of them, like the medal is just made of bronze, it’s not worth anything, but it’s worth a lot to me,” Garabedian said.

Police arrested the suspected burglar,Reuben Miller. Court documents show Miller he gave an ex-girlfriend two rings that he stole from the house and she told police. Officers were able to recover some jewelry from a Pawn Shop, but Garabedian said thousands of dollars’ worth of Armenian jewelry are still missing. Now, he is asking for help tracking some of it down.

Garabedian was very complementary of Spokane Police and their efforts in this case. He is just hoping that if someone comes across his medal or some of the jewelry, that they will come forward. If you know anything that can help, you’re urged to contact Spokane Police.

Jailed member of the Sasna Tsrer group Arayik Khandoyan will run in local self-government elections. The Central electoral Commission has registered him as a candidate for the head of Tsakhkahovit community.

Arayik Khandoyan will compete with acting head of the community Yervand Khachatryan representing the Republican Party of Armenia, Horayr Hakobyan. Ashot Hakobyan (representing the Prosperous Armenia Party) withdrew his candidacy immediately after Arayik Khandoyan was registered.

The elections will take place on September 18.

Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili has thanked the country’s State Security Service (SSS) for  that had the potential to instigate a major threat, Agenda.ge reports.

Kvirikashvili’s comments come several hours after a special briefing by the SSS, which revealed the agency had taken definitive action to prevent a terrorist attack on several sections of the Russia-Armenia pipeline that goes through Georgian territory.

Kvirikashvili said thanks to the actions of the SSS, this “huge threat” was averted.

“I would like to take this opportunity to express gratitude to each person involved in this operation, as a major disaster was averted. Making such timely and effective decisions and actions is of utmost importance,” said the PM.

He refused to make any further comment as an investigation is now underway into the incident.

Earlier today the SSS announced seven people had been arrested for attempting to blow up several sections of the gas pipeline, located in at Saguramo Village about 21km from Georgia’s capital Tbilisi.

The people were arrested and charged with terrorism-related offences on August 20 moments before they were due to blow up the pipeline.

Five people were charged with organizing a terrorist act, illegal purchase and possession of explosives and military weapons. The other two were charged with other illegalities in relation to the case.