Author: Jane Topchian

The Freedom House has ranked Armenia as a “free”country in its annual   report.

“Internet freedom remained largely uninhibited in the past year, though Armenia’s overall score declined somewhat after police physically attacked journalists livestreaming protests in Yerevan,” the report says.

“The past year in Armenia has been marked by periods of civil unrest and regional conflict. However, historically the internet has remained relatively free in Armenia, with gradual improvements in infrastructure and accessibility connecting more of the population. Activists regularly use social media as a tool to promote their causes, and opposition and independent media flourish online,” the Freedom House says.

Armenia’s neighbor Georgia is also a “fee”cuntry, while Azerbaijan is “partly free. Turkey  and Iran are both ranked as “not free.”

Armenia’s partners in the Eurasian Economic Union Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan are all rated as “not free,” Kyrgyzstan is “partly free.”

Estonia and Iceland top the ranking. Other countries rated as “free” include Canada, the United States, Germany, Australia, Japan, United Kingdom, France, Georgia, Italy, South Africa, Philippines, Argentina, Hungary, Kenya and Armenia. Chine, Syria and Iran are at the bottom of the list.

Freedom on the Net provides analytical reports and numerical scores for 65 countries worldwide.

The Freedom on the Net index measures each country’s level of internet and digital media freedom based on a set of methodology questions developed in consultation with international experts to capture the vast array of relevant issues that enable internet freedom.

Given increasing technological convergence, the index also measures access and openness of other digital means of transmitting information, particularly mobile phones and text messaging services.

Germany‘s ruling coalition has backed Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier as the country’s next president, party sources said Monday, paving the way for a sharp critic of Donald Trump to become head of state, AFP reports.

Party leaders have been wrangling for months over whom to nominate as a potential successor to President Joachim Gauck, a 76-year-old former pastor from the ex-communist East Germany who is stepping down due to his advanced age.

On Monday, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) agreed on Germany‘s most popular politician, Steinmeier, whose name had been put forward by his Social Democratic Party (SPD).

The third party in the coalition — the CDU’s Bavarian allies CSU — backed the decision soon after.

“Now it’s official,” a CSU party source told AFP.

The new president — a figure who is meant to transcend party politics and serve as a moral standard bearer for the nation — will be elected on February 12 by a special assembly of MPs, delegates from Germany‘s 16 federal states and other notables.

Jose Mourinho has told that Luke Shaw and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are available for selection ahead of Manchester United’s Premier League blockbuster at Liverpool on Monday. 

Shaw has not featured since suffering an injury during the 3-1 defeat to Watford at Vicarage Road on 18 September, which has since led to Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind both filling in at left-back.

Summer signing Mkhitaryan last appeared in the Manchester derby on 10 September, but the six-time Armenian Player of the Year has now recovered full fitness in time for the trip to Anfield. He notably scored on Merseyside last season when visiting with former club Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League.

Mourinho revealed both players are available when talking to MUTV at the Aon Training Complex on Friday, when he also confirmed that all of his international players have returned to United without injury.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan missed the international break as he continued his recovery from a thigh problem.

The French Senate just voted 156 to 146 to pass a bill criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide of 1915, LaProvence.com reports.

The text is consistent with that adopted by the National Assembly.

On October 14 the Armenian Foreign Ministry will host a joint sitting of the CSTO Council of Foreign Ministers, Council of Defense Ministers and Council of National Security Secretaries, Press Service of the Armenian ministry of Foreign Affairs informs.

The meeting will take place ahead of the sitting of the CSTO Collective Security Council.

A number of documents are expected to be signed at the conclusion of the sitting.

The former Israeli PM and president, Shimon Peres, has died aged 93, the BBC reports.

He suffered a stroke two weeks ago and his condition improved before a sudden deterioration on Tuesday.

His son Chemi led tributes to “one of the founding fathers of the state of Israel” who “worked tirelessly” for it.

Mr Peres, who was one of the last of a generation of Israeli politicians present at the new nation’s birth in 1948, served twice as the country’s prime minister and once as president.

He won the Nobel Peace prize in 1994 for his role negotiating peace accords with the Palestinians a year earlier.

He once said the Palestinians were Israel’s “closest neighbours” and might become its “closest friends”.

Mr Peres died in a hospital near Tel Aviv early on Wednesday, with his family at his bedside.

He had been in the intensive care unit of the Sheba Medical Centre after suffering a major stroke on 13 September.

The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs look forward to progress on key issues of Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement process.

“Meetings with the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan on Nagorno Karabakh peace process have concluded in New York. We look forward to progress on key issues,” US Co-Chair of the Minsk Group James Warlick said in a Twitter post.

The Minsk Group Co-Chairs held meetings with Armenia’s Acting Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov on the sidelines of the 71^st session of the UN General Assembly.

Beyonce was the big winner at last night’s MTV VMAs in New York, the BBC reports. 

The singer scooped seven awards in total including the prestigious prize for video of the year for the track Formation.

“First of all I’d like to thank my beautiful daughter and my incredible husband for all of their support,” she said during one acceptance speech.

Held annually, the VMAs, rewards musicians for their visual efforts.

This year’s ceremony was held at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Beyonce, who was nominated for eight awards, also went home with the prize for Best Female Video, Best Direction and Best Cinematography.

She was presented with one of her awards by four members of the U.S. Olympic gymnastics team.

The 34-year-old rounded off an impressive night with a 16 minute medley of songs taken from her latest album, Lemonade.

Other winners included Calvin Harris, Fifth Harmony and Drake.

David Bowie meanwhile was posthumously rewarded, the late singer’s album Blackstar won the Best Art Direction accolade.

Rihanna was honoured on the night with the, Michael Jackson Vanguard Award, which recognizes an artist’s entire catalogue of work. Canadian rapper Drake presented Rihanna with her trophy.

 

On July 21, in accordance with the arrangement reached with the authorities of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, the OSCE Mission conducted a planned monitoring of the Line of Contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan, in the northern direction of Martakert.

From the positions of the NKR Defense Army, the monitoring was conducted by Field Assistant of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Khristo Khristov (Bulgaria) and Personal Assistant to the Personal Representative of the CiO Simon Tiller (Great Britain).

From the opposite side of the Line of Contact, the monitoring was conducted by Field Assistant of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Jiri Aberle (Czech Republic) and staff member of the Office Peter Svedberg (Sweden).

The monitoring passed in accordance with the agreed schedule. No violation of the cease-fire regime was registered. However, the Azeri side did not lead the OSCE mission to its front-lines.

From the Karabakh side, the monitoring mission was accompanied by representatives of the NKR Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense.