Author: Tatoyan Vazgen

Photo: Getty Images

Prosecutors in Brazil are recommending that football star Neymar be charged over four counts of fraud in relation to a tax case prior to his transfer to Barcelona in 2013, the BBC reports.

It is alleged that companies were set up as fronts in order for the striker to pay a lower rate of tax.

Officials in Brazil say the allegations against the Barcelona striker cover a seven-year period from 2006.

The allegations are separate from a case heard in Spain on Tuesday.

Neymar appeared in court in Madrid in connection with fraud allegations surrounding his transfer. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

On 19 January Permanent Representative of the Republic of Armenia to the United Nations, Ambassador Zohrab Mnatsakanyan today delivered a statement at the Security Council Open Debate on “Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict”.

In his statement Ambassador Mnatsakanyan stressed, that Armenia shares the concern of the Secretary General about the disturbing challenges for the protection of civilians in conflict-affected areas, which remain persistent as ever. While the humanitarian aspects of affected populations are of high concern, basic physical security of civilians continues to be wracked. The persistently rising numbers of civilian casualties call for a resolute action.

Ambassador Mnatsakanyan also emphasized, that the question of accountability requires amplified consolidation of the Council in demonstrating resolve against parties, responsible for denying basic security or humanitarian relief to affected populations. The idea of enabling the UN peace operations with a mandate for a preventive, protective and tactical use of force to protect civilians under threat of physical violence needs to be given thorough consideration. The reputation of the Organisation is judged not by words of condemnation, but by deliverable protection. Strengthening the capacities of field missions, including those of the relevant regional organizations, remains an on-going priority. Last, but not least, protection of civilians in armed conflicts is closely tied to the prevention of mass atrocities, including the crime of genocide. A culture of assessing every crisis situation affecting civilian populations through the prism of massive crimes, including the crime of genocide, should be further cultivated within the Organization, – underscored Zohrab Mnatsakanyan.

The Ambassador of Armenia referred to the recent situation in the region, stressing that Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh have been experiencing significant challenges to the security of its civilian populations as a result of the on-going disregard by Azerbaijan to respecting and upholding the 1994 cease-fire agreement. Increasingly, Azerbaijan continues to target civilians across the line of contact with Nagorno Karabakh and the border with Armenia. As a result of intensified cease-fire violations and massive shelling of populated areas with the unprecedented use of heavy artillery, considerable damage has been inflicted on the livelihoods of the bordering villages. In September 2015 three women were killed by Azerbaijani fire. Armenia strongly deplores the purposeful acts of Azerbaijan to violate the cease-fire regime and damage the on-going peace process within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship. Once again, Armenia urges Azerbaijan to heed the calls of the international community and agree without delay to establish an investigative mechanism into the cease-fire violations, and to withdraw snipers. By rejecting such mechanism, Azerbaijan bears full responsibility for the violations and the escalation of tensions.

In conclusion, Ambassador Mnatsakanyan underlined, that the on-going negotiations for the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship is a positive example of effective utilization of the capacity of regional organizations in conflict resolution. Armenia highly commends the support of the international community, of the United Nations and of the Secretary General rendered to the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairmanship in the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. He stressed that Azerbaijan should be denied the attempts to undermine the efforts of the Co-chairs or to engage in forum and mediation shopping.

The Open debated was presided by José Luis Cancela, Deputy Foreign Minister of Uruguay. Representatives of about eighty state members, including Deputy Foreign Ministers of Spain and Ukraine, as well Jan Eliasson, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Christine Beerli, Vice-President of the International Committee of the Red Cross took part in the Debate.

Photo: AFP    

A clinical trial of a new drug in France has left one person brain-dead and another five people in hospital, the health minister says, the BBC reports.

The oral trial was being conducted by a private laboratory in the north-western city of Rennes, Marisol Touraine said.

The trial has been suspended and the firm is recalling the volunteers. It is unclear how many people are involved.

Media reports that the drug is a cannabis-based painkiller have been denied by the health ministry.

The Paris prosecutor’s office said an investigation had been opened.

The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region proudly announced the official establishment of the Walter and Laurel Karabian Foundation for Public Policy. Housed under the ANCA-WR, the Foundation will be the first Sacramento based fellowship program of its kind with the goal of preparing the next generation of Armenian-American policy leaders.

“The ANCA-WR has been looking to establish such a program in Sacramento for many years, and Mr. Karabian’s generosity has finally enabled us to do so. Throughout his life, Mr. Karabian has mentored countless young individuals, paving the way and guiding them in their pursuit of higher education, community service and public office, and it is only fitting that his legacy and work continue through this fellowship program,” noted ANCA WR Chair Nora Hovsepian. “We are grateful to Mr. Karabian for entrusting us with this unique program that will serve our community for generations to come and will empower our youth to seek careers in public policy,” added Hovsepian.

Initially announced in late October in front of over 1,400 supporters, donors, and activists during the ANCA-WR Annual Gala Banquet where the Honorable Walter Karabian was honored with the ANCA WR Legacy Award, the fellowship program is geared toward recent college graduates and is made possible by the Karabian family’s generous funding.

“Having been a legislator and leading a productive life in politics, I know firsthand the value of programs that will develop the next generation of leaders,” stated Karabian. “The ANCA-WR is the leading Armenian advocacy organization and has a strong track record of deliverables, which include internship and externship programs for the youth in the community. For this reason, it is my honor to help plant the seeds for a much needed public policy program for our youth in the Golden State’s Capital. I am confident that under the supervision of the ANCA-WR, this program will expand and flourish in coming years to produce a generation of new policy leaders,” added Karabian.

“It has been a wonderful, productive, and glorious life for me, and I gratefully accept this honor. Do I have any regrets? Yes, several, but only two loom large in my memory. I wish my wonderful wife Laurel could be with us tonight. Having left us a year ago, she would have loved this evening and the continuation of the Armenian Nationalism of her father, Arshag Dickranian. I also regret the fact that I was not persuasive enough to convince George Deukmejian to pardon Hampig Sassounian.”
—Walter Karabian speaking at the ANCA-WR 2015 Anuual Banquet

The year-long fellowship will be divided into two six month long phases. During the first six months, fellows will work on public policy related matters in Sacramento ranging from state office holders and administrative offices, to non-profit organizations, advocacy groups, labor unions and consulting firms. During the second six months, fellows will work exclusively for one legislator in the Assembly or Senate.

In addition to the projects assigned to them by supervisors at the various offices or agencies, fellows will be required to attend networking events and weekly seminars throughout the year, providing professional training, networking skills, and opportunities to meet other professionals within the public policy sector.

Participants will need to make a commitment of at least one year and will be provided a stipend to assist with housing and living costs.

Applications and additional details will soon be forthcoming.

Born in Fresno, California, Walter Karabian is the oldest son of John Karabian and Zevart Shishmanian. Karabian’s paternal family arrived in Fresno in 1896 from Bitlis, and his maternal family was from Dikranagert in Turkish-occupied Armenia.

Karabian graduated from Roosevelt High School in Fresno and later continued his education at the University of Southern California, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in History, a Masters Degree in Public Administration and a Juris Doctorate from USC Law School. He was also elected Junior Class President and Student Body President, becoming one of the most successful graduates in that era.

“Little Zevart Shishmanian was walking to school on her first day in rural Sanger, California, 1916. When she arrived at Bethel School, she could not understand her teacher and her teacher could not understand her. Frustrated with a lack of options, the teacher put her in a class for the mentally retarded. She fought her way out ofthat class with a determination to be an excellent English speaker. When Zevart married Hovhannes Karabian in Fresno, they became John and Gladys Karabian. She gave her children the names Walter, Lawrence and Patricia, and she refused to speak Armenian in the house in front of her children. The scarring from the episode in rural Bethel School was deep and permanent. When I arrived in the legislature in 1967, having heard these stories from my youth, one of the first pieces of legislation I introduced was if you were going to test somebody for IQ purposes, you had to test them in their home language. Governor Reagan signed it into law and the burden of being forced to provide IQ testing in the home language was so great that the IQ test was quickly phased out of existence.”

After completing his education, Karabian served as Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County for two years. Soon after, Karabian became an active political figure in the Democratic Party and focused on a career in politics. In 1966, he was one of the youngest men to ever be elected to the California State Assembly and only the third American-Armenian to be elected to public office in the history of the United States.

While a member of the Legislature, Karabian published various articles and gained a reputation as a significant legal author as well as Legislator. He made substantial contributions to the development of California law concerning crime, prison reform, education, civil rights, free speech, and the preservation of endangered species in California. Notably, Karabian used his influence to bring awareness to the Armenian Genocide in California. In 1967, at a time when most people were not aware of the Genocide, Karabian authored the first resolution commemorating the Armenian Genocide in the State Assembly, paving the way for future successes through the community’s activism, including for Armenian Genocide recognition and education.

In 1972, Karabian introduced California’s ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment which was designed to guarantee equal rights to women. Karabian also authored the first Freedom Act protecting sources of news information, the Endangered Species Act, which preceded the National Endangered Species Act.

Based on the trauma endured by his mother when she was wrongly labeled as being mentally retarded as a child simply because she was unable to successfully take IQ tests in school because English was her second language, Karabian utilized his position in Sacramento to introduce legislation requiring that child IQ testing be completed in the child’s native language.

In 1972, he was selected to serve in the powerful position of Majority Leader. At the time, he was only 33 years old and became the youngest Majority Leader in California’s history. Later, he would become a member of the important Rules Committee.

Following the devastating 1988 earthquake in Armenia, all Armenian organizations in California joined together in a historic coalition to rush aid to our crippled Nation. Karabian was chosen as Chairman of the coalition which came to be known as the United Coordinating Committee for Armenian Earthquake Relief.

Continuing his life-long dedication to service, he is a Trustee of the George Ignatius Foundation. Since 1985, Karabian and his Co-Trustees of the George Ignatius Foundation have been responsible for donating discretionary fun
ds to Armenian organizations totaling over $5 million dollars.

Karabian’s dedication to the Armenian Cause is well-known throughout the world and has had a lasting impact over the Armenian community. In addition to countless other initiatives, Karabian is a founding member of the Armenian Bar Association and the Armenian Film Foundation.

Along with his partner John Karns, Karabian’s law firm earned a reputation for its political networks and legal aptitude, expending its time and resources to assist various institutions throughout the Armenian community by providing legal representation to ANCHA (American National Committee to Aid Homeless Armenians), the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church, AGBU, Holy Martyrs Armenian Ferrahian High School, Armenian Mesrobian School, and the Arshag Dickranian Armenian School where Karabian’s children attended.

Karabian has served on the USC Law Center’s Board of Councilors, is a life member of Legion Lex at the USC Law School, a life member of Scapa Praetors at the School of Public Administration, a life member of USC’s Presidential Associates, a member of the Widney Society for the million dollar donors at USC, and is a Pepperdine University Life Endowed Associate.

In 1988, Karabian married Laurel Dickranian at St. Sarkis Armenian Church in London. They were blessed with a daughter Madeline Araxie who is a senior at USC, double- majoring in Italian and Television Writing. His other children are Benjamin Karabian who is the Supervising Deputy City Attorney for Central Criminal Trials in the City of Los Angeles and Katharine Sarine Giovanardi. After 28 memorable years of marriage, Karabian lost his life partner when Laurel sadly passed away in late 2014. Laurel was the youngest daughter of benefactors Mr. and Mrs. Arshag and Eleanor Dickranian of Beverly Hills whose resourcefulness and dedication have positively impacted nearly every major Armenian organization both locally and abroad.

The organizers of the International Music Festival of Muhammad, the Prophet of Kindness (S) plan to honor three prominent, world renowned musicians during the closing ceremony on Monday, reports.

French composer Maurice Jarre (1924–2009), mostly known for his composition for Syrian-American director Moustapha Akkad’s “The Message” (1976), Oscar-winning Indian composer A. R. Rahman, the composer of “Muhammad (S), the Messenger of God”, Majid Majidi’s epic on the Prophet of Islam, and Iranian-Armenian composer and conductor Loris Tjeknavorian are the three honorees.

The Art and Cultural Organization of the Tehran Municipality has established the festival to celebrate the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad (S), which falls on December 29 this year, music director of the organization Babak Rabukheh told the Persian service of MNA on Saturday.

“A number of musicians attending the festival will be performing a new composition of the music from the film “Muhammad (S), the Messenger of God”, with my own arrangement at the closing ceremony,” Rabukheh added.

The closing ceremony will be held in Bahman Cultural Center on the eve of the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad (S) on Monday.

On the occasion of New Year and Holly Christmas, President Serzh Sargsyan held today a reception at the Presidential Palace for the representatives of mass media. Serzh Sargsyan congratulated journalists present at the reception on the approaching holidays and in their person all journalists and employees of mass media of Armenia, their families and wished them good health, happiness and success in all their undertakings.
Congratulatory remarks by President Serzh Sargsyan at the New Year reception for journalists
Dear Journalists, representatives of mass media,
I congratulate you on the occasion of the New Year and Holly Christmas.

The passing year has been dramatic and full of events, as well as unique and momentous for the history of our country and our nation. Through your daily life you are recording that history, report on the events in the country, reveal problems and very often show the way to move forward. In my opinion, this year you have performed your mission very efficiently, and I thank you for that.

I thank you first of all for your efforts and huge amount of work carried out during the events dedicated to the centennial of the Armenian Genocide. Thanks to yours and your colleagues’ professional activities we have been able to make Armenia’s and Armenian people’s commitment to the prevention of genocides, restoration of the rights of the people who suffered genocide, and establishment of historical justice more recognizable for the international community. You have revealed the all-human nature of our struggle. At the same time you succeeded in presenting to our society and international community solidarity of the progressive mankind and of the healthy stratum of the Turkish society the pain and dreams of our people.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Constitutional changes – a milestone on our country’s path towards building a more democratic and more developed state. I take this opportunity to express gratitude to you for your professional, conscientious and active work throughout the process, which manifested itself first in representing broadly a score of pros and cons, and later in registering and finger pointing violations which took place in the precincts during the referendum. I have no doubt that but for your professional dedication and sense of responsibility the entire process of changes wouldn’t have been so inclusive.

Dear journalists,

Throughout this year many of you occasionally countered difficulties in fulfilling your mission and overcame them with honor. There has been one particular instance, of course, that didn’t correspond to the ideas of journalistic freedom which our society and authorities have established consensus on long ago. It is gratifying that the response was identical from every side. Over all, today we can state that journalistic freedom in our country is very close to the modern requirements, and this is a result of the mutual and persistent work, and is our achievement. Certainly, we may differ on the content of our contemporary journalism, its depth, or impartiality; we may come or not come to the agreement on the limits of admissible and inadmissible; we may reject the existence of limits. There are individuals who think that way, aren’t there? But this is another story. However there is one thing which we all have to agree on: free media is an asset, and on this we are on the right track.

Dear journalists,

We are entering year 2016 with great expectations and programs. At the same time, we all realize that our problems are far from being solved and there are still many things to do to make our country the country of our dreams. Our experience shows that it can be achieved only through the joint work, and the journalistic community and mass media should take part in it.

I once again congratulate you on New Year and Holly Christmas. I wish that next year you fulfill your activities with the great sense of professional duty; I wish you remain principled and persistent. I wish you and your families happiness, and I wish success to all your undertakings.

Happy New Year and Holly Christmas!

Photos by The Associated Press

The Associated Press – Just days before she died with Dr. Jack Kevorkian’s assistance, Merian Frederick could not speak or hold up her head without help from her daughter, Carol Poenisch.

On a video recorded by Kevorkian in 1993, Poenisch steadies Frederick’s Lou Gehrig’s disease-ravaged body as she signs a form requesting help to die “in the most humane, rapid and painless manner” possible. Then, Poenisch reads words just penned by her mother that convey her final, fervent, wish: “My tears should not be taken as an indication that I am in doubt.”

The videotaped interview, clinically labeled “Medicide: File 8,” is one of many in a new archive at Kevorkian’s alma mater, The University of Michigan. It’s been digitized and included in one of nine boxes stored in the stacks of the Bentley Historical Library in Ann Arbor — available for the first time as legislation supporting physician-assisted deaths makes gains in the U.S.

Poenisch was among the first to visit the archive, a gift donated by Ava Janus, his niece and sole heir. It spans from 1911 to 2014 and includes correspondence and manuscript drafts, and files on assisted suicides, including medical histories, photographs, video and audio.

“It did bring emotions. … I was kind of happy to have that behind me because it was such a crazy time,” Poenisch, a Detroit-area physical education teacher, told The Associated Press. “I was kind of amused, looking at some of his history, hoping this would benefit somebody someday.”

Kevorkian, a graduate of Michigan’s Medical School, died in 2011 in suburban Detroit at 83. He sparked the national right-to-die debate with a homemade suicide machine that helped end about 130 ailing people’s lives, using the term “medicide” to describe physician-assisted suicide. Kevorkian was convicted of second-degree murder in 1999 for assisting in the 1998 death of a Michigan man with Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was released from prison in 2007.

While rooted in the past, the archive has been unveiled at a time when the movement gains ground. In October, California became the fifth state — following Oregon, Washington, Vermont and Montana — where physician-assisted deaths are legal, and that’s made proponents of right-to-die legislation optimistic about possible successes elsewhere. Other bills are pending.

Where does the outspoken, unapologetic and now archived Kevorkian fit in the current debate? Some see him and his efforts at the center. Others, like Poenisch, praise his trailblazing but believe his approach — wearing costumes and plugging his ears in court, once talking to reporters with his head and wrists restrained in a medieval-style stock — was detrimental to him and the cause.

Poenisch said she hoped to find a deeper, fuller archive, including letters that she and others wrote to Kevorkian while in prison, and a journal he kept during his incarceration. What she viewed didn’t do much to change her mind.

“He was unpredictable — you didn’t know what he was going to do next. It was always a show,” she said. “Was he really doing it because he really believed in it, or did he really enjoy all of the attention he would get?”

“He would have had more respect if he had done in a more dignified way — (as a) dignified doctor, not a showman,” she added.

Others say the outlandishness was necessary. Mayer Morganroth, Kevorkian’s attorney and friend, said people who have said he had the right message but was the wrong messenger are missing the point.

“The only way to get out there was to be out there himself, go over the top,” Morganroth said.

Kevorkian’s ghoulish reputation is belied by the videotaped consultations in the archive. They show Kevorkian turning down many people seeking assistance and only signed on after he spoke to them and their family members and was assured of their terminal state.

That can be seen in interviews with Poenisch’s mother, Merian Fredericks, and an unidentified woman suffering from severe rheumatoid arthritis and other ailments. The 1994 interview shows the woman from the neck down, in a wheelchair, with her legs amputated and one eye removed.

She says that Kevorkian had “counseled me a couple years ago” and suggested that she should keep trying other remedies. Now, she tells him, “I am really full of despair because the pain can’t be controlled. And I’d really like an out.”

“None of us, of course, want to see her end her life,” Kevorkian says. “But it’s her decision.”

For lead archivist Olga Virakhovskaya, the collection sums up Kevorkian’s paradoxes and reflects his past and present influence.

“This conversation (on physician-assisted suicide) that we have as a nation is his legacy,” she said. “He was a controversial person, but he was a brilliant scientist.”

Photo by XL Recordings

With only three days to go before Adele’s new album, 25, hits the shelves, she has released a second song from the record, the BBC reports.

When We Were Young was recently described in The Guardian as the album’s “centrepiece” and “a standard in the making”.

It has the same combination of hope and melancholy that made Someone Like You a worldwide hit, without sounding like a facsimilie of that song.

The video, uploaded to YouTube this morning, sees Adele perform the track live at London’s Church studios, where some of 25 was recorded.

President Serzh Sargsyan joined hundreds of Armenians today to pay homage to the victims of the terrorist acts in Paris.

The President visited the France Square in capital Yerevan to lay flowers in memory of more than one hundred people killed in the attacks.

Hundreds of candles were lit to commemorate the victims of the worst attacks in the history of France.

Photo: AFP 2015/ KHALIL AL-MURSHIDI

At least 18 people were killed and 41 wounded when a suicide bomber detonated his explosive belt at the funeral of a pro-government Shi’ite Muslim fighter in a southwestern Baghdad district on Friday, police and medical sources said, Reuters reports.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, but the ultra-hardline Sunni militants of Islamic State who control large parts of the country’s north and west frequently set off bombs in the capital.