15:28,
YEREVAN, MAY 25, ARMENPRESS. According to the latest data, the number of people infected with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Iran has increased by 2,023, bringing the total number of cases to 137,724, the Armenian Embassy in Iran reported today.
34 more deaths have been registered in the past one day. The death toll has reached 7,451.
2,585 infected people are in serious condition.
1,912 more patients have recovered, raising the total number of recoveries to 107,713.
818,917 COVID-19 tests have been conducted in Iran so far.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
16:17,
YEREVAN, MAY 25, ARMENPRESS. Hearings on reports of 2019 activities of the public administration bodies continue in the government chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the PM’s Office told Armenpress.
Today, on May 25, Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan reported the PM on the 2019 activity of the ministry.
In particular, the minister reported the works carried out on the directions of Armenia’s foreign policy priorities. He touched upon the actions taken for the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the international recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide, the prevention of genocides and crimes against humanity, promotion of the agenda for protection of human rights, development of cooperation at bilateral and multilateral platforms. The minister said the Armenian diplomacy with its activity has affirmed that sovereignty is the most important principle of Armenia’s foreign policy and together with the two other principles – pan-Armenianism and mutual cooperation, it ensures the pursuit of the values and interests of the Armenian people at the international arena.
The FM introduced the steps taken to further develop the mutual partnership with Russia, the US, the countries of the European Union and the European continent, including with France and Germany, as well as with neighbors Georgia and Iran, the relations with the countries of various regions.
PM Pashinyan highlighted the development of relations with all partners and the implementation of consistent works aimed at fully utilizing and strengthening the potential of Armenia’s diplomatic service. He highlighted the necessity of expanding the economic component in the foreign policy process. “The foreign policy in all directions must be accompanied by presentation and involvement of economic projects”, he said. Nikol Pashinyan also emphasized the need to develop a new concept for fully utilizing the pan-Armenian potential, taking into account the changes and processes in the Diaspora in the past decades. He gave concrete tasks to the responsible officials over the foreign policy.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
15:59,
YEREVAN, MAY 25, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s minister of education, science, culture and sport Arayik Harutyunyan addressed a congratulatory message to the school graduates, the ministry told Armenpress.
The message says:
“Dear graduates, I congratulate you on the completion of the academic year. You are graduating from school in an exclusive situation when the risk of the spread of the novel coronavirus doesn’t allow to celebrate that important event together with your classmates and teachers. At the same time I am confident that the physical distance is a chance for you to deeply perceive and revalue all the values and knowledge you have got from your friends and teachers during these years.
I assure you that after the completion of the state of emergency you will celebrate together the beginning of this important stage of your life, making it more comprehensive and symbolic. I am full of hope that from the lessons you learnt in this situation you will also make unique your future, acquiring professional education and knowledge, developing your capacities and serving it for our country’s development and creation of a public good with your creative and dignified work. We are with you on this path, providing you great opportunities and conditions to develop the necessary capacities to continue your studies, get your beloved profession.
I warmly congratulate you and wish you numerous achievements at this new stage of life”.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
16:52,
STEPANAKERT, MAY 25, ARMENPRESS. Artsakh Republic President Arayik Harutyunyan on behalf of the Azat Hayreniq – UCA parties coalition led by him, signed a memorandum of cooperation with the United Homeland party leader Samvel Babayan, the President’s Office told Armenpress.
President Harutyunyan noted that cooperation between political powers is intended to preserve the solidarity in the country and make joint efforts on realizing the program strategies.
Arayik Harutyunyan also mentioned that the Azat Hayreniq – UCA parties coalition is ready to collaborate within the set agenda with other parliamentary and extra-parliamentary forces.
In his speech Samvel Babayan also considered the importance of cooperation underlining that it is demanded especially to effectively withstand the domestic and foreign challenges the homeland faces.
16:54,
YEREVAN, MAY 25, ARMENPRESS. The Court of Cassation has approved the General Prosecutor’s motion on overruling the convictions of 9 persons in the March 1 case.
The court overruled the convictions of Armen Avagyan, Masis Ayvazyan, Karen Tarkhanyan, Davit Aghayan, Vardan Jhangiryan, Armen Shahinyan, Davit Matevosyan, Khachik Gasparyan and Samvel Harutyunyan and found them not guilty of the crimes they were accused of and the criminal proceedings against them were dropped, General Prosecution spokesperson Gor Abrahamyan said on social media. All nine were protesters during the 2008 March 1 post-election unrest.
One more defendant, Aram Bareghamyan, had his conviction partly overruled and the case was sent back to the court of first instance for a new examination.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
17:35,
YEREVAN, 25 MAY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 25 May, USD exchange rate up by 0.76 drams to 483.00 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 1.36 drams to 526.57 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.05 drams to 6.76 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 1.46 drams to 588.54 drams.
The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.
Gold price up by 176.47 drams to 26919.97 drams. Silver price down by 2.76 drams to 263.99 drams. Platinum price down by 227.66 drams to 12966.56 drams.
Monday,
Former Security Chief Coy About Pashinian’s ‘Deal Offer’
• Sargis Harutyunyan
Armenia -- Former National Security Service Director Artur Vanetsian speaks to
journalists, .
Artur Vanetsian, the former head of Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS),
on Monday declined to confirm or deny claims that he had offered former
President Serzh Sarkisian’s fugitive son-in-law a far-reaching deal on behalf of
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.
Mikael Minasian, who had enjoyed considerable clout during Sarkisian’s
decade-long rule, claimed on May 2 that Pashinian offered to guarantee his and
his father’s immunity from prosecution if he pledges to pay cash and stop
challenging the Armenian government. He said Vanetsian personally communicated
Pashinian’s proposal to him during a February 2019 meeting held in Rome.
Pashinian has refused to comment on Minasian’s allegations, saying that they are
investigated by the Special Investigative Service (SIS). The law-enforcement
agency summoned Vanetsian for questioning on May 7. The latter reportedly
refused to give any testimony.
The SIS tried to question Vanetsian again on Monday. The former NSS chief, who
is now a bitter critic of Pashinian, gave no details of the interrogation when
he spoke to journalists after emerging from the SIS headquarters.
Asked whether what Minasian said is true, he said: “I neither refute it nor
refuse to refute it. I don’t comment.” He argued that he is not allowed to
breach “the secrecy of the investigation.”
Vanetsian claimed late last year that he met with Minasian on the prime
minister’s orders when he ran Armenia’s most powerful security service. He stood
by that statement on Monday but again did not elaborate.
“I can only say one thing: I acted solely within the bounds of my legal powers,”
Vanetsian told RFE/RL’s Armenian as he made his way into the SIS building.
Armenia -- Mikael Minasian.
Minasian, who now lives abroad, made the allegations one week after it emerged
that he was charged with illegal enrichment, false asset disclosure and money
laundering earlier this year. He rejected the accusations as politically
motivated.
Pashinian has repeatedly accused Minasian of illegally making a huge fortune
during Sarkisian’s rule.
A newspaper controlled by the prime minister alleged in January that Minasian
and Vanetsian have joined forces in a bid to topple him. Also, a spokeswoman for
Pashinian claimed late last month that “according to the government’s
information” Vanetsian abused his NSS position to buy Minasian’s minority stake
in Armenia’s largest mining company. Vanetsian strongly denied that.
Vanetsian resigned as NSS director last September after falling out with
Pashinian for still unclear reasons. He officially announced his entry into
politics in February, saying that he is setting up an opposition party for that
purpose.
In recent months, the former security chief has repeatedly accused Pashinian of
incompetence and misrule and called for his resignation.
Opposition Lawmakers Return To ‘Violent’ Parliament
• Gayane Saribekian
Armenia -- Pro-government and opposition deputies brawl on the parliament floor,
Yerevan, May 8, 2020.
The opposition Bright Armenia Party (LHK) ended on Monday a two-week boycott of
sessions of the parliament despite accusing its pro-government majority of not
renouncing violent responses to criticism.
LHK lawmakers walked out of the National Assembly on May 8 following a brawl
involving their leader Edmon Marukian and deputies from Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinian’s My Step bloc. One of those deputies, Sasun Mikaelian, punched
Marukian while the latter spoke on the parliament floor in the presence of
Pashinian and government ministers.
Pashinian deplored the violence but blamed it on LHK “provocations.” Marukian’s
party charged in response that he thereby “justified, legitimized and
encouraged” violence against his political opponents. It also demanded
Mikaelian’s resignation.
The ruling bloc responded by saying that Mikaelian will resign from the
parliament only if Marukian quits too.
The brawl prompted a preliminary inquiry by Armenia’s Special Investigative
Service (SIS). The law-enforcement body announced at the weekend that it cannot
indict anyone because neither Marukian nor any other parliamentarian suffered
multiple blows during the May 8 incident. Citing a “precedent-setting” ruling
handed down by the Court of Cassation in 2012, the SIS said that a “single blow
cannot be qualified as a beating.”
Armenia -- Bright Armenia Party leader Edmon Marukian at a news conference in
Yerevan, April 20, 2020.
The LHK rejected this explanation on Monday. It said footage of the incident
clearly shows that its leader was hit not only by Mikaelian but also two other
My Step deputies. In a statement, the opposition party also insisted that the
SIS has enough evidence to bring charges under another article of the Criminal
Code that deals with “hooliganism.”
Marukian said the authorities’ response to the LHK boycott suggests that a
repeat of the May 8 violence may well be possible.
“We have drawn conclusions and will return to work with those conclusions in
mind and in the knowledge that at some point someone could hit us from behind.
We have to be careful and look back and around us,” he told a news conference.
“We are dealing with people who can hit us from behind, people who justify
violence, people who do not tolerate dissent and label it as a provocation,”
claimed the LHK leader.
Alen Simonian, a deputy parliament speaker and senior My Step member, shrugged
off these claims.
“People have seen everything and know who Edmon Marukian is in the political
sense,” said Simonian. “The authorities have condemned violence and never
resorted to it, even when the public demanded it.”
Arrests Spark Protests In Armenian Town
• Naira Bulghadarian
Armenia -- Kajaran Mayor Manvel Paramazian (L) leads a demonstration outside a
police station in Kapan,
Hundreds of residents of Karajan, a small town in southeastern Armenia, took to
the streets on Sunday to protest against the arrest of four local men linked to
its mayor.
The mayor, Manvel Paramazian, led the daylong protests after condemning the
“unfounded arrests” and claiming that they are part of his “political
persecution” by law-enforcement authorities.
Paramazian’s protesting supporters gathered outside a police station in Kapan,
the nearby capital of the country’s Syunik province, where the arrested men were
held on suspicion of violent assault. Angered by rumors about their
ill-treatment in police custody, the crowd tried to stop the local police from
transferring the suspects to Yerevan.
Syunik Governor Hunan Poghosian addressed it, promising that the criminal
investigation will objective. The protesters refused to disperse, however.
Paramazian added to their fury after being allowed to enter the police station
and see the detainees. He alleged that they were indeed tortured by policemen.
Still, the protesters agreed to unblock the entrance to the police station at
Paramazian’s urging at around midnight. The mayor said local officials assured
him that the probe will be fair and that the men connected to him will not be
subjected to violence.
In a late-night statement, Armenia’s Investigative Committee clarified that the
arrested men are suspected of kidnapping and beating up another Kajaran resident
late last month. It said investigators also found large quantities of marijuana
in a house belonging to one of the suspects.
The statement indicated that Paramazian is also regarded as a suspect in the
case. It said investigators are now trying to “verify” and “ascertain” the
mayor’s possible involvement in the violence.
Paramazian, who has run the industrial town since 2016, confirmed that the
police searched his home last week.
Meanwhile, prosecutors in Yerevan said on Monday that they have instructed
another law-enforcement body, the Special Investigative Service, to investigate
the torture allegations. Also, the national police chief, Aram Sargsian, ordered
an internal inquiry for the same purpose.
A lawyer representing one of the arrested men, Khoren Mirzoyan, told RFE/RL’s
Armenian service that his client did not claim to have been ill-treated by
policemen when they spoke on Sunday. He also said that Mirzoyan denies any
involvement in the alleged violence.
Located about 370 kilometers southeast of Yerevan, Kajaran is home to Armenia’s
largest mining enterprise. The Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine (ZCMC) employs
more than 4,000 people. Many of them are Kajaran residents.
According to the Investigative Committee, the four arrested men also work at
ZCMC.
Armenian PM Blames Businesses For Coronavirus Spike
Armenia -- Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian addresses the nation on Facebook, May
24, 2020.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian held businesses reopened by his government over
the past month primarily responsible for the accelerating spread of coronavirus
in Armenia which resulted in another daily high of COVID-19 cases and deaths on
Sunday.
The Armenian Ministry of Health said on Monday morning that as many as 452
people tested positive for coronavirus in the past day, bringing to 7,113 the
total number of confirmed cases in the country of about 3 million. The latest
daily number of new infections is sharply up from the previous record high of
374 cases recorded on Friday.
With the ministry reporting 6 more deaths, the official death toll from the
epidemic rose to 87. It does not include the deaths of 39 other people infected
with the respiratory disease. The ministry claims that they died primarily as a
result of other, pre-existing conditions.
Six such fatalities were registered on Sunday. One of the victims is a
31-year-old woman who gave birth about a week ago, according to a ministry
statement.
Pashinian took to Facebook late on Sunday to discuss this “very dangerous
situation” and present further actions planned by the Armenian authorities.
“The main reason for the rise in the number of cases is industrial enterprises,”
he said in a video address. “More than 75 percent and even 80 percent of [new]
cases are registered in industrial enterprises and the services sector.”
Armenia -- A busy cafe in downtown Yerevan, May 14, 2020
Pashinian accused those businesses of failing to observe social distancing and
hygiene rules set by the government. He said the government will now enforce
tougher penalties for such violations.
“Those cafes, restaurants, bank branches, manufacturing enterprises or
hairdresser salons which do not observe the safety rules will be harshly shut
down,” he declared.
Pashinian’s government ordered the closure of most nonessential businesses and
seriously restricted people’s movements as part of a nationwide lockdown imposed
in late March. But it began relaxing these restrictions already in mid-April.
Although the daily numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases steadily increased in the
following weeks, most sectors of the Armenian economy were reopened by May 4.
The government went on to lift its ban on public transport and allow
kindergartens, shopping malls, indoor restaurants and gyms to resume their work.
Opposition figures and other critics say that the authorities ended the lockdown
too soon and never enforced it properly in the first place.
Pashinian effectively acknowledged on Sunday that the lifting of the lockdown
has contributed to the spread of the virus. But he insisted that the measure was
necessary for economic reasons.
Accordingly, the prime minister gave no indications that he may restore lockdown
restrictions. He made clear instead that the authorities will continue to put
the emphasis on the “people’s consciousness.” He again urged them to practice
social distancing and wear face masks in all enclosed spaces and shops in
particular.
Armenia -- People stroll in the center of Yerevan, May 22, 2020.
Armenians have already been required for the last few weeks to wear masks and
gloves when entering shops, banks and other businesses. There has been ample
evidence of widespread non-compliance with this requirement, however.
Health Minister Arsen Torosian repeatedly warned last week that the number of
people dying from coronavirus could rise sharply soon. He is particularly
worried about an impeding shortage of intensive care beds at the Armenian
hospitals treating COVID-19 patients.
In a Facebook post, Torosian said on Sunday evening that 154 of 186 such beds
available in the country are already occupied. He also wrote: “We have 230
patients in a serious condition and 52 patients in a critical condition.”
Faced with the soaring number of new cases, the health authorities on Friday
stopped hospitalizing or isolating infected people showing mild symptoms of the
virus or none at all. Such individuals are now supposed to self-isolate at home.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
1 – An Incredible Armenian Who Retrieved
Armenian Orphans from the Syrian Desert
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
2- COVID-19: Recoveries surpass new cases in Armenia for first
time since April
3 – Dr. Alina Dorian to Advance CA Contact Tracing
to Prevent Spread of COVID-19
4- Roslin Press Presents Armenian Adaptation of Animated
Series, Treasure Island
5- 2020 Arpa International Film Festival Moves Online
****************************************
****************************************
1 – An Incredible Armenian Who Retrieved
Armenian Orphans from the Syrian Desert
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
Parnag Shishigyan is a heroic Zeytountsi who retrieved hundreds of
Armenian orphans from Arab families in the Syrian desert after the
Armenian Genocide. His name is not known to most Armenians. Therefore
it is worthwhile to focus attention on his life and his good deeds. He
is buried in the little town of Hovdashad, a few miles outside of
Yerevan.
Last month, Zarmik Sargsyan from Yerevan posted on her Facebook page a
very moving tribute to Parnag Shishigyan after visiting his grave. The
only reference to his unique accomplishment is a booklet published 30
years ago by Hagop Jghlyan whose family he had rescued. The book was
aptly titled, “A Life Left in the Shadows.” Sargsyan attempted to take
Shishigyan’s life out of the shadows and present him to the public at
large.
From April 10 to May 18, 1915, the heroic town of Zeytoun in Cilicia
was depopulated. The men were herded into the infamous Ottoman Turkish
“Labor Battalions.” On the road to Deir Zor, Syria, 14-year-old
Parnag, ignoring the snakes and scorpions around him, spent days
cuddling the corpse of his mother who was killed by the sword of a
Turkish soldier. He was rescued by a Bedouin Arab from the Shammar
tribe, who, after digging a grave in the sand for Parnag’s mother with
his dagger, placed the young boy on his horse and took him to his
home.
Young Parnag who already knew Armenian, German and Turkish, soon also
learned Arabic. Besides herding sheep and camels, Parnag, renamed
Ahmet El Jezza, taught the tribesmen how to write in Arabic. He became
very popular in the region because of his diligence, humility, and
serious demeanor.
Soon, in the course of herding sheep, Parnag came across in the desert
many Armenian children adopted by local Arabs. He reminded them of
their Armenian heritage and began to write down their names and places
of residence in a notebook.
In 1924, 23-year-old “Ahmet”, as a trusted and literate young man, was
asked to deliver a herd of sheep bought by wealthy Arabs from Aleppo.
Once in Aleppo, he was surprised to see Armenian signs on store fronts
and people speaking in Armenian. He was offered a job and a place to
stay by local Armenians, but he turned down the offers, saying he had
a family in the desert and could not abandon them. He then showed to
an Armenian shoemaker his notebook listing the names and places of
Armenian children living in the desert with Arab families. He had
promised himself to gather these Armenian children, help them marry
each other and find their relatives, if still alive. It was a very
difficult task. Most of the children, having lived with Arab families
for several years, did not remember their heritage and did not know
that there were other Armenians still in existence. But Parnag
persisted despite the obstacles.
The shoemaker Panos, President of the Rescue Committee of Armenian
orphans from Arab and Kurdish tribes, was stunned. During the last few
months, the Committee had barely rescued a couple of children, and now
Panos was seeing an entire notebook full of Armenian names.
After returning to his tribe, Parnag kept sending list after list of
Armenian children to Aleppo. The Rescue Committee would then go to the
desert, pay off the tribesmen and take the Armenian children to Aleppo
or Beirut.
Eventually, the Syrian government allocated two villages in the desert
to Armenians. Parnag got married to an Armenian woman by the name of
Wadha who later changed her name to Siranoush. Respecting their
adoptive Arab parents, they agreed to have the marriage ceremony
performed by a Muslim Sheikh. The couple planned to have an Armenian
wedding later on. Parnag’s four Arab “brothers” were not happy that he
was leaving them to go and settle in the new Armenian village of Tel
El-Brak. They divided the family belongings into five. Parnag took
with him 100 sheep, five camels, a horse, a rifle, and household
items.
Parnag brought the hundreds of Arabized Armenians to his village, gave
them Armenian names and arranged their marriages. He organized the
young men of the village to collect the bones of Armenian martyrs from
Deir Zor, Raqqa, around the Euphrates and Khabour rivers and the
tragic cave of Sheddedeh. Parnag held a memorial ceremony for the
souls of the deceased.
The two Armenian villages in the desert soon prospered. They formed a
sports organization and a music band. In 1947, when Parnag became
aware of the mass migration back to Soviet Armenia he decided to
return to the homeland! He left all his possessions behind except for
one thing, his Arabian horse, which he donated to a horse ranch after
arriving in Armenia.
Parnag’s family settled in Hovdashad, a village near Echmiadzin where
he worked as a farmer. His wife, Siranoush, had five more children in
Armenia. Even though Parnag had retrieved hundreds of Armenian
children, he always thought of the hundreds of other children who were
not, including his wife, Siranoush’s sister.
In the Hovdashad cemetery, there is a statue of Parnag in Arabic
attire. The house that Parnag built in 1956 in that village is now
like a museum, where his clothes and his photos are displayed.
Facebook writer Zarmik Sargsyan recalls that Parnag’s great-grandson
Hagop was married in Los Angeles on April 17, 1997, in the presence of
his seven siblings. It is ironic that the descendants of the man, who
had sacrificed so much to rescue Armenians and moved to the homeland,
now live far away from Armenia, in Los Angeles!
Armenians both in Armenia and the Diaspora should visit the village of
Hovdashad and Parnag’s grave to pay tribute to the man who retrieved
hundreds of Armenian orphans and returned them to their heritage.
************************************************************************************************************************************************
2- COVID-19: Recoveries surpass new cases in Armenia for first
time since April
By Raffi Elliott
YEREVAN (The Armenian Weekly)—As of May 25, Armenia has registered a
total of 7,113 cases of COVID-19, 3,842 of which are still active. Of
those, less than a thousand have shown any symptoms. Officials say
3,145 patients have already recovered, while 87 have died.
The Armenian Ministry of Health announced on May 20 that it had
registered 230 new cases of COVID-19 during the previous 24-hour
period. At the same time, 255 recovered patients have been discharged
from hospital.
This announcement marked the first time that the number of daily new
recoveries surpassed the number of newly confirmed cases since
mid-April, when the first rounds of lockdown easing came into force.
Following a three-week period of nearly flat new infection rates
between April 12 and April 25, the numbers steadily began to increase
again in parallel with each new round of lifting restrictions on
freedom of movement and business activity. Most restrictions were
rolled back between May 4 and May 14 with the condition that strict
hygiene and safety protocols be implemented.
On May 14, the Armenian parliament voted to remove remaining
restrictions on public transit and indoor commercial activity, but
also instituted a mandatory mask policy in public with fines of up to
100,000 AMD ($200) for non-compliance. At the same time, the
government also extended the State of Emergency by another month in
order to clear any constitutional constraints on Public Health
Authorities’ ability to quickly react to potential future outbreaks.
The government’s decision to scale down these regulations while the
pandemic is still uncontained has been met with criticism by some.
However, the Prime Minister responded that projections anticipate new
cases continuing into next year or until a vaccine becomes widely
available. “It’s not realistic to keep the entire country locked up
for another year,” he explained in early May.
Health Minister Arsen Torosyan, who earlier had warned that first
responders might soon have to ask patients without symptoms to
self-isolate as emergency wards reach capacity, has already conducted
the first online courses with medical personnel around the country on
how to monitor such asymptomatic patients. Over the course of the
pandemic, the healthcare system has managed to free up resources to
care for up to four thousand patients – up from 350 in February.
However, the steady rise in cases has led the Ministry to adjust its
strategy to focus care on those showing symptoms.
Indeed, new case rates hit a record high of 351 in a single day on May
18, before subsiding again in the following days. The increase in new
registered cases might be attributed in part to vast improvements in
testing and contact-tracing operations. At least 44,000 tests have
been conducted since the outbreak began.
Notably, despite the exponential increase in testing, the percentage
of positive returns has continued to hover at around 10 percent,
suggesting that the total rate of infections has remained constant.
Daily recovery rates have also begun to rise sharply over the last
week.
************************************************************************************************************************************************
3 – Dr. Alina Dorian to Advance CA Contact Tracing
to Prevent Spread of COVID-19
Rose and Alex Pilibos Principal Dr. Alina Dorian is leading a team at
UCLA to advance contact tracing during the COVID-19 pandemic as part
of a partnership launched by Gov. Gavin Newsom that includes UCSF. The
team at UCLA is training thousands of individuals across the state in
public health techniques and strategies, including contact tracing,
case investigation, and administration, in order to mitigate the
spread of COVID-19.
The training program — co-led by the California Department of Public
Health (CADPH); UC San Francisco (UCSF); and UCLA — represents the
next stage in California’s state-wide response to the COVID-19
epidemic: helping prepare residents for an emergence from
shelter-in-place.
The comprehensive pandemic response training program is a campus-wide
effort at UCLA, involving faculty and staff from the UCLA Fielding
School of Public Health and UCLA Extension. The team’s leaders include
Brookmeyer and Bullard; Alina Dorian, UCLA FSPH associate dean for
public health practice, and for equity, diversity, and inclusion; and
Michael Prelip, professor and chair of the Department of Community
Health Sciences at UCLA FSPH.
Dorian, whose expertise includes disaster relief, health education,
and health systems management, said the skills necessary for contact
tracing are well-known and that the techniques have been used
successfully in public health campaigns for decades.
“We regularly use contact tracing to contain communicable diseases,
and we scale it up during outbreaks. So it’s a public health measure
that is tried and true,” said Dorian, who has led emergency response
teams in Kosovo, Haiti, and Peru.
“The threat of COVID-19 remains high. If we want to safely begin
reopening our society, we need to have certain public health measures
in place, including a significant increase in our ability to trace new
infections,” said Ron Brookmeyer, dean of the UCLA Fielding School of
Public Health. “This large scale training program with our colleagues
here at UCLA, and at UCSF and the CADPH, will allow us to begin that
effort to expand and strengthen our public health workforce.”
At UCLA, the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health (UCLA FSPH) and
UCLA Extension are managing the training program, known statewide as
the “COVID-19 Virtual Training Academy” and designed to standup case
investigation and COVID-19 contact tracing training across multiple
counties in California. Statewide, there is an anticipated need to
train from 10,000 to 20,000 new contact tracers in order to
effectively relax California’s stay-at-home orders.
“Public health and well-being is top of mind for all of us, and
assisting with the training and creation of an emerging workforce is
something that UCLA Extension and the Fielding School are well
positioned to undertake,” said Eric A. Bullard, dean of continuing
education and UCLA Extension. The initial training cohort includes
approximately 550 current public employees with applicable skills,
including language abilities and up-to-date background checks. That
will increase to about 1,000 per week as the program ramps up,
organizers said.
Governor Gavin Newsom has laid out six key metrics for modifying the
stay-at-home order in California. For the first, the state must have
“the ability to monitor and protect our communities through testing,
contact tracing, isolation, and supporting those who are positive or
exposed.” Newsom said the following crucial components must be in
place: a workforce sufficient to rapidly identify every case and
contact in the state; a high-quality training program with capacity to
quickly stand up a large, new competent workforce; and a robust,
statewide data management and communications platform to streamline
and support COVID-19 contact tracing work done by local health
jurisdictions and to enable monitoring across the state to swiftly
signal need for any changes in public health response. Prelip, whose
experience also includes disaster and emergency preparedness, has used
similar training techniques in connection with his work in the U.S.
Both said lessons learned from past emergencies are key elements of
the current program, which they expect will continue throughout 2020
and possibly well into 2021.
“This isn’t going to be one round of training — we are going to need
to train large numbers of people over time and adjust as conditions
and factors change,” Prelip said. “There is a tremendous amount of
work that lies ahead, but this is the responsible path forward.”
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4- Roslin Press Presents Armenian Adaptation of Animated
Series, Treasure Island
By Haig Norian
In an initiative the likes of which the Diaspora hasn’t seen in over a
generation, Roslin Press announced the first-ever Armenian production
of Osamu Dezaki’s anime rendition of the classic swashbuckling
adventure, Treasure Island. To capture the spirit of the 21st century
Diaspora and Armenia, the 26-episode series features a mix of
characters speaking Eastern and Western Armenian. Thanks to the
assistance of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, young Armenians from
across the globe can now sail the seven seas with Jim Hawkins in his
search for buried treasure.
Especially during the pandemic with all of us spending an
unprecedented amount of time at home, finding high-quality Armenian
entertainment for children has never been more important.
It was a dark and stormy night… Jim and his mother were tidying up the
Admiral Benbow’ Inn of Black Hill, a remote part of the English
countryside. Just as they were about ready to lock up, a mysterious
old sea captain arrives at their door. This wayward stranger named
Billy Bones warns of a certain one-legged man – a vicious, brutal
pirate who must be avoided at all costs. Fearing that he may not be
around much longer, Billy entrusts Jim with some mysterious papers-one
of them being a map – the map to Treasure Island. And thus begins an
epic saga of high seas adventure, treacherous mutiny, and one boy’s
courage, faith, and good will.
Treasure Island comes at a critical juncture in the Diaspora. There is
no denying that the Diasporan communities of the world are struggling
when it comes to language maintenance. In our opinion, what is needed
to keep the youth engaged with the Armenian language is high quality
entertainment with a strong literary backbone. Children must be
entertained but must also be exposed to complex thoughts, emotions and
themes. The new Armenian production of Treasure Island has all these
combined with a fantastic score and beautiful animation.
Special attention was given to the translation of Treasure Island.
Both Eastern and Western Armenian are shown organically interacting
for the first time in a children’s animated series. From LA to Paris,
the old mono-dialect Diaspora is no more. Communities are more diverse
than they have ever been, and we set out to celebrate this fact in
Treasure Island. Characters are depicted with their unique accents and
linguistic stylings, encouraging our youth to embrace the linguistic
diversity of the Armenian language.
Each and every single member of the Roslin and TechnoLinguistics team
that has contributed to bringing Treasure Island to life has left an
indelible mark of love.
A full list of the Treasure Island family can be seen below during the
credits montage: Pay special attention to the beautifully
orchestrated theme song, brought to you with love from Yerevan.
Treasure Island is available now on VLUME, a new media platform
custom-built for the Armenian speaking communities of the world. VLUME
is already host to hundreds of eBooks, 1000’s of hours of audiobooks,
and now with the introduction of Treasure Island – video content.
Whether you are in Buenos Aires or Nicosia, New Jersey or Paris,
Glendale or Yerevan – VLUME provides an unprecedented sense of
community, now centered around fantastic literature and the best and
brightest video content that the world has to offer.
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5- 2020 Arpa International Film Festival Moves Online
This year marks the 23rd anniversary of Arpa International Film
Festival, the signature event of the Arpa Foundation for Film, Music
and Art (AFFMA), which was slated for October 24 – 26, 2020.
In consideration of the continuing challenges and uncertainty stemming
from the Covid-19 pandemic, and per the extended federal and state
guidelines, the organizers have decided to stream the festival online,
instead of theatrical screenings due to the social distancing measures
in place.
“While it was our hope to screen the films theatrically, streaming the
films online will reach a greater viewership. We are working very hard
to make this transitional process as smooth for our film audiences as
possible. The gifted independent storytellers rely on the festival’s
platform for exposure. We are already receiving wonderful submissions
of shorts, features, documentaries, animation and music videos to our
festival. We are committed to showcasing all the selected films during
our online festival,” said the organization in a statement.
“It is important to stress that our focus is to support independent
cinema which has inspired and sustained our festival globally. Since
its inception, our festival’s future has always depended on the
selfless acts of our community that continue to be our beacons of
light, pushing forward diversity, innovation, creativity and vision to
preserve our Festival,” said the statement.
“Our warmest gratitude once again to you all. We truly appreciate your
love and support in standing with us during this difficult time.
Stories are more important now than ever. We will transition and
overcome the challenges together, celebrating the diverse array of
films by unique voices that we are extremely excited about screening,”
said the statement.
“Arpa International Film Festival supporters have always stood behind
our festival in helping independent filmmakers find their true purpose
in the cinematic arena. Because of you we have discovered and
connected to filmmakers across the globe assisting them in their
creative process. We are fully aware that there are critically
important issues that need support around the world however we are
also reminded that the voices of our independent filmmakers still be
heard and for that reason we are keeping our doors open and supporting
these struggling artists thru online streaming this year,” said the
statement.
“Things seem inevitable and beyond our control at this time, however
only if you are in a position to continue your support and champion
creative independent cinema, we would be deeply grateful for your
donation from the heart,” said the statement.
Donations may be made online, or via mail by sending checks to AFFMA –
Arpa Foundation for Film, Music & Art, 2919 Maxwell St, Los Angeles,
CA 90027.
AFFMA will inform filmmakers and supporters of new developments
through their website, Film Freeway, Facebook and Instagram.
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