According to updated information, eight people were killed as a result of the crash of the Yerevan-bound bus in Russia’s Tula region early this morning. Seven victims of the accident have been identified, the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Emergency Situations reports.
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.
The digital video recorder in one of the cars has caught the moment the bus en route to Yerevan capsized on the 221st kilometer of the M4 Don federal road in Tula region.
“By escalating the situation at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the line of contact, Baku shows its intolerance towards the status quo established at the conflict zone, thus trying to exert pressure on international structures engaged in the settlement of the Karabakh conflict,” NKR Minister of Defense Levon Mnatsakanyan said in an interview with Moscow-based Noyan Tapan newspaper.
The Minister added that “from military point of view Azerbaijan is testing its combat readiness with a view of launching more large-scale actions. He said there are other derivative reasons, which are mainly meant for the internal audience and aim to exert psychological influence on the Armenian side.
Levon Mnatsakanyan said the talks about the might of the Azerbaijani army are more of propaganda rather than reality. The Defense Minister assured the NKR Defense Army has all technical means and moral-psychological capacities to show resistance to the Azerbaijani armed forces.
Azerbaijan’s ruling party has won parliamentary elections that were boycotted by the main opposition parties, the country’s electoral commission said, the BBC reports.
The ruling New Azerbaijan party won at least 70 seats in the 125-seat parliament, the commission said.
A host of small parties and candidates loyal to President Ilham Aliyev took almost all the rest.
The opposition has accused the government of jailing its opponents.
International monitors from the OSCE did not observe the vote, citing government restrictions.
More than a dozen political parties were vying for 125 seats in Azerbaijan’s National Assembly.
But analysts say those that could be considered genuine in their opposition to the government refused to participate.
“The pre-election period was marred by massive violations. That’s why we decided not to participate,” opposition Musavat Party leader Arif Gajily told Reuters news agency.
According to the BBC, Sunday’s vote serves as a reminder of the oppressive political environment inside the oil-rich nation.
In the past two years the Azeri authorities have jailed almost all critical voices, among them journalists, civil society activists, and human rights lawyers.
The government has also become increasingly intolerant of international criticism.
It denied the existence of any political prisoners, and it frequently describes negative publicity as a Western agenda to discredit Azerbaijan.
The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the leading international monitoring group, has not considered any of Azerbaijan’s elections since independence to be free and fair.
This year – for the first time in more than two decades – it chose not to send a mission, condemning the Azerbaijani government’s “crackdown on independent and critical voices”.
Artak Barseghyan
Public Radio of Armenia
“The developments in Syria and Iran do not directly affect the prospects of Armenia-Turkey normalization. But there may be some indirect connections,” Nigar Göksel, the Turkey and Cyprus Analyst for International Crisis Group’s Turkey/Cyprus Project, said in an on-line interview with Armenian journalists.
“One effect of the conflict in Syria is that Turkey is significantly distracted by the turmoil in its southern neighborhood and has less attention to spare for the Caucasus. For Ankara to embark on an ambitious initiative regarding normalization with Armenia becomes accordingly less likely. The war in Syria drains Turkey’s strategic and political attention, and leaves less for any initiatives related to the Caucasus. Developments in Syria also dominate the discussions between Turkey and the West, pushing Armenia-related agenda items down in the list of importance,” she said.
“European capitals are engaged with Ankara primarily on the IS-threat and migration issue. Armenia-Turkey relations do not make it to the radar,” Nigar Göksel added.
About 200 cases of ceasefire violation by the Azerbaijani side were registered at the line of contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan over the weekend, the NKR Defense Ministry reported.
The rival fired more than 2,500 shots from weapons of different caliber in the direction of the Armenian positions.
The front divisions of the NKR Defense Army remained committed to the ceasefire regime and resorted to retaliatory measures only in case of extreme necessity.
Armenian Grand Master Levon Aronian has retained the 7th spot in the November ranking of FIDE.
World Champion Magnus Carlsen (Norway) tops the ranking, followed by Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria) and Viswanathan Anand (India).
Armenia’s Gabriel Sargissian and Sergey Movsesian are ranked 52nd and 76th respectively.
Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has won a critical parliamentary election, regaining the majority it lost in June, the BBC reports.
With almost all ballots counted, the state-run Anadolu news agency said the AKP had won 49.4% of the vote, with the main opposition CHP on 25.4%.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said voters had “shown that they prefer action and development to controversy”.
The pro-Kurdish HDP crossed the 10% threshold needed to claim seats.
The nationalist MHP will also take seats in Ankara.
With almost all of the results counted, the AKP had won substantially more than the 276 seats needed in order to form a government alone.
However, it fell 14 seats short of the number needed to call a referendum on changing the constitution and increasing the powers of the president, AKP founder Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
With 60 more seats, the government would have been able to bring in those changes without a referendum.
Armenians mourn the death of 224 passengers aboard the Russian Kogalymavia’s A321 airline that crashed over Egypt 30 minutes after takeoff in North Sinai Saturday.
People have been laying flowers and toys in front of the Russian Embassy in Armenia.
The Embassy has expressed gratitude for the heartfelt condolences, flowers, toys and candles lit in memory of the victims of the air crash in Egypt.
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan earlier offered condolences to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.