Category: News

More than 100 people were killed in South Sudan when an oil truck exploded as a crowd tried to gather fuel from the vehicle after it had veered off the road, a regional official said on Thursday, a day after the incident, Reuters reports.

In addition to those killed in Wednesday’s blast, Charles Kisagna, the minister of information in Western Equatoria, said about 50 people were seriously injured.

“We don’t have medical equipment and these people may not survive because we do not have the facilities to treat the highly burnt people,” he told Reuters, adding the truck had been travelling from the capital Juba to the Western Equatoria area.

Such incidents have happened before in the east African region where fuel tankers often have to travel long distances along potholed roads and pass through poor communities.

A special cover dedicated to the 40^th anniversary of OSCE founding document Helsinki Final Act took was cancelled in Yerevan on September 16.

The Special cover represents a unique philatelic product – a thematic cover, on which the stamp dedicated to the OSCE and issued in 2012 is attached and which will be cancelled with a Special postmark. The Special cover has been designed with a print run of 1000 pcs. It depicts the logotype of the 40^th anniversary of Helsinki Final Act.

The participants of the cover signing ceremony were “HayPost” CJSC Trust Manager Mr. Juan Pablo Gechidjian, Deputy Minister of Transport and Communication of the RA Mr. Gagik Tadevosyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the RA Mr. Edward Nalbandyan, Director of OSCE Conflict Prevention Center Mr. Marsel Peszko, Head of OSCE Office in Yerevan Mr. Andrey Sorokin, President of the Union of Philatelists of the RA Mr. Hovik Musaelyan.

“HayPost” CJSC pays great attention to the development of the Armenian philately and enhances the interest of the broad segments of the society with regard to the philately and stamps through issuing similar philatelic products.

Heidi Hautala (Member of the European Parliament, FIN) and Victor Dolidze (Member of the Georgian Parliament), Co-Presidents of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, made a joint statement to express their deep regret over the decision of Azerbaijan’s Milli Mejlis (parliament) to start the procedure leading to a withdrawal of the country from the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, APA reports.

As of today, this decision was communicated to the European Parliament component of the Euronest  PA, said the statement.

“As soon as the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis formally notifies both Co-Presidents, the Bureau of the Euronest PA will take stock of these developments in order to propose the appropriate measures ensuring the continuation of smooth functioning of the Euronest PA,” the statement said.

The Euronest PA, indeed, remains the multilateral parliamentary dimension of the Eastern Partnership, the statement said, adding that as such, it will continue to function, in a spirit of integration and openness, in order to promote the necessary conditions to accelerate political and economic integration between the European Union and the Eastern European Partners.

According to the statement, participation in the Euronest PA remains, first and foremost, the voluntary and sovereign choice of each concerned Eastern Partner which fulfils the criteria.

“In this sense, we take note of and respect the decision of the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis to withdraw. However, we believe that this development is unfortunate, and will also prevent Milli Majlis members from speaking their voice in joint parliamentary proceedings of evident importance for the region. The Constituent Act of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly provides for a year’s notice before any withdrawal becomes effective: within this period, we reiterate our availability to openly discuss with the Milli Majlis the situation,” said the statement.

 

 

 

The performance of young jazz musicians and a press conference at Charles Aznavour Square marked the start of the Yerevan Jazz Fest 2015. The festival held at the initiative of the Armenian Jazz Association and the Mezzo Production Company will consist of three concerts scheduled for September 17, 18 and 19. The event will feature both Armenian and foreign jazzmen, including famous American jazz musician Richard Bona

Jazz festival was held in Yerevan in 2006. One of Armenian jazz legends Armen Tutunjyan (Chiko) hopes the event will become continuous.

“This is an event Yerevan needs as a city that has lived and breathed with jazz rhythms for years,” singer Erna Yuzbashyan says.

“Armenia has had great jazzmen and has a huge potential today,” she told a press conference today.

The foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia may meet in New York on Sept. 24-25 as part of the UN General Assembly, said Azerbaijani FM Elmar Mammadyarov, Trend reports.

He made the remarks Sept. 15 at a briefing with his Turkish counterpart Feridun Sinirlioglu.

Mammadyarov said that according to the format he and the Armenian FM each will first meet with the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and then a joint meeting will be held.

Armenian businessman Levon Hayrapetyan, accused of appropriating the shares of Bashneft oil company, has been freed from house arrest, TASS reports.

Hayrapetyan has been released on his own recognizance connected with the expiration of the maximum term of detainment envisaged by law, the agency said.

France hopes that Azerbaijan and Armenia will spare no effort to ease tension on the contact line of Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, French Ambassador to Azerbaijan Pascal Meunier told APA on Sept.16.

The escalation of tension is leading to the death of both Azerbaijani and Armenian civilians, the ambassador said. “Recently, I have met with civilians in Azerbaijan, and they told me that Azerbaijanis and Armenians have lived in peace for hundreds of years. Many people hope these times will return. It also depends on external factors,” he noted.

The ambassador also commented on the possibility of holding a meeting between Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers. “I read about it. I am aware that the co-chairs are working on arranging a meeting of foreign ministers in New York. The main objective of this is to assist Azerbaijan and Armenia in finding a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Armenian French singer Charles Aznavour opened his show in Paris with the song “The Migrants” on Tuesday, a strong show of support of the refugees crisis hitting Europe in recent months, reports.

“The song was written thirty years ago, but it remains news,” said the singer. “What is happening with the refugees has affected me very much, I imagine my parents in this situation, when they left Armenia to come to France. This is why I will always take the side of the ones who knock the doors, not the ones who shut them.”

Aznavour also affirmed he was willing to welcome refugees in his secondary residence, where he could easily set up a mobile home for them. “I would sacrifice without any problem a couple of olive trees,” he said jokingly to the daily Le Parisien.

He also called to remember what immigrants had brought to the French nation, mentionning the cases of Spanish painter Pablo Picasso, the Egyptian composer Guy Beart, and the Romanian Emil Cioran. “This is an extraordinary opportunity for France. There may be among them future Aznavours, who knows?” he added.

Five Turkish police officers were killed in two separate bomb attacks staged by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the southeastern provinces of Mardin and Hakkari late on Tuesday, Today’s Zaman reports. 

A bomb, planted by persons suspected to be militants linked to the PKK, was detonated when an armored police vehicle was passing by in the Demiryolu-Üçyol neighborhood. Three police officers were killed instantly, while another one was injured in the explosion. The wounded police officer was taken to Nusaybin State Hospital for treatment.

Dozens of police vehicles were dispatched to the area following the incident and the security services have launched a large-scale operation in the district to find the perpetrators.

In the second bomb attack, two police officers were killed and two others were injured after the terrorist PKK detonated explosives that it had planted on the Hakkari-Van Highway, which hit a police vehicle that was passing. The attack occurred in the southeastern province of Hakkari on Tuesday evening.

 

Earlier on Tuesday security sources said 12 Turkish soldiers were wounded when their convoy was hit by a roadside bomb explosion in the province of Mus.

Armenian international Henrikh Mkhitaryan has bought a new Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 Pirelli Edition, Bild reports.

According to the German tabloid, Borussia Dortmund is racing with breakneck speed through the season, winning everything on the pitch. But not just on the court has the BVB mighty power, as Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have bought mega expensive high-speed cars.

Mkhitaryan, who previously drove Mercedes-Limousine, has reportedly paid  400,000 euros for his Pirelli-special edition.