Category: News

Russian billionaire German Sterligov has promised to explain the reasons of his decision to move to Nagorno Karabakh at a press conference Monday.

“I will tell the simple, clear truth, which many may dislike, but it’s better than all the wild guesses about my family and me,” Sterligov told Russian

He said Nagorno Karabakh is a marvelous land with a wonderful people. “Happy are those Armenians, who have such a Motherlland, such history and beauties.  I have traveled all over the world, but have not seen a place like this – such a beauty, such fertility, and, most importantly, such kind relations between people,” the businessman said.

“I’m happy to have brought my children here, because I told them how people should treat each other theoretically. Unfortunately, there is no such attitude in Russia, practically. Here they see it in practice. This is an extremely useful lesson for them,” Sterligov said.

He invited everyone to visit Nagorno Karabakh to understand what he’s talking about. “This is a unique place. This is a cradle of ancient human relations, which the Armenian nation preserves,”

The Armenian national team has dropped five positions and is currently placed 89^th in FIFA World Ranking released today.

Argentina are the new leaders of the ranking, followed by World Champion Germany and Belgium.

Armenia’s rivals in Euro-2016 qualification round are placed as follows: Portugal – 7th, Denmark – 24th, Serbia – 43^rd and Albania – 36th^st.

100 years after Germany gave up its colonial rule in Southwest Africa, there have been fresh calls for the German government to admit that genocide was committed against the Hereros and Nama in what is now Namibia, reports.

Representatives of six German NGOs and a Namibian politician personally handed in a petition to the residence of Germany’s president, Joachim Gauck, calling for the German government to admit culpability for genocide in an early 20th century war in Germany’s former colony of Southwest Africa, today’s Namibia. While the German president did not receive the group, the president of Germany’s parliament, the Bundestag, Norbert Lammert, expressed agreement with them that the acts amounted to genocide.

“Just as the Turkish government carries responsibility for the way in which it deals with the genocide against the Armenians, we are also responsible for addressing this history [with Namibia],” Lammert wrote in an opinion piece published on Wednesday in the German newspaper “Die Zeit.”

NGOs responded cautiously to the news and reiterated their demands in the face of what appears to be a change in government policy.

“We are asking that the government recognize the colonial war against the Nama and Herero as genocide,” Christian Kopp of NGO Berlin Postkolonial told DW. “We are also demanding an apology from the highest levels of government – the president, the chancellor’s office, ideally the Bundestag, as well as the return of all human remains.”

The human remains issue has become highly emotive. During the war, which took place from 1904-1908, German eugenics researchers requested that colonial troops collect and send to Berlin skulls and other human remains of several thousand of the 80,000 vanquished Nama and Herero peoples. Some of the remains were used in research while others were sold as collectors’ items throughout Europe.

Real Salt Lake head coach Jeff Cassar has indicated he is interested in bringing striker Yura Movsisyan back to the Major League Soccer club, according to
Movsisyan made 53 appearances and scored 15 goals for Real Salt Lake between 2007 and 2009, winning the MLS Cup in his final season at the club.

Cassar told local radio station ESPN700 that Movsisyan, who currently plays for Spartak Moscow, is one of a number of options the Utah-based club are looking at during the summer transfer window.

“Yura’s a player we’re very familiar with,” Cassar said of the Armenia international.

“Obviously we won a championship when he was here. He’s gone on to do fantastic things.

“But we are in contact with him, as well as with a lot of players on their status with their clubs, or if they’re a free agent.

“He’s just one player that we’re interested in, but at the end of the day, he belongs to another team.”

On 8 July Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan visited the Parliament of Great Britain and delivered there a speech.

In his speech the President touched upon the state-building process of Artsakh, its socioeconomic development, the Karabakh conflict settlement and answered questions raised by the attendees.

The President underlined that Artsakh had a special attitude towards the United Kingdom, considering Great Britain as an influential state, one of the cradles of democracy and the European civilization.

Bako Sahakyan mentioned that Artsakh was interested in developing relations with Great Britain, especially in deepening parliamentary ties, cementing ties in scientific, educational and humanitarian spheres.

According to the President, such optimism is first and foremost based on the existence of sincere and devoted friends of Artsakh in the British Parliament.

Former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi has been found guilty of bribing a senator in 2006 in an attempt to bring down the then centre-left government, the BBC reports.

A Naples court sentenced Berlusconi to three years in jail and banned him from holding public office for five years.

The four-times prime minister denied the charges.

He will not have to serve his sentence because a statute of limitations comes into effect later this year, before any appeal can be held.

The billionaire was accused of giving 3m euros (£2.5m; $4m) in 2006 to Sergio De Gregorio, then a senator from the anti-corruption Italy of Values party, to switch to Berlusconi’s People of Freedom party and thus undermine the government of the time.

The trial was held in Naples as it was the seat occupied by Mr De Gregorio.

Italy’s former prime minister is appealing against a prison sentence for having sex with an under-age prostitute and abuse of office, and another for leaking a confidential police wiretap.

He was also found guilty of tax fraud last year – his first definitive conviction.

The Greek government has extended bank closures and a €60 daily limit on ATM withdrawals until Monday, the BBC reports.

The curbs were imposed on 28 June, after a deadlock in bailout talks with creditors led a rush of withdrawals.

The European Central Bank has decided not to increase support for Greek banks until the debt crisis is resolved.

Greek PM Alexis Tsipras says he will submit “credible” reform plans on Thursday – ahead of a Sunday deadline by the EU to find a solution.

An emergency summit will involve all 28 EU members – not just the 19 eurozone countries.

European Council President Donald Tusk has warned that this was now the “most critical moment in the history of the eurozone”.

Torino manager Giampiero Ventura has confirmed that Matteo Darmian will join Manchester United, the reports. 

The Italian international right-back has been in talks over a move to United and has reportedly now agreed personal terms on a £12million move.

The player is expected in Manchester to undergo a medical in the next day or so.

And Ventura says Torino couldn’t stand in the way of Darmian’s wish to play in the Champions League.

He told Sky Sports Italia: “Matteo Darmian will play for Manchester United. It’s a dream for him.

“It’s true, Darmian will play in the Champions League with Manchester United.

“Matteo deserves a top team and always dreamed of playing in the Champions League, so now that dream will be realised.

“In these four years we’ve gone from Serie B and a great depression to the top flight and the enthusiasm of the Europa League.

“We worked with Darmian for many years and it’s only right he should be given the chance to make his Champions League dream come true.

“A sale can happen, the important thing is that we’re able to plan an even stronger squad in future. We’re on the right track and as always the objective is to earn a place in Europe.”

 

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan will leave for Russia on July 9, President’s Press Office reported.

President Sargsyan is expected to participate in the summit of BRICS, the Eurasian Economic Union and the Scanhai Cooperation Organization to be held in Ufa.

Wu Tang Clan’s RZA has released a collaborative album with System Of A Down bassist Shavo Odadjian, reports.

The duo had first announced their project Achozen (pronounced “a chosen”) in the mid-2000s, around when the bassist was hyping an ill-fated online music community called urSession. But other than the release a few tracks (“Deuces,” “Salute/Sacrifice”), the group seemed to fall by the wayside. Now eight tracks of the act’s spacey, lushly textured hip-hop are available with the purchase of a limited-edition portable speaker, the Boombotix Boombot Pro.

“We both come from struggle. We come from oppression. I didn’t know Armenia was the first country to accept Christianity as its national religion. And I didn’t know about the Armenian genocide. I knew about the black man’s struggle in America from slavery to civil rights to whatever we still go through, but you think that that struggle is just personal. You don’t realize, “Oh, wow, the Asian brothers went through a struggle. The Armenian brothers went through a struggle. Now the Pakistani and the brothers in the Middle East is going through a lot of struggle based on situations.” Right? So, I became aware and that helped connect us,” RZA told the Rolling Stone.

“That led to our second song, which is called “Fabricated Lies” and is about the Armenian genocide. He gave me a couple of books as well, but I was moved by the struggle enough that I wrote a verse,” he said.

Speaking about the first-ever concert of the System of A Down in Armenia on the ove of the 100th anniversray of the Armenian Genocide, Shavo Odadjian said: “We played two-and-a-half hours, 37 songs. We played outside to 100,000 people; there was not spot for people to even pit. It was pouring rain, lightning going on. I cried onstage a few times. It was emotional to think that I was that age, that they were like little me’s, my little kids. And we’re in our country, but it’s their country because they live there and we are giving them what they’ve only see on the internet, live. From grandparents to three-year-olds were there, standing in the rain watching this crazy band. But it was just amazing and I don’t think that it can ever be duplicated unless it was a 200th anniversary. It was perfect. Everything perfectly fell into place.”