Category: News

Barcelona midfielder Xavi is ready to announce on Thursday he is leaving Barcelona to join Qatari side Al Sadd in a three-year deal, says his agent, the reports.

Xavi, 35, has been with the Spanish club for 17 years, winning eight league titles, three Champions League trophies and several other cups.

His final league game for the newly-crowned champions is set to be against Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday.

Barcelona still have a Champions League final and Copa del Rey final to play.

According to his agent, Ivan Corretja, Xavi would also become an ambassador for the 2022 World Cup to be held in the Gulf state and look to start his coaching qualifications.

The Spanish player has also represented his country 133 times – a record for an outfield player – and was an integral figure in helping Spain win the 2010 World Cup and the 2008 and 2012 European Championship.

French ambassador to Azerbaijan Pascal Meunier has been summoned to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry on Wednesday in connection with the visit of Nagorno Karabakh President Bako Sahakyan to France on 17-19 May 2015, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hikmat Hajiyev told APA.

Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov handed a note of protest to the French ambassador, he said.

According to the source, Khalaf Khalafov noted that the visit, as well as a number of French MPs’ participation in the parliamentary elections held in Nagorno Karabakh on 3 May 2015 as observers run contrary to the spirit of growing friendly and cooperative relations between France and Azerbaijan.

The ambassador said he has informed his country about the note handed to him by Azerbaijani authorities.

President of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Bako Sahakyan is visiting France. Within the framework of the visit he has had meetings with French MPs and the Mayors of a number of French cities.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev won’t be able to participate in the summit of the EU Eastern Partnership program to be held in Riga on May 21-22.

President’s aide for public and political affairs, Ali Hasanov made the remark on May 20 while talking to media, Azeri media report.

He noted that “the President has an extremely busy schedule as very little time is left to the start of the first European Games and preparations for this important event have entered the final stage.” “That’s why the head of state will not be able to attend the Summit.”

Hasanov said Azerbaijan will be represented at the Riga Summit by Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan, Chief of the Administration’s Foreign Relations Department Novruz Mammadov and Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

The meeting is expected to bring together the political leadership of the 28 EU Member States and six EaP partner countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine – as well as the EU institutions, including Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, and Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission.

Kim Kardashian will present the CFDA Media Award to Kevin Systrom, the founder of Instagram. She shared the news Tuesday afternoon on that very platform, as well as Twitter, reports.

Systrom will be receiving the award  because of all that the social media platform has done for the fashion industry.

Taraji P. Henson will present the accessories award, Amanda Seyfried for women’s wear and Joshua Jackson for men’s wear. The presenters for the Swarovski awards are still in the works and will be revealed at a later date.

 

On May 21 UEFA President Michel Platini will arrive in Armenia on May 21 for a one-day official visit, Press Service of the Football Federation of Armenia reports.

Michel Platini will meet with the President of the Football Federation of Armenia, Ruben Hayrapetyan. He will visit the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and the Football Academy.

The UEFA President will have a short briefing with reporters at the Football Academy.

“The United States as a member of the OSCE Minsk Group, continues the efforts to solve the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Today, we continue our efforts in this direction,” APA quotes US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Robert Cekuta as saying.

According to him, the co-chairs have been negotiating with the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia to organize a meeting of the presidents this year. He said “the leaderships of both countries must demonstrate the will to take a step based on the ideas proposed by the Co-Chairs towards a peaceful resolution of the protracted conflict.”

In response to recent news of the partial demolition of Camp Armen in the Tuzla district near Istanbul, the Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA) has written to the Turkish president, prime minister, and the United States ambassador of the Republic of Turkey asking for their intervention and support, the Armenian Weekly reports.

During the partial demolition of the camp in early May, a group of Armenians from Turkey, including some of the former students of the Youth Home of Istanbul who grew up in Camp Armen, rushed to the site and kept guard day and night, thus halting further demolition of the camp.

Among those who went to the camp as a child was Rakel Dink, the widow of Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink.

In the letters, Zaven Khanjian, the executive director/CEO of the AMAA, asked the Turkish leaders to strongly consider intervening to avoid the further demolition of this historically significant and beloved camp, and to secure the return of the property to its rightful owner—the Armenian Evangelical Church of Gedik Pasa in Istanbul.

“We are imploring the help of the Turkish leaders in this matter,” said Khanjian. “Camp Armen was home to over 1,500 Armenian orphans who were gathered from the depths of Anatolia, and was where Hrant and Rakel Dink met, grew up, and were married. The camp was a labor of love for the orphans and it became their ‘Atlantis’ civilization. It is an important part of a very meaningful chapter in our Armenian history, and one which we do not want to lose. We pray that God will grant us all a peaceful resolution of this legal struggle.”

The AMAA calls upon other Armenian churches and organizations to raise their voices and send similar letters and requests to the leaders of the Turkish government.

Ten youths have been arrested by Canadian police on suspicion of planning to travel to Iraq and Syria to join Islamic State, the BBC reports.

All 10 had their passports confiscated after they were detained at Montreal’s Trudeau International Airport at the weekend.

Police said in a statement on Tuesday that none of the suspects had been charged, but investigations were ongoing.

Their families have been informed.

“These are very difficult times for the relatives and loved ones of the persons arrested, as the decision to leave the country was not that of the family, but of a single family member,” the statement said.

“As a result, family members often find themselves at a complete loss and unable to understand the decision made by the youth.”

Police said they could not disclose the identity of the suspects or provide information about what led to their arrests.

On 20 May Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan visited the town of Sarcelles and met there with the town authorities headed by mayor François Pupponi.

A cooperation agreement between the Sarcelles and Martakert towns was signed during the meeting.

President Sahakyan stressed that cooperation with various French towns and cities was of special importance for Artsakh, considering it a significant opportunity for urban development in our republic and deepening the Karabagh-France relationships.

The official remix of the “Face the shadow” song performed by the Genealogy band representing Armenia at the Eurovision 2015 contest was published a few hours ago at the Public Television of Armenia’s Facebook page.

The track is created by “The Sunside” group’s members Hayk Manucharyan, Deep Danny (Manuk Manukyan) and DJ Dale (Vartan Babayan).

The saxophone is played by Marat Hakobyan, the mix and mastering is done by Arman Avetisyan. The official remix is included in the “Face the shadow” single CD.