Category: News

President Serzh Sargsyan has sent  a letter of condolences to the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Hassan Rouhani on the demise of the former President of the IRI Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

“Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani will be remembered by the Armenian people as a President of the neighboring country whose tenure in office was signified by the establishment of the initial interstate relations between the newly independent Armenia and Iran, which gave a new impetus to the centuries-long friendship of our two nations. Based on the strong foundation, which was formed in those years, today we continue to expand and deepen our cooperation,” the letter reads.

Phto: AFP    

Hollywood musical La La Land has broken the record for the most Golden Globe Awards, winning seven prizes, the reports.

It won in every category in which it was nominated – including best musical or comedy film and acting trophies for Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling.

It also won the awards for best director, screenplay, score and song.

The Globes are seen as pointers to the Oscars. Moonlight was named best drama film, while Casey Affleck and Isabelle Huppert won other acting prizes.

Affleck was named best actor in a film drama for his role in Manchester By The Sea and French star Isabelle Huppert was the surprise winner of the award for best film drama actress.

Her performance in thriller Elle – which was also named best foreign language film – beat contenders including Natalie Portman, who had been considered the favourite for playing Jackie Kennedy in Jackie.

Viola Davis was named best supporting film actress for playing a woman in 1950s Pittsburgh in Fences – a role she first played on Broadway six years ago.

In a surprise result, British actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson was named best supporting actor for his role in Nocturnal Animals – a prize that had been widely expected to go to Mahershala Ali for Moonlight.

Zootopia was named best animated feature film at Sunday’s ceremony, which was hosted by Jimmy Fallon.

 

 

 

The cold currents have not disrupted Armenia’s air communication. The changes in the flight schedule  ave not caused any concerns from the perspective of security; no reserve airports, not even that of Gyumri, have been used, spokesperson for the Armenia International Airports CJSC Gevorg Abrahamyan told .

All scheduled flights from Zvartnots Airport have been operated, some with delay. “Disruptions of the schedule have been registered because of the arriving planes, mostly those flying from Russia,” said Satenik Hovhannisyan, Press Secretary of the General Department of Civil Aviation said.

According to her, the Istanbul-Yerevan flight that had been cancelled on January 7 because of heavy snowfalls in Turkey has already been operated.

By Chad Pawson, – Ara Strak says he and his family are marking Orthodox Christmas with prayers of gratitude even while the memory of fleeing from his bombed-out apartment in Aleppo is still fresh in his minds.

He and a handful of other Syrian refugees sponsored by Richmond B.C.’s St. Gregory Armenian Church attended services there this weekend.

“We are here … safe, and that’s the biggest thing that we needed in our life,” said Strak.

The church has sponsored 35 families over the past year.

“A lot of adjustments that they have to do, culture is different, the language is different, education system is different, settling really nicely, a lot of them are relieved they are out of Syria,” said Eddie Papazian who works with the sponsorship committee for the church.

The church hopes to support more refugees and has plans to welcome another 20 people in the next few months.

“If you live in the war, you see that the important thing in your life is your safety and your family’s safety is the first,” said Strak in thanks to his new congregation.

He along with other refugees hope they can play a role in welcoming the next wave of refugees sponsored by the church.

“To help others and feel comfortable, like others, how they helped us,” said Rita Koujian.

Vice-President of the Armenian National Assembly Edward Sharmazanov is leaving for Iran to day to attend the funeral of former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the Parliament’s Press Service reports.

Mr. Rafsanjani died on Sunday in a hospital in Tehran after suffering a heart attack.

His body was taken to Jamaran prayer hall, the residence of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Rohullah Khomeini, where relatives, politicians and religious figures gathered to pay their last respects.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has led tributes to former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who has died at the age of 82, the BBC reports.

Ayatollah Khamenei hailed a “companion of struggle” despite their differences, saying this was a “difficult” loss.

President Hassan Rouhani praised Mr Rafsanjani as a great man of the Islamic revolution.

The government has announced three days of mourning, making Tuesday a public holiday for his funeral in Tehran.

Mr Rafsanjani, who served as president from 1989 to 1997, was pivotal in the 1979 revolution. But later in life he became a counterpoint to hardline conservatives.

“The different opinions and interpretations at time in this long period could never entirely break up the friendship between us,” said Ayatollah Khamenei.

Mr Rafsanjani died on Sunday in a hospital in Tehran after suffering a heart attack.

His body was taken to Jamaran prayer hall, the residence of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Rohullah Khomeini, where relatives, politicians and religious figures gathered to pay their last respects.

The CSTO Secretary General’s statement on the incident at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border was very clear, Armenian Defense minister Vigen Sargsyan has said.

The comments come after CSTO Secretary General Nikolay Bordyuzha issued a on an Azeri infringement attempt at the Armenian border. “We consider these actions on the territory of a CSTO member state as a provocation, especially against the background of a rather serious incident in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic with application of heavy weapons and armored vehicles in April this year,” the then Secretary General said, in part.

“The CSTO member states gave their assessment of the Karabakh issue in a statement adopted during the summit in Yerevan,” Vigen Sargsyan said, adding that “the Secretary General’s statement on the incident was quite clear.”

“The Secretary General is one of the most important institutions of the CSTO and expresses the opinion of the organization between summits,” the Defense Minister added.

Speaking about the appointment of a new Secretary General, Minister Sargsyan said the issue will be discussed at the next summit.

An exhibition of works by Armenian artists opened at Tehran’s Maryam Gallery on Friday.

Entitled “Sodality”, works by Lilitte Therian, Serjh Avakian, Edman Aivazian, Simon Aivazian and Garnik der Hacoopian have been put on display, reported.

In the Armenian tradition, the holy birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated on January 6.

The ceremony was attended by the Armenian Archbishop of Tehran, Sebouh Sarkissian, and director of the Art and Cultural Organization of Tehran Municipality Mahmud Salahi.

In his brief speech at the ceremony Salahi said that the Christian artists of Iran narrate the history of Iran through their arts, adding, “I see no separation between my compatriots, we have been together and fought against the enemy during the (Iran-Iraq) war and some of the martyrs are Iranian Christians.”

“Now, the relations between Iran and Armenia are good and visa requirements for both citizens have been lifted. Iran emphasizes peaceful coexistence with all the people in the world. I hope the artists can help draw the attention of the world to peace and friendship,” he added.

Armenian Archbishop of Tehran Sebouh Sarkissian expressed his congratulations over the arrival of the New Year and the birth anniversary of Jesus.

He also thanked the organizers of the exhibit and said that the Armenians have made good progress in art with over 90 masters of art.

The opening ceremony ended by honoring the artists whose works are on display.

The exhibit has been arranged in collaboration with the Ardak Manoukian Museum in Tehran and will be running until January 11.

Cristiano Ronaldo has been named the world’s best player at the inaugural Best Fifa Football Awards in Zurich, the BBC reports.

Real Madrid and Portugal forward Ronaldo, 31, beat Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann to the prize.

Ronaldo also with both honours recognition for success in the Champions League with Real and Euro 2016 with Portugal.

Carli Lloyd of the United States was named the world’s best female player.

Leicester’s Claudio Ranieri was named best men’s coach, ex-Germany boss Silvia Neid won the female coach award, while Penang’s Mohd Faiz Subri received the Puskas award for the best goal of 2016.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has pipped Henrikh Mkhitaryan to be named Manchester United’s Player of the Month for December.

The towering Swede, United’s top scorer this term, was honoured after an irresistible period in which he was an ever-present and scored seven goals in six games, as well as providing three assists.

Ibrahimovic earned 38 per cent of the combined votes in our polls on ManUtd.com and Twitter to finish marginally ahead of Mkhitaryan, whose own impressive month (which yielded his first three goals for the club) was recognised by 36 per cent of the 140,000 fans who voted.

The duo’s fellow summer signing Paul Pogba, who also found the net twice in December, finished third with 26 per cent – a further illustration of the collective contribution to United’s excellent month, which featured six wins and a draw.

It’s the first time Ibra has picked up this particular prize and the result continues a recent trend of different winners – the 35-year-old succeeds previous recipients Antonio Valencia (November), Juan Mata (October), Marcus Rashford (September), Eric Bailly (August), Anthony Martial (May) and David De Gea (April).