Category: News

Photo: Reuters

 

Tens of thousands of Iranians have turned out in the capital Tehran for the funeral of former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the BBC reports.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will perform prayers at the ceremony, which is being held at Tehran University.

Mr Rafsanjani, president from 1989 to 1997, died of a heart attack on Sunday at the age of 82.

Three days of official mourning began on Monday.

The former president will be buried next to Iranian revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini.

Armenian Parliament’s Vice-Speaker Edward Sharmazanov is also attending the funeral.

The resolution of the Karabakh conflict is impossible without Artsakh returning to the talks, Spokesman for the NKR President David Babayan said in an interview with Public Radio of Armenia.

Speaking about the expectations from the settlement process,the Spokesperson said “the emphasis will be put on the maintenance of stability, as there is no other option at this point.”

“It is impossible to reach a comprehensive settlement without Artsakh returning to the negotiating table, but there are no prerequisites to believe that this will happen in the near future,”David Babayan said.

However, he sees changes in the behavior of the international community.

“The international community is trying to open at least one of the brackets. The criticism of Azerbaijan has grown, the term ‘Nagorno Karabakh Republic is being used by international structures more frequently,” Babayan said.

Member of the NKR National Assembly Hayk Khanlaryan has no expectations from the negotiation process.

“It would be desirable for Artsakh to return to the negotiating table as soon  as possible, but it’s nearly impossible considering Azerbaijan’s stance and the current political conjuncture,” he said.

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Karen Nazaryan and MEP Frank Engel discussed the Armenia-EU relations at a meeting in Yerevan on January 9.

During the meeting reference was made to the negotiations on a new framework agreement, the ongoing dialogue and other issues. The Armenian Deputy FM briefed the guest on the current status of Armenia-EU relations and the perspectives of their development.

The parties stressed the importance of permanent support for their implementation on the legislative and executive levels.

In the context of elimination of consequences of Azerbaijan’s April aggression against Artsakh and the efforts of Armenia and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to thfurer the negotiation process, the interlocutors attached importance to raising awareness in the European Parliament and among the European community, at large.

The parties exchanged views on the latest regional and international developments.

Photo: Reuters

 

President-elect Donald Trump has named his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, as one of his senior White House advisers, the BBC reports.

The 35-year-old played a key role in the presidential campaign and his new White House job will cover both domestic and foreign policy.

Mr Kushner, who is married to Ivanka Trump, is a property developer with a wide range of business interests.

Democrats immediately called for a review of the appointment, citing nepotism laws and potential conflicts.

Members of the House Judiciary Committee urged the Department of Justice and the Office of Government Ethics to step in.

Earlier, Mr Trump hailed his son-in-law as a “tremendous asset” and he was proud to give him a “key leadership role” in the administration.

A statue of Argentine football star Lionel Messi has been vandalised in Buenos Aires, the BBC reports.

The bronze statue, unveiled last June, was broken in half and the torso, arms and head removed.

The motive for the damage was not clear but city officials say repairs to the statue are already under way.

It was unveiled just as the striker announced he was retiring from the national team – a decision he later reversed.

The statue stood on Paseo de la Gloria (Glory Street), which also displays casts of other famous Argentine sports stars such as tennis player Gabriela Sabatini and basketball player Manuel Ginobili.

Statues in the area have previously been targeted by vandals or thieves.

“The statue of Lionel Messi… was victim of an act of vandalism that left the footballer’s sculpture without its top half,” the Buenos Aires municipal government said in a statement.

“The city government is already working on its repair.”

Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan received today the Ambassadors of Iran and Turkmenistan to Armenia, Seyed Kazem Sajadi and Muhammad Niaz Mashalov.

The Prime Minister said the high level of relations with Iran and Turkmenistan allows to further deepen the economic ties and launch cooperation in trilateral format.

“We are interested in developing the Armenia-Iran-Turkmenistan trilateral economic cooperation. We have the capacity to increase the volume of commodity turnover between our countries and this meeting is a testament to the importance we attach to our cooperation,” he said.

The Ambassadors, in turn, reiterated the willingness of their respective countries to expand the cooperation with Armenia and discuss the future steps in that direction.

During the meeting reference was made to the perspectives of trilateral cooperation in the energy field, the supply of energy resources and joint projects.

The parties reached an agreement to set up a joint task force to discuss concrete programs.

 

 

 

The situation has been relatively calm at the borders of Armenia and Artsakh during the holidays, Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan has said. This does not mean, however, there have been no ceasefire violations.

“There has been sporadic shooting,” the Defense Minister told reporters, adding that the “Armenian side responds only to targeted shooting and only if there is a need to hit a target.”

Vigen Sargsyan noted, however, that “any ceasefire violation is a violation of the commitment to respect the truce and should be followed by an adequate political response.”

Speaking about the replenishment of equipment at the border and the prevention of infringement attempts, the Defense Minister said: “There is no technology that can prevent the infiltration attempts, but the replenishment at the border is an ongoing process, and the better we are equipped, the less the chances of infringement.”

The Defense Minister spoke to reporters at a ceremony of seeing off the conscripts to military service.

Photo: Getty Images

 

At least 16 people have been arrested in connection with an armed robbery of Kim Kardashian West in Paris in October, officials say, the BBC reports.

Authorities said at the time that the American reality TV star was robbed at gunpoint by at least two men dressed as police officers.

The men entered Kardashian West’s luxury apartment before tying her up and locking her in the bathroom.

They escaped with an estimated €10m (£8.7m; $10.5m) in jewellery.

French police said that traces of DNA left at the scene led to the arrests. The men were detained in early morning raids in the Paris region.

The 36-year-old mother-of-two, who is married to the rapper Kanye West, said she feared she was going to be killed at the time. The star was left badly shaken but unhurt.

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.