Category: News

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.

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).

Photo: NASA

 

An iceberg expected to be one of the 10 largest ever recorded is ready to break away from Antarctica, scientists say, the BBC  reports.

A long-running rift in the Larsen C ice shelf grew suddenly in December and now just 20km of ice is keeping the 5,000 sq km piece from floating away.

Larsen C is the most northern major ice shelf in Antarctica.

Researchers based in Swansea say the loss of a piece a quarter of the size of Wales will leave the whole shelf vulnerable to future break-up.

Larsen C is about 350m thick and floats on the seas at the edge of West Antarctica, holding back the flow of glaciers that feed into it.

Researchers have been tracking the rift in Larsen C for many years, watching it with some trepidation after the collapse of Larsen A ice shelf in 1995 and the sudden break-up of the Larsen B shelf in 2002.

Photo: Sputnik/ Alexei Danichev  

Russia’s planned reduction of its military presence in Syria has begun with a Northern Fleet carrier group led by the Admiral Kuznetsov heavy carrier, the chief of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff said Friday, reports.

“In accordance with the decision of Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces Vladimir Putin, the Defense Ministry is beginning to reduce the Armed Forces grouping in Syria,” Gen. Valery Gerasimov told reporters.

Gerasimov said the reduction begins with the Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Kuznetsov, the Pyotr Veliky battlecruiser and auxiliary ships.

He noted that the nationwide ceasefire in Syria took effect at midnight local time on December 30 (22:00 GMT on December 29).

The Russian Armed Forces’ carrier group led by the Admiral Kuznetsov heavy carrier will embark from the Mediterranean to Northern Fleet’s base later in the day, Gerasimov said.

The decision to cut Russia’s military presence in the Arab republic was made by Putin at the recommendation of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on December 29.

THE MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS KAREKIN II
SUPREME PATRIARCH AND CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS
ON THE FEAST OF THE HOLY NATIVITY AND THEOPHANY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
(Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, 06 January 2017)

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that by testing you may discern what is the will of God,
what is good and acceptable and perfect.
(Romans 12:2).

Dear Faithful,

Today on the Feast the Nativity of our Lord, we offer with joy our thanksgiving to God. We glorify infant Jesus born in Bethlehem, who came into the world to save humanity, condemned to perdition.

Adam, the first man in the world created by God, violated the divine commandment, went against the will of God, and was thus deprived of the grace and gifts of the Creator. Through Adam, sin came into existence in human life and death entered the world. However, God, with the love and mercy of his Creatorship established a new reality for humanity. In the fullness of time, He sent His Only Begotten Son to redeem humanity from its sins and to grant eternal life. Through Christ, the world roiling in a tempest of sin was renewed, and humanity was graced with the chance to become new again by heeding the message of establishing peace, love and goodwill in the world. In the light of the salvific reality of our Lord, the apostle Paul exhorts, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

These words of the apostle expressed the spirit of the Gospel. The Gospel message became manifest in the world through path of renewal in Christ, transforming human lives and societies, and instilling the ideas of the common good and of establishing justice and peace in the world. Sadly, however, in opposition to God the sinful ways of evil persist. Wars, conflicts, and terrorism are unceasing; human rights are being violated, and genocides and cultural destruction have yet to receive their just condemnation. Greed and the craving to for riches lead to fraud and abuse causing human tragedies, polarization of society and social injustice. Alongside kindness and honesty we witness hatred and treachery, and beside humility and dedication, we witness blind ambition and obsession for power. Over all these wounds the mystery of the incarnation of Christ extends the hope of renewal, so that, following the words of the apostle Paul, people may test themselves and discern “what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect,” and live their lives through works pleasing to God.

This is the path that embodies God’s will, sustaining the world and adorning life with love, peace, justice, and truth, which God unceasingly increases in the souls of the faithful. It is the testimony of renewal through Christ that we Christians must bring to the world. The life of a Christian is an impactful mission to the people and the world. Christ’s redemptive work in the world is the model for envisioning one’s own mission in the establishment of national and universal good and working together to create the paths of happiness, progress, and achievements. Thus, instead of being an end in itself life is transformed into commitment, work becomes creation, knowledge and talent become the common good, authority becomes service to the people, and our transient earthly existence becomes the yearning and aspiration for eternity.

The message of renewal in the gospel and the apostolic exhortation, have perpetually resonated and sustained our people. Life renewed by the Gospel for centuries has granted our people the fortitude of faith, strength of soul, and courage to be able to withstand tribulations, to endure hardships, and to create accomplishments worthy of written remembrance. With this same spirit, we confront the illegal blockade of our homeland and military provocations that cost lives. We overcome the difficulties and challenges we face, and strive to build a peaceful and prosperous life for our people, at the same time lending support to our sisters and brothers who endure the devastation of war in the Middle East. In the face of crisis and adversity, the feast of the Nativity and Theophany of Christ brings a new dawn of life, warming our hearts and giving us hope and optimism.

Today, in front of the mystery of the Nativity and Theophany of our Savior, We bring you, dear people of faith, the same apostolic exhortation to follow the will of God, to perform righteous deeds, to aspire to perfection, and to be filled with the determination and zeal to live a better life. Let us keep our hearts as a humble manger of Bethlehem for the divine presence, so that we may become true worshippers of the Savior: merciful and just, with love for another. Let us be strengthened by the Lord, so that our hopes become a reality and our national goals are accomplished. May we, like the light radiating from the star of Bethlehem leading to the Lord, keep the faith in our souls bright, and like the wise men make fidelity and devotion to our Lord Jesus Christ our life’s path and destination.

With the glorious good news of the Holy Nativity of Christ, we convey our fraternal greetings to the incumbents of the hierarchical sees of our Apostolic Church: His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia; the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem Archbishop Nurhan Manoogian; the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople Archbishop Mesrop Mutafian; and to all the clergy of our Church. We extend our warm wishes and we pray for the salvific grace of Christ the Child for the heads of our sister churches and their faithful flocks.

We convey our greetings to the President of Armenia, Serj Sarkissian, President Bako Sahakyan of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh and pray that the Lord grant them fortitude in their duties. We deliver our blessings and best wishes to state officials of Armenia, present today at this Divine Liturgy, and the representatives of diplomatic missions accredited in Armenia. We bestow our pontifical blessing upon our entire nation and diaspora.

On this joyous day of the Holy Nativity we raise our prayer to the incarnate Son of God for peace in the world and for the progress and prosperity of our people in the homeland and the Diaspora. We beseech gracious God that He may root out the tare of brutality and hatred from the hearts of all people and sow the graces of love and solidarity, so that humanity can be renewed by doing God’s will: “the good, acceptable and perfect.”

May the Lord keep and protect our country, sustain in prosperity our Holy Church under the venerable shadow of His Holy Right Hand. May He also guide our life in faith and in paths of good deeds, so that we may glorify His Holy name, now and forever and ever. Amen.

Christ is born and revealed,
blessed is the revelation of Christ.