Category: News

At least 33 people have died in Russia after drinking bath essence, authorities said on Monday, the BBC reports.

The hawthorn-scented liquid was consumed as if it were alcohol, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee.

More than 50 people sought medical attention after drinking the product in the Siberian city of Irkutsk over the weekend.

Investigators said a label saying it should not be swallowed was ignored.

The product was found to contain methanol, a toxin found in antifreeze.

Two people have been detained over the deaths and police are removing bottles from shops.

 

Photo: Sergey Bobylev/TASS    

An IL-18 aeroplane belonging to the Russian defence ministry has crashed in Yakutia in Siberia with 39 people on board, teh BBC reports.

The defence ministry said 16 people were seriously injured, correcting earlier reports that 27 had died.

The plane was carrying 32 passengers and seven crew when it came down near Tiksi in the Bulun district of Russia’s far east.

Weather conditions were reportedly bad in the area when the crash happened.

The plane was carrying out a scheduled flight from Kansk when it came down about 30km (18 miles) short of Tiksi at 04:45 (19:45 GMT Sunday).

The plane broke into three pieces in what appears to have been an emergency landing.

Three Mi-8 helicopters were despatched to the crash site by Russia’s Emergency Ministry.

As well as the 16 seriously injured, another seven people on board the plane required hospital treatment.

A gunman has shot dead Russia’s ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, apparently in protest at Russia’s involvement in the Syrian conflict, the BBC reports.

Several other people were reportedly also injured in the attack, a day after protests in Turkey over Russia’s military intervention in Syria.

According to Russian TV, the ambassador had been attending an exhibition called “Russia as seen by Turks”.

Police later “neutralised” the gunman, reports say, without giving details.

Mr Karlov was rushed to hospital but his death was later confirmed.

US state department spokesman John Kirby said US officials were aware of reports about the attack on the ambassador.

“We condemn this act of violence, whatever its source,” he said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.”

Iran Khodro Automaker company (IKCO) has opened a branch in Armenia aiming to introduce the Iranian brand to the neighboring country, reports. 

If Azerbaijan rejects the packaged settlement of the issue, then there is only one option for step-by-step settlement, Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan has said.

“After Azerbaijan’s attempt at the beginning of this April to repeat aggression against the self-determined Nagorno-Karabakh Republic it became clear to everyone that if Azerbaijan rejects the packaged settlement of the issue, then there is only one option for step-by-step settlement,” Shavarsh Kocharyan said in comments to Armenpress.

According to the Deputy FM, “Azerbaijan should first recognize the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, return the territories of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, which are still under its occupation, and apply to the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic with the initiative to launch negotiations on the delimitation of the state border between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh.”

Armenia’s Minister of Economic Development and Investments Suren Karayan had a meeting with EU Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström.

During the meeting Minister Karayan attached importance to the Armenia-EU negotiations on a new framework agreement, which is developing in three directions – politics, trade and investments and cooperation in different spheres.

“The fifth round of talks held in Brussels allows to report considerable progress in the negotiation process and inspires hopes for completion of the negotiation process in the near future,” he said.

Commissioner Malmström noted, in turn, that the negotiations on trade and investments are developing in a constructive atmosphere. The parties reached a number of agreements that will be implemented by the end of the negotiations.

The framework agreement will raise the Armenia-EU cooperation to a qualitatively new level, will reflect the volume and depth of the relations and will outline new landmarks for mutually beneficial cooperation.

Minister Suren Karayan invited the EU Commissioner to Armenia.

Asbarez – A organized by human rights group Freedom Now was held on December 14 outside a Hannakuh party hosted by Ilham Aliyev’s Azerbaijani regime at Trump International Hotel – to “highlight the continued repression of civil society and independent voices in Azerbaijan.”

The controversial party – which has been sharply criticized in both the Jewish American and Israeli press – was co-hosted by the Embassy of Azerbaijan, Washington, D.C. and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations to celebrate “religious freedom and diversity.”

“We strongly condemn Azerbaijan’s egregious violations of human rights,” said Freedom Now founder Jared Genser. “Hanukkah is the story of good triumphing over evil and the rededication of the Holy Temple. If Jewish leaders attend this celebration, they should take the opportunity to perform the mitzvah rabah (great deed) of pidyon shivuyim (redemption of captives) and urge Ambassador Elin Suleymanov to have his government release its political prisoners.” Earlier this week, Genser had an in The Forward entitled “A Hanukkah Freedom Party With Human Rights Violators” about this event.

“Activists who protest the government’s religion policy are often arrested and given lengthy prison terms based on false charges. Azerbaijan’s lack of respect for religious freedom has prompted the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom to categorize it as a Tier 2 country, indicating serious violations,” read Freedom Now’s press statement on the protest. “Other countries in this category include Afghanistan, Cuba, Russia, and Turkey.”

Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan received a delegation representing the Institute of Public Security Studies at Tsinghua University of China and Chinese GSAFETY Company, headed by GSAFETY management board member Xue Hailong.

The sides discussed prospects of cooperation in terms of security systems in the transport sector. In particular, they touched upon the development of the Smart Town project and the possibility for implementing it in one of Armenia’s cities.

Xue Hailong presented the activities of the company and expressed willingness to cooperate in the field of public transport traffic management systems and traffic safety. Welcoming the Chinese company’s willingness to participate in investment programs in our country, the Prime Minister said Armenia can become a good platform for GSAFETY to enter the EEU market.

Prime Minister Karapetyan suggested discussing cooperation areas and specific projects in more detail with the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technologies of the Republic of Armenia.

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville says that he has been very impressed with Manchester United signing Henrikh Mkhitatyan, according to The Sports Review.

Neville believes Mkhitaryan looks like a very good signing following his performance against Spurs.

“He had a large price tag and people expected he would come straight in. But we have Lingard, Martial, Rashford and Mata in the wide areas. He looks very, very good. It is very early days,” Neville told Sky Sports.

Neville added: “He has been good. He looks like he is clever and sees a pass.”

Henrikh Mkhitaryan can help to inspire Manchester United to a top-four finish in the Premier League this season, Arsenal legend Ray Parlour says.

Speaking to Sky Sports News HQ, ex Arsenal midfielder Parlour insisted that he isn’t surprised to see Mkhitaryan come into his own at Old Trafford.

“Mkhitaryan scored the goal. At the start of the season, I said he’d be a real good signing. He hasn’t featured too often for Manchester United,” Parlour said.

“In recent weeks, he has shown how good he is. If they can keep him in the side and get the best out of him as well, Jose knows that he has a good squad of players there and they will be hoping they can get a real good run going and threaten that top four.”

The documentary ‘We Are Egyptian Armenians,’ directed by Waheed Sobhi, relays the history of the Armenian community in Egypt as recounted by many of its members and supported with archival materials including photos, videos and paintings.

The film, created in cooperation with scriptwriter Eva Dadrian and researcher and executive producer Hannan Ezzat, was screened at the Cairo International Film Festival 2016.

The documentary also participated in the International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam and the Karama Human Rights Film Festival in Jordan.

The film is set to be screened in Egypt, the US and Canada.

Ahram Online sat down for an interview with the filmmakers Sobhi, Dadrian, and Ezzat.

“There are many ways to make a film about the Egyptian Armenians. We chose to focus on their history in Egypt, and their contribution to Egyptian history and society. The film has many archival images and videos as well as information relayed by a narrator,” director Waheed Sobhi said in an interview with .

“We wanted to show the many different aspects of the Armenian community, their contributions to Egyptian history, and so on. It is like a panorama of the Armenian community in Egypt. This film may even invite more research and more work on the Armenian community in Egypt,” the director said.

For the full interview click .