Category: News

Photo: AP

 

At least 50,000 militants from so-called Islamic State have been killed since the US-led coalition started fighting in Iraq and Syria two years ago, a US military official has said, the BBC reports.

The senior official described the figure as a “conservative estimate”.

The figure showed air power and a small number of US figures supporting local forces were having an impact, the official said.

The US has, however, repeatedly warned that IS can replace fighters rapidly.

The official on Thursday said that coalition air strikes could be intensified in places like Mosul, which Iraqi troops are now battling to recapture, but that had to be offset against the risk of civilian casualties.

Human Rights Defender of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Ruben Melikyan published today the second interim report on the atrocities by Azerbaijan during the 2016 April war.

The findings of the report are alarming for the international community, in particular the international human rights community.

“The systemic and grave violations of the International Humanitarian Law in April 2016 by the Azerbaijani armed forces still require proper actions from the respective international human rights organizations, as a matter of concern for the whole international community,” the report says.

“In the early morning hours of April 2, 2016 the Azerbaijani armed forces launched a thoroughly planned large-scale offensive along the entire line of contact between NKDA and Azerbaijani AF, deploying tanks, attack helicopters, heavy artillery, rocket launchers (including 220mm TOS-1 Heavy Flamethrower System Solntsepyok, and 300mm Smerch Multiple Rocket Launchers), and unmanned combat aerial vehicles (including IAI Harop). The Azerbaijani surprise and unprovoked offensive was the largest and bloodiest breach of the cease-fire regime installed in 1994 through a trilateral agreement between NKR, Armenia and Azerbaijan. The active phase of the armed conflict lasted until 12pm on April 5, when by active interference of the international community the cease-fire regime of 1994 was restored,” the report reminds.

“The report considers three war crimes committed by Azerbaijani AF against NKR combatants and civilians: torture, execution (violence to life) and mutilation of dead bodies,” Ombudsman Ruben Melikyan told a press conference in Talish today. According to him, “all three actions are war crimes under International Humanitarian Law.

The facts of torture, execution, and mutilation documented in the report are established on the basis of forensic expertise reports (and photographs attached to them), as well as, in some cases, collaborating evidence (such as witness interviews, the analysis of pictures and videos published by the Azerbaijani users).

Click for the full report.

– Trailing 2-0 to Montenegro at half-time in November’s FIFA World Cup qualifier, Armenia must have felt that the writing was on the wall and that a fourth defeat in as many games was looming. Two goals in quick succession from Damir Kojasevic and Stevan Jovetic had enabled the visitors to go into the break in firm control, and seemingly primed to record a third successive win in Group E against their lowly hosts.

Armenia manager Artur Petrosyan – taking charge of his first game after the resignation of Varuzhan Sukiasyan – and his players had other ideas, however. Galvanised as they entered the pitch after the break, they looked a completely different side and staged a valiant and unlikely comeback to restore parity, before bagging a dramatic last-minute winner through attacking midfielder Gevorg Ghazaryan.

The result not only gave Petrosyan a winning start to life as coach, but lifted the south-east European nation 38 places to 87th in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking, establishing them as November’s biggest mover.

A four-time Armenian Premier League winner with Shirak Gyumri who also has experience of Swiss football with Young Boys and FC Zurich, Petrosyan – a former midfielder – hung up his boots in 2006 before going on to serve as a youth coach at FC Zurich. After a spell as Armenia assistant manager under Swiss Bernard Challandes from 2014 to 2015, he accepted the head coach role in October 2016, although the timing of this promotion came as a surprise.]

The country’s fourth all-time appearance-maker with 69 caps, Petrosyan holds the accolade of appearing in Armenia’s first international – a goalless home draw against Moldova – and was the nation’s all-time leading goalscorer before being surpassed by Manchester United’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

Having now ended their three-year winless run in qualifying and embarked on a dramatic rise in the FIFA Ranking, Armenia will naturally have a spring in their step going into their next qualifier on the road to Russia, at home to Group E basement side Kazakhstan in March.

A meeting between Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mamadyarov and OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs Igor Popov, James Warlick and Stéphane Visconti had a meeting in Hamburg yesterday, Spokesman for the Armenian ministry of Foreign Affairs Tigran Balayan said in a Twitter post.

The meeting was initiated by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and was held on the sidelines of the OSCE ministerial council meeting in Hamburg.

Photo: Reuters

 

Rolling Stones frontman Sir Mick Jagger has become a father again at age of 73, his publicist has confirmed, the BBC reports.

The singer already has seven children whose ages range from 17 to 45 and he became a great-grandfather in 2014.

His 29-year-old girlfriend, American ballerina Melanie Hamrick, gave birth to a boy in New York on Thursday, the singer’s publicist Bernard Doherty said.

A statement said Hamrick and Sir Mick were “both delighted” at the birth.

It added: “Mick was at the hospital for the arrival.

“Mother and baby are doing well and we request that the media respect their privacy at this time.”

Armenia and the World Bank have signed a US$50 million development policy finance operation to support the Government’s reforms program across key economic areas. The Fourth Development Policy Financing (DPF-4) for Armenia supports a wide range of reforms promoting fiscal, social and environmental sustainability and strengthening competitiveness. This is the last operation in a programmatic series of four DPFs spanning 2013-2016.

“We aim to support macroeconomic stability in Armenia. This operation will help to improve the country’s competitiveness and business environment, and enhance employment opportunities”, said Laura E. Bailey, World Bank Country Manager for Armenia. “The DPF series are based on a longstanding partnership between the Bank and Armenia and builds on previous operations. The current series is focused on supporting the Government in addressing challenges faced by the country with high external vulnerability and persistent unemployment.”

The first pillar of this operation includes measures for improving the financial sustainability of key sectors and the efficiency of social protection programs while enhancing environmental safeguards in the mining industry, which accounts for over half of Armenia’s exports. The second pillar, on improving competitiveness, focuses on strengthening the business environment and improving trade facilitation and connectivity, as well as access to credit.

Key milestones supported by this operation include the enactment of the Unified Tax Code, which will address shortcomings in the tax system, and increase the fiscal space for growth-enhancing capital investment and social spending. It includes measures to enhance revenues, improve the efficiency, transparency and equity of the tax system, and to strengthen tax administration.

“The new Code is a major step forward in the tax policy reform, as it unifies and harmonizes what were previously two different sets of tax laws, bringing them together into a single Code. The Code will reduce the risk of rule duplication and, more importantly, of inconsistencies across different tax laws. By revisiting the level and structure of income taxes, reducing the number of exemptions and tax gaps, increasing excise taxes and strengthening coverage of high-wealth individuals and large companies, the Code will lead to higher revenue mobilization in the medium-term,” said Gohar Gyulumyan, World Bank Co-Task Team Leader of the Project.

The program supports several reforms aimed at enhancing environmental safeguard legislation. In particular, the amendments to the Mining Code to align with the Law on Waste Management will reduce the negative environmental impacts from mining operations and preserve the asset endowment for households in rural areas, which often depend on income from agricultural activity.

Another focus area of this operation is improvement in the business environment, through enactment of the amendments to the Law on Bankruptcy, which strikes a better balance between creditors’ and debtors’ rights. The operation also supports increasing transparency and reliability of the financial sector by enacting regulations to ensure disclosure of beneficial ownership of financial institutions and groups.

The Fourth DPF, totaling US$50 million, is an IBRD loan with a fixed spread with a 14.5-year grace period and repayment of 25 years.

Since joining the World Bank in 1992 and IDA in 1993, total IDA and IBRD commitments to Armenia amount to US$2.3 billion.

The Red Devils striker hailed a “beautiful” goal from his Armenian team-mate in Thursday’s Europa League win at Zorya, according to Goal.com.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic believes Henrikh Mkhitaryan is poised to make his mark on Manchester United after playing a starring role in Thursday’s 2-0 win at Zorya.

Armenia playmaker Mkhitaryan scored his first goal since leaving Borussia Dortmund for Old Trafford in the Europa League success, which secured Jose Mourinho’s side a place in the knockout rounds.

After a shaky start to life at United – including being hooked at half-time on his first start, a Manchester derby defeat – Mkhitaryan has blossomed in recent games.

He offered a glimpse of his true quality in sub-zero Ukrainian conditions, charging from the centre circle before nutmegging Rafael Forster and finishing smartly.

Ibrahimovic rounded off the win with a late breakaway goal – his 13th of the campaign – but the Swedish icon was quick to put the limelight on Mkhitaryan.

“The first goal was magnificent,” Ibrahimovic told MUTV. “Henrikh had speed and control all the way, and the timing to put it through the defender’s legs… it was beautiful.

“Henrikh had speed and control all the way, and the timing to put it through the defender’s legs… it was beautiful.

“He killed the game off by scoring the goal and did a great job tonight.

“I’m very happy for him because he’s a quality player and I hope he continues; I know he will. I’m super happy for him.”

The Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan Edward Nalbandian and Elmar Mammadyarov held in meeting Hamburg with the participation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office.

During the meeting reference was made to issues outlined in the of the heads of delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian told reporters in Hamburg.

The Armenian Foreign Minister said there is no alternative to the negotiation process and Armenia is committed to working with the Co-Chairs towards an exceptionally peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

“The April events constituted large-scale aggression accompanied by vicious atrocities strongly condemned by the Minsk Group Co-Chairs in their statement,” Minister Nalbandian said.

“The use of forces should be excluded, because it’s the use of force against the principle of self-determination that has created this conflict,” Edward Nalbandian added.

He stressed the importune of implementation of the agreements reached in Vienna and St. Petersburg summits.

“Azerbaijan, which had long been refusing to agree to the expansion of the monitoring mission, now agrees for the expansion of Andrzej Kasprzyk’s team, but denies the dislocation of monitors along the line of contact or in the region,” Minister Nalbandian said.

He added that expansion of the OSCE Monitoring mission will not change much, but will at least be a symbolic step forward.

Minister Nalbandian reiterated Armenia’s strong commitment to the 1994-1995 ceasefire agreements, the exceptionally peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict and the creation of mechanisms, not only an investigation mechanism, but also a restraining mechanism, that will help create an atmosphere more conducive to furthering the negotiation process.

Heads of Delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair Countries have issued a joint statement:

We, the Heads of Delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries – Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov, Secretary of State of the United States John Kerry, and Foreign Minister of France Jean-Marc Ayrault – remain fully committed to a negotiated settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

In light of the dramatic escalation in violence along the Line of Contact in April, we express concern over continuing armed incidents, including reports on the use of heavy weapons, and strongly condemn the use of force or the threat of the use of force.  There is no military solution to this conflict and no justification for the death and injury of civilians.  We are also aware of allegations of atrocities committed on the field of battle in April, which we condemn in the strongest terms.  We appeal to the sides to confirm their commitment to the peaceful resolution of the conflict as the only way to bring real reconciliation to the peoples of the region.  We also urge them to adhere strictly to the 1994/95 ceasefire agreements that make up the foundation of the cessation of hostilities in the conflict zone.

We call on Baku and Yerevan to honor the agreements reflected in the Joint Statements of the 16 May Summit in Vienna and the 20 June Summit in St. Petersburg.  We welcome the sides’ progress in implementing the exchange of data on missing persons under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross.  We urge the parties to remove all remaining obstacles to expanding the mission of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and to make progress on a proposal to establish an OSCE investigative mechanism.  The proposals should be implemented together with the immediate resumption of negotiations on a settlement.  We would like to reiterate our call to the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to demonstrate flexibility and to return to the negotiation table with the firm aim of moving toward a sustainable peace on the basis of the current working proposals.  Unless progress can be made on negotiations, the prospects for renewed violence will only increase, and the parties will bear full responsibility.

We remind the sides that the settlement must be based on the core principles of the Helsinki Final Act, namely: non-use of force, territorial integrity, and the equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and additional elements as proposed by the Presidents of the Co-Chair countries, including return of the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani control; an interim status for Nagorno-Karabakh providing guarantees for security and self-governance; a corridor linking Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh; future determination of the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh through a legally binding expression of will; the right of all internally displaced persons and refugees to return to their former places of residence; and international security guarantees that would include a peacekeeping operation.  Our countries will continue to work closely with the sides, and we call upon them to make full use of the assistance of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs as mediators.

The Co-Chair countries are prepared to host a meeting of the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan when they are ready. We firmly believe that the Presidents need to engage in negotiations in good faith at the earliest opportunity.  Continuous and direct dialogue between the Presidents, conducted under the auspices of the Co-Chairs, remains an essential element in building confidence and moving the peace process forward.

December 9 is the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime.

In September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly established 9 December as the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crimeat the initiative of Armenia.

The 9th of December is the anniversary of the adoption of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (the “Genocide Convention”).

The purpose of the day is to raise awareness of the Genocide Convention and its role in combating and preventing the crime of genocide, as defined in the Convention, and to commemorate and honour its victims.

In adopting the resolution, without a vote, the 193-member Assembly reiterated the responsibility of each individual State to protect its populations from genocide, which entails the prevention of such a crime, including incitement to it.