Category: News

Photo: Raul Roa/Glendale News-Press

 

– Glendale educators will undergo additional training in order to better instruct students about the Armenian Genocide and other atrocities as part of the school district’s focus on genocide education.

In Glendale schools, students currently learn about genocide in their history classes in the seventh and 10th grades.

As part of an upcoming two-day workshop in January, school officials will bring genocide experts to work with about 25 teachers of history or literature courses.

The training will largely focus on the Ottoman Turks’ massacre of 1.5 million Armenians beginning in 1915.

The teachers will learn about the literature and oral history as it’s related to the Armenian Genocide, said Jacqueline Perez, assistant superintendent of Glendale Unified.

“This has very strong implications for our community, and we definitely want to be the leader in ensuring our teachers are well prepared to deliver this instruction,” Perez said.

Beginning in 2013, Glendale school officials have given both students and teachers the day off on April 24, the date recognized around the world to commemorate the Armenian Genocide.

Earlier this year, Glendale school officials took a unanimous vote to designate April 24 on district calendars as “Armenian Genocide Commemoration Day.”

Armina Gharpetian, president of the Glendale Unified School Board, said the school district was the first in the country to both close school on April 24 and designate that day on the district’s calendars.

Now, it’s only fitting that the school district also take steps to provide training for teachers, she said.

“I think we should take the lead on this,” she said.

Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan called a consultative meeting to discuss ways of promoting exports and providing Armenian manufacturers access to new markets.

Per-sector investment packages were presented to the Prime Minister, covering transport, communications, information technology, energy and agriculture.

The meeting focused on those sectors strong with specific export potential. To make the steps more effective, Karen Karapetyan instructed to intensify contacts with the private sector.

Photo: AMC

A top UN envoy has warned the Syrian city of Aleppo risks becoming “one giant graveyard” as the government advances on rebel-held areas, the reports.

Stephen O’Brien pleaded with UN Security Council members to protect civilians “for the sake of humanity”.

At least 34 people died in the latest shelling of government and opposition-controlled areas, reports say.

Troops and militiamen have retaken more than a third of the rebel-held eastern part of Aleppo since the weekend.

Stephen O’Brien, the UN’s humanitarian affairs chief, made the comments as the Security Council met for an emergency session to discuss the crisis in the city.

“For the sake of humanity we call on – we plead – with the parties and those with influence to do everything in their power to protect civilians and enable access to the besieged part of eastern Aleppo before it becomes one giant graveyard,” he told the council.

An estimated 25,000 people have been displaced, he added, while for those inside opposition-controlled areas some are so hungry they are reduced to scavenging.

In an apparent reference to the rebels themselves, he said there were reliable reports that “non-state actors” were preventing civilians fleeing.

On December 1^st, 2016, 2 postage stamps dedicated to the theme “Europa 2016. Think green” have been cancelled and put into circulation.

Every year “HayPost” CJSC releases postage stamps in EUROPA series within the frameworks of the annual international stamps competition announced by PostEurop European postal operators’ association. This year, each of the stamps was designed by a different designer because all European countries are issuing one of the stamps in this series according to a single design which was the winner of the competition dedicated to the 60^th anniversary of Europa stamps.

The first postage stamp “Think green” (the winner of the competition) is designed by Doxia Sergidou (Cyprus Post). It shows a hand replacing the grey color with the green color symbolizing that “it is in our hand to create a greener planet”.

The second postage stamp is designed by the designer of “HayPost” CJSC Vahagn Mkrtchyan and depicts a deserted and dead area while the other part depicts a healthy lush tree, symbolizing the rehabilitation of the nature.

The postage stamps were cancelled by the Head of the European Union Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Piotr Switalski, Deputy Minister of the RA Ministry of Transport, communication and information technologies Arman Khachatryan and Managing Director of “HayPost Trust Management” B.V. Juan Pablo Gechidjian.

Date of issue: December 01, 2016
Designer: Vahagn Mkrtchyan
Printing house: Cartor, France
Nominal value: 350, 350 AMD
Size: 40,0 x 30,0 mm
Print run: 50 000 x 2

The 4^th Conference on Armenian-French Decentralized Cooperation was held in Yerevan today. Attending the event were Armenia’s Minister of Territorial Administration David Lokyan, Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan, French Ambassador to Armenia Jean-Francois Charpentier, high-ranking representatives of local self-government bodies of Armenia and France.

“The Armenian-French cooperation has been developing and reinforcing in different directions over the past years,” Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said in his opening remarks. He put a special emphasis on the development of inter-parliamentary ties, expansion of economic cooperation, continuous deepening of cultural and scientific-educational exchange.

Speaking of decentralized cooperation, Minister Nalbandian reminded that “joint programs are being implemented in the fields of tourism, agriculture, education, culture, healthcare and other within the framework of more than 70 agreements signed between the Armenian and French cities and regions.”

He voiced confidence that the fourth conference would open new perspectives and reveal new horizons for decentralized cooperation between the two countries.

The Armenian national team will face Uzbekistan in a friendly in February, Press Service of the Football Federation of Armenia reports.

The fixture will be held in Antalya, Turkey on February 12, 2017. The kick off is at 18:00 Yerevan time.

Photo: AFP

 

Magnus Carlsen of Norway has won the World Chess Championship for the third consecutive time after defeating challenger Sergey Karjakin of Russia, the BBC reports.

Carlsen sealed victory following three weeks of play and a series of tiebreakers in New York.

Karjakin tied against Carlsen in 12 regular rounds but was beaten in the final phase of four quickfire games.

Organisers said the event was followed by about six million chess fans around the world.

Hundreds of spectators paid between $100 and $500 to watch the games at a former fish market in Manhattan, separated from the two grandmasters by soundproof glass.

After his victory, Carlsen’s supporters greeted him by cheering and singing “Happy Birthday”, to mark his 26th birthday.

The prize of $1.1m is divided between the two players with the winner taking 60%.

Photo: NBC

 

Police in New York City are looking for a quick-thinking thief who stole an 86-pound bucket of gold flakes worth nearly $1.6 million off an armored truck in Manhattan, the Associated Press reports.

The unidentified thief swiped the 5-gallon metal bucket off the back of the vehicle on Sept. 29 when a guard briefly went to the truck’s cab to reportedly retrieve his cellphone.

The incident occurred in broad daylight on West 48th Street in Midtown Manhattan. The suspect is believed to be hiding out in Florida.

Security video shows the black bucket on a pallet inside the open back door of the truck. The man looks around, approaches the truck and lifts the bucket out.

Two men are standing on the sidewalk beside the truck, engaged in animated conversation, and don’t appear to notice the man with the bucket walking past them.

Lots of other pedestrians and vehicles stream past as he heads down the sidewalk with one arm wrapped around the bucket and his other hand beneath it.

At one point, he sets it down at the curb, takes a breather for a few seconds, then hoists it again and steps into the street.

Police say it took the thief an hour to complete what would normally be considered a 10-minute walk. He then hopped into a white van and fled.

Police say the suspect likely didn’t know what the bucket contained.

Manchester Uited set up an EFL Cup semi-final clash against Hull with a deserved 4-1 victory over West Ham.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Anthony Martial both scored braces as United cruised into the last four at Old Trafford.

Ashley Fletcher gave the visitor’s hope 10 minutes before the break, pouncing on David De Gea’s error to make the score 1-1.

Armenia international Henrikh Mkhitaryan  was a constant menace to the West Ham defence, setting up a goal apiece for Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Anthony Martial.

Portuguese boss was clearly pleased with his efforts against a strong West Ham side.

“I’m so happy because today was against a Premier League team with Premier League qualities with Premier League characteristics,” Mourinho said.

President Serzh Sargsyan received today Heads of delegations of the Customs agencies of the Eurasian Economic Union member states who have arrived in Armenia to participate at the 21st session of the Joint Board of the Customs agencies of the EEU member states, President’s Press Office reports.

The President of Armenia welcomed the guests and stressed the importance of the Board’s meeting held today in Tsakhkadzor. Stressing that customs services represent an important structure which interact on a daily basis with the business community of the EEU member states, Serzh Sargsyan noted that impressions regarding the EEU are also being shaped based on their work and cooperation; the improvement of business environment considerably depends on the activities of the customs agency of any country, as well as the formation and development of the goods, services, capitals and labor markets at the common economic area.

The President of Armenia expressed hope that current issues and decisions adopted during the meeting in Tsakhkadzor will promote the resolution of the mentioned issues and implementation of the objectives set by the members of the Union in the framework on the integration processes.

Heads of delegations of the Customs agencies of the Eurasian Economic Union member states presented to Serzh Sargsyan the results of the 21st session of the Joint Board and expressed thanks to the Armenian colleagues for organizing the meeting at a high level. They underscored that any union is based first and foremost on mutual trust, and the works of the Joint Board of the Customs agencies is aimed at strengthening that trust through the daily close cooperation. The participants of the meeting reported to the President on the works aimed at the improvement of the new Customs law, problems and challenges existing in the Customs area, and prospects of development.