Category: News

Anti-Mafia police in Naples have recovered two Van Gogh paintings stolen from Amsterdam in 2002, the Van Gogh Museum and organized crime investigators said Friday, the Associated Press reports.

The museum in a statement on its website Friday said the paintings, found without their frames, are in “relatively good condition.” It said the two paintings are the 1882 work “Seascape at Scheveningen” and a later work, “Congregation leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen.”

Police in Naples said the paintings, of “priceless value,” were discovered during a raid as part of a crackdown against a Naples-based Camorra crime clan suspected of cocaine trafficking. Naples prosecutors said more details will be given later at a news conference in the southern Italian city.

The paintings were sequestered along with other property, worth “tens of millions of euros,” said the police. The Financial Guard, a branch of the Italian police, often sequesters financial assets of suspected criminals.

“After all these years, you no longer dare count on a possible return,” the museum quoted its director Alex Rueger as saying, and expressed gratitude to Italian investigators and police.

The museum said the paintings, inspected by a curator, do show “some damage” and it is unclear when they will return to Amsterdam. The museum director was planning to attend the news conference.

Turkey has ordered the closure of 20 television and radio stations, including one that airs children’s programmes, on charges they spread “terrorist propaganda”, adding to fears that emergency rule is being used to stifle the media, Reuters reports.

President Tayyip Erdogan has said he wants a three-month state of emergency, imposed after a failed coup attempt in July, to be prolonged past October so authorities can eradicate the threat posed by a religious movement blamed for the attempt, as well as Kurdish militants who have waged a 32-year insurgency.

The banned channels are owned or operated by Kurds or the Alevi religious minority, according to Hamza Aktan, news editor at IMC TV, a news broadcaster slated for closure. He cited a copy of the decision obtained by his channel, which was based on powers given the government in a decree issued in July.

“This has nothing to do with the coup. It is an effort to silence the last independent media covering the Kurdish issue and violations committed by the state,” Aktan told Reuters.

IMC has aired reports looking at security forces’ conduct during 14 months of military operations against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) that has killed thousands.

Among the 12 shuttered television channels are Govend TV, which plays folk music, and Zarok TV, which airs Kurdish-language children’s cartoons. The decision also shut 11 radio stations for harming national security, Aktan said.

“Turkey is targeting a wide swath of cultural and political expression by shuttering minority broadcasters,” Robert Mahoney of the Committee to Protect Journalists said. “When the government sees even children’s programming as a threat to national security, it is clearly abusing its emergency powers.”

The Balyan family was one of the most well-known Armenian families during the Ottoman era. Family members served as imperial architects for years and are remembered as the masterminds behind many palaces, mosques and barracks like the Dolmabahce Mosque and the Beylerbeyi Palace, Daily Sabah writes.
An Armenian family coming from the province of Kayseri was the origin of nine craftsmen consecutively, and they left their marks on many buildings in Istanbul and its surroundings during the 18th and 19th centuries such as palaces, mosques, churches, mansions, waterfront residences, barracks, schools, hospitals, towers, fountains, weirs and theater halls.

The Balyan Family developed a unique architectural style by blending Europe’s baroque and imperial styles with Oriental ornamental style. Apart from passing down their knowledge and experience from one generation to another, the Balyan Family succeeded in modernizing themselves and making sure they were not forgotten.

Not many people who perform their prayers at the mosques in the Bosporus are aware that some of these mosques have been built by an Armenian.

On September 29, Edward Nalbandian, the Acting Foreign Minister, delivered a speech on Armenia’s foreign policy at the Carnegie Endowment in Washington D.C.

The U.S. State Department and National Security Council officials, leading experts and diplomats accredited in Washington D.C. attended the meeting with the Foreign Minister of Armenia, chaired by Andrew S. Weiss, the Vice President of the Carnegie Endowment.

In his remarks, Edward Nalbandian presented the priorities of Armenia’s foreign policy, country’s path during these 25 years since the declaration of independence, Armenia’s stance on a number of regional issues and the ways to resolve them.

The Head of the Foreign Ministry of Armenia presented to the leading U.S. experts the consequences of April aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and the efforts exerted by Armenia and the OSCE Minsk Group countries to overcome those consequences, the current stage of the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process; he presented the agreements reached during the summits held in Vienna and St. Petersburg aimed at creating necessary conditions for the advancement of negotiation process and Azerbaijan’s destructive stance, attempts to reject the reached agreements.

While answering the numerous questions of the attendees, Edward Nalbandian touched upon the gross violations of the international humanitarian law by Azerbaijani Armed Forces during the April war, Armenia’s membership at the Eurasian Economic Union, the Armenia-European Union cooperation, the Armenian-Iranian relations.

Pope Francis is wrapping up a Caucasus pilgrimage that began in June in Armenia and ends this weekend with a visit to two other countries with tiny Catholic communities: the Orthodox Christian bastion of Georgia and the largely Shiite Muslim nation of Azerbaijan.

Given the itinerary, Catholic-Orthodox and Christian-Muslim relations will be high on Francis’ agenda. But geopolitical concerns will also lurk behind the scenes during the three-day trip starting Friday in Georgia, one of the world’s oldest Christian lands, the Associated Press reports.

According to the source, Georgia is keen to use the trip to highlight its European and Western aspirations, and also draw attention to what it considers the Russian “occupation” of the regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Francis is unlikely to get involved beyond general calls for peace and reconciliation, given a reluctance to offend Russia or the Russian Orthodox Church after his historic meeting with the Russian patriarch in Cuba earlier this year.

The Georgian ambassador to the Vatican, Tamara Grdzelidze, said she wasn’t optimistic Francis would use the term “occupation.”

“But in Armenia he spoke about ‘genocide,’ so you never know with this pope,” she said, referring to the Ottoman-era slaughter of Armenians.

Adding to the geopolitical mix, Francis will make a strong appeal for peace in Syria and Iraq, where Christians are being attacked and driven from their homes by Islamic extremists. A special event is planned Friday in the Chaldean Catholic church in Tbilisi.

“The message is going to be a message of peace,” said Vatican spokesman Greg Burke.

A more subtle message is one of steadily improving ties between the Holy See and the two former Soviet republics.

Ramaz Sakvarelidze, an independent political analyst in Tbilisi, said the papal visit should help to underscore Georgia’s aspirations for greater Western integration, including its sought-after membership in the European Union and NATO.

“The visit will certainly have a positive impact on Georgia’s image, it will help underline its Euro-Atlantic aspirations and a desire to embrace the principles of the Western world,” he said.

After Georgia, Francis heads to Azerbaijan, completing the visit he had hoped would have begun in Armenia and ended in Azerbaijan to show a symbolic bridge between neighbors bitterly divided over Nagorno-Karabakh.

While in Armenia in June, Francis called for reconciliation and for all sides to “resist being caught up in the illusory power of vengeance.”

Francis will spend only about 10 hours in the Azeri capital of Baku, using the time to highlight the country’s interfaith mix, meeting with the sheik of Caucasus Muslims, as well as representatives of Azeri Jews and other religious communities.

And he will celebrate Mass for the Catholic community which represents less than 1 percent of the population: There are about 200 Azeri-born Catholics and about 15,000 Catholic foreigners who live in Baku.

 Asbarez – Arpa Foundation for Film, Music and Art (AFFMA) will present its 19th Arpa International Film Festival (AIFF) from November 3 to 6 at the historic venue in the heart of Hollywood, the Egyptian Theatre, located at 6712 Hollywood Blvd, in Los Angeles.

This year, AIFF will be screening one of the best selection of international films at the festival. 10 feature and feature length documentary film premiers by world class contemporary international artists such as Dominique Pinon, John Savage, Karren Karagulian, Maria Furtwangler, Albert Kodagolian, Onur Turkel, Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz, Yana Drouz, Ashot Adamyan, Marija Karan and Jesse Williams.

A total of 55 independent films from 23 countries will be screened. Films such as: “Lost in Armenia” from award-winning director Serge Avedikian, recipient of the Cannes “Golden Palm” short film Award, “Booger Red,” a narrative documentary from acclaimed Indy director Berndt Mader, U.S. premiere of Albert Kodagolian’s “Somewhere Beautiful,” world premiere of Levon Minasian’s “Bravo Virtuoso,” and 25 years after the premiere of his masterpiece debut movie “Lost Paradise,” which screened at the prestigious AFI Film Festival, we are honored to have David Safarian back with his amazing U.S. premiere of “Hot Country Cold Winter.”

Special Screening of award winning and nominated short films from critically acclaimed festivals such as: Tribeca, Berlin, Venice, Moscow, Tallin, Golden Apricot, etc.

Gregor Zupanc, AIFF Artistic Director stated: “Our vision is to create a vibrant Hollywood melting pot for passionate international filmmakers, whose innovative voices and socially engaged stories inspire and nurture the cinematic experience. In addition, we will have exclusive screenings of the forgotten masterpieces of Armenian cinema in collaboration with film schools and engage students from institutions with well-known universities such as California State University Northridge (CSUN).”

Arpa’s programming team has hand-picked socially engaging films with emphasis on issues in the U.S. such as Immigration, LGBT, sex trafficking, transgender and racial biases. “This year our focus has been to promote and support young Californian filmmakers by presenting the best student films from Los Angeles, “stated Gregor Zupanc.

The Festival’s prestigious Armin T. Wegner Humanitarian award will be presented to Emmy winning director Bared Maronian’s documentary “Women of 1915.” It is AIFF’s distinct honor to present 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award to a world renowned film and television actor Dominique Pinon, the recipient of the Molière Award for Best Actor in 2004. This year’s recipient of the Career Achievement Award is world renowned singer, composer, and activist Serj Tankian of System of the Down, and Albert Kodagolian will receive Arpa’s Breakthrough Artist Award for his creative vision as director and cinematographer.

Heading our industry showcase this year will be Roger Kupelian of “Lord of the Rings,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” and numerous other Hollywood productions.

For the past 19 years Arpa International Film Festival continues to cultivate cultural understanding and global empathy, creating a dynamic forum for international cinema with a special focus on the works of filmmakers who explore the issues of diaspora, exile and multi-culturalism. A strong emphasis is placed on ideals of independent thought, artistic vision, cultural diversity and social understanding.

A Regional Center for Restoration of Monuments will be established in Armenia within the framework of Armenian-Italian cultural cooperation. Architect Rita Gonelli from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gaianè Casnati, head of the “Preserving Cultural Heritage in Armenia” program, and Maria Cristina Zambrano of the Politecnico di Milano have arrived in Armenia to discuss the details with officials and experts. Members of the delegation have already held a meeting with Minister of Culture Armen Amiryan.

The “Preserving Cultural Heritage in Armenia” program co-financed by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Politecnico di Milano became the winner of a Europa Nostra Award 2015. The establishment of the Regional Center for Restoration of Monuments will be the next step.

“Armenia’s rich cultural legacy lies in the basis of the program. Your cultural field is truly broad and requires huge efforts and work,” said architect Rita Gonelli, an expert at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“Huge work has been done in the field of restoration of monuments within the framework of Armenian-Italian cooperation, but there is still a lot to be done,” she added.

Italian experts say the Armenian policy of restoration of monuments is closest to that ofItaly, this is the reason behind the idea of establishing a reconstruction center in Armenia.

The National Postal Operator of Armenia “HayPost” CJSC today announced the launch of an unprecedented service in the history of Armenia. Starting from the 1^st of October 2016, HayPost will carry out regular scheduled mail and cargo transportations to and from Europe.

The new program and the vehicles imported for the program implementation were presented on the 29^th of September in the Republic Square, Yerevan. The Minister of Transport and Communication of the Republic of Armenia Vahan Martirosyan and the Managing Director of “HayPost Trust Management” B.V. Juan Pablo Gechidjian handed the symbolic keys to the drivers, wishing them a good journey.

The new service is meant to expand the connectivity of Armenia, by means of weekly mail and cargo transportations from Yerevan to the hub in Frankfurt and vice versa. This innovative reliable, fast and secure service facilitates the process of export and import of products to and from Armenia, enabling the Armenian companies to expand their business. At the same time, the new service will help to dramatically increase the volumes of the online commerce in Armenia.

In order to provide the new service, HayPost introduced 2 brand-new Mercedes-Benz Actros 2530 GigaSpace 6×4 trucks with 530 horsepower, with the capacity to carry 27 tonnes of cargo each one, and with their extra fuel tanks they have a range of 4,500 km with no refueling.

The trucks dispose of the latest equipments from the industry leaders and provide the drivers with the most comfortable conditions for long distance drive. The flexible configuration of the refrigerated cargo holds allows the transportation both of perishable and of general cargo. The trucks correspond to the highest European Euro-6 emission standards, ensuring the lowest level of CO emissions up today.

Together with the mentioned trucks, today HayPost adds to its fleet 12 brand-new Renault Dokker vans, the routes of which will reinforce the connectivity within Armenia. The vans are eco-friendly, they run with compressed natural gas, minimizing the level of CO emissions.

The total amount invested in these 14 new vehicles made about 1.000.000 USD.

This new service continues the series of innovations made by the Trust Manager of HayPost. During the last 7 years HayPost with the leadership of “HayPost Trust Management” B.V. has added 140 new vehicles to its fleet. This enlarged fleet runs 3.500.000 km per year, interconnecting the whole territory of Armenia up to Nagorno Karabakh. The Company has also renovated 250 Post Offices all over the country and created the largest online network in Armenia, with more than 700 Post Offices connected up today.

More than 20 cases of ceasefire violation by the Azerbaijani side were reported at the line of contact with the Karabakh forces overnight.

The rival used firearms of different calibers as it fired about 500 shots in the direction of the Armenian positions, the NKR Defense Ministry reports.

The front divisions of the NKR Defense Army remain committed to the ceasefire regime and confidently continue with their military duty, the Ministry said.