Category: News

Standoff at Armenian police station entrs fourth day. No incidents were reported overnight.

 

Donald Trump has secured the Republican nomination for US president on day two of the Republican National Convention, the BBC reports.

The House Speaker, Paul Ryan, urged delegates to unite behind Mr Trump, a day after splits in the party were evident as the convention opened.

The Trump campaign also faces on Monday was plagiarised.

Mr Trump is expected to accept the nomination on Thursday.

His children played a prominent role on Tuesday, standing with the New York delegation as he was declared winner and delivering remarks.

 

 

 

Anyone can now get Twitter’s prestigious blue tick considered to be one of the ultimate compliments in the world of social media, according to the

Having a blue tick on your Twitter account suggests that in some way what you have to say is important.

The verification badge is normally only given to high profile figures, but now the site has revealed it is going to be made available to all users.

It says it wants to help more people find “great, high-quality accounts”.

This is a big deal for people who use the site, because up until now the verification badge has been reserved for those considered to be “official”.

Twitter describes them as “public figures and organisations in music, TV, film, fashion, government, politics, religion, journalism, media, sports, business, and other key interest areas”.

The site has 320 million monthly users, 187,000 of those are currently verified.

In a blog, Twitter’s Tina Bhatnagar says: “Our goal with this update is to help more people find great, high-quality accounts to follow, and for creators and influencers – no matter where they are in the world – to easily connect with a broader audience.”

An online form is going to be made available to every user on the site.

Those who wish to apply will have to meet certain criteria, including providing a verified phone number, email address and website.

Tweets will also need to be made public.

If you complete the application process and Twitter decides your account is in the “public interest” they may verify it with the blue tick badge.

US Congressman Jim Costa visited the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial today to pay tribute to the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims. Rep. Costa laid flowers at the eternal fire and paid tribute to the memory of the victims with a minute of silence.

Jim Costa visited the Armenian Genocide Museum Institute and watched the posters of the film “Auction of souls” featuring genocide survivor Aurora Mardiganian, her photos and personal items.

Jim Costa left a note in the Museum’s Guest Book.

Negotiations on the release of people kept hostage at Erebuni police station are under way, the Armenian National Security Service (NSS) informs.

According to NSS, five people have been released since the armed attack on the premises of patrol police regiment early on Sunday.

The National Security Service declares once again that the measures being taken are special and highly professional. Therefore, it said, there is no need in unauthorized interference or assistance.

The special forces of the Armenian law-enforcement bodies remain in the state of combat readiness, but there are no preconditions for intensive actions at this point.

“We’re working on Nagorno-Karabakh,” US Secretary Of State John Kerry said in an interview with the Meet the Press on NBC.

“We’re still working on the issue of Ukraine and we still haven’t resolved the issue of Ukraine. And frankly, we’ve spent a good deal of time in the conversation with President Putin laying down the steps that we need to take to deal with Ukraine, also,” Kerry said, commenting on his recent trip to Russia.

“So we’re working on a number of different issues. We’re also working on Nagorno-Karabakh. But with respect to Syria, nothing in what we talked about is based on trust. I’m not sitting here naively trusting what the Russians may or may not do. What we have done is laid out a series of steps concretely,” the Secretray said.

Photo: Getty Images

 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he is ready to reinstate the death penalty “if the people demand it”, following the recent coup attempt, the BBC reports.

He was addressing supporters outside his Istanbul residence who were chanting for capital punishment to be restored.

EU officials have warned that Turkey’s bid to join the bloc would be finished if Ankara restored the death penalty.

Mr Erdogan has overseen a crackdown since the coup attempt was quashed.

Thousands of police officers, military personnel and judges have been suspended or arrested. Turkey’s Western allies have expressed concern and urged President Erdogan to respond in a measured way.

But speaking to his supporters on Tuesday morning, the president said Turkey was “a democratic state run by the rule of law”.

He said he was ready to reinstate the death penalty if the Turkish people demanded it and parliament approved the legislation, adding: “You cannot put aside the people’s demands.”

“Today is there no capital punishment in America? In Russia? In China? In countries around the world? Only in European Union countries is there no capital punishment,” he said.

Turkey abolished the death penalty in 2004 as part of its bid to become a member of the EU.

Azerbaijan on Tuesday shut down a private television channel over plans to broadcast an interview with Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara accuses of being behind the failed coup in Turkey, AFP reports.

Baku is an ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has furiously pointed blame at his arch-enemy Gulen for the weekend’s botched military takeover. The US-based preacher denies any involvement.

Azerbaijan’s National Television and Radio Council said in a statement that it has “ordered temporary suspension of broadcasting by the ANS TV channel in order to avoid provocations aimed at damaging the strategic partnership between Turkey and Azerbaijan and to prevent obvious promotion of terrorism.”

Erdogan wants Washington to extradite Gulen to Turkey, but US Secretary of State John Kerry has said that Ankara must produce evidence to support the extradition request.

The reclusive Muslim cleric lives in self-imposed exile in a mountain town in Pennsylvania. His Hizmet movement has a powerful presence in Turkish society, including the media, police and judiciary.

Standoff at the Armenian police station seized by gunmen early on Sunday enters the third day.