Category: News

 

 

 

TmbaTa, a youth folk rock band born from the music program of the Tumo Center for Creative Technologies in Yerevan will leave for Washington to participate in the with support from  project, a collaborative cultural sustainability and tourism program between USAID, Smithsonian Institution, and the people of Armenia.

The band will perform together with the Armenian Public Radio, a Los Angeles-based acoustic trio.

Led by Arik Grigoryan of The Bambir, TmbaTa performs original compositions based on traditional Armenian folk songs combined with rock and experimental music. The group is comprised of thirty teens who learn all stages of music creation including composition, performance, recording, mixing, and mastering.

“We present the Armenian avant-garde folk music and create our own songs, as well. TmbaTa stands out for its energy,” Christine Yeghiazaryan said in an interview with

“The band will leave for the US on July 4 and will have four performances on the 6^th, 7^th, 8^th and 9^th of July. There can be no doubt that the band will best present the Armenian culture,” said Zara Budaghyan, Head of Communications at TumoCenter for Creative Technologies.

An Ilyushin Il-76 plane that has been engaged in the forest fire extinguishing operation in the Irkutsk region does not go on the air for a radio contact, a source in the regional emergencies services told TASS on Friday, TASS reports.

“The plane flew to extinguish a fire and in some time communication with it was lost,” the source said. Its search is now underway.

“At 05:34 am, Moscow time, the plane flew to the Bayanderovsky district of the Irkutsk region. At an altitude of 3,000 meters the radio contact with it was lost,” the source said.

“There were a total of 11 people on board – the crew and fire-fighting experts,” the source said.

The Russian Emergencies Ministry’s main department for the Irkutsk region confirmed that an Il-76 plane of the ministry went missing.

On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry released the 2016 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, which looks at how 188 countries, including the U.S., were tackling this serious crime throughout 2015 and into 2016. For the fourth year in a row, Armenia is a Tier 1 country, recognized as fully committed to fighting trafficking in persons.

The annual report looks at 188 countries, describing the scope of human trafficking, government anti-trafficking efforts, and human trafficking trends all over the world, including in the United States.

The Armenian section of this year’s report highlights the pivotal role played by Armenia’s Anti-TIP Working Group, which includes representatives from government, civil society, and international organizations.

“The success of the working group demonstrates what can be achieved when government and civil society listen to one another and work together,” U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills, Jr. said. “The working group is a model for tackling complex, challenging problems.”

Other significant developments which contributed to Armenia’s upholding its ranking is continuation of government allocations for counter-TIP activities, adoption of relevant laws, prosecution of traffickers, prevention and awareness raising activities, as well as establishing of official TIP victims identification commission and finalization of TIP victims’ compensation mechanism.

The report’s Armenian section, in both English and Armenian translation, is available on the Embassy’s webpage:

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Francois Hollande on Thursday discussed by phone the settlement in Nagorno-Karabakh and Ukraine, the Kremlin reported.

“Vladimir Putin informed Francois Hollande of the June 20 three-party meeting with Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan in St. Petersburg,” the statement said.

“The leaders of Russia and France expressed the hope that the results achieved at that meeting would contribute to the promotion of the peace process. The parties agreed to continue active joint work within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group in that important sphere,” it said.

The two presidents also discussed other urgent issues on the international agenda witha special emphasis on efforts to settle the Ukrainian crisis.

 

The Spanish city of Paiporta officially recognized and condemned the Armenian Genocide on June 30.

All forces represented in the City Council voted to support the measure.

Paiporta thus joins the ranks of more than 20 Spanish cities that have adopted similar institutional statements.

Photo: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for 100 LIVES

 

Asbarez – On June 30, 100 LIVES and Aurora Prize Co-Founder Dr. Noubar Afeyan was named one of Carnegie Corporation of New York’s “Great Immigrants: Pride of America” honorees. Afeyan’s distinction identifies him as one of the most prominent and influential naturalized citizens in the United States. As Americans prepare to celebrate the most patriotic of their holidays on July 4, Carnegie Corporation of New York pays tribute to the role immigrants play in strengthening the country and its democratic society.

The Carnegie Corporation recognizes significant naturalized citizens every year to salute the legacy of Andrew Carnegie and other immigrants. Previous honorees include Aurora Prize Selection Committee Co-Chair Elie Wiesel, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, TV producer Lorne Michaels, and CEO and co-founder of Argo Tea Arsen Avakian, among others.

Afeyan has contributed a great deal to the American community, while honoring his Armenian descent. As founder, senior managing partner, and CEO of Flagship Ventures, Afeyan has helped build and foster more than 35 successful life science and technology startups. He has also contributed to the successful launch of 100 LIVES and the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity, a new $1 million humanitarian award to be presented on April 24 of each year in Yerevan, Armenia. Afeyan also served as chairman for the National Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide Centennial events that took place in May 2015 and brought over 2,000 Armenians to Washington, D.C.

Afeyan serves on a number of public and private company and organization boards, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, MIT Board of Trustees, UWC Dilijan College in Armenia, and an organization promoting economic development in Armenia.

Each year since 2006, the philanthropic foundation has recognized the contributions of naturalized citizens with its “Great Immigrants: The Pride of America” initiative. For 2016, the corporation named 42 honorees who represent some 30 different countries of origin, a wide range of personal immigration stories, and inspiring professional accomplishments.

“These accomplished Americans are immigrants like our forefathers, who founded this nation of nations,” said Vartan Gregorian, the president of Carnegie Corporation of New York. “They are representative of the millions of immigrants who have come to the United States for economic opportunity, education, political or religious asylum, security, or reunification with families and relatives. They, like all Americans, share a common faith in this country.”

Nearly 9 million legal permanent residents (LPRs) are currently eligible to naturalize and become U.S. citizens. In keeping with the mission of its founder, Andrew Carnegie, the corporation is committed to the integration of immigrants with the goal of helping them become citizens who can participate fully in our democracy. Together with grantees and partner organizations, the “Great Immigrants” initiative works to raise awareness about the naturalization process and provide helpful resources that will assist LPRs, including the free online application system Citizenshipworks. Carnegie Corporation also supports the New Americans Campaign, the nation’s largest network of non-profits focused on naturalization.

The 2016 Great Immigrants and their countries of origin are:

Noubar Afeyan, entrepreneur, venture capitalist, philanthropist (Lebanon)

Selu Alofipo, artist, White House “Champion of Change” honoree (Island of Samoa)

Samantha Bee, actress, comedian (Canada)

Len Blavatnik, industrialist, philanthropist (Ukraine)

Roberta Capp, assistant professor, University of Colorado Medical School; Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science recipient (Brazil)

Jim Carrey, actor, comedian (Canada)

Mariano Castillo, journalist; Soros Fellowship for New Americans recipient (Peru)

Marcelo Claure, president and CEO, Sprint (Bolivia)

Nadia Comaneci, five-time Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics (Romania)

Ronald J. Daniels, president, Johns Hopkins University (Canada)

Michaela DePrince, ballerina, Dutch National Ballet (Sierra Leone)

Jaha Dukureh, founder, Safe Hands for Girls (Gambia)

John L. Estrada, U.S. ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago (Trinidad and Tobago)

Florent Groberg, U.S. Army captain, retired; Congressional Medal of Honor and Bronze Star Medal recipient (France)

Peter Blair Henry, dean, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, New York University (Jamaica)

Farnam Jahanian, provost, Carnegie Mellon University (Iran)

Sally Jewell, U.S. secretary of the interior (England)

Jan Koum, co-founder and CEO, WhatsApp (Ukraine)

Fei-Fei Li, director, Stanford Artificial Intelligence Lab and Stanford Vision Lab (China)

Viet Long, brigadier general, U.S. Army (Vietnam)

Iqram Magdon-Ismail, co-founder, Venmo (Zimbabwe)

Vikram Malhotra, chairman of the Americas, McKinsey & Company (India)

Mehret Mandefro, physician, anthropologist, filmmaker (Ethiopia)

Michael Moritz, chairman, Sequoia Capital (Wales)

Bharati Mukherjee, National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author (India)

Peter A. Nadosy, managing partner, East End Advisors (Hungary)

Graham Nash, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter

Jaqueline H. Nguyen, judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit (Vietnam)

Deogratias Niyizonkiza, founder and CEO, Village Health Works (Burundi)

Bennet Omalu, forensic pathologist, discoverer of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, CTE (Nigeria)

Jorge M. Pérez, chairman and CEO, Related Group of Florida (Argentina)

Thuan Pham, CTO, Uber Technologies, Inc. (Vietnam)

Sundar Pichai, CEO, Google (India)

Ana Luz Porzecanski, director, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History (Bolivia)

Wolfgang Puck, chef and restaurateur (Austria)

Azita Raji, U.S. ambassador to Sweden (Iran)

Shaiza Rizavi, partner, Gilder, Gagnon, Howe & Co. (Pakistan)

Isabella Rossellini, actress, model, filmmaker (Italy)

Aziz Sancar, Nobel Prize-winning biochemist; president emeritus, Aziz and Gwen Sancar Foundation (Turkey)

Piers J. Sellers, former NASA astronaut; deputy director, NASA Sciences and Exploration Directorate (England)

Hari Sreenivasan, anchor and senior correspondent, PBS NewsHour (India)

Fernando Valenzuela, Major League Baseball pitcher, retired (Mexico)

Carnegie Corporation of New York was established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding. In keeping with this mandate, the corporation’s agenda focuses on the issues that Andrew Carnegie considered of paramount importance: international peace, the advancement of education and knowledge, and the strength of our democracy.

Armenia’s leading chess player Levon Aronian is ranked 5th in FIDE’s July ranking. World Champion Magnus Carlsen is on top of the list followed by Vladimir Kramnik (Russia) and Fabiano Caruana (USA).

Other Armenian Grandmasters are ranked as follows: Gabriel Sargissian – 56^th, Vladimir Akopian – 62^nd, Sergei Movsessian -76^th.

Photo: SPL

Researchers say they have found the first clear evidence that the thinning in the ozone layer above Antarctica is starting to heal, the BBC reports.

The scientists said that in September 2015 the hole was around 4 million sq km smaller than it was in the year 2000 – an area roughly the size of India.

The gains have been credited to the long term phasing out of ozone-destroying chemicals.

The study also sheds new light on the role of volcanoes in making the problem worse.

 

 

 

President of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Bako Sahakyan had a meeting in Yerevan with OSCE Chairman-in-Office, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier this morning.

“The meets was held in a sincere atmosphere. The parties exchanged views on issues related to the ways out of the current situation,” NKR Foreign Minister Karen Mirzoyan told reporters after the meeting.

“The steps that will pave the way for restoring the negotiation process shave long been discussed. These include the development and implementation of the investigation mechanism, as well as the expansion of the office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office. We expressed our views on the matter. It was noted, in part, that the proposals are in line with those Karabakh has been offering since early 2000. The Artsakh side has made a number of other proposals, which will not only allow to build confidence between the parties, but also pave the way for the uninterrupted negotiation process,” Minister Mirzoyan told reporters.

Frank Walter Steinmeier told a press conference yesterday that “the maintenance of the status–quo is impossible in the long run. Commenting on this, the NKR Foreign Minister said “we first need to understand what we mean under status-quo.”

“The current status of Artsakh, which does not ensure full rights to its people, does not provide an opportunity for the uninterrupted continuation of the process of independent state-building in Artsakh, is definitely unacceptable. It’s necessary to take all steps to reach the legal formulation of the achievements we have had over years,” he said.

The Minister said “official Stepanakert remains committed to the peaceful settlement of the issue within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group, but stresses the importance of restoring the full format of negotiations with the participation of Artsakh.

“This is our official position. It’s not only the demand of Artsakh, but also an objective reality that serious progress is impossible without Artsakh’s full participation in all stages of the negotiation process,” Minister Mirzoyan said.

Mirzoyan said it was made clear during the meeting that irrespective of the situation in the negotiations and the status quo, the people of Artskah have humanitarian needs and the OSCE, as a serious international organization, should take steps in that direction.

“The rights and freedoms of the people of Artsakh are being violated because of blockade. I mean the freedom of movement, education, and other right. I think the OSCE can also play serious role in this respect,” he said.

Speaking about the situation at the line of contact, Karen Mirzoyan noted that “the more stable the situation, the better conditions it will create for the diplomats and the negotiating parties for launching constructive dialogue.”

He added that “no matter where the next meeting is held, it’s important to reach agreement on the conditions and formats that will allow to restore the negotiation process.”

“There is definitely a common understanding  among the international community and the Armenian party that there is no military solution to the Karabakh conflict, and the peaceful negotiated settlement is the only option. The sooner Azerbaijan comes to understand this, the sooner will it be possible to further the process,” Karen Mirzoyan concluded.

Pope Francis’s visit to Armenia was discussed at the sitting of the Supreme Religious Council held today at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin under the chairmanship of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians.

His Holiness Karekin II appreciated the Pontiff’s brotherly visit to Armenia June 24-26.

Members of the Council noted that the Pope’s three-day visit was the best evidence of the warm brotherly relations and cooperation between the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Catholic Church.