Category: News

Photo: Reuters

Oil prices hit their lowest since 2003 on Monday, as the market braced for a jump in Iranian exports after the lifting of sanctions against the country over the weekend, Business Today reports.

The UN nuclear watchdog on Saturday said Tehran had met its commitments to curtail its nuclear programme, and the United States immediately revoked sanctions that had slashed Iran’s oil exports by around 2 million barrels per day (bpd) since its pre-sanctions 2011 peak to little more than 1 million bpd.

On Sunday, Iran – a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) – said it was ready to increase its exports by 500,000 bpd.

“Iranian exports come at a very bad time,” said Barclays analysts. A chronic global surplus of a million barrels or more of crude daily has pulled down oil prices by over 75 per cent since mid-2014 and by over a quarter since the start of 2016.

Worries about Iran’s return to an already glutted oil market drove down Brent to $27.67 a barrel early on Monday, its lowest since 2003. The benchmark was at $28.55 by 0523 GMT, still down over 1 per cent from its settlement on Friday.

US crude was down 38 cents at $29.04 a barrel, not far from a 2003-low of $28.36 hit earlier in the session.

Armenian midfielder Aras Ozbiliz will leave Spartak Moscow. The team’s head coach Dmitry Alenichev says “the footballer has lost the motivation to play for Spartak.”

“Ozbiliz has had little match practice. It was hard for him to get in shape after the injury. We decided that it would be better for him to change the team to have greater motivation to play,” Alenichev said.

Ozbiliz moved to Spartak Moscow from Kuban Krasnodar in 2013. He scored four goals in 38 matches for the red-whites. The player’s contract with Spartak runs until June 2018.

Secret files exposing evidence of widespread suspected match-fixing at the top level of world tennis, including at Wimbledon, can be revealed by the and BuzzFeed News.

Over the last decade, 16 players who have ranked in the top 50 have been repeatedly flagged to the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) over suspicions they have thrown matches.

All of the players, including winners of Grand Slam titles, were allowed to continue competing.

The TIU– set up to police the sport – said it had a zero-tolerance approach to betting-related corruption.

Chris Kermode, who heads the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the body that governs world tennis, rejected claims evidence of match-fixing had “been suppressed for any reason or isn’t being thoroughly investigated”.

But he added: “While the BBC and BuzzFeed reports mainly refer to events from about 10 years ago, we will investigate any new information.”

The cache of documents passed to the BBC and Buzzfeed News include the findings of an investigation set up in 2007 by the ATP.

The Azerbaijani side used artillery weapons of different caliber as it fired more than 900 shots in the direction of the Armenian positions over the weekend, the NKR Ministry of Defense informs.

The front divisions of the NKR Defense Army keep control of the situation at the line of contact and confidently continue with their military duty.

How will the change in oil prices affect the region, in general, and Armenia, in particular? Economist Babken Tunyan’s predictions are not optimistic.

Speaking to reporters today, he said “the economic instability in Russia caused by dropping oil prices continues. Therefore, Armenia cannot expect anything good.”

The economist said Azerbaijan, whose economy heavily depends on oil production, faces serious problems because of the dropping oil prices. The country has even declared that oil production will simply stop should the price fall below $30. The drastic cut in revenues envisages cuts in the military budget. How will this affect the situation at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border?

“Tension at the border will be maintained. They will try to divert the public attention from social problems by raising tensions at the border. This is what the experience of the past years shows,” Babken Tunyan said.

The developments of the past months make it clear that any country can face serious economic problems irrespective of the amount of natural resources, if the economic system is a ‘prehistoric’ one.

“Time has shown that all developments connected with oil are unpredictable. One year ago it would be absurd to assume that the oil price could fall from $100 to $30, while some prediction suggest it could drop to 10-15 USD,” the economist added.

According to him, the lifting of sanctions against Iran will only accelerate the process. Therefore, nothing should be excluded.

On January 15, Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian started an official visit to Bulgaria.

From the airport Foreign Minister Nalbandian headed to the Presidential Palace of Bulgaria, where he was received by the President Rosen Plevneliev.

Welcoming the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, the President of Bulgaria mentioned that Bulgarian and Armenian peoples are tied with historical friendly similarities, and Sofia is interested in the further development of bilateral cooperation. President Plevneliev stressed that Bulgaria is proud of its fellow Armenians, who made considerable input in the prosperity of the country and today continue to play an important role in public, economic and cultural life of Bulgaria.

Expressing gratitude for the reception, Minister Nalbandian conveyed to President Plevneliev the greetings and good wishes of Serzh Sargsyan, President of Armenia.

During the conversation, both sides highlighted their readiness to give a new impetus to the Armenian-Bulgarian relations towards the intensification of political dialogue, expansion of legal framework and development of trade and economic cooperation. As prospective areas of cooperation they outlined high technologies, agriculture, renewable energy and tourism.

Bulgarian President presented the country’s European policy, reforms being undertaken towards the economic development of the country.

President Plevneliev and Minister Nalbandian exchanged views on a range of international and regional issues and ways to resolve them.

In this context, Minister Nalbandian presented efforts exerted by Armenia and the OSCE Minsk group Co-Chairs for a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. Bulgarian President stressed the support of his country to the Co-Chairs’ activity, outlining that issue should be settled exclusively through peaceful means. “I believe that peace depends on the observation of rules and international agreements by all sides. The use of weapons is just proof of a lack of arguments”, stressed the President of Bulgaria.

Afterwards, Edward Nalbandian was hosted in the National Assembly of Bulgaria, where he had a meeting with Tsetska Tsacheva, Speaker of the Parliament.

Foreign Minister of Armenia expressed gratitude to the Bulgarian authorities for their caring attitude towards the Armenian community, mentioning that their ancestors mostly came to Bulgaria 100 years ago, surviving the Genocide.

Foreign Minister of Armenia thanked for the declaration of the Parliament of Bulgaria adopted on April 24 of the last year on the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide.

At the meeting the role of parliamentary diplomacy in the development of intergovernmental relations was stressed, and ways to activate inter-parliamentary ties and tighten cooperation within parliamentary assemblies of international organizations were discussed.

Speaker of the Bulgarian Parliament outlined the necessity to boost high-level political dialogue and ties between the Parliaments of the two countries. Tsetska Tsacheva reaffirmed her invitation to the Speaker of National Assembly of Armenia to visit Bulgaria and expressed hope that it will be possible to organize the visit this year. She also expressed confidence that the expansion of cooperation between the two Parliaments would contribute to the deepening of relations between Bulgaria and Armenia.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia attached importance to the activity of Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Groups and in this regard stressed importance of having Manvel Badeyan, Head of the Armenia-Bulgaria Friendship Group, in the delegation headed by him.

Foreign Minister Nalbandian presented to the Speaker the details of efforts exerted by Armenia and the OSCE Minsk group Co-Chairs for a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

On the same day negotiations between Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Bulgaria Edward Nalbandian and Daniel Mitov, correspondingly, were held, which started in the tête-à-tête format, then continued in the presence of delegations.

Welcoming Edward Nalbandian, Daniel Mitov mentioned that relations between Bulgaria and Armenia are more than just friendly: they go back for centuries. He found symbolic that in the Middle Ages some Bulgarian Kings married Armenian women. “Bulgarians and Armenians have fought side by side in a number of the Balkan Wars. Armenia is an important international partner of Bulgaria and an old friend. Today’s visit gives a new momentum to bilateral ties and provides an opportunity to discuss new projects”, said Daniel Mitov.

Expressing gratitude for the invitation to visit Sofia, Edward Nalbandian stressed that Armenia attaches great importance to the close historical relations with Bulgaria based on the traditional friendship and cultural ties of our nations, common destiny and mutual sympathy.

The Ministers outlined the necessity to give new impetus to political dialogue between the countries through mutual visits and undertake additional efforts for the further deepening and development of cooperation. “Political dialogue, cooperation in the areas of trade, economy and culture between Armenia and Bulgaria have a solid potential for development, and we are determined to undertake practical steps to provide new substance and dynamics to our cooperation”, mentioned the Foreign Minister of Armenia.

The Ministers touched upon numerous issues on bilateral agenda, discussed the prospects of development of cooperation in different fields of mutual interest.

Thoughts were exchanged on the strengthening of legal framework, development of inter-parliamentary ties, holding of regular consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two states, enhancement of cooperation within the international organizations, in the areas of education and culture, trade and economy. The sides attached importance to the activity of Inter-Governmental Committee on Economic Cooperation.

In this regard, Foreign Minister of Bulgaria mentioned that the construction of infrastructure connecting the Black Sea and the South Caucasus, exploration of its potential is an important direction of bilateral relations.

Within the context of Bulgaria’s chairmanship in the Council of Europe the priorities of Bulgarian chairmanship were discussed.

The interlocutors touched upon the Armenia-European Union relations, on-going negotiations on the Armenia-EU new legal document. Minister Mitov reaffirmed Bulgaria’s support to the strengthening and development of cooperation of Armenia with the EU.

Views were exchanged on pressing regional and international issues, i.e. Ukrainian crisis, implementation of Iran nuclear deal, situation in the Middle East, in particular, Syrian crisis.

Edward Nalbandian presented to Daniel Mitov the recent developments in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, the joint efforts by Armenia and the Minsk Group Co-Chairs for a peaceful resolution of the NK conflict.

FM of Armenia invited his counterpart to visit Yerevan.

The meeting was followed by a joint press conference.

Foreign Minister of Bulgaria hosted an official dinner in honour of the Foreign Minister of Armenia.

In the Bulgarian Parliament Edward Nalbandian met the members of Bulgaria-Armenia Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group. Foreign Minister of Armenia commended activities and initiatives of the members of the Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group aimed at the development of relation between the two countries.

On the evening of January 15, Edward Nalbandian had a meeting with representatives of the Bulgarian-Armenian organizations and unions, presented the purpose of his visit, meetings held and agreements reached, answered numerous questions on the agenda of Armenia’s foreign policy raised by the Bulgarian Armenians.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia mentioned, “It is a great honour to hear from the Bulgarian leadership during all the meetings word
s of appreciation addressed to the Armenian community in regard with the role and importance it plays in the country’s life.”

Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for AFI

ABC News – Cher has been out of the spotlight lately, but she’s doing good work behind the scenes.  The singer and actress is teaming up with Icelandic Glacial spring water to donate more than 181 thousand bottles of water to the residents of Flint, Michigan.

President Obama has declared a federal emergency in the city, where the residents haven’t had clean water to drink since 2014.  In April of that year, the city started drawing its water from the Flint River, rather than from Detroit.  The water has since been linked to a number of serious illnesses, and this past September, a group of doctors urged the city to stop using the Flint River after finding high levels of lead in the blood of children.

Cher, who’d been following the story and has been critical of Michigan’s lack of response, reached out to a friend who is an investor in Icelandic Glacial.  The company committed to doubling Cher’s purchase, and the water — 181,440 bottles — will arrive at the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan on Wednesday.  It will be distributed to community centers, food banks and fire houses in low-income housing areas.

Calling the situation “a tragedy of staggering proportion,” Cher said in a statement that it’s “shocking that it’s happening in the middle of our country.”

She adds, “I cannot wait for the water to get there to help these people who have been poisoned because the water they’ve been getting out of their taps has been polluted for so long and remains that way without the state or the federal government stepping in with any substantial plan to resolve this problem.”

The diva on Twitter that she feels a personal connection to Michigan because her former husband and musical partner, the late Sonny Bono, was born in that state.

“Dildilian Brothers: Photography and the Story of an Armenian Family in Anatolia, 1888-1923,” a book by Armen T. Marsoobian, an Armenian-American professor, has finally been translated into Turkish and is ready to enter the libraries of Turkish bookworms, reports. 

Some four years after it was published in 2011 in English, the Turkish translation of the book, produced by the initiative of the Birzamanlar Publishing House, has hit the shelves with a ceremony attended by booklovers in İstanbul on Tuesday.

“This book is just one moment in a long labor of love that I started many years ago. It first began as a private journey in the 1980s. My uncle gave me the collection of photographs, the family archive. And for many years I only shared these photos with family members at family reunions and gatherings. I realized that the family had made great efforts to document and record their lives in Ottoman Turkey. And in one way they were trying to keep the memory of the Armenian community in Anatolia alive and therefore would have been very pleased to make this public,” Marsoobian said in a speech he delivered at the celebration of the book’s launching.

“This is a journey that I am still on. It is nice to start the new year with a new book. I feel very committed to this project and this county. I will be here [Turkey] again and again,” the professor added.

Marsoobian’s book features the story of his forebears, the Dildilian family, who documented their lives in Sivas, Merzifon and Samsun and the surrounding areas of Anatolia from the second half of the 19th century, a period that was full of suffering for Armenians. In the book, from his family archives, the professor presents drawings, maps and photographs that go back as early as 1888.

The historic photos in the book contribute to our imagination of Armenian daily life at that time, the old and rare photographs of places, people and situations (e.g. camel caravans, college workshops, weddings, etc.) concretize a past that is long over and visually under-documented. Thanks to these photos, the reader can observe the sad and happy moments in the family’s history as well as the fear and perseverance that the survivors of 1915 harbored in the post-World War I years.

“During this journey, Ferda [Keskin, a professor of comparative literature and philosophy at İstanbul Bilgi University] and I traveled for the first time to Merzifon in 2011. Then in 2013, we launched an exhibition in Istanbul featuring the photograph archive. We took the exhibition in Merzifon in 2013 and then Diyarbakır in 2014. We were then able to bring the exhibition to Ankara in 2015. The last year was really busy year for me as we launched exhibitions in United States and Yerevan, which was also very important to me,” Marsoobian stated.

Professor Marsoobian previously came to public attention in Turkey after he opened exhibitions in various provinces in Turkey featuring a photograph archive that was collected by his extended family, who documented the social life of Anatolia during the 19th century with their cameras.

So far, he has staged exhibitions in İstanbul, Merzifon, Diyarbakır and Ankara. In an exclusive interview with Sunday’s Zaman, the professor stated that he wanted to exhibit the photos in Turkey because he wanted to show people that “a century ago, there was a rich cultural past in these lands.”

“We wanted to shed light on the forgotten history of the 19th century with these photos. If Armenians had not been forced to leave this area, Anatolia would be much [culturally] richer today,” Marsoobian said.

Sharing details about the intentions of his exhibitions and his book, Marsoobian said: “The exhibition changes a little, depending on the location. But what I would like to do is to expose Turkish citizens, whether they are of Armenian background or not, to the cultural wealth of these lands from which Armenians were removed in 1915 and where, in the years after, they were silenced and repressed.”

London-based Mossessian Architecture has won a competition to design the Makkah Museum, a new building dedicated to the Islamic faith in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, reports. 

The Makkah Museum will occupy a site seven kilometres from the Grand Mosque, which houses the Kaaba – the most sacred location in the world for Muslims.

The building will include 5,600 square metres of gallery space to host exhibitions related to the international practice and history of Islam and the life of Muhammad.

It will also contain a reception area, an auditorium, book store, teaching space, roof garden and restaurant.

The Makkah Museum will offer a unique interpretation and reflection of faith to the millions of Muslims who visit Makkah from around the world and who, up until this point, have had no cultural institution of this kind to enhance their visit to the holiest of Muslim cities,” said a statement from Mossessian.

Mossessian teamed up with Paris exhibition architects Studio Adeline Rispal to enter the invited competition for the museum project. The duo were announced as the winners this week.

Established and led by French Armenian architect Michel Mossessian, Mossessian Architecture is an award-winning London-based architecture practice.