Monthly Archives: June 2013

ANCA EASTERN REGION PARTNERS WITH INVESTORS AGAINST GENOCIDE TO ENCOURAGE GENOCIDE-FREE INVESTING AT FIDELITY

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FidelityBoston, MA — The Armenian National Committee of America Eastern Region (ANCA-ER) joined with Investors Against Genocide (IAG) on Tuesday in urging mutual fund giant Fidelity Investments to avoid investments in companies with ties to genocidal regimes worldwide.

Michelle Hagopian, ANCA Eastern Region Executive Director, and ANC of Eastern Massachusetts activist Dikran Kaligian represented the ANCA at Fidelity’s June 18th shareholder meeting as part of an outspoken group of anti-genocide advocates.

Six mutual funds recorded votes at Fidelity’s shareholder meeting on the proposal presented by Investors Against Genocide, which states “Shareholders request that the Board institute transparent procedures to prevent holding investments in companies that, in management’s judgment, substantially contribute to genocide or crimes against humanity, the most egregious violations of human rights.” These funds bring to 40 the number of Fidelity funds that have had “genocide-free investing” on their proxy ballot.

Tuesday’s preliminary voting results in favor of the proposal ranged from a high of 29.19% to a low of 24.13%, which are comparable to results on similar proposals at Fidelity in 2008 and 2009.

“Fidelity continues to own large positions in PetroChina, a company widely recognized as the largest business partner of the government of Sudan which is currently bombing, starving and displacing massive numbers of its own civilians in several regions,” said Eric Cohen, chairperson of Investors Against Genocide.

“This year marks 10 years of the genocide in Darfur, and it is the fifth year that Fidelity has opposed genocide-free investing. As a result, people investing with Fidelity are still inadvertently linked to companies tied to the atrocities in Sudan,” he said.

Fidelity’s website claims, “We are sensitive to the ongoing tragedy occurring in Darfur and, like most others in the world, we are repulsed by genocide and all other crimes against humanity. … That said, we have concluded that when it is appropriate to remain actively invested in a company, we will do so, thus retaining the ability to oppose company practices that we do not condone.”

“Fidelity’s anti-genocide statements need to be backed up by concrete action,” said Hagopian. “Tuesday’s shareholder meeting showed that millions of Americans want their investments to be genocide-free. Mutual funds are the most common investment vehicle for family savings and retirement plans in America. The ANCA and IAG will continue to speak out at these shareholder meetings as part of an international campaign to end all financial support for genocidal regimes.”

Although federal law prevents U.S. oil companies (and most other U.S. companies) from operating in Sudan, Fidelity and other American financial institutions are major investors in the foreign oil companies involved in Sudan that are helping to fund that government’s continued genocide and crimes against humanity. As a result, ordinary investors, through their mutual funds, family savings, and pension plans entrusted to these financial institutions, are inadvertently investing in genocide.

IAG, a Boston-based nonprofit organization coordinating the anti-genocide shareholder action at Fidelity and other financial institutions, including Vanguard, JPMorgan Chase, and Franklin Resources, is engaged in an effort to encourage legislation and regulatory changes to address investments in companies that help to fund genocide. For more information, visit: www.investorsagainstgenocide.org

In March, the ANCA San Francisco-Bay Area teamed up with IAG to advance a similar anti-genocide proposal to shareholders at Franklin Resources, the parent company of Franklin Templeton mutual funds.

 

Despite Internal Turmoil, Turkey Keeps up Genocide Denial Campaign

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Հարութ-Սասունյան1By Harut Sassounian

Publisher, The California Courier

 

Some may have expected that the recent mass protests and unrest in Turkey would preoccupy its leaders with internal problems, distracting them from other important developments, such as Armenian Genocide issues. Regrettably, this has not happened.

 

As tens of thousands of demonstrators angrily protested throughout Turkey, expressing their dissatisfaction with Erdogan’s dictatorial rule, foreign ministry officials continued to pursue their routine denialist tasks, countering any and all efforts by other states to reaffirm the reality of the Armenian Genocide.

 

There were three such instances of Turkish reaction in recent weeks:

 

1) The Turkish government reacted harshly when Pope Francis acknowledged the Armenian Genocide, calling it “the first genocide of the 20th century.” The Pontiff was speaking during the June 3 visit to the Vatican of a delegation of Armenian Catholics. Although Pope Francis had made similar remarks in the past while serving as a Cardinal in Argentina, this is the first time he referred to the Armenian Genocide since his recent papal election.

 

The Turkish foreign ministry was quick to lodge a formal protest to the Vatican, expressing its “disappointment” at the Pope’s statement. Vatican’s Ambassador in Ankara was promptly summoned to the foreign ministry and told that the Pontiff’s remarks were “absolutely unacceptable” and could harm bilateral relations. An unnamed Turkish official even suggested that the Pope’s upcoming visit to Turkey might be in jeopardy after his remarks on the Armenian Genocide!

 

Rather than backing down, the Vatican made matters worse for Turkey by announcing that Pope Francis planned to visit Armenia on April 24, 2015, to perform a requiem service at the Centennial commemoration of the Armenian Genocide.

 

In view of the denialist mindset of Turkish officials, it is understandable that they would be displeased with the Pope’s factually candid and morally uplifting statement. After all, the Pontiff is not only the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church, but also a head of state. Yet, there was no need for the Turkish foreign ministry to get so agitated, since the Vatican had recognized the Armenian Genocide twice in 2000 and 2001.

 

Turkish officials don’t seem to realize that by overreacting to acknowledgments of the Armenian Genocide, they are inadvertently promoting the very cause they are trying to undermine! Indeed, the Turkish condemnation of Pope Francis’ statement on the Armenian Genocide was reported by the media worldwide, helping to further publicize the facts of the Armenian Genocide. Ankara’s real intent in slamming anyone around the world who dares to speak out on the Armenian Genocide is to discourage all others from issuing similar statements, particularly in view of the upcoming Centennial in 2015.

 

2) The Greek Parliament also angered the Turkish authorities earlier this month when the ruling New Democracy Party, lifting a page from the French legislature, introduced a bill to punish xenophobia and denial or distortion of genocides recognized by Greece, such as the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust. Violators of the proposed law would face up to three years of imprisonment and a fine of 5,000 to 20,000 euros. The Greek Parliament recognized the Armenian Genocide in 1996. Even though there has not been any public statements by Turkish officials against the newly introduced resolution, it is almost certain that pressure is being applied through Turkey’s ambassador in Athens and other diplomatic channels.

 

3) Ukrainian Parliament members Arsen Avakov of the opposition Batkivshchina ‘Fatherland’ Party, and Vilen Shatvoryan and Nver Mkhitaryan of the ruling Party of Regions introduced a resolution on June 6 for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Azernews reported that Azerbaijanis living in Ukraine protested outside the Parliament against this resolution. Also, a letter signed by several Azerbaijani organizations in Ukraine was sent to President Victor Yanukovych, claiming that the resolution is “of serious concern to the Turkic-speaking people of Ukraine, especially Azerbaijanis… and a serious blow to Azerbaijan and Turkey.” According to well-informed sources in Ukraine, the Turkish government is behind the Azeri protests, including the strong reaction from Mustafa Dzhemilev, Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatars and a member of the Ukrainian Parliament.

 

Despite the persistence of domestic instability, Turkish officials have continued to project their denialist policies around the globe, interfering with the internal affairs of other states. One would hope that the international community would reject the Erdogan regime’s pompous and arrogant attitude, as it is being rejected at home by large segments of the Turkish population.

 

Comments by Edward Nalbandian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, on the Enniskillen Joint Statement on Nagorno-Karabakh by the Heads of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair Countries 18.06.2013

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399. Comments by Edward Nalbandian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, on the Enniskillen Joint Statement on Nagorno-Karabakh by the Heads of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair Countries 18.06.2013The joint statement on the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict made today in Enniskillen by the heads of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries is the fifth one. We highly appreciate the continuous efforts of the heads of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries – Russia, USA and France, aimed at the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Armenia is unanimous with the Co-Chair states and is determined to achieve an exclusively peaceful settlement of the conflict.

As the United States, Russia and France, we also regret that rather than finding a solution, because of Baku’s attempts to snatch one-sided advantage, progress was not achieved in the Summits of Kazan in June, 2011, Sochi in March, 2011, Astrakhan in October, 2010, Saint-Petersburg in June, 2010. Armenia shares the Co-Chairs’ approach that further delay in reaching a balanced framework agreement on the main principles for a comprehensive peace is unacceptable.

As the Co-Chairs, we continue to believe that the elements outlined in the statements of the heads of the Co-Chair countries over the last four years can be the foundation of reaching a fair and lasting settlement of the conflict, and that those elements should be seen as an integrated whole and that any attempt to select some elements over others would make it impossible to achieve a solution.

We absolutely agree that peoples should be prepared for peace, not war. Unfortunately until now the Azerbaijani leadership is doing just the reverse. We absolutely agree with the heads of the Co-Chair states-France, the United States and Russia, that the use of force will not resolve the conflict, and that only a negotiated settlement can lead to stability and peace, which will open new opportunities for regional cooperation and development.

Unlike Azerbaijan, which on the occasion and without makes references to only one principle of international law, Armenia has on several occasions reiterated and in response to the Enniskillen appeal of Presidents Vladimir Putin, Barack Obama and Francois Holland, once again re-affirms its commitment to the principles of international law, particularly the non-use of force or the threat of force, equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and territorial integrity.

In spite of the several appeals of the international community to refrain from provocative rhetoric and actions, Azerbaijan continues its bellicose rhetoric and provocations on the line of contact with Nagorno-Karabakh and on the border with Armenia, the glorification of murderers and persecution of peace advocates, the propaganda of xenophobia, intolerance and hatred, which leads to raising tension and escalation of the situation in the region.

The joint statement of Enniskillen on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by the heads of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs may become an impetus for achieving progress in the negotiation process would Azerbaijan correctly perceives the messages of the three Co-Chair countries.

 

Case of 4 employees of Gyumri territorial subdivision of SSSS sent to court

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7846_bIn the framework of the criminal case initiated on the abuses recorded during the process of fixing and paying pensions the preliminary investigation on the part of the abuses found in Gyumri territorial subdivision was completed. The prosecutor implementing prosecutorial supervision confirmed the bill of indictment, at the same time he submitted a petition to the court on restoring the damage inflicted to the state.

According to the factual data obtained during the pre-trial proceeding 5 persons were involved as a defendant for squandering a particularly large amount of pension money, funeral benefits and heritable money from 2008 to 2010.

Thus,
According to the materials of criminal case the head of Gyumri territorial subdivision of Social Security State Service of RA Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs Eduard Varzhapetyan reaching a prior agreement on squandering a particularly large amount of money with the operator of the same subdivision Artur Abrahamyan, from 2007 to 2009 from pension depository had separated the data of pensioners who had not received pension for a long time and in the name of those pensioners had prepared false applications on restarting the detained payment of pension.

E. Varzhapetyan had given the mentioned documents to A. Abrahamyan who had involved the separated data in appropriate payment lists, had confirmed the payment fact with false signatures, received the pension money and passing the received money to E. Varzhapetyan had swindled a particularly large amount of money drawn out in the name of 9 pensioners, as well as had committed official forgery.

According to the materials of criminal case, later, A. Abrahamyan by E. Varzhapetyan’s instruction had removed the data of swindled money from pension depository. According to the agreement E. Varzhapetyan had given A. Abrahamyan 10 percent of the received money.

According to the preliminary investigation data, the responsible person for heritage payment subdivision R. Mnatsakanyan, out of personal interests, abusing official authorities, from 2008 to 2010 being aware of the fact that the inspector-payers of the same subdivision Kima Piloyan and Anya Khachatryan had made groundless payment of pension money in the name of pensioners to the operator Artur Abrahamyan,as well as being aware of swindling a particularly large amount of money by the group of the mentioned people, had not prevented the groundless drawing out and swindling of state budget resources.

On the contrary, he had received and confirmed the reports on paying pension money, funeral benefits and heritable money from his actual wife Kima Piloyan and Anya Khachatryan, had submitted reports on them to payment service, had signed acts of accounts. So, Kima Piloyan, Anya Khachatryan and Artur Abrahamyan had an opportunity to swindle a significant amount of pension money by a group inflicting the state a damage of particularly large amount.

On the base of the obtained evidence E. Varzhapetyan was accused according to the Point 1 of the Part 3 of the Article 179 and the Article 314 of RA Criminal Code,

Artur Abrahamyan was accused according to the Point 1 of the Part 3 of the Article 179, the Article 38-314 and the Part 1 of the Article 325 of RA Criminal Code,

Kima Piloyan was accused according to the Point 1 of the Part 3 of the Article 179 and the Part 1 of the Article 325 of RA Criminal Code,

Ruben Mnatsakanyan was accused according to the Part 2 of the Article 308 of RA Criminal Code.

Anya Khachatryan was involved as a defendant according to the Point 1 of the Part 3 of the Article 179 and the Part 1 of the Article 325. The part on her was separated as a separate proceeding and taking into consideration that it is not known where she is, was detained. Measures are taken to find Anya Khachatryan.

Totally, the damage inflicted to the state was estimated 91.560.299 AMD 3.000.000 AMD of which E. Varzhapetyan restored during the preliminary investigation. The Department of State Interest Protection of RA Prosecutor General’s Office submitted a petition to the court to confiscate the rest of the money – 88.560.299 AMD from the mentioned 4 defendants.

We remind that in May, 2011 a criminal case was initiated on the abuses recorded in the process of fixing and paying pensions in the Department of State Interest Protection of RA Prosecutor General’s Office. The implementation of the preliminary investigation of it was tasked to the Investigation Department of Especially Important Cases of General Investigation Department of RA Police adjunct to government.

World’s longest and widest cable bridge with a span of SEVEN miles is finally completed (and it’s in China, of course)

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bridge in China2The world’s longest and widest multi-pylon cable-stayed bridge has opened in China after seven years of construction work.

The Jiaxing-Shaoxing Sea Bridge stretches 6.2miles (10 kilometres) over the Hangzhou Bay, in Shaoxing, China.

It is mainly supported by two cable-towers, both of which reach 745ft in the air, and has a main body stretching 2,560ft wide.

The six-lane bridge opened to traffic on May 28th but the final tweaks were made on Monday.

The high speed bridge is designed for vehicles travelling exclusively above 60mph and pedestrians, motorbikes and cars with a maximum speed below 45mph are not allowed to cross.

 

Entire villages washed away: At least 23 dead and 50 missing in India as days of torrential rains wreak havoc and leave 10,000 pilgrims stranded on a mountainside

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rains in IndiaAt least 23 people have died and 50 more remain missing after torrential downpours in northern India swept away roads, buildings and vehicles.

One building collapse today killed at least three people who were washed away when an entire apartment block toppled into a river, a government spokesman said.

Most of the destruction is concentrated in the state of Uttarakhand, where the Ganges river and its tributaries are flowing at dangerously high levels.

Another landslide triggered by the monsoon rains buried a bus, killing three people in Almora district.

Adding to the crisis, many more people have been left totally stranded in their homes by collapsing roads and bridges.
More than 10,000 pilgrims on a mountain pass leading to a Hindu religious site had to be evacuated by helicopter after roads to the pilgrimage spot were unusable.

In response, army and paramilitary troops are leading efforts to rescue scores of people from the rooftops of their flooded homes.

India’s capital, Delhi, has also been hit by the heavy rains as many roads were flooded after recent blistering summer heat.

Delhi airport was affected after more than four inches of rain fell in five hours on Sunday afternoon. Passengers were seen having to wade knee-deep in water to get to Terminal 3.

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The height of annoyance! Millionaire homeowners in world’s tallest block of flats forced to walk 97 floors to top after lift breaks down

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Princess Tower1Homeowners living in the world’s tallest residential skyscraper are having to climb up more than 1,300ft of steps – the equivalent of walking one-third of the way up Ben Nevis – after all the lifts broke down.

Princess Tower in Dubai, which stands at 1,355ft tall with 97 above-ground residential floors, has been named the tallest residential building in the world Guinness World Records.

But residents living in the luxurious tower block – many of whom are British – have been told they have ‘no choice’ but to walk up to their flats, some on the 97th floor, after all eight lifts in the building broke down last week.

The building, which has six levels in the basement and 101 above ground level, opened in September last year, with two-bed flats on the rental market for £140-a-day and penthouse flats selling for more than £2million.

Princess Tower boasts 763 luxury apartments as well as eight giant stores and overlooks the Palm Jumeirah, the manmade ‘palm island’ where David Beckham and Brad Pitt are said to have bought luxury pads.

Emergency repairs are ongoing after the problems began last week – leaving penthouse owners who paid £2millio plus for their flats forced to take the stairs.

Flat owners have today been told that a solitary ‘service elevator’ is available for ‘limited’ trips to the 50th floor – but anyone living above that level will still have to walk the rest of the way.

Bosses at the skyscraper – owned by Tameer estates – say the flooding was caused by water from the ‘fire protection system’ and that a ‘faulty fire hose’ was to blame.

Water from the hose got into the residents’ lift shafts, flooding them and causing them to be shut down.

One resident, who lives on the 78th floor, said: ‘I came home after a hard day of work and was told I’d have to walk to my apartment on the 78th floor.

‘I truly couldn’t believe it – there was no way I was walking all that distance so I just booked myself into a hotel.’

A spokesman for Kone Elevators said: ‘We have had engineers on site 24-hours a day since the water leak occurred.’

 

Putin denies stealing Patriots Super Bowl ring and says it’s in the Kremlin museum with all other ‘state gifts’

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The Russian President is fighting back against recently-revealed claims that he stole a Super Bowl ring from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

On Sunday, Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the $25,000 Super Bowl XXXIX ring was clearly offered by Kraft as a gift.

It is currently housed in the Kremlin’s museum, along with all over state gifts, he added.

Kraft turned the 2005 incident into international news on Thursday when he publicly claimed that Putin pocketed his ring after asking to examine it. Kraft said he was asked by American government officials to later say it was a gift to save international embarrassment.

Peskov told CNN that he doesn’t know why Kraft, a billionaire business magnate, is making the allegations against Putin.

‘What Mr. Kraft is saying now is weird. I was standing 20 centimeters away from him and Mr. Putin and saw and heard how Mr. Kraft gave this ring as a gift,’ he told the network.

That’s not the way Kraft told the story Thursday night in front of a packed crowd at Carnegie Hall’s Medal of Excellence gala in New York, the New York Post reports.

 

PRESIDENT SERZH SARGSYAN CONGRATULATED THE PRESIDENT OF CHINA XI JINPING ON HIS 60TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY

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ՍԵՐԺ ՍԱՐԳՍՅԱՆPresident Serzh Sargsyan sent a congratulatory message to the President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping on his 60th birth anniversary.

“Armenia attaches great importance to the traditionally friendly relations with China, steady and consistent strengthening and deepening of the close cooperation in different areas, which emanates from the vital interests of our two peoples and countries.

I am hopeful that in the nearest future we will have the opportunity to personally discuss issues related to the deepening of the Armenian-Chinese interstate relations and cooperation in the international area in order to further elevate their level.

I wish you excellent health, happiness and new success in your work for the benefit of the friendly people of China,” the congratulatory message of the President of Armenia reads.

Mother killed by Indian mob because her daughter refused to stop wearing jeans

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traditional Indian dress A woman was beaten to death after a row with neighbours over her daughter’s western clothing turned into a riot. Keshmal Dubey, 55, was killed after a long-running dispute over her daughter Gunjan’s choice of jeans over traditional Indian clothing descended into mob violence in the city of Aligarh, 90 miles from New Delhi. Several people were injured in the trouble which started after a neighbour, named Pulwati, repeatedly criticised the 20-year-old college student’s choice of dress. The girl’s father, Netrapal Dubey, told India Today that the neighbour had asked him to stop his daughter wearing the jeans because it made her sons stare at the girl. He said that she warned him that Gunjan was at risk of being sexually harrassed, or ‘Eve-teased’ as it is known in India, by young men. Mr Dubey claims that a mob of men carrying guns and clubs forced their way into the family home and hit his wife over the head with a rifle butt, killing her and injuring him and his daughter. A man and a woman were arrested according to police and face charges of murder and attempted murder. Police are still trying to identify some of the other people involved.

Prison exercise Peruvian-style: Colourful inmates break world record with aerobic display in yard

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peruvian prisonersDressed in multi-coloured uniforms these tough jail inmates made all the right moves to dance their way into the record books.

At least 1,200 prisoners in Peru’s notorious Lurigancho jail beat the world record for working out at the same time in the yard.

Among them were armed robbers, hitmen, drug kingpins and petty thieves, but they all joined together to perform an aerobic ‘full body’ dancing show.

Using small gaudily-painted wooden platforms, they practiced for more than three months and danced to rock music and reggaton – a mix of hip-hop and reggae.

They were coached by Roger Romero, creator of full body aerobics in Peru.

Lurigancho was originally built to hold 2,500 prisoners, but there are now 7,000 inmates behind its crumbling walls, by far the most overcrowded jail in Peru.

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China censors Winnie the Pooh from online searches after photo emerges of president Xi Jinping that makes him look like the children’s favourite

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Winni the Pooh and TigerHe is a beloved fictional bear described as having ‘very little brain’ who lives on a diet of honey and is best friends with a piglet.

But when a trivial comparison was made between China’s President Xi Jinping and Winnie the Pooh, the country’s strict censorship laws swung into action.

A picture of Xi Jinping walking with Barack Obama at a California summit was published on the Chinese social media site Weibo.

It was placed next to an illustrated image of Winnie the Pooh and his pal Tigger, who have been drawn in a similar pose to the politicians.

Comments that were posted on the blog were removed and the picture was deleted by website monitors.

Despite being removed form the site, the images went viral, with critics saying over-zealous censors had misread the frivolous comparison.

The Communist Party’s censors are known for interfering with even the most minor of government criticism on social networking sites.

The blogger, called Nicaragua Rabbit posted the two pictures on the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, on Tuesday.

 

The winner of the 9th Aram Khachaturian International Competition is Andrei Ionita

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arm137123075650On July 14, the closing ceremony of the 9th Aram Khachaturian International Competition took place. The jury chairman Aram Talalyan announced the names of the winners. So, the winner of the 9th Aram Khachaturian International Competition is the cellist Andrei Ionita. The second prize was awarded to Anna Morozova (Russia). And the third prize was awarded to Aleksandra Perlova (Russia) and Gayane Khachatryan (Armenia).

The jury also gave a number of special prizes.

The honorary guest of the competition artistic director and principal conductor of the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra Pavel Kogan mentioned in his speech, that the main aim of the competition is to help the young musicians find their professional path. He said that the winner, Andrei Ionita, will be given a chance to perform with Moscow State Symphony Orchestra.

The MIDEM classical and jazz worldwide director Cornelia Much awarded a special prize to Andrei Ionita, inviting him to take part in the festival in 2014. She also invited pianist Armen Babakhanian and cellist Gayane Khachatryan. Cornelia Much noted the high level of the competition, especially highlighting the impartial and professional work of the jury.

The official orchestra of the competition State Youth Orchestra of Armenia gave a special prize “Audience Award”. It was awarded to Levon Arakelyan from Armenia.

Yerevan State Conservatory after Komitas gave a special prize for the best pianist of the 9th Aram Khachaturian International Competition. The jury awarded the prize to Armen Babakhanian and Arthur Avanesov.

Interstate Humanitarian Cooperation Fund awarded a special prize to two participants from Armenia, Hakob Atyan and Michael Navasardian, who will have a number of concerts in CIS countries in 2013-2014.

According to tradition Aram Khachaturian House-Museum awarded the prize to the best solo performance. The prize was awarded to Andrei Ionita (Romania).

Head of Planning of the Dresden Philharmonic Concert Orchestra Caron Kopp compared Aram Khachaturian International Competition to European competitions. According to Caron Kopp, it is important that the competition not only identifies talented musicians, but also introduces the music of Aram Khachaturian to the world.

International Competition named after the great composer was launched on the 110th anniversary of Aram Khachaturian, on June 6, and consisted of 3 rounds.

During the closing ceremony Andrei Ionita performed with the official orchestra of the competition, the State Youth Orchestra of Armenia (Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Sergey Smbatyan), while during the opening ceremony of the competition the Youth Orchestra performed with the world-renowned cellist Gautier Capuçon from France, who played cello concerto by Aram Khachaturian.

The project was implemented thanks to joint efforts of RA Ministry of Culture, “Aram Khachaturian-competition” Cultural Foundation and Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory. It is held under the high patronage of the First Lady of RA Mrs. Rita Sargsyan, who is honorary president of the board of trustees of the competition. Since 2010 the main partner of the competition has been the Interstate Fund for Humanitarian Cooperation.

It is noteworthy, that Aram Khachaturian International Competition now has a different status: since May it has become a member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions.

“Aram Khachaturian-competition” Cultural Foundation

Australia officially recognises third gender of ‘intersex’ on all documents for people who do not feel they are male or female

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passportAustralia has announced new guidelines to recognise the gender category ‘intersex’ on official documents.

Under the new system, which will come into effect from July 1, individuals will not be required to have undergone sex reassignment surgery or hormone therapy to select the new category.

Since 2011 Australian nationals who were biologically not entirely male or female, have been able to select ‘X’ as a gender category on their passports.

Transgender people have been able to pick whether they are male or female providing their choice is supported by a doctor.
The changes mean people will now have the option to select M (male), F (female) or X (Indeterminate/Intersex/Unspecified).

According to Australia’s Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus the new guidelines will make it easier for people to establish or change their sex or gender in personal records held by federal government departments and agencies.

If an Australian wants to change the gender entry on their personal record, the government will now accept a statement from their doctor or psychologist, a valid Australian passport or a state or territory birth certificate or other document which shows their preferred status.

 

Say awwww! The dentist who travels around the world to fix ANIMALS’ teeth… from deadly hippos to an adorable little hedgehog

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Steenkamp operating on a bearBeing a dentist is not always an easy job. Performing painful surgery on grumpy patients can test the patience – and nerves – of even the most experienced.

But when that patient is a six-tonne elephant needing root canal or a lion with toothache, it makes the task all the more trickier.

However, for Dr. Gerhard Steenkamp, it is all in a days work. The South African is one of the world’s top vet dentists, operating on some of the wilds most ferocious predators.

Dr Steenkamp’s work has seen him travel to China, Egypt, the UAE, and across Africa – performing around 500 surgeries a year.

The dentist, from Pretoria, said: ‘I’ve been really blessed in my career so far to work on a variety of animals.

‘I’ve operated on everything from a small bat right up to a six tonne elephant.

‘There’s been plenty of carnivores too – lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs.

‘The majority of the big animals like buffalo, hippo, rhino, elephants, they’re just so big and enormous it can be tricky.

‘Their size makes it difficult to work with them, you cannot just quickly move then around or turn them on their other side, it has to be meticulously planned beforehand.’

Dr Steenkamp, a trained dentist and maxillofacial surgeon, performs a host of procedures including root canals, extracting teeth and scaling and polishing teeth.

The most common complaints from his animal patents are fractures of teeth, infections and abscesses.

 

Too much for the Irish? Rihanna’s topless image is covered up on billboards across Dublin

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Rihanna's photo in Dublin4She shocked locals when she stripped off in a field in Northern Ireland to shoot her video We Found Love in 2011, and it seems the people of Ireland still haven’t recovered Rihanna’s raunchy video shoot.

Images of the singer topless have been plastered on billboard around the Irish city to promote her Diamonds world tour stop at the Aviva Stadium on June 21st.

Pictures of the star have been covered up with items of clothing which conceal the singer’s modesty.

Several of the billboards have been covered with dresses stapled across Rihanna’s chest, concealing her the topless photo used to promote her Unapologetic album and Diamonds tour.

Rihanna’s world tour promotional images are not the first time the singer has angered residents of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

In September 2011, Rihanna had been filming the video for her latest single, We Found Love, with Scottish DJ Calvin Harris – which at one point saw the singer go topless – when 61-year-old farmer Alan Graham spotted her stripping down to a bikini made up of red handkerchiefs.

The furious farmer, who asked for filming to be halted, later defended his actions, saying Rihanna’s behaviour was ‘inappropriate’.

 

Truck Slams Into Mexico Teachers’ Protest, 7 Dead

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truckAuthorities in western Mexico say a tanker truck carrying tar has slammed into a highway toll booth that had temporarily been taken over by protesting teachers. They say seven people are dead and another 14 injured.

Most of the dead and injured are believed to be teachers who have been holding a series of protests in the western state of Michoacan.

The teachers are protesting educational reforms that would reduce union power in hiring decisions and establish teacher evaluations.

Protesters in Mexico often seize highway toll booths, and sometimes demand drivers pay a small sum to drive through without paying a toll.

 

France’s burkha ban sparks violence across Paris after police try to arrest woman for wearing a veil and pregnant woman is attacked for covering her face

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riots against the 2011 lawViolent clashes have broken out in a Paris suburb after police tried to arrest a Muslim woman for wearing a veil.

It came as two men today put a 21-year-old pregnant woman in hospital for covering her face with a veil on the same council estate.

Under a law which came into force in 2011, women found guilty of wearing niqabs in public can be fined the equivalent of around £130.
But when officers approached the unnamed woman, passers-by became involved in a ‘riot’ and police used tear gas and flash-ball shots to disperse them, according to a police source.

Two men aged 23 and 37, including a cousin of the young veil-wearer, were arrested and placed in custody under suspicion of violence and public order offences.

 

Dress to impress: Boyfriend puts on a wedding gown to propose to his girlfriend (and fortunately it didn’t put her off!)

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Liu and his girlfriendMost men get a little nervous at the prospect of popping the question.

But while most men are confident that their question and a ring will secure a yes, one man decided to prove to his girlfriend just how serious he was – by wearing a wedding dress.

Besotted Liu, 23, thought his girlfriend Liang Sun wouldn’t take him seriously if he simply popped the question at their university in Chongqing city, southern China.
So he climbed into a wedding dress and hired florists to decorate her student digs with a heart-shaped display of blooms under a banner saying: ‘Bride – I love you.’

‘I wore it because I wanted to tell her that one day I want to see her in this dress beside me,’ explained Liu.

And it would appear his hard work paid off – Liang immediately agreed to the unusual proposal.

The process of engagement and marriage in China is steeped in traditions.

There are three parts of a Chinese marriage – the legal part, the ceremony, and the party.

A Chinese marriage that does not observe proper Chinese customs is invalid in the eyes of most Chinese society.

 

Chinese farmer who claimed he had electrocuted an alien and kept it in his freezer is JAILED for lying

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Li posing with alienA Chinese farmer who posted photographs of him posing with an ‘alien’ that he claimed to have electrocuted after its UFO crash-landed on his farm has been jailed for ‘disrupting social order’.

The pictures of Mr Li standing next to a crude looking extraterrestrial made from rubber sparked a frenzy of speculation on social networking sites across China.

Mr Li had claimed he saw a formation of UFOs buzzing across the night sky along the Yellow River in Binzhou Shangdong province.

But he has been forced to admit he made the whole thing up following five days in prison after police arrested him.

But he refused to admit the rubber doll was a fake – claiming he bought the ‘body’ from a villager and decided to keep it in his freezer.

However, when police discovered files on his computer that provided further evidence of the deception, Mr Li finally confessed.

Police issued a statement saying the rather unconvincing figure at the bottom of a chest freezer was, in fact, not another life form but high quality rubber.