Daily Archives: September 16, 2013

The answer of Tigran Balayan, Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, to the ‘’Armenpress’’ News Agency

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Տիգրան ԲալայանQuestion: According to Azerbaijani media, in an answer to an Azeri lobbying group’s question, the Foreign Minister of Romania has reportedly made an odd statement, which distorts the essence of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and its settlement process. How would you comment?

Answer: It is hard to believe that high ranking official of any OSCE and EU member state could make a statement which contradicts the approaches of both the OSCE and the EU, which evidently contradicts also the five statements made during the last five years by the heads of the OSCE Co-Chair countries, the Presidents of Russia, the USA, France on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

We do not think that in order to please an Azeri lobbying organization a responsible person from any country could make an irresponsible statement which could only harm the negotiation process.

‘They were on their last straw of hope’: Moment two fishermen were rescued off Florida coast after EIGHT DAYS at sea

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Bahamian menA normal day of fishing went awry for two Bahamian men after their boat capsized.

Helpless, two men clung to the boat’s hulls for eight days.

A passing freighter spotted the men clinging to the overturned boat. It is believed that had they not been spotted, the men would have died.

Coast Guard rescue swimmer Kyle Stallings said to The Sun Sentinel that the victims were completely waterlogged when found. He said their skin was deteriorating and their eyes were drooping.

The victims’ names were not released on Saturday. They are reportedly 56 and 57 years old.

The freighter that spotted the two stranded men contacted the US Coast Guard. It authorized the launch of an MH-65 rescue helicopter from Air Station Miami, WPTV reports.

The rescued men told the officers that they had consumed seawater, which can speed up dehydration, says The Los Angeles Times.

The men were taken to the DelrayMedicalCenter for treatment. They were not found with life jackets.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is now handling the case.

 

Iran Mulls Persian Cat as Next Animal Astronaut

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persianwhite_01Iran’s hunt for its next animal astronaut may turn to the distinctive and locally named Persian cat, an official said Monday, in another possible step by the country’s ambitious aerospace program that has also raised Western concerns about spillover military applications.

The report by the official IRNA news agency comes seven months after Iran claimed it launched a monkey out of earth’s atmosphere and successfully returned it home. The account, however, faced international questions after photos appeared to show different monkeys in pre- and post-launch images.

A senior space program official, Mohammad Ebrahimi, said Iran’s next space capsule could carry the Persian cat, a long-haired, flat-faced breed named after Iran’s former name of Persia. He said the launch will happen by the end of Iran’s current year, which ends March 21. The report said a mouse and rabbit also are under consideration.

Iran says it wants to put its own satellites into orbit to monitor natural disasters in the earthquake-prone nation, improve telecommunications and expand military surveillance in the region.

Earlier this year, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he wanted to be Iran’s first astronaut.

 

South Korean military kills man trying to swim across river to North Korea

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The South Korean military on Monday shot and killed a man who was trying to swim across a river to North Korea, a military spokesman said.

The man jumped into the Imjin River at the heavily fortified border between the two Koreas and refused to stop when South Korean military service members shouted at him to come back, said Kwon Ki-hyun, a South Korean military spokesman.

Following the rules at the border zone, the military then shot him and he died, Kwon said.

Military officials are trying to identifying the man, Kwon said.

While tens of thousands of people have managed to flee to South Korea from the authoritarian regime in the North, defections in the other direction are very rare.

 

Beyoncé is pulled off stage by an over-excited shirtless fan during performance in Brazil

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A fan pulled Beyonce off the stageBeyoncé was pulled off stage by a shirtless concertgoer during a performance in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Sunday night.

The over-excited fan managed to put his arms around the 32-year-old singer and yank her off the elevated platform she had been singing from.

However, Beyoncé’s entourage were quick to step in, with two security guards rushing onto the stage to disentangle the singer from the grip of the fan.

The incident occurred when Beyoncé moved around the platform and leaned forward to sing to the crowd.

After Beyoncé’s security guards pulled her back onto the stage, Beyoncé quickly resumed singing and dancing in her sequined blue jumpsuit during the performance at the Estadio do Morumbi stadium following the incident.

‘It’s all right,’ she told the crowd as she picked up a Brazilian flag that was tossed onto the stage. She moved toward the man after resuming singing and told him: ‘It’s alright, it’s alright.’

Mother-of-one Beyoncé then stopped her Mrs. Carter show to address the man and ask him his name.

‘I love you all,’ she said towards the end of a 90-second clip YouTube clip, which captured the incident.