Daily Archives: October 25, 2013

The £40million pink sparkler: Enormous diamond set to become the world’s most expensive jewel

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Pink Star

 

The diamond is dazzling and so is the price. This flawless 59.60-carat gem, known as the Pink Star, is expected to go for more than £40million at auction next month.

That will make the huge diamond, one of the world’s rarest and with an extraordinary depth of colour, the most valuable jewel ever to be sold.

Discovered in South Africa in 1999 by mining giant De Beers, the pink gem was polished and cut over two years.

The oval-cut stone is more than twice the size of the Graff Pink diamond that was sold for a world record £29million in 2010.
Sotheby’s, which will auction the Pink Star in Geneva, described it as ‘exceptional’.

The gem belongs to small group of diamonds – known as type 11a – that are renowned for their transparency and chemical purity.

 

վարդագույն ադամանդ

Can a sex strike work? Women in small Colombian town launch ‘Crossed Leg Movement’ to demand dangerous road be repaved

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Barbacaos-Colombia-women- sex strikeWomen in the small town of Barbacaos, southwest Colombia, have reportedly gone on their second sex strike in two years, demanding that the roads to their remote region be repaved.

Dubbed the ‘crossed legs movement,’ the women in the town are refusing to have sex with their significant others until the road that connects their small, isolated town to the rest of the country is repaired, according to Colombia-based reporter John Otis.

And it might have actually worked. PRI reports that construction has resumed on the single road, which is in such poor condition that trips to the nearest hospital take up to 14 hours, and many people in need of care die along the way.

Women in the town first began withholding sex in 2011 to protest the poor condition of the road, where Judge Marybell Silva joined the strike after seeing a young woman die along with her unborn child because the ambulance got stuck on the road and failed to reach a hospital in time.

Strike leader Ruby Quinonez said at the time: ‘Why bring children into this world when they can just die without medical attention and we can’t even offer them the most basic rights? We decided to stop having sex and stop having children until the state fulfils its previous promises.’

After three months and 19 days of abstinence, town politicians promised the road would be repaired and the government pledged $21million to pave at least half of the 35-mile road.

But after two years and no change, women resumed the strike. Now it seems the Army Corps of Engineers have brought in bulldozers and ‘heavy machinery’ to prove  they will indeed rebuild the road.

 

Russian Parliament Passes New Anti-Terror Bill

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Ռուսաստան,Պետդումա,ահաբեկչություն

 

The lower house of Russian parliament has approved a new legislation that toughens punishment for terrorism and requires terrorists’ relatives to pay for the damages caused in attacks.

The bill, unanimously passed Friday by the State Duma, is expected to see a similarly swift approval in the upper house and be signed by President Vladimir Putin to become law.

The document says that training for terrorist activities is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. It also introduces a punishment of up to six years for those participating in a militant group abroad.

The measure appears to be a response to Russian nationals fighting alongside rebels in Syria. Russian officials have voiced concern that they may launch attacks at home when they return.

 

Lindsey Vonn puts comeback on ice for now

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Lindsey Vonn(CNN) — Ski queen Lindsey Vonn has put her return to racing on ice — for now.

The new World Cup ski season begins in the Austrian resort of Soelden this weekend but the Olympic downhill champion will not take part as she continues her comeback from a serious knee injury.

Vonn was airlifted to hospital February after she landed heavily on her right knee on the opening day of the Alpine Ski World Championships in Austria.

Less than seven months after her horror crash, the 29-year-old American returned to the slopes in Chile to test out her reconstructed knee.

 

Lindsey Vonn vows to take on the men

See skier’s downhill (careful at 1:21!)

Secret of U.S. ski team’s success

But Vonn, who is dating golfer Tiger Woods, says she is not yet ready to return to competitive action on the snow.

“My training camp in Soelden went very well and I made great progress, but I feel that I need more training before I start racing again,” Vonn explained on her personal website.

“The Soelden race is not in the cards this year. Patience is not my strong suit so not racing is very hard for me but it will only make me more excited for the next one.”

Vonn was crowned America’s snow queen when she became the first American woman to win the Olympic downhill title at the Vancouver Games in 2010.

She followed up her Vancouver victory with a stellar World Cup season in 2011-2012, winning 12 races and the overall title with a new record points haul.

A combination of illness and injury disrupted Vonn’s dominance on the slopes last season but she is confident she remains on course to defend her Olympic crown.

She plans to return at the World Cup event in Beaver Creek, Colorado on November 29.

“I will go home to Vail and continue my preparation for the Beaver Creek races and my ultimate goal in February!” she said.

There is an old face returning to the opening round of the new World Cup season in Soelden, however, as American Olympic super combined champion Bode Miller is back from his ski sabbatical.

It will be the 36-year-old’s first World Cup start since February of 2012.

Ted Ligety, Julia Mancuso and slalom world champion Mikeala Shiffrin are all included in the nine-strong U.S. team in Soelden.

 

RA Prosecutor General G. Kostanyan received EC Commissioner for Human Rights N. Muiznieks

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G. Kostanyan , EC Commissioner for Human Rights N. MuizniekOn 21 October, 2013 RA Prosecutor General G. Kostanyan received the delegation headed by EC Commissioner for Human Rights N. Muiznieks. The head of EC Office of Commissioner for Human Rights I. Gashe, the deputy head B. Urumova, the representative of EC Secretary General to Armenia O. Pavlyuk were involved in the delegation.

RA Deputies Prosecutor General A. Tamazyan, H. Badalyan, E. Babayan also took part in the meeting.

Greeting the guests Mr. Kostanyan mentioned that he highlighted the cooperation with EC Commissioner for Human Rights both as RA Prosecutor General and as Armenian Representative to the European Court of Human Rights.

The Prosecutor General expressed readiness to continue the cooperation with the Commissioner for Human Rights on stable and comprehensive bases. Mr. G. Kostanyan briefly represented the steps implemented in the process of providing guarantee for human rights and fundamental freedoms. The Prosecutor General highly evaluated the cooperation with the ex-Commissioner for Human Rights T. Hammerberg.

Congratulating Mr. Kostanyan on appointment as RA Prosecutor General Mr. N. Muiznieks emphasized that he was well-aware of Mr. Kostanyan’s activity and said he was sure they would have an efficient cooperation with RA Prosecution Office. EC Commissioner mentioned that his visit had a cognitive aim.

The members of EC delegation were interested in a number of issues regarding the soldiers’ rights in armed forces, issues on alternative service, the functions and authorities of prosecution office in the stage of judicial reforms.

RA Prosecutor General G. Kostanyan gave detailed answers to the questions the guests were interested in. He also offered to establish direct relations between the Office of Commissioner for Human Rights and RA Prosecutor General’s Office to have a quick exchange of information.

Staff changes in RA Prosecution Office are not due to close or not close relationship

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Կադրային փոփոխություններ դատախազությունումHighlighting the public right to be informed, the provision of democratic principle of being accountable to public for one’s own activities and taking into consideration the public interest on staff changes in RA prosecution system and comments of several types, we inform the following;

It is commendable that inner administrative changes attract the attention of mass media and a wide mass of society. We hope that this attention shown to prosecution is conditioned by public perception of importance of prosecution role in the process of struggle against crime, legality provision, protection of citizens’ rights and interests.

The commentaries in media that there is allegedly a “staff massacre” in prosecution office, that the staff changes are based on personal motives are groundless, as

during the meetings with the deputies in National Assembly and at the very first conference in Prosecutor General’s Office RA Prosecutor General G. Kostanyan declared that he would not be guided by the principle of close and not close relationship. At the same time, G. Kostanyan proposed new conditions, new approaches to the system employees demanding from them to implement the proposed conditions, to be honest, to have high professionalism. So, any honest and hard-working person will always be in office without any obstacles, and the person who does not coincide with these principles will be dismissed.

We would like to emphasize that the changes in RA Prosecution system up to now are not connected with condition implementation proposed by RA Prosecutor General. Mr. G. Kostanyan has not dismissed any official of prosecution office, yet.

All the employees have been dismissed pursuant to their own requests. In the interviews many of them have clearly represented the reasons of their dismissal, that is, a long-term retirement, rest, health state or desire to do another job.

We think it is not reasonable to doubt the announcements of persons who have a long-term experience of prosecution work and have numerous state rewards.

The fact that the newly-appointed prosecutors in head offices appointed by G. Kostanyan are also long-term employees of the same system indicates the absence of personal motives in staff changes. The public responds on professional and human properties of newly-appointed prosecutors, which are only positive, just prove that staff changes in prosecution system are not based on subjective grounds.

From now on, when any prosecutor is dismissed not pursuant to his own request, but on the base of the conclusion of Ethics Commission adjunct to RA Prosecutor General by Ra Prosecutor General’s order, or is subjected to a disciplinary penalty, the public will be properly informed about the dismissal reasons and disciplinary penalties.

Orlando Bloom and model Miranda Kerr confirm their three year marriage is over… after being ‘amicably separated for months’

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Օռլանդո Բլում,մոդել Միրանդա Քեր

 

Pirates Of The Caribbean star Orlando Bloom and model Miranda Kerr have announced they have split after three years of marriage.

A representative for the British actor confirmed the breakup to E! News.

The couple’s spokesperson said in a statement: ‘Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr have announced that they have been amicably separated for the past few months.

‘After six years together, they have recently decided to formalise their separation.’

The British actor and the Australian model began dating in late 2007 before tying the knot three years later.

Former Victoria’s Secret Angel Miranda, 30, gave birth to the couple’s son Flynn back in January 2011.

 

French soccer clubs to strike in protest at Francois Hollande’s ‘rich tax’

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ֆուտբոլային ակումբ

 

France’s controversial 75% tax for high earners drove award-winning actor Gerard Depardieu to take Russian citizenship.

Now, French football clubs are going on strike to protest the legislation’s planned implementation next year, claiming it will make them less competitive against European rivals and cause further financial hardship.

The Professional Union of Football Clubs (UCPF) announced Thursday that they will boycott all matches in the top two divisions scheduled between November 29-December 2.

It will be the first such strike in France since 1972, when players protested about their salaries, and will be the first in a major European league since the start of the 2010-11 Italian season was disrupted.

“This unprecedented day must be the occasion for the silent majority of French football to express its opposition,” UCPF president Jean-Pierre Louvel said in a statement Thursday.

The 75% tax will apply to players who earn more than €1 million ($1.38 million) a year. Under the law’s initial wording the earners themselves would have had to pay it, but after protests Francois Hollande’s Socialist Party government moved the responsibility to their employers.

The UCPF claims the tax will make French clubs less competitive against European rivals in countries which have lower taxes.

 

Baby Prince George is christened, 7 godparents named

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By Laura Smith-Spark and Max Foster, CNN
Watch this video

Prince George’s big day out

London (CNN) — Prince George made his first public appearance in three months Wednesday, as he arrived with his parents, Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, for his christening at St. James’s Palace.

The baby prince smiled as he was shown off to family members including his great-grandparents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, before the royals entered the Chapel Royal.

George was dressed in an elaborate lace and satin christening gown that’s a replica of one made in 1841 for the christening of Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter.

Being baptized into the church is more significant for George than for most people, since he is in line to become king, which would also make him the supreme governor of the Church of England.

 

Back row, from left: the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry, Pippa Middleton, James Middleton, Carole Middleton and Michael Middleton. Front row, from left: Queen Elizabeth II, Duchess of Cambridge with Prince George and Prince William.Back row, from left: the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry, Pippa Middleton, James Middleton, Carole Middleton and Michael Middleton. Front row, from left: Queen Elizabeth II, Duchess of Cambridge with Prince George and Prince William.
Prepping for Prince George’s christening

Royal couple’s 1st appearance since baby

Royal family portrait

The occasion was kept uncharacteristically small, in a shift away from the larger ceremonies that his father and grandfather enjoyed at Buckingham Palace.

His grandfather Prince Charles and uncle, Prince Harry, were among the select few invited to the ceremony, along with Catherine’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, and her siblings, James and Pippa.

New photos of Prince George released

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. Justin Welby, greeted the guests as they arrived at the chapel.

The royal baby, who was born in July, has seven godparents, among them Prince William’s cousin Zara Tindall, daughter of Princess Anne, and close friends of the couple.

They include Oliver Baker, who got to know William and Catherine at St. Andrew’s University, Emilia Jardine-Paterson, who went to school with Catherine, and William van Cutsem, a childhood friend of William.

The other godparents are Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, a former private secretary to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry; Julia Samuel, who was a good friend of William’s mother, Diana, Princess of Wales; and Earl Grosvenor, son of the Duke of Westminster.

The replica christening gown was brought into use in 2008 to help preserve the 170-year-old original, used until then for every royal christening, including those of Prince William and his father, Charles.

The venue for the christening also has a special significance for Prince William. The body of his mother, Diana, rested in the Chapel Royal for five days before her funeral in 1997.

After the service, Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, held a private tea at Clarence House. The guests were served slices of christening cake, which is a tier taken from William and Catherine’s 2011 wedding cake.

Prince William interview: Future king talks fatherhood, baby George

‘What a gift’

In a short video posted on his website, Welby spoke of the significance of the baby prince’s baptism, which will see him “join the family of the church,” numbering almost 2 billion people around the world.

Welby said any christening was a moment for the parents to celebrate the birth of their child, royal or not.

“All babies are unbelievably special, not only royal babies,” he said.

But Prince George’s christening does carry an extra significance, he said.

“As a nation we are celebrating the birth of someone who in due course will be the head of state. That’s extraordinary. It gives you this sense of forward looking, of the forwardness of history as well as the backwardness of history, and what a gift to have this new life and to look forward.”

As with any other infant’s baptism, Welby marked the Prince with the sign of the cross on his forehead and splash water on his head.

The silver font used for George’s baptism has been used for every royal christening since 1841 and will be filled with water from the River Jordan.

The 3-month-old boy has already made history. He’s the first royal baby to be honored with a christening coin from the Royal Mint.

The design of the coins, produced by the mint in a range of sizes and materials, has been approved by his parents and the Queen, the Royal Mint said.

The public can buy the keepsakes, which start at 13 pounds ($21) for the simplest type but rise to a whopping 50,000 pounds ($80,000) for a version containing a kilogram of gold.

A historic look at royal baby clothes

Service details

Prince George’s christening ceremony included two hymns, two lessons and two anthems, according to Kensington Palace.

Prince Harry read him a lesson form John 15:1-5, and his aunt Pippa Middleton read Luke 18:15-17.

The music started with a processional, Bach’s “Fantasia in G,” played on organ.

The Choir of Her Majesty’s Chapel Royal, made up of six men and 10 boys, sang the anthem “Blessed Jesu! Here we Stand,” which was written for the baptism of baby George’s father, Prince William, in 1982.

The second anthem was “The Lord Bless You and Keep You” by John Rutter.

The newest royal also heard the hymns “Breathe on Me, Breathe on God” and “Be Thou My Vision” before the organ played the recessional, which was C.W. Widor’s Toccata from Symphony No. 5.

 

President in Minsk participated at the session of the Eurasian Economic Supreme Council held in a restricted format

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Սերժ Սարգսյան,Բելառուս,Մաքսային միություն,Միասնական տնտեսական գոտի

President Serzh Sargsyan, who is in the Republic of Belarus on a working visit, today in Minsk participated at the session of the Eurasian Economic Supreme Council held in a restricted format with the participation of the Presidents of Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Ukraine.

At the session presented for discussion were three documents pertinent to the preparatory works on Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union and Common Economic Zone which were approved. These documents are: a draft decision on Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union and Common Economic Zone, declaration on Armenia’s participation in the Eurasian integration processes and memorandum on deepening cooperation between the Eurasian Economic Commission and the Republic of Armeni

ANCA RALLIES AGAINST WHITE HOUSE DECISION TO BLOCK SMITHSONIAN DISPLAY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ORPHAN RUG

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Coolidge_Armenian_Orphan_RugWASHINGTON, DC — Armenian Americans across the U.S. are calling upon the White House and Congress to secure a prominent and permanent public display of a historic rug woven by Armenian Genocide orphans and presented to President Calvin Coolidge in 1925, in appreciation for U.S. humanitarian assistance in the aftermath of Turkey’s murder of over 1.5 million Armenians from 1915-1923, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
The ANCA campaign was initiated after The Washington Post reported, earlier this week, that a planned December 16th Smithsonian Institution exhibit featuring the rug, organized in conjunction with the Armenian Cultural Foundation and the Armenian Rug Society, was abruptly cancelled when the White House, reversing an earlier affirmative decision, refused to lend the iconic symbol of American and Armenian shared heritage to the museum.
Armenian Americans can take action by visiting:
Armenian_Orphan_RugWashington Post staff writer and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Philip Kennicott, reported, “There was hope that the carpet, which has been in storage for almost 20 years, might be displayed December 16th as part of a Smithsonian event that would include a book launch for Hagop Martin Deranian’s ‘President Calvin Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan Rug.’ But on September 12th, the Smithsonian scholar who helped organize the event canceled it, citing the White House’s decision not to loan the carpet. In a letter to two Armenian American organizations, Paul Michael Taylor, director of the institution’s Asian cultural history program, had no explanation for the White House’s refusal to allow the rug to be seen and said that efforts by the U.S. ambassador to Armenia, John A. Heffern, to intervene had also been unavailing.”
Kennicott described the controversy as “a sign of the Obama administration’s dismal reputation in the Armenian American community that everyone assumes… must be yet another slap in the face for Armenians seeking to promote understanding of one of the darkest chapters in 20th-century history.”
The complete Washington Post article is available online at:
The White House response thus far has been vague – with National Security Staff Assistant Press Secretary Laura Magnuson offering the following comment to the Asbarez Armenian Newspaper: “The Ghazir rug is a reminder of the close relationship between the peoples of Armenia and the United States.  We regret that it is not possible to loan it out at this time.”  A statement with the same exact wording was released by the White House last week and included in Kennicott’s article.
“The White House should simply come clean,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.  “It’s time for the White House to open up about Turkey’s role, and lay out all the facts about its decision to block the Smithsonian’s exhibit of the Armenian Orphan Rug – a historic, Armenian Genocide-era work of art that speaks powerfully to the common values and shared experiences of the American and Armenian peoples.”
In a letter sent earlier today to President Obama’s Chief of Staff, Denis McDonough, ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian reminded the White House that “upon receiving the rug, President Coolidge wrote, ‘The rug has a place of honor in the White House where it will be a daily symbol of goodwill on earth.’ I ask you, in this spirit, to remove any obstacles to the Smithsonian’s display of this historic artwork and to secure a prominent and permanent public home for this powerful symbol of America’s humanitarian values and friendship with the Armenian people,” continued Hachikian.
Placing this latest controversy in context, Hachikian noted that: “since taking office, President Obama has not only failed to recognize the Armenian Genocide, but has actively blocked Congressional legislation (H.Res.252, 111th Congress) to commemorate this atrocity and, through his Solicitor General, officially opposed efforts in the U.S. courts (Arzoumanian v. Munchener Ruckversicherungs-Gesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft AG) to allow American citizens to pursue Genocide-era property claims.  In addition, the Administration has regularly sent senior officials to speak at events organized by Armenian Genocide deniers, while refusing repeated invitations to simply attend Congressional observances of this atrocity.  In these areas, and, sadly, many more, the President has not simply failed to honor his pledge, but rather – in both letter and spirit – worked to fundamentally undermine and reverse the very policies he pledged to pursue.”
According to Dr. Hagop Deranian, the Armenian orphan rug measures 11’7″ x 18’5″ and is comprised of 4,404,206 individual knots.  It took the Armenian girls in the Ghazir Orphanage of the Near East Relief Society 10 months to weave.  A label on the back of the rug, in large hand-written letters, reads “IN GOLDEN RULE GRATITUDE TO PRESIDENT COOLIDGE.”
Additional information about the history of the Armenian Orphan Rug is available in Dr. Hagop Martin Deranian’s book, “President Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan Rug,” published on October 20, 2013, by the Armenian Cultural Foundation and soon to be available on Amazon.com