AGBU Press Office 55 East 59th Street New York, NY 10022-1112 Website: www.agbu.org PRESS RELEASE Monday, AGBU OFFERS MUST-HAVE E-BOOKS, APPS ABOUT ARMENIA The Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) has developed a series of multimedia educational and travel e-books as well as family-friendly apps which present a wide variety of themes about Armenia. The newest addition is a versatile e-book entitled Vayots Dzor, prepared in collaboration with My Armenia, a program implemented by the Smithsonian Institution and funded by USAID. Armenia's Vayots Dzor province is home to many ancient landmarks and tourist attractions, including the Areni-1 cave complex-with the earliest known winery Areni 1 inside-the 8th-century Tanahat Monastery, the 10th-century Smbataberd Fortress and the 13th-century Noravank Monastery. Vayots Dzor is also home to the therapeutic springs and mineral pools of Jermuk. Ideal for travelers, nature lovers and history buffs, the e-book includes interactive maps, slide shows, videos, 360-view photos and audio descriptions featuring Vayots Dzor's architecture, archeology, adventure activities, cuisine, festivals and cultural events. Visitor information, tips for easy trip planning, hotels, restaurants and an essential Armenian phrasebook are also highlighted. Vayots Dzor is the third in a series of travel companion e-books, with Exploring Yerevan and The Armenian Highland being the first two. Available in seven languages, the e-books can be downloaded for free on smartphones, tablets and PCs at www.agbu.org/armenia/travel. "We are proud to partner with the Smithsonian in our mission of introducing the wealth of the Armenian heritage to the world," said AGBU Board Member Dr. Yervant Zorian. "The new e-book uses creative state-of-the-art solutions to promote the richness and diversity of Vayots Dzor's nature and history and was designed to contribute to the greater number of tourists in the region." In addition to the e-books, AGBU also developed Im Armenia travel app for kids of all ages. It invites users to explore interesting facts about popular sites throughout and around Yerevan, as well as in the provinces of Gegharkunik and Vayots Dzor. The first digital travel guide to introduce kids to the country in a fun and interactive way, Im Armenia functions in English, Portuguese and French, while also teaching basic words in Eastern Armenian. To download the Im Armenia app, visit www.agbu.org/armenia/travel or your app store. Established in 1906, AGBU (www.agbu.org) is the world's largest non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through educational, cultural and humanitarian programs, annually touching the lives of some 500,000 Armenians around the world. For more information about AGBU and its worldwide programs, please visit www.agbu.org.
Author: Alex Jidarian
Ejmiatsin Mayor steps down
Category
Politics
Mayor of Ejmiatsin Karen Grigoryan has resigned.
“I, Karen Grigoryan, am voluntarily resigning”, he said on Facebook.
Karen Grigoryan is the son of MP Manvel Grigoryan, the former general who was arrested by national security service agents on June 16.
Art: Armenia showcased at Czech Photo Centre
Prague TV, Czech Rep.
Photos by Josef Bosák capture years of history in the troubled region
The Czech Photo Centre is showcasing the photography of Josef Bosák in a show called Piece of Armenian Soul. The show runs until Aug. 12.
The collection is complemented by the exhibition Every Tuesday by graduates of the Czech Photo Centre's Visual Communication Studio, in the gallery’s small hall.
Bosák holds of the Fédération Internationale de l'Art Photographique’s AFIAP (Artiste FIAP) and EFIAP (Excellence FIAP) distinctions.
He visits Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh region every year, and the show Piece of Armenian Soul conveys some of what he has experienced on his travels. The exhibition uses photographs of elderly people as well as young people and children to trace Armenia's troubled history. There are images of people at work, at home, at play, and at a local dilapidated hospital.
“The mountainous Armenian landscape, marked by a troubled history and the suffering of its people through the decisions of politicians and relentless conflicts between Christians and Muslims, has become the author’s great focus. Despite all the injustice committed against the local population, Bosák says the native Armenians remain very friendly people with a great sense of hospitality,” the description of the exhibition states.
Bosák began taking photographs in 2003. In 2007, he visited Armenia and began to focus on capturing the human form and social journalism.
During a recent visit, he was an eyewitness to political events where the leader of anti-government protests, Nikol Pashinyan, became prime minister.
He visited the Karabakh Hospital numerous times over three years. These photos have been well-received in international photography contests.
Visitors to the Czech Photo Centre’s small hall can view the Every Tuesday exhibition until July 1. The photos cover a range of topics from body image to sports to familial relations.
The Czech Photo Centre is open every day except Monday. From Tuesday to Friday it is open from 11 am until 6 pm, and on weekends from 10 am to 6 pm.
It is located around 100 meters from metro station Nové Butovice at Seydlerova 2835/4, Prague 5.
China sentences Taiwanese fraudsters deported from Armenia
Focus Taiwan News Channel
2018/06/14 18:09:04
Taipei, June 14 (CNA) A court in China on Thursday sentenced 29 Taiwanese nationals to prison for taking part in a telecom fraud ring based in Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia.
The suspects were sentenced by the Huadu District People's Court in Guangzhou, according to a statement from the Higher People's Court of Guangdong Province.
Of the defendants, 27 received prison terms of 3-10 years, while ringleaders Chen Chun-chih (陳俊志) and Lin Tsung-ju (林宗儒) received 10-11 years in jail.
The alleged telecom fraudsters were accused of posing as Chinese court officials to scam Chinese nationals by tricking them into transferring money into designated accounts, according to the Higher People's Court.
The statement said the fraud ring accrued about 1.66 million Chinese yuan (US$260,188) in illegal assets from July to August, 2016.
It did not mention whether the Taiwanese had appealed the court ruling.
The Taiwanese were part of a 129-member fraud ring arrested by Armenian police and sent to Guangzhou on Sept. 2, 2016, despite the protestations of Taiwan's government, which insisted the suspects should be repatriated to Taiwan.
It was later determined that 78 members of the fraud gang were Taiwanese nationals, of which the first 29 were sentenced by the Huadu court on Thursday.
(By Yang Sheng-ju and Ko Lin)
Enditem/AW
A1+: Fire in Gyumri, there is one victim
On June 12, at 00:34, the 911 hotline received information that smoke was noticed behind the “Gyumri” sign placed at the end of the Yerevan-Gyumri highway.
It turned out that the fire broke out in an uninhabited building (approx. 160 square meters) near Azatan Highway No. 55/1.
The fire was extinguished at 01:41. Household appliances burnt down (about 15 square meters).
Firefighter rescues found a body inside the building and approached the ambulance car.
Names of winners of 1st round of 14th Khachaturian International Competition known
The jury of the 14th Khachaturian International Competition has announced the results of the first stage of the contest. According to this, 7 cellists have passed to the second phase.
The second stage will be held on June 9 and 10.
A1+: Henrikh Mkhitaryan to strengthen French football team
The famous “France Football” has poblushied the names of the ten football players who could strengthen the French team and are not included in the team for different reasons.
In particular, such players as Eden Hazard, Gonzalo Higuain, Riyad Mahrez and others are included.
The sotce mentions that the squad of the “tricolor” could be joined by the Armenian player Henrikh Mkhitaryan since he was born in Valence, France, and spent a couple of years there, so, he could easily get the citizenship and join the national team.
A1+: No graduates in Karinj Secondary School this year (video)
This year there is n Last School Bell organized in Karinj Secondary School since there is no graduate.
“That year we did not have the first grade pupils and that is why there are no graduates this year,” said the school headmaster Aram Yeghinyan.
There are no second and fourth grade pupils at school, so they will not have graduates for another two years. During the Children’s Council session, teachers are discussing the issue of continuously decreasing number of pupils.
Morover in the video of “Ankyun +3” TV
Azerbaijani press: Secretary General: OIC is ready to engage in Karabakh conflict’s settlement if approached by parties involved (Exclusive)
1 June 2018 17:44 (UTC+04:00)
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 1
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is ready to engage in the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict if approached by the parties involved, OIC Secretary General Dr. Yousef A. Al-Othaimeen said in an interview with Trend.
The OIC advocates for peaceful and negotiated settlement of all conflicts, he said, adding that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is no exception.
“Operative Paragraph 12 of Resolution No. 10/45-POL adopted by the 45th CFM held in Dhaka on 5-6 May 2018 urged Armenia and all member states of the OSCE Minsk Group to engage constructively in the ongoing OSCE peace process on the basis of the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and the relevant OSCE decisions and documents,” said the OIC secretary general.
Al-Othaimeen pointed out that therefore, the OIC will continue its efforts for the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. “At the same time, it expects Armenian authorities to be forthcoming and join the negotiation with openness.”
“The OIC will continue its efforts to contribute in the peaceful settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in line with the resolution adopted by the 45th CFM and is ready to engage if approached by the parties involved.”
OIC secretary general urged Armenia to cooperate with regional and international initiatives to resolve the conflict.
“An ongoing conflict affects the peace, stability and growth of involved parties. Continuation of any conflict does not bring anything good. So, the parties of any conflict should sit together and resolve the conflict peacefully through negotiated settlement. Regional initiatives need to be reactivated and given due consideration,” he said.
Al-Othaimeen noted that a number of tools are available and applied to settle a conflict. “First and foremost, the involved parties have to show their political will, interest and flexibility and commit themselves for a peaceful solution. Then suitable mechanisms can be considered and applied to find a peaceful solution of the conflict.”
Further, the OIC secretary general noted that all member states of the organization are guided and inspired by the noble Islamic teachings and values and shall settle their disputes through peaceful means.
Article 27 of OIC Charter stipulates that the Member States, parties to any dispute, the continuance of which may be detrimental to the interests of the Islamic Ummah or may endanger the maintenance of international peace and security, shall, seek a solution by good offices, negotiation, enquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement or other peaceful means of their own choice. “In this context good offices may include consultation with the Executive Committee and the Secretary-General.”
Article 28 says that the Organization may cooperate with other international and regional organizations with the objective of preserving international peace and security, and settling disputes through peaceful means, he added.
“The OIC strongly believes that military means cannot solve a conflict. Therefore, in recent years the OIC General Secretariat is emphasizing on mediation and track II diplomacy to resolve a conflict. Today, the OIC Peace, Security and Conflict Resolution Unit (PSCU) is fully functional and is engaged with various conflict resolution activities in OIC Member States. The PSCU receives advisory opinion from the OIC Wise Persons’ Council (WPC) and the network of Special Envoys. Besides this, an OIC Contact Group on Peace and Conflict Resolution (PCR) has also been established,” OIC secretary general said.
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9th Pan-Armenian Forum of Journalists kicks off in Yerevan
ArmenPress, Armenia
9th Pan-Armenian Forum of Journalists kicks off in Yerevan
YEREVAN, MAY 30, ARMENPRESS. Reporters and journalists from Armenia, Artsakh and the Diaspora from over 70 countries are taking part in the 9th Pan-Armenian Forum. The forum kicked off today in the Diaspora ministry HQ in Yerevan.
The forum will focus on the media coverage of the latest events in Armenia, the role of reporters in the events and journalism and press of the First Armenian Republic. Armenia celebrated the centennial Republic Day on May 28 – the 100th anniversary of establishment of the First Armenian Republic.
ARMENPRESS Editor-In-Chief Mrs. Narine Nazaryan is also participating in the forum.
English –translator/editor:Stepan Kocharyan