Author: Elizabeth Jabejian

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) released the following statement after being left for a family in Tujunga because they hung an Armenian flag from their home, which is now being investigated by the LAPD as a possible hate incident:

“An act of hatred like that we saw in Tujunga this week has no place in our community, and I am deeply disturbed that someone would be threatened over their Armenian heritage, or for displaying an Armenian flag outside of their home. Coming so soon after the violence that claimed Armenian lives in Nagorno Karabahk and so close to the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide in just a few weeks, this act of hatred is all the more reprehensible. I’m glad that the LAPD is investigating it as a hate crime.”

On 14 April NKR President Bako Sahakyan was present at the Republican Divine Liturgy served by Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I at Shushi’s Ghazanchetsots Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

Chairman of the NKR National Assembly Ashot Ghoulyan, Prime Minister Arayik Haroutyunyan, other high-ranked official, representatives from Armenia and Diaspora were present at the event.

On Thursday April 21, Thomas Jefferson School of Law will be hosting a lecture entitled, “Genocide and the Law 101 Years Later.” This event will coincide near the 101st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in Turkey.

The lecture will feature famed Armenian-American criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos, who had represented several celebrities and was one of the lead lawyers in a pair of groundbreaking federal class-action lawsuits against New York Life Insurance and AXA Corporation for insurance policies issued in the early 20th century during the Armenian Genocide.

This event is organized by the Thomas Jefferson School of Law Armenian Law Student Association.

Photo: AP

Global sea levels could rise by more than double the current best estimate, according to a new analysis of climate change in Antarctica, the BBC reports.

The modelling assessment says that Antarctic melting alone could contribute more than a metre to sea level by the end of this century.

By 2500, according to the study, the same source could cause levels across the world to rise by 13m.

The authors say that rapid cuts in carbon emissions could limit this risk.

Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg are teaming up for a new Indiana Jones film, has announced.

The fifth episode of the franchise will be released in July 2019.

The as-yet-untitled film will come 11 years after the most recent Indiana Jones film, 2008’s Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Ford and Spielberg first worked together on Indiana Jones film, Raiders of the Lost Ark, in 1981  and later thrilled audiences in 1984’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, 1989’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The four films have brought in nearly $2 billion at the global box office.

Photos: AFP

Harmony of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship, has begun its first sea trial in western France, the BBC reports.

Thousands of people gathered to watch in the port of Saint-Nazaire as the 70m high vessel was guided out to sea by six tugs on Thursday.

The €1bn ($1.1bn) ship is being built for the Royal Caribbean International (RCI) cruise company.

The 120,000-tonne vessel is expected to be delivered to the US-based firm in two months.

The trial will continue until Sunday.

The 16-deck Harmony of the Seas is 362m long – 50m longer than the Eiffel Tower is high.

After completion, it will be able to accommodate more than 6,000 passengers.

About 2,000 crew members will cater for their needs.

The Azerbaijani side used artillery weapons of different caliber as it fired more than 1,100 shots from weapons of different caliber in the direction of the Armenian positions over the weekend.

The front divisions of the NKR Defense Army confidently perform their military duty and resort to retaliatory measures in cases of extreme necessity, the NKR Defense Ministry said.

Michigan House of Representatives passes a bill mandating ‪Armenian Genocide‬ education in public schools, Asbarez News reported on its Facebook page.

Two hospitals have been hit in new air strikes in northern Syria, medics and witnesses say, causing a number of deaths and injuries, the BBC reports.

In Azaz on the Turkish border, at least 10 people reportedly died, including several in one hospital building.

Medecins Sans Frontieres said eight staff members were missing after another attack in Maarat al-Numan.

The strikes come days after Russia and other world powers agreed to a limited cessation of hostilities in Syria.

It was unclear who carried out the latest attacks. MSF did not identify who was responsible for the Maarat al-Numan strikes.