Author: Liana Toganian

Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan could miss the UEFA Europa League match against Azerbaijan’s FC Qäbälä set for October 22.

According to reports in Azeri media, Borussia Dortmund’s #10 may be denied a visa because of his visit to Nagorno Karabakh in 2011.

Baku has blacklisted hundreds of politicians, actors, public figures and journalists over their visit to Artsakh.

“We hope that this is not true,” BVB spokesman Sascha Fligge told the German . “At the moment Henrikh is a super important player for us, who has shows brilliant achievements for weeks.”

An industrial accident has occurred at Telemekhanika plant owned by Azerbaijan’s Defense Industry Ministry in the country’s Shirvan city, Azerbaijani Defense Industry Ministry told Trend July 6.

The accident caused an explosion in one of the shops at the plant.

Azerbaijani Heath Ministry told Trend that 19 people were injured as a result of the explosion.

The Shirvan ambulance and emergency services station earlier confirmed that the accident had left one dead.

The injured were rushed to the Central Hospital of Shirvan city.

Four people died when a building collapsed in central Tbilisi on Monday. Witnesses say there were workers there during the collapse, the Democrary and Freedom Watch reports.

Rescuers are looking for one more worker in the collapsed building located in the Saburtalo district, behind the Sports Palace. It was built during the Soviet Union and was used by the Institute of Mathematics, but was recently sold and refurbishing is under way with plans to open a hotel there.

The reasons of the collapse are not yet known. However, experts have said many of the buildings being constructed in this area don’t meet safety standards and might be dangerous.

Princess Charlotte has been christened at a church in Sandringham after the Cambridges made their first public outing as a family of four, the BBC reports.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge pushed the princess in a pram the Queen used for two of her own children.

Several thousand well wishers greeted the royals, while Prince George delighted the crowds on foot.

The royal couple announced ahead of the christening that they had chosen five godparents for the princess.

The christening was held at the Church of St Mary Magdalene, and attended by guests including the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh.

Other attendees included Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, Catherine’s parents Michael and Carole Middleton and her two siblings, Pippa and James.

The baptism, conducted by Archbishop of Canterbury the Most Reverend Justin Welby, was held in private.

 

 

 

The “No to robbery” initiative announces a new stage of struggle against the planned electricity price hike. They will continue the struggle in a wider format: the street protests will be combined with discussions involving lawyers and economists.

The “No to robbery” initiative is currently considering whether to accept President Serzh Sargsyan’s offer to meet or not.

Speaking about the results of the 7-day protests, members of the initiative said “there has been no split or disagreement.” “Simply some decided to stay on Baghramyan Avenue, others moved to the Liberty Square for discussions.”

“Our permanent presence on Baghramyan Avenue would prevent us from struggling on a different platform,” Sofya Hovsepyan noted. “We will achieve no results by simply closing an avenue. We need consultations with experienced specialists to understand whether the proposal by the President was a manipulation or something to stick to. We can do nothing without public support.”

“No to robbery” announced it does not coordinate the actions on Baghramyan Street any more, but will cooperate with people there.

Members of the initiative assert they are not satisfied with the President’s offer to subsidize the cost until audit is conducted, but say that keeping Baghramyan closed is not a solution. They promise to block the streets again, if the results of the audit turn unsatisfactory.

 

 

 

Former French Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Jacques Faure has said the return of Nagorno Karabakh to Azerbaijan is impossible.

“There are only Armenians living in Nagorno Karabakh and they don’t want to change their status,” Jacques Faure said at NATO’s Rose-Roth seminar in Yerevan.

“Therefore, the return of Nagorno Karabakh to Azerbaijan is not possible anymore,” the former Co-Cahir added.

Jacques Faure disagrees with the opinion that the Minsk Group fails to take decisive steps to solve the Karabakh conflict. He added that the mediators coordinate their actions with the schedule of the leaders of the conflicting parties.

“If the Presidents have no time, the mediators can do nothing,” the former Co-Chair said.

He noted that an arms race has started in the region, and Azerbaijan’s military budget is larger than the overall budget of Armenia.

According to Faure, it’s necessary to demonstrate political will to make mutual concessions.”

Many assume Azerbaijan will again resort to violence after the European Games, but the former Co-Chair says “Azerbaijan will lose much” in this case.

“First of all, it will lose the standing on the international arena, and no one will be willing to invest in a country in war,” he said.

Yerevan has expressed its willingness to provide refuge to the animals left without shelter after the Tbilisi Zoo was destroyed as a result of heavy flooding in the Georgian capital, Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan said during working consultations at the City Hall.

Specialists of the Yerevan Zoo left for Tbilisi immediately after the disaster on Sunday to provide every assistance to the Georgian counterparts.