Author: Markos Nalchajian

Photo: DANA BERRY

 

Scientists say they have detected an atmosphere around an Earth-like planet for the first time, the BBC reports.

They have studied a world known as GJ 1132b, which is 1.4-times the size of our planet and lies 39 light years away.

Their observations suggest that the “super-Earth” is cloaked in a thick layer of gasses that are either water or methane or a mixture of both.

The study is published in the Astronomical Journal.

Discovering an atmosphere, and characterising it, is an important step forward in the hunt for life beyond our Solar System.

But it is highly unlikely that this world is habitable: it has a surface temperature of 370C.

Dr John Southworth, the lead researcher from Keele University, said: “To my knowledge the hottest temperature that life has been able to survive on Earth is 120C and that’s far cooler than this planet.”

Charles Aznavour has expressed support for the choice of the citizens of Armenia in Sunday’s elections.

“Whoever is elected by my people, I accept the choice,” the French Armenian singer told a press conference at TASS.

According to him, it would be incorrect to criticize the country from abroad. “I dislike people, who leave the country, but criticize its policy. For me everything is brilliant,” he said.

Aznavour confessed that he does not like to discuss politics. “Although I have friends, who are politicians, I never talk about politics. I talk to them about art – music, cinema, painting. We have plenty of topics,” he noted.

Armenia held parliamentary elections on April 2. According to preliminary results announced by the Central Electoral Commission, four political forces will make it to the National Assembly –Republican Party, Tsarukyan alliance, Yelk bloc and Armenian Revolutionary Federation.

Armenian Patriarch Locum Tenens and Armenian Primate of Germany Archbishop Karekin Bekciyan has been in Germany for a while. He announced that he’ll be in Istanbul soon and stay in the patriarchate, reports.

Karekin Bekciyan wrote a letter from Germany. He reminded that he is still the Armenian Primate of Germany and has some appointments related to this seat.

He also stated that any cleric assigns a deputy when he leaves for a while, and he assigned Bishop Masalyan as his deputy to deal with the works of değabah while he is away.

He also added that he’ll be in Istanbul soon and stay in the patriarchate.

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the creation of the Armenian Armed Forces, President Serzh Sargsyan, accompanied by His Holiness Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II, President of the NKR Bako Sahakian, and the highest leadership of the Republic, visited today the Yerablur Military Pantheon and paid tribute to the memory of the sons of the Armenian nation who gave their lives for independence of our Fatherland.

Gazprom Export and Georgia have reached an agreement on the terms of Russian gas transit to Armenia through Georgia. In particular the parties agreed on shifting to currency transactions when paying for gas transit services, Gazprom said in a statement today.

In accordance with the reached agreement, the Russian side guarantees paying for services of transiting Russian gas through the Georgian territory to Armenia in 2017-2018 in the volume of 2.0 — 2.2 billion cubic meters per year as well as supplying Georgia with natural gas on flexible terms at the price which is by $30 per 1000 cubic meters lower than in 2016.

“As a result of series of meetings and longstanding negotiations, together with our Georgian partners we have managed to find commercial conditions which are optimal for both sides, and to reach an agreement on the terms of gas transit,”Director General of Gazprom Export LLC Elena Burmistrova said.

Gas transit from Russia to Armenia is carried out via the territory of Georgia. Earlier the services of transiting gas via the territory of Georgia were paid in kind, by physical supplies equivalent to 10% of natural gas transported through Georgia to Georgian consumers
In the global gas trade the practice of paying for transit with commodity has not been used for many years already. The Russian side offered its Georgian partners to shift to cash transactions based on rates which are used in the EU countries.

Ambassador Richard E Hoagland will assume the position of U.S. Co-Chair of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group on an interim basis starting in January 2017.

He replaces Ambassador James B. Warlick, who will step down on December 31, the US Embassy to Armenia says in an official press release.

Ambassador Hoagland brings over 30 years of diplomatic experience to the position. He served as US Ambassador to Tajikistan from 2003 to 2006, US Ambassador to Kazakhstan from 2008 to 2011, and as Deputy Ambassador to Pakistan from 2011 to 2013. Ambassador Hoagland most recently led US-Russian military coordination for the Cessation of Hostilities in Syria and served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs at the State Department in Washington. Prior to these assignments, Ambassador Hoagland led the Office of Caucasus and Central Asian Affairs in the Bureau of Europe and Eurasian Affairs and was Press Spokesman for the US Embassy in Moscow.

Ambassador Hoagland’s extensive diplomatic experience will be critical as the United States works with the sides toward a lasting and peaceful settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The United States continues to call on the parties to maintain their commitment to the ceasefire and to implement agreements reached at the Vienna and St Petersburg summits, and urges a return to negotiations on a settlement, which would benefit all sides.

The permanent replacement for Ambassador Warlick will be announced at a future date.

RAPSI – The Moscow City Court has refused to lift seizure of property belonging to prominent Armenian businessman Levon Hayrapetyan, who was sentenced to four years in prison for embezzlement of $700,000, RIA Novosti reported on Wednesday.

The court has dismissed an appeal filed by Hayrapetyan’s lawyer. Hayrapetyan’s apartment and bank accounts, estimating $300,000-400,000 are to stay under arrest.

In April, Hayrapetyan was found guilty of stealing $700,000 from the mother of former Bashkortostan senator Igor Izmestyev sentenced to life for terrorism. In addition to the prison sentence Hayrapetyan was ordered to pay the victim 20.8 million rubles (about $320,000).

According to investigators, the businessman has misled the woman by promising a reduced sentence for her son. In practice, he could not influence the judgment.

The businessman has pleaded not guilty. According to his lawyer, the case has been framed up.

Hayrapetyan also stands charged with involvement in an embezzlement case under which Ural Rakhimov, son of the former head of Bashkortostan Murtaza Rakhimov, sold Bashneft, a midsized oil company he headed for three years, to the oil-to-telecoms conglomerate Sistema in 2009 at a huge “discount” of $500 million.

In early October 2014, Hayrapetyan was placed under house arrest. His defense attorney asked the court to release him, citing health problems.

The Azerbaijani side kept violating the ceasefire regime in almost all directions of the line of contact with the Karabakh forces last night.

More intensive firing was reported in the eastern direction of the frontline, where the Azeri side used firearms of different calibers, 60 and 82 mm mine throwers  and an automatic grenade launcher.

All in all, the rival violated the ceasefire 125 times, firing over 2,000 shots in the direction of the Armenian positions.

The Armenian side incurred no losses as a result of ceasefire violation, the NKR Defense Ministry said.

The Ministry also refuted the claims of the Azerbaijani side that “one was killed, nine wounded as a result of heavy fighting in the eastern direction of the line of contact” and said “it’s yet another misinformation.”

The Front troops of the NKR Defense Army confidently continue with their military duty and resort to response actions if necessary.

The situation has been calm this morning.

HDP Istanbul MP Garo Paylan has brought the impunity of the hate crimes against the minority groups to the parliamentary agenda, reports.

Paylan tabled a written parliamentary question addressed to Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım. He reminded that the suspects who placed a black wreath in front of the office of Agos had been released last week.

He also reminded that some racist statements had been written on the walls of 3 Armenian schools within a year. He pointed out that Asri Jewish Cemetery in Hatay and the Syriac ancient cemetery of the Syriac Orthodox Mor Peter and Mor Paul Church had been vandalized.

Paylan asked what kind of efforts there are for preventing the crimes against the minority groups, whether there are precautions for protecting the minority institutions at risk and whether there is any investigation on hate crimes.

Here is the full parliamentary question:

“On April 24, 2015, a black wreath was placed in front of the office of Agos and the perpetrators released a statement on social media titled as ‘One night, we might come to visit you unexpectedly.’ Agos filed a criminal complaint against this threat and a lawsuit was launched against Nationalist Turkish Party Istanbul Chair Bilal Gökçeyurt and the chair of so-called Turan Organization Ercan Uçar. The prosecution demanded prison sentence for the suspects on the charges of threatening and insulting. However, on November 17, the suspects had been acquitted.

Furthermore, in 2016, racist statements had been written on the walls of 3 Armenian schools in different times. On August 2016, it was written ‘Suffering for Armenians’ on the wall of Surp Haç Tıbrevank High School; it was written ‘Suffering for Armenians’ on the front wall of Kalfayan on January 2016 and ‘Long may live Turkish race’ on September 2016; and on November 2016, it was written, ‘One night, we will seize Karabakh unexpectedly’ on the wall of Bomonti Mıhitaryan High School.

In addition, Jewish cemetery in Hatay was vandalized on June 2016 and the Syriac ancient cemetery of the Syriac Orthodox Mor Peter and Mor Paul Church had been vandalized on November.

Thus, I would like to ask:

1- What kind of works is the government carrying out for preventing the hate crimes against the minority groups, that has been increasing and going unpunished?

2- Is the government taking any specific precautions for protecting the minority institutions and their properties?

3- Is the Intelligence Department of Turkey (MİT) carrying out any investigation on the hate crimes against the minority groups?

Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan received today the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Greece to Armenia Nafsika Nancy Eva Vraila. The Prime Minister attached importance to the continuous development of the Armenian-Greek relations and pledged the willingness of the government to promote initiatives targeted at furthering the bilateral ties.

Mrs. Vraila noted that the two peoples have historically enjoyed firm good-neighborly relations, and Greece is ready to continue implementing bilateral programs.

The interlocutors discussed issues related to the deepening of bilateral trade and economic cooperation and attached importance to taking steps to intensify the business ties.

The Ambassador informed about the plans of Greek businessmen to visit Armenia next year to study the investment opportunities and discuss the perspectives of expansion of economic ties.

During the meeting reference was made to the cooperation in the fields of tourism, education, and science.