Author: Mike Maghakian

Arsenal ended Manchester United’s 25-match unbeaten run in the Premier League and kept up their hopes of securing a place in the top four, the BBC reports.

After a largely uneventful first half, Granit Xhaka opened the scoring with a deflected shot from distance, which looped over goalkeeper David de Gea.

And they doubled their lead three minutes later when Danny Welbeck headed home against his former club after a pinpoint cross from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Jose Mourinho introduced Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard to try to rescue the game, but they failed to bring the visitors to life.

The result means Arsenal remain in sixth place but are two points off United in fifth and six points off Manchester City in fourth, with a game in hand over both teams.

Sixteen national organizations joined an Armenian National Committee of America Eastern Region (ANCA-ER) initiative earlier this year to prevent genocide denial ads from appearing in American newspapers, billboards and other media. Unlike 2016 and previous years, no major media carried genocide denial advertising in April 2017.

“We are thankful to our coalition partners who are principled in the matter of inadmissibility of genocide denial in any form,” said ANCA-ER Chairman Steve Mesrobian. “Genocide denial is not ‘provocative’ or ‘scholarly debate,’ but deeply offensive hate speech and we are glad to see such positive results from our ongoing anti-defamation activities. We are committed in ensuring that the memory of all the innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide, the Holocaust, and all other genocides are properly commemorated and remembered.”

A coalition of sixteen national anti-genocide and human rights organizations joined the ANCA-ER in efforts directed at major newspapers and advertising companies in the US.  The initiative sought to heighten awareness of attempts to place genocide denial advertising and to urge these companies not to accept such ads.

In April 2016, the ANCA-ER led a successful grassroots mobilization in Illinois, New York, Massachusetts, and other areas to force media giants like ClearChannel to immediately bring down genocide denial billboards and issue an apology.  After the appearance of similar advertising in The Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Tribune, and The Philadelphia Inquirer in late April 2016, the ANCA-ER assembled a coalition of 14 anti-genocide and human rights groups which called upon the newspapers to formally review their advertising polices to prevent the placement of genocide denial ads in the future.

Earlier this year the ANCA-ER, together with its coalition partners, proactively reached out to media outlets across the US to remind them not to accept such advertising.

Trials of Dink murder case will continue on April 10, 11, 13 and 14, reports.

Trials of public officials, including former police chiefs Celalletin Cerrah, Engin Dinç, Ramazan Akyürek, Ali Fuat Yılmazer, Ahmet İlhan Güler, will continue on April 10, 11, 13 and 14.

Ali Fuat Yılmazer, former chief of the Office  of Istanbul Directorate of Security Intelligence Branch, will continue to present his defence. During previous hearings, Yılmazer argued with the chief judge and stopped presenting his defence. On March 16, during the cross examination of Yılmazer, his daughters Fatma Saadet Yılmazer and Rabia Yılmazer was detained as part of “FETÖ” investigation.  Upon the request of lawyers, the hearing was postponed to April 10.

The case against eight gendarmerie personnel in Trabzon also continues. On March 21, Trabzon 1^st High Penal Court asked for permission to join the case with the one tried in Istanbul 14^th High Penal Court.

The court in Istanbul is expected to respond to this request soon.

AFP – The tomb where Jesus is believed to have been buried is being unveiled again following nine months of restoration work that will be highlighted at a much anticipated ceremony Wednesday.

The shrine, which includes a 19th-century ornate edicule or shrine surrounding the tomb, is a key part of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem’s Old City.

However centuries of candle smoke and visiting pilgrims had left it discoloured and almost black.

Parts of it were also coming loose, with warnings that it was structurally unsound and posed a risk to the millions of pilgrims who visit the site every year.

Israeli authorities briefly closed it in 2015 over security fears.

Following a $3.7-million (3.4-million-euro) renovation led by the church’s three main Christian denominations, the tomb has been painstakingly restored to its former glory — including a warm reddish-yellow colouring.

The tomb will be formally reopened on Wednesday in a ceremony in Jerusalem led by religious leaders and donors.

“Before this the monument was black,” chief renovator Antonia Moropoulou told AFP at the site.

“This is the actual colour of the monument, the colour of hope.”

Unlike other parts of the church, which were renovated between the 1960s and 1990s, the edicule had been neglected.

Moropoulou explained that they had systematically dismantled, cleaned and renovated almost all of the edicule, including the columns and upper and inner domes.

A window has been installed to allow pilgrims to see the bare stone of the ancient burial cave for the first time.

The new structural integrity means a protective cage installed 70 years ago by the British is no longer necessary.

“The deformations of the holy edicule are addressed and the structural integrity is assured,” Moropoulou said.

Samuel Aghoyan, the superior of the Armenian Church at the Sepulchre which co-financed the project, said that after the renovation the edicule looked “like a brand new building”.

The Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Roman Catholic denominations share custody of the church, but disputes between the three have led to renovations being delayed for decades.

Aghoyan admitted there were tensions between the churches at times.

“We are not in love with each but we love each other,” he said with a smile.

Armenia captain Henrikh Mkhitarayn will face former teammate Yura Movsisyan, as Manchester United take on Real Salt Lake on July 17 within the framework of the summer tour to the US.

Manchester United will play five games in the USA this summer, including matches against Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester City on the club’s Tour 2017, presented by Aon, according to the club’s official website.

United will kick off their pre-season in North America with two games against Major League Soccer sides, taking on Los Angeles Galaxy at the Stubhub Centre on Saturday 15 July, followed by a match against Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium on Monday 17 July.

Days later, United will take part in the International Champions Cup (ICC), kicking off the tournament against rivals Manchester City on Thursday 20 July with the venue to be revealed in due course for the highly anticipated Manchester derby.

Jose Mourinho will then come up against his former club when United face Real Madrid at the Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, on Sunday 23 July.

The tour will then conclude in Washington DC with a game against Barcelona on Wednesday 26 July at FedEx Field, in what will be the first meeting between the two sides since United claimed a 3-1 victory in the sell-out clash in California two summers ago.

“The term “frozen conflict”, often used to describe conflicts in Europe, is misleading,” UN Secretary General António Guterres said at a Security Council open debate on Europe’s protracted conflicts.

He pointed out that “until peace agreements are signed and implemented, the risk of renewed violence remains, as seen last April in Nagorno-Karabakh.”

“The United Nations supports the OSCE’s Minsk Group and urges parties to conflict to fully implement agreed conflict-prevention measures, show greater political will and renew a sustainable and comprehensive negotiation process,” the UN Secretary General said.

António Guterres said the Council was seized of many conflict situations in Europe, noting that the Organization was working with such regional mechanisms as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the European Union in tackling them.

Armenia is placed 33rd among 186 countries and is ranked as a “mostly free” country in the 2017 Index of Economic Freedom, an annual guide published by The Heritage Foundation. The Index covers 10 freedoms – from property rights to entrepreneurship.

Other countries in the region are placed as follows: Georgia 13th, Turkey – 60th, Azerbaijan 68th, Iran – 155th.

Armenia’s partners in the Eurasian Economic Union Russia and Kazakhstan are ranked 114^th and 42^nd respectively, Belarus is 104th, Kyrgyzstan is 89th.

Hing Kong tops the list, followed by Singapore and New Zealand.

“Considerable diversification of Armenia’s economic base has increased economic dynamism, and a decade of strong economic growth has reduced poverty and unemployment rates. Broad simplification of business procedures has facilitated regulatory efficiency. After years of expansionary fiscal policies, efforts have been made to limit the cost of government through more prudent management of public finance,” the report reads.

“Armenia performs relatively well in many categories of economic freedom, but more reforms are needed to enhance judicial independence and government transparency. Despite progress in tackling corruption, particularly in the tax and customs administrations, close relationships within political and business circles raise concerns about cronyism and undue influence,” The Heritage Foundation said.

“The Kurdish Voice of Radio Yerevan” – a book by Zeri Inanc has been published in Turkey, reports.

The book tells about the role of Public Radio of Armenia (or Radio Yerevan as the Kurds call it) in the preservation of the Kurdish language and culture.

“The Public Radio has played an immense role in the preservation of the Kurdish identity and cultural legacy,” author Zeri Inanc said in an interview with “Agos.” His studies reveal that over 10.000 recordings of Kurdish folk songs, once prohibited in Turkey, are kept in he archives of the Public Radio.

“Every Kurd who has been listening to Kurdish programs thanks to Radio Yerevan has much to tell,” Zeri Inanc said.

According to him, Radio Yerevan is a common memory for Kurds deprived of the opportunity to get education in their native language.