Author: Paul Hambardsumian

The World Bank Board of Executive Directors today approved a US$40 million loan for the Additional Financing of the Lifeline Road Network Improvement Project (LRNIP) for Armenia. This project will further assist the Government of Armenia in its on-going efforts to improve accessibility to markets and social services through the rehabilitation of an additional 155 km of the lifeline road network, and enhance employment opportunities,mostly for the rural population. It will also help Armenia to strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Transport and Communication (MoTC) in road safety and management of the road network, including disaster risk preparedness.

Despite visible improvement since 2009, about half of the lifeline roads in Armenia remain in poor condition and there is still an important investment backlog for rehabilitation and maintenance. Trade facilitation and connecting local production to markets remain paramount in reducing rural poverty and promoting economic growth. Trade fromrural areas is less than optimal due to restricted connectivity to markets as a result of the poorcondition of roads. This has hindered trade facilitation for rural farmers, resulting in substantialcrop losses for some communities due to an inability to get produce to markets on time.

“As in the case of the original project, rehabilitation of additional lifeline roads would create temporary jobs in rural areas, and improve access to basic social services,” said Laura E. Bailey, World Bank Country Manager for Armenia. “It is vitalthat rural infrastructure is improved and maintained to promote agricultural trade, thus stimulating economic growth and local employment for the future.”

The implementation of the original project has progressed well.The proposed additional financing will raise the total length of roads to 360 km, 73km of which have already been rehabilitated. Since the launch of the Lifeline Road Improvement Project (LRIP) in 2009, the previous series of projects, there has been a noticeable improvement in localemployment, while journey time has declined on average by 40 percent. The World Bank-financed LRIP for a total amount of US$101.6 million has already upgraded 433 km of lifeline roads across the regions.

The Additional Financing of the LRNIP has two main components. First, it will support lifeline road improvementwith rehabilitation of 155 km of roads, located across the regions including through rehabilitation and maintenance contracts, which have been successfully piloted. A new Contingent Emergency Response (CER) sub-component is being introduced, as a precautionary measure that would allow the Government and the Bank to quickly channel the loan financing for emergency recovery efforts following an adverse natural or man-made disaster.

Secondly, in terms of institutional strengthening, it would finance: (i) preparation of a social monitoring and impact evaluation study; (ii) preparation of a strategic development plan for the lifeline road network; (iii) lifeline road network data collection for the Road Asset Management System (RAMS); (iv) development of a new road safety action plan and the implementation of selected activities; (v) technical assistance with regard to disaster risk preparedness for the road sector; (vi) purchase of road laboratory equipment for determining the chemical composition of bitumen; and (vii) installation of road safety signs.

“The sections of rehabilitated network help farmers and small businesses in rural areas to bring their produce to market more easily and at a lower cost,” added Maria Carolina Monsalve, Head of the World Bank project team. “The project will also continue supporting the “Safe Village” program through small road safety civil works combined with awareness campaigns at community level. While four schemes were envisagedby the end of the original project, a total of thirteen have been completed to date.”

The first year program of road works is comprised of seven road sections located in five regions,with the remaining road sections tobe identified during project implementation. The seven road sections total 50.5 km: all roads are bituminous roads in poor to very poor condition and serve in total 183,446 persons.

Total financing of this project is US$45 million, of which US$5 million will be the Government’s contribution. The World Bank will provide a US$40 million IBRD loan of variable spread, with a 14.5-year grace period and atotal repayment term of 25 years.

Since joining the World Bank in 1992 and IDA in 1993, the commitments to Armenia total approximately US$2,158.730 million.

Asbarez – An anonymous benefactor recently donated nearly $1.8 million to three nonprofit organizations that operate in Armenia: Armenia Tree Project (ATP), Armenian American Wellness Center (AAWC), and Armenian EyeCare Project (AECP). Each organization received one-third of the generous gift.

“Too few help Armenia,” the anonymous donor said when explaining the rationale for his donation.

He spoke at length about his deceased family members, whose memory he said he wanted to honor with his generous donation, especially during the centennial year of the Armenian Genocide.

“This is not from me, but from my father, my mother, and my sister,” he explained.

His last surviving family member was his older sister, Siona, who died last year, in September, in their unassuming California home. His mother, Elmas, passed away in 1982, and his father, Harry, in 1984.

Harry immigrated to the United States from Kharpert, Armenia around 1912, prior to the Armenian Genocide, and settled in Worcester, Mass. “He always sent money to his father back in Kharpert,” the donor said of his father. “Then, one day, the money came back and he never heard from his family again.”

Elmas, his mother, was also born in Kharpert, in 1905. Along with her sister Varter, she spent approximately five years in a Lutheran orphanage in Kharpert, becoming proficient in three languages and learning to embroider. “My mother came to the United States and within a year she began attending school,” he said.

Elmas and her sister were brought to Massachusetts in 1920 after their aunt, who lived in the United States, discovered that they were alive after the Genocide.

When Harry asked for Elmas’s hand in marriage, he repaid Elmas’s aunt “every penny” of her travel costs to America, the donor said. Those pennies had come at a huge cost to his dad, who worked in the Worcester nickel plating factory: “At the time of my father’s death, his lungs had almost disintegrated,” he said.

In telling the story, he tears up, recalling that his father would give his mother only the best—the first refrigerator, the first television set, all the yarn and string she wanted to use for her embroidery—yet his mother would always mumble, in Armenian, “Yes inchou chem grnar ourakh ellal?” (Why am I unable to be happy?)

Born in Worcester, the donor was the couple’s second child; Siona was two years older. While in Worcester, Siona worked for a title company. She was also a Sunday school teacher there.

He, meanwhile, served in the armed forces during World War II and was stationed in Japan. “That was the only time I left the USA. Interestingly, people are the same everywhere,” he said. He attended Clark University, in Worcester, and became an accountant.

In 1972, to escape the harsh East Coast winters, the family relocated from Massachusetts to California.

After their move, Siona could not work; her brother, the anonymous donor, took care of his sister until her death. The siblings had been living in what was essentially a glorified trailer community ever since they had moved to California. “We spent every day together,” he recalls.

The donor was not involved in the Armenian community, yet he knew about the Diaspora’s efforts made to assist Armenia. He had read about the three nonprofits—ATP, AAWC, and AECP—and their humanitarian projects in Armenia.

As his health began deteriorating, he made the decision to distribute his family’s savings to the three organizations.

Explaining his donation, he cited the Bible about giving to those in need, and added: “I have everything I need: shelter, food, and a warm bed. Now, I want to help my nation, the people of Armenia.”

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has said Greeks made a “brave choice” in voting to reject the terms of an international bailout in Sunday’s referendum, the BBC reports.

Thousands celebrated in the streets after hearing the final result was 61.3% “No”, against 38.7% “Yes”.

But European officials warned that it could see the country ejected from the eurozone and the euro fell across the board in Asian markets on Monday.

Greece’s finance minister, who often clashed with creditors, has resigned.

 

As part of the events taking place in Uruguay in commemoration of the centenary of the Armenian Genocide “The dawn of the twenty” documentary focusing on the murder of 20 leaders of the Social Democratic Hunchakian Party in Istanbul in 1915 was screened in Montevideo on June 22, reports.

The leaders were arrested, tried and sentenced to death. They were hung in the Sultan Bayazid Square in Istanbul on June 15, 1915.

“Uruguay was the first country to recognize the Armenian Genocide, and we have held a number of events to mark its centennial this year,” the mayor of Montevideo, Ana Olivera, said.

She stressed that Uruguay has “maintains close ties with the entire Armenian community.”

The secreening of the documentary at Teatro Solis in Montevideo was attended by the Archbishop of the Armenian Apostolic Church Hakob Kellendjian, representatives of the Central Committee of the Social Democratic Hunchakian Party and the Armenian Consulate.

Manchester United have beaten Bayern Munich and Real Madrid to reclaim their position as the biggest brand in world football, becoming the first club to pass the $1billion mark, the Daily Mail reports.

Despite another season without silverware, United have overcome Europe’s big-hitters at the top of The Brand Finance Football 50, according to a study released on Monday.

The Red Devils are now worth just over $1.2billion (£787.5million), almost $300million more than second-placed Bayern. Real Madrid, Manchester City and Chelsea round out the top five.

Barcelona’s Champions League final victory over Juventus on Saturday alone added $28million to their brand value, but could not stop them falling two places to sixth below Man City and Chelsea- although their second treble triumph in six years will probably ease their pain.

Brand Finance CEO David Haigh said: ‘Manchester United’s success has been masterminded by Ed Woodward, the Cristiano Ronaldo of football’s commercial sphere.

‘As Sir Alex Ferguson developed United’s world-beating reputation, Woodward (and United’s owners the Glazers) capitalised on the brand’s growing power to establish a worldwide fan-base and a range of sponsorship deals unrivalled in their number and value.’

United also received another boost to their financial potency thanks to the record-breaking new UK broadcast deal for Premier League rights commencing from the 2016-17 season worth $7.8billion (£5.1billion).

Southampton, thanks in part to their recent successes under Mauricio Pochettino and Ronald Koeman, are this year’s fastest growing brand. The Saints’ brand value is up 89% to $183million (£120million).

 

Season 10 of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” is taking a midseason break. After a drama-filled season so far – including a special documentary on Bruce Jenner’s transition – the Kardashian-Jenner clan will be away until the fall. But a preview trailer gives a sneak peek on what to expect, according to the

Armenia Trip

Khloe and Kim Kardashian are joined by Kim’s husband Kanye West and their daughter North on a trip to Armenia. The sisters are descended from Armenian immigrants on their father’s side and have always wanted to visit their ancestral lands. They finally made the trip earlier this year. The warm welcome they received and their emotional homecoming will be shown when the season returns.

Caitlyn Jenner’s Debut

Bruce Jenner has undergone facial feminization surgery. In the trailer, Kim tells Khloe that she has seen their stepfather as his female self. Vanity Fair has just revealed that she is now to be called Caitlyn Jenner. “She’s really, really pretty,” says Kim. Khloe could be seen with her mouth open and completely speechless. It remains to be seen if Caitlyn will now take the place of Bruce in the reality show.

Growing Up Jenner

In the trailer, Khloe and youngest sister Kylie are discussing birth control pills. When their mom Kris walks in, she inquires about what they are doing. Khloe explains that they are switching up Kylie’s birth control. Kris asks if Kylie is taking the pills for her skin and Khloe simply asks if Kris thinks that Kylie is knitting sweaters all day. Kris looks at the girls and is clearly lost for words.

Khloe And Lamar

Kim catches Khloe flirting on the phone and asks her if she’s talking to Lamar Odom. Khloe filed for divorce from Lamar in December 2013 but they still haven’t finalized the documents. Khloe admits that it’s her ex-husband on the phone and Kim asks if she’s calling off her divorce. Kim says that she can’t take it and Khloe simply says, “Good, you don’t have to.” It remains unclear what she means by that and if she is actually trying to get back together with her ex.

Kim Kardashian’s Pregnancy

The first half of the season dealt with Kim’s struggle with infertility. She has been going through various treatments just to get pregnant. Earlier in the season she revealed how exhausted she is from trying to get pregnant. She even had a minor surgery to correct a small problem with her uterus. At the end of the trailer, Kim is shown talking to her sister Khloe. “I just got the blood test back and I am pregnant,” she says. Khloe is ecstatic. The next half of the season is set to reveal more about Kim’s second pregnancy and all the other changes in the family’s life.

Season 10 of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” is set to return this fall only on E!. The new spin-off series “DASH Dolls” is also set to air this fall.

The Eurovision Song Contest 2015 was hit by a voting scandal, when two countries’ votes were discounted.

The reported that Montengro and Macedonia’s voting results have been disqualified after it was discovered the two countries used votes from the televoting to account for 100% of the country’s votes, rather than 50% with 50% coming from a jury, as is required.

The Eurovision Song Contest press office released the information in a statement after Sweden’s victory was confirmed.

The statement reads: “The jury results of FYR Macedonia and Montenegro for the grand final have been excluded after consultation of PricewaterhouseCoopers, the contest’s independent voting observer, and upon the decision of the executive supervisor and the chairman of the reference group.

“In both countries, televoting applied for 100%. The exclusion of two juries will be further discussed in the next reference group meeting in June.”

The results will not affect Sweden’s Mans Zelmerlow winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2015.

A jury has sentenced Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to the death penalty, the BBC reports.

After 14 hours of deliberation, the jury of five men and seven women came to its decision.

Three people were killed and 260 were injured when Tsarnaev and his brother placed bombs at the finish line of the Boston Marathon in 2013.

Jurors made findings on 12 factors that would support the death penalty and 21 mitigating factors his defence said support the decision of life in prison.

Seven of 30 charges Tsarnaev, 21, was convicted of allow the possibility of the death penalty.