Three Armenians were injured in a suicide attack in a Christian neighborhood of Syria’s northeastern  town of Qamishli, reports, quoting its sources.
Two IS suicide bombers struck the center of Qamishli Sunday. According to reports, three Christians were killed and 15 wounded in the bombings.
The Armenians were identified as Khachik Karapet, Samvel Parsum and David Taltryan.
The motto and logo for His Holiness Pope Francis’ visit to the Republic of Armenia have been adopted with the corresponding description. The motto of the visit is: “Visit to the First Christian State,” President’s Press Office reports.
Description of the Logo
The logotype for the visit is in the form of a round seal. The Logo depicts the Monastery of Khor Virap with the Biblical Mount Ararat at the background. Saint Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned in a deep pit in Artashat for 14 years, where later the Monastery of Khor Virap was built. Saint Gregory the Illuminator subsequently became the first Patriarch of the Armenian nation. Through the joint efforts of Saint Gregory and King Tiridates III, Christianity was declared as a state religion in Armenia.
The background colors of the logo are purple and yellow denoting the colors of the official flags of the Armenian Apostolic Church and Roman Catholic Church respectively. The logo depicts also the Coats of Arms of the two Churches.
The surrounding engraving denotes the visit itself – “Pope Francis Armenia June 24-26, 2016” and the motto “Visit to the First Christian State.”
The Cafesjian Center for the Arts (CCA) announces the opening of the relief Sasuntsi Davit by sculptor Artashes Hovsepyan, which is an integral part of the architectural heritage of the Cascade complex.
In the 1980s, when the Cascade was being constructed, architect Jim Torosyan (1926-2014) invited the sculptor Artashes Hovsepyan to design one of the galleries in the future complex and the artist worked for four years in the hall which is now called Sasuntsi Davit Gallery. The multi-figure composition, depicting more than thirty episodes from the Armenian epos, is the sculptural version of the famous graphic work (Sasuntsi Davit, 1922) by renowned Armenian artist Hakob Kojoyan (1883-1959). Following the destructive earthquake of 1988 and the collapse of the Soviet Union, this tufa relief remains unfinished, yet it conveys in stone a monumental resonance inherent in Kojoyan’s original work as interpreted by the sculptor Hovsepyan.
The Cafesjian Center for the Arts, in keeping with its mission, works not only to present the best of Armenian and international fine art, but also to preserve and celebrate the artistic and architectural heritage of the Cascade complex.
“By presenting the Sasuntsi Davit relief the Center celebrates a major work in the extraordinary career of Artashes Hovsepyan while noting the 85th birthday anniversary of the maestro. This important work, related to Armenia’s story as a nation, will remain available for public viewing without an admission charge. This year of 2016 is marked by the 25th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Armenia and the character of Sasuntsi Davit has always been and remains a source of inspiration and strength for the Armenian people. In this context the presentation of the Sasuntsi Davit relief reminds us of Armenia’s endurance as a civilization,” stated Vahagn Marabyan, the Acting Executive Director of the Cafesjian Center for the Arts.
The private preview of the relief Sasuntsi Davit will take place on May 18. The public opening of the relief will take place on May 21, 2016 as part of the Museum Night annual event.
Borussia Dortmund have announced that centre-back Mats Hummels will sign for Bayern Munich at the beginning of the summer transfer window.
The centre-back came through the ranks at the Allianz Arena side and had expressed a desire to return in recent weeks.
“The Armenian government’s approval of the opinion on the draft law on recognition of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic will have a positive influence on the maintenance of peace in the region and will help resume talks,” Spokesman for the NKR President David Babayan told Interfax.
“We attach importance to the approval of the bill in the context of peace in the region. Armenia thus made it clear to the world, and first of all Azerbaijan, that in case the military actions resume, the independence of NKR will be recognized,” he said.
According to Babayan, this is an important step for maintaining peace and “break the deadlock” in the negotiation process.
“The negotiations will continue and the bill will contribute to the revitalization of talks,” he added.
David Babayan clarified that “speaking about a final recognition is still untimely, but the process has started.”
Today is the 24th anniversary of the Maragha massacre.
Twenty-four years ago, on 10 April, the village of Maragha located in the Martakert region of Nagorno Karabakh was attacked by the Azerbaijani forces. This was one of the most tragic episodes of Azerbaijan’s military aggression against the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.
On April 10, 1992, after intensive artillery shelling the Azerbaijani armed units invaded the peaceful village and committed a ruthless reprisal over defenseless people.
The Maragha Massacre was the mass murder of ethnic Armenian civilians. Up to now the Azerbaijani government has not received deserved punishment by the international community.
Hundreds gathered in front of the Armenian Foreign Ministry today as the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs were holding a meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian.
The protesters rallied against the inaction of the international community, and particularly institutions and states involved in the mediating efforts for their “criminal silence” or inadequate reaction to the military actions unleashed by Azerbaijan against the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.
The protesters demanded recognition of Artsakh, its involvement in the negotiations as a full-fledged party.
Although the protest coincides with the visit of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs to Yerevan, the event was targeted at Russia, the United States, France, Israel, CSTO, EEU, PACE, Council of Europe, OSCE institutions and other countries.
Azerbaijani forces actively fired in the direction of the Armenian Army divisions and settlements near the city of Vardenis, Armenia from 10:30 to 23:00 on April 6.
Besides artillery weapons, the rival used machine guns and 60 mm mortars.
The Armenian Armed Forces did their best not to violate the agreement on ceasefire.
Two suicide bombers who attacked the international airport in Brussels have been named by Belgian media as the brothers Khalid and Brahim el-Bakraoui, the BBC reports.
The RTBF broadcaster said the pair were known to police. A third man pictured with them at the airport is still being sought.
Twin explosions at the airport and another at a metro station on Tuesday left about 34 dead and 250 wounded.
Belgium is observing three days of national mourning.
So-called Islamic State (IS) has said it was behind the attacks and warned that more would follow.
A minute’s silence for the victims will be held at midday (11:00 GMT).
Photo:Â AFP/Getty
A survivor of the Auschwitz death camp is now the world’s oldest man, the Guinness World Records organisation says, the BBC reports.
Yisrael Kristal was born near Zarnow in Poland in 1903 and lived through two world wars before moving to the Israeli city of Haifa.
He was 112 years and 178 days old on 11 March, Guinness World Records says.
The previous oldest-recorded man, Yasutaro Koide of Japan, died in January aged 112 years and 312 days.
As he received his Guinness World Records certificate, Mr Kristal said he did not know the “secret for long life” and that he believed everything was “determined from above”.
“There have been smarter, stronger and better looking men then me who are no longer alive,” he added.
“All that is left for us to do is to keep on working as hard as we can and rebuild what is lost.”
The son of a religious scholar, Mr Kristal was separated from his parents during World War One. He later moved to Lodz to work in the family confectionery business.
After the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany in 1939, Mr Kristal and his family were moved into the Lodz ghetto.
His two children died there and Mr Kristal and his wife Chaja Feige Frucht were sent to Auschwitz in 1944 after the ghetto was liquidated, the Jerusalem Post reports.
Mr Kristal’s wife was murdered in Auschwitz but he survived, performing slave labour in that and other camps. When he was found by the Allies in May 1945 he weighed just 37 kg (5 stones 11 lbs).
The sole survivor from his family, Mr Kristal emigrated to Israel in 1950 with his second wife and their son, where he continued to run his confectionery business until his retirement.