Author: Tatoyan Vazgen

Facebook has been fined 110m euros by the EU for providing “incorrect or misleading” information during its purchase of messaging service WhatsApp in 2014, the BBC reports.

The European Commission said Facebook had said it could not automatically match user accounts on its own platform and WhatsApp.

But two years later it launched a service that did just that.

Facebook said the errors it had made were not intentional.

In a statement, the Commission said: “The Commission has found that, contrary to Facebook’s statements in the 2014 merger review process, the technical possibility of automatically matching Facebook and WhatsApp users’ identities already existed in 2014, and that Facebook staff were aware of such a possibility.”

However, it added that the fine would not reverse its decision to clear the $19bn purchase of WhatsApp and was unrelated to separate investigations into data protection issues.

The opposition Yelk bloc  has accepted the results of municipal elections held in Yerevan on Sunday, May 14.

In a statement released today the bloc thanked all citizens, who provided financial, organizational, political and moral support.

“Yelk bloc has a strong and stable army of supporters in the capital and considers itself the delegate of about 70 thousand residents of Yerevan in the City Council and will speak on their behalf,” the statement reads.

The bloc pointed to a number of cases of vote-buying and pledged to take measures both in the National Assembly and the City Council to ‘ensure proper investigation of all  illegal phenomena’ observed during the parliamentary and municipal elections.

Turkey has prohibited several German members of parliament from visiting German soldiers stationed at Turkey’s Incirlik air base, people familiar with the matter told on Monday.

As a result, the German federal government is considering removing its soldiers from the base, according to information given to members of the Bundestag defence committee by the Defence Ministry.

Last year a delegation of lawmakers including members of a parliamentary defence committee were initially denied access to Incirlik, but were later allowed to carry out the trip.

Germany has about 260 soldiers stationed at Incirlik as part of the anti-Islamic State military coalition. The German deployment is a combat-support mission which includes reconnaissance and jet refuelling.

The dispute first arose after the German parliament voted he mto designate tass killing of Armenians at the hands of te Ohttomans a genocide.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s efforts to lobby Germany’s Turkish expatriate population to vote in favour of constitutional reform to extend his powers earlier this year caused new tensions between the two countries.

The sources said the latest decision from Turkish authorities had been taken in part as a response to Germany’s decision to grant political asylum to members of the Turkish army.

The Defence Ministry has already vetted alternative military bases for its soldiers in Jordan, Cyprus and Kuwait and a decision is expected in the coming weeks.

Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan received Bulgarian Ambassador to Armenia Maria Pavlova Tzotzorkova-Kaymaktchieva.

The Prime Minister pointed out that Armenia is interested in the furtherance of bilateral relations. Highlighting the development of economic cooperation and business ties, Karen Karapetyan stressed the need for reinvigorating the activities of the Armenian-Bulgarian Intergovernmental Commission.

Noting that Bulgarian investors may consider Armenia as an appropriate platform for entering the Eurasian and Iranian markets, the Premier said that the Bulgarian capital has the opportunity to engage in the free economic zone of Meghri. Karen Karapetyan went on to note that he could see good prospects of cooperation in the transport sector in terms of implementing multimodal transportations via the Black Sea-Persian Gulf transport corridor. The Prime Minister conveyed his greetings and congratulations to newly elected Prime Minister of Bulgaria Boyko Borisov.

Maria Pavlova Tzotzorkova-Kaymaktchieva said Bulgaria keen to strengthen relations with Armenia, noting that they could be bolstered by centuries of bilateral ties. Stressing the importance of developing economic cooperation, she considered it necessary to boost trade turnover mediating business forums, promoting new business ties and implementing investment programs. The Ambassador added that Bulgaria is ready to share its experience in different fields, including public administration and the agrarian reform.

The interlocutors concurred in that cultural and educational cooperation might serve as a milestone on the way to strengthening contacts between the two peoples by means of cultural and educational exchange programs.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors added its voice Tuesday to those calling on the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide, reports.

Supervisor Kathryn Barger recommended sending a letter to President Donald Trump.

“Now is the time to put our words into action,” Barger told her colleagues. “We need our national leaders to call what happened between 1915 and 1923 what it is, a genocide.”

She noted that Trump, like past presidents, stopped short of that designation, referring instead to “one of the worst mass atrocities of the 20th century” when mourning the killings of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians.

Supervisor Hilda Solis said officials should not be “intimidated by the threats that are made by the Turkish government,” which has long denied that a genocide occurred.

 

Even without using the word genocide, Trump’s April 24th statement drew criticism from the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which claimed it included “misinformation and false definitions.”

The board will also urge the county’s congressional delegates to support House Resolution 220, sponsored by Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, which would formally recognize the genocide.

A longtime advocate for the Armenian community, Peter Darakjian, told the board there were no local survivors left to share the horror of the genocide, now that a 101-year-old woman had died.

“History seems to repeat itself if it goes unrecognized. Genocide seems to do the same,” Darakjian said. “Enough already, after 102 years.”

Los Angeles County is home to more than 200,000 Armenians, the largest such community outside of Armenia.

Armenian-American singer and actress Cher united with Armenian-American reality stars Kourtney and Kim Kardashian to support the new film The Promise,  reports. 

The trio attended the Los Angeles premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre on Wednesday, joining the film’s star, Christian Bale, on the red carpet.

Director Terry George’s new historical drama, also starring Oscar Isaac, focuses on the Armenian Genocide carried out by the crumbling Ottoman Empire during World War I. As the war drags on, the national mood gets worse and Armenian citizens become the victims of raging hate crimes.

Following the screening, the wife of Kanye West, 36, tweeted: “So proud of the movie #ThePromise Everyone please go see it and finally hear the story of the Armenian people.”

In April 2015, Kim and sister Khloé Kardashian traveled to Armenia for eight days during which they paid their respects to the Armenian Genocide Memorial in the country’s capital. The visit was later shown on their family’s E! series Keeping Up with the Kardashians in October 2016.

A motion by Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Janice Hahn, and unanimously approved by the Board of Supervisors, proclaims the month of April as “Armenian History Mont,” SCVTV reports.

“With this proclamation, the Board of Supervisors recognizes the vast contribution of the Armenian community to our county’s economy and culture,” Supervisor Barger said. “The month of April holds significant meaning for our Armenian friends and neighbors and this resolution acknowledges the challenges and accomplishments of their rich history.”

“During Armenian History Month, L.A. County will celebrate the rich culture and heritage of the Armenian people worldwide and their contributions to our society as well as recognize the dark days of the Armenian Genocide,” said Supervisor Hahn.

Supervisor Barger will honor a distinguished leader of the Armenian community at each meeting of the Board until April 18 when the Board of Supervisors will proclaim the “Day of Remembrance” for the Armenian Genocide.

The Azerbaijani side used firearms of different calibers as it violated the ceasefire regime 40 times at the line of contact with the Karabakh forces last night.

The rival fired over 340 shots in the direction of the Armenian positions, Artsakh Defense Ministry reports.

The front divisions of the Artsakh Defense Army keep the situation under control and confidently continue with the protection of the military positions.