Author: Vardan Badalian

Photo: Reuters

South Korea’s President Park Geun-hye has become the country’s first democratically elected leader to be forced from office, the BBC  reports.

Judges unanimously upheld Parliament’s decision to impeach Ms Park over her role in a corruption scandal involving close friend Choi Soon-sil.

She now loses her presidential immunity and could face criminal charges.

There have been angry scenes outside the court, as supporters of Ms Park protested against the verdict.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that two people had died, including one elderly man who fell from a police van. The details are still emerging.

UN Secretary General António Guterres has issued a message on International Women’s Day.

Women’s rights are human rights. But in these troubled times, as our world becomes more unpredictable and chaotic, the rights of women and girls are being reduced, restricted and reversed.

Empowering women and girls is the only way to protect their rights and make sure they can realize their full potential.

Historic imbalances in power relations between men and women, exacerbated by growing inequalities within and between societies and countries, are leading to greater discrimination against women and girls. Around the world, tradition, cultural values and religion are being misused to curtail women’s rights, to entrench sexism and defend misogynistic practices.

Women’s legal rights, which have never been equal to men’s on any continent, are being eroded further. Women’s rights over their own bodies are questioned and undermined.  Women are routinely targeted for intimidation and harassment in cyberspace and in real life. In the worst cases, extremists and terrorists build their ideologies around the subjugation of women and girls and single them out for sexual and gender-based violence, forced marriage and virtual enslavement.

Despite some improvements, leadership positions across the board are still held by men, and the economic gender gap is widening, thanks to outdated attitudes and entrenched male chauvinism. We must change this, by empowering women at all levels, enabling their voices to be heard and giving them control over their own lives and over the future of our world.

Denying the rights of women and girls is not only wrong in itself; it has a serious social and economic impact that holds us all back. Gender equality has a transformative effect that is essential to fully functioning communities, societies and economies.

Women’s access to education and health services has benefits for their families and communities that extend to future generations. An extra year in school can add up to 25 per cent to a girl’s future income.

When women participate fully in the labour force, it creates opportunities and generates growth. Closing the gender gap in employment could add $12 trillion to global GDP by 2025. Increasing the proportion of women in public institutions makes them more representative, increases innovation, improves decision-making and benefits whole societies.

Gender equality is central to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the global plan agreed by leaders of all countries to meet the challenges we face. Sustainable Development Goal 5 calls specifically for gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, and this is central to the achievement of all the 17 SDGs.

I am committed to increasing women’s participation in our peace and security work. Women negotiators increase the chances of sustainable peace, and women peacekeepers decrease the chances of sexual exploitation and abuse.

Within the UN, I am establishing a clear road map with benchmarks to achieve gender parity across the system, so that our Organization truly represents the people we serve.  Previous targets have not been met. Now we must move from ambition to action.

On International Women’s Day, let us all pledge to do everything we can to overcome entrenched prejudice, support engagement and activism, and promote gender equality and women’s empowerment.

President Serzh Sargsyan has arrived in Paris for an official visit at the invitation of his French counterpart Francois Hollande.

After an official welcome ceremony, the delegation led by President Sargsyan headed for the headquarters of the International Organization of the Francophonie to meet with Secretary General Michaëlle Jean.

Knar Yamenidjian, back row middle, is seen with her family in Egypt in 1931. Her father is situated on the bottom row, far right. (Courtesy of the Yemenidjian family)

Armenian Genocide survivor Knar Yemenidjian was remembered in Canada, the reports.

She was one of Canada’s last living links to an atrocity that occurred more than 100 years ago. Although Knar Yemenidjian, who died on Jan. 19, reached the age of 107, her childhood was marred by unfathomable violence that nearly ended her life.

“We’re all grieving with the family,” Armen Yeganian, Armenia’s ambassador to Canada, commented after Ms. Yemenidjian’s death. “But she was also a bigger symbol, I would imagine, for the Canadian Armenian community and for Armenian people in general.”

She was born Knar Bohjelian on Feb. 14, 1909, in Caesarea, a city in central Turkey now known as Kayseri. Less than a year earlier, a group of Turkish reformers known as the Young Turks overthrew Sultan Abdul Hamid and established a constitutional government. Although the Armenian population of Turkey was initially optimistic about the new regime, they were caught off guard by the xenophobia of the Young Turks and their targeted hatred aimed at Christians and non-Turks who they believed were a threat to the Islamic, “pure Turkish” state they envisioned.

When the Young Turks began their campaign of mass murder on April 24, 1915, the first order of action was arresting and executing several hundred Armenian intellectuals. After that, other Armenians were either systematically slaughtered by marauding killing squads or forced on death marches across the Mesopotamian desert without food or water.

Six-year-old Knar and her family survived the first wave of violence by seeking sanctuary in a barn. Ms. Yeminidjian’s niece Nazar Artinian told CTV News that the family survived only because Knar’s father had been warned by a Turkish friend that “all the Armenians were going to be killed.”

According to Ms. Artinian, the family friend insisted, “if you want to live, leave your house, take your family and go to this farm and hide yourselves there.” So the family hid among the livestock. They were besieged by typhoid and had barely enough food to sustain themselves, but they survived.

When the violence subsided, Knar and her family returned to find many of their neighbours murdered, and all the Armenian homes – including theirs – burned to the ground.

Ms. Yemenidjian’s son said that his mother had a wonderful, self-effacing sense of humour. He noted that, although she spoke very little English or French, the other residents surprised him one day, when they remarked to him how funny his mother was. “We can’t understand her and she can’t understand us, they told him, but does she ever make us laugh!”

In 2004, Canada was among the first countries to officially recognize the genocide.

At the age of 106, Ms. Yemenidjian was among a handful of Armenian-Canadians who attended a special ceremony on Parliament Hill in 2015 to mark the centennial of the start of the genocide.

To this day, despite widespread agreement among historians, the Turkish government denies that an Armenian genocide occurred. Since 2003, Turkish teachers have been forbidden to use the term “genocide” in the classroom.

Last year, the country recalled its ambassador from Germany after the German parliament voted to recognize the genocide.

Historians conclude that approximately 1.5 million Armenians were killed during the genocide, but Turkey says the death toll has been exaggerated and considers those who were killed as casualties of a civil war.

Knar Yemenidjian leaves her two sons, Joseph and Noubar, three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Manchester United stars Ashley Young and Henrikh Mkhitaryan swapped football matches for mathematics… after dropping in on a Manchester school, the reports.

The stars left pupils gobsmacked after they walked into classrooms at the Manchester Academy to help out.

The surprise visit, arranged as part of the academy’s partnership with the Manchester United Foundation, saw the players take part in Maths, French and English lessons at the Moss Side school.

Young and Mkhitaryan helped out teachers with lessons and told youngsters about the importance of sticking with education.

The duo then took to the pitch to have a kick about with pupils to help promote an evening football programme, held at 12 locations across the city by the foundation.

Mubarik Yusuf, Devonie Williams, Adam Benaicha and Abdiaziz Dahir were some of the teenagers who had the chance to show the United heroes around their school.

Midfielder Mkhitaryan said: “It’s always a pleasure to meet children because we have been kids as well.

“We are still kids for our parents and have studied at school, so it’s always important to come and support them and help them to find the right way.”

Manchester Academy Principal Andy Griffin said he was thrilled to welcome the players to the school on Wednesday.

He said: “A special moment for me was the way both Ashley and Henrikh interacted with our students. Here at the academy, we have an incredibly diverse community; Henrikh speaks several languages and it was just great to see the children’s engage with the players in a really positive manner. I’m sure it’s something our students will remember forever.”

The Global Cinema Film Festival of Boston (GCFF) in partnership with WCF studios/films and under the direction of multiple award-winning Documentarian Raouf J. Jacob and award-winning Executive Producer Lara M. Moreno are committed to bringing the best of global cinematography to Boston. Their mission is to give filmmakers an opportunity to spotlight stories that deserve global attention

Their event this year which runs from March 9-12, includes more than 28 independent films, including “The Simon’s Way” on March 12 at 5:15 PM, which is being co-presented by the Armenian Museum of America.

Since 1993, the border between Armenia and Turkey is closed. The countries have no diplomatic or economic relations. But on the two sides of tightly closed borders, there are relatives living on each end who manage to communicate with each other through the power of hope. “The Simon’s Way,” which won the 2017 Armenian Film Academy Award for Best Short Film, is a story about the influence of politics on human destiny.

Armenian prime minister Karen Karapetyan wants his government to create an environment that welcomes creative and entrepreneurial minds. But, as he tells , he is also determined to ensure that the country’s population is on board with whatever changes lie ahead.

Q: What are the immediate priorities that you want to address as prime minister?

A: Frankly, the work of the prime minister assumes that everything is a priority. Economic growth, social issues, healthcare and the fight against corruption: one could not say that this area is a priority and the other one is secondary. Perhaps the difference between the actions and the job of the prime minister and a businessman is that you do not have the luxury of prioritising and focusing only on the most important issues. Here’s what I think is our first major task – we need to establish contact with society so that our nation understands, believes and responds to the signals that we send. This relates to the businesses and larger public. It will be much easier for us to improve the situation, when our nation is our ally and supports the programmes that we propose.

Q: What economic initiatives or plans do you have? 

A: We have already presented a government programme where we have outlined what we are going to do. There are a few major topics I want to highlight. Number one, we need to create a truly free, competitive and fair business environment. We are confident that our nation’s potential for creativeness and business acumen would allow our businesses to grow really fast in such an environment. In addition, if we send clear signals, then foreign investors would respond to that as well and would enter our market if they are comfortable with the rules of the game.

Second, considering our current economic condition, we will stimulate the businesses, perhaps not in a very conventional way for the government. We are going to create funds that will be providing financing to different sectors, for example, the agriculture sector, IT, SMEs and so on.

Third, we will create a centre for strategic initiatives, where, with the involvement of talented private and public sector representatives, we will be discussing and developing long-term strategies, programmes and reforms and, ultimately, deciding in which direction Armenia will be moving.

To summarise, we will create the most favourable and comfortable conditions for creative and hard-working individuals and we will demonstrate to them the horizons of our future, so that everyone engages in building that future. We want to show everyone the country of our dreams.

Q: Where does FDI fit into your economic plans and are you planning any privatisations of any industries?

A: FDI is extremely important to us, not only because it will affect economic growth and bring in more investments, but also because it will bring in a new management culture, and demonstrate the openness of our country, which will certainly have a positive multiplying effect on other areas of our life, such as tourism.

When it comes to privatisation, I think Armenia is one of the most liberal countries among the post-Soviet countries. There is really very little state property. However, I am confident that private management is always better than public. It reduces corruption risks, increases efficiency, etc. Therefore, our intention is to transfer everything that has business logic, except for very specific areas such as security and defence, either through privatisation or submission for management.

I think our IT/hi-tech industry is very interesting and attractive – it has fantastic potential and opportunities. Our agriculture, jewellery, mining, light industry, energy and tourism sectors also have big potential of attracting foreign investment.

Q: The geopolitics of the region are tricky. How are you dealing with this delicate situation and how can you increase economic integration despite this? 

A: When it comes to our foreign policy, we will definitely send a signal, through our actions and policies, that we are very honest and frank with our partners. We are not going to be co-operating with one country to the detriment of other countries. The size of our country and our neighbouring countries brings us to the idea that we really need to focus on stimulating regional co-operation. From that perspective, I think that regional co-operation will open new opportunities for our businesses.

We also need to convince everyone that we are a very tolerant nation, though everyone knows us as a party to a conflict [a border dispute with Azerbaijan]. I think our lifestyle is proof of that, since about three-quarters of our nation is living abroad and serve as law-abiding citizens of other countries. We have suffered enough from wars to be very sensitive about the value of peace and we are very concerned about our security.

Q: What would you like foreign citizens and companies to know about Armenia that they might not already know? 

A: We know the value of peace and we are very thankful to our friends.

We are one of the few oldest nations having a statehood. Yerevan is 50 years older than Rome. An area very close to Yerevan, Shengavit, is 6000 years old – a civilisation that is 1000 years older than Egypt pyramids. We are the first Christian nation and we were one of the first nations to start typography. We say to [businesspeople and tourists] to come to Armenia, be our guest and become our friend.

The Academy Award nominations were announced in Los Angeles today. Armenian Genocide documentary “The Other Side of Home” didn’t get nominated. The Oscars air Sunday, February 26.

The film, which is under consideration for an Academy Award for short documentary, , including members of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, at New York’s Soho House on the eve.

The list of nominations for the 89th Academy Awards

Best picture
“La La Land”
“Moonlight”
“Manchester by the Sea”
“Arrival”
“Fences”
“Lion”
“Hidden Figures”
“Hacksaw Ridge”
“Hell or High Water”
Best director
Damien Chazelle, “La La Land”
Barry Jenkins, “Moonlight”
Denis Villeneuve, “Arrival”
Kenneth Lonergan, “Manchester by the Sea”
Mel Gibson, “Hacksaw Ridge”

Best actress in a leading role
Natalie Portman, “Jackie”
Emma Stone, “La La Land”
Isabelle Huppert, “Elle”
Meryl Streep, “Florence Foster Jenkins”
Ruth Negga, “Loving”

Best actor in a leading role
Ryan Gosling, “La La Land”
Casey Affleck, “Manchester by the Sea”
Denzel Washington, “Fences”
Andrew Garfield, “Hacksaw Ridge”
Viggo Mortensen, “Captain Fantastic”
Best supporting actress
Viola Davis, “Fences”
Michelle Williams, “Manchester by the Sea”
Octavia Spencer, “Hidden Figures”
Naomie Harris, “Moonlight”
Nicole Kidman, “Lion”

Best supporting actor
Mahershala Ali, “Moonlight”
Jeff Bridges, “Hell or High Water”
Lucas Hedges, “Manchester by the Sea”
Dev Patel, “Lion”
Michael Shannon, “Nocturnal Animals”

Best adapted screenplay
“Moonlight,” Barry Jenkins
“Arrival,” Eric Heisserer
“Lion,” Luke Davies
“Fences,” August Wilson
“Hidden Figures,” Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi

Best original screenplay
“La La Land,” Damien Chazelle
“Hell or High Water,” Taylor Sheridan
“Manchester by the Sea,” Kenneth Lonergan
“The Lobster,”  Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou
“20th Century Women,” Mike Mills

Best animated feature film
“Zootopia”
“Kubo and the Two Strings”
“Moana”
“The Red Turtle”
“My Life as a Zucchini”

Best animated short film
“Piper”
“Pearl”
“Borrowed Time”
“Pear Cider and Cigarettes”
“Blind Vaysha”

Best foreign language film
“Toni Erdmann”
“The Salesman”
“Land of Mine”
“A Man Called Ove”
“Tanna”

Best documentary
“O.J.: Made in America”
“13th”
“I Am Not Your Negro”
“Fire at Sea”
“Life Animate”

Best cinematography
“Moonlight,” James Laxton
“La La Land,” Linus Sandgren
“Arrival,” Bradford Young
“Silence,” Rodrigo Prieto
“Lion,” Greig Fraser

Best documentary short subject
“The White Helmets”
“Extremis”
“Watani: My Homeland”
“4.1 Miles”
“Joe’s Violin”

Best live action short film
“Timecode”
“Sing (Mindenki)
“Silent Nights”
“Ennemis Interieurs”
“La Femme et le TGV”

Best original song
“How Far I’ll Go,” “Moana”
“City of Stars,” “La La Land”
“Audition (The Fools Who Dream),” “La La Land”
“Can’t Stop the Feeling!” “Trolls”
“The Empty Chair,” “Jim: The James Foley Story”

Best original score
“La La Land,” Justin Hurwitz
“Moonlight,” Nicholas Britell
“Lion,” Dustin O’Halloran and Hauschka
“Jackie,” Mica Levi
“Passengers,” Thomas Newman

Best film editing
“La La Land”
“Moonlight”
“Hacksaw Ridge”
“Arrival”
“Hell or High Water”

Best visual effects
“The Jungle Book”
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”
“Doctor Strange”
“Deepwater Horizon”
“Kubo and the Two Strings

Best sound editing
“La La Land”
“Hacksaw Ridge”
“Arrival”
“Sully”
“Deepwater Horizon”

Best sound mixing
“La La Land”
“Hacksaw Ridge”
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”
“Arrival”
“13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi”

Best costume design
“La La Land”
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”
“Florence Foster Jenkins”
“Jackie”
“Allied”

Best makeup and hair styling
“Star Trek Beyond”
“Suicide Squad”
“A Man Called Ove”

Best production design
“La La Land,” David Wasco
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” Stuart Craig and James Hambidge
“Arrival,” Patrice Vermette
“Hail Caesar”
“Passengers”

The 8^th round of talks on a new Armenia-EU framework agreement was held in Yerevan on January 18.

The Armenian team was led by Deputy Foreign Minister Karen Nazaryan.

Luke Devin, Director of the EU Department for Russia, Eastern Partnership, Central Asia, Regional Cooperation and OSCE, led the European delegation.

Political issues, also as common institutional and final volumes of the agreement were discussed. The parties reached an agreement on a number of issues.

Summing up the negotiations, the parties exchanged information on the results of negotiations in different spheres, including trade and outlined the terms of the next round of talks in Brussels.