Tuesday 27 September 2016

Armenian News... A Topalian... Congregation of St. Lazarus in Venice


The Congregation of St. Lazarus, Venice
marks the 300th anniversary of its establishment
Public TV Company of Armenia
Report in Eastern and Western Armenian with an 
interesting tour around the monastery and its library. 

https://www.youtube.com/embed/prqCyjwqdkQ 


armradio.am
Works by Armenian-Canadian photographer Yousuf Karsh 

on display in London
27 Sep 2016 

An exhibition Armenian-Canadian photographer Yousuf Karsh has opened in London and will run through 22 October, The Guardian reports.

Photographer Yousuf Karsh captured portraits of everyone from Albert Einstein to Martin Luther King during his career – as well as some of the century’s greatest artists, musicians and actors.

Armenian-Canadian Karsh escaped genocide to move to Quebec and become one of the most celebrated portrait photographers of the 20th century.

According to the source, in 1921, Karsh’s family escaped the Armenian genocide into Syria, with a single donkey their only real possession. Karsh’s uncle, who lived in Quebec, wrote to the family to ask for help in his photography studio – the 16-year-old Yousuf embarked on a 29-day trip to get there.

His apprenticeship led to Karsh training in portrait photography in Boston, studying old masters painters and their approach to light and perspective. He moved to Ottawa, and began photographing visiting dignitaries. His breakthrough came with a portrait of Winston Churchill that ended up on the cover of Time magazine. Another photograph from the same session with Churchill graces the UK’s new £5 banknote.

Karsh would go on to photograph the most famous people in the world, and among other accolades, has a crater on Mercury named after him.

Click for details: 


Raffi Krikorian is the head of Uber's research centre in Pittsburgh developing driverless cars. (source: The Economist)


panarmenian.net
1/3 of children in Armenia both poor and deprived: UNICEF
26th September, 2016

Almost one in three children are both poor and socially deprived in
Armenia, the United Nations' children agency said in a report Monday,
September 26.

For children, besides its monetary character, poverty can also mean
being deprived in crucial aspects of their lives, such as nutrition,
education, leisure or housing, the UNICEF said.

In Armenia, 64% of children are deprived in 2 or more dimensions. The
headcount is as high as 82% in rural areas, while it is 53% in urban
settings. Nationwide 12% of children are not deprived in any
dimension. However this is true for only 3% of children in rural
areas, while 18 per cent of children in urban areas do not suffer any
deprivation. Children who are deprived, are deprived on average in
three dimensions at the same time.

Most children are deprived in Utilities, Housing and Leisure.

Utilities is defined here as a combination of poor water supply and
heating, while housing is defined by crowded living space and reported
housing problems. Leisure is measured as a combination of recreation
items and space to play.

There is a sharp rural/urban divide in the utilities dimension: 87 %
of children in rural areas are deprived in utilities, a combination of
poor access to water and heating. The second relevant divide is found
in information: 57% of rural children are deprived of access to
information, while this is true for only one third of children in
urban settings. However, there are no differences in leisure
deprivation rates by area of residence. At the same time, there are no
significant gender differences either in deprivation distribution or
particular dimensions.

28% of children are deprived (in 2 or more dimensions) and live in
monetary-poor households. These children are the most vulnerable, and
should be prioritized by social policies.

At the same time, 36% of children are deprived, but do not live in
poor households. These children need direct intervention to tackle
deprivation, and are at risk of being missed by policies that only
address monetary poverty.

Younger children are mostly deprived in Nutrition. About one third of
children aged 0-5 are deprived in nutrition, and 23% of children aged
3-5 are deprived in early childhood education. The highest deprivation
rates for this age groups are found in information (49%), utilities
(48%) and housing (51%).

Older children are mostly deprived in Leisure and Social Relations.
Both children age 6-14 and aged 15-17 have their highest deprivation
in leisure, defined as not having a space to play outside or not
having books or toys. Almost one half of children age 6-14 are also
deprived in social relations. 37% of children aged 6-14 are deprived
in education (defined as education resources), while 12% of children
aged 15-17 are not in education or training. 


armradio.am
Russia has started delivery of weapons to Armenia under 
$200 mln loan agreement
27 Sep 2016 


Russia has started the delivery of weapons to Armenia under 
the $200 mln agreement, Russia’s Ambassador to Armenia 
Ivan Volynkin said in an interview with Radio Liberty .

The Ambassador also commented on the sale of Iskander 
ballistic missile system, noting that the fact is a testament to 
the allied nature of the Armenian-Russian relations. 

According to Amb. Volynkin, the sale of the Iskander means 
that “the relations between Armenia and Russia are allied and 
friendly.”

As for the $200 mln loan agreement, the Ambassador said it’s in 
the process of implementation. “It is being implemented according 
to the plan, the delivery has already started,” Ivan Volynkin said. 


RFE/RL Report
Diaspora Celebrities Urge `Democratic Change' In Armenia
September 26, 2016
Aza Babayan

Rock musician Serj Tankian and other prominent Diaspora Armenian
artists have called on Armenia's government to end widespread
corruption, respect laws and hold democratic elections, in a joint
appeal which they hope will speed up democratic change in the country.

"We say NO to systematic corruption, monopolies, judicial inequality,
police brutality, partisan politics, unequal rights, national
depopulation, and elections tainted by fraud, all of which have
contributed to the ongoing unrest," reads their petition released last
week on the 25th anniversary of Armenia's independence.

"We say YES to the equality of all people, the fundamental
preservation and protection of human rights, direct engagement in fair
and transparent elections, respect for the rule of law, fair wages,
separation of powers, a free press and advocacy for the
disenfranchised," it says. "We say yes to tangible, democratic change
through civic engagement with the citizenry of Armenia."

"Armenia can and should become a country of opportunity, creativity,
democracy and hope in a region rife with turmoil. The alternative is
unthinkable," concludes the statement.

The petition was initially signed by about three dozen well-known
individuals, virtually all of them ethnic Armenians living in Europe
and North America. They include Tankian, filmmakers Atom Egoyan of
Canada and Robert Guediguian of France, Canadian actress Arsinee
Khanjian, American writer Chris Bohjalian and Alexis Ohanian,
co-founder of the Reddit social media.

The signatories described themselves as a Justice Within Armenia
coalition that will seek to promote profound reforms in their
ancestral homeland.

Tankian urged other Armenians to sign the petition after it was posted
on Change.org on September 21. "Independence means little when a large
segment of the public are discontent," the outspoken American rock
star wrote on Facebook.

About 2,300 people have signed the petition since then.

"We are not proposing anything radical," Egoyan told RFE/RL's Armenian
service (Azatutyun.am) on Monday. "We are proposing what's in our
constitution."

"People in Armenia are the voter, not the Diaspora," he said. 
"All we can do in the Diaspora is to make sure that the process 
of election is done properly."

In that regard, Egoyan stressed the importance of Armenia's next
parliamentary elections slated for April 2017. "Arsinee [Khanjian]
will be there for the elections," said the filmmaker. "I'll try to be
there as well."

Khanjian, who is married to Egoyan, most recently visited Yerevan in
July, addressing one of the rallies held there in support for radical
opposition gunmen that seized a police compound to demand President
Serzh Sarkisian's resignation. The Canadian-Armenian actress was
briefly detained by riot police when she attempted to attend another
protest near the besieged compound. 


a1plus.am
Sevan Nişanyan sentenced to 17 years’ imprisonment for 
building house in his garden
September 27,2016
 

Linguist and cultural figure Sevan Nişanyan was awarded with a 
 “William Saroyan” medal during an event that was held at the 
Cezayir Meeting Halls in Istanbul on September 23.

Armenian lawmaker Aragats Akhoyan, two Turkish MPs, Sevan 
Nshanyan’s mother were among the guests.

“The decision to award Sevan Nshanyan was taken still in 2014. 
We only knew that he [Nişanyan] was in prison for his political views, 
and there was no opportunity for the organizers to give him the 
medal,” Aragats Akhoyan said on Tuesday during a meeting with 
journalists.

International Committee for Freedom & Justice for Sevan Nişanyan 
did not miss the opportunity to start a new wave of discussions after 
the medal awarding ceremony and demand Nişanyan’s release.

“Being a bold cultural activist, Sevan Nişanyan openly criticised 
the country’s authorities, but he was arrested allegedly for constructing 
an illegal house in his own garden. And can you imagine he was 
sentenced to 17 years in prison. In fact, the charges are fabricated, 
and I think he was sent to prison for standing in somebody’s way,” 
Mr. Akhoyan said. 


arka.am
New Tumo center to be build for Koghb village
September 26. 

On September 24, a presentation event organized by “Koghb” Foundation for Development of Education, Culture and Sport took place in the Special Events Auditorium of Gafesjian Center for the Arts, announcing the launch of “KoghbTumo” project, Ucom said. 
During this event a memorandum of understanding was signed between “Koghb” Foundation, Tavush regional administration, Ucom and charitable organization “Mission Childhood”. During the event, Artur Abovyan, the Director of “Koghb” Foundation, and Marie Lou Papazian, the Director of Tumo Center for Creative Technologies, presented the details of “Tumo-Koghb” project. 

According to the speakers, a new “Tumo” center for at least 600 students will be opened in Koghb community of Tavush region, which will also serve the teenagers and young people from Noyemberyan, Berdavan and other border communities. The construction of the center will start in November, and the educational activity of the center will commence in 2018. 

The educational program will be the same as those implemented in Tumo centers of Yerevan, Dilijan, Gyumri and Stepanakert, and the teaching staff and international experts will continue to share their knowledge and experience in the new center as well. 

“In recent years Ucom has been consistently implementing comprehensive educational projects for school-age children. Being very well aware that not all settlements have equal access to educational opportunities, we especially focus on settlements with limited access to high technologies. As an Armenian operator, today Ucom directs all its efforts towards the development of our motherland, the Armenian people and, in particular, the young generation”, Hayk Yesayan, the CEO at Ucom, said. 

Arman Barseghyan, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of “Koghb” Foundation summed up: “A few days ago we celebrated the 25th anniversary of independence of the Republic of Armenia. This initiative is one more step forward in strengthening the independence of our state”.

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