Armenian News... A Topalian... Faked...?

Sent: Sat, 15 Oct 2016 04:19:12 -0000 (UTC)
Subject: Armenian News
armradio.am
Kim Kardashian sues over claims she faked robbery
12 Oct 2016
US reality TV star Kim Kardashian West is suing a celebrity gossip
website for claiming that she faked being the victim of a robbery
in Paris last week, the BBC reports.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for defamation and names both
the site, MediaTakeout, and its founder, Fred Mwangaguhunga.
The star was tied up by gun-wielding robbers who broke into a Paris
flat earlier this month, police say.
They made off with jewellery worth about $10m.
The lawsuit filed in federal court in New York said that after being
“the victim of a horrific and traumatic armed robbery in France, Kim
Kardashian returned to the US only to again be victimised, but this
time by an online gossip tabloid that published a series of articles
in early October 2016 referring to her a as liar and thief”.
The articles, it said, “claimed, without any factual support 
whatsoever,
that Kardashian faked the robbery, lied about the violent assault, and
then filed a fraudulent claim with her insurance company to bilk her
carrier out of millions of dollars”.
Mr Mwangaguhunga refused to publish a retraction and an apology “for
calling her a liar and a criminal”, the lawsuit added.
MediaTakeout has so far not commented.
RFE/RL Report
Syrian Armenians `Keen To Flee Aleppo'
October 12, 2016
Naira Bulghadarian
Many of the ethnic Armenians remaining in Aleppo want to leave Syria
but are unable to do so for financial reasons, according to yet
another local family that arrived in Armenia on Wednesday.
Kohar Galustian, her husband Jean and two small children fled to
Lebanon before flying to Yerevan via Dubai with the help of an
Armenian charity. She said the couple decided to emigrate after rocket
fire destroyed their home in the government-controlled part of the
war-ravaged Syrian city on Friday.
"My kids and husband found themselves under the rubble and were
bleeding when they were taken out," Galustian told reporters at
Yerevan's Zvartnots international airport. "Government workers came
and took them to hospital."
Both children, the 4-year-old Kevork and 3-year-old Rita, were born
during the bloody conflict which displaced most members of the
country's once thriving Armenian community that had for decades been
concentrated in Aleppo.
"We have gone through a lot of hardship in the last six years," said
Galustian. "Not just our family but the entire population of Aleppo."
According to Armenian government estimates, some 7,000 Syrian
Armenians still live in Aleppo districts controlled by the Syrian
government. Eight of them have reportedly been killed since fighting
between government troops and rebels intensified two weeks ago.
The bloodshed has led to renewed calls for Armenia's government to
help evacuate the city's remaining Armenians. The government is still
reluctant to do that, sending instead two planeloads of relief aid to
Aleppo last week.
In Galustian's words, many Aleppo Armenians are desperate to flee
Syria but cannot afford costly trips to Lebanon, Armenia or other
countries. "The Armenian community leaders say `don't emigrate' but
won't explain why," she said. "But the people want to get out of
Aleppo."
"My father, mother and sisters also want to leave Aleppo. My sisters
will come to Armenia soon," added the young woman.
The Galustian family's travel expenses were covered by a Yerevan-based
non-governmental organization uniting Aleppo natives that has
evacuated 250 Syrian Armenians to date. Sushan Karapetian, a
representative of the NGO who greeted the family at Zvartnots, said
another 100 Syrian Armenians will be flown to their ancestral homeland
soon.
"We have received more than 600 [immigration] applications and are now
considering them," said Karapetian. "The number of people willing [to
relocate to Armenia] is larger. But for the moment we can receive only
this many people with funds provided by our benefactors."
The Yerevan resident Karine Yarmaloyan and her husband are among those
sponsors. They have rented an apartment in the Armenian capital where
the Galustians will live for the next six months.
"We just thought that if they have no relatives in Armenia we should
definitely cover their initial expenses," Yarmaloyan told RFE/RL's
Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) after welcoming the Syrian Armenian
family in her house. She said she will treat Kohar and her husband
"like my sister and brother."
Up to 20,000 Syrian Armenians have taken refuge in Armenia since the
outbreak of the Syrian conflict.
armenpress.am
Armenia manufactures military rockets with up to 90km effective range 
13 October, 2016 
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 13. The “65 military factory” Armenian company is
manufacturing rockets (unguided munition), with a 70-90 km range of
fire. 
During the ArmHitec-2016 international arms expo, representative of
the company Rafik Soghomonyan presented their production. 
“We also produce rockets, which has a range of 10 kilometers. It can
be fired from a military aircraft as well as from surface. 20 rockets
can be loaded on a aircraft for one sortie”, Soghomonyan said. 
The company also manufactures training bombs, which are designed for
exercises. 
“We also produce various parts, which are designed for artillery,
grenade launchers, machine guns and handguns”, he said. He said the
company is owned by the Defense Ministry. 
Armenpress.am
Some sniper rifles of Armenian production used in Armenian Armed 
Forces 
13 October, 
2016 YEREVAN, OCTOBER 13. Armenian arms producing company “Garni – Ler”
produces sniper rifles, some of which are used by the Armenian army.
During the ArmHitec-2016 international arms expo, representative of the
company Vachik Saghatelyan stated that all the parts of the rifles are
manufactured in Armenia with the exception of the optical devices.
“Our sniper rifles aim in a distance up to 1000 meters, while a 100%
targeting distance ranges from 400 to 800 meters depending on the type
of the weapon”, Saghatelyan said. 
The company also produces parts for different arms that are mainly
demanded for the repair of the weapons of the army. “Our company also
repairs various weapons. When the army needs to repair some weapons, we
do that, and for that reason we produce different parts necessary for
that work”, Vachik Saghatelyan clarified.
 Another employee of the company, who preferred to remain unidentified,
introduced the training grenade launcher. “Our army needed this very
much. We designed the weapon in a year and now the demand of the army
is met”, the company employee said, clarifying that the advantage of
this weapon is that servicemen learn to use a grenade launcher not
with live ammunition, that are rather expensive, but training ones that
cost 3 cents. 
The employees of the company declined the rumors that allegedly the
barrels of Armenian made weapons are curved during shooting. 
Armeniaweekly.com
A Journey of Activism: Garo Paylan’s Quest for Justice
By Dickran Khodanian
October 12, 2016
BELMONT, Mass—A little over a century ago, Armenian lawyer and writer 
Krikor Zohrab was a member of the Ottoman Parliament where he vehemently 
defended the rights of Armenians and their interests. Fast forward to 
2016, ethnic Armenian member of Turkish Parliament of the Peoples’ 
Democratic Party (HDP) Garo Paylan has without a doubt personified the 
legacy of Zohrab with his charismatic nature and valiant spirit.
On Oct. 4, the Armenian community of Greater Boston gave an 
overwhelming welcome to Paylan at the First Armenian Church of Belmont, 
as he continued his visits to various Armenian communities across the 
United States. The event was sponsored by the National Association for 
Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR)/Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation 
Lecture Series on Contemporary Armenian Issues, and co-sponsored by the 
Kaloosdian-Mugar Chair in Armenian Genocide Studies at Clark University, 
the Hamazkayin Armenian Cultural and Educational Society, the Society of 
Istanbul Armenians of Boston, and the Tekeyan Cultural Association.
Paylan’s presentation centered around the recent developments in Turkey 
and the current situation of the Armenian community there, during which 
he described the realities that Armenians in Turkey face, while 
highlighting the resilience of the community in their pursuit of 
justice.
Paylan set an example for not just Armenians around the world but to 
all those who are pursuing a path to justice by any means. With his 
grandparents being genocide survivors from Malatya, and settling in 
Istanbul, Paylan discussed different experiences from his childhood—when 
he first heard the story of his grandparents’ survival to when he was 
required to hide his Armenian heritage in the public to avoid being 
treated differently.
Paylan brought to surface the harsh realities that exist in the modern 
state of Turkey and explained that the current situation is not too 
different than how our ancestors were treated under the Ottoman Empire 
over a century ago. He stressed that for the minorities and the 
oppressed in Turkey, their rights are limited, they have no protection, 
and they experience constant injustice. The lack of democracy and 
democratic values—among other things—has caused 
Turkey to enter one of its darkest periods in history, according to 
Paylan.
However, witnessing these hardships, listening to the stories of his 
grandparents, and experiencing the lack of fairness as an Armenian all 
became motivation for Paylan to become a tireless activist in pursuit of 
human rights, justice, and democracy in a country where he feels a sense 
of homeland.
Paylan emphasized how nothing will change for the Armenians in Turkey 
unless Turkey becomes a democratic state. And in order for this to take 
place, all the minorities must care about each other and learn from one 
another. “To only care for your identity is a disease,” said Paylan.
It was with this conviction that Paylan and group of likeminded leaders 
including Kurds, and Turks came together to establish the HDP with the 
mission to fight for all minorities and make sure all of their concerns 
equally get heard.
During his presentation, Paylan addressed the circumstances following 
the attempted coup in July, explaining that its only result was an even 
more gruesome government, whose focus has become to remove anyone they 
see as a threat to the current government. Coups have become recurring 
events in Turkey and have not lead to any uniting factor, and instead 
have become a tradition.
Paylan called on the diaspora to play an active role in the struggle 
for rights for the Armenians in Turkey because they too have roots and 
distinct ties in Western Armenia. He stressed that when most of the 
Western world plays politics in the Middle East turns a blind eye to the 
values of freedom and basic rights, it should be the responsible of all 
Armenians to support each other and stand strong in our pursuit for 
democracy and justice. “Armenians have a right to the Western Armenian 
world,” said Paylan, while stating that Armenians must be more organized 
as a nation if we want any rights to Western Armenia.
When asked whether he is concerned for his life in Turkey or if he 
might suffer the same fate as Dink, Paylan answered that simply being an 
Armenian in Turkey is enough of a reason for his life to be in danger 
and that in the pursuit for justice and activism in the realm of human 
rights, there is no room to be afraid.
Despite all of the challenges and obstacles that has come his way, 
Paylan has stayed true to his principles and has demonstrated that there 
is no room to fear when defending the very basic foundation of human 
rights. He brought with him a rare breed of activism in Turkey that has 
challenged all that is corrupt in Turkey.
His bravery has inspired many around the world and continues to do so 
through his relentless journey of activism. And he has showed the global 
community of Armenians that Armenians in Turkey are equally as invested 
in Hai Tahd—the Armenian cause—and are willing to achieve their goals by 
any means necessary.
RFE/RL Report
Karapetian Orders Anti-Graft Measures
October 13, 2016
Nane Sahakian
Prime Minister Karen Karapetian on Thursday instructed three members
of his cabinet to take measures that seem aimed at tackling possible
misuse of public funds or corruption among government officials
subordinate to them.
In particular, Karapetian told Education Minister Levon Mkrtchian to
present next week "proposals" on how to preclude nepotism and
conflicts of interest among public school personnel.
"You all know what I'm talking about," he told a weekly cabinet
meeting in Yerevan. "A mother and a daughter working in the same
school # I don't want to exclude all such cases. We just need to
differentiate between objective and subjective cases."
Another instruction was addressed to the Armenian Ministry of Sports
and Youth Affairs. Karapetian ordered it to examine within the next
ten days "the efficiency of budgetary spending" on various sporting
events. The ministry will also have to determine how justified those
expenditures are and, if necessary, propose spending cuts.
"We will look into that and respond," the newly appointed Sports and
Youth Affairs Minister Hrachya Rostomian said after the meeting.
Karapetian also told Labor and Social Affairs Minister Artem Asatrian
to propose ways of making the process of assigning pensions and
poverty benefits to eligible Armenians "more optimal."
Asatrian insisted afterwards that the premier does not suspect corrupt
practices in that process. "It's only about further simplifying
existing procedures so that our citizens have better access to social
services," he told reporters.
Karapetian alleged embezzlement of budgetary funds set aside for
government officials' travel expenses on September 22, just over week
after he was named prime minister. He decried the "primitive theft" as
the government approved a new electronic system for the purchase of
air tickets for officials travelling abroad on business.
The prime minister did not specify the scale of the alleged fraud or
name officials who he thinks engage in it. The government made clear
afterwards that law-enforcement authorities will not launch a criminal
investigation into his claims.