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Archives for August 2018

Forbes: Armenian businessman among 100 most influential Russians

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The president and founder of Tashir Group of Companies, businessman of Armenian origin Samvel Karapetyan has been included in the rating of the 100 most influential Russians, compiled for the first time by the Russian edition of Forbes.

Karapetyan took the 95th spot in the rating.

The list is headed by Russian President Vladimir Putin who was placed the 1st automatically, as he was ranked the second in the rating of the most influential people in the world, according to the American Forbes.

The list of the most influential Russians includes officials, businessmen, top managers and security officials. When compiling the rating, Forbes took into account such parameters as the number of employees, the size of assets or the budget under management, the ability to influence people’s lives, and relations with the president.

Businessmen and company executives who were invited to an annual meeting with the president received additional points, while officials who are members of United Russia were rated higher.

Related links:

Forbes.ru: Новый рейтинг Forbes включает 100 самых влиятельных чиновников, бизнесменов, топ-менеджеров и силовиков

Turkish Dictator said Turkey’s goals for year 2023 to shape entire region,

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shape entire region

Turkey will shape the future of the entire region when it reaches its goals for 2023, the centennial anniversary of the Turkish Republic, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said, adding that Turkey is on the threshold of new victories and successes.

“As has been in every period of our history, we are, today as well, putting up a struggle for all the oppressed and wronged who have pinned their hopes on us as well as for ourselves. This magnanimity is not a weakness of our country, but quite the contrary, it is its biggest source of strength. Turkey reaching its goals for 2023 will shape the future of our entire region along with that of ours,” Erdoğan said on Aug. 29 in a message marking Turkey’s Victory Day.

Turkey will mark the 96th anniversary of the Victory Day, when Turks claimed victory against occupying Greek forces during the country’s War of Independence.

“I remember Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the commander-in-chief of our War of Independence, and all the members of our military who gifted us this victory, with gratitude and respect, and wish God’s mercy upon our martyrs and veterans,” Erdoğan said.

“This last link in the chain of victories achieved in the month of August has taken its place in history as one of the symbols representing the Turkish nation’s determination to protect its independence and future,” he added.

Germany returns human remains from Namibia genocide

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Namibia genocide

The German government has handed over the remains of indigenous men and women killed during the colonial era. Namibian activists have called on Berlin to apologize for massacring thousands and provide reparations.

The German government on Wednesday handed over human remains of the Herero and Nama indigenous groups from present-day Namibia.

Between 1904 and 1908, German imperial soldiers massacred thousands from both indigenous groups in what has been called the “first genocide of the 20th century.”

While the German government has recognized the slaughter of the Herero and Nama groups as a genocide, parliament has not yet followed suit.

No ‘legal obligation’ to pay

Berlin has also refused to pay reparations. “The German government considers that the use of the term ‘genocide’ does not entail any legal obligation to reparations, but rather political and moral obligations to heal the wounds. We’re sticking to that position,” Ruprecht Polenz, the German negotiator in the Namibia talks, told DW two years ago.

Germany argues that hundreds of millions of euros in development aid since it gained in independence in 1990 was “for the benefit of all Namibians.”

“We must ensure that after we’ve reached agreements on damages, recognitions and an apology, there’s a future in which the German and Namibian nations join hands and move forward,” said Namibian Culture Minister Katrina Hanse-Himarwa in Berlin.

‘Colonial heritage’

Michelle Müntefering, a junior minister for international cultural policies in Germany’s foreign ministry, said Berlin still has “a lot of catching up in coming to terms with our colonial heritage.”

“We want help to heal the wounds from the atrocities committed by German at the time,” said Müntefering. Germany and Namibia are currently in talks to determine how to move forward.

Members of both ethnic groups have filed a class action lawsuit in the US, demanding Germany pay reparations for the massacre. But Berlin is trying to have the case thrown out of court, citing state immunity from prosecution.

ls/rt (dpa, AFP)

Germany: Statue of Turkish Dictator Erdogan removed after protest from Wiesbaden residents

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The confusing golden effigy of the Turkish president has been removed by the fire brigade in the western German city of Wiesbaden. It was put up without the knowledge of city officials, and was not generally welcomed.

The 4-meter (13-foot) statue of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had been erected in Wiesbaden on Monday much to the surprise and confusion of the residents of the southwestern German city.

The larger-than-life effigy installed in the city’s Platz der Deutschen Einheit (German Unity Square) depicts Erdogan with a raised right arm, a pose reminiscent of the famous statue of the late former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, which American forces tore down in 2003 during the Iraq invasion.

The statue was quickly covered in expletive-laden graffiti.

Local authorities said that as its security could no longer be guaranteed, the statue would be taken down. It was removed by the fire brigade late on Tuesday night and police put out a short video of the process:

It was an art installation, part of the Wiesbaden Biennale for Contemporary Art, but was erected without the knowledge of city officials, a Wiesbaden spokesperson told German news agency dpa on Tuesday. This year’s art festival is taking place under the motto “bad news.”

“We have received calls from a string of confused citizens — it is not clear to people that it is part of the Biennale,” the spokesperson said of the statue.

The local newspaper Wiesbadener Kurier reported that city authorities had authorized the statue, but didn’t know Erdogan would be the person depicted.

Statue prompts confrontation

Public broadcaster ZDF reported that the police had to “protect,” the statue from angry residents, as well as separate some Kurdish and Turkish Germans following a “fierce confrontation.”

Israeli dronemaker said to have bombed Armenians for Azerbaijan faces charges

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The Israeli state prosecutor’s office intends to sue the Israeli drone firm Aeronautics Defense Systems for using the drone against Armenian troops during the demonstration in Baku.

The State Attorney’s Office announced on Wednesday that it intends to indict, pending a hearing, officials of an Israeli drone manufacturer. Among those from Aeronautics Defense Systems Ltd summoned to appear before the State Attorney’s Office’s Economics Division are the company’s CEO Amos Matan, deputy CEO Meir Rizmovitch, development director Haim Hivashar and marketing director David Goldin, The Times of Israel reported.

The above-mentioned employees are suspected of fraud and violation of the law on arms export control.

An investigation into the company was opened in September 2017 but a gag order has been placed over many of its details.

Last August Aeronautics was deprived of its license to export the Orbiter 1K drone to the “significant client”.

According to the Times of Israel, Israeli defense contractors, as a rule, do not name their customers directly. However, it could be understood from the statement that the country was Azerbaijan.

Last year, Azerbaijan used Harop-model in an attack on a bus that killed seven Armenians.

 

Postage stamps by Armenian-Indian joint release reaffirm cooperation of two countries in culture field

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The postage stamps dedicated to the topic “Armenian-Indian joint release: Folk dances” reaffirm the cooperation of Armenia and India in the cultural sector, reports Armenpress.

The cancellation ceremony of postage stamps was held in Yerevan on August 29 with the participation of Indian Ambassador to Armenia Yogeshwar Sangwan.

“This is a perfect sign of cultural cooperation between Armenia and India. We are very happy that the Indian postage stamps are displaced here in Armenia”, the Ambassador said.

The first postage stamp depicts the Armenian “Hov areq” folk dance, and the next one depicts the Indian Manipuri dance which is one of the major Indian classical dance forms.

The postage stamp from the Armenian side was cancelled by Managing Director of HayPost Trust Management B.V. Juan Pablo Gechidjian, President of the Union of Philatelists of the Republic of Armenia Hovik Musayelyan and deputy minister of transport, communication and information technologies Armen Arzumanyan.

Juan Pablo Gechidjian thanked for the postage stamps and their design, stating that they will also use the experience of India.

Each postage stamp has a nominal value of 280 AMD. They have been printed by the French Cartor printing house with a print run 40.000. The designer of the Armenian postage stamp is Vahagn Mkrtchyan from HayPost, and that of the Indian postage stamp is Suresh Kumar.

 

Veteran architect & NUS prof Tay Kheng Soon questioned by police over Facebook post #ArmenianGenocide

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By Belmont Lay,

Tay Kheng Soon, a veteran architect and adjunct professor at the National University of Singapore, was questioned by the police on Aug. 28.

The issue was regarding a Facebook post he had put up more than a month ago on July 15 about Armenian Genocide memorial

Posted on Facebook about questioning

Tay revealed in a Facebook post that he was questioned by the police after a report was made against him following a discussion he had with another person over the social media platform.

The 77-year-old adjunct professor at the National University of Singapore Department of Architecture revealed he had posted a picture of the Genocide Memorial in Armenia, which he visited recently, and wrote that he saw and learnt of the 1.5 million Armenian Christians exterminated by the Ottoman Turks in 1911.

This resulted in a person named Azhari Ali objecting to his characterisation of the event, claiming Tay had “unfairly singled out Islam”, even though that was not the intention of the post.

Robust dialogue in Singapore

Tay then urged the authorities to “establish guidelines to ascertain what should be appropriate responses to complaints made by the public as to their import”, as he felt it was an inconvenience to many people when someone like him is being called up for questioning because of a social media posting being reported to the police.

He added that “if a complaint is substantive, meaning that the issue complained about is of such importance which might lead to violence and major social unrest”, then action is called for, but not otherwise.

Tay, who is behind several iconic structures in Singapore, including the People’s Park Complex and KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, also said he hoped that “modern Singapore has matured enough to accept robust, sincere and polite discourse”.

However, Tay also said the police conducting the investigation treated him “very professionally and courteously, which made the encounter with the law rather pleasant”, to his relief.

Tay then posted a second Facebook post suggesting to make it mandatory for the person making the police report to explain the point of contention:

Source: https://mothership.sg/2018/08/tay-kheng-soon-questioned-by-police-facebook-post/

Trump Slams Tech Giants Google, Facebook for ‘Treading on Troubled Territory’

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WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday that tech giants Google, Facebook and Twitter are operating in dangerous territory and should be careful.

Earlier in the day, Trump in a Twitter post accused Google and other tech companies of suppressing the views of conservatives and hiding positive news. Trump economic adviser Larry Kudlow earlier in the day told reporters that the administration was “looking into” how to respond to the tech companies.

“Google and Twitter and Facebook, they are really treading on very, very troubled territory and they have to be careful,” Trump said. “It is not fair to large portions of the population.”

RT Report: White Helmets accompany large delivery of poisonous chemicals to militants in Syria – MoD

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A large supply of chemicals has been delivered to the militants in Syria’s Idlib with the assistance of the White Helmets aid group in order to stage a provocation and blame the Syrian government, Russia’s Defense Ministry said.

The Russian military has received information from several sources in Idlib Province that “a large supply of poisonous agents has been brought to the city of Saraqib on two trucks from the village of Afs,” Major-General Aleksey Tsygankov, head of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the opposing sides in Syria, said in a statement.

The chemicals were delivered to an arms depot, used by the militant group Ahrar al-Sham, “accompanied by the eight members of the White Helmets organization,” Tsygankov said, adding that the cargo was met by two high-ranked Ahrar al-Sham commanders.

“Later, a part of the load was put in unmarked plastic barrels and transported to another militant base in the southern Idlib in order to stage the use of chemical weapons and subsequently blame the government forces of employing poisonous substances against civilians,” the statement read.

Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned that the US has been planning to organize a fake chemical attack in Syria in order to use it as a pretext for a strike against the Syrian government forces.

The deployment of USS Ross with 28 Tomahawk cruise missiles on board to the Mediterranean as well as the arrival of other US warships to the Persian Gulf and Qatar were part of the preparations for the attack, it added.

Washington earlier warned that it would respond to a chemical weapons used by Syrian government with retaliatory strikes, which would be stronger than those conducted against the country by the US, the UK and France in April.

That attack was carried out after a report of chemical attack, which came from the White Helmets, an infamous Western-backed aid group that has been caught red-handed working with the terrorists and producing fakes to smear the Syrian government and its allies.

Source: https://www.rt.com/news/437091-militants-syria-chemical-weapons-provocation/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=push_notifications&utm_campaign=push_notifications

Erdogan terrorist FSA takes hit with slump of Turkish lira

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Khaled al-Khateb,

ALEPPO, Syria — The record freefall of the Turkish lira (TL) against the US dollar has added to the misfortune of the Syrian opposition in the Operation Euphrates Shield areas in the north and northeastern Aleppo countryside.

The repercussions of the depreciation were most visible in this area since a large segment of its Syrian residents are civil servants and fighters who receive their salaries in TL.

The Euphrates Shield area in the Aleppo countryside, controlled by the Free Syrian Army (FSA), is a region under Turkish influence. Turkey supports civilian and FSA institutions in this area to get them to face any attempts by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) to control the area near the Turkish southern border.

The Turkish lira traded at seven to the dollar on Aug. 10 in the city of Azaz in the Euphrates Shield area. The sinking TL registered on Aug. 23 6.07 against the dollar and became the equivalent to a mere 70 Syrian pounds (SP).

The monthly salary of Syrian employees in the Euphrates Shield area of 500 TL would be equivalent to 35,000 SP, or about $85. This petty amount is not enough to meet basic monthly needs.

The sharp decline of the TL against the US dollar comes after Washington threatened to impose economic sanctions on Turkey because of several thorny issues between the two countries, including the detention by Turkey of US pastor Andrew Brunson. Ankara accuses Brunson of espionage and terror-related crimes in Turkey.

Al-Monitor toured the opposition-controlled al-Bab markets in the countryside of Aleppo. These markets are not busy; people are only window-shopping and the residents are short of cash. Eid al-Adha holiday from Aug. 20-24 failed to revive these markets, crippled by the slump of the TL against the US dollar. The currency crisis has halved the sales of owners of clothing stores and food and furniture shops.

Fadel Mohammed, a member of the Aleppo branch of the opposition-affiliated Syndicate of Economists, told Al-Monitor, “More than 100,000 Syrian people in the Euphrates Shield area receive their salaries from the Turkish government, which supports several sectors and institutions there. Local councils, police and general security forces, [FSA] fighters, teachers, preachers and mosque staff were all affected by the sharp decline of the TL. Their salaries now barely cover their living expenses.”

He added, “Employees in FSA-affiliated institutions and councils, as well as FSA fighters in the Euphrates Shield area, receive monthly salaries ranging between 500 and 1,000 TL. With the plunge of the TL against the US dollar, their salaries are no longer enough. A five-member household now needs at least 2,000 TL to cover the cost of living. The retraction of the TL was felt by 100,000 families in the area. This is entailing a serious recession in the domestic markets and trade in the Euphrates Shield area. The Turkish government must take quick steps by increasing salaries.”

The trade movement in the Euphrates Shield area has recently been frozen due to the weakening of the TL. Al-Monitor met Abdul Rahman Hasano, who owns a small trading company in the city of Azaz that imports food from Turkey. “In the last few months, the TL shrunk against the US dollar gradually. But as of the beginning of August, the Turkish currency took a dive. During Eid al-Adha holiday, we expected a hike in sales. But on the ground, residents made no purchases as their monthly income was spent on basic needs such as bread.”

Mohammed went on, “A large number of shop owners recently closed their shops because of the volatile exchange rate. They had bought most of their goods in TL. The drop caused them heavy losses, and they were forced to raise the price of their goods. High prices repel clients. They preferred to close their shops at the present time [and wait] for better currency exchange rates.”