15:49 22/03/2010 » Society

Valentina Tolkunova dies at 64

Russian singer, People’s Artist of RSFSR Valentina Tolkunova died today of cardiac insufficiency at the age of 64 at Botkin Hospital in Moscow after a long illness, Interfax reported. On the eve the actress was transferred to the intensive care unit. Tolkunova was hospitalized after a concert in Belarus on February 17. Doctors said she suffered from mammary gland cancer.  

15:13 22/03/2010 » Sport

Amber Chess: Aronian runs 9th, Ivanchuk leads

In Round 7 of Amber Tournament underway in Nice, France, Armenian GM Levon Aronian won against the former world champion Vladimir Kramnik in the rapid while lost to him in the blindfold game. In Round 8 the Armenian GM ended in draw both sets with Boris Gelfand. So, in two rounds Levon Aronian scored 2 and now runs 9th with 7 points. Gashimov and Svidler have scored 1,5 points more than Aronian and rank 7-8th. The leader is Ivanchuk with 11 points. Round 7 Blindfold ...

14:42 22/03/2010 » Society

Bus crash kills 16 in Columbia

A bus crash outside Colombian capital Bogota killed sixteen, over 40 people are reported injured, according to foreign media. A local police commander told radio station Caracol that the brakes of one of the buses malfunctioned after which the driver lost control over the vehicle and crashed into an upcoming bus. The crash involved a minivan driving from Bogota to Chinauta, while the other was an intercity service transporting people from the south of the country to the capital. A ...

14:11 22/03/2010 » Economy

IMF forecasts global growth of around 4 percent in 2010

Increasingly hopeful signs indicate that a sustainable economic recovery has begun, led by vibrant activity in emerging and developing economies. Our latest World Economic Outlook (WEO) projections point to global growth of around 4 percent this year, and a somewhat faster pace in 2011, John Lipsky, First Deputy Managing Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF) said, according to foreign media reports. According to the IMF official, Asian developing economies will grow at a pace two ...

13:41 22/03/2010 » Politics

Turkish actress receives death threats over pronouncing genocide

Turkish actress Pelin Batu pronounced the word genocide when speaking about 1915 events carried out in the Ottoman Empire at a Haberturk-aired program, bringing the program co-authors Murat Bardakchi and Erhan Afyoncui into fury. The Turkish actress appeared to be in hazard due to her expression, Hurriyet reported. Batu said, she received death threats over pronouncing the word genocide. Note that with her mother being of Albanian decent, Pelin Batu is the daughter of a resigned ...

13:10 22/03/2010 » Politics

Shavarsh Kocharyan says Azerbaijan recognized NKR’s independence in 1994

  Ilham Aliyev’s statements are evidence to the fact that Azerbaijan isn’t ready to settle a constructive dialogue towards the peaceful resolution of the conflict, Armenia vice FM Shavarsh Kocharyan declared today commenting on Azerbaijani President’s statements.   It’s worth reminding that yesterday Azerbaijan’s Aliyev announced that they’ve given their agreement to updated version of Madrid principles and stated that the basic round ...

12:51 22/03/2010 » Culture

8th British Film Festival to get underway in Yerevan

The 8th British Film Festival kicks off at 5pm on Monday, March 22 in Charles Aznavour Square in central Yerevan. The opening ceremony is due to be followed by a screening of “The Duchess” (Oscar-winning film) at the Red Hall in Cinema Moscow. This year’s festival includes 6 films shown over 5 days (March 22–26) with screenings at 6 pm in original English-language only and at 8 pm in English with Armenian or Russian subtitles. One of the films in this ...

12:20 22/03/2010 » Politics

Mexico fights organized crime and drugs mafia

President Felipe Calderon called on the United States to help fight organized crime jointly with Mexico, with each country focusing on efforts on its own territory, during a visit to the crime-ridden border city of Juarez. Mexico City and Washington should approach the war on drugs “as a battle that we have to fight on both sides of the U.S.-Mexican border and win as allies, each on his own territory, each within his abilities, but with close cooperation on information, ...

12:11 22/03/2010 » Sport

Chess: Robert Hovhannisyan fulfills GM Norm

19-year-old Armenian chess-player Robert Hovhannisyan exceeded the established GM norm with 1,5 points in the European Championship held in Rijeka, Croatia, Armenian Chess Federation reported.  

11:50 22/03/2010 » Society

Summer time change! Put your clocks forward one hour

  On 28 March, at 2.00 local time, according to “law on time calculation in the territory of Republic of Armenia”, move the hands of your clock an hour forward.     This symbolizes summer time came. It’s worth reminding that last Sunday in October we put our clocks back one hour. Some people have bigger problems than just a one-hour reset, however. The National Institutes of Health estimates that millions of people suffer from some kind ...

11:32 22/03/2010 » Sport

Tigran Gharamian awarded first prize

Armenian chess player GM Tigran Gharamian, who presents France, scored 7 points out of 9 in the open which was held in Cannes and took the first prize, Armenian chess federation reported.                                             Gharamian’s victory should be ...

11:13 22/03/2010 » Politics

Armenia’s Sargsyan travels to Syria

  At the invitation of the President of the Syrian Arab Republic Bashar Al-Assad, the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and Mrs. Rita Sargsyan will conduct an official visit to Syria on March 22-24. The delegation headed by the President of Armenia comprises the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Diaspora Affairs, Culture, Agriculture, and other officials.  After the official ceremony of welcoming the President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan and Bashar Al-Assad will hold a ...