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☆ I met my husband in a chat room in 2000. We got engaged without seeing each other, and we are still together.
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-17 | by ( Mar Yvette | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

AdvertisementMy husband and I met in a chat room 2000 and connected over books. In a world that emphasizes physical appearance, it can seem downright mind-boggling when people fall in love (and get engaged) without ever seeing each other. Books, literature, and loveWe met in a Yahoo books and literature chat room in 2000, back when Yahoo actually had chat rooms. One day, I was in the chat room when I noticed someone defending two of my favorite writers — Walt Whitman and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Fortunately, when we met, the love was already there, and no physical trait was about to change that.

Persons: you've, Long, — Walt Whitman, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Aram, he'd, could've, didn't, It's Organizations: Yahoo Locations: LA, Detroit, California

☆ Georgian president calls for protests after ruling party wins disputed election; U.S., allies call for probe
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-28 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Georgian Dream Party supporters celebrate the exit poll results in Tbilisi on Saturday. Diego Fedele / Getty ImagesPresident Salome Zourabichvili spoke the day after the vote, which the electoral commission said the ruling party had won. The Georgian Dream party clinched nearly 54% of the vote, the commission said, as opposition parties contested the result and vote monitors reported significant violations. Georgian Dream has become increasingly authoritarian over the past year, adopting laws similar to those used by Russia to crack down on speech. Despite that, Georgian Dream has adopted Russia-style laws and many Georgians fear the government is distancing the country from the West and into Moscow’s orbit.

Persons: Diego Fedele, Salome Zourabichvili, Georgia’s, ”, Zourabichvili, Antonio López, White, Charles Michel, “, Irakli Kobakhidze, ” Hungary’s Victor Orbán, Tiko Gelashvili, Natia Seskuria Organizations: European Union, Georgian Dream Party, Getty, European, Sunday, Georgian, The United National Movement, Regional Institute for Security Studies, AP Locations: United States, Russia, Europe, Tbilisi, Georgian, Russian, Brussels, South Caucasus, ”, Georgia, Tiko, Georgia’s, Moscow, Soviet Union, Javakheti

☆ Eric Adams has the SCOTUS supermajority to thank as he challenges his bribery charge
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-30 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In a court filing on Monday, Adams attorney Alex Spiro cites a groundbreaking June SCOTUS decision as reason enough to toss the bribery count. AdvertisementFederal prosecutors say Adams enjoyed nearly a decade of globe-circling Turkish Airlines trips. "I know," the feds say Adams responded when told by the staffer that Turkey saw this as "his turn" to reciprocate. (In addition to Spiro, Adams is represented by Avi Perry and William Burck. Adams has pleaded not guilty to the indictment, which also charges him with illegally accepting campaign contributions from Turkish officials and others via straw donors.

Persons: SCOTUS, Adams, —, Eric Adams, It's, Alex Spiro, Snyder, Spiro, Michel Paradis, Paradis, Brett Kavanaugh, Avi Perry, William Burck, Anthony Kennedy, Kavanaugh, Spiro didn't Organizations: New York City, Service, US, Indiana, Columbia Law School, Prosecutors, Turkish Airlines, Fox Corp, New York Times, Turkish, Justice Department Locations: New York, United States, Turkey, Turkish, Spiro, Burck

☆ Eric Adams says his lavish, Turkey-funded travels were legal 'gifts,' not bribes
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-30 | by ( Laura Italiano | Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In a court filing Monday, Eric Adams argues his bribery charge should be dismissed. The NYC mayor says it was legal for him to accept lavish travel accommodations from Turkey. AdvertisementIn a court filing Monday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams asked a federal judge in Manhattan to dismiss the bribery charge against him, arguing that the lavish travel accommodations he accepted from Turkish officials were gifts, not bribes. "The indictment does not allege that Mayor Adams agreed to perform any official act at the time that he received a benefit," Adams' motion argues. The other charges in Adams' indictment allege he knowingly sought and accepted illegal campaign contributions from corporations and foreign nationals.

Persons: Eric Adams, —, Adams, Alex Spiro, Spiro Organizations: Service, New York City, New York, Brooklyn Borough, Turkish Consulate, Turkish Locations: Turkey, New York, Manhattan, New York City, Brooklyn, Turkish

☆ Eric Adams indictment: All the travel benefits the New York City mayor is alleged by prosecutors to have accepted
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-27 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Prosecutors allege New York City Mayor Eric Adams solicited travel from foreign businesspeople. As a city official, Adams should have disclosed the gifts and travel benefits, Williams said. AdvertisementThese are the travel benefits and luxury perks federal prosecutors allege Adams has solicited since 2016. Flights to France, Turkey, and ChinaIn 2017, Adams accepted free business class tickets for himself and travel companions to France, Turkey, and China, per the indictment. The travel benefits were worth more than $9,000 and Adams failed to disclose them, prosecutors said.

Persons: Eric Adams, Adams, —, rebuking, Damian Williams, Williams Organizations: New York City, Service, New, Democratic, Turkish, Prosecutors, Business, Bentley, Turkey Prosecutors Locations: New York, Manhattan, Brooklyn, York, India, Turkey, France, China, Istanbul, Regis, Hungary, St, Ghana

☆ How a thief replaced a famous Winston Churchill portrait with a forgery that went unnoticed for months
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Thieves stole a famous Winston Churchill portrait from an Ottawa hotel in late 2021. The 1941 portrait was replaced with a forgery and went unnoticed for over 6 months. Go to newsletter preferences Thanks for signing up! AdvertisementA famous Winston Churchill portrait that thieves replaced with a forgery two years ago will soon be back on display. Police say thieves stole the famous portrait from the Fairmont Château Laurier Hotel in Ottawa in the weeks after Christmas 2021.

Persons: Winston Churchill, —, Yousouf Karsh, Martin Luther King Jr, Queen Elizabeth, Alfred Hitchcock Organizations: Police, Service, Fairmont, Business Locations: Ottawa, London, Canada, Armenian

☆ A longtime Russian ally says it's frozen its participation in Putin's NATO 'at all levels' after a year of snubs
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-02 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

"Armenia has frozen its participation in the CSTO at all levels," he said, according to a translation by US think tank the Institute for the Study of War. AdvertisementHowever, he added that Armenia may "see the need to make another decision" in the future, per the ISW. Pashinyan announced his decision to leave the CSTO — a military alliance made up of Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan — in February. Tensions have risen between Russia and Armenia since Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which Pashinyan has repeatedly refused to support. Other CSTO members have also snubbed Russia since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin's, Nikol Pashinyan, Pashinyan, Putin, Dmitry Peskov, berate Putin, Thomas Graham Organizations: Service, Collective Security, Organization, NATO, Business, for, Tajikistan —, Kremlin, Yale Locations: Russian, Armenia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pashinyan, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Armenia's, East

☆ Hong Kong’s Bouncy ‘Wonders’ Leave Some Wondering, ‘Why?’
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-21 | by ( Tiffany May | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With darkness falling along Hong Kong’s waterfront against a backdrop of glimmering skyscrapers, carnival music competed with the whine of ventilation blowers as visitors bounced on the inflatable Stonehenge. The puffy white megalithic replica was part of an installation put up this month for SummerFest, a public outdoor festival that continues for several weeks. The exhibit, “Inflatable Wonders,” has attracted crowds. Some people have also been asking why more local artists aren’t being used for projects like this one. White is a color associated with death in East Asia, and the shapes of the Stonehenge have drawn comparisons to tombstones.

Persons: Joann, Gucci, Marc Jacobs, ”, aren’t Locations: Hong, Easter, East Asia, Hong Kong

☆ One of Russia's allies says it is quitting Putin's rival to NATO, in the latest snub to the Kremlin
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-13 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewA key Russian ally said it's quitting the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a group widely considered to be President Vladimir Putin's answer to NATO. The prime minister told lawmakers: "We will leave. Related storiesTensions have heightened between Russia and Armenia since Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which Pashinyan has refused to endorse on multiple occasions. Frankopan said the latest development may not end with Armenia leaving the CSTO if negotiations take place.

Persons: —, it's, Vladimir Putin's, Nikol Pashinyan, he'd, Pashinyan, Putin, Pashinyan's, Dmitry Peskov, Peter Frankopan, Frankopan Organizations: Service, Security, Organization, NATO, Armenian, Associated Press, Business, AP, Kremlin, Oxford University, West . Relations, Ukraine —, Azerbaijan, International Criminal Locations: Russian, Russia, Moscow, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Balkans, Azerbaijan

☆ Armenia to withdraw from Russia-led military alliance, accusing members of plotting war
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-13 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Armenia will leave a Russia-led military alliance, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan confirmed Wednesday, accusing members of the bloc of plotting with bitter rival Azerbaijan to start a war against them. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought two wars over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region, which Azerbaijan reclaimed in full by force in September. Russia has traditionally allied with Armenia, but their relations have soured in recent months while Moscow’s ties to Azerbaijan have deepened. Pashinyan confirmed to lawmakers that Armenia will withdraw from the Russia-led military alliance. Azerbaijan has also demanded that Armenia change its constitution to remove a reference to Karabakh independence, but Pashinyan has so far resisted the calls.

Persons: Nikol Pashinyan, Pashinyan, ” Pashinyan, Karen Minasyan, “, ”, Vladimir Putin, Pashinyan –, Azerbaijan –, Ilham Aliyev, Armenpress, Bagrat Galstanyan, ” Galstanyan Organizations: CNN, Security, Organization, European Union, Getty, AFP Locations: Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Moscow, United States, Soviet Union, Karabakh, Yerevan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Soviet, AFP, Nagorno, Aliyev

☆ 3 actions extraordinary people take to achieve what seems impossible, from the co-founder of Moderna
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( Alex Koller | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

If you need to tackle an improbable challenge, the right mindset — "a special kind of optimism" — can help, according to Moderna co-founder and chairman Noubar Afeyan. Specifically, Afeyan — who has an estimated net worth of $1.5 billion, according to Forbes — said that "extraordinary change agents" take three actions to achieve what seems impossible:They imagine. Imagination plays a crucial role "in accomplishing impossible missions," Afeyan said: You typically need to think creatively to come up with new, original ideas. But ask yourself one central question: Why do we expect extraordinary results from reasonable people doing reasonable things?" "You need to leave your comfort zone, to think in new ways, to acclimate to the unfamiliar and embrace uncertainty."

Persons: Noubar Afeyan, he's, Afeyan —, Forbes —, Afeyan, Allison Butler, Butler Organizations: Moderna, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, Sloan School of Management, Bryant University, CNBC Locations: Lebanon, Canada, Massachusetts, Cambodia, California, Cambridge, acclimate

☆ Nonny Hogrogian, 92, Honored Illustrator of Children’s Books, Dies
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-04 | by ( Clay Risen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Nonny Hogrogian, an illustrator who mined her Armenian heritage to bring diversity and wonder to her woodcuts and watercolors — an approach that helped expand the world of children’s literature and made her a two-time Caldecott Medal winner, died on May 9 at a hospital in Holyoke, Mass. Her husband, the poet David Kherdian, said the cause was cancer. Ms. Hogrogian was among a small number of illustrators to win multiple Caldecotts, considered one of the highest honors in children’s literature. She received her first medal in 1966 for the book “Always Room for One More,” written by Sorche Nic Leodhas, and her second in 1972 for “One Fine Day,” based on an Armenian folk tale that she retold and illustrated. She also received a Caldecott Honor, an award for distinguished runners-up, for “The Contest” (1977), another Armenian folk tale that she retold and illustrated.

Persons: Nonny Hogrogian, Caldecott, David Kherdian, Hogrogian, Sorche Nic Leodhas, ” Organizations: “ Locations: Holyoke , Mass

☆ The US military isn't ready for the coming drone war
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +18 min

The Department of Defense is working on initiatives to face the drone threat, but the US military doesn't yet appear ready to confront this ever-evolving challenge, especially on the scale seen in Ukraine. AdvertisementA US military MQ-9 Reaper drone waits for take-off at Kandahar Air Base in Afghanistan on March 9, 2018. US military leaders have repeatedly stressed there's no silver bullet to defeat small drones in battle. Shellie HallStudents there spend several weeks learning how to identify, engage, and defeat small drones. The drone threat draws certain parallels to fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, where hidden bombs posed a tremendous threat.

Persons: GENYA SAVILOV, Mick Ryan, hasn't, you've, Franz J, Marty, Samuel Bendett, Paul Scharre, that's, Mike Parent, Mark Schauer, Parent, Paul Butcher, Cpl, Doug Bush, Amber Osei, Moseph Sauda, doesn't, Sauda, America's, Bram Janssen, Scharre, Justin Bronk, Jack Watling, Ryan Organizations: Business, Troops, of Defense, Department of Defense, Getty, Australian Army, Islamic State, Kandahar Air Base, Defense Ministry, Karabakh . Defense Ministry, Azerbaijan, AP, Pentagon, US Army, Aircraft Systems, Solutions, 71st Jaeger Brigade, US Army Yuma, Technology, Army, sUAS University, US Marine Corps, Force, Central Command, Shellie, National Training Center, US Army Air Defense Artillery, Center, New, New American Security, Base, London's Royal United Services Institute Locations: Russian, Ukrainian, Ukraine, prowling, Jordan, Chasiv Yar, Donetsk, AFP, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Avdiivka, Yuma, East, Oklahoma's Fort Sill, California, Fort Sill, China, Luhansk Region, Europe, Iran, New American, Iraq, Washington, Bagram, Kabul, Australian

Washington CNN —Kim Kardashian will join Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House on Thursday for a roundtable to discuss pardons issued by President Joe Biden earlier this month, a White House official said Thursday. Kardashian previously met with former President Donald Trump at the White House as part of her advocacy for criminal justice reform. In 2019, she delivered remarks from the White House East Room on a new initiative aimed at helping former inmates get jobs out of prison. She met with Trump at the White House again in 2020. Axios first reported Kardashian’s visit to the White House.

Persons: Washington CNN — Kim Kardashian, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Kardashian, Donald Trump, Alice Marie Johnson, Axios, Biden, Rolling Stone, “, ” Biden, Harris, Steve Benjamin Organizations: Washington CNN, White, Trump, Rolling, Administration Locations: Ottoman Empire, Armenia, Azerbaijan

☆ Russia accused a longtime ally of 'distorting history' in an effort to break off relations with Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewRussia's foreign minister accused Armenia, a former ally, of "distorting history" in an effort to "break off" relations with Moscow. Last month, it said it had "frozen our participation" in the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). The Collective Security Treaty Organization is considered Russia's equivalent to NATO , and Russian President Vladimir Putin hoped it could rival the Western military alliance. Advertisement"The Collective Security Treaty has not fulfilled its objectives as far as Armenia is concerned, particularly in 2021 and 2022. While tensions between Aremnia and Russia are clearly strained, experts on Russia and former Soviet Union countries say that relations between Russia and other CSTO members are also under pressure.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Sergey Lavrov, Lavrov, Nikol Pashinyan, Putin, Pashinyan, Jens Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg's Organizations: Service, Security, Organization, NATO, Business, Russian, Ukraine's Kyiv, Russian Federation, Soviet Locations: Armenia, Moscow, Russia, Soviet Union, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, France, South Caucasus, Central Asia, Aremnia

☆ US government is changing how it asks about race and ethnicity and adding new category
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Nicole Chavez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The Office of Management and Budget on Thursday announced changes to how the federal government asks about people’s race and ethnicity, including in the US census. Under the previous standards, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity was measured in a question separate from the one on racial identity. “Thanks to the hard work of staff across dozens of federal agencies and input from thousands of members of the public, these updated standards will help create more useful, accurate, and up to date federal data on race and ethnicity. “The U.S. Census Bureau commends the scientific integrity and collaboration with our fellow federal statistical agencies and departments throughout this process. These efforts aim to improve federal race and ethnicity statistics and ensure data more accurately reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of the U.S. population,” the agency said.

Persons: ” Karin Orvis, “ We’ve, Maya Berry, Arturo Vargas, ” Vargas, Judy Chu, CAPAC, ” Chu, CNN’s Jennifer Agiesta Organizations: CNN, Management, Budget, OMB, Census Bureau, Arab American Institute, Black, AAI, National Association of Latino, Fund, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, Pacific, Democratic Locations: Indian, Alaska, Eastern, America, “, California

☆ Inside chef Duff Goldman's fridge, from the salads helping him lose 47 pounds to his current Costco buys
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Lizzy Briskin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Celebrity chef Duff Goldman lives with his wife and 3-year-old daughter in California. A peek inside Duff Goldman's fridge. Chilling cookie doughIt's no surprise to find cookie dough in Duff Goldman's fridge. Toom garlic dipToom is one of Duff Goldman's go-to dips. Toom Garlic Dip, Tyler Le/BIA bit hidden in Goldman's fridge is a highlighter-yellow tub of Toom garlic dip.

Persons: Duff Goldman, Goldman, —, you've, Johnna, Duff, Jennifer Aniston, he's, I've, Tyler Le, yolks, — Goldman, Duff Goldman's, Kirkland Organizations: Service, Charm, Goldman, Costco, Kirkland Locations: California, Ventura County , California, Italian, West Coast, Buffalo

☆ A traditional Russian ally snubbed Moscow's latest fighter jets for competitors from Pakistan and Turkey
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Azerbaijan's biggest arms supplier has been Russia but it will likely acquire jets from elsewhere. AdvertisementThe small, oil-rich South Caucasus country of Azerbaijan has big plans to upgrade its modest fleet of fighter jets over the next decade. However, rather than turn to Russia, its traditional arms supplier for decades, Baku will likely acquire modern fighters from Pakistan and Turkey. "Neither Russia nor Western democracies are ideal suppliers, even though Russia has historically sold arms to Azerbaijan," Roblin told Insider. Turkey provided training and arms that enabled Azerbaijan to defeat Armenia's armed forces in the 2020 war over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave.

Persons: —, Frederico Borsari, Borsari, Sebastien Roblin, Roblin, Armenia's, Sukhoi Su, Tatyana Makeyeva Azerbaijan's, China's, Armenian Su Organizations: Service, Thunder, Turkey's TF, Center for, Business, Azerbaijan, Russian, Pakistan Aeronautical, Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, REUTERS, Armenia, Azerbaijan's MiG Locations: Russia, Moscow, Caucasus, Azerbaijan, Baku, Pakistan, Turkey, Pakistani, Ukraine, China, Armenia, Ankara, Nagorno, Karabakh, Zhukovsky, Soviet

☆ The Endangered Languages of New York
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Alex Carp | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +19 min

Most people think of endangered languages as far-flung or exotic, the opposite of cosmopolitan. All told, there are more endangered languages in and around New York City than have ever existed anywhere else, says Perlin, who has spent 11 years trying to document them. She has published children’s books in Wakhi and other endangered languages of the Pamir mountains in Central Asia. By the start of the pandemic, the city had begun official outreach in nine Indigenous languages and recorded videos in several other endangered languages. We cross-referenced E.L.A.’s New York City language list with three independent databases that track the threat level of languages around the world: Ethnologue, which catalogs all known living languages in the world; UNESCO’s World Atlas of Languages, a survey of all the languages spoken in UNESCO member states; and the Endangered Languages Project, a site to which the public can contribute content, managed by the First Peoples’ Cultural Council and the Endangered Languages Catalogue (ELCat) project at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Persons: Bukhori, Zaza Bartangi, Alex Carp, Ross Perlin, Perlin, Zenaida Cantu, Ikhiil Mardakhayev, Ken Hale, Michael Krauss, Krauss, ” Eleanor Castillo Bullock, Eleanor Castillo Bullock, Gloria Angeles, Gloria Tadii, ’, Daniel Kaufman, Trung, Kaufman, ” Kaufman, Gola, Rasmina Gurung, Safiyatou, E.L.A, ”, “ Ahh, “, —, Ganja Perlin, Ibrahima Traore, Kamel Mrowa, Kante, Husniya Khujamyorova, Pamiri, ” Perlin, Seke, ” Gurung, ” Irwin Sanchez, ” Patricia Tarrant, Patricia Tarrant, Thelma Carrillo, Carrillo, Uttam Singha, Singha, Jean James, Jean, Gurung, doesn’t, Ibrahima Traore's, Coleman Donaldson Organizations: Lenape, Scottish, U.S, Arts Medicine Agriculture Education International, Rebeldía, Language Alliance, Perlin, Rockefeller Center, American Indian Community House, city’s Health Department, Manipuri, New York City, Endangered Language Alliance, of, UNESCO, First, Cultural, University of Hawaii Locations: Syrian, Pangasinan, Nauaran, Kurdish Moroccan, Zaza Bartangi Puerto, Taíno, New York City, New York, Nepal, Brooklyn, Bangladesh, India, Queens, Central Mexico, Mexico, Israel, Hope, Belize, Kukaa, Oaxaca, Manhattan, E.L.A, QUEENS, Pangasinan Kham, Woodside, Elmhurst, Jackson, Tshugsang, Kathmandu, Brooklyn , New York, America, Roosevelt, Gabon, Republic of Congo, Language, ”, Australian, — Culiacán, Mexico City , New York, Los Angeles, Ganja, Harlem, Bronx, Montclair , N.J, “, Bouaké, Lebanon, Midwood , Brooklyn, Wakhi, Central Asia, Pamir, Tibet, city’s, New, Latin America, United States, Jamaica Estates, Staten, Lummi, Manoa

☆ Armenia's PM: 'We Are Not Russia's Ally' in War Against Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Armenia and Azerbaijan fought two major wars in the past 30 years over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. The region has long been recognised as part of Azerbaijan and Azeri troops secured full control over it last September. The Latest Photos From Ukraine View All 91 ImagesIn his remarks to Britain's Daily Telegraph, Pashinyan said he had said from the outset of Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine that it could not stand alongside Moscow as an ally. Photos You Should See View All 21 Images"I said, in the Ukraine situation, we are not Russia’s ally. He repeated that Armenia was considering whether to stay in the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation.

Persons: Nikol Pashinyan, Pashinyan, Ilham Aliyev, Ron Popeski, Diane Craft Organizations: Reuters, Britain's Daily Telegraph, U.S, NATO, Nato, Security Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Moscow, France, Russian

Tel Aviv CNN —A video obtained by CNN shows two young ultra-Orthodox men spitting at, swearing at and insulting a Christian priest near the Zion Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City on Saturday evening. She described two young men crossing their path as they walked through the Old City. The priest and journalist continued to walk through the Old City, and were again approached by the same two men as they walked through the Armenian Quarter. “Last night, the police received a report regarding youths who traversed the Zion Gate area in the Old City of Jerusalem. Christians in the Old City are regularly the target of spitting and verbal abuse by Orthodox Jews.

Persons: Natalie Amiri, Father Nikodemus Schnabel, Instagram, Schnabel, Amiri, Father Schnabel, ”, profanities, ” “, Jerusalem, “, Israel’s, Israel Katz Organizations: Tel, Tel Aviv CNN, CNN, German TV, ARD, Israeli Police Locations: Tel Aviv, Zion, Jerusalem’s Old City, Old City, Jerusalem, Israeli, English

☆ Armenia Can No Longer Rely on Russia for Military and Defence Needs - PM Pashinyan Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Armenia can no longer rely on Russia as its main defence and military partner because Moscow has repeatedly let it down so Yerevan must think about forging closer ties with the United States and France, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said. Armenia, a tiny former Soviet republic bordered by Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkey, has long relied on Russia as a big power ally, though Pashinyan has angered the Kremlin by questioning the foundations of the alliance. Pashinyan said Armenia should think about what security ties it should build with the United States, France, India and Georgia. Pashinyan says Russia failed Armenia when Azerbaijan launched a lightning-fast military operation that took back control over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, triggering an outflow of ethnic Armenians living there. Azerbaijan has accused France of sowing the seeds of a new war by supplying arms to Armenia, which is also being courted by the United States.

Persons: Nikol Pashinyan, Pashinyan, Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew Osborn Organizations: Armenian Public, Russian Federation Locations: MOSCOW, Armenia, Russia, Moscow, Yerevan, United States, France, Soviet, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, India, Israel, Gaza, Soviet Union, Karabakh, South Caucasus

☆ NY AG sues Citibank for failing to protect customers from fraud
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against Citibank on Tuesday, alleging the big bank failed to do enough to protect and reimburse victims of fraud. The lawsuit argues that New York customers lost millions of dollars — in some cases their entire lifesavings — to scammers and hackers because of Citi’s weak security and anti-fraud measures. According to the NY AG, Citi does not do enough to prevent unauthorized account takeovers, illegally refuses to reimburse fraud victims and “misleads” customers about their rights after their accounts are hacked. “Our actions have reduced client wire fraud losses significantly, and we remain committed to investing in fraud prevention measures to help our clients secure their accounts against emerging threats,” the Citi spokesperson said. Last year, federal regulators alleged Citi illegally discriminated against Armenian Americans for years, singling them out on credit card applications based on their last names.

Persons: Letitia James, “, Banks, James, “ Banks, ” Organizations: New, New York CNN — New York, Citibank, NY AG, Citi, Court, Southern, of, AG, “ Citi, CNN, Armenian Locations: New York, of New York

☆ Canada Drops Weapons Export Controls to Turkey, Including Drone Technology
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada on Monday said it had dropped weapons export controls to Turkey, including drone optical technology, according to a notice posted online, saying that from now on it would review all exports on a case-by-case basis. Canada had linked resolving the export freeze with Turkey's welcoming of Sweden into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which it did last week. Canada will examine each export on case-by-case basis and said it can cancel permits at any time if there is misuse, the statement said. The notification process, which is standard under the international arms trade, covers Wescam sensors used in Turkey's Bayraktar TB2 drones and other dual-use goods and arms-related exports. "The Armenian National Committee of Canada (ANCC) condemns the recent decision by the Government of Canada to lift its longstanding arms embargo on Turkey," the group said in a statement online.

Persons: Steve Scherer, Ismail Shakil, Marguerita Choy Organizations: OTTAWA, NATO, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Armenian National Committee of Canada, Government of Locations: Canada, Turkey, Turkish, Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh, Baku, Sweden, NATO, Ukraine, Government of Canada

☆ Exclusive-Canada to Re-Start Turkey Arms Exports After Sweden NATO Backing -Sources
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Jonathan SpicerISTANBUL (Reuters) - Canada and Turkey have reached a deal to restart Canadian exports of drone parts in exchange for more transparency on where they are used, and it would take effect after Ankara completes its ratification of Sweden's NATO bid, two sources told Reuters. A second person familiar with the plan said the sides agreed it would take effect after Sweden's ratification was complete. U.S. leaders have said Turkey's ratification of Sweden's NATO membership clears the way for Ankara's long-sought purchase of U.S. F-16 fighter jets. Ottawa halted talks on lifting them in 2022 when Ankara raised objections to both Finland and Sweden's NATO bids. But it re-started talks after a NATO leaders summit in July last year, Reuters reported at the time.

Persons: Jonathan Spicer ISTANBUL, Charlotte MacLeod, Jonathan Spicer, Steve Scherer, Toby Chopra Organizations: NATO, Reuters, Canadian Foreign Ministry, U.S, Ottawa Locations: Canada, Turkey, Ankara, Hungary, Washington, Ottawa, NATO, Stockholm, Turkish, Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh, Baku, Finland, Istanbul

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