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The Bagratid Kingdom, also known as Bagratid Armenia, was founded by Ashot I Bagratuni of the Bagratuni dynasty around AD 880 following centuries of Abbasid rule.The kingdom emerged as a buffer state between the Byzantine Empire and the Abbasid Caliphate, absorbing several Armenian principalities and the kingdoms of Taron, Vaspurakan, Kars, Khachen and Syunik.The earliest description of Ani comes from the 5th-6th century Armenian chronicler Ghazar Parpetsi, who gives mention of a hilltop fortress constructed by the Kamsarakan House (one of the Seven Great Houses of Iran closely associated to the Arsacids)...By the start of the 11th century, Ani had...

The background: On April 21, 2001, the CIA's liaison officer at the U.S. Embassy in Prague was briefed by the Czech counterintelligence service (known by its Czech acronym, BIS) about an extraordinary development in a spy case that concerned both the United States and the Czech Republic. The subject of the briefing was Ahmad Khalil Ibrahim Samir al-Ani, the consul at Iraq's embassy in Prague. .... So when al-Ani replaced Salim at the Iraq Embassy in Prague in 1999, both the United States and the Czech Republic wanted him closely watched in case he had a similar assignment. The BIS...

Once part of one of the most brutal dictator's army in the Middle East, over 100 former members of Saddam Hussein's military and intelligence officers are now part of ISIS. Now they make up the complex network of ISIS's leadership, helping to build the military strategies which have led the brutal jihadi group to their military gains in Syria and Iraq. The officers gave ISIS the organization and discipline it needed to weld together jihadi fighters drawn from across the globe, integrating terror tactics like suicide bombings with military operation

Guards at the Auschwitz Birkenau concentration camp memorial site shouted at Jews who sang “Ani Maamin” – a song based on lines from Rambam (Maimonides) which was known as the Hymn of the Camps – during a visit to the camp and fined their guide 1,000 zloty, or about $350. So says the guide, Rabbi Rafi Ostroff, who is also the head of the Etzion Bloc Religious Council. Ani Ma'amin has several tunes, one of which was composed by a Hassidic rabbi in the cattle cars en route to the Nazi concentration camps. The song was then adopted by other...

Situated on the eastern border of Turkey, across the Akhurian River from Armenia, lies the empty, crumbling site of the once-great metropolis of Ani, known as "the city of a thousand and one churches." Founded more than 1,600 years ago, Ani was situated on several trade routes, and grew to become a walled city of more than 100,000 residents by the 11th century.

Blue Buffalo Recalls Can and Biscuit Products Due To Tampering By American Nutrition Inc. Contact: Consumer Inquiries: 1-800-919-2833 Media Inquiries: David Petrie 1-203-762-9751 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- Wilton, Connecticut, April 26, 2007- We at the Blue Buffalo Company have just learned that American Nutrition Inc. (ANI), the manufacturer of all our cans and biscuits, has been adding rice protein concentrate to our can formulas without our knowledge and without our approval. This is product tampering, and it apparently has been going on for some time. The can formulas that we developed, and trusted them to produce, never contained any rice...

Supporters of a state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage are promising quick action on the contentious issue when the Legislature convenes in January. Their goal is to have Arizona follow in the footsteps of the 11 states that voted on Nov. 2 to make it illegal for same-sex couples to marry. If the measure passes muster with state lawmakers, voters will get the final say in 2006. Although Arizona already is among 38 states with laws limiting marriage to one man and one woman, backers of a constitutional amendment say more must be done. "It is necessary because what you...

On the CBS Evening News a bit ago, reporter David Martin broke an exclusive that the Iraqi leader who may have met with Mohamed Atta in Prague prior to his terrorist attack on 9/11 has been caught. It will be interesting to see if he says anything.

Not for commercial use. Solely to be used for the educational purposes of research and open discussion. GROSS'S STATEMENTS ON ATTA ENTER AMERICAN JUSTICE Czech News Agency Global News Wire May 9, 2003 PRAGUE, May 9 (CTK) - Interior Minister Stanislav Gross's statement that Muhammad Atta, the leader of the hijackers of aircraft from September 11, 2001, met with an Iraqi diplomat in Prague, has entered the U.S. judiciary, the daily Lidove noviny writes today. It was recognised as a piece of evidence by a court in New York on Wednesday which ruled that the terrorists who destroyed the New...