ARMENIAN CITY BESIEGED BY WOLVES
Voice of Russia
Feb 16 2012
Residents of the city of Sisian, in the south of Armenia, try not to
go out at night for fear of wolves, according to local media reports.
Due to heavy snowfall wolves can not find food in the mountains and
at night enter the town in search of food.
The wolves have started to prey on stray dogs as a source of food.
So far there have not been any reported cases of attacks on humans.
U.S. JURIST PUBLISHES ARTICLE ON FRENCH BILL CRIMINALIZING GENOCIDE DENIAL
PanARMENIAN.Net
February 16, 2012 – 18:10 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net – Professor of Law at the University of Pittsburgh
School of Law, member of the American Law Institute and of the
International Academy of Comparative Law Vivian Curran published an
article about French Senate’s adoption of the bill criminalizing the
Armenian Genocide denial, titled “Balancing Freedom of Expression
and Human Rights in France.”
Curran stresses the need to review France’s past to have better
understanding of definitions of freedom of speech and human rights
applied in the country.
“French politics became virulent, as the Dreyfus Affair soon revealed.
A ferocious anti-Semitism developed and exploded during the time
of the Affair, when an innocent French Jewish captain was tried and
convicted of spying for Germany,” Curran writes.
The author further calls attention to France’s role in Holocaust.
“France’s part in the Holocaust was highly complex. In part, it was
fueled by the rhetoric and actions of those whose anti-Semitism harked
to the Dreyfus days and made common cause with the Nazis during the
Second World War,” the article reads.
“Due to France’s history, the freedom of speech and press which has
allowed a vast panoply of views and practices to flourish in France is
not the same as its First Amendment counterpart in the US. Underlying
the French value of freedom of expression is a greater sense of
vulnerability that comes from knowing first-hand that democracy is
not necessarily a self-perpetuating system,” Curran writes.
On January 23, the French Senate passed the bill criminalizing the
Armenian Genocide denial with 127 votes for and 86 against. Expected
to be signed into law by President within 14 days, the bill will
impose a 45,000 euro fine and a year in prison for anyone in France
who denies this crime against humanity committed by the Ottoman Empire.
ORANGE TO MAKE ACCESSIBLE ITS SHOPS TO PEOPLE IN WHEELCHAIRS
IT and Telecom | 16.02.12 | 16:55
>From now on Orange Flagship store staff will have at its disposal
a new and innovative device that will help them to assist customers
with wheelchairs to enter the shop. Today Orange management, with the
support of Unison NGO Executive Director Armen Alaverdyan, tested a
special device in Orange Flagship. This device aims to make accessible
to Orange customers those Orange shops, which, due to their stairs,
are not accessible to the disabled and where it is not impossible to
build ramps. To climb up and down the stairs the wheelchair is put
on the device, which safely moves it up and down the stairs.
Bruno Duthoit, Orange Armenia CEO, said: “We have 75 shops throughout
the territory of Armenia, and majority of them are with stairs. We have
built ramps in the shops where it was possible to build, in order to
make our shops accessible to everyone. We target to make accessible
to everyone 70% of our shops by the end of the year. We consider
this as an important point in our corporate social responsibility,
so we are doing our best to provide equal opportunities to everyone
to benefit from our services”.
Before acquiring this device of Italian production, Orange Armenia
has consulted Unison NGO. This device is considered as the best of
its type.
Orange Flagship at Northern Avenue is still the one to have this
device, but some time later, after having feedbacks of the customers
and shop staff on the efficinecy of the device, the company intends to
equip some other shops as well with such device, or to find alternative
solutions, such as mobile ramps.
EX PREMIER: INTER-PARTY STRUGGLE IN ARMENIA IS GROWING INCREASINGLY FIERCE BUT IS NOT YET CLOSE TO BEING DANGEROUS
arminfo
Thursday, February 16, 15:41
The inter-party struggle in Armenia is growing increasingly fierce but
is not yet close to being dangerous, Khosrov Harutyunyan, the leader
of the Christian-Democratic Union, the ex Prime Minster of Armenia,
told journalists on Thursday.
“There should be no intrigues in the politics, but in Armenia intrigues
and politics are closely connected. What our politicians must do is
formulate the urgent tasks of our home and foreign policies with due
regard for the people’s view – something they have seldom done so far,”
Harutyunyan said.
He said that the problem of proportional or majoritarian election
systems is not new. “The transition to the proportional system will
be effective only if our parties show higher responsibility for the
lives of our people,” Harutyunyan said.
SIBIL TO PERFORM IN NJ ON MARCH 31
Armenian Weekly
February 15, 2012
In 2010, the angelic voice of Armenian choir singer Sibil captured
the attention and hearts of Turkey’s population. The headlines read,
“For the first time an Armenian singer is being heard in the streets
of Istanbul.”
Sibil and her sister Garin were born in Istanbul, where their family
name was changed from Torosyan to Pektorosoglu. Her father, Garbis,
a goldsmith, was born in Istanbul, while her mother, Mari, has a
Sepastatsi/Tokatsi background. Sibil was named after the well-known
Armenian writer Zabelle Asadour, whose penname was Sibil.
The first music notes she heard were the prayers and hymns of the
Armenian Church, as her father would take her to church every Sunday
morning as a child. Her talent and love for music were discovered
by her parents, when Sibil would come home and sing and recite the
prayers she had just heard during the church services. However,
the opportunities were not there for young Sibil to develop a strong
foundation in music.
Sibil attended the Mihitaryan elementary school in Istanbul and
then studied finance. She currently holds an important position in a
financial institution. But her passion for music never faded. Since
1991, she has been a member and the lead soloist of St. Vartanantz
Choir inIstanbul. Her break came in 1999 when she appeared on stage
in the production of Dikran Chookhajian’s musical comedy ‘Leblebiji,”
which was sponsored at the time by the Istanbul Esayan Alumni. It
was in that production that she met one of Istanbul’s most respected
modern-day composers and musicians, Majak Tosikyan. Sibil sang his
beautiful songs in such an inspiring way that she became his best
Armenian music interpreter.
In 2010, Sibil realized her life-long dream: Her own CD was released
with 11 songs, produced with the help of Armenian, Greek, and Turkish
artists. The songs “Namag,” “Desnem Ani’n oo Nor Mernem,” “Giligya,”
“Im Anoush Davigh,” “Oror,” “Hisus,” “Der Voghormia,” “Tzarav Seri,”
“Gyanki mi Hamar,” “Siro Tzayni,” and “Nayem” were echoed through
the streets of Istanbul. People liked what they heard-the Armenian
singer was accepted.
Sibil’s voice continued to echo on the Armenian stage in Istanbul, in
the Armenian churches as well as in the Holy Cross Armenian Church on
the Island of Akhtamar. Some of Sibil’s songs were released as videos
and attracted thousands of Turkish and Armenian fans. Turkey’s leading
private TV channels, as well as the country’s state-run broadcasters,
broke new ground by airing Armenian music videos for the first time in
Turkey’s history. Sibil’s also videos appeared on YouTube, showcasing
her unique voice and style to a larger audience all over the world.
In the summer of 2011, Sibil was invited to Armenia to sing at
the opening and closing ceremonies of the Pan-Armenian Games. That
performance was broadcast live on Armenian TV and was watched with
admiration throughout the Armenian Diaspora.
On March 31, Sibil will make her debut appearance in the New York
Metropolitan Area when she performs at the Bergen County Academies
in Hackensack, N.J. The evening is being sponsored by Constantinople
Armenian Relief Society (CARS). Co-chairs of the event are Tamar
Kayserian and Hilda Nisanyan. “It is a major undertaking that requires
a lot of organization and planning. That evening, Sibil will be
accompanied on stage by musicians both fromTurkeyand theUnited States.
There will be pianist, violinists, cellists, base-guitar, drummer, and
a kanun player. Shushi Dance Ensemble will also appear on the stage to
interpret the songs through dance and to enrich the evening’s program,”
said Kayserian, the president of CARS. “The Bergen County Academies’
Auditorium has 1,192 seats and we are confident that we will have a
sold-out evening.”
Tickets are priced at $50, $35, and $25, and can be secured by calling
Adi Abdo at (973) 761-1544, Arpi Misserlian at (973) 907-2898,
Linda Araz Berenson at (201) 561-0172, Margrit Hamparsoumian at
(914) 686-0840, Lusin Garabedian at (718) 776-9513, or Hilda Biosyan
Sheshedian at (516) 864-6966.
SARDARAPAT MOVEMENT: ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES WILL FALL INTO RAT RACE IN HOUR OF NEED
arminfo
Friday, February 17, 16:58
The Armenian authorities are not able to protect the country and
will fall into rat race in hour of need, says Zhirayr Sefilyan,
a member of the Sardarapat Movement Initiative Group, Karabakh War
Hero, Commander of Shushi Special Battalion. “At the given stage,
the regime cares only for its reproduction. To achieve their goal,
the authorities are ready for any intrigues and even legalization of
aggression against peace population. The authorities do not think of
the external enemy and fight against the public and political rivals,”
he told media, Friday.
He said the new generation’s coming to power within the current regime
will become a disaster for Armenia. The new generation of politicians
is more intelligent, skillful and cunning, not in good sense. “They
are bringing ‘reforms’ that will lead the country to the abyss,
gradually legalizing them and justifying their steps bringing them
‘in line with Armenian Constitution’,” Sefilyan said. He said that the
Law On Legal Regime of the State of Emergency is one of the novelties
suggested by the young but already dishonest pioneers of the regime.
“In the meantime, such law is senseless and may aggravate the
situation in the country. Despite all this, I am sure that the law
will be passed and will come into effect,” Sefilyan said.
To recall, on Feb 9 the Armenian Parliament adopted the bill on Legal
Regime of the State of Emergency in the first reading. According to
the bill, the state of emergency in the republic may be introduced
only in case of circumstances which are directly dangerous for the
Constitutional regime of Armenia. To ensure the legal regime of the
state of emergency, the forces of police, national security and state
security structures may be used. The armed forces should be used
only in case the forces of the police and national security cannot
implement their task.
PARUYR HAYRIKYAN EXPECTS TO GET 20% OF VOTES
ARMENPRESS
FEBRUARY 17, 2012
YEREVAN
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 17, ARMENPRESS: “National Self-Determination Union”
party will run for parliamentary elections alone, leader of the party
Paruyr Hayrikyan told news conference today. He said the upcoming
parliamentary elections are the main political event which will bring
a number of surprises. “These surprises will be pleasant for some
and very unpleasant for the others,” Hayrikyan said.
In response to the question how much votes he expects to get, the
leader of the party said everything depends on the support of the
citizens, but he intends getting 10-20% of votes. He said some forces
that are convinced that they will enter the parliament will fail to
do it.
ARMENIAN CHURCH SERVES AS A UNIVERSITY BUILDING IN TURKEY
ARMENPRESS
FEBRUARY 17, 2012
YEREVAN
ISTANBUL, FEBRUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. Armenian church in Canakkale,
Turkey, serves as a university building. The university rector said
he is proud that an Armenian church serves as one of the building of
the university.
Citing Turkish “Dogan”, Armenpress reports, the rector believes the
best way to preserve historical monuments is using them. “The unused
historical monuments are disappearing. We are proud of having a church
serving as a university building. There are no churches in Canakkale.
Besides, we do not have financial means to have a church,” the
rector said.
Canakkale Armenian church serves as a laboratory for the “March 18”
University’s faculty of Fine Arts.
50 ARMENIAN COMMUNITIES TO GET $11MLN FROM WORLD BANK
PanARMENIAN.Net
February 17, 2012 – 14:22 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net – The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors
approved a US$11 million credit, the Third Additional Financing for
the Social Investment Fund III (ASIF III) Project for Armenia.
The Additional Financing will further assist the Government of
Armenia in its efforts to improve the living standards of the poor
and vulnerable groups by expanding labor-intensive infrastructure
projects in response to critical needs of the local communities.
The Project focuses on “infrastructure gaps” through renovation
and rehabilitation of secondary and special schools, kindergartens,
gymnasiums and playgrounds, primary health clinics, potable water
pipelines and sanitation systems, community-cultural and social
service centers, minor irrigation schemes throughout Armenia. In this
regard, the situation in Armenia’s rural areas, especially in remote
and isolated communities, and the earthquake zone, is particularly
severe. The Project targets those populations most affected by the
economic crisis, and the Additional Financing will help to meet these
and other needs over the medium-term.
The Additional Financing will support implementation of about 50
micro-projects aimed at infrastructure rehabilitation and improvement,
and will create short-term employment of up to 140,000 days of labor.
About 20 schools and kindergartens and 5 community centers will
benefit from improved furniture under the proposed project.
Total financing of the Additional Financing is US$ 14.6 million,
of which the Government of Armenia will finance US$2.9 million and
US$0.7 million will be provided by beneficiary communities. The IDA
credit in the amount of US11 million carries a maturity of 25 years
including a grace period of 5 years.
Since joining the World Bank in 1992 and IDA in 1993, the total IDA
and IBRD commitments to Armenia amount to US$1, 517 million.
TURQUIE : LES SANCTIONS CONTRE LA FRANCE ENTRENT PEU A PEU EN VIGUEUR
Stephane
armenews.com
jeudi 16 fevrier 2012
Les sanctions promises par Ankara contre la France après l’adoption
d’une loi qui punira la negation du genocide de 1915, que la Turquie
ne reconnait pas, commencent a se concretiser. Ainsi par exemple
l’administration du Premier ministre a commence a remplacer ses
voitures de fonction, jusque-la des Renault, par des Ford. Et puis ce
sont les transits de vehicules militaires qui sont desormais bloques
par les Turcs.
Avec notre correspondant a Istanbul, Jerôme Bastion
La France ne demandera plus l’autorisation de survol ou d’escale
en Turquie pour ses avions et navires militaires jusqu’a ce que le
sort de la loi penalisant les genocides soit scelle dans le sens
de l’apaisement des relations franco-turques, c’est-a-dire quand
ce texte sera censure par le Conseil constitutionnel. Car a deja
trois reprises ces autorisations ont ete refusees a deux navires
et un avion, qui ont dû changer leur route et leur programme. C’est
ce qu’indique l’ambassadeur de France en Turquie, qui explique donc
tirer les consequences de ce triple refus.
La chancellerie s’abstient de preciser les dates de ces refus et la
nature des navires et avions impliques, mais ajoute que le survol du
territoire turc par l’avion d’un ministre francais a en revanche ete
autorise. Il est fort possible donc que le vol detourne soit celui
qui ramenait les corps des soldats francais tues en Afghanistan le
20 janvier, alors que la visite a Kaboul du ministre de la Defense,
Gerard Longuet, le 21 janvier a pu se faire en survolant la Turquie.
La fin des autorisations automatiques pour les escales et survols
francais avait ete decidee après le vote de la loi Boyer a l’Assemblee
nationale, alors que l’interdiction de transit visant les responsables
politiques de l’hexagone n’a ete promise, après le vote du Senat,
que si ce texte entre en vigueur.