Author: Kajoyan Gevork

YEREVAN MAYOR ASKS GREAT BENEFACTOR ALEXANDER MANTASHEV’S GRANDSON TO OFTEN VISIT CAPITAL

news.am
April 18, 2012 | 13:46

YEREVAN. – On the invitation of Armenian capital Yerevan’s Mayor
Taron Margaryan, Alexander Mantashev, who is named after his
grandfather-the distinguished Armenian philanthropist Alexander
Mantashev (Mantashyants)-and his son Michael have arrived in the
capital to attend the official opening of the great benefactor’s
statue in downtown Yerevan.

Margaryan hosted the Mantashev family at the City Hall.

“The entire Armenian people recognize Alexander Mantashyants as
a benefactor and a great patriot. It is an honor for us to erect
Mantashyants’ statue on Yerevan’s most historic street [Abovyan],”
the Mayor noted.

On behalf of his family, Alexander Mantashev thanked the Mayor for
this initiative.

“I am confident that my grandfather would have been proud that his
statue will be placed in Yerevan,” he said.

Also, Taron Margaryan asked the Paris-based Mantashev family to often
visit Yerevan.

“This is my third time in Yerevan. I am happy to see that Yerevan has
become so beautiful and has developed. And the residents are full of
energy,” Alexander Mantashev stressed.

Taron Margaryan, and Alexander and Michael Mantashev will be on hand
at the official opening of the statue of the distinguished Armenian
philanthropist Alexander Mantashev, which will be held on Wednesday
at 5 pm.

MONUMENT TO PHILANTHROPIST ALEXANDER MANTASHEV OPENS IN ARMENIA

news.am
April 18, 2012 | 13:35

YEREVAN.- An opening ceremony of a monument to famous Armenian
philanthropist Alexander Mantashev (Alexander Mantashyants) will take
place in Yerevan downtown on Wednesday.

The author of the monument is sculptor Tigran Arzumanyan.

Mantashev’s grandson Alexander will participate in the ceremony.

Alexander Mantashev was a prominent Armenian oil magnate, financier
and philanthropist.

ARMENIA UNDERSCORES TIES WITH IAEA – FM NALBANDIAN

news.am
April 18, 2012 | 13:45

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Edward Nalbandian on
Wednesday received Yukiya Amano, Director General of the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Nalbandian stressed that Armenia greatly underscores the need to
develop its ties and cooperation with the IAEA, also considering this
as the most important component of Armenia’s energy and nuclear safety,
MFA informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

He also recalled President Serzh Sargsyan’s participation in the
Nuclear Safety Summit, which was held in Seoul in March.

In his turn, Yukiya Amano noted that the IAEA gives emphasis to
cooperation with Armenia, and he deemed this cooperation as quite
effective.

The interlocutors discussed the Armenia-IAEA cooperation and nuclear
safety matters. In this context, Edward Nalbandian noted that
Armenia, as a country with nuclear technology, has joined several
international documents which regulate this domain, and, also, the
EU’s risk assessment testing of nuclear power plants.

HOTEL UNDER HYATT BRAND TO APPEAR IN ARMENIAN JERMUK RESORT IN SUMMER-2013

/ARKA/
APRIL 18, 2012
JERMUK

JERMUK, April 18. /ARKA/. The hotel bearing worldwide famous Hyatt
brand will appear in Armenian resort town Jermuk in summer of 2013,
Armenian famous architect, building designer Narek Sargsyan said.

The construction of the hotel was launched in 2009. The hotel will
have 80 rooms of different categories, SPA-center, water treatment
procedures, restaurants, water pools, gyms.

The architect also said the hotel under Hyatt brand will be also
constructed in Yerevan downtown nearby Republic Square.

Sargsyan added that building a new complex in Jermuk has a fundamental
importance for the resort, as it fosters development of construction
industry in the town.

An estimated total amount of investments is 4.2 billion drams. (10.7
million dollars).

Hyatt corporation is an international operator of world-class hotels.

It was founded in 1957 by Jay Pritzker and Jack Crouch upon purchase
of the Hyatt House at Los-Angeles International Airport. Since then
the corporation has dynamically developed and opened its hotels all
over the world. At present the company operates in 45 countries under
Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Grand Hyatt, Park Hyatt, Hyatt Place и Hyatt
Summerfield Suites brands, and has 30000 employees.

65400 JOBLESS REGISTERED IN ARMENIA IN APRIL 2012

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 18, 2012 – 12:15 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenia has 65400 unemployed as of April 11, 2012.

They account for 83.3 per cent of job seekers who account for 78600
in total, deputy head of Armenia’s State Employment Service Agency
(SESA) Artak Simonyan said at an April 18 press conference.

“Women prevail among those who seek job, making 46300 or 70.7% of
total jobless people. Youth accounts for 14400 or 22.1 % of those
unemployed,” he mentioned.

Simonyan further stated that 11262 people qualify for the dole as
of April 11, 2012; their number was cut by 8.2 % as compared with
early 2012.

“Since the beginning of 2012, 2556 job seekers found a job, 1516 of
them being women, 747 – young people and 50 being disabled,” SESA
official noted.

ACADEMIC DISPUTE: MINISTER DISMISSES RECTOR; RECTOR REFUSES TO BE DISMISSED
By Gohar Abrahamyan

ArmeniaNow
Education | 18.04.12 | 13:42

Armen Ashotyan (left), Suren Zolyan

The news that Armenia’s Education and Science Minister signed a decree
on Tuesday to dismiss Valery Brusov Yerevan State Linguistic University
(YSLU) rector Suren Zolyan, attracted public attention distracting
it momentarily from the full-swing election campaign.

The indirect dispute between minister Armen Ashotyan and Zolyan
started early this month, when Zolyan received a strict reprimand and
was subjected to disciplinary penalty for not fulfilling his duties
properly, namely for being absent from Armenia on March 19-23 without
informing the minister. According to the minister, Zolyan has violated
the demand of Armenia’s Law ‘On State Non-commercial Organizations’,
namely assigning the implementation of his duties to another person
without a decision of an authorized state body. Zolyan received a
warning from Ashotyan, followed by checking held at the university,
during which some violations were registered.

However, Zolyan, who has been rector of Brusov University since 1997,
has released a statement in which he advises Ashotyan “to follow the
law on Legal Acts, according to which the rector of YSLU is elected
by the council of YSLU and the decision is confirmed by the Government
of Armenia.”

Media speculate a political coloring to the controversy, as the rector
is supported by Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), and when a few months
ago PAP leader Gagik Tsarukyan financed and gave scholarships to
some students and professors of the university, Zolyan was believed
to have become a PAP member, too.

A PAP press officer told ArmeniaNow that Zolyan has not become a
PAP member.

Ashotyan, in his turn, has posted on his Facebook page that this
issue does not have a political context.

Activist students of YSLU, who have decided to fight for their
dismissed rector’s return, on Wednesday morning, were planning to
gather in front of Armenia’s Ministry of Education and Science and
express their protest against the minister’s decision. However, they
were not allowed to miss their lessons, and as YSLU representatives
inform, the education process is not interrupted and the lessons at
the university are not suspended on Wednesday.

ARMENIA’S DEFENSE MINISTRY SEEKS FULL OWNERSHIP OVER MILITARY COMPANY – PAPER

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 18, 2012 – 10:25 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenia’s Defense Ministry is eager to purchase 20
per cent of shares of Automatica CJSC.

The Ministry will submit this draft decision at the coming governmental
session, Haykakan Zhamanak daily reports saying it already owns 80%
of shares in this military industrial enterprise.

“It is unclear why the Defense Ministry seeks to possess 100 % of
this company; no shareholder of any company in Armenia can in fact
interfere with the company’s activities,” paper says.

The remaining 20 per cent currently belong to a certain Zaven Tumanyan,
and the defense ministry is going to buy the share for USD 200000. The
government will allocate the sum from off-budget resources, the
daily says.

ANCA MEMBER RAFFI HAMPARIAN TO SPEAK ON ARMENIAN CAUSE ON APRIL 22

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 18, 2012 – 14:04 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Raffi Hamparian will be the guest speaker on “The
Armenian Cause in the 21st Century: Challenges and Opportunities for
Armenian Americans” at Armenian Apostolic Church of Crescenta Valley,
California, on Sunday, April 22.

Asbarez reports that Hamparian, a member of the Armenian National
Committee of America’s national Board of Directors and a lifelong ANCA
activist will discuss specific ways in which Armenian Americans of all
backgrounds can play a decisive role in advancing the Armenian Cause.

He will discuss the ANCA’s leadership role in working on the Return
of Armenian Churches confiscated by the Republic of Turkey and its
efforts with respect to Armenia, Artsakh and Javakh. He will also
focus his remarks on the organization’s successful efforts to engage
a new generation of Armenian Americans to continue participating in
America’s democratic process to advance issues of special concern to
Armenian Americans.

Born in New York City and raised in the New Jersey, Hamparian is a
graduate of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. At this school
he earned both an undergraduate degree and a Masters in International
Relations. Hamparian has worked for a number of members of Congress,
handling budget, tax and trade issues and also serving as a key staffer
for international relations work related to the House Committee on
Foreign Affairs. Most recently, he worked as the chief foreign affairs
aide for New Jersey Congressman Steven R. Rothman.

Currently, Hamparian is the Government Relations Director for Los
Angeles Metro, where he works to increase the $600 million that agency
annually receives from the federal government for major transportation
projects.

UN MUSEE DE L’INNOCENCE A ISTANBUL…
Jean Eckian

armenews.com
mercredi 18 avril 2012

A l’approche du 24 avril, c’est vrai que pour les armeniens cela
sonne comme une immonde provocation. Mais non, ce n’est pas une
provocation de plus comme la monumentale statue de Talaat pacha, ou
comme les affiches placardees a l’aeroport de Bodrum annoncant le
“crime armenien”. Non il s’agit d’un musee dedie au livre d’Orhan
Pamuk Le Musee de l’innocence .

Un petit musee situe a Istanbul qui accueille 83 vitrines rappelant
l’histoire de cette bouleversante et romantique histoire d’amour,
et correspondant aux 83 chapitres de l’ouvrage du Prix Nobel. Une
description de la passion amoureuse, relatant avec minutie malgre un
soupcon de kitsch la tension que fait naitre le sentiment amoureux
des lors qu’il ne peut pleinement se realiser.

L”agencement du musee supervise par Pamuk lui-meme, ouvrira ses portes
le 28 avril.

Le musee en ligne ICI

The Buzz On: Skye Stevens

Get to know Armenian dancer/singer/songwriter Skye Stevens.

Take one look at Skye Stevens and you know this kid’s a star and a
triple threat. I say “kid” because Skye is only 18, and I say “triple
threat” because this newcomer can sing, dance and write music. Born in
Boston, Skye attended Orleans School of the Arts in Cape Cod. At 8, he
started dancing competitively, at 10, Skye performed at the 76th
Annual Macy’s Day Parade on the official Macy’s float, and at 17, he
was part of the international touring company for the Broadway play
“Miss Saigon.” (See? Jealous.)

Watch Skye Stevens’ “Takes All Night” video after the jump.

Slated to (hopefully) become the first-ever Armenian pop star, Skye is
already demolishing the dance charts with his first music video and
single, “Takes All Night.” The song recently landed the third spot on
Billboard’s Breakouts Chart for Hot Dance Club Play, and although it’s
only been live for six weeks, the video has already earned 700,000
views. Baller status.

Skye’s “Takes All Night” sounds like a mix between Usher and Chris
Brown with a hint of a David Guetta club beat. In the video, Skye
rides around town on a bike as he follows his leading lady. The beat
pumps and Skye pauses for a quick dance break, but not before he makes
it clear that he’s taking his chick home with him immediately: “And
baby if it takes all night/ Up in this club…/ This feeling I got/ Is
telling me you could be the one/ So baby, if it takes all night/ I’m
taking you home.” The video ends with a another dope dance break, and
even though we don’t quite see this duo go home together, we have a
hunch that any normal girl is not gonna pass up the chance to hook up
with a cute dude who can sing, dance and will probably be famous in
like, five minutes. That’s a catch if I’ve ever seen one.

+ Watch Skye Stevens’ “Takes All Night” video.