Author: Kajoyan Gevork

CIVIL ACTIVISTS CELEBRATING VICTORY, REMAIN WARY OF FURTHER SNAGS AS MAYOR SUSPENDS DECISION ON BUS FARE HIKE – VIDEO

SOCIETY | 26.07.13 | 10:25

Photolure

By SIRANUYSH GEVORGYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter

As civil activists and ordinary people celebrated yesterday’s
announcement by Mayor Taron Margaryan that the rise in bus fares
would be suspended, many also realized that it is just a temporary
respite and more efforts are still needed to complete what has been
described as another civil society victory in Armenia.

“Mayor Taron Margaryan simply announced the suspension and not
cancellation of his two decisions of July 19, 2013. It means that
the two mentioned decisions may become valid again when the wave of
public protest subsides and the commission to be set up finds that
the ‘frozen’ decisions should be revitalized,” said Stepan Safaryan,
a member of the Yerevan Council of Elders with the opposition Hello
Yerevan faction.

Safaryan said that a group of their lawyers would continue to work
in this direction, and he did not exclude the possibility that these
‘frozen’ decisions will be disputed in court.

In an address to the public on Thursday Mayor Margaryan, in fact,
bowed to pressure from civil activists, who have been demonstrating
against bus fare hikes for days. He said that while the decision
remained suspended a commission of specialists will be set up to work
on mechanisms to ensure that the socially vulnerable groups of the
population are not affected.

Still, the mayor described the unpopular measure as beneficial for
the city and its transport system in the long term.

He said that increasing the public transport fare from 100 drams
(about 25 cents) to 150 drams is the price that has to be paid. “We
simply have no alternative,” he underscored.

After the announcement of the suspension of the decision many young
men and women in Yerevan again took to the streets but this time to
celebrate their victory. Armenian users of Facebook and other online
social networks were also celebrating the success of the movement that
was dubbed ‘100 Drams’ congratulating each other by sharing posts,
photographs and videos of memorable moments.

Meanwhile, lawyer Vahe Grigoryan said that what the mayor did was
simply avoiding responsibility. Had he canceled his decision instead
of suspending it he and all persons who enforced its application
would have had to take the consequences for it, he said.

“This decision must be invalidated, if not by him then by court. The
rest is just empty talk. The only way to finish this case is to achieve
the invalidation of this decision and to bring those who made it and
enforced it to account,” said the well-known lawyer.

Members of the ‘We Pay 100 Dram’ civil initiative plan to gather near
the municipality building later today to make their demands to the
mayor regarding transportation system reforms, including the demand
that his controversial decision to raise bus fares be invalidated
rather than just suspended.

REVUE DE PRESSE N2 – 25/07/13 – COLLECTIF VAN

Publie le : 25-07-2013

Info Collectif VAN – – Le Collectif VAN [Vigilance
Armenienne contre le Negationnisme] vous propose une revue de presse
des informations parues dans la presse francophone, sur les thèmes
concernant la Turquie, le genocide armenien, la Shoah, le genocide
des Tutsi, le Darfour, le negationnisme, l’Union europeenne, Chypre,
etc… Nous vous suggerons egalement de prendre le temps de lire ou
de relire les informations et traductions mises en ligne dans notre
rubrique

Par ailleurs, certains articles en anglais, allemand, turc, etc,
ne sont disponibles que dans la newsletter Word que nous generons
chaque jour. Pour la recevoir, abonnez-vous a la Veille-Media : c’est
gratuit ! Vous recevrez le document du lundi au vendredi dans votre
boîte email. Bonne lecture.

Collectif VAN : l’ephemeride du 25 juillet Info Collectif VAN –
– La rubrique Ephemeride est a retrouver
quotidiennement sur le site du Collectif VAN. Elle recense la
liste d’evenements survenus a une date donnee, a differentes
epoques de l’Histoire, sur les thematiques que l’association suit au
quotidien. L’ephemeride du Collectif VAN repose sur des informations
en ligne sur de nombreux sites (les sources sont specifiees sous
chaque entree). “25 juillet 2011 — Turquie: le principal suspect dans
l’assassinat en 2007 du journaliste Hrant Dink a ete condamne a une
peine de 23 ans de prison par un tribunal d’Istanbul, rapporte l’agence
anatolienne de presse. Hrant Dink, militant de la reconnaissance du
genocide armenien de 1915, dirigeait l’hebdomadaire Agos, publication
bilingue en turc et en armenien. Il a ete abattu en plein jour alors
qu’il quittait son bureau a Istanbul.”

Depeche de l’APA [ 25 Juillet 2013 13:52 ] – Agence de Presse
d’Azerbaïdjan Le Collectif VAN vous propose un article de l’APA
(Agence de presse azerie) date du 25 juillet 2013. Les articles
de ce site (ecrits generalement dans un francais rudimentaire) ne
sont pas commentes de notre part. Ils peuvent contenir des propos
negationnistes envers le genocide armenien ou d’autres informations
a prendre sous toute reserve. ” La declaration des copresidents du
Groupe de Minsk de l’OSCE disent qu’ils montrent certain desespoir
et blâment les parties dans la situation actuelle. ”

Assaut de rebelles du Darfour dans le centre du Soudan Des rebelles
originaire du Darfour ont lance mercredi une attaque dans l’Etat
soudanais du Kordofan du Nord, une region touchee par les affrontements
depuis avril, a-t-on appris auprès de combatants et de temoins.

Forte baisse du tourisme en Turquie durant les troubles de juin Les
manifestations de juin en Turquie ont fortement pese sur l’industrie
touristique, avec un plus bas de sept mois pour le nombre de visiteurs
etrangers, mais les stations balneaires ont ete moins gravement
affectees.

Syrie : combats entre commandos de l’opposition et milices kurdes
Le ministère russe des AE a qualifie de provocations sanglantes les
operations des commandos de l’opposition syrienne contre les civils
kurdes dans le Nord-Est du pays où se deroulent pendant la troisième
journee consecutive des combats entre les extremistes et les milices
populaires kurdes.

Le representant special de l’ONU s’inquiète de la recrudescence des
violences au Darfour Le representant special de l’Operation hybride
Union africaine-Nations Unies au Darfour (MINUAD), Mohamad Ibn
Chambas, a exprime mercredi ses inquietudes envers la recrudescence
des violences interethniques dans la region soudanaise.

Des balles perdues syriennes tuent un adolescent en Turquie Un
adolescent turc a ete tue dans la nuit de mercredi a jeudi par des
balles perdues tirees lors de combats en Syrie entre militants kurdes
et rebelles islamistes en lutte contre le president Bachar al Assad,
apprend-on de sources medicales.

Wikipedia : le genocide armenien parmi les pages les plus controversees
Wikipedia n’est pas seulement un encyclopedie collaborative, accessible
a tous sur Internet. Wikipedia, c’est aussi une guerre. Une bataille
editoriale entre des utilisateurs qui modifient chacun leur tour des
pages polemiques.

La complicite internationale avec Al-Qaida Sous le silence
international, des groupes lies a Al-Qaïda attaquent les Kurdes
syriens depuis plus d’une semaine, meme s’ils sont incapables de
gagner cette bataille. Seule la Russie a condamne ” resolument ”
les attaques visant la population kurde. Depuis 16 juillet, près de
200 membres d’Al-Qaïda ont ete tues par des forces kurdes.

Deux Armeniens du Karabagh condamnes pour espionnage Deux residents
armeniens du Haut-Karabakh reconnus coupables d’espionnage pour
l’Azerbaïdjan a travers l’Internet ont ete condamnes a de longues
peines de prison mardi. Un tribunal de Stepanakert a juge Rafael
Avagian, un soldat armenien de 22 ans ne au Haut Karabagh, et son
ami Davit Barseghian coupable de haute trahison et d’espionnage,
et les a condamnes respectivement a 11 et 10 ans de prison.

Retour a la rubrique

L’ARMENIE VA ETABLIR UNE COOPERATION ECONOMIQUE AVEC LE BAHREIN

ARMENIE

Le gouvernement armenien a approuve la proposition de signer un accord
avec Bahreïn sur la cooperation economique, scientifique et technique.

Le document aidera a etablir des relations d’affaires mutuellement
avantageuses et developper la cooperation economique entre les deux
pays a declare le ministre de l’economie Tigran Davtyan.

Une commission intergouvernementale sur la cooperation economique
sera mis en place en vertu de l’accord.

vendredi 26 juillet 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

LE MINISTERE DES FINANCES REVELE DES VIOLATIONS DANS LE SECTEUR DE LA SANTE

ARMENIE

La division du contrôle financier au Ministère des finances d’Armenie
a revele un certain nombre de violations dans le système des soins
de sante l’an dernier ce a qui permis d’economiser 230 millions de
drams au cours des quatre premiers mois de cette annee, a declare la
responsable des inspections Sona Gharibyan.

” En consequence, nous avons economise 230 millions de drams entre
janvier et avril 2013 ” a-t-elle declare aux journalistes.

L’inspection visait a etudier comment l’aide financière de l’Etat
alloue aux hôpitaux etait distribue.

” L’inspection a revele que tous les hôpitaux qui avaient recu une
aide financière etaient tenues de fournir aux patients des repas,
alors que seulement 2 a 3 hôpitaux etaient en train de faire cela.

L’Etat prevoyait un budget de 513 millions de drams de plus pour 2012,
mais il est evident que ce montant n’a pas ete consacre a la nourriture
” a declare Sona Gharibyan.

Elle a note les hôpitaux ont recommande d’exclure les frais de
nourriture dans leurs demandes d’aides financières de l’Etat, et le
ministère de la Sante sera charge de calculer ces frais pour les seuls
hôpitaux qui ont ete decides de fournir aux patients des aliments.

vendredi 26 juillet 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

CHRISTIANITY MADE RUSSIA GREAT WORLD POWER – PUTIN

RIA Novosti. Sergei Guneev
23:18 25/07/2013

Tags: Christianization, Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill,
Vladimir Putin, Russia

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Attacks Orthodox Church Critics

Multimedia

Patriarch Holds Service to Mark 1025th Anniversary of Russia’s Baptism

MOSCOW, July 25 (RIA Novosti) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on
Thursday praised the role of Orthodox Christianity in the country’s
history and congratulated the heads of the world’s Orthodox churches
on the 1025th anniversary of the Christianization of Kievan Rus,
a medieval state comprising parts of modern-day Russia, Ukraine
and Belarus.

“The adoption of Christianity became a turning point in the fate of our
fatherland, made it an inseparable part of the Christian civilization
and helped it turn into one of the largest world powers,” Putin said
in a message addressed to participants of a commemorative celebration
on Red Square, the Kremlin reported.

“It is Orthodoxy that gave Russia a powerful impetus for the
development and rise of culture and education,” the message says.

Putin also praised the Russian Orthodox Church’s role in developing
a constructive dialogue with other Orthodox churches as well as
international collaboration.

The Russian Orthodox Church’s leader, Patriarch Kirill, opened the
celebration.

“The foundation of our national, spiritual and cultural life was
laid 1025 years ago,” he said. “Our ancestors adopted the Christian
faith and, together with it, a system of values and morals … that
no historical upheavals were able to destroy.”

Despite the fact that Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians live
in different countries today, the patriarch said, their spiritual
foundation remains common and unites the Slavic nations.

BATTLE BETWEEN ATTORNEYS SETTLED

Glendale News-Press (California)
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News
July 25, 2013 Thursday

by Daniel Siegal, Glendale News-Press, Calif.

July 25–The lengthy legal battle between the attorneys who won tens
of millions of dollars for descendants of Armenian genocide victims
has run its course.

Mark Geragos and Brian Kabateck, two of the attorneys in class-action
lawsuits that descendants of Armenian genocide survivors filed in
federal court against insurers, have settled their lawsuit against
their Glendale-based co-counsel on the multi-million dollar insurance
case — Vartkes Yeghiayan and his wife, attorney Rita Mahdessian,
Geragos and Kabateck announced jointly on Wednesday.

The case, which was dismissed this week, accused Yeghiayan and
Mahdessian of setting up sham charities and misusing nearly $1 million
from 2005 to 2011.

The settlement includes an agreement to have a third-party arbitrator
review all the costs and charitable awards the attorneys claimed from
the original settlement with French insurer Axa S.A.

Yeghiayan said that the settlement means there will be a court-approved
review of the remaining money in the insurance fund, which will then
be distributed in a court-approved plan.

“I’m glad that it’s over, at least the lawsuit, and there will be
transparency, which is what I’ve always wanted from the beginning,”
Yeghiayan said.

Yeghiayan said he expects the review to be completed and submitted
to the court within 90 days.

After reaching settlements with New York Life Insurance Co. and Axa
in 2004 and 2005, respectively, for a total of $37.5 million, two
funds were established to settle insurance claims that they failed
to compensate descendants of genocide victims who bought policies
between 1875 and 1923.

After Geragos and Kabateck filed suit against Yeghiayan in 2011,
Yeghiayan, in turn, sued them for allegedly misusing money from the
Axa settlement fund and requested an audit of all 3,000 claims to
look for accounting discrepancies.

After court proceedings that dragged on for more than a year, a
third-part accounting firm was brought on to handle payment of about
$2.1 million to 159 claimants.

That suit will also be concluded by the settlement’s review process.

Mark Geragos said in a statement that the resolution is one that will
allow all of the attorneys to move on while finalizing the settlement
of the insurance fund.

“Brian Kabateck and I are pleased with this resolution because it will
allow all of us to finalize the settlement agreement, resolve all
claims accounting issues and conclude any remaining issues between
the lawyers,” he said. “The resolution of this case is as important
as continuing the fight to bring justice for all Genocide victims.”

USPTO ISSUES TRADEMARK: URARTAKAN

US Fed News
July 24, 2013 Wednesday 1:35 PM EST

ALEXANDRIA, Va.

ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 24 — The trademark URARTAKAN (Reg. No. 4366463;
International Reg. No 1126280) was issued on July 16 by the USPTO.

Owner: ARARAT COGNAC FACTORY “A.K.Z.” LTD LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
ARMENIA 12, str. Pushkin, Ararat marz Ararat ARMENIA. The trademark
application serial number 79116754 was filed on June 19, 2012 and
was registered on July 16. The description of the mark registered is
“Color is not claimed as a feature of the mark. The mark consists
of the wording “URARTAKAN”. Directly above this wording are foreign
characters in Armenian. The top line of foreign characters is in
Russian. Above this language is a country scene featuring a church,
mountains, and trees within a semi-circle. Above the semicircle is a
circular design containing the lettering “A ‘ K ‘ 3″ at the bottom with
a vine and leaves design on either side, and a snow-covered mountain
and sun design within a circle over top. A lion and a grapevine design
appear on both sides of the semi-circle scenery design. The literal
and design elements described above all appear within a roughly
pentagon-shaped element.” Goods and Services: Alcoholic beverages
except beers

HASMIK PAPIAN PERFORMED ARIAS FROM WAGNER AND VERDI

[ Part 2.2: “Attached Text” ]

20:18, 25 July, 2013

YEREVAN, JULY 25, ARMENPRESS: With jubilee concert in participation
of world famous opera singer Hasmik Papyan On July 25 was finished the
concert period of State Philharmonic Orchestra of Armenia. “Armenpress”
reports that during the concert in framework of 200 th anniversary
of Wagner and Verdi, Papian performed arias from famous operas of
those composers.

Papian last time performed with the orchestra 22 years ago when State
Philharmonic Orchestra of Armenia was led by Loris Jgnavoryan. That
time she performed three concert arias of Aram Khachaturyan.

Hasmik Papian graduated from High Academy in Yerevan first as a
violinist, then as a singer. After her debut at the Armenian National
Opera, she was invited as a soloist among others by Opera Bonn and
Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Dusseldorf, Germany. Soon, she started an
international career and has since appeared at numerous theaters,
including the most prestigious operatic stages and concert houses
in the world like The Metropolitan Opera and Carnegie Hall New York,
San Francisco Opera, Washington National Opera,  La Scala of Milan,
Opera Bastille in Paris, Gran Theatre de lLiceu Barcelona, Teatro Real
Madrid, London Wigmore Hall, the Vienna State Opera and Musikverein
Vienna, Concertgebouw and De Nederlandse Opera Amsterdam, Zurich
Opera, Mariinsky Theatre St. Petersburg, as well as the state operas
of Munich, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Dresden and Berlin.

BREAKING NEWS: Bus Fare Hike Suspended; People Win

[ Part 2.2: “Attached Text” ]

Thursday, July 25th, 2013

by Ara Khachatourian

Demonstrators gather in front of Yerevan City Hall to protest the
fare hike

YEREVAN-Following days of angry protests against the City Council’s
decision to hike public transportation fares by 50 percent, Mayor
Taron Margaryan issued a statement Thursday night reversing the
decision and rolling back the fares to their original amount.

The mayor announced that his has already begun the process of
creating a task-force of experts and interested individuals who will
closely analyze the decision of public transportation fare hikes and
enhancement of Yerevan’s public transportation system, and until that
group’s final report, he halted the execution of the fare hike.

In his statement Margaryan argued that upon assuming the mayor’s
office, one of his main goals has been to upgrade the decaying
transportation system in Yerevan to ensure secure transport of all
passengers, thus justifying his decision to increase the fare.

Margaryan went on to say that burdening an already socio-economically
challenged public with the costs of improving the public transport
system was not his intention.

Protests, led mainly by youth activists started on Friday, a day before
the fare hike was to have gone into effect. Through social media and
mainly the online press, the protests, which began at bus stops sprang
into a public movement of outcry against city officials, who often
criticized the public for expressing their anger at the far hikes.

On Monday, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Supreme Council of
Armenia issued an announcementcondemning the fare hike decision and
urged the city government to re-evaluate the increases that were
becoming a burden of the people of Yerevan.

In it announcement, the ARF condemned the Armenian government’s
shortsighted policies; demanded that the decision to increase public
transportation prices be halted and any fare increases be carried out
through a transparent mechanism corresponding to the increase of wages.

The party also suggested the establishment of a public-expert group,
to develop and propose a legal-collective system that includes multiple
rate plans, discount systems, formation of transportation cooperatives.

More important, the ARF welcomed and expressed it solidarity with those
groups and youth who are expressing their anger at this disgraceful
decision and through their activism are defending their and the
public’s rights.

ACTIVISTS PROTESTING AGAINST RISE IN PUBLIC TRANSPORT FARE IN YEREVAN LAUNCH FREECAR.AM WEBSITE

ARMINFO
Wednesday, July 24, 17:14

The activists protesting against the rise in the public transport
fare in Yerevan to 150 AMD have launched a freecar.am website.

Officially more than 10 drivers have joined the Freecar action but
unofficially there are more than 100 drivers who are giving people
free lifts all over Yerevan.