Author: Kajoyan Gevork

The Times of India
Sept 19 2012

Mkhitaryan double spoils Nordsjaelland’s Champions League debut

DONETSK ( Ukraine): A double from Armenian midfielder Henrik
Mkhitaryan gave Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk a 2-0 win over
Danish Champions League debutants Nordsjaelland on Wednesday in their
opening Group E match.

Mkhitaryan’s double — one in each half — took his tally this season
to 11 goals in 14 games in league and Champions League.

Shakhtar’s highly-rated Brazilian forward Willian — who had been a
target for Tottenham Hotspur in the summer — had made a couple of
bright runs early on for the hosts but sent one effort wide and the
other one had been goalbound before being deflected for a corner.

However, it was Nordsjaelland who had the first shot on target as
36-year-old veteran midfielder Nicolai Stokholm let fly with a great
effort which Shakhtar goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov was equal to.

The Danish side were more than holding their own and American central
defender Michael Parkhurst exemplified that by getting his head in the
way of a Razvan Rat volley which laid him out.

However, the hosts were beginning to turn the screw and Mkhitaryan and
then Rat both went close with efforts as the half came to a
conclusion.

Mkhitaryan then missed with a volley but, a minute from half time, he
finally put away a chance to add to his growing reputation as a
marksman.

The lively Mkhitaryan had a great chance to double his side’s lead 13
minutes into the second half but Nordsjaelland goalkeeper Jesper
Hansen got down well to block his effort.

The classy Armenian, though, made no mistake 14 minutes from time when
he knocked the ball home after the ball came back to him following his
initial attempt to play in a teammate.

Hansen had been outstanding all night and, having denied Willian’s
curling effort, he then came to his side’s rescue late on with a
double save from Shakhtar’s Croatian captain Darijo Srna and then the
Czech Tomas Hubschman.

Canwest News Service
September 18, 2012 Tuesday 12:00 AM EST

Laval baker takes love to the next level

by Susan Schwartz, THE GAZETTE

LAVAL – As the youngest of four siblings in a family of talented
amateur bakers and cooks, Ani Cioffi has been baking for as long as
she can remember. She baked for her nieces when they were small and,
once she became a mother, for her own two boys: homemade cookies for
school lunches and coffee cakes, sponge and marble cakes for
breakfasts and school snacks.

She was always the go-to baker when there was a family event or
get-together among friends. The most-requested dish was her
cheesecake, a family recipe that uses cream cheese and sour cream and
makes a light and creamy cake she tops with canned cherries.

“It was mostly, ‘Are you bringing cheesecake?’ It got so I would say,
‘Yes, I’m coming and, yes, I’ll bring cheesecake,'” the Laval resident
recalled.

Her sons, Anthony and Christopher, now young men in their 20s,
encouraged her to start baking professionally. In 2009 they helped her
to set up a website (biscottidolci.com) featuring close to a dozen
items.

“We told everyone we knew about the website – and, soon enough, there
were all kinds of people making orders,” Cioffi said.

Prices range from $10 for a dozen chocolate-chip cookies to $35 for
her cheesecake. Bestselling items are Cioffi’s lemon loaf and biscotti
– and, of course, the cheesecake. In addition to the full-sized,
11-inch-diameter version, she also bakes mini-cheesecakes. The recipe
for the two-bite cheesecakes ($20 per dozen) feature white chocolate
and they’re topped with the cherry mixture or fresh fruits.

Cioffi, 58, worked for more than three decades at The Gazette, first
with the Probe column, which handled consumer complaints, then as
administrative assistant in the Arts &Life department. She left the
paper at the end of August, when hers was among a number of
support-staff positions that were eliminated. These days, she has more
time and energy to devote to baking professionally and otherwise.

She still bakes for her sons and now cooks and bakes with their
girlfriends. Her nieces, mothers themselves now, have also become keen
bakers, influenced, no doubt, in part by their aunt Ani. “The joy for
us is to bring the family together, in the kitchen and around the
table to celebrate milestones, our children or just each other,”
Cioffi said.

As a long-time volunteer with the Armenian Tekeyan Cultural
Association, a community centre and benevolent association, she says
she is inspired by the cooking and baking talents of other women who
volunteer there.

And as long as Cioffi has been baking, she is still learning, often
starting with established recipes and tweaking them. “I am always
looking for new items I can make and present and make beautiful.”

Go to biscottidolci.com. Orders must be made 48 to 72 hours in advance
by emailing [email protected] or phoning 514-894-1529. Pickup
by appointment. Depending on location and size of order, delivery is
available at a charge.

FM Edward Nalbandian to Speak Before Los Angeles World Affairs Council

Tuesday, September 18th

LOS ANGELES – Edward Nalbandian, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Armenia, will speak before the Los Angeles World Affairs Council at a
time of heightened tension in the southern Caucasus between Armenia
and its neighbor Azerbaijan. The lecture titled `Armenia in a troubled
region’ will be held on Monday September 24, 2012 7.30 p, at the
InterContinental Hotel, 2151 Ave. of the Stars
The conflict between land-locked Armenia and oil-rich Azerbaijan was
exacerbated recently when an Azeri army officer was convicted of
hacking to death an Armenian on a NATO course – and was subsequently
given a hero’s welcome on his return to Azerbaijan. In addition to
this immediate threat, the Foreign Minister will talk about his
country’s relations with NATO, Russia and Iran, and its difficulties
in normalizing relations with Turkey. And he will address Armenia’s
relations with the United States, and the influence Washington can
bring to bear on the volatile region of the southern Caucasus.
Foreign Minister Nalbandian’s career as a diplomat began in the
embassy of the former Soviet Union in Lebanon in 1982. After Armenia’s
independence from the USSR he served as the Ambassador of Armenia to
Egypt, France, Israel and the Vatican before taking up his position as
Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2008.

French Armenians Stage Protests as Aliyev Visits Paris

News | September 19, 2012 10:00 am

PARIS (ArmeniaNow) – The Armenian community of France is organizing
large- scale protest against the visit of Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev to Paris, accusing him of carrying out a genocidal policy
manifested in the latest act of pardoning a confessed killer of an
Armenian.

Aliyev arrived in the French capital on Monday to attend the opening
of an Islamic art exhibition at the Louvre Museum. He was also
scheduled to meet with French

officials, including President Francois Hollande.

Meanwhile, the country’s sizable Armenian community held a rally
Tuesday in front of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Paris to express their
indignation at both Azerbaijan’s `genocidal policies’ and the decision
of France to host Aliyev.

Spokespersons for Armenian organizations in France said they believe
that France should not encourage the anti- Armenian regime of
Azerbaijan. They point at Aliyev’s decision to pardon Ramil Safarov, a
man who hacked to death an Armenian student at NATO-sponsored lan-
guage courses in Budapest, upon his extra- dition from Hungary last
month, as more proof that Nagorno-Karabagh cannot be part of
Azerbaijan. That decision led to offi- cial Yerevan’s severing ties
with Budapest and demanding a clear stance of the inter- national
community to condemn the `Azerbaijani-Hungarian deal.’ France, too,

voiced concerns over the possibility of the Safarov affair `seriously
undermining the negotiating efforts’ in the Karabagh settlement that
it spearheads along with the United States and Russia.

`Granting pardon to the murderer by the Azerbaijani president is clear
encouragement of barbarism and anti-Armenianism. These events are the
continuation of the genocidal logic of the Azerbaijani regime,

which is getting armed more and more for the full destruction of the
Armenians of Nagorno- Karabagh,’ the Coordination Council of Armenian
Organizations of France (CCAF) said in a special press release on the
occasion. `To receive Aliyev in these conditions means to support his
anti-Armenian policy. Ilham Aliyev, who disregards international
rights, should not be received in the Elysee Palace. Aliyev, whose
regime demolished the Armenian cultural heritage, in particular 4,000
Armenian stone crosses in Old Jugha, [Nakhijevan, which is an exclave
ruled by Azerbaijan] should not be received in the Louvre.’

A protest against the Azeri president’s visit was also held on Monday
in Marseilles by representatives of the local Armenian community.

Demonstrations were also staged in Marseille and Provence, in
connection with Aliyev’s visit to France, Nouvelles d’Arménie monthly
of France reports.

The protesters stated that French President François Hollande on
Tuesday would receive that person who released Ramil Safarov and
declared him a hero, once Safarov was extradited by Hungary.

Close to 200 Marseille residents joined numerous political and
religious figures. In their speeches, the local government
representatives expressed their resentment over the current situation
and called upon the French President to do everything possible to
restore justice.

Safarov, a lieutenant in the Azerbaijani military, was extradited on
August 31 from Hungary, where he was serving a life sentence – and
with no expression of either regret or remorse – for the premeditated
axe murder of Armenian Lt. Gurgen Margaryan, in his sleep, during a
NATO Partnership for Peace program in Budapest back in 2004.

As expected, Safarov’s return to Baku was welcomed, as was his act of
murder, by the officials of president Ilham Aliyev’s government and
much of Azerbaijani society, and the Azerbaijani president immediately
granted him a pardon.

And Armenia’s President Serge Sargisian announced on August 31 that
Armenia is suspending its diplomatic ties with Hungary.

Safarov’s pardoning has been condemned by virtually all international
organizations. (News.am contributed to this report.)

Artak Igityan’s Sunrise over Lake Van wins Sevastopol Film Fest prize

September 19, 2012 – 16:13 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenian helmer Artak Igityan’s Sunrise over Lake
Van won Sevastopol International Film Festival prize for the best
full-length film debut.

At Ukraine-hosted film fest, Dmitry Suvorov’s Whore garnered the prize
for the best short film debut, with Fuad Ibragimbekov and Sergey
Shvydkoy’s Fly By winning a prize for professionalism.

Special Jury Prize went to Aleksei Fedorchenko’s That Light, best
director award was granted to Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom. Aleksei
Mizgirev’s Konvoy stars Oleg Vasilkov and Azamat Nigmanov were honored
as best actors.

Michael Haneke’s Amour won the festival Grand Prix, annews.ru said.

Turkish prosecutor severely injured in gun attack

September 19, 2012 – 17:14 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The public prosecutor in Turkey’s eastern province
of Tunceli’s Ovacık district was severely wounded in a gun attack
Wednesday, Sept 19.

Prosecutor Murat Uzun was leaving his home when a gunman opened fire
on him. Uzun sustained a bullet wound to his head and was taken to
Ovacık State Hospital before being flown to nearby ElazıÄ? with an
ambulance helicopter. He remains in critical condition.

Security forces were searching for the alleged assailant, who fled the
scene in a car, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

Russian, Armenian Defense Ministers talk Gyumri’s Russian military base

September 19, 2012 – 19:50 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenia-Russia defense cooperation, regional and
international security as well as CSTO Collective Rapid Reaction
Forces Interation-2012 military exercise were on the agenda of the
meeting of Armenian and Russian Ministers of Defense.

As the Armenian Minister Seyran Ohanyan noted at the joint briefing
with his Russian counterpart Anatoly Serdyukov, legal issues relating
to No 102 Gyumri-based Russian military base, as well as a transfer of
10 Russian military facilities to Armenia in the framework of the
reorganization of Russian armed forces were also discussed.

In conclusion, Mr. Serdyukov welcomed strategic and friendly
partnership with Armenia, giving high assessment to military tasks
implemented.

Armenal successfully introduces Rusal’s production systems

YEREVAN, September 19. /ARKA/. ArmenAl Armenian-Russian foil-rolling
plant said today in the first six months of his year its employees
proposed 20 kaizens or proposals to make small improvements to keep
their business at the top of its field. Kaizen, Japanese workplace
philosophy, was introduced at Armenal by its parent company Russian
Rusal, the world largest aluminum producer.

Kaizen focuses upon continuous improvement of processes in
manufacturing, engineering, and business management. It has been
applied in healthcare, psychotherapy, life-coaching, government,
banking, and other industries. When used in the business sense and
applied to the workplace, kaizen refers to activities that continually
improve all functions, and involves all employees from the CEO to the
assembly line workers.

In 2011, Armenal employees offered a total of 360 kaizens. Also as
part of kaizen philosophy, Armenal has designed 22 projects in the
first half of the current year with an expected overall economic
efficiency of about $80,000.

The labor activity of Armenal’s technicians and workers was praised by
Rusal deputy CEO Dmitry Bondarenko: “It is clear that the plant is
developing, and most importantly – its staff is developing. They are
becoming more interested in their work, in what they do and how they
do it. We have a lot of reserves, but if the people themselves were
not interested in finding them, we would not have achieved such
results by training only, «he was quoted as saying in a press release.

The Armenal foil rolling mill was founded in May 2000 on the basis of
Kanaker aluminum smelter in Yerevan. It is one of the biggest
production facilities in Armenia and is the only producer of aluminum
foil in the Caucasus and Central Asian regions. In 2000 the mill was
integrated into United Company Rusal. Together with two other foil
mills, Sayanal in the Russian republic of Khakasia and Urals Foil,
Armenal forms the company’s Packaging Division. -0-

Designers choose multimedia formats

YEREVAN, September 19. / ARKA /. A summer school for computer design
of multimedia formats (books, printed and electronic media) organized
by the Moscow State Printing University after Ivan Fedorov with the
support of the Russian Federal Agency for Press and Mass
Communications is over, according to a press release forwarded to ARKA
news agency.

It said the summer school brought together more than 100 students from
various Russian universities, specializing in graphic and computer
design. The key speakers were professors and teachers of the
university, who were developing the foundations of design of books and
periodicals for years, including Oleg Korytov, dean of graphic arts
department of the university, director of Arena Multimedia center
Yulia Kachugina. Other speakers were from other Russian cities.

The rector of the Moscow State Printing University after Ivan Fedorov,
Konstantin Antipov, was quoted as saying at the closing ceremony that
design as a profession was formed through the integration and mutual
influence of many historical and social factors related to the
scientific, technical, socio-economic and socio-cultural progress.

“Technological progress makes it necessary to constantly improve the
forms and methods of work – both in traditional formats, and new, just
emerging or rapidly changing media and publishing formats. It is good
that our school has collected so many interesting ideas,” he said.

Summer school participants said they would like their peers from
Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia and Georgia join their Russian counterparts
for the next summer school. -0-

Armenian pavilion vandalized in Paris

news.am
September 19, 2012 | 17:55

PARIS. – The pavilion representing Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh,
especially the Karabakh posters, at the annual `TopResa 2012′
international tourism exhibition was damaged on Wednesday night in
Paris.

Representatives of the Armenian Embassy in France and the National
Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia informed the exhibition
organizers about the incident. The organizers said that they received
complains about Karabakh’s participation from the Azerbaijani Embassy
in France.

Later the Armenian pavilion was repaired and is controlled.

Armenian News-NEWS.am informed earlier that the National
Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia and Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh]
representatives along with the Armenian tour operators will represent
Armenia and Arstakh in the TopResa 2012 international tourism annual
exposition in Paris scheduled for Sept. 18 to 21.