Author: Kanayan Tamar

SOCCER: JUVENTUS, LIVERPOOL REPORTEDLY INTERESTED IN MKHITARYAN

SOCCER | 12.01.15 | 10:08

Photo: Mkhitaryan’s facebook official page

Top Italian and English soccer clubs have reportedly showed interest
in Armenia’s Borussia Dortmund attacking striker Henrikh Mkhitaryan
during the January transfer window.

According to Sky Sport Italia, Turin’s Juventus FC is setting eyes
on the 25-year-old Armenian international after failing to secure
Dutch player Wesley Sneijder’s transfer.

Earlier, British media said top English Premiership side, Liverpool,
was also interested in the services of Mkhitaryan that analysts
said could replace the Merseysiders’ veteran player Steven Gerard,
who recently admitted he might leave his club next summer.

Liverpool also wanted to get a deal with Mkhitaryan in the summer of
2013 before the Armenian player signed a four-year EURO 27.5m contract
with his current German club.

EURASIAN ARMENIA: 2015 BRINGS FORMAL MEMBERSHIP IN RUSSIAN-LED TRADE BLOC, MECHANISMS STILL VAGUE

ANALYSIS | 12.01.15 | 12:08

By NAZIK ARMENAKYAN
ArmeniaNow

Despite the fact that from January 2, 2015 Armenia is formally
considered a member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), no one
appears to know by what exact mechanisms this membership will be
implemented and how exactly the citizens of Armenia, its businesses,
importers and exporters will benefit.

Before January 12, in connection with the New Year and Christmas
holidays, customs services, banks and other institutions did not work
either in Armenia or Russia. However, experts say that even after
January 12 the situation at the borders will be “chaotic”, because
customs programs have not been introduced and there are no agreements
with Georgia, through which the way from Armenia to Russia lies.

In the press there has been information about the likelihood of the
postponement of the enforcement of EEU customs rules for Armenia
in connection with the fact that a number of issues still remain
unsettled. Such a decision may become a major image loss for Russia,
which has actively insisted on Armenia’s joining the trade bloc
despite objections from its other allies.

Apparently, however, such a decision will be made, and already now
everything is being done for Eurasian integration to be forgotten
as far as possible. For example, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
in his New Year message to the people did not even mention the EEU,
although it seems that entrance into the trade bloc has been a key
political event in Armenia for the year.

Despite the fact that Armenia, like other countries, has completed
all the procedures up until the appointment of members to Eurasian
structure, the union itself is not taken seriously in Russia or
Kazakhstan and Belarus. Most Russian experts do not regard this
alliance as an opportunity for Russia’s economic revival either.

Belarus and Kazakhstan have not joined in the Russian embargo against
countries that have imposed sanctions against Moscow. Moreover,
recently President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev during his
visit to Berlin discussed with German Chancellor Angela Merkel the
situation in Ukraine and bilateral relations, but not the relationship
between the EEU and the European Union. And this is despite the fact
that under the EEU Treaty relations with third countries should be
coordinated within the EEU.

No country or structure has yet acknowledged the existence of the EEU.

In particular, the fact that Georgia cannot allow the passage of
cargoes with Eurasian barcodes is connected with this. Official Tbilisi
says that it is ready for continued transit between Armenia and Russia,
but according to the old rules, rather than the Eurasian ones.

January 12 will become a kind of test for the EEU and Armenia’s
foreign policy course. Armenia’s authorities that have opted for
closer cooperation with Russia and the political forces supporting
them will have to admit that this path does not work and does not
lead to an increase in the welfare of the country’s population.

If the finance authorities of Armenia prove unable to check the
Armenian dram rate, inflation will continue to affect the country’s
economy and more foreign aid will be needed.

Russia is unlikely to be among the countries to offer this aid
to Armenia as it itself is reeling under economic sanctions and
its national currency is depreciating. On the other hand, Western
structures already saved Armenia from a financial collapse in December.

ARMENIAN CIVILIAN KILLED IN AZERI RAID ATTEMPT

YEREVAN, January 12. /ARKA/. Azerbaijani army made a raid attempt
on Sunday near Baganis village of Tavush region in Armenia’s north,
the press secretary of the Armenian ministry of defense Artsrun
Hovhannisyan wrote on his facebook page.

The incident occurred at about 17:30 local time.

The enemy movement was noticed in time. The prompt response division of
the Armenian army set an ambush and neutralized the raid, Hovhannisyan
said.

One of the raiders was killed in between the Armenian and Azeri
positions, he said.

An 80-year-old Armenian shepherd who was in the field at the time
was killed in the skirmish, according to the report.

The Armenian troops are in control of the situation; the responsibility
for the incident lies with the military and political leadership of
Azerbaijan, the press secretary said. -0–

MP: Armenia should present events dating back to 1915 with dignity

19:49, 11.01.2015

YEREVAN. – Ankara will undoubtedly boost denial efforts with the
approaching centennial of the Armenian Genocide, MP from Heritage
party Tevan Poghosyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am commenting on a
possible visit of Turkish president to Yerevan.

Erdogan’s visit may become reality under international pressure only,
and this will be conditioned by situation in the international arena,
Poghosyan emphasized.

“If Erdogan has even a little feeling that there will are no signs of
pressure from the world community, he will not come to Armenia,” the
MP explained.

Moreover, according to the deputy, the Turkish side will strengthen
propaganda of Armenian Genocide denial.

“I do not think that Turkey will move away from the policy of genocide
denial and will take any positive steps. However, Armenia should be
ready for it, and our task is to present the events dating back to
1915 with dignity,” he said.

News-Medical
Jan 11 2015

New UCLA study sheds light on why some people develop PTSD

Published on January 11, 2015 at 1:30 PM · No Comments

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Why do some people develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) while
others who suffered the same ordeal do not? A new UCLA discovery may
shed light on the answer.

UCLA scientists have linked two gene variants to the debilitating
mental disorder, suggesting that heredity influences a person’s risk
of developing PTSD. Published in the February 2015 edition of the
Journal of Affective Disorders, the findings could provide a
biological basis for diagnosing and treating PTSD more effectively in
the future.

“Many people suffer with post-traumatic stress disorder after
surviving a life-threatening ordeal like war, rape or a natural
disaster,” explained lead author Dr. Armen Goenjian, a researcher at
the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. “But
not everyone who experiences trauma suffers from PTSD. We investigated
whether PTSD has genetic underpinnings that make some people more
vulnerable to the syndrome than others.”

In 1988, Goenjian, an Armenian American, raced to Spitak, Armenia,
after a 6.8 magnitude earthquake devastated the country. The temblor
leveled entire towns and cities, killing more than 25,000 Armenians,
two-thirds of them children.

With support from the Armenian Relief Society, Goenjian and his
colleagues helped establish a pair of psychiatric clinics that treated
earthquake survivors for 21 years. A dozen multigenerational families
in northern Armenia agreed to allow their blood samples to be sent to
UCLA, where Goenjian and his colleagues combed the DNA of 200
individuals for genetic clues to psychiatric vulnerability.

In 2012, his team discovered that PTSD was more common in survivors
who carried two gene variants associated with depression. In the
current study, Goenjian and first author Julia Bailey, an adjunct
assistant professor of epidemiology at the UCLA Fielding School of
Public Health, focused on two genes called COMT and TPH-2 that play
important roles in brain function.

COMT is an enzyme that degrades dopamine, a neurotransmitter that
controls the brain’s reward and pleasure centers, and helps regulate
mood, thinking, attention and behavior. Too much or too little
dopamine can influence various neurological and psychological
disorders.

TPH-2 controls the production of serotonin, a brain hormone that
regulates mood, sleep and alertness — all of which are disrupted in
PTSD. Antidepressants called SSRIs, or selective serotonin re-uptake
inhibitors, which were designed to treat depression, target serotonin.
More physicians are prescribing SSRIs to treat disorders beyond
depression, including PTSD.

“We found a significant association between variants of COMT and TPH-2
with PTSD symptoms, suggesting that these genes contribute to the
onset and persistence of the disorder,” said Goenjian. “Our results
indicate that people who carry these genetic variants may be at higher
risk of developing PTSD.”

The team used the most recent PTSD criteria from the American
Psychiatric Association’s diagnostic manual to measure genes’ role in
predisposing someone to the disorder. The new criteria increased
estimates of a person’s predisposition for PTSD to 60 percent;
estimates based on older criteria reached only 41 percent.

“Assessments of patients based upon the latest diagnostic criteria may
boost the field’s chances of finding new genetic markers for PTSD,”
said Goenjian. “We hope our findings will lead to molecular methods
for screening people at risk for this disorder and identify new drug
therapies for prevention and treatment.”

Still, Goenjian cautioned, PTSD is likely caused by multiple genes and
studies should be continued to find more of the genes involved.

PTSD affects about 7 percent of Americans and became a pressing health
issue for a large percentage of war veterans returning from tours in
Iraq and Afghanistan.

“A diagnostic tool based upon PTSD-linked genes would greatly help us
in identifying people who are at high risk for developing the
disorder,” Goenjian said. “Our findings may also help scientists
uncover more refined treatments, such as gene therapy or new drugs
that regulate the chemicals associated with PTSD symptoms.”

Source:

University of California, Los Angeles

CHARLIE HEBDO
Selon Hmayak Hovhannissian ce n’est pas un hasard si les islamistes
ont dirigé leurs actions durant les Fêtes de la Nativité

Hmayak Hovhannissian, le président de l’union des politologues
d’Arménie est convaincu que les évènements sanglants au siège de > à Paris le 7 janvier n’étaient pas un hasard. Les
islamistes ayant choisi la période des Fêtes de la Nativité pour
mettre à feu et à sang un pays aux racines chrétiennes. > continua H. Hovhannissian qui voit donc une volonté de
groupes islamistes contre l’Europe chrétienne, tant en Arménie qu’en
France >. Krikor Amirzayan
dimanche 11 janvier 2015,
Krikor Amirzayan (c)armenews.com

Europe to revise stance on immigrants – analyst

12:05 * 10.01.15

In case the EU member states revise their policies and legislation on
immigrants, the changes will apply to all, including Armenians, says a
political analyst.

“Since the countries in Europe are governed by rule of law, any change
in the policies and legislation regarding immigrants will apply to
everybody. So they cannot make policy distinctions between Muslims and
Christians,” Stepan Danielyan, the president of the center Cooperation
for Democracy, told Tert.am.

Asked whether the possible reforms imply deportation, the expert
referred to the Convention on Civil and Political Rights which he said
regulates such processes.

“In case of deportation, there have to be certain legal ways and legal
processes, including proceedings and appeals. Hence, deportations will
be possible only upon the completion of a legal process. It is quite a
complicated problem for this, and the EU member states have to make
certain changes before bringing them in compliance with their
legislation,” he noted.

Following the deadly attack against the French satirical newspaper
Charlie Hebdo’s office in Paris earlier this weak, French far-right
leader, Marine Le Pen, made calls for suspending the Schengen Area
Agreement to be able to better control the country’s borders.

Danielyan said he doesn’t think that such a statement, made a
political force’s leader, is tantamount to a calls voiced on the
state’s level.

“Right wingers can make calls; they can influence their parliaments,
but they cannot make drastic changes unless they act on a
[corresponding] level. But the people’s moods are naturally very
important, as they may create intolerable conditions in everyday
communication. In Paris, for example, Arabs close stores for fear
security concerns,” the analyst said, adding that he expects the
global situation to deteriorate against backdrop of the nationalist
moods in France and the current geopolitical developments.

FOOTBALL
A l’Olympiakos, l’international arménien Guevorg Ghazaryan a disputé
un match complet

Le milieu de la sélection nationale d’Arménie, Guevorg Ghazaryan a
joué avec son club grec de l’Olympiakos de Prée, la totalité du match
contre Fostiras pour le compte des qualifications de la Coupe de
Grèce. L’Olympakos s’imposant sur le score de 2-0. Depuis son
transfert l’été dernier à l’Olympiakos, Guevorg Ghazaryan n’avait
jamais joué un match complet au son de son club champion de Grèce en
titre. Il y a quelques jours, l’entraineur de l’Olympiakos, Mitchel
Gonzales était remplacé par l’entraineur par le portugais Victor
Pereïra. Peut-être une occasion pour Guevorg Ghazaryan d’être
davantage présent sur le terrain.

Krikor Amirzayan

samedi 10 janvier 2015,
Krikor Amirzayan (c)armenews.com

AZERBAÏDJAN
Licenciements massifs dans les compagnies pétrolières d’Azerbaïdjan

En Azerbaïdjan la baisse record des prix du baril de pétrole menace
l’économie du pays et de son budget basé sur un baril au prix fort.
Des nombreux ouvriers des champs pétroliers de la Caspienne sont
licenciés. Selon Mirvari Ghahramanli, le président du Comité de
défense de ces ouvriers du pétrole, les sociétés pétrolières profitent
de cette baisse d’activité pour dégraisser le maximum de salariés. > écrit le site >.
Selon les spécialistes économiques, cette baisse du coût du baril de
pétrole va affecter largement l’économie de l’Azerbaïdjan et créer des
mouvements sociaux dans la population. Le président Ilham Aliev
sera-t-il de tenter de relancer la guerre du Haut Karabagh pour dévier
l’attention de la population ?

Krikor Amirzayan

samedi 10 janvier 2015,
Krikor Amirzayan (c)armenews.com

Le Dessin du Jour
En Hommage à Charb directeur de publication de Charlie Hebdo

Hommage aux dessinateurs-journalistes, personnel et policiers
assassinés lchement au siège du journal satirique Charlie Hebdo,
espace de Liberté.

Ci-dessous un dessin de Charb, comme toujours un coup de crayon percutant.

Les dessins de Charb (Stéphane Charbonnier) sont publiés par de
nombreux journaux et magazines, dont L’Écho des savanes, Télérama, Mon
Quotidien et L’Humanité6. En 2007, il participe à l’émission télévisée
T’empêches tout le monde de dormir de Marc-Olivier Fogiel sur M6 en
tant que dessinateur de plateau jusqu’à l’arrêt de l’émission, en juin
2008. Il fait partie des caricaturistes invités à réaliser des dessins
humoristiques dans l’édition 2011 du Petit Larousse Illustré, parue en
2010.

En 2009, Charb succède à Philippe Val et devient directeur de la
publication de Charlie Hebdo. Il maintient la ligne éditoriale de
l’hebdomadaire. En 2012, il reçoit des menaces de mort après avoir
publié des caricatures du prophète Mahomet. Le dessinateur, qui vivait
sous protection policière, avait déclaré : >. Né à
Conflans-Sainte-Honorine le 21 août 1967, il avait 47 ans quand les
criminels Saïd et Chérif Kouachi l’ont exécuté avec plusieurs de ses
camarades le 7 Janvier 2015.

samedi 10 janvier 2015,
Jean Eckian (c)armenews.com