Author: Karapetian Hovik

BAKU-KAZAKHSTAN-MOSCOW-PRAGUE-STEPANAKERT

Karabak hOpen
23-05-2008 13:49:47

After a successful premier in the Argentine city of Buenos Aires Garik
Avanesyan’s photos called Armenians were displayed in Slovakia. Most
pictures depict pre-war Karabakh in 1987 and photos which Garik
Avanesyan took in Karabakh in 2007, 20 years later.

Garik Avanesyan was born in Baku, and his photographic roads often
took him to the homeland of his parents Nagorno-Karabakh. In 1988
Garik left for Kazakhstan, Moscow and finally Prague where he lives.

Garik Avanesyan said in an interview with Karabakh-Open.com that in
late May together with a group of Czech and Austrian photographs he
will come to take pictures of Artsakh. The result of this visit will
be a book about Nagorno-Karabakh in the eyes of foreign photographers.

TOBACCO CORPORATIONS KILL IGNORANT RUSSIANS WITH ‘LIGHT CIGARETTES’

Pravda
May 21 2008
Russia

According to the World Health Organization, Russia has the largest
number of smokers after China, India and Indonesia.

Russia has the largest number of male smokers in the world (70.2
percent). This is actually the limit, since others will not start
smoking because of their education, principles, state of health and
other reasons. That said, tobacco producers have found new customers
in Russia – women and children. The nation has already witnessed
an increasing number of smoking women: from 15.5 percent in 2001 to
23.2 percent in 2007. The new target audience for light cigarettes
is women aged between 14 and 40.

Unfortunately, under the influence of advertising most Russians
think that light cigarettes are less harmful. The Levada Center
public opinion poll showed that 24.4 percent of respondents consider
that light cigarettes cause less damage to health than ordinary
cigarettes. Moreover, this illusion is much more popular among smokers
– 34 percent of smokers agree with this statement.

"However, the usage of such terms as "light cigarettes" or "cigarettes
with low tar content" and other deluding statements is banned in
46 countries," said Dmitry Yanin, the Chairman of the Board of the
International Consumer Society of Russia. Among these countries are
EU nations, China, India, Iran, Turkey, Thailand, Israel, Canada,
Australia, Norway, Switzerland, Brazil, Venezuela, Peru, Uruguay,
Chili and Panama. Armenia and Ukraine have also introduced the ban
on the usage of the term "light".

International scientific data showed that light cigarettes are not
less harmful than other types and they are as addictive as ordinary
cigarettes. In 2001 the US National Cancer Institute published the
analysis of in-house documents of producers which showed that tobacco
producers hide the truth about light cigarettes.

The level of tar and nicotine is measured with the help of "smoking
devices". Light cigarettes are not less harmful, for the apparatuses
used to measure the level of tar and nicotine give wrong readings. In
light cigarettes filter paper has small vent holes. When inhaling
air is tested with a device, the air gets through these holes and
triggers smoke formation.

But people smoke cigarettes in another way, differently from that used
with smoking devices. A smoker pressures vent holes with fingers or
lips during smoking.

Thus, the measurements taken by the above-mentioned devices show a
lower level of tar and nicotine and the level of tar, nicotine and
carbon oxide measure by ISO/FTC methods and indicated on cigarette
packs are unreliable. This is the conclusion made by the WHO Scientific
Consulting Committee on Smoking Production Regulation and the Canadian
Ministry Consulting Council on Tobacco Control.

Addiction to nicotine is another argument against light and low
tar cigarettes. Smokers become addicted to nicotine. The depth and
frequency of inhalations changes to make up the lack of nicotine caused
by the smoke rarefaction. To satisfy this addiction smokers take more
light cigarettes every day, and inhale deeper and more often than they
do when smoking ordinary cigarettes. The smoke from one light or low
tar cigarette inhaled by a man or a woman may contain two or three
times more tar and nicotine in comparison with the smoke inhaled by
"the smoking device". The same attitude is taken by Russian scientists
of oncology.

The Federal Service for Consumer Rights Protection currently works
on a legal opportunity to ban the use of such terms as "light",
"super light", "ultra light", "mild flavour and delicate odour",
because the usage of unreliable information violates the law on
protection of consumer rights.

PARLIAMENT SPEAKER TOROSIAN TO LEAVE FOR STRASBOURG

ARMENPRESS
May 20, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 20, ARMENPRESS: Parliament Speaker Tigran Torosian
will leave for Strasbourg to participate in the meeting of European
parliaments chairpersons.

The parliament press office told Armenpress that the meeting, scheduled
for May 22-23, will discuss topics on parliaments and civil societies,
national parliaments and the Council of Europe, democracy, human
rights and rule of law.

On the sidelines of the conference Tigran Torosian is expected to meet
with PACE Chairman Luis Maria de Puigi, Council of Europe Secretary
General Terry Davis, Marios Garoyan, chairman of the Cyprus Parliament,
as well as with Bogdan Borusevitzc, chairman of Polish Senate.

Hürriyet, Turkey
May 17 2008

Armenia asks US to press Turkey to normalize relations

Armenian lobby in the United States presented a new bill to House of
Representatives envisaging Washington to put pressure on Ankara to
lift the embargo which it claimed Turkey imposes on Armenia, the
state-run Anatolian Agency reported Saturday.

Adam Schiff, an MP of U.S. Democrat Party, prepared the bill. Schiff
is known as leading Armenian initiatives in the House of
Representatives.

The bill envisages U.S. to launch initiatives for the removal of the
alleged embargo and U.S. Secretary of State to prepare a report for
the Congress about the incidents.

The same text should be submitted to the senate and the bill should be
adopted both in the House of Representatives and in the Senate and
should be signed by U.S. President in order to be enacted.

Armenian lobby in the United States had submitted a similar bill two
years ago but the bill has not been presented to the agenda of the
House of Representatives.

Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic links after Ankara severed ties
in protest against Armenian control and violence in the
Nagorno-Karabakh region, which Armenia invaded in a war with
Azerbaijan in the early 1990s. The border between Turkey and Armenia
has been closed.

Armenia’s genocide claims are another problem in two countries’
relations. Armenia, with the backing of the diaspora, claims up to 1.5
million of their kin were slaughtered in orchestrated killings in
1915. However 300,000 Armenians along with at least as many Turks died
in civil strife that emerged when the Armenians took up arms for
independence in eastern Anatolia.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON LITERACY, ATTENDED BY ARMENIAN DELEGATION, STARTS IN AZERBAIJAN

Today.Az
ety/44985.html
May 14 2008
Azerbaijan

A regional conference UNESCO "Resolution of problems of literacy
in Europe on subregional basis: establishment of partner relations
and promotion of application of innovative approaches" started in
Baku today.

According to Day.Az, during the opening of the conference, head of
Heydar Aliyev’s Foundation, Milli Medjlis deputy, country’s first
lady Mehriban Aliyeva, UNESCO director general Koishiro Matsuura and
others will deliver a speech at the opening.

During the press conference on the conference opening, Azerbaijan’s
Minister of Education Misir Mardanov stressed importance of conduction
of such conferences in Azerbaijan.

He said the ties between Azerbaijan and UNESCO are growing each year.

"I think the conduction of this conference in Baku is significant. As
for Azerbaijan, I should noted that most population of the country
can read and write. And each resident of Azerbaijan has access to
schools", said Mardanov.

In turn, deputy head of UNESCO on education Nicholas Burnet announced
that though the literacy level in Europe is quite high, it is important
to hold such conferences.

"I am grateful to Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev’s Foundation because they
agreed to arrange this conference", said Burnet.

It should be noted that the said conference is the fifth in the
series of six regional and subregional conferences of UNESCO. The
conference will be attended by representatives of 30 countries,
including from Armenia.

The conference will last until May 16.

THE PRICE OF THE SHARES OF VIMPELCOM REACHED ITS BOTTOM ON NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE

arminfo
2008-05-14 23:24:00

ArmInfo. The price of the shares of Vimpelcom has reached its bottom
and will now begin to grow to average $38 per share.

A source from ArmenTel (subsidiary of VimpelCom) has informed Interfax
that in Jan-Mar 2008 the price dropped from $43 to $31. In 2007 the
price of VimpelCom’s shares grew by over 100%, they were in high demand
and the drop was inevitable. One more reason was the mortgage crisis
in the United States and the stock exchange crisis in the world. As
a result, investors withdrew their money from securities and put it
in less risky instruments like bonds.

This had a negative effect of some Russian companies, particularly,
on VimpelCom.

However, most experts believe that the price will no longer fall and
will go back up to an average $38 per share.

TER-PETROSYAN LIES OVER AGAIN

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on May 13, 2008
Armenia

"Ter-Petrosyan states that we held negotiations on March 1, by the
mediation of certain Ambassadors in Armenia. I’m unaware of this fact.

We didn’t hold any negotiations by the mediation of the Ambassadors
and I haven’t received any proposals.

By my recommendation Head of the Presidential Administration
Armen Gevorgyan had two meetings with the representatives of the
international organizations and the Ambassadors of the EU countries,
in the evening of March 1.

The meetings were of informative nature and didn’t include elements
of negotiations," Robert Kocharyan announced during his interview
given to MEDIAMAX agency.

PRIMATE OF AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND INTERVIEWED BY ABC RADIO

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 13, 2008

SYDNEY, MAY 13, ARMENIANS TODAY – NOYAN TAPAN. With the advent of
commemorations last week in remembrance of the Armenian Genocide,
a radio interview was conducted with His Eminence Archbishop Aghan
Baliozian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Australia
and New Zealand by John Clearly on ABC Radio Local.

Whilst the interview was initiated to introduce the Archbishop and
the Armenian Apostolic Church to the broader listening audience,
it was timely scheduled to coincide with the commemorative week
and bring about greater awareness of the Genocide and the issue of
recognition. The interview also explored religious aspects of Armenian
heritage as well as some cultural.

Pravda, Russia
May 9 2008

Kirk Kerkorian to acquire 20 million shares in Ford

Kirk Kerkorian, an Armenian-American billionaire, and CEO of Tracinda
Corporation, has made a cash tender offer to acquire 20 million shares
in Ford.

Tracinda Corporation currently owns 100 million shares, or about 4.7
percent of Ford’s stock and the new acquisition will raise the amount
up to 5.6 percent.

Tracinda most recently made headlines by offering $4.5 billion to buy
Chrysler on April 5, 2007, causing the shares of DaimlerChrysler to
soar 5.3%. However many have speculated that the dollar value of the
bid is inadequate for DaimlerChrysler to accept. Interestingly,
Kerkorian also bid in 1995 to take over Chrysler, unsuccessfully. The
deal fell apart after Kerkorian and Tracinda were largely locked out
of financing for their offer after heavy lobbying by Chrysler against
the bid on Wall Street.

Having no intent to gain control over Ford, Tracinda left open the
possibility of acquiring more shares.

The tender offer is due to expire on June 9. Currently Ford takes no
actions setting aside the review of the case till the end of this
month.

BTA Investbank congratulates ARKA agency

YEREVAN, May 6. /ARKA/. Dear Mr Petrosov,

Allow us to congratulate you and your staff on the 12TH birthday
anniversary of the Agency and wish you success in your creative work,
further prosperity, great business achievement and success in all your
undertakings.

Over the last three years of cooperation we have been convinced that
you are professionals in what you are doing.

You have a large audience, and we hope for further cooperation.

I am sure that ARKA has new birthday anniversaries and jubilees ahead.
The only thing required is improving professional skills, writing in a
true and interesting manner. I wish the ARKA staff success, happiness,
flight of creative thought and faithful readers.

Best regards,

Rasul Kosanov

Chairman of Board of Directors, BTA Investbank