ARMAN PASHIKYAN WINS ARMENIAN CHESS TOURNAMENT
PanARMENIAN.Net
27.01.2009 15:21 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The 69th Armenian chess championship ended in
victory of Arman Pashikyan, who defeated Olympic champion Tigran
Petrosyan in the finals.
Thanks to the extra index, Pashikyan left behind Tigran Kotanjyan,
who also pretended to the title.
Lilit Galoyan won the women’s tournament.
ARMRUSGAZPROM PLANS TO ALLOCATE 30.6 BILLION DRAMS FOR MODERNIZATION OF 5TH POWER UNIT OF HRAZDAN TPP IN 2009
Noyan Tapan
Jan 27, 2009
ArmRusgazprom CJSC plans to make investments of 78.6 billion drams
in 2009, including 30.6 billion drams (about 100 million USD) for
modernization of the 5th power unit of Hrazdan Thermal Power Plant
(TPP).
According to the website of the company, in addition to acquiring the
assets of 248.8 million USD of incompleted construction of Hrazdan
TPP’s 5th unit, ArmRusgazprom also assumed an obligation to complete
the power unit’s construction and modernize it under the agreement
signed between the Armenian government and Gazprom OJSC in 2006. It
is envisaged investing about 180 million USD for implementation of
the project’s investment stage, as a result of which a power plant
with modern efficient gas turbines will be put into operation in
2010. The program is being financed through an additional issue of
shares of ArmRusgazprom CJSC – for benefit of Gazprom OJSC.
LEGISLATIVE AMENDMENTS INSTEAD OF GRANTING PARDON
Karine Asatryan
A1+
[08:17 pm] 26 January, 2009
People detained for their political viewpoints will be released after
relevant amendments are introduced to the Armenian legislature. PACE
Co-rapporteurs on Armenia suggest that the Assembly should not impose
sanctions on Armenia as "Armenian authorities have already demonstrated
political will." The view was expressed by the member of the Armenian
delegation Armen Rustamyan.
In particular, Armenian authorities have promised to review Articles
300 and 225 the oppositionalists are charged with.
Rustamyan says judges will review the indictments after the legislative
body amends the disputed articles. He adds that the legislative
amendments will be put into effect by March.
FLASH from COMPASS DIRECT NEWS
News from the Frontlines of Persecution
Summary:
LOS ANGELES, January 23 (Compass Direct News) – Three Christians from two
different families were arrested from their homes Wednesday morning (Jan.
21) and are being held without charges, sources told Compass. Authorities
took Jamal Ghalishorani, 49, and his wife Nadereh Jamali from their home in
Tehran between 7 and 8 a.m., about a half hour after arresting Hamik
Khachikian, an Armenian Christian also living in Tehran. Ghalishorani and
his wife are Christian converts from Islam, considered "apostasy" in Iran
and potentially punishable by death. The three arrested Christians belong to
house churches, source said, and they hold jobs and are not supported as
clergy. The arrests come as part of a tsunami of arrests in the past several
months, sources said. Arrests and pressure on Christians from authorities
have ramped up even further in the past few months, the source said, adding
that the reasons were unclear. Another source, however, said the arrests are
part of a concerted, nationwide government plan against non-Islamic faiths.
"We are quite sure that these arrests are part of a bigger operation from
the government," the source said. "Maybe up to 50 people were arrested. In
Tehran alone already some 10 people were arrested – all on the same day,
January 21."
**********
Three Iranian Christians Arrested from Homes in Tehran
‘Continuously high’ wave of arrests increases; whereabouts, charges unknown.
Special to Compass Direct News
LOS ANGELES, January 23 (Compass Direct News) – Three Christians from two
different families were arrested from their homes Wednesday morning (Jan.
21) and are being held without charges, sources told Compass.
Authorities took Jamal Ghalishorani, 49, and his wife Nadereh Jamali from
their home in Tehran between 7 and 8 a.m., about a half hour after arresting
Hamik Khachikian, an Armenian Christian also living in Tehran. Ghalishorani
and his wife are Christian converts from Islam, considered "apostasy" in
Iran and potentially punishable by death.
Christian sources told Compass that Ghalishorani converted to Christianity
30 years ago, and his wife received Christ about 15 years ago. They have one
child, a 13-year-old daughter, while Khachikian has two children, a
16-year-old son and an 11-year-old daughter. Authorities have not told the
families of the charges against those arrested or their whereabouts.
The three arrested Christians belong to house churches, source said, and
they hold jobs and are not supported as clergy. Police also took books and
computers from the families’ homes.
The arrests come as part of a tsunami of arrests in the past several months,
the sources said.
"We don’t know why the pressure is continuously high, but we see that it is
increasing," said one source. "The government does it to the Baha’i people
as well – there are more arrests in the last several months among them than
in maybe the whole 30 years before."
Arrests and pressure on Christians from authorities have ramped up even
further in the past few months, the source said, adding that the reasons
were unclear.
Another source, however, said the arrests are part of a concerted,
nationwide government plan.
"We are quite sure that these arrests are part of a bigger operation from
the government," the source said. "Maybe up to 50 people were arrested. In
Tehran alone already some 10 people were arrested – all on the same day,
January 21."
Sources noted that whereas past waves of intense harassment and arrests of
Christians eventually have subsided, recent pressure has been "continuously
high," with reports of arrests in almost every month of 2008.
"In the past there have been waves of incredible pressure, but then it
seemed to calm down a bit sometimes," said one source. "Then we had the
feeling pressure came and went, but now it is continuously ongoing."
The families of those arrested fear for their safety. Khachikian’s wife is
"very confused, she has no idea where her husband is," said the source.
"Relatives are taking care of the daughter of Jamal and Nadereh’s, but of
course she’s very anxious about what will happen to her parents."
The arrests are particularly disturbing in light of the Iranian parliament’s
approval last September of a new penal code calling for a mandatory death
sentence for "apostates," or those who leave Islam. In the past death
sentences for apostasy were issued only under judicial interpretations of
sharia (Islamic law).
Under the new penal code, male "apostates" would be executed, while females
would receive life sentences. The new code was to be sent to Iran’s most
influential body, the Guardian Council, which will rule on it. The council
is made up of six conservative theologians appointed by Iran’s Supreme
Leader and six jurists nominated by the judiciary and approved by
parliament. This body has the power to veto any bill it deems inconsistent
with the constitution and Islamic law.
The last Iranian Christian convert from Islam executed by the Iranian
government was Hossein Soodmand in 1990. He was accused of working as "an
American spy." Since then at least six Protestant pastors have been
assassinated by unknown killers.
END
**********
Copyright 2009 Compass Direct News
Compass Direct Flash News is distributed as available to raise awareness of
Christians worldwide who are persecuted for their faith. Articles may be
reprinted by active subscribers only.
For subscription information, contact:
Compass Direct News
P.O. Box 27250
Santa Ana, CA 92799-7250
USA
TEL: 949-862-0304
E-mail: [email protected]
<;
STANDUP AGAINST HATE: WE MUST LEARN THE LESSONS OF HISTORY TO AVOID THE HORRORS HAPPENING AGAIN
by Benjamin Zephaniah
Birmingham Post
January 23, 2009 Friday
UK
Genocide is an appalling crime against humanity that we hope will
never again be repeated. Today, as we approach Holocaust Memorial Day,
we might stop and reflect on the fact that it still has the potential
to be repeated and perpetrated around the world, unless we are on our
guard and understand that our actions today have consequences tomorrow.
The use of the term genocide can be problematic and contentious
but it shouldn’t disguise historical fact. One of the first modern
day genocides took place in Armenia, a part of modern day Turkey in
1915. This massacre of 1.5 million people, indiscriminate of age or
gender, is still not acknowledged as genocide by Turkey – long after
it took place. The United States did not recognise or act on the
events at the time and consequently Hitler admitted looking at the
Armenians and deciding that if they can get away with it, he could
also. If people don’t recognise something, its entire existence is
erased. It begs the question – if the United Kingdom and United States
had not recognised the Holocaust when it happened, would anyone think
it had ever existed? Who decides what we remember and what we don’t –
and does it mean that things we don’t remember or recognise didn’t
exist and don’t count?
My earliest recollection of hatred was in the late-60s when I was
eight years old and I still have the scar to prove it. I was walking
home from school in Hands worth, Birmingham, when another boy camecy
cling past with a brick in his hand. He hit me across the back of
my head with the brick and shouted ‘You black bastard!’, as he rode
off. When I got home, blood pouring from the back of my head, my
mother told me that some people in the world are just like that and
it’s something we have to live with. It was not even a consideration
to report the crime – it would have been ignored anyway. This incident
was the first time I realised I was different and that people actually
hated me for who and what I was. The scar on the back of my head is
a constant reminder of this.
People have to understand the past to see the future, they have
to start recognising the dangers of the present to prevent them
escalating into the Holocaust of the future. A close late friend
of mine recently told me a story of how, when she was very young,
she went to a political meeting in Austria with her mother and
auntie. After the meeting, the two adults were debating the event,
concluding that the main political figure, who was a radical speaker,
would never amount to anything and should just be ignored. That main
figure was Adolf Hitler.
When people don’t recognise these dangers, the problems start. Call it
innocent ignorance, call it optimism, however you want to look at it,
unless we recognise and stand up to these figures, who knows where
it can lead?My friend’s mother and auntiecertainly would never have
imagined what Hitler could go on to do in the years that followed
that meeting.
Bob Marley said in one of his songs ‘Well the biggest man you
ever did see, was once a baby’, and that is what interests me as a
writer. Hitler was once a baby looked on adoringly by people. He
then went on to become one of the most powerful men in history,
orchestrating the killings of hundreds of thousands of innocent
people. The boy who racially attacked me in Hands worth may have
gone on to abuse and physically hurt other people since. His attack
onmewas left unchecked so what’s to stop him?
It is so important that we have Holocaust Memorial Day in January
to remind us to acknowledge how bad we can be to each other, whether
it’s direct and intentional or indirect and unintentional.
All it takes is one discriminatory group to gain power and it can
all fall apart. We must join together to recognise where these acts
of hatred, regardless of size, can lead if left unchecked.
I urge all Britons to ‘Stand up to Hatred’ and recognise the impact
we can have on our future. By considering these things, next time we
see, hear, or experience any act of hatred anywhere and in any form,
we can make a better future.
Benjamin Zephaniah is a Handsworth born poet
THE HORROR OF HOLOCAUST
The word Holocaust comes from the Greek words holos, meaning
completely; and kaustos, meaning burnt. It is used to describe the
total destruction of people on a massive scale.
During the Holocaust in Germany, more than six million Jews, gypsies,
homosexuals and opponents of the Nazi regime were murdered in
concentration camps.
The mass murder, which Hitler referred to as "the final solution to
the Jewish question", wiped out two thirds of all Jews in Europe.
There were 39 camps throughout the Nazi territory. At the height
of the exterminations, more than 9,000 people were killed per day
in Auschwitz.
Germany was not the only place to suffer from a holocaust. The mass
murders in Rwanda, Cambodia and Armenia have also been referred to
as holocausts.
People have to understand the past to see the future, they have to
start recognising the dangers of the present to prevent them escalating
into the Holocaust of the future.
DIPLOMATIC INDOOR SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN
armradio.am
23.01.2009 14:57
RA Diplomatic Indoor Soccer Championship will take place at Yerevan’s
Dinamo Gym from January 24 to 25.
Diplomats from the Embassies of the United States, Ukraine, Kazakhstan,
Poland, Romania, Brazil, Georgia, Turkmenistan and Iran, as well
as the ministry of Foreign affairs of Armenia will participate in
the championship.
The opening ceremony will take place on January 24 , at 10 a.m at
the Dinamo Gym.
ARMENIAN CITIZEN DIED IN MOSCOW
A1+
[07:24 pm] 21 January, 2009
Armenian citizen Gevorg Gevorgyan, 1972, died near Moscow’s
underground station Belyaevo January 20 after being knocked down by a
train. Strangely though it may seem, Gevorgyan had fallen under the
third car. According to Russian mass media, the underground station
was not overcrowded yesterday, hence it is not known whether Gevorgyan
was killed or fell victim to a fatal accident.
Investigation is under way
PRESIDENT OF THE NKR CONVOKED A WORKING CONSULTATION…
Azat Artsakh Daily
21 Jan 09
Republic of Nagorno Karabakh [NKR]
On 20 January President of the Nagorno Karabagh Republic Bako
Sahakyan convoked a working consultation with heads of NKR regional
administrations.
A wide range of issues related to socioeconomic situation in the
regions and the work of local self-government bodies were discussed
at the consultation.
Touching upon the issue of raising the work effectiveness of the local
self-government bodies, the President noted that the implementation
of the points presented in his speech delivered last November during
the meeting with heads of local self-government bodies should
be accelerated. Talking about ameliorating living conditions of
indigent families, the Head of the State considered important tight
cooperation between corresponding state bodies and non-governmental
organizations. NKR minister of social security Narine Azatyan partook
at the consultation. *** On the same day the Head of the State
convoked another consultation on issues related the development and
beautification of the town of Martouni. NKR premier Ara Haroutyunyan
and other officials partook at the consultation.
ARMENIA’S GDP GROWS BY 6.8% IN 2008 AS COMPARED WITH PREVIOUS YEAR
Noyan Tapan
Jan 20, 2009
YEREVAN, JANUARY 20, NOYAN TAPAN. Armenia’s GDP grew by 6.8% in 2008
on the previous year and made 3 trillion 650 billion 49.8 million
drams (more than 11 bln 930.9 mln USD). The index-deflator of GDP
made 108.5%.
According to the RA National Statistical Service, industrial production
increased by 2% in Armenia in 2008 on 2007 and made 751 bln 251.3
mln drams.
Gross agricultural output grew by 1.3% to 637 bln 272.5 mln drams,
construction grew by 1.7% to 842 bln 351 mln drams, retail trade
increased by 4.4% to 1 trillion 59 bln 571.2 mln drams, and services
grew by 13.8% to 731 bln 657 mln drams.
The foreign trade of Armenia grew by 24% as compared with
January-November of the previous year and amounted to 5 bln 480.4 mln
USD, with exports declining by 7.8% to 1 bln 69 mln USD, and imports
growing by 35% to 4 bln 411.7 mln USD.
Consumer prises rose by 9%, industrial production prices – by 2.2%
in 2008 on 2007.
The number of the officially registered unemployed fell by 0.5% in
the country in late December 2008 as compared with the same month of
2007 and made 74.7 thousand.
The average monthly nominal salary made 91,331 drams in 2008 (17.4%
growth as compared with 2007), including the salary of employees
of budgetary institutions – 64,836 drams (18.6% growth) and that
of employees of nonbudgetary institutions – 113,882 drams (16.3%
growth). The average exchange rate of a US dollar made 305.97 drams
in 2008, while in 2007 the same index made 342.08 drams.
THE ARMENIAN DEVELOPMENT AGENCY CJSC COUNCIL MET AT THE OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT, CHAIRED BY COUNCIL HEAD, RA PRIME MINISTER TIGRAN SARGSYAN
Fri day, 16 January 2009
The council discussed and approved the ADA action plan for 2009. In
presenting the action plan, ADA General Executive Director Robert
Harutunyan noted that based on the previous meeting’s assignments,
the character of the projected actions was revised and the plan
now incorporates such specific actions as have clear objectives
and targets, as well as persons responsible for implementation. The
proposed document comprises interesting investment proposals which are
to be finalized subsequently. According to him, these actions will
boost investments and exports, improve the business and investment
environment. They are also aimed at upgrading and further developing
the IT sector in Armenia.
Under the action plan, exports will be stimulated by assisting
export-biased enterprises with the development and implementation of
development-oriented and marketing projects, drafting and execution
of new export-related projects, as well as by means of studies carried
out on domestic and foreign market demands and enterprises.
As presented by the ADA General Executive Director, Armenia’s IT
sector will be upgraded through continued efforts exercised within the
domestic business and IT communities inclusive of the working groups
in order to identify the existing barriers, estimate the possibilities
for their removal and formulate corresponding proposals. All this will
be discussed within the Business Support and IT Development councils.
In conclusion, the meeting discussed and approved the ADA estimate
of expenditures for 2009.