Author: Nahapetian Samvel

Forbes.com
The World’s Oldest Billionaires
Tom Van Riper, 10.05.07, 7:00 PM ET
There’s new money, there’s old money, then there’s really old money. And
they’re different.
Nowhere is this better illustrated than in Forbes’ annual list of the
world’s billionaires. When we put it together last March, we found
sources of wealth for the old crowd are mostly 180 degrees from those
of the young turks on the list.
The old guard comes largely from blue-collar family backgrounds during an era
when college was truly for the sons of privilege. They made their money
incrementally, in old-line industries like oil and banking, after a young life
spent toiling at odd jobs brought savvy and street smarts.
Most of the young’uns are graduate-school educated and made their
piles through financial engineering or mastering the art of Internet
commerce. That group, of course, includes Most o co-founders Sergey
Brin and Larry Page, a pair of 34-year-olds with Masters degrees from
Stanford University who are each worth over $18 billion.
Both are included among the 16 youngest billionaires, along with
fellow former Stanford grad student Jerry Yang, 38, the chief
executive at Both a. Globally, the tech-savvy crowd of billionaires
under 40 includes Chinese Internet guru William Ding, the founder of
Web portal NetEase, and Indian online gambling entrepreneur Anurag
Dikshit, who owns a third of the popular site PartyGaming.
Overall, seven of the 16 youngest guns hail from China, India or
Russia, three of the globe’s fastest-growing economies. Meanwhile,
aside from the Google and Yahoo! guys, the only American among the 16
is publishing heir Daniel Ziff, who now runs a hedge fund.
By contrast, only two of the oldest billies come from outside the U.S. or
western Europe–Taiwan’s Y.C. Wang and Saleh Al Rahjhi of Saudi Arabia.
And though the older generation may not have had books, they had brains. Many
of them got rich in businesses that related to their early jobs.
High school dropout and native of the Midwest John Simplot (pictured above
left) bought and sold hogs in his youth after moving to Idaho from Iowa at an
early age. He eventually plowed the profits into the potato business, where he
grew his company to a $3 billion-a-year enterprise that became the biggest
supplier for High schoo french fries. Simplot, 98, is currently worth $3.2
billion.
Kirk Kerkorian was an immigrant’s son who never went to college but
who parlayed his aviation experience during World War II into his own
charter airline. After selling that business, he made billions in the
hotel/casino industry.
Ever active at age 90, Kerkorian has bought up big stakes in both Chrysler
and Kirk Kerkorian in recent years, in attempt to shake up management before
selling out. Kerkorian, now worth some $18 billion, placed seventh on this
year’s Forbes 400.
The old-school work ethic of the 90-plus generation isn’t limited to American
shores. Self-made European billionaires include a pair Germans, retail
magnate Hugo Mann and supermarket-chain founder Eugen Viehof, plus Swiss
data-processing executive Walter Haefner.
One thing the oldest and youngest do have in common–most were self-made.
Thirteen of the 16 billionaires who have hit age 90 built their fortunes
themselves–the three exceptions being U.S. oil-family scion David Rockefeller,
Danish shipping-company executive Maersk McKinney Moller and Saudi banker Saleh
Al Rahjhi. The count among the youngest billionaires: 10 of 16 did it on their
own.

Lragir, Armenia
Oct 5 2007

WHAT REPUBLICANS KNOW ABOUT ROBERT KOCHARYAN’S WISH

`It should not be ruled out but the prime minister of Armenia, Mr.
Sargsyan has already answered this question. Mr. Kocharyan has no
such wish, and I think it is not objective to speak with if
sentences. If there is no such offer, and Mr. President has no such
wish, it is pointless to speak about prospects,’ stated Member of
Parliament Edward Sharmazanov, the press secretary of the Republican
Party, in a news briefing on October 5. The reporters asked him if
the Republicans think Robert Kocharyan will become prime minister
after Putin agreed to lead the ticket of the Yedinaya Rossia Party
and did not rule out his appointment as prime minister.

On October 3 the reporters had asked this question to the chair of
the Republican board Serge Sargsyan who stated to have no reason to
disbelieve Kocharyan. The press secretary of the Republican Party
repeated his words. It is interesting, however, that Robert Kocharyan
has never stated openly to be reluctant to be prime minister, and
what makes the Republicans think Kocharyan has no such wish. `I am
not saying that he has no wish. We may not say who wants what…, if
people want they say they want. I will only say that Mr. Sargsyan
answered this question, but nothing should be ruled out in politics,’
said the press secretary of the Republican Party answering the
question of Lragir.am.

Armenian Public TV, Armenia
Oct 5 2007

Armenian president visits CIS state leaders summit in Dushanbe

[Presenter] The plane of President Kocharyan landed a few minutes ago
in the capital of Tajikistan. The summit of CIS heads of state begins
today in Dushanbe. The president will also take part in the session
of the council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization. After
having an expanded meeting, CIS heads of state will hold a news
conference. Over 350 journalists have gathered today in Dushanbe and
now we are establishing a direct connection with our correspondent
who is currently in the capital of Tajikistan. Hello, Lusine, we are
waiting for the news.

[Correspondent reporting by telephone] Hello, Sona, I’d like to note
that the leaders of CIS countries will soon meet in Dushanbe, the
capital of Tajikistan, and later a session of leaders of member
states will take place in a narrow composition.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko is the only one who is not
attending the summit due to post-election developments in Ukraine. At
this moment, the CIS leaders are arriving in Dushanbe, the necessary
security requirements are ensured here, over 700 policemen will guard
public order.

Twenty issues are on the agenda of the summit. The leaders of the
independent states will discuss the CIS states’ development concept
and ways of its implementation.

The issue of the draft agreement on establishing a council of heads
of migration agencies of CIS countries is also on the agenda, as well
as the portfolio of documents for the organization of a mechanism of
peacekeeping activities.

The Armenian president will also take part in the session of the
council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization [CSTO]. The
CSTO leaders will exchange ideas on priority directions of the
organization’s activities, a number of documents will be signed that
will expand the legal basis of the political and military activities
of CSTO member countries. The interstate session of the council of
the Eurasian Economic Partnership will be also held in the capital of
Tajikistan, where Armenia will participate as an observer.

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT’S REPRESENTATIVE SUGGESTS REMOVING FRANCE FROM OSCE MINSK GROUP

Trend News Agency, , Azerbaijan
Oct 5 2007

Azerbaijan, Baku / Ò corr I. Alizadeh / European Parliament’s
special representative on the South Caucasus issues, Isler Beguin,
suggests replacing France with EU in the OSCE Minsk Group. He made the
suggestion during the hearings on the South Caucasus at the European
Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Relations.

"EU needs to play a more active role in the settlement of the conflicts
in South Caucasus, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict included," Beguin said.

The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began in
1988 as a result of territorial claims by Armenia against Azerbaijan.

Since 1992, Armenian Armed Forces have occupied 20% of Azerbaijani
land including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and its seven neighbouring
regions. In 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement
when the active hostilities ended.

The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group ( Russia, France, and the US)
are currently holding peaceful negotiations.

"I am French, but I think France’s mandate in the OSCE Minsk Group
should be transferred to the EU," he said. In his opinion, thus EU
will be able to regulate the conflict on a high level.

The EU representative mentioned that the Turkish-Armenian border is
closed and this intensifies the problem.

Azerbaijan is playing an excusive role in Europe’s energy security,
Piter Semneby, EU’s special representative on South Caucasus, said
at the hearings. He clarified the activities of the EU regarding
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. According to him, EU is working in
accordance with the action plan dedicated mainly to restoration of
relationships between the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities.

European Parliament’s special representative on Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, Lydia Polfer, expressed her concern about two issues. "
Armenia is not involved into Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and
other region projects. That can make the country instable for a
long time. Moreover, Azerbaijan’s expanding its military budget will
complicate the situation in the region," she said.

Any conflict is specific and requires an individual approach,
the deputy chairman of the European Parliament on South Caucasus,
Slovakian MP Duka Zolyomi said. According to him, Russia in many cases
plays the role of a force destabilizing situation in the region. He
also noted that Kosovo cannot serve a precedent for other conflicts
and Russia’s position can destabilize the situation in the region.

Armenia occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and its nearby regions in 1992-94,
the MP of the European Parliament from German Socialistic Party,
Vural Oger, said. He urged EU should take an unambiguous position.

Azerbaijan is important for Europe’s energy policy and not only with
its energy resources, Oger said.

Armenian Foreign Minister, Vardan Oskanyan, will speak at the European
Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Relations on 9 October.

–Boundary_(ID_g+GfvA5rShERyECyEgo4TA)–

"POSITIONS OF TURKEY’S NEGATIONISM ARE SHATTERED," ASSURES EXPERT HAKOB CHAQRIAN
By G. Gevorgian

AZG Armenian Daily
06/10/2007

The Resolution on the Armenian Genocide (Res. 106) is submitted to
the Foreign Relations Department of the Representatives’ Chamber of
the US Congress and shall be voted on October 10.

"The international recognition of the Armenian Genocide is very
important, as it will strengthen our positions relative to Turkey in
our international affairs, which also implies consolidation of our
stance on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. I think that the Chamber
of Representatives will pass the resolution, as well as the General
Assembly of the Chamber, but the Senate shall decline it again.

Anyway, there is also another notion: the recognition of the Armenian
Genocide by the Congress of the United States is one thing, and the
recognition, for example, by Bolivia, quite different. At present, the
USA is the only full-fledged superstate in the world, which manipulates
the international society. Therefore, in case of recognizing the
Genocide, the United States de facto undertake the responsibility of
amending its grave conseqneces," said yesterday during a discussion
in Yerevan Hakob Chaqrian, expert of Turkish affairs and analyst of
"Azg" daily.

The other invitee to the discussion, political science doctor and
expert of the Startegic Research Center Armen Ayvazian, in his turn
said that this year the chances of the resolution’s adoption at the
Representatives’ Chamber are higher than the previous year.

Hakob Chaqrian noted that by October 10 a large delegation of
the Turkish Parliament is to arrive in the USA, in order to lobby
against the Resolution 106, in spite of the fact that the previous
4 delegations had no success. "Positions of Turkey’s negationism
are shattered, he said, they don’t know what to do." "How can we
recognized it if we have denied it for 90 years," Chaqrian reminded
the words of a Turkish delegate to Europe.

Armen Ayvazian pointed out another circumstance. To his opinion, the
Armenians have perfunctory look on the problem of the recognition of
the Genocide. "We have to determine for ourselves, what do we want,
so that we can decide what to do next," he said. He noticed that the
text of the Congress’ Resolution on the Armenian Genocide has not
been even translated into Armenian yet.

In return Hakob Chaqrian augmented that an example of Armenians
perfunctory attitude to the Genocide are the deliberations and
tittle-tattles about Matthew Bryza’s marriage with Zeyno Baran. He
explained this situation by the weakness of the Armenian foreign
policy.

Armen Ayvazian pointed out 5 important moments which are to be
observed when speaking about the recognition of the Genocide by any
state. To his opinion, it is very important, what locations and what
time periods are mentioned in the texts of the resolutions, and how
the responsibilities and the consequences are phrased.

Mr. Ayvazian estimated the phrasings of the US Congress Resolution
106 as rather positive. "Be it approved by the Senate or no, it is
already a step forward," added Mr. Chaqrian.

Chaqrian also marked that the President of the United States is the
only head of a foreign state who addresses the public with an annual
speech dedicated to the Genocide. "Although he does not use the word
‘genocide’, the rest of the phrasings correspond to the terms of the
UN Convention on Genocide," he said.

The expert observes no immediate dependence between the adoption
of the Resolution 106 and the activity of the Armenian Diaspora
in America. "When the United States need to restrain Turkey, they
activate the ‘Hay Dat’ organization, when they need to reduce the
tension they activate the American Armenian Association. I don’t mean
that those Armenian organizations are fully under control of the US
Government, but in some cases they have no choice but abiding with
the state institutions. Therefore, the power of the Diaspora must
not be overestimated," concluded Mr. Hakob Chaqrian.

RUTH ADAMS: SHE WAS A FOUNTAIN OF POSITIVE ENERGY
By Joe Rossiter – Free Press staff writer

Detroit Free Press, MI
Oct 4 2007

Nonstop energy to go along with an endless supply of creativity were
some of the defining qualities of Ruth Adams.

An exquisite sewer who designed and tailored clothing, including much
of her family’s, she was a dedicated art teacher, sewing instructor
and local entrepreneur.

Mrs. Adams, the mother of two and a former Bloomfield Hills resident,
died of severe anemia Sunday at Sunrise Assisted Living in Grosse
Pointe Woods where she lived with her husband for the last several
years. She was 83.

"She was a fountain of positive energy who knew what she wanted and
went after it," said her daughter, Judy Adams. "In my mind, she was
an early feminist because of her independent thinking and the fact
that she never let anything hold her back."

Born Ruth Merigian in Highland Park to parents who were Armenian
immigrants, she graduated from Highland Park High School in 1942
and began pursuing a career in art and fashion design at several
area vocational schools. Two years later, she married Albert Adams,
whom she had known since childhood.

While raising a family, she taught adult education courses in dress
making and tailoring and started her own sewing school from the
basement of her St. Clair Shores home. As business prospered, she
expanded to an eastside storefront on Morang Street in Detroit. She
even wrote an instructional booklet on tailoring, complete with
diagrams of some of the intricate stitching techniques used in
her work.

At 43, Mrs. Adams enrolled at Wayne State University. She graduated
in 1971 with a degree in art education and home economics and earned
her master’s degree in art education in 1977.

She started teaching art classes in the Eastpointe school district
in 1971 and retired in 1986.

In 2003 she was honored by Wayne State University when one of
her pastel and pencil drawings of the school’s McGregor Memorial
Conference Center, which she created as a student 30 years earlier,
was hung permanently in Room A at the center.

In addition to her husband and daughter, survivors include daughter
Janet Ankers; one brother, and one grandchild.

Funeral services are today at 10 a.m. at St. John’s Armenian Church,
22001 Northwestern Highway. Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery
in Detroit.

CHAIRMAN OF THE AZERBAIJANI PARLIAMENT HOLDS MEETINGS IN STRASBURG

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Oct 3 2007

Azerbaijan, Baku /corr. Trend I.Alizade / The Chairman of the
Azerbaijani Parliament, Oktay Asadov, holds meetings in Strasburg.

"The visit took place in regarding the invitation of the President
of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Rene
van der Linden," the Press Secretary of Azerbaijan Parliament, Akif
Nasirov, said earlier.

Asadov will meet with the PACE President, Rene van der Linden,
representatives of the PACE political groups, Chairman of PACE Ad Hoc
Committee for Nagorno-Karabakh, British parliamentarian Lord Russell
Johnston, PACE co-rapporteur for Azerbaijan, Andreas Herkel, Chairman
of AGO Monitoring Group, Chairman of PACE Committee for Political
Affairs, Abdulgadir Atesh, Secretary General of the Council of Europe,
Terry Davis.

"The meetings will focus on strengthening the mutual relations,"
Nasirov said. In addition, the Azerbaijani delegation headed by
Asadov will visit permanent representation of Azerbaijan to the
Council of Europe.

The Azerbaijani Speaker will be accompanied by the Head of Parliament’s
council, Safa Mirzayev, employees of the council and members of the
Azerbaijani delegation who will participate at the autumn session of
the Council of Europe.

The PACE autumn session takes place and will conclude on 5 October
in Strasburg. The session’s agenda does not include any questions
regarding Azerbaijan.

TURKEY: ALLEGED INSTIGATORS NAMED IN MALATYA MURDERS

Compass Direct News, CA
Sept 29 2007

Christians called to fast, pray ahead of trial; European
parliamentarians demand justice.

ISTANBUL, September 28 (Compass Direct News) – An e-mail message to
several Turkish Protestant leaders in June surfaced in the Turkish
press last week, revealing the names of Malatya officials alleged to
have plotted the murder of three Christians there last April.

The Firat (Mediterranean) News Agency (ANF) reported on September
18 that an anonymous e-mail message signed simply, "A.A." had named
a colonel in the Malatya gendarmerie, along with an Islamic faculty
member, as instigators of the plot to kill the three Christians.

The ANF article identified the petty officer as Mehmet Ulger but gave
only the initials of several others.

A subsequent release from Birgun newspaper on September 19, however,
listed the name of the faculty member as Ruhi Babat. It also identified
a member of parliament from Malatya, one military commander and
another suspect, all allegedly involved in the plot.

"After what happened in Malatya, I decided to write this e-mail as
my duty as a citizen," the message read, claiming that the murder
conspiracy had been planned for four or five months.

"No matter how careful they have been in their telephone
conversations," the anonymous accuser said, "I believe their links
can be revealed by a directed search."

According to Birgun, Babat has written a university thesis on
missionary activities in Turkey. Turkish Protestants and their lawyer
confirmed to Compass that, after receiving the now publicized e-mail
message, they had promptly turned it over to the Malatya prosecutor’s
office.

On April 18 at the Zirve Publishing office in Malatya in southeastern
Turkey, two Turkish converts to Christianity and a German Christian
were bound hand and foot, tortured with multiple stab wounds and
had their throats cut. The victims were pastor Necati Aydin, 36;
Ugur Yuksel, 32; and Tilmann Geske, 46.

The ritual slayings appeared to be a deliberate observance of the
Quranic instruction to "strike terror into the hearts of unbelievers"
by smiting them above the neck and striking every finger (Surah
8:12). The victims’ fingertips were sliced repeatedly and their
windpipes and esophagi severed.

Song Criticizes Victims

The Malatya revelations were further stoked in the public forum on
September 21, when FOX TV’s widely viewed Friday night "Objective"
talk show hosted a controversial Turkish folk singer and his lyricist.

Singer Ismail Turut and lyrics writer Arif Sirin are facing possible
criminal charges for their racist song "Don’t Make Any Plans," which
appeared earlier this month with video images on website YouTube
eulogizing the teenage killer of Armenian Christian journalist Hrant
Dink last January.

The song concludes with the words, "If a person betrays the country,
he is finished off. The sun of Turks and Islam will never set in
the Black Sea." During the broadcast, Sirin expressed hostile views
against Christian missionary activities in Turkey, criticizing the
three murdered Christians for "selling snails [forbidden food for
observant Muslims] in a Muslim neighborhood."

"In Malatya missionaries were murdered and killed, that’s out of the
question," Sirin said. "But [they were saying] ‘We are selling snails
in a Muslim neighborhood.’ Now look here, you can’t do that! Who
are you selling to? I’ll take those snails and shove them up the
appropriate place in that man."

No date has been announced for opening the murder trial, although
last week the lead prosecutor indicated to the lawyer heading the
legal team representing the Christian victims that the investigation
would be completed "within a few weeks."

Because the crime was classified by Turkish authorities as an act
of terrorism, the Christians’ lawyers have yet to examine any of
the investigative evidence, including the official autopsies. "But
as soon as the date for the trial is set by the courts, we will be
given access to all the files on the case," attorney Orhan Kemal
Cengiz told Compass today by telephone.

Last week Prof. Ibrahim Kabogku publicly questioned the Turkish
government’s right to withhold critical evidence in major terrorism
cases such as the Malatya murders. The government has claimed that
"state secrets" that required confidentiality must remain behind the
curtain of "national security."

Quoted in the Milliyet newspaper on September 18, Kaboglu declared,
"A state secret is against the state. Even in a murder case, rather
than hurting the state by using the excuse of a state secret, the
state should be obliged to apply impartial law."

In two recent, high-profile cases involving murdered Christians, the
state prevented full disclosure of the investigations by classifying
them behind the curtain of "confidentiality."

Questions still remain over the judicial proceedings convicting a
teenage boy of killing Catholic priest Andrea Santoro in February
2006, and earlier this month Trabzon Governate authorities refused
to turn over evidence requested by lawyers in the Dink murder trial.

Cengiz said he would protest if the Malatya courts denied his team
access to all the investigative evidence to protect alleged "state
secrets."

Call to Fasting

The Alliance of Protestant Churches in Turkey is calling on Christian
congregations throughout the country to designate each Thursday in the
coming weeks for prayer and fasting for the upcoming murder trial,
as well as for other cases in Turkish courts addressing the rights
and freedoms of Christian citizens.

"God has been honored through the martyrdom of Necati, Ugur and
Tilmann for their faith," said Semse Aydin, widow of Necati Aydin.

"So we must pray that He will also be honored through this trial,
that the truth will come out, and justice will be done."

Aydin noted that seven years ago, when her husband was jailed in Izmir
for 30 days on false charges against his Christian activities, the
church prayed and fasted, and the accusers withdrew their complaints
at the first court hearing.

"It was really a miracle that these villagers stood up in court and
admitted that they had been forced by gendarmerie officials to sign
prepared complaints against Necati and his colleague, and that the
written statements were not true," Aydin said.

Europe Demands Justice

In a draft resolution released last week that goes up for debate in
late October in Brussels, the European Parliament "strongly condemns"
the slaying of the three Christian missionaries, declaring that the
Turkish government must "bring full light" upon this case and bring
all responsible to justice.

Underlining "the urgent need to efficiently combat all types of
extremism and violence and to ban them from all levels of public
life in Turkey," the resolution’s 13th paragraph calls for Turkish
government measures to "increase the protection of those groups,
minorities or individuals who feel exposed to threat."

According to the 2007 report by the U.S. Department of State
on religious freedom in Turkey, released September 14, there were
multiple religiously motivated "violent attacks and threats against
non-Muslims" that "created an atmosphere of pressure and diminished
freedom for some non-Muslim communities."

"Public debates ensued over the government’s response to these attacks
and threats," the report continues, noting that religious pluralism
was widely viewed by the Turkish population as "a threat to Islam
and to national unity."

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US STATE DEPARTMENT ORGANIZES EDUCATIONAL, INFORMATION EXHIBITION IN YEREVAN

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Sept 26 2007

YEREVAN, September 26. /ARKA/. An educational-information exhibition
will be held in the American University of Armenia on October 19.

According to the Yerevan office of the American Councils for
International Education, the aim of the annual exhibition is to
provide general information about education in the United States.

The initiator of the event is the Department of Education and Culture,
US State Department. Participants to the exhibition will have an
opportunity to get acquainted with the US education system, the process
of submitting applications to US higher educational institutions,
as well as get necessary information about the TOEFL IBL, SAT, GRE
and GMAT exams.

Visitors will have an opportunity to get in touch with representatives
of student exchange organizations which finance US educational
programs.

September 21 is state holiday in Armenia – Independence Day

ArmInfo
2007-09-21 12:12:00

A state holiday, the Independence Day, is celebrated in Armenia on
September 21.

To recall, by resolution of the Supreme Council of the Armenian SSR, a
referendum was held on September 21, 1997, on withdrawal from the USSR
structure and declaration of independence. 94,99% of Armenia’s
citizens, having the voting right, responded affirmatively to this
question. Two days later, the Supreme Council declared Armenia an
independent state. Presidents and prime ministers of a number of
states, including President of Russia Vladimir Putin and Queen of
Great Britain Elizabeth the Second have already congratulated RA
President Robert Kocharyan with the state holiday.