Author: Nanijanian Alex

DARCHINYAN BLASTS HIS WAY BACK TO THE TOP; EARNS SECOND WORLD TITLE

BraggingRightsCorner
http://www.braggingrig htscorner.com/darchin080208.html
Aug 3 2008
FL

TACOMA, Wash. (Aug. 3, 2008) – "The Raging Bull" Vic Darchinyan
promised a highlight reel knockout and delivered one bone-crunching
left hand after another. The Armenian-born Australian stopped Russia’s
Dimitri Kirilov in the fifth round to earn the IBF junior bantamweight
championship, his second career world title, Saturday on SHOWTIME.

The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast originated from the Emerald
Queen Casino in Tacoma, Wash.

In the co-feature, undefeated super middleweight Andre Dirrell,
of Flint, Mich., took out brawler Mike Paschall of Baltimore, Md.,
inside four rounds to remain unbeaten.

Former flyweight world titlist Darchinyan was coming off two
disappointing fights in his last three outings. Having been knocked
out by Philippine Nonito Donaire 13 months ago, and battling to a draw
against Zcy Gorres in February, Darchinyan was looking to impress on
the way to regaining his status as world champion.

"I have learned a lot from my last few fights," said Darchinyan. "I
was very focused and ready for this fight. I never under estimate
my opponents."

Kirilov, who had never been stopped in 33 professional fights,
could not handle the destructive power that Darchinyan brought to
the 115-pound fight.

Darchinyan used a consistent jab as a range finder and mixed in
monstrous straight left hands and a few uppercuts. From the outset,
he landed one big punch after another.

Early in the fifth, the accumulation of punches took its toll and
Kirilov went down for the first time. After regaining his feet,
Darchinyan pounced and sent Kirilov down again just seconds
later. Referee Earl Brown reached the count of 10 at 1:05 of the fifth.

"I would like to have a rematch with Donaire," said Darchinyan, who
improves to 30-1-1 with 24 big knockouts. "But who ever they put in
front of me, Christian Mijares, Fernando Montiel, it doesn’t matter. I
love to fight."

The game Kirilov (now 29-4-1, 9 KOs) spoke to SHOWTIME reporter
Jim Gray immediately after the fight. "I feel okay physically. I am
disappointed that I lost the fight. I took the wrong approach. Freddie
Roach was telling me to move to my left and throw combinations,
but I couldn’t get off. I couldn’t do the work that I normally do."

In the 168-pound bout, Dirrell handed Paschall his first professional
defeat. Dirrell landed a near-perfect straight left hand in the
fourth that opened up a deep gash on Paschall’s forehead and sent
him sprawling to the canvas.

After Paschall beat the count, he was checked by the ringside
physician. Despite Pascall’s plea for one more round, referee Bobby
Howard stopped the fight on the advice of the doctor.

"I started slower than I usually do," Dirrell said. "He kept throwing
that lazy jab and I was lining up the straight left the whole night. I
was finally able to land it, a perfect punch, right over the top."

Through three rounds, the judges had the fight scored 29-28 for
Dirrell. The ShoBox alum improves to 16-0 with 11 KOs and is looking
forward to a world title fight.

"I’d like to fight one or two more fights, preferably against a
top-10 contender," said Dirrell. "Then I’ll be ready for a world
title shot. I am more mature now and feel stronger than ever. It is
my dream to fight for a title."

Undefeated super middleweight contender Andre Ward of Oakland, Calif.,
was ringside in support of Dirrell, former teammates on the 2004 US
Olympic team.

Saturday’s exciting SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast will replay
on Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME® 2.

For information on SHOWTIME Sports, including exclusive
behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete telecast
information and more, please visit SHO.com/sports.

–Boundary_(ID_M/n4WlitHfTtm4sVaF nkYg)–

THE ACTIVISTS REACH THE FINISH LINE
Kima Yeghyazaryan

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on Aug 02, 2008
Armenia

The activists of the Ter-Petrosyan-led movement yesterday began their
demonstration with a disgraceful incident.

One of the people standing on the platform of the Matenadaran
had the naivety to make a half-hearted response to the
revolutionaries’ ultimatum-like demands and was fiercely attacked
by the activists. After listening to the short speech of the chief
demonstrator, the middle-aged man standing not far from the microphone
said, "Well, why do you make demands? Just ask!"

This was enough for the furious activists to "lynch" the man (who,
as we managed to find out, was one of the relatives of the victims
of the March 1-2 incidents). In front of the leaders of the movement,
the activists attacked the man, struck him on the head with force and
then pulled him about and tried to remove him from the platform. The
infuriated crowd which was ready to tear the aliens to shreds "met" the
stranger with whistles, shouts and curses and immediately attacked him.

Having received a scalp injury in the upper part of his head, the
latter hardly managed to have a narrow escape from the territory. The
revolutionaries immediately began circulating rumors that the person
who objected to the demonstrators was a ‘cop’.

So, "it serves him ri ght; they should have beaten him more." This is
how the mob responded to the barbaric act. And the incident showed once
again how peaceful LTP’s demonstrators were. We have eye-witnessed
such a hideous scene on the opposite side of the building of the
Mayor’s Office on March 1.

Not concealing their hatred for the cops, the revolutionary activists
settled scores with another alleged cop yesterday.

After all this, the revolutionary leaders still dare to insist that
those who attacked the policemen on March 1 were not the members of
their armed gang.

However, the most noteworthy fact is that the revolutionary orators
did not stop their speeches while torturing the man. Neither Arshak
Banouchyan, the so-called political prisoner considering himself an
intellectual (who, at a distance of a few meters, could hear and see
what was happening) nor Gourguen Yeghyazaryan the other "political
prisoner", took a second’s interval while uttering their speeches
full of threat against the authorities.

As to Hrant Bagratyan, he was following the heroic deeds of the
hot-headed activists with one eye and reading his speech with the
other, representing various figures in such a manner as though he was
pronouncing a tongue twister, in an attempt to prove that the country’s
economic growth was fictitious since the indexes were not indicated by
other countries. To substantiate his allegations, the specialist of
"m ale cows" tried to make a picturesque comparison like this, "Just
imagine a beauty contest in which there’s no jury making a decision,
and each participant declares herself as the most beautiful woman."

And at the end of his speech, Mr. Bagratyan gladdened the activists
by announcing that, "We should send these authorities to their graves."

Let’s note that the leader of "Heritage" did not appear on the
"platform" this time either. There was absolutely no representative
of the party participating in the demonstration which, as promised
before, was going to be crucial.

Leader of "Republic" party Aram Sargsyan assured the participants that
he would always stand by LTP and "comply with all the instructions
that he will give".

As to Stepan Demirtchyan, leader of the People’s Party of Armenia,
he managed to change his shirt twice during the demonstration,
not standing the hot weather and while making his short speech,
repeated the same 5-6 sentences which the people have been hearing
for 5-6 years.

The chief Marxist who had quit the movement through some
misunderstanding and regretted for his step hurried to the
platform. And despite the fact that David Haroutyunyan was not entitled
to make a speech, he managed, after the declaration of the Armenian
National Congress, to grab the microphone for a couple of seconds
and pronounce a welcoming sp eech.

It was extremely boring to listen to Ter-Petrosyan whose speech lasted
50 minutes. Suffering from a lack of a topic for conversation, the
speaker this time decided to touch upon "the activities of the main
state institutions". And he thoroughly estimated and characterized
the activities of the legislative and executive bodies.

At the end, the leader declared the "motto" of the movement, i.e. the
resignation of the country’s president and extraordinary presidential
and parliamentary elections.

By the way, it is worth mentioning that the meeting began with the
anthem of the movement (author of the text: Nikol Pashinyan), a musical
masterpiece composed in the genre of rock. This was followed by the
revolutionary melody "Lead the Struggle Till the End", its remix being
performed by LTP himself. Thus, the revolutionary "festival of music
and dance" is entering a new stage, turning into a specific kind of
rock-remix contest.

This, unfortunately, didn’t help the revolutionaries to record a
turning point on August 1.

Whereas, the aggressive vagabonds who, during the past 28 days,
had wasted away in the Northern Avenue, had great expectations and
participating in yesterday’s demonstration, they hoped it was going
to become a historic moment.

It wasn’t "historic", but history continues since the revolutionary
headquarters again invited the activists to the Northern Avenue for
5 weeks, promising them that the demonstration which is going to
be held on September 5 will be historic or at least mark a turning
point. Let’s wait and see what’s going to happen."

DEMANDING CONCESSIONS FROM YEREVAN
by Yuri Simonjan

WPS Agency
What the Papers Say (Russia)
August 1, 2008 Friday
Russia

TALKS OVER NAGORNO-KARABAKH WILL TAKE PLACE IN MOSCOW, PROTESTS IN
ARMENIA; Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers are to meet in
Moscow and discuss Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.

Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers Edward Nalbandjan and Elmar
Mamedjarov are meeting in Moscow today to discuss Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict settlement. The Armenian delegation will be at a certain
disadvantage because radical opposition in Yerevan headed by the
first president Levon Ter-Petrosjan has scheduled a protest action
for this day.

Nalbandjan called a press conference prior to his departure for
Moscow and said that the negotiations with his Azerbaijani opposite
number had been arranged by the OSCE Minsk Group (United States,
France, Russia). The diplomat said that Mamedjarov and he intended
to discuss the OSCE Minsk Group’s Madrid offers, the ones on whose
basis the presidents of the two countries had pledged to continue the
peace talks. Made public in November 2007, the offers in question
constitute basic principles of conflict settlement. No details are
known to general public, but foreign intermediaries unanimously call
the plan "fair and well-balanced".

Discounting minor disagreements, Yerevan and Baku cannot agree
on what really counts and that is status of the Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic. Azerbaijan calls it its own territory, Armenia insists on
its sovereignty. Neither would even hear of a concession. For the
Armenians, however, the situation is further complicated by the
knowledge that any compromise with the Azerbaijanis – no matter
how minor – will be condemned by the opposition as a sign of
weakness. Nalbandjan called actions of the opposition in Yerevan
unacceptable. "Claims of the opposition that ex-president Robert
Kocharjan should be extradited to the Hague for the tribunal there
are worse then absurd. They are shameful," the minister said. The
opposition meanwhile continues the process of collection of signatures
on the petition and claims to have more than 100,000 already.

Supporters of Ter-Petrosjan who founded the Popular Movement and who
question the outcome of the presidential election earlier this year
(February 19) promise a major protest action in Yerevan today.

The West in the meantime keeps badgering official Yerevan to continue
the policy of compromises with the opposition. "Unless the authorities
in Armenia do something to heal the split, tension in Armenian society
will mount," David Kramer of the US Department of State said the other
day. "All elements of society must participate in the dialogue and act
responsibly but responsibility mostly rests with whoever wields power."

July 21, 2008

PRESS RELEASE
TUFENKIAN FOUNDATION GOES LIVE
Contact: Rick Barry
212.475.2475 x384
[email protected]<mailto:rbarry@tufenki an.com>

Leading Venture Philanthropy Group Launches New Website

NEW YORK-The Tufenkian Foundation, one of the leading philanthropies
working toward a just, democratic, and vibrant Armenia, has launched a
new website at
; kianfoundation.org/>.

The website offers background information on the Foundation, its
history, and its guiding principles; it also provides the latest news
from the Foundation and its partners, as well as up-to-date reports on
every project it has in active development.

"We have anywhere from 10 to 20 projects going at a time," says
Antranig Kasbarian, the Foundation’s Director of Development. "So it
can be hard to keep our friends consistently up-to-date on everything
we do and learn on the ground."

The new website is designed not just as a way to track the
Foundation’s progress, but also to give people worldwide a more robust
understanding of the challenges facing Armenia and Nagorno-Karabagh.
By providing information on the goals of each project and a regular
stream of news from the region, TufenkianFoundation.org promises to
grow into a solid resource promoting awareness and prompting action.

The website also guides individuals and groups that want to contribute
to building a more vibrant Armenia, matching them to projects that
meet specific, targeted needs. The website offers information on
upcoming projects in need of sponsorship, as well as information for
individuals and organizations interested in forming strategic
partnerships.

"We’ve encountered many people who want to get involved with the work
we are doing," says Kasbarian. "With this in mind, we’ve created a
‘Getting Involved’ section of the website, which provides an easy and
effective way for people to dedicate their time, talents, or gifts."

The Tufenkian Foundation was launched in 1999 by entrepreneur James
Tufenkian, seeking to empower local citizens’ initiatives, assist the
most vulnerable strata of society, promote environmental protection
and awareness, and advance social justice in Armenia. Since its
inception, the Foundation has broadened its scope to embattled
Nagorno-Karabagh, where it promotes resettlement and development
projects in the region’s vulnerable border zones. Operating with a
relatively small staff and budget, the Foundation specializes in
launching pilot programs and developing them until they can either be
handed off to larger benefactors or turned over to local citizens to
continue and manage.

The Tufenkian Foundation is part of the Tufenkian family of
companies-which also includes Tufenkian Artisan Carpets, Tufenkian
Heritage Hotels and Harvest Song Preserves
()-all<http://www.Tu fenkian.com)-all> of which are
dedicated to leading their fields in both quality and in social and
environmental responsibility.

For more information on the Tufenkian Foundation, please visit
; fenkianfoundation.org/>.

###
1 Attachment

UNION OF TELECOMMUNICATION COMPANIES FOUNDED IN ARMENIA

ARKA
July 18

A union of telecommunication companies has been established in
Armenia. The organization called "Voice" was registered a week ago,
Chairman of the Union Artyom Khachatryan reported.

Thirteen companies licensed to provide VoIP – Voice-over-IP services
are the founders of the organization which has a mission to improve
internet-telephony services in Armenia and address the existing
problems.

Khachatryan said there are no major legislative problems in the sphere,
the market has been liberalized and there are all necessary conditions
for competition. Thus, the Union’s task is to see that these conditions
are maintained and followed.

Among the Union’s priority tasks he singled out regulation of tariffs
of VoIP services, combating unfair competition and the de-facto
dominating positions of two companies – VivaCell and ArmenTel.

"We believe that it is first of al in the interest of the government,
small and medium enterprises, the people and the investors to solve
these problems," Khachatryan said.

The organisation says it is ready to collaborate with the government,
the Public Services Regulatory Commission, The State Commission for
Protection of Economic Competition, ArmenTel, VivaCell, as well as
all companies and organizations involved and will turn to them with
relevant proposals next week. Currently, 108 l icense companies are
providing VoIP telephony services in Armenia.

VoIP is a communication system able to transmit voice signal via the
Internet or any other IP-network.

RUSSIA MAY DECLARE SOUTH OSSETIA AND ABKHAZIA A ZONE OF ITS VITAL INTERESTS
Marina Perevozkina

DEFENSE and SECURITY
July 16, 2008 Wednesday

FORESTALLING MISSION

HOW CAN MOSCOW RESPOND TO TBILISI’S POLICY REGARDING RUNAWAY ABKHAZIA
AND SOUTH OSSETIA?; Authors of a classified report drawn by secret
services say peacekeepers should enforce the existing mandate with
more vigor and resolution.

Georgia recalled its ambassador in Moscow home "for
consultations". Preparations for a meeting between President Dmitry
Medvedev Enhanced Coverage LinkingDmitry Medvedev -Search using:
Biographies Plus News News, Most Recent 60 Days and his Georgian
counterpart, Mikhail Saakashvili, are suspended. Georgia insists
on an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the
violation of its borders by Russian aircraft. The Russian-Georgian
deteriorate against the background of Tbilisi’s preparations for a
military operation in South Ossetia and Russian army maneuvers near
the Georgian border…

Erosi Kistmarishvili, Georgian Ambassador to Russia, rushed to Tbilisi
for consultations. It happened as soon as the Russian Foreign Ministry
owned up to the aircraft that had flown over South Ossetia on July
8. As far as the Russian Foreign Ministry is concerned, their flight
prevented a nasty turn of events into a shooting war which Moscow
estimated as "quite possible".

Instant Response’2008 is taking place in Vaziani, 30 clicks from
Tbilisi, meanwhile. Units of the US National Guard and personnel
of regular armies of Georgia, Ukraine, Armenia, and Azerbaijan are
involved. The Russian Defense Ministry in its turn launched a major
military exercise near the Russian-Georgian border on the territory of
the Southern Federal Region. According to Caucasus Military District
Commander, Sergei Makarov, the involved units practice action in
a deteriorating situation in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Makarov
completed his statement by assurances that his troops were ready to
reinforce peacekeepers in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

"I’ve known that Georgia has prepared a military operation since May
14," South Ossetian Interior Minister, Mikhail Mindzayev, said. "The
Georgians moved troops to the border and built fortifications. On
July 8, they set up command posts which betrayed their absolute
readiness. Were it not for the Russian aircraft, the hostilities
would have begun that day. Georgian peacekeepers take no more orders
from the Collective Peacekeeping Forces command. Nobody knows their
manpower or firepower anymore. They establish checkpoints hoisting
peacekeepers’ flags there but they are checkpoints of the Georgian
Defense Ministry…"

Dmitry Medoyev, Plenipotentiary Representative of South Ossetia
in Moscow, suggested that peacekeepers might find antiaircraft
complexes handy and called for reinforcement of Russian and Ossetian
battalions in the conflict area. "The mandate permits 800 servicemen,"
Medoyev said and recalled that each battalion included only 500 men
now. According to Medoyev, the attack on Tskhinvali was scheduled to
begin at 1800 hours on July 8. "Active preparations for the invasion
have been under way since July 3 when the Georgians faked attempt
on the life of Dmitry Sanakoyev and overrun the Sarabuk height under
this pretext," Medoyev said. "That very evening they had heavy armored
fighting vehicles on all roundabout roads and pillboxes and weapons
emplacements along them. Servicemen there got their bearings during
nocturnal strafings of Tskhinvali. Artillery pieces needed only the
order to commence firing. Russian aircraft flew over their positions
at a low altitude, showed their decals, made a turn, and feigned the
intention to go in low and strafe them. The Georgians scattered. It
was a banzai attack by aircraft loaded with ordnance."

Russia in the meanwhile has some other aces up its sleeve, ones that
may avert a negative turn of events in the region. This newspaper
laid its hands on a classified report secret services had had their
analysts draw to acquaint the Security Committee of the Duma at
a closed meeting this spring. Analysis of the situation in the
Georgian-Ossetian conflict area suggests that Russia is facing a
dilemma. It may "seize the initiative" or "… passively wait for
the situation to deteriorate and take a resolute action only when
the shooting war is already under way."

"Reacting to the adversary and its strategy… is always the
worst option," authors of the report stated. Moreover, the report
appraised low efficiency of peacekeepers as one of the worst
problems. "Regrettably, the peacekeeping command turned out to be
unable to rapidly respond to new threats and challenges generated by
the new Georgian regime… This passiveness resulted in almost total
withdrawal of peacekeeper checkpoints from the Georgian territory
of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict area. Russian and Ossetian
battalions are all but isolated in their quarters. Initiative in
the Georgian-Ossetian conflict area is almost fully in the hands of
the Georgian Defense Ministry and Interior Ministry. Functions of
peacekeepers are reduced to passive monitoring."

Authors of the report strongly recommend a higher security regime in
some districts where peacekeepers will be the only law enforcers and
"a radical revision of the strategy and tactic of the peacekeeping
operations in South Ossetia and Abkhazia for a more resolute
application of the existing mandate."

Authors of the report recommend "a declaration of South Ossetia and
Abkhazia as the zone of Russian vital interests and interests of its
national security with all its implications."

STEPAN DEMIRCHIAN CONSIDERS THAT ONLY WAY OUT OF GRAVE HOME POLITICAL SITUATION IS SPECIAL ELECTIONS

NOYAN TAPAN

JU LY 15

Stepan Demirchian, the Chairman of the People’s Party of Armenia, a
participant of the People’s Movement, at the July 15 press conference
expressed the hope that Thomas Hammarberg, the Commissioner for Human
Rights of the Council of Europe, will present an unbiassed report on
Armenia to the PACE Monitoring Commission in September.

The Commissioner, according to Stepan Demirchian, in particular,
cannot but admit that those imprisoned by the March 1 case are
prosecuted for their political views.

The PPA leader stated that opposition’s readiness to start a dialogue
with the authorities after releasing the political prisoners is valid.

As S. Demirchian evaluated, it will be possible to improve the grave
political and moral-psychological situation formed in the country
as a result of the March 1 tragic events only through special state
elections.

Holding of fair, transparent elections, according to him, is the only
guarantee of establishment of stability in Armenia.

The PPA leader reaffirmed the statement made by first RA President
Levon Ter-Petrosian at the July 4 rally, according to which, in case
those in detention are not released at the end of the sit-down strike,
on August 1, the opposition will demand the resignation of President
Serzh Sargsyan. S.

Demirchian said that in any case the oppositionists will act only
within the law. "And if the authorities think that the people will get
tired and stop the struggle after some time, it is not so," he said.

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MUSEUM PROJECT APPROVED IN WASHINGTON

AZG Armenian Daily
16/07/2008

National Interests

The project of the Armenian Genocide Museum in Washington has been
approved. The museum will be located in the hitorical building of the
National Bank of Washington. The authorities of washington permitted
construction of a new bloc, which is to make the access to visitors
easier. The new bloc of the buildig will include staircases, elevators
and other infrastructural conveniences.

10 MILLION EURO FOR BECOMING 3RD CELL OPERATOR

AZG Armenian Daily
15/07/2008

Media

On July 16 the Regulatory Commission of Public Services of the Republic
of Armenia shall consider the package on granting license to a third
cell operator.

According to Armenpress, the pretending companies are to pay 10
thousand Euros in order to take part in the tender, and the estimated
license price is at least 10 million Euro. According to the conditions
provided in the licensing package, in the tender may take part only
companies with work experience in cell operation sphere and capable
of investing 200 million Euros in two-year term after receiving
the license.

The third cell operator in Armenia is to take the +374 (0) 55 and +374
(0) 95 phone codes.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS SEAN MCCORMACK HOLDS STATE DEPARTMENT REGULAR NEWS BRIEFING

CQ Transcriptions
July 14, 2008 Monday

QUESTION: Different subject?

MCCORMACK: Sure.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) a little bit more detail about what the secretary
will be signing this afternoon with Foreign Minister Nalbandian?

MCCORMACK: With Armenia? Well, we are going to be putting out a little
bit of a greater description for you coming up here. But it basically
is an agreement designed to protect against nuclear smuggling. And,
obviously, an issue that we can all agree upon that there be good
cooperation between the United States and countries overseas.

MCCORMACK: So it’s an important agreement for the United States and
Armenia, certainly in terms of our nonproliferation efforts.

They’re also going to touch upon issues in their meeting related to
deepening political as well as economic reform in Armenia. And I’m
sure she’ll talk a little bit about Nagorno-Karabakh and where those
discussions stand.

QUESTION: Is this PSI (ph) you’re referring to? Are they signing up
on PSI (ph) or something? Or is it another deal?

MCCORMACK: No, it’s a separate agreement — separate agreement, yes.