Author: nina hovnanian

FRENCH MP TO HELP WITH STAMP DEDICATED TO 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE…

03:36, 17.07.2014

Chairman of France-based “Armenia” cultural association Krikor
Amirzayan as well as members of the association and chairman of
philatelist association of Valence Jean-Francois Sbardella met with
the member of French National Assembly Patrick Labaune to advance
the initiative to issue a stamp on the 100tth anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide.

Mr. Labaune was given the necessary files that will be sent to the
postal department responsible for issuing commemorative stamps. The
MP expressed his full support for the initiative,Nouvelles d’Armenie
reported.

Armenia News – NEWS.am

AYRAPETYAN DETAINED IN MOSCOW

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
July 16 2014

16 July 2014 – 11:24am

Levon Ayrapetyan, the 10th richest Armenian in the world, was detained
by FSB officers at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport yesterday. He arrived
from Monaco. Investigators will file a request to the Basmanny Court to
arrest Ayrapetyan as part of the Kingiseppskaya Gang, Rosbalt reports.

The gang is headed by Sergey Finagin. Ex-senator Igor Izmestyev,
currently in jail for life, told investigators that Ayrapetyan had
contacts with the criminal group.

U.S. entrepreneur Kirk Kerkorian, the founder and president of
Tracinda Corporation, tops the list of richest Armenians. Ayrapetyan
is a major lobbyist advocating recognition of the Armenian Genocide
in the Ottoman Empire.

SERZH SARGSYAN EXPRESSES CONDOLENCES IN CONNECTION WITH ACCIDENT IN MOSCOW SUBWAY

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
July 16 2014

16 July 2014 – 4:36pm

A telegram of condolences was sent by President of Armenia Serzh
Sargsyan to Russian President Vladimir Putin in connection with the
tragic accident in the Moscow Metro, which caused numerous casualties.

“The president asked to convey his sincere condolences to the families
of the victims and wishes the speediest recovery to all the victims,”
the press service of the head of the Armenian state is quoted by
“Novosti Armenia”.

PRESIDENT’S ADVISER CONDEMNS COMMITTING CRIMES IN NAME OF RELIGION

Islamic Rep. News Agency IRNA, Iran
July 15 2014

Tehran, July 15, IRNA – PresidentË~Hs Special Adviser in Ethnic
Minorities Affairs Hojjatoleslam Ali Younesi said in a meeting with
Armenians here Monday evening that committing crimes in the name of
religions is definitely condemned.

Ë~HA group of bigots are defaming religions under the disguise
of religious beliefs, while aggression and committing crimes in
the name of religion is definitely condemned,Ë~H said Younesi, a
former intelligence minister in former Iranian president Mohammad
KhatamiË~Hs cabinet, said in an address for a gathering of Tehrani
and north Iranian Armenians at Iranian Armenians Association.

Ë~HThe divine religions and monotheist prophets of God have never
approved of aggression and observing cruelty against other human
beings because the nature of the Creator of universe is abundant is
love and kindness,Ë~H he said.

Ë~HResorting to force and imposing obligations cannot be used to
attract the people towards dogmatic and rigid beliefs, claiming that
those who do so want to guide the people towards heaven,Ë~H he said.

Turning to the ongoing criminal acts of the racist-Zionist regime,
Younesi said, Ë~HUnfortunately, during the course of the past few
decades the Zionist regime with the criminal acts it has committed
against the people of Palestine, has become the top murder in the
world history that have with their blind and racist deeds always kept
the region in chaotic and crisis-prone conditions.Ë~H

He said that the emergence of hardliner religious groups in the region,
too, is a result of the ZionistsË~H deeds.

The presidential adviser said that extremism and aggression against
the people is condemned under the name of any religion, adding,
Ë~HPresently, the region has suffered greatly due to the blind
deeds of some extremist Muslims in the name of the ISIS, Al Qaeda,
and the Taliban.Ë~H

Younesi said that such stands adopted by those groups are to the loss
of the people and their beliefs, arguing, Ë~HI makes no difference
resorting to what kind of religious belief the criminal acts and
aggression takes place, because at any rate such deeds are totally
unrelated with the real essence of religions as the Prophets of God
all used to invite the people towards monotheism resorting to love
and kindness.Ë~H

The presidentË~Hs special adviser for ethnic minoritiesË~H affairs
said that a religion should not be taken advantage of at the service
of the material intentions of a group of people is incorrect.

Ë~HThroughout the history of mankind there have been people who
have committed crimes and resorted to aggression to secure their
own material interests under the disguise of different religions,Ë~H
he said.

Younesi meanwhile appreciated the initiative of the Armenians of Tehran
and northern parts of Iran in hosting Islamic fast breaking ceremonies
(Iftar parties) saying, Ë~HFasting exists in all divine faiths, and it
is only their methods and rituals that differ in different religions.

Ë~HFasting for GodË~Hs sake is a pretext aimed at further strengthening
of our relations with God, and this important point teaches the people
that for proximity with God the one who fasts also gets closer to
the other human beings to please God,Ë~H he added.

The Archbishop of Armenians of Tehran and northern parts of Iran,
too, in the ceremony in an address condemned the criminal acts of
the Zionists, saying, Ë~HMassacring the people in the name of God
is ridiculous, and unfortunately blind dogmatism is seen in entire
religions, resorting to which some people try to achieve certain
objectives.

Ë~HReligious extremists in addition to demolishing the facade of
religions also harm the peopleË~Hs beliefs and make the people escape
from religious beliefs,Ë~H added Archbishop Sobbouh Serkisian.

Ë~HWe are not permitted to posses the divine religions aimed at
achieving our own narrow objectives,Ë~H he added.

RADIO 4’S NO DESTINATION: PEACE CAMPAIGNER SATISH KUMAR TAKES A TRIP BACK IN TIME

Kumar recounted his epic walk to the four nuclear capitals of the
world during the height of the Cold War

FIONA STUGES

Wednesday 16 July 2014

“Come with me and we can relive this journey together,” said a voice
on the World Service on Saturday morning. Why the hell not, I decided,
in a rare burst of spontaneity.

I had been all set to spend the morning with Rev Richard Coles on Radio
4’s Saturday Live. But the peace campaigner Satish Kumar’s voice on
No Destination was so full of mischief and joie de vivre, like that of
an excitable wizard, that it seemed wrong to let him relive it alone.

During the height of the Cold War in 1962, Kumar had been sitting
in a cafe in Bangalore reading a newspaper when he came across an
article about Bertrand Russell. The celebrated philosopher, who was
90 at the time, had been jailed for a week for protesting against
nuclear weapons.

At once, Kumar, a man with a political conscience and a clear thirst
for adventure, turned to his companion, E P Menon, and said: “What
are we doing here, young man, sitting here drinking coffee?”

After a night of intense conversation they decided that they would
embark on an epic walk to the four nuclear capitals of the world:
Moscow, Paris, London and Washington DC. They would take no money and
no food, and instead put their faith in the kindness of others. During
their journey they would spread the word about nuclear disarmament
and entreat warring nations to put aside their differences.

And so I accompanied Kumar, bleary-eyed and still in my pyjamas,
in a journey through his memories, moving from mountain villages
in Afghanistan to the palace of the Shah of Iran, a tea factory in
Armenia, the Kremlin in Moscow, the Elysee Palace (and a spell in
jail) in Paris, the living room of Clement Atlee in London and –
8,000 miles, 30 months and countless pairs of shoes later – Washington.

Framing Kumar’s vignettes was a gentle soundscape – there was the
rustle of a tent, the bark of a dog, the purr of a car on the Khyber
Pass – all subtly pitched to bring colour to this astonishing odyssey.

Now in his Seventies, Kumar was a delightful guide, a cross between
Phileas Fogg and Luath, the golden retriever in The Incredible Journey,
complete with feverishly waggy tail. His recollections fizzed with
warmth and wonder. His wide-eyed idealism was matched by a steely
courage that would leave a more swashbuckling adventurer standing
with his trousers around his ankles.

If there were horrors to his story – exhaustion, blistered feet,
crippling hunger – Kumar wasn’t in the mood to share them. Instead,
it was with a knowing chuckle that he recalled meeting assorted
beatniks and peaceniks all heading East in search of wisdom as he
determinedly forged West, and the Armenian women who gave him bags of
“peace tea” to give to the leaders of each nuclear nation. With each
bag, he was asked to deliver a message: “When you think you need to
press the button, stop for a minute and have a fresh cup of tea.”

Do people like Kumar exist today, I found myself wondering? Or has
our desire to protest been whittled down to growing facial hair in
November and taking make-up free selfies? Kumar’s job here wasn’t to
compare and contrast, of course, or to brag about his achievements.

But in recalling his journey, he offered an eye-opening account of a
departed era when humanity was the heart of protest and protest was
at the heart of our political life. They don’t make them like they
used to.

Twitter.com/FionaSturges

SHANT HARUTYUNYAN CLAIMS IN COURT POLICE OFFICER SLANDERING HIM

07.16.2014 22:10 epress.am

Examined in court today in the case of political activist Shant
Harutyunyan and his friends was police officer Gegham Khachatryan,
who is named as a victim in the case.

According to the case materials, he suffered the most during the
November 5, 2013 march. Khachatryan was the officer who tried to
prevent Harutyunyan from getting to Mashtots Avenue. The officer
said in court that he is guided by the law on police and only tried
to establish law and order.

Khachatryan said he saw how Harutyunyan’s friends were hitting two
men in plainclothes, who were on the ground shouting that they were
police officers.

“But Shant Harutyunyan’s supporters continued to hit them,” he said.

Khachatryan also said he ended up in the hospital as a result of the
beating and 80% of those working in the police force came to visit
him during that time.

The officer said that, according to his estimates, participating in
the march were about 30 people, to whom Harutyunyan addressed, saying
he is going toward 26 Baghramyan Avenue (the presidential palace).

Harutyunyan objected (in court), saying he made no such public
declaration.

The defendant asked the court to bring the video footage shot on
November 5 as proof that he said no such thing.

“I can’t show respect to someone who slanders me and wants to put me
in prison through slander,” he said.

LEVON HAIRAPETYAN’S ARREST IS AZERBAIJAN’S ORDER

Lragir.am
Politics – 16 July 2014, 21:35

On July 16 the Armenian businessman and benefactor Levon Hairapetyan
was arrested in Moscow. The Hero of Artsakh Arkady Ter-Tadevosyan
(Commandos) has made a statement in this connection. He thinks the
purpose of this arrest is to stain the Armenian-Russian friendship
and question the membership of Armenia to the Eurasian Union, as well
as hinder army building in Artsakh to some extent.

“The listed lead to thoughts on a political order to arrest Levon
Hairapetyan,” Commandos says.

According to him, what happened has surprised everyone who knows the
Armenian benefactor well. “The only country in the world which has
a reason to be dissatisfied with Levon Hairapetyan’s activities is
the Republic of Azerbaijan whose government is always jealous of the
success of Armenian states,” the freedom fighter announced.

According to him, Azerbaijan spends oil dollars on ordinary bribe to
resolve its own problems which is known in international terminology
under the name “caviar diplomacy”.

“Unfortunately, dishonest people still continue to work in some Russian
structures, including the Federal Security Service, who are ready to
act against the interests of their country for “30 silver”.

And existence of strong Armenian states between NATO and Russia is
in the interests of the Russian Federation, I believe nobody doubts
this,” Ter-Tadevosyan stated, Artsakh Today reported.

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OFFICIALS IN KOTAYK REGION UNAWARE OF PEOPLE’S LIVING STANDARDS (VIDEO)

17:46 | July 16,2014 | Social

Two months after his appointment as Governor of Armenia’s Kotayk
region, Aram Harutyunyan does not yet know possess definite information
on migration and poverty rates in the region.

“If you want concrete figures, I can ask my subordinates to provide
you with all of the information you need. At this moment, I do not
possess any information,” Mr Harutyunyan said on Wednesday.

Nor could the governor say anything about the standard of living of the
region’s population. He only stressed that people pay taxes in time.

“I cannot assess people’s living conditions at the moment. The
assessment is given by people,” said the governor.

Anyway, Aram Harutyunyan does not think that the quality of life has
deteriorated in Armenia: during his visits to different communities
he talked to people and they voiced their complaints and problems.

“People feel free to speak about their problems and concerns,” he said.

Mayor of Charentsavan town [in Kotayk region] Hakob Shahgeldyan,
the son of former governor of Kotayk region Kovalenko Shahgaldyan,
has been in office for 6 years, but he could not present figures on
migration either. “No one will give you such figures,” he said.

Hakob Shahgeldyan has observed a big inflow of people from Yerevan and
other regions to his town which has three working factories. “They
sell their apartments in Yerevan and other regions and move to
Charentsavan,” said the mayor.

Hakob Shahgeldyan refrained from commenting on his relations with
the new governor.

RAFFI HOVANNISIAN. “AS LONG AS THIS IS THE SITUATION, WE MUST CONTINUE HAVING LOSSES.”

July 16 2014

“In our history, when the Russian-Turkish interests coincide, it had
tragic consequences for Armenia and the Armenian people. We should do
everything to exclude it. Accordingly, we need to have law-and-order,
elected government that recognizes Armenia’s sovereignty and national
interests. Currently, our non-elected authorities are given to
foreign states. And as long as this is the situation, we must continue
having losses,” said the “Heritage” Party leader, Raffi Hovannisian,
in conversation with Aravot.am, referring to the facts of selling
weapons to Azerbaijan by Armenia’s strategic partner declared Russia,
and recent subversive acts implemented in Armenian settlements by
Azerbaijan. Recall that Azerbaijan committed the recent subversive
acts on Friday, in Karvachar area, and as a result, Karen Davtyan,
born in 1977, was injured. “Yes, we can criticize Russia that being
our strategic partner it is selling billions of dollars of weapons to
Azerbaijan, does not respond to the deliberate killings of our soldiers
by Azeri and it is not always that it behaves like as a strategic
ally. There is a lot of criticism here, but first and foremost, our
de facto authorities deserve criticism that are going to each capital,
from Moscow to Beijing, from Brussels to Washington, and say “yes” to
everybody, leading processes, which years later hits our people like
a boomerang,” said Raffi Hovannisian, recalling that “Heritage” Party
is against Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union and the Eurasian
Economic Union, not because they are “anti-Russian,” but that they
assess the country’s sovereignty and independence, and RA citizens’
social and economic interests. “Half-joking and half-serious we need
to thank all the countries, which by this or that cause protract the
process of Armenia’s accession to the Eurasian Economic Union. We hope
that in this protraction process, Armenia will regain its freedom and
sovereignty,” said our interlocutor, adding that if Europe continues
turning a blind eye to Armenia’s rigged elections, Genocide, Artsakh
freedom and self-determination imperatives, then it “presents a few
alternative.” Raffi Hovhannisyan expects that Europe will review its
wrong approach to Armenia and the Armenian people. Aravot.am also
asked Mr. Hovhannisyan whether President Serzh Sargsyan’s statement
during his visit to Latin America that Armenians are concerned about
Russia’s sales of weapons to Azerbaijan means that the RA authorities
no more trust the RF authorities. “I cannot say on his behalf. He said
very little and very late. But, at least he said that the Armenian
people do not treat it well. It’s too late, and too weak, but if
this is the beginning of the new era, let people know about it. But,
from the Armenian-Turkish protocols to the Madrid principles, our
deceased soldiers from Tavush to Nakhchivan, we are going after the
events. Based on national unity and Constitution, we do not prevent
international and regional threats to our national security,” said
Raffi Hovannisian, yet, considering the main culprits “inside us”.

Nelly GRIGORYAN

Read more at:

NUMBER OF ARMENIANS USING OPERA COAST BROWSER INCREASED BY 21 PERCENT IN SECOND QUARTER

YEREVAN, July 16. / ARKA /. The number of Armenians using Opera Coast
browser has increased by 21 percent in the second quarter of 2014,
while the number of Armenians using Opera browser for Android in the
same time span has increased by 8%, according to an Opera Software
report on Mobile Web for the 2nd quarter of 2014.

According to Opera Software ASA, in the second quarter the level
of penetration of smartphones among Opera mobile browser users has
increased by 2.7% to the overall 20.3%. It also notes a 17 percent
increase from the first quarter in the consumption of mobile internet
by Armenians using mobile browser Opera Mini.

The list of top 10 phones using Opera Mini in the second quarter
included Nokia X2, Samsung GT-S5230, Nokia 6300, Samsung GT-E2121B,
Nokia C2, Samsung GT-E2232, Nokia 2700c, Samsung GT-C3010, Nokia 200
and Samsung GT-C3312.

The list of top 10 phones working on Android system using Opera
browser included Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (GT-N8000), Nokia X,
Samsung Galaxy S III (GT-I9300), Samsung Galaxy S Duos (GT-S7562),
Prestigio Multipad Diamond 7.85 3G, Samsung Galaxy Grand (GT-I9082),
Prestigio Multipad Quantum 10.1 3G, Samsung GALAXY S4 mini (DS)
(GT-I9192), Samsung Galaxy S II (GT-I9100) and Nokia XL.

The first place in Android-devices ranking was held by Samsung Galaxy
Note 10.1, which in the previous quarter was only fourth. The top 10
of the second quarter included four newcomers – smartphones Nokia X
and Nokia XL, as well as tablet PCs Prestigio Multipad Diamond and
Prestigio Multipad Quantum. Overall, Samsung devices continue to
dominate the rankings. -0-

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