VLADIMIR HAKOBIAN IS AMONG PARTICIPANTS OF GIBRALTAR TOURNAMENT
GIBRALTAR, JANUARY 31, NOYAN TAPAN. An open international chess
tournament is being held in Gibraltar. Vladimir Hakobian (Armenia),
the former world vice-champion of "knockout" is also among 176
participants. He got 4.5 points after 6 stages and shares the 7-17th
places with a number of participants. 6 chess players are among the
leaders having 5 points each. There are 3 stages remained till the end
of the tournament.
Armenpress
VIVACELL MAKES GENEROUS DONATION TO SUPPORT NATIONAL
IMMUNIZATION CAMPAIGN
YEREVAN, JANUARY 31, ARMENPRESS: Armenia’s second
mobile phone operator-VivaCell-has pledged today a
generous donation of 40 million Drams (approximately
$111,000) to the Millennium Armenian Children’s
Vaccine Fund (MACVF), saying also it will team up with
it in the struggle against measles and rubella – the
eighth leading cause of death among people of all ages
worldwide.
The $111,000 donation will support the National
Supplementary Immunization Campaign against measles
and rubella. Gayane Sahakian, coordinator for the
National Supplementary Immunization Campaign against
measles and rubella, said the government for its part
has released 72 million Drams this year for mandatory
immunization of children between 12 months and 6
years.
"The greatness of a company should be measured not
by its size or revenues, but its long-term positive
impact on the life of the public it serves. Our
operations are based on this very principle", said
Ralph Yirikian, General Manager of VivaCell at a
special ceremony today. He urged other Armenian
businessmen to follow this example.
National Supplementary Immunization Campaign
against measles and rubella is expected to be launched
in spring of 2007. It is part of the Measles
Elimination Strategy, and will be submitted to the
Armenian government, which will act in response to the
WHO strategy for Eliminating Measles and Rubella from
the European Region.
Despite measles-immunization efforts in recent
decades, Armenia still remains on the list of
countries susceptible to this disease outbreaks, which
strike between 30 and 40 million children every year
and result in some 9 million deaths internationally.
The latest measles outbreak in Armenia was reported
in 2004-05, but it did not cause any death. Gayane
Sahakian said this year the number of reported cases
was down 18 times from a year ago.
Desicritics.org, India
Jan 30 2007
Of Ships and Language
January 30, 2007
Deepa Krishnan
On a recent tour of Mumbai with some overseas visitors, I spoke about
how Europe’s involvement with the city started. In 1509, Portuguese
traders discovered Mumbai’s deep natural harbour, sheltered from the
vagaries of the Arabian sea by a piece of land protruding from the
mainland.
The trader who sailed into Mumbai – and christened it Bom Bahia (good
bay) was Francis Almeida. And this is the kind of ship in which he
sailed.
It was large enough to be stable in heavy seas, and roomy enough to
carry provisions for long voyages.
But what caught my fancy is the Portuguese word for this kind of ship
– nao. This is identical to the Hindi nao, which comes from the
Sanskrit nauh, meaning boat. Not only in Portuguese and Hindi – the
word for boat or ship is amazingly similar in Welsh (noe), Greek
(naus), Armenian (nav), Old Irish (nau), and Old Norse (nor).
Linguists agree that the original source of such common words were
the Proto-Indo-Europeans, a group of people who lived 5500 years ago
(the time scale is much debated, but it is broadly agreed that they
lived in the Chalcolithic and early Bronze Age). They were pastoral
nomads, who had domesticated the horse (eqwos).
The cow (Proto-Indo-European ‘gwous’) played a central role, both in
mythology and reglion. Aside: the Sanskrit word for cow is go or gow.
The origin and migration of the Proto-Indo-Europeans is a subject of
much dispute – did they migrate from Europe to Asia, or from Asia to
Europe? Scholars can’t seem to agree. But the history of these words
continues to fascinate.
Deepa Krishnan has a consulting practice in banking technology. She
owns Mumbai Magic, a company that offers insightful, off-beat tours
of Mumbai to overseas visitors.
Panorama.am
20:33 29/01/2007
ARMENIA WILL LOSE OPPORTUNITY FOR DEVELOPMENT WITH BAD ELECTIONS, SPEAKER SAYS
`Resolution 1532 adopted on January 23 by the Council of Europe was
unprecedented for Armenia,’ Tigran Torosyan, speaker of parliament,
said today.
Torosyan advised to compare it with previous year resolutions and see
that it is `unprecedented in positive focus.’
`This does not mean that Armenia has no shortcomings and that Armenia
has met all of her obligations,’ the speaker said also saying the
discussions on Armenia took place in favorable atmosphere.
Speaking about the upcoming elections, the speaker mentioned, `The
constitutional reformed and the amendments in election code are a good
base to add political will and conduct elections compatible with
international standards.’ The speaker also said `the sky will not
fall’ if the elections are bad but Armenia will lose a very important
chance for her development.
Source: Panorama.am
PanARMENIAN.Net
Richard Hoagland cannot say he recognizes Armenian Genocide
26.01.2007 18:12 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The U.S. has a serious attitude
about the Armenian Genocide issue but the foreign
policy doesn’t imply use of the term `genocide’ for
describing the tragedy of the Armenian people in 1915,
Arpi Vartanian, the Armenian Assembly of America
Regional Director for Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh
said in an interview with PanARMENIAN.Net. In her
words, any U.S. ambassador with uttering the words
‘Armenian Genocide’ would stand against the foreign
policy and face immediate recall, as it happened with
John Evans. `Richard Hoagland cannot say he recognizes
the Armenian Genocide by this very reason. However, in
case the U.S. foreign policy changes and the U.S.
comes to recognize the Armenian Genocide, ambassadors
including the one to Turkey will be obliged to
recognize it. Our goal is to achieve changes in the
foreign policy and we are cooperating with the
Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) on the
issue,’ Ms. Vartanian said.
She also said that the Armenian Genocide resolution to
be submitted to the Congress January 30 is an attempt
to change the U.S. foreign line. `The day of Holocaust
will be marked throughout the globe January 27, so I
do not understand why the day of the Armenian Genocide
should not be marked on April 24. If a correct
assessment were timely given to the tragedy of 1915 it
could have prevented the Holocaust and the genocides
in Rwanda, Cambodia and Darfur. We press not only for
the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide
but also for prevention of any genocide in any spot of
the world,’ she underscored.
SIX ARMENIAN CHILDREN FROM IRAQ ARRIVE IN CALCUTTA
Armenpress
ETCHMIADZIN, JANUARY 24, ARMENPRESS: From January 14-21, with the
blessings of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians,
Very Rev. Fr. Oshagan Gulgulian, Manager of the Armenian College
and Philanthropic Academy of Calcutta and parish priest of the
Armenian community of India, traveled to Jordan and Iraq to secure
the safe travel of six Armenian children from Baghdad to Calcutta
(Kolkata), India, to enroll in the Armenian College, Mother See of
Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services said to Armenpress.
After arriving at Baghdad International Airport, due to ongoing
security concerns, Fr. Oshagan was denied entry to the capital city
of Iraq by the authorities and he was forced to return to Jordan.
Nevertheless, the children were able to travel to Jordan through
the combined efforts of Archbishop Avak Assadourian (Primate of the
Armenian Diocese of Iraq), Fr. Oshagan and their parents.
Upon their arrival in Jordan, Fr. Oshagan met the new students
of the Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy and escorted
them to Calcutta. The parents of the children have expressed their
deep gratitude and appreciation to His Holiness Karekin II and the
management and administrators of the Armenian College for providing
this opportunity to their sons at this very difficult and dangerous
time for Iraq.
The Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy of Calcutta was
established in 1821. It has been under the care and authority of the
Catholicos of All Armenians since 1999.
"KARABAKH CONFLICT MUST NOT BECOME A MEANS FOR SOLVING POLITICAL PROBLEMS"
A1+
[04:08 pm] 24 January, 2007
"The appointment of the US Ambassador to Armenia is important for
the relations of the two countries, but Armenia does not accept
that decision", said U.S. Charge d’Affaires Anthony F. Godfrey in
"Urbat" club. According to him, the RA Government has approved of
the candidacy of Hogland put forward by the US President, and the
decision is up to the Senate.
Mr. Anthony Godfrey is pleased with the quality of the relations
between the countries, but he noted that "the more legitimate the
Government is, the better partner it is", hinting at the upcoming
Parliamentary elections. By the way, if the elections record serious
shortcomings, the "Millennium Challenges Corporation" can revise
the participation of Armenia in the program. The Corporation will
allot 236 million USD to Armenia for the reconstruction of irrigation
systems and rural roads.
According to Alex Rassin, the head of the Armenian office of the
"Millennium Challenges Corporation", Armenia can be left out of the
program in case the evaluating indices fall. Nevertheless, the US
officials are optimistic and have promised the RA Authorities to
continue the reforms in the political, economic and social fields
providing the continuous participation of Armenia in the program.
Referring to the construction of the oil pipeline
Kars-Akhalqalakh-Tbilisi-Baku railway which passes around Armenia,
Mr. Godfrey mentioned that they would like all the regional countries
to be included into the regional programs. "But if the railway is to
be constructed not with American money, we cannot forbid it".
Does the USA find the settlement of the Karabakh conflict realistic
after the announcement of President Kocharyan according to which
he will not allow the political powers to make use of the Karabakh
conflict during the elections? Mr. Godfrey did not give a clear-cut
answer. He simply said that the settlement of the NKR conflict is of
vital importance, and it must not become a means for the political
parties for solving their problems. He added that the OSCE Minsk
group is authorized to give the answer to that question.
By the way, the OSCE co-chairs are arriving in Yerevan tonight.
UN Expert on Freedom of Expression Deplores Murder of Turkish Editor
United Nations
Jan 24 2007
An independent United Nations expert on freedom of opinion has added
his voice to the chorus of condemnation over the murder of the editor
of the Turkish Armenian-language weekly Agos, Hrant Dink, known for
his critical work on a specific period of the history of Turkey.
"The exercise of freedom of speech should always be
guaranteed for the consideration of historical events,"
the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection
of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Ambeyi Ligabo,
<" ricane.nsf/view01/7DACE63E3C15EA12C125726D002F55D0 ?opendocument">said
in a statement.
"Most unfortunately, extreme polarization of views, in conjunction
with a perverted sense of national identity, has again inspired
the accomplishment of an ominous act, which has curtailed the
practicability of debating, in a tolerant and open manner, a subject
of wide general interest," he added.
He stressed that safety of media workers remains one of the core issues
to ensure the full exercise of the right to freedom of expression,
a key component of all democratic societies.
"Governments and state institutions have the primary responsibility
of ensuring the safety and security of citizens, including journalists
and other media professionals," he said, adding that he was encouraged
by the prompt reaction of the Government of Turkey in investigating
"this heinous crime."
Special Rapporteurs are unpaid and serve
in a personal capacity, reporting to the UN
<" rcouncil">Human Rights Council.
Source: United Nations
Putin expects more optimism about Transcaucasia (adds).
ITAR-TASS, Russia
Jan 24 2007
24.01.2007, 19.44
SOCHI, January 24 (Itar-Tass) — President Vladimir Putin said the
perception of the situation in the Transcaucasia will become more
optimistic as the economy grows and experience of interstate affairs
is gained.
"As the economy grows and the well-being of people improves, as
experience of interstate affairs builds up, there is more and more
optimism," Putin said at a press conference in the Black Sea resort
city of Sochi on Wednesday after the first round of talks with Armenian
President Robert Kocharyan. .
"But the conflict potential [in the Transcaucasia] is still very big,
and unfortunately the most acute issues have not been solved so far,"
he said.
"We will work on this, and Russia will contribute as much as it can
to the resolution of these issues. We will do what we can to solve
these problems," Putin said.
He expressed regret "there was not enough experience of interstate
relations and we have little experience of resolving conflicts. … I
am talking about all of us, including Russia."
STRONG ARMENIA FOCUSES ON JAVAKHK
Panorama.am
18:56 22/01/2007
"All our resources are sufficient to take part in the parliamentary
elections on our own. This time against "Javakhk" Union is with "Strong
Armenia" and we will combat elections together," Vardan Vardapetyan,
chairman of "Strong Armenia" party assured in a press conference today.
In his words, active negotiations are held with different political
forces and the party will soon inform in what format and with what
political forces it will combat the elections. Vardapetyan said
the party will cooperate only with those political forces which
have identical programs in relation to Javakhk. "It may be both
from the opposition and authorities," Vardapetyan said also saying
"Strong Armenia" differs from all political forces in Armenia with
its emphases on Javakhk.
In the words of the chairman, if his party were represented in the
present-day parliament, they could tackle many problems of Javakhk. "Of
coarse, we do not ignore the internal political issues of our country,"
Vardapetyan said also saying Javakhk is of special importance because
Armenians may totally leave the area in 30 years.
Source: Panorama.am