AZG Armenian Daily #226, 25/11/2006

Exhibition

NEW PHOTO EXHIBITION OPENS AT CENTER FOR NEW EXPERIMENTAL ART

`Face to Face with Armenia’ photo exhibition launches
in the Center for New Experimental Art.

The initiators of the photo exhibition state that it
is a response to the French photo exhibition held at
the same center within the framework of the Year of
France in Armenia held in October-November, 2006. 18
Armenian photographers are going to participate in the
exhibition. The pieces included in the exhibition are
mainly portraits and self-portraits.

Eduard Palasanian, curator of the photo exhibition,
stated that the authors of the photos touched upon and
depicted the themes of not only personal and
autobiographic but of social character. "Some of the
pieces have solely and openly social character, while
the others are absolutely abstract. There are photos
that have quite personal content full of personal
symbols and allegories. The others use mirrors and
various kinds of photo techniques creating the
atmosphere of deceptive illusions and visions,"
Palasanian said.

Sargis Virabian, photographer who participated in 12
photo exhibitions, has represented a series of street
photos that reflect the life and social problems of
our city.

The exhibitions will be on till December 30.

By Gohar Gevorgian

AZG Armenian Daily #226, 25/11/2006

Neighbors

AZERBAIJANIS POSE AS ARMENIANS IN HOLLAND

In search of an asylum in Holland some Azerbaijanis
make fake documents to pose as Armenians who fled from
Baku, day.az reports. Another group of Azeris passes
off as political immigrants. Nazim Ibrahimov, head of
the State Commission for Azerbaijanis Residing Abroad,
appeals to all these people to return to motherland
"where conditions are better than in the refugee camps
of Holland."

AZG Armenian Daily #226, 25/11/2006

Home

HAYPOST TO COOPERATE WITH HAYPOSTBANK

In accordance with yesterday’s Government decision,
the cooperation agreement signed between "Haypost"
CJSC and "Haypostbank" OJSC was approved. The official
web site of RA Government informed about this. There
were no other details on the agreement in the release.
It’s worth mentioning that this was the first official
information about existence of "Haypostbank."

AZG Armenian Daily #226, 25/11/2006

Home

Examination on History of Armenia Included in
Graduation Final Exams for High School

In accordance with yesterday’s Government decision it
was ratified that the exams on the Armenian language,
on the history of Armenia, on mathematics and on
foreign languages are compulsory for the students of
the high school. The students who want to enter
universities should pass the abovementioned exams and
may chose an additional subject close to the relevant
profession they are applying for. Thus, by the
abovementioned decision, the exam on the History of
Armenia was included in the list of the compulsory
ones.

By Ara Martirosian

A1+

POISONED LITVINENKO SPOKE ABOUT `OCTOBER 27′ TOO
[02:42 pm] 24 November, 2006

Former officer of the RF Federal Security Service Alexander
Litvinenko died last night in a hospital in London where he went on
November 17. The doctors never found out what he had been poisoned
with.

Litvinenko received political refuge in Great Britain in 2002. During
the last few weeks he took measures to reveal the murder of Russian
journalist Anna Politkovskaya; he was sure that Kremlin had a finger
in it.

The residents of Armenia learned the name of Litvinenko in 1999 after
the October 27 crime in the Parliament when he announced that `It was
all organized by Russia’. Litvinenko announced that the RF special
services, particularly, the Chief Investigation Administration, have
planned the murder of the Armenian politicians.

A1+

APPLICATIONS FOR A UNITED KINGDOM VISA IN ARMENIA:
BIOMETRIC FINGERSCANS
[03:14 pm] 24 November, 2006

From 1 December 2006 the British Embassy in Yerevan
is introducing biometric data collection
(fingerscans). This is part of a world-wide biometric
identification process, designed to protect an
individual’s identity, facilitate future entry to the
UK, combat visa fraud and abuse of the UK’s
immigration and asylum systems. With effect from 1
December 2006 all visa applicants, irrespective of
nationality, will have to apply in person at the
British Embassy in Yerevan and have their fingerscans
taken.

All visa applicants must have their fingerscans taken,
with the exception of children under the age of five.
An exception may also be granted to applicants, who
for genuine medical reasons cannot provide
fingerscans. The following categories of applicant are
also exempted from providing their fingerscans:

– Holders of Diplomatic passports and accompanying
dependants travelling on official government business.

– Holders of Official passports who are travelling on
official government business in the United Kingdom.

– United Nations officials holding UN Travel Documents
who are travelling on official UN business.

– Commonwealth and NATO armed forces personnel posted
for service in the UK

– Holders of a certificate of entitlement confirming
right of abode in the United Kingdom.

Fingerscans will be collected from each applicant by
using an electronic scanner. No ink, liquid or
chemical will be used and the procedure will take no
more than two minutes to complete.

If an applicant refuses to provide fingerscans, the
application cannot be processed.

All applicants should ensure that their fingertips are
free from any forms of decoration (henna, for
example), abrasions or other markings prior to
attending the British Embassy as these may affect
their ability to provide acceptable fingerscans.

Visa applications cannot be processed until applicants
are able to provide acceptable fingerscans.

A1+

MARATHON GATHERED ABOUT 14 MILLION USD
[03:35 pm] 24 November, 2006

The annual TV marathon organized by Pan-Armenian fund
`Armenia’ titled `I Love Armenia’ and `I Love Artsakh’
which lasted 12 hours gathered 13.7 million USD. The
money will be used for the development of the NKR
Hadrout region. Over 12 thousand people reside in the
region.

By the way, the sum gathered this year is twice as
much as that of last year. The 7 million gathered last
year was allotted to NKR Martakert region.

A1+

APPLICANTS TO TAKE OXFORD TESTS
[07:19 pm] 24 November, 2006

The training program for Armenian teachers has been
declared the best during the conference in Saint
Petersburg in which Ministers of Education of 11
countries participated.

Minister of Education and Science Levon Lazarian
rendered a press conference today in order to inform
the journalists about the radical educational reforms
which have been done and will be done. According to
him, the results will be obvious in 2009-2010. `We
work in two directions: to prepare reforms of
specialized education and to find necessary technical
grounds. At present we are trying to find partners and
sources of financing. We do our best not to trouble
the budget much’. The Minister mentioned that all the
business trips realized lately have that very aim.

In order to secure the objectivity during the
school-leaving exams, the RA Ministry of education has
decided to prepare the tests in Oxford, like the
Ministry of Education of Georgia. `If the printing
houses of Armenia don’t get the tests, no one will
have access to them and it will be impossible to
spread them’, Levon Lazarian mentioned.

Armenpress

COMMISSION DECLINES ARMENTEL’S REQUEST

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS: Armenia’s Public
Services Regulatory Commission has declined today a
request by ArmenTel telephone company seeking to raise
tariffs for its exclusive and non-exclusive services.
The commission said the current prices will remain in
force until March, 2007 as ‘transitional prices."
On September 1 ArmenTel asked the Commission to
allow it to raise the monthly payment for one
fixed-line telephone from current 1,100 drams to
3,3000. It also asked for a permission to cut the
360-minute limit of free telephone conversations from
digitized telephones to 280 minute and raise the price
of conversations above that limit from 4 drams per one
minute to six drams.
It also suggested that 9 drams be charged for every
minute of conversations above 1000 minute. ArmenTel
also wanted to double the price for providing a new
telephone number to 24,000 drams. As a compensation it
suggested it could reduce prices of international
telephone calls up to 70 percent. However, the
Commission declined the proposal.
The company repeated the request 45 days later, as
allowed by the law, but it was again denied by the
Commission.
Commission chairman Robert Nazarian said they hope
that the new owner of ArmenTel (it was sold to Russian
Vimpelcom at 342 million euros) will be able to use
this short period of time to assess the situation
inside the company and reach through open debates with
the Commission a result that would satisfy all sides.
ArmenTel has about 600,000 fixed-line and 400,000
mobile service subscribers, and uses the GSM 900 and
CDMA standards.

Armenpress

MASKED MEN ROB MONEY EXCHANGE OFFICE

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS: Armenian
prosecutors reported today about a broad daylight
robbery of 1.5 million drams ($4,000) from a currency
exchange office in Yerevan.
They said three masked men entered the office and
pointing their guns at the man running it took away
the money that was on his table. The robbery was
reported on November 22 at 7 seven o’clock in the
evening.