AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone: 212.319.6383, x141
Fax: 212.319.6507
Email: [email protected]
Website:
PRESS RELEASE
Tuesday, June 6, 2006
HYE GEEN CO-HOSTS CONFERENCE ON ARMENIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY ISSUES
On April 8, 2006, AGBU Hye Geen hosted a conference entitled, “The
Status of Armenian Communities Living in the United States” at the
California State University of Los Angeles (CSULA). Co-organized by
Hye Geen’s newly formed Forum for Armenian Cultural and Social Studies
(FACSS) and CSULA’s School of Social Work, the event attracted over
140 people, including students, scholars and interested community
members.
The all-day conference consisted of a diverse program that included
presentations by nine prominent speakers, as well as remarks from Sona
Yacoubian, Hye Geen Chairwoman and Nayiri Nahabedian, FACSS
Chairwoman. Featured speakers shared their expertise from a variety of
professional backgrounds in the fields of psychology, art and
medicine. Hye Geen’s objectives for the conference were to bring
together researchers, educators and community groups in order to
examine social and cultural issues facing Armenians in the U.S. today,
and to build a network of professionals serving Armenian communities.
In the sphere of psychology, keynote speaker, Professor Hagop
Der-Karabetian, PhD, discussed Armenian Communities in context of
Armenian ethnic identity, while Lisa Arslanian, PhD, lectured on
Armenian cultural attitudes and beliefs in a psychological
context. Mary Harutunian, Psychology Doctoral candidate, discussed
Armenian women’s sexuality. Marriage and Family Therapist, Shakeh
Yegavian, spoke about traditional Armenian values and their impact on
Armenian-American couples.
Houri Keshishian, MA and teacher at the AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian
School in Canoga Park, California, spoke about identity issues for
immigrant Armenian-American youth. Professor of Social Work, Rita
Ladesma, PhD, discussed the bonds between culture and notions of a
homeland.
To present a varied number of perspectives, the conference also
included cultural entrepreneur Stepan Partamian, who offered his ideas
on Armenian communities from his media experience, emphasizing the
social and cultural struggles of Armenians living in the United
States.
In the field of medicine, nurse Loucine Daderian Huckabay, PhD, shared
her knowledge of health issues impacting Armenian-American immigrants,
while Dr. Jack Der-Sarkissian, family practitioner as well as amateur
historian and musician, lectured on Western musical perspectives of
the Armenian Genocide.
The conference was dedicated to AGBU’s Centennial, as well as the 12th
Anniversary of the founding of AGBU Hye Geen.
Part of the AGBU Southern California District, AGBU Hye Geen preserves
and honors the achievements of Armenian women around the world,
promotes the role of women in family and society through research,
education and advocacy and provides overall support for the
empowerment of women as guardians of the Armenian heritage. For more
information on AGBU Hye Geen, please call the AGBU Pasadena Center at
(626) 794-7942.
To find out more about AGBU events or to view the accompanying photos
online, please visit

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
June 6, 2006
___________________
YOUNG LOUISIANA COMMUNITY SEES CHURCH AS WAY TO CONNECT GENERATIONS
By Jake Goshert
Vasken and Higo Kaltakdjian feel pride when they see their children, Serop
and Niree, 21 and 17, taking part in church services at the newly
consecrated St. Garabed Church of Louisiana in Baton Rouge. Serop is an
altar boy and his sister often reads from the Bible during the badarak. For
Mr. Kaltakdjian, the parish council chairman, the involvement of his
children is a connection to generations past.
And when Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian
Church of America (Eastern), consecrated the mission parish’s sanctuary on
May 14, 2006, it signaled to Vasken Kaltakdjian the continuation of the
Armenian faith for generations to come.
“Our church is something we have to continue,” he said. “It is not
something we can let go. And having our own church building will help our
children feel this is something to be proud of. And they’ve seen us working
hard, and know it is not something that just happens.”
SMALL, YOUNG COMMUNITY
The state of Louisiana has about 60 families and during monthly badarak
celebrations, about 80 people fill the church: a former furniture store
marvelously renovated into a distinctly Armenian-flavored sanctuary.
Kaltakdjian said most of the members are immigrants from Syria or Lebanon,
with strong family ties to the Armenian Church. Kaltakdjian, for example,
came to the United States at 19, after serving as an altar boy in the St.
Sarkis Church in Damascus, Syria, where his grandfather was a parish council
member.
“We all played parts in our churches over there and we want to continue the
traditions our fathers and grandfathers taught us. We learned the church is
very important to the Armenian community,” he said. “So even though we’re a
small community, the church has kept us together. It protects our
nationality, our language, our faith. We thought it was important to have a
church here.”
The mission parish first began to form in the mid-1980s, but the new
immigrants were unable to fund a building. As they found success in the
opportunities of America, they raised enough money to buy and renovate their
church.
The community has many young families with children, and parish leaders see
the newly consecrated church as a way to energize parishioners, who consider
the church to be necessary for their children’s education.
“It was so wonderful, all the community came out to see the service,” said
Boghos Moutafian, the former parish council chairman. “This was our dream.
And the consecration definitely made our community stronger. People are
coming together, the kids are starting to talk Armenian, and they love our
religion. They’re singing and serving at the church.”
Archbishop Barsamian was joined during the badarak by the parish’s visiting
pastor Fr. Nerses Jebejian, Fr. Aren Jebejian from Chicago, Fr. Ararat
Kaltakjian of Canada, and Maestro Khoren Mekanejian, coordinator of music
ministry for the Diocese.
The Primate said that the parish was an example of parents passing the flame
of the Armenian Christian heritage to the next generation.
“Throughout the centuries, Armenians have heard the message of St. Gregory:
‘Come, let us build an altar of light,’ and they have acted on that
message,” the Primate said. “And here in Baton Rouge, they have come
together and built a community based on our faith.”
During a banquet following the consecration, the Primate presented Moutafian
with a pontifical encyclical from His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch
and Catholicos of All Armenians. Kaltakdjian was presented with an
encyclical and the St. Gregory Medal.
“These men learned from their fathers, mothers, and grandparents. They
learned the importance and power of Christianity,” the Primate said. “More
important, they then passed that love for our church on to their children
and into their communities. They are truly passing the flame of our faith
forward to the next generation.”
— 6/06/06
E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable in the News and
Events section of the Eastern Diocese’s website,
PHOTO CAPTION (1): Parishioners fill the St. Garabed Church of Baton Rouge,
LA, as Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate, leads the consecration service
on May 14, 2006.
PHOTO CAPTION (2): As parishioners look on, the Primate blesses a cross
during the consecration of the St. Garabed Church of Baton Rouge, LA, on May
14, 2006.
PHOTO CAPTION (3): The Primate blesses a cross on the altar of the St.
Garabed Church of Baton Rouge, LA, during its consecration on May 14, 2006.
PHOTO CAPTION (4): The Primate performs the “Opening of Doors” ceremony on
May 13, 2006, the night before the consecration of the St. Garabed Church of
Baton Rouge, LA.
PHOTO CAPTION (5): The Primate, other priests, altar servers, choir
members, and parishioners walk towards the St. Garabed Church of Baton
Rouge, LA, as a prelude to the “Opening of Doors” ceremony, on the first of
a two-day consecration of the church May 13 and 14, 2006.
PHOTO CAPTION (6): The Primate presents a pontifical encyclical and the St.
Gregory medal to Vasken Kaltakdjian and his family on behalf of His Holiness
Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, during a
banquet following the consecration of the St. Garabed Church of Baton Rouge,
LA, on May 14, 2006.
PHOTO CAPTION (7): The Primate presents a pontifical encyclical to Boghos
Moutafian, a founding leader of the St. Garabed Church in Baton Rouge, LA.
PHOTO CAPTION (8): The newly consecrated St. Garabed Church of Baton Rouge,
LA.

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
06/06/2006
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ. COM 1) Chess Team Returns to Armenia after Winning Gold 2) Armenia And Azerbaijan Announce No Progress in Karabagh Talks 3) US Replaces Co-Chair of OSCE Minsk Group for Karabagh Settlement 4) MKR Draft Constitution to Be Introduced before Parliament 5) Leader Says Independent Kurdistan is Kurds' Right 1) Chess Team Returns to Armenia after Winning Gold YEREVAN (RFE/RL/Armenpress)--The Armenian National Chess team and their coach Arshak Petrosian received a hero's welcome in Armenia, after winning the 37th Chess Olympiad over the weekend in Turin, Italy. Five of the six men--Vladimir Hakobian, Gabriel Sarkisian, Artashes Minasian, Smbat Lputian, and Karen Asryan--arrived at Yerevan's Zvartnots airport shortly after midnight on Tuesday. Levon Aronian could not return to Armenia immediately after the Olympiad, citing personal reasons. They were greeted at the airport by Defense Minister Serge Sarkisian, Prime Minister Andranik Markarian, most members of his cabinet, as well as top police and army generals. Armenia, bronze medalist of three previous Olympiads, won the game's most important team competition, which drew to a close on Sunday, for the first time in its history. Its six top grandmasters, led by the world number three Levon Aronian, were the only undefeated team among 148 participating nations and finished far ahead of tournament favorite Russia. "We've made history," Petrosian said. "This is a great achievement for Armenian chess. We are very happy to have achieved that result." "We were anxious, happy and cheerful. It was great," said Gabriel Sargsian, the youngest member of the Armenian team. The 19 year old grandmaster's strong performance at Turin--8 wins in 13 games--proved crucial for the overall Armenian victory. The Olympic champions then headed to the city's Freedom Square where more than a thousand people waving Armenia's red-blue-orange flags and chanting "Armenia! Armenia!" gathered to cheer them on. The celebration, featuring speeches by senior officials and performances by Armenian pop singers, was broadcast live on state television. Defense Minister Serge Sarkisian, who also heads the Armenian Chess Federation, stayed with the Armenian players in the northern Italian city throughout the two-week tournament. "Our chess players have managed to justify our nation's hopes," he said. "Your support from Yerevan was the most important thing for the guys," he told the jubilant crowd in Freedom Square. "This was only our first major victory. More victories lie ahead." 2) Armenia And Azerbaijan Announce No Progress in Karabagh Talks (AP/Yerkir)--The Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia said Tuesday that talks between their countries' leaders had made no progress toward a settlement of the dispute over Karabagh, but that they had instructions to continue negotiations. Armenian President Robert Kocharian and Azeri President Ilham Aliyev discussed the conflict on the sidelines of a Black Sea summit in Bucharest, Romania, on Sunday and Monday. Representatives of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group, which is trying to broker a resolution of the 18 year old conflict, were also present. Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian told state television that the talks had been conducted "in a normal atmosphere, but they did not succeed in registering progress and giving a positive impulse to solving the problem of the Karabagh conflict." Still, he said that he and Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov had orders to try to find points on which they could bring the two countries' positions closer. Mamedyarov said that, in spite of the lack of a breakthrough, the Aliyev-Kocharian meeting had seen a "wide discussion" of the details of a settlement. "We decided to continue the process and, if necessary, to hold another meeting at the level of Foreign Ministers," Mamedyarov said. However, Mamedyarov added that, "there is still hope for the peaceful resolution of the conflict and we are eager to continue efforts in this direction." The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group said that the meetings took place in a good atmosphere and expressed hope that the conflict can be resolved this year. "The co-chairs still believe that 2006 is the window to reach an agreement regarding Karabagh, and I don't want to characterize exactly where we might be in that process," said Steven Mann, the co-chair representing the US in Bucharest. Mann also said that the mediators believe that the Karabagh conflict can still be resolved this year. "The co-chairs still believe that 2006 is the window to reach an agreement regarding Karabagh," he said. Russian co-chair Yuri Merzlyakov said that the responsibility for the conflict resolution should not be laid on the two sides only. "They should themselves reach an agreement but with the support of the mediators," Merzlyakov said. 3) US Replaces Co-Chair of OSCE Minsk Group for Karabagh Settlement (Yerkir/Armenpress)Another diplomat will replace the American co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Steven Mann, who has been appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary of State on Central and South Asian Affairs. According to Mann, it is a usual rotation. "Another co-chairman will represent the US during the talks about the settlement of the Nagorno Karabagh conflict," said Mann. Azeri Foreign Affairs Minister Elmar Mamedyarov said that changing the American co-chairman will not have a negative impact on negotiations. He told journalists that his conviction is based on the professionalism of American diplomats. "The important thing is that the Americans remain in the regulation process and want to continue it," said Mamedyarov, noting that one or two months will be enough time for the new chairman to become involved in the process. 4) MKR Draft Constitution to Be Introduced before Parliament YEREVAN (Yerkir)Mountainous Karabagh Republic (MKR) held a meeting of its Constitutional Commission working group in Stepanakert, to discuss the introduction of a Draft Constitution to Parliament. During the meeting, MKR President Arkady Ghoukassian said that the Draft Constitution will be introduced before the Parliament. He also commissioned the working group to continue their activities to study and discuss proposals that have been received. Ghoukassian said he appreciated the activities of the MKR Constitutional Commission, noting that their work has received positive feedback from experts. 5) Leader Says Independent Kurdistan is Kurds' Right ERBIL (The New Anatolian)President of the Iraqi Kurdistan region, Massoud Barzani, said Monday in an interview with Al-Arabia television that an independent Kurdistan is the right of Iraqi Kurds, but for now remaining within the borders of a federalist, democratic Iraq serves their interest. Asked whether Iraqi Kurdish groups might seek an independent state, Barzani said that struggling for and dreaming about independence is "a right of every Kurdish individual" and further that "nobody can deny this right to the Kurds." "But for now, remaining within the borders of a federal, democratic Iraq fructifies the Kurdish interest. Presumably the dream and desire of an independent Kurdistan for the next generation or even in our time will be realized," Barzani said. Barzani also expressed optimism about the resolution of the Kirkuk issue by the new Iraqi Government and stressed that pursuing the issue is a priority of the regional government in Iraqi Kurdistan. The Iraqi Kurdish leader further expressed his belief that "the Kurdish question of neighboring countries" can be solved by democratic and peaceful means, through dialogue. Barzani's remarks are likely to cause concern in Ankara, which fears a civil war in Iraq and wider regional instability should the country fall apart and the Iraqi Kurds seek independence. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2006 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets. From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The Times (UK)
June 06, 2006
How dare you take my queen?
By Rajeev Syal and Raymond Keene
Battle of the chess grandmasters as leading England player ‘attacks’
rival over dancefloor move

[Picture]Arianna Caoili, Australia No 3 – described as the Anna
Kournikova of chess.

FOR one British grandmaster, his rival had made a move too far. Danny
Gormally, one of Britain’s leading chess players, allegedly attacked the
world No 3 at an international tournament for dancing with a beautiful
Australian player.
Levon Aronian, leading light of the Armenian chess scene, was apparently
punched and shoved, and ended up on the floor during a party at the
recent Chess Olympiad in Turin.
He had been spotted jiving with Arianne Caoili, 19, an Australian
grandmaster known as the Anna Kournikova of the chess world. Mr Gormally
was known by team-mates to be fond of her.
But the next day, after the England captain apologised to the Armenian
team, the repercussions continued. When Mr Gormally went out for a
coffee with friends, he was attacked by a group of young Armenian
players seemingly bent on revenge for their star player.
The unseemly events are expected to lead to an urgent inquiry by the
English Chess Federation into Mr Gormally’s behaviour. He was advised to
leave the tournament early to avoid further confrontation.
Allan Beardsworth, the England captain, said that drink appeared to play
a part. “Danny seems to have punched Aronian for innocently dancing with
a girl that he liked. The following day, there was a retaliatory
incident. It is a shame, and something that we will have to look into
properly,” he said.
The Olympiad is held every two years between 150 international teams and
brings together the world’s best players. While the tournament went
badly for Mr Gormally and the England team, the Armenians eventually won.
The party was held four days ago at a nightclub called “Hiroshima Mon
Amour”. Mr Gormally, 30, from Durham, spotted Ms Caoili, with whom he
had struck up an e-mail relationship, according to colleagues. They are
also known to have met in London.
Ms Caoili, a child prodigy of Filipino descent who has ambitions of
becoming a professional singer, was dancing “energetically” with Mr
Aronian. She is ranked No 3 in Australia. Mr Aronian, 23, often referred
to as a future world champion, is adored in his country where chess is
the national sport.
For Mr Gormally, the sight of the pair dancing was apparently too much –
but his actions were unjustified, according to Mr Beardsworth. “I have
spoken to several people who were there, and there is no doubt that
Danny was in the wrong. Aronian is a lovely guy and at the very peak of
his national sport. I have been told that he is treated like David
Beckham at home,” he said.
The England team’s management was informed of the incident and held an
impromptu meeting. By 11am the next day, it had apologised to the
Armenian team leader, who also happens to be the country’s defence
minister. There is no suggestion of any criminal inquiry.
Mr Gormally was informed, and hoped that the incident was over. However,
when he went out with friends for a coffee, he was spotted by young
chess players from Armenia. “They set upon Danny – he was hit several
times. Luckily, one of the team-mates with Danny could speak Russian and
managed to calm them down,” Mr Beardsworth said.
Denis Jessop, president of the Australian Chess Federation, said that he
may launch his own inquiry. “I have heard that an incident took place
and that Aronian was thumped and that it was over Arianne.”
“I am not surprised at anything that chess players do. It is not the
first time that there’s been an argument at a chess tournament and
people have hit each other,” he said.
Mr Gormally, 30, a professional player, declined to comment from his
home, where he lives with his parents. On asked why he had been sent
home, he replied: “It’s personal. It’s nothing to do with you.”

Hero’s house reborn: Armenians’ savior lived in Lancaster
By Karen Nugent
WORCESTER TELEGRAM & GAZETTE
Jun 6, 2006
LANCASTER – Most historic homes in town bear some marker naming the original
owner.
And most of those owners had highbrow Brahmin names such as Thayer and
Wilder, along with those of early Yankee settlers – Rowlandson, Prescott,
Damon and Rice.
The name `Bogigian’ is decidedly different.
But Hagop Bogigian, a once-poor Armenian immigrant, had connections, the
first being Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Eventually, his friendship with the
poet allowed Mr. Bogigian, an Oriental carpet importer, to build a hugely
successful business in Cambridge and Boston that gave him enough money to
build a summer home in Lancaster.
Not that Mr. Bogigian was a summerhome type of guy.
Besides saving hundreds of fellow Armenians from the Turkish genocide in the
early 1900s, the lifelong humanitarian went on to dedicate much of his life
to helping widows (his own mother was widowed when he was only 4) and
children, and to educating women.
`He was very unusual for his time,’ said Jeanne A. Blauner, the current
owner of the circa-1907 mansion at 509 Neck Road.
As the 100th anniversary of the house approaches next year, and with an
effort under way to have it listed in the state and national historic
registers, Ms. Blauner has decided to open it up for tea and refreshments
from 9 to 11 a.m. June 17. Admission will be free.
There will be an exhibit and presentation on the history of the house and
Mr. Bogigian’s personal story. His grand-nephew, Hagop Martin Deranian, a
Worcester dentist, is expected to be there, along with members of the
Lancaster Historical Commission.
Dr. Deranian is the author of `Worcester Is America: The Story of
Worcester’s Armenians.’
He paid to have a historic marker honoring Mr. Bogigian placed in front of
the house in 2002, which was dedicated by the Lancaster Historical
Commission. Dr. Deranian at the time said his great-uncle crossed the
Atlantic 87 times in the course of his business and humanitarian activities.
Several years ago, a publication by Old Sturbridge Village had a section on
Mr. Bogigian written by Mildred Tymeson Petrie, a Worcester historian and
author. In it, Ms. Petrie says Mr. Bogigian, then an `importer of Oriental
goods’ opened his first shop in Harvard Square in 1878 with three rugs
hanging in the window.
Longfellow, who lived nearby on Brattle Street in Cambridge, spotted the
rugs and promptly bought one for his home. He also referred then-Harvard
College president Charles Eliot Norton to the shop, who also bought a rug.
Needless to say, Mr. Bogigian’s business took off, and he later moved to an
even better location in Boston, near the Statehouse. There were more rich
customers buying rugs from that locale, eventually allowing Mr. Bogigian to
buy an 18-room house overlooking a reservoir in Framingham, and the 88-acre
lot in Lancaster, which included a pond, orchard and rose gardens.
Meanwhile, he married the former Helen J. Carrington in 1887, whom his
grandnephew described as a Connecticut Yankee. They did not have any
children.
Both husband and wife died in 1931, and much of the land was sold off, Ms.
Blauner said, noting that it was a six-family apartment house in terrible
shape when she bought it in 1999. It has since been renovated and divided up
into six condominiums. At one point, it was a nursing home, and before that,
in World War II, a family built a makeshift soup factory behind the house.
Ms. Blauner had no idea of the significance of the house when she bought it,
but she said people kept asking her about it.
After a while, she went to the Lancaster Historical Commission office and
began researching it, with the help of Joan Richards, the commission’s
coordinator.
`I called my parents, and I told them I thought I bought a dilapidated
six-family, but I really bought a historical mansion,’ she said with a
laugh.
The original house is thought to date from the early 1800s as part of the
old Damon farm. Ms. Blauner said it sat closer to Neck Road, but Mr.
Bogigian, who bought the property in 1905, moved it back and had it set on
the new foundation, and then built around it. Part of his addition included
his rug gallery and two more bedrooms, she said.
According to Ms. Richards, Mr. Bogigian, who was born in 1856 in Kharpoot,
Turkey, saved Armenians from the Turkish massacre by paying for their
passage to the United States and helping them get settled here. He also
intervened with officials at Ellis Island to prevent them from being
deported to Turkey, and contacted President Grover Cleveland and the
American Red Cross to help raise money for displaced Armenians.
Later, he gave money to Mount Holyoke College and Wilson College in
Pennsylvania to be used for the education of young Armenian women.
After he moved to town permanently from Framingham, Ms. Richards said, he
contributed heavily to town projects.
Ms. Blauner said she and previous owners and tenants all felt a certain
positive aura in the house – perhaps leftover karma from Mr. Bogigian.
`It’s a good house. This is a happy place,’ she said.
Photo: The Bogigian house, a circa-1907 mansion at 509 Neck Road in
Lancaster, is being considered for state and national registers of historic
places. (T&G Staff/RICK CINCLAIR)
rticle?AID=/20060606/NEWS/606060414/1116

RTE SPORT
Nalbandian through to semi-finals
Tuesday, 06 June 2006 6:58
David Nalbandian is through to the semi-finals of the French Open
David Nalbandian, the third seed from Argentina, ousted sixth seed Nikolay
Davydenko in four sets to progress to the French Open semi-finals for the
second time in three years.
Nalbandian, 24, who reached the last four at Roland Garros in 2004 only to
be beaten by Gaston Gaudio, overcame his Russian rival 6-3 6-3 2-6 6-4.
After winning the first two sets, Nalbandian suffered a lapse in form in the
third, with Davydenko raising his game to narrow the deficit.
In the fourth set, however, Nalbandian broke his opponent in the fifth game
to take a 3-2 lead and held serve thereafter to seal victory.
Nalbandian won the Masters Series event in Shanghai in 2005 after defeating
world number one Roger Federer, who he will now face in the last four at
Roland Garos.

Hacker’s mark left on Greenfield paper’s Web site
By George Barnes
WORCESTER TELEGRAM & GAZETTE
Jun 6, 2006
GREENFIELD – Visitors to the Greenfield Recorder’s site on the Internet over
the weekend were surprised to discover that instead of a page of news
headlines and links to information, what they got was `Hacked by Metlak.’
A view of the Web site, recorder.com, was blocked Sunday by a picture of a
Turkish flag with the face of what appears to be a soldier superimposed on
it and the words `Hacked by Metlak,’ and `Turkish hacker’ in parentheses
beneath it. In smaller lettering was a paragraph written in Turkish.
Yesterday, the newspaper’s Web site could not be accessed.
Douglas Hillman, operations director for the Franklin County newspaper, said
the problem was not in the newspaper’s equipment, although he said he was
still trying to determine exactly what happened.
`We believe it is in our ISP (internet service provider),’ he said.
Mr. Hillman said he was able to view the paper’s Web pages from his office,
but people seeking to read the newspaper on the Internet were blocked. He
said he was not initially aware of the Metlak issue.
The newspaper’s Internet service provider is eclecTechs, a Northampton-based
company. A spokesman for the company could not be reached for comment
yesterday, but a message to customers left on the company’s answering
machine said, `We have now excised many of our technical issues we had
earlier in the day. However, there may be some lingering issues. If you do,
please leave a message.’
Mr. Hillman said he reached the company and was told its server was down and
the company was trying to fix the problem.
A search for Metlak on the Internet shows many instances of the name in
connection with access problems on Web sites. It is also linked to a Turkish
hacker known as Iskorpitx, who is credited on many sites with committing the
largest Internet hacking in history.
Jason Matthews of Check Point Software, an Internet security company, said
one of the ways people improperly gain access to a Web site is by
surreptitiously gaining access to many computers through a virus. After
gaining access to as many as 1,000 computers, the person then uses those
computers to attack and overwhelm an Internet server, making it vulnerable.
He said firewalls are designed to prevent access to computers by viewing
information coming into the computers and determining if it could pose a
threat.
Mr. Hillman said he was unsure how his paper’s Web site was compromised, but
by late yesterday afternoon, it was up and running and displaying the
current day’s news.
He said that because the new server the pages are on was installed with an
old back-up tape, initially the public saw out-of-date stories and
information on recorder.com, but the newspaper was working yesterday
afternoon to load the new information to replace it.
Jason Feifer of the Telegram & Gazette staff contributed to this report.
icle?AID=/20060606/NEWS/606060461/1003/NEWSREWIND
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RUSSIAN AUDIT CHAMBER HEAD SAYS HE INITIATED MAJOR STING OPERATION
NTV Mir, Moscow
5 Jun 06
[Presenter] Today it became known that Federation Council Speaker
Sergey Mironov has asked the People’s Hural [parliament] of Kalmykia
to recall its senator Levon Chakhmakhchyan. [Kalmyk] President Kirsan
Ilyumzhinov has agreed to this request.
A couple of days ago, during a FSB special operation, marked notes
worth 300,000 dollars were found in the Kalmyk senator’s briefcase.
According to the investigators, this is only a part of the bribe,
which totalled half a million dollars. It is believed that in return
for the bribe Chakhmakhchyan arranged for documents to be removed
from the material being used in inspections by the Audit Chamber
and it is possible that this is not the only case of corruption in
this department.
[Sergey Stepashin, Audit Chamber chairman] A few days ago, on Friday [2
June] an internal operation conducted at my initiative in cooperation
with the Federal Security Service [FSB] and the prosecutor’s office
ended. Unfortunately, amongst our ranks in the Audit Chamber we found
our own miscreants and citizens involved in dirty dealing were caught
red-handed. A criminal investigation has been opened.
[At 1244 gmt ITAR-TASS added further details given about the
operation by Stepashin, which was the same operation that caught
Chakhmakhchyan. According to Stepashin, he asked FSB head Nikolay
Patrushev for help after the head of Transaero air company Aleksandr
Pleshakov complained that Audit Chamber employees had offered to
conceal the results of an unfavourable inspection in return for a
bribe of 1.5-3m dollars. Stepashin said that several employees had been
caught by the operation, including an auditor’s aide called Oganesyan,
who is Chakhmakhchyan’s son-in-law.
A second ITAR-TASS report at 0948 gmt cited the Russian prosecutor’s
office as saying that Oganesyan and another man involved in the
incident, chief accountant of the Russian-Armenian Business Cooperation
Association Igor Arushanov, had been arrested, but Chakhmakhchyan
could not be detained as he is a senator and therefore has immunity.]

ARMENIANS RALLY OUTSIDE RUSSIAN EMBASSY IN YEREVAN OVER HATE KILLINGS IN MOSCOW
AP Worldstream
Jun 05, 2006
Several dozen protesters rallied outside the Russian Embassy in
Yerevan on Monday, protesting a series of attacks on ethnic Armenians
in Russia by skinheads and racist nationalists.
The demonstration, organized by rights activists, came just 10 days
after a group of apparent skinheads stabbed a teenager on a train
outside of Moscow _ the sixth such fatal attack on ethnic Armenians
in or around Moscow this year.
Avetik Ishkhanian, head of the Helsinki Committee of Yerevan, said
protesters were calling on government authorities to condemn the
Moscow attacks.
Russia has seen a marked rise in xenophobia and hate crimes in recent
years, with a series of attacks on dark-skinned migrants, foreigners
and Jews. Rights groups say authorities do little or nothing to combat
the crimes.
According to the Moscow-based Sova human rights center, last year
31 murders and 382 assaults had racist motivations. So far in 2006,
14 people have been killed in xenophobic attacks.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

BLACK SEA FORUM IN ROMANIA ADOPTS FINAL STATEMENT
Rompres news agency
5 Jun 06
Bucharest, 5 June: The final declaration of the summit meeting of the
Black Sea Forum for Dialogue and Partnership held on Monday 5 June
in Bucharest provides for the creation of this forum as a “platform
for finalizing a common vision on the development of democracy and
a market economy”.
The declaration states that the need for this regional cooperation
initiative is the result of interdependence between the Black Sea
countries, highlighting that all these countries will have to strive
to secure peace, stability, prosperity and good neighbourly relations
by efficient use of the other forms already existing in the area,
particularly the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC).
The final document of the Bucharest summit meeting indicates that
the challenges to regional stability – terrorism, pollution, natural
calamities, trafficking and organized crime as well as unsettled
disputes – require a new, action-oriented strategy on the part of
the countries in this region.
The Black Sea Forum, the document says, will aim to promote
regional cooperation, good governance, democracy, human rights, the
consolidation of tolerance, the development of the civil society,
while offering better opportunities to young people through education
and scientific research. At the same time, it will seek new ways of
winning the active involvement of the business communities in all
these priorities and of accommodating the regional priorities with
those of the Euro-Atlantic community.
“There will be no standing bodies of the Forum and the Forum will
not overlap the cooperation mechanisms already in place in the region.
Tits operational framework will be minimal and flexible based on
partnerships,” reads the document.
Likewise, it mentions that further consultations will be held and
the Forum will be open to all the countries of the region and all
partners concerned, be them countries or international organizations.
The declaration also hails the interest on the rise of the European
Union in the Black Sea area and encourages the national authorities
of the countries in these region to make good use of the financial
instruments to be made available by the European Union beginning with
2007 – the European Neighbourhood Policy, the European Neighbourhood
Policy Instrument (ENPI) and the Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA).
The document is signed by state officials from Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Turkey and Ukraine.
The Russian Federation is not a party to the Forum, but she was
represented in the summit meeting as an observer by Ambassador to
Bucharest Aleksandr Tolkaci.
Tolkaci did not deliver any message to the participants, but he said
at the end of the meeting that the position of the Russian Federation
remains the same as the one voiced by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
“Such regional initiatives are good, but there are too many of them,”
Tolkaci told journalists.
The Russian Federation voiced reservations over the need to establish
the Black Sea Forum, arguing that this initiative is overlapping
the BSEC.