Arutz Sheva, Israel
Jan 6 2005
Armenian Clergyman Assaulted in Jerusalem
19:36 Jan 06, ’05 / 25 Tevet 5765
(IsraelNN.com) Police have arrested four Jews for allegedly
assaulting a clergyman of the Armenian Church in eastern Jerusalem.
Police report that two of them accosted him and spat on him, and when
he tried to fight them off, two others came to their aid. A security
guard who came to the clergyman’s aid was also assaulted, according
to the report.
Associated Press
Jan 6 2005
Orthodox set to celebrate Christmas
MIKE ECKEL
MOSCOW – The head of Russia’s Orthodox Church offered blessings and
prayers on the eve of the Orthodox Christmas Thursday, noting in his
traditional holiday greetings that 2004 was a difficult year for
Russia
Patriarch Alexy II also addressed Christians worldwide and people of
other faiths, saying “Let us work together for the sake of peace and
the prosperity of our peoples.”
Christmas falls on Jan. 7 for Orthodox Christians in Russia and other
Eastern Orthodox churches that use the Julian calendar instead of the
16th-century Gregorian calendar adopted by Catholics and Protestants
and commonly used in secular life around the world.
The top U.N. official in Kosovo, Soren Jessen-Petersen, called upon
Serbs, who are largely Orthodox Christian, to use this period to
“make special efforts to reach out to all, regardless of their views
and backgrounds.”
Kosovo was placed under U.N. administration in 1999, following NATO’s
air war aimed at stopping the Serb forces crackdown on
independence-seeking ethnic Albanians.
In the former Soviet republic of Armenia, worshippers lit candles and
attended services to mark the holiday and President Robert Kocharian
and other top government officials attended services at the
Echmiadzin Cathedral outside the capital, Yerevan.
Pope John Paul II also offered his “cordial wish of peace and joy in
the Lord” to “the brothers and sisters of the Eastern Churches which
are celebrating in these days Holy Christmas.” Jan. 7 is celebrated
in the Catholic church as Epiphany.
The Russian patriarch referred in his greetings to the string of
terrorist attacks that struck Russia including the August crash of
two airliners, and the September hostage-taking at the school in
Beslan where some 340 people died, nearly half of them children.
“Flouting everything that is holy in their impious madness,
terrorists raised their hands against children. The deaths of
innocent victims has become our common grief and filled our hearts
with pain and sorrow,” he said.
“But at the same time, the horrible tragedy has shown that moral
ideals are alive in the people: facing death, many people manifested
high examples of sacrificial love for their neighbors, laying down
their lives for their friends, as the Holy Scripture says,” the
patriarch said.
The patriarch also met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the
Kremlin. Putin spoke at length about the humanitarian aid and the
rescue efforts Russia has provided to Asian countries devastated by
the Dec. 26 tsunami.
“I want to again wish you a Merry Christmas, happiness and health to
you and all the Orthodox Christians, to all the people who will be
observing this holy holiday,” Putin told the patriarch.
Fresno Bee, CA
Jan 6 2005
Armenian Town plan challenged
Two local preservation groups file a lawsuit.
By Russell Clemings / The Fresno Bee
Two groups of local historic preservation advocates have gone to
court hoping to overturn Fresno’s approval of a large part of the Old
Armenian Town redevelopment project.
Heritage Fresno and Friends of Armenian Town allege that the city’s
redevelopment agency did not “properly address impacts on historic
resources and feasible alternatives” when its board – which also is
the City Council – unanimously approved the project in November.
Their Fresno County Superior Court complaint says that the city and
developers Richard Gunner and George Andros made no mention of their
plans for the facade of Armenian Evangelical Church, in storage since
being torn down in November 2003.
It also says the agency did not get enough public comment before
deciding where to move five other historic buildings that would be
displaced by the project. The agency plans to put the structures on
vacant lots along L Street between San Benito and Monterey streets;
preservation advocates have proposed an alternative site at M and
Ventura streets, closer to their original locations.
“These people just don’t think a good enough job has been done in
protecting historic resources,” said their attorney, John C.
Gabrielli, of Davis. “They’re not interested in stopping the project
at all. They’re interested in sitting down and hashing things out.”
Neither Marlene Murphey, interim director of the redevelopment
agency, nor Lowell Carruth, attorney for Gunner and Andros, responded
to requests for comment on the lawsuit.
The Old Armenian Town project includes a new home for the state’s 5th
District Court of Appeal, plus three office buildings, a parking
garage, and some retail space. An Armenian Cultural Center also is
planned. The site is bounded by O, Ventura and M streets and Freeway
41.
George Bursik, a spokesman for the preservation groups, lives in one
of the few remaining homes in the project area and says he objects
mainly to the city’s plans for his and other houses.
“I don’t believe the city has a legal right to confiscate a person’s
home,” he said. “I mean, I understand that they have the legal right,
but … just because some developer comes along and wants to take it
doesn’t make it in the public interest.”
ArmenPress
Jan 6 2005
AZERI, ARMENIAN FMs TO MEET IN PRAGUE JANUARY 11
BAKU, JANUARY 6, ARMENPRESS: Azerbaijan’s deputy foreign minister
Araz Azimov told a local ATV channel that foreign ministers of
Armenia and Azerbaijan, Vartan Oskanian and Elmar Mamedyarov have
agreed to hold another meeting in Prague on January 11 in an effort
to continue exploring ways for ending the dispute over Nagorno
Karabagh.
Azimov said the OSCE Minsk group cochairmen from Russia, France
and USA will also participate in the meeting, which, according to
him, will discuss the so-called stage-by-stage conflict resolution
option.
Late last month Azeri foreign minister said Baku expects
considerable progress from the next meeting of Azerbaijani and
Armenian foreign ministers.
“If Armenia continues to approach the issue as seriously, as it
did during the two previous meetings in Sofia and Brussels of foreign
ministers, the conflict settlement process would mark remarkable
changes,” he said.
ArmenPress
Jan 6 2005
ARMENIAN CONTINGENT READY TO DEPLOY IN IRAQ
YEREVAN, JANUARY 6, ARMENPRESS: A spokesman for Armenian defense
ministry told Armenpress that a 46 non-combat platoon is ready to be
deployed in Iraq. The spokesman, Seyran Shahsuvarian, said the
platoon is composed of 30 truck drivers, 10 sappers, three doctors
and three officers.
Armenia’s parliament voted to send 46 non-combat troops to Iraq on
December 24, a move that drew sharp criticism from many Armenians and
opposition groups.
The troops could serve in Iraq for up to a year and would only
conduct humanitarian operations. “There is not, and will not be an
Armenian military presence in Iraq,’ Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian
had said earlier. “In the humanitarian aspect, it is preferable for
Armenia to contribute to the postwar reconstruction of Iraq, in
establishing democracy in this country which has important
significance for the region and which could have an impact on the
Caucasus.’
The troops would serve as part of the Polish-led multinational
force that operates in a belt of territory south of Baghdad.
The proposal had been widely criticized by opposition parties,
many Armenians and even the 30,000-strong Armenian community in Iraq,
which fears being targeted for attacks if the troops were sent.
ArmenPress
Jan 6 2005
DESPITE HEAVY SNOWFALL ROADS OPEN FOR TRAFFIC
YEREVAN, JANUARY 6, ARMENPRESS: The capital city Yerevan and much
of Armenia were socked by a Wednesday heavy snowfall, with no more
expected today in the capital. The snowfall began at about 7 p.m.
January 5 and went on through the night, but warmer air from the
south pushed its way today morning, resulting in snow melting in the
capital, while it is continuing to fall in some southern and east-
northern regions.
The only closed road is the one stretching along the Selim
mountain pass, all others are being cleaned up and are open for
traffic, Armenian weather service told Armenpress.
Syrian Arab News Agency
Jan 6 2005
President Assad Congratulates Armenians on Christmas
Damascus, Jan 6, (SANA)-
by S. Younes
President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday congratulated the Armenian
Orthodox Community on Christmas according to the Armenian Calendar.
Minister of the Republic Presidency Affaires Ghassan al-Laham visited
the Armenian Orthodox Archbishopric to wish the Armenian church
leaders and the Armenian community sons all the best on the feast
occasion.
Archbishop Naalbindian thanked the President representative praying
for his excellency’s long life and hoping for the fulfillment of the
Syrians wishes under his leadership.
Hamilton Spectator (Ontario, Canada)
January 6, 2005 Thursday Final Edition
Council’s nickel-and-dime response is a crying shame
by Bill Dunphy
Reach into your pocket — or purse if you’re so inclined — and see
if you can find yourself a nickel.
Pull it out. Hold it in your hand. Roll it between your fingers. Flip
it up in the air and catch it again.
Have a good look at it, it’s probably been a while since you’ve even
noticed one.
A long time ago, nickels weren’t round, they were 12-sided. An even
longer time ago, you used to be able to buy things with a five-cent
piece — a loaf of bread. A haircut. A bus ride.
These days, you’d be hard pressed to find anything you can buy with
that nickel except for a piece of pink bubble gum or a grand total of
two minutes on the parking meters behind City Hall.
It took city council 20 times that two minutes yesterday to decide
that five cents — one nickel — per Hamiltonian is just the right
amount of money to donate to the southern Asian tsunami relief
effort.
Five cents apiece. A nickel from each of us to all of them. A total
of $25,000.
That averages out to about 16 cents per victim of the devastating
tsunami waves that swept 150,000 people to their deaths on Boxing
Day.
Councillor Tom Jackson praised the mayor, city manager Glen Peace and
city staff for moving so swiftly in developing a response to the
10-day-old disaster.
And he heartily approved of the nickel-a-person donation.
Recalling his very first week on council, back in 1988, Jackson noted
they’d voted to send $5,000 to aid victims of an earthquake that
killed up to 40,000 Armenians.
“I think $25,000 is very commensurate with what councils have done in
the past,” Jackson said.
Councillor Bill Kelly defended the donation as appropriate.
“I would dearly like (the city) to donate 10 times — 100 times! —
this amount, but you have to deal with reality … Our job is to get
people to rally behind this, to act as a funnel, as it were, for
donations.”
In the nine days prior to having this $25,000 donation to rally
behind, Hamiltonians have been donating at an average well above
$50,000 a day.
Still, Councillor Sam Merulla echoed the notion that the city
donation would act as some kind of goad or spur for others to give.
“It’s a challenge to the business community to not only match what we
are doing as a city on the backs of the taxpayer, but also (to)
exceed that,” Merulla said.
Yesterday, Dofasco and its employees announced $110,000 in donations
to relief efforts.
It’s doubtful they knew of the city’s efforts prior to organizing
their donation.
In addition to the $25,000 donation, city staff recommended allowing
the Red Cross to set up a fundraising booth at this Sunday’s Mayor’s
New Year’s levee, that the city lend its name to a CHtv fundraising
event slated for next Tuesday, and that staff draw up a list of
resources (skilled people and equipment) that might be made available
for relief work, should anyone ask for it.
A few councillors expressed reservations about the staff’s
recommendations, suggesting that the donation was a pittance or a
token.
Several raised the notion of adding $1 per person to the property tax
bill to fund a $500,000 donation — but that idea failed to catch on.
One idea did seem to pique the councillors’ interest, although it was
not included in the staff report and not championed by Mayor Larry Di
Ianni, who mentioned it in passing as an idea that would be the
subject of “more discussions in the coming weeks.”
The idea — to adopt or twin with a specific Sri Lankan village and
offer it short- and long-term aid — came not from staff, or from a
councillor, but from Noor Nazim, a member of the city’s Strengthening
Hamilton’s Community Initiative. Nazim has been tirelessly struggling
to organize relief since the day the tsunamis first hit.
Councillor Bob Bratina — the fifth speaker at the emergency session
and the first to pronounce the word tsunami correctly — plucked the
idea from obscurity, and suggested setting up a task force to
investigate that idea as well as several other useful suggestions
that arose on the council floor. He carried the day.
After the meeting, the mayor said he welcomed the task force and
promised his office would take responsibility for kick-starting its
work. And he offered cautious encouragement for Nazim’s idea.
“His suggestion isn’t to be dismissed, that’s why I’m happy it was
referred to this task force … it may just be a project that people
in this city can rally around.”
How do you put a price on leadership like that?
Baltic News Service
January 5, 2005
FIRST 2005 BABY IN IRELAND BORN TO LITHUANIAN
VILNIUS, Jan 05
The first 2005 baby in Ireland was born to a young Lithuanian woman
one second past midnight.
According to the Lietuvos Rytas daily, the woman gave birth to her
first baby, a boy, in a Dublin hospital.
The parents of the baby intend to name their son David. The couple
moved from Lithuania to Ireland a few years ago and currently lives
in Dublin.
The Irish daily newspaper The Sunday Independent was told at the
hospital that the baby and the mother were feeling fine.
Doctors presented the baby with various gifts.
First babies born in this hospital in 2004 were not only Irish as
well. Last year an Armenian woman gave birth to twins Natalie and
Angela one and eight minutes after midnight respectively.
Associated Press Worldstream
January 6, 2005 Thursday 11:01 AM Eastern Time
Head of Armenian church leads nation in Christmas worship
YEREVAN, Armenia
Armenians lit candles and attended services to mark their Christmas
holiday Thursday as the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church urged
believers to resist violence, terrorism and the threat of war.
Catholicos Karekin II led Christmas services at the Echmiadzin
Cathedral outside the capital, Yerevan. President Robert Kocharian
and other top government officials attended.
Karekin told worshippers “to banish hate from the heart” and “to
resist violence and terrorism and the threat of war.”
Later Thursday, after the Christmas liturgy, priests were to conduct
a rite known as the Blessing of the Water, which symbolizes the
baptism of Jesus Christ in the river Jordan.
“Only the Armenian Church has maintained the ancient tradition of
celebrating the birth of Christ and the Epiphany on one day,” a
statement from the church said.
The Armenian Church celebrates Christmas on Jan. 6, the date
originally used by all Christians. In the fourth century, Christians
in the Roman Empire began celebrating on Dec. 25 to override a pagan
winter solstice festival on the same day, but the Armenian church
left Christmas where it was.
Four years ago, Armenia celebrated its 1,700th anniversary as a
Christian country. In 301, it became the first state to make
Christianity the official religion.
Worldwide there are about 10 million Armenians. Slightly fewer than
half live in Armenia itself.