Author: Chmshkian Vicken

YEREVAN PRESS CLUB WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

JULY 3-9, 2009

HIGHLIGHTS:

DEPUTIES FROM "HERITAGE" FACTION PROPOSE TO CREATE A COMMISSION ON "A1+" TV
COMPANY ISSUE

JOURNALISTS BARRED OUT FROM THE CONGRESS OF WRITERS UNION

CORRESPONDENT OF "CHORRORD ISHKHANUTIUN" PARDONED

DEPUTIES FROM "HERITAGE" FACTION PROPOSE TO CREATE A COMMISSION ON "A1+" TV
COMPANY ISSUE

On July 3 the legislative initiative of deputies from "Heritage" faction
Styopa Safarian and Anahit Bakhshian was submitted to the RA National
Assembly. The initiative is to create an interim parliamentary commission,
on the ground of provisions of RA Constitution and Statutes of the RA
National Assembly, to deal with the fulfillment of requirements of several
resolutions of the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe on Armenia.
It concerns the PACE Resolutions 1374(2004), 1609(2008), 1620(2008),
1643(2009), and especially, the last Resolution 1677(2009) "The Functioning
of Democratic Institutions in Armenia" (see YPC Weekly Newsletter, June
19-25, 2009). The necessity on holding an open, fair and transparent
broadcast licensing competition and executing the judgment of the European
Court of Human Rights of June 17, 2008 on the case concerning the denial of
a broadcasting license to the "A1+" TV company is emphasized in the
documents. The draft law, particularly, motivates the creation of a interim
parliamentary commission by the fact that the requirements of the
abovementioned Resolutions on the broadcast renewal of "A1+" remain
unfulfilled till this very day, while the others are partially or fully
implemented.

According to the proposal of deputies from "Heritage" party, the following
three main tasks are set before the interim commission: the promotion of a
legislative initiative aiming to hold an open, fair and transparent
broadcast licensing competition, on the basis of the report made by an
independent CoE spectrum analyst; the examination and the revision of
legislative regulations preventing the implementation of the judgment of the
European Court of Human Rights on the case of "A1+"; the preparation of a
conclusion and its presentation to the RA National Assembly, based on the
acquisition and analysis of information on the circumstances preventing the
fulfillment of the PACE Resolutions requirements on holding a competition
and the execution of the European Court judgment.

The draft law also notes that the activities of the interim commission are
supposed to be terminated in the end of October 2009, in order to ensure the
fulfillment of the aforesaid demands of PACE Resolutions before the winter
session of the Parliamentary Assembly of CoE and the forerunning session of
Monitoring Committee on the Honoring of Obligations and Commitments by
Member-State of Council of Europe.

JOURNALISTS BARRED OUT FROM THE CONGRESS OF WRITERS UNION

On July 4 representatives of a number of media were barred out from the
building of the Writers Union of Armenia, where the 15th Congress of the
organization was being held. According to the press, the journalists were
deprived of the right to cover this event on the initiative of the Chairman
of Writers Union of Armenia Levon Ananian. Thus, the established procedure
of accreditation was not the same for all media and did not ensure equal
conditions for them. Meanwhile, the organizers had to take into account the
fact that the elections of the head of the Writers Union had attracted a
great public interest long before the Congress.

A similar situation happened at the 13th Congress of the Writers Union of
Armenia. On May 19, 2001, when the Chairman of the Writers Union was to be
elected, Abgar Apinian, the Secretary of the Board acting at that time,
demanded the media to leave the session room. Having not heard any weighty
arguments to substantiate the demand, the journalists refused to go. And
when one of the journalists started taking photos of the ballot box, Abgar
Apinian snatched the camera out of her hands and smashed it (see YPC Weekly
Newsletter, May 19-25, 2001). It should be mentioned that today Abgar
Apinian is in opposition to the present leadership of the Writers Union of
Armenia. In other words, despite the change of leadership, the consistency
of traditions remains…

CORRESPONDENT OF "CHORRORD ISHKHANUTIUN" PARDONED

On July 3 the RA Criminal Court of Appeal withdrew the judgment of court of
general jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork-Marash communities of Yerevan on
correspondent of "Chorrord Ishkhanutiun" newspaper Gohar Vezirian and
applied to her the amnesty. The amnesty was announced on June 19, 2009 by
the ruling of RA National Assembly on the RA President’s proposal. As it has
been reported, on May 14, 2009 Gohar Vezirian was sentenced to a fine in the
amount of 350,000 AMD (about $ 950) for disrespect to court (see YPC Weekly
Newsletter, May 15-21, 2009).

As lawyer of Gohar Vezirian Hovik Arsenian told to YPC, this judgment was
appealed with the Criminal Court of Appeal. After the amnesty was granted a
new application was submitted to the second court jurisdiction in which
Gohar Vezirian asked to pardon her.

According to Hovik Arsenian, the amnesty should also expand on free lance
journalist Gagik Shamshian, accused to a similar penalty for the same crime
on April 17, 2009 by court of general jurisdiction of Kentron and
Nork-Marash communities of Yerevan. It should be noted that the Criminal
Court of Appeal has sustained the judgment of June 15, 2009 of court of
first jurisdiction on the case of Gagik Shamshian (see YPC Weekly
Newsletter, June 12-18, 2009).

When reprinting or using the information above, reference to the Yerevan
Press Club is required.

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Editor of YPC Newsletter – Elina POGHOSBEKIAN
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Yerevan Press Club
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SHOWTIME: AGBEKO-DARCHINYAN CONFERENCE CALL

SecondsOut
USA Boxing News
09 JULY 2009

IBF bantamweight champion Joseph Agbeko.

IBF 118lbs champion Joseph Agbeko and two division world champion Vic
Darchinyan participated in a media conference call to discuss their
upcoming world title fight on Saturday, July 11, from the BankAtlantic
Center in Sunrise, FL, to be seen on Showtime.

Agbeko and Darchinyan both possess eye-popping knockout
percentages. Agbeko (26-1, 22 KOs) of Accra, Ghana, now fighting
out of Bronx, N.Y., has knocked out more than 81 percent of his
opponents while Darchinyan (32-1, 26 KOs), of Sydney, Australia,
by way of Armenia, is right behind him at 76 percent.

Darchinyan, an Aussie bomber who is a four-time world champion
at flyweight and super flyweight, will leave his IBF, WBC and WBA
titles at 115 pounds behind to move up to the 118-pound limit to
face the dangerous Agbeko. If victorious, Darchinyan will become a
three-division world champion.

The co-feature pits two top-10 ranked 135-pound contenders in the
biggest fight of their lives when Antonio DeMarco (21-1-1, 15 KOs),
of Tijuana, Mexico, takes on West African native Anges "Baby Face"
Adjaho (25-1, 14 KOs) in a 10-round bout.

The main event fighters and their promoters spoke on an international
media conference call Tuesday. The following are highlights from the
call: JOSEPH AGBEKO "In boxing you have to fight the best to be the
best and I just want Vic to know that this is the fight of my life. I
know Vic Darchinyan picked to fight me because he thinks he can have
his way with me but I just want him to know that this is the biggest
mistake he has ever made in his career because he’s going to get the
worst beating of his career.

"Why didn’t he talk like this when Nonito Donaire beat him? I wanted
him to talk more and I want him to realize that I’m going to beat
him more than Donaire beat him.

"I know I’m better than Vic Darchinyan. I know he can punch. I’m
really, really ready for his punches. I know he’s never been on the
receiving end of someone who punches like me.

"Vic is always talking about his power and about how he’s this and
that but I’ve watched a couple of his fights and I never saw that
power. He’s always fought guys that are afraid of him and he did what
he wanted with them. But in this fight I’m going to do what I want
to do and beat him the way I want.

"I’m going to let him do whatever he wants to do in this fight because
I can do whatever he does better than him.

VIC DARCHINYAN "I think after this fight they are going to change my
opponent’s name to Joseph ‘Chimpanzee’ Agbeko. This is going to be
the biggest mismatch. Where would you like me to hurt you most? In
the body or in the face?

"I can’t spend my career just defending, defending, defending. I have
to move up in weight and go after more titles. I have the power to
demolish anyone. I’m going to keep moving up.

"I’ve seen Agbeko’s fights and they don’t impress me. You will see,
nothing compares to my power. I will knock him out with my power. I
can open my jaw and let him punch it and he still won’t hurt me.

"I hope he’s working hard and training extra hard for this fight. I
don’t want it to be an easy fight. I want to be your nightmare after
this fight and not before because I want you to get a good night’s
sleep.

"I’m going to demolish him (Donaire) in a rematch."

ELIAS NASSAR, Darchinyan’s manager "There are not a lot of people
who don’t know that every single fight that Vic has asked for Gary
Shaw has delivered on."

GARY SHAW, Darchinyan’s promoter "I believe I represent probably a
fighter who will go down as one of the greatest boxers to ever fight
in the lower weights in the history of boxing. Please tell all the
poachers out there that Vic and I are bound together for life. I want
everyone who’s on this call to hear that.

"Vic only wants to fight the best fighters. Vic and Elias don’t care
about weights. They only want the best fighters and they believe
right now that "King Kong" Agbeko is the best fighter at 118 pounds."

When will Darchinyan fight Nonito Donaire again?

"SHOWTIME wants to buy the single biggest fights out there," said
Shaw. "That’s why he fought Cristian Mijares, that’s why he fought
Jorge Arce and that’s why he’s fighting "King Kong" Agbeko. And while
he’s been on TV and knocking all these fighters out on TV Donaire has
not been heard of or seen. When Bob Arum mentions all his great young
fighters he never mentions Donaire. If you haven’t seen those articles
I’ll be more than happy to send them to you. Just yesterday he was
talking about his Russian fighters and his Puerto Rican fighters. No
where did he mention Nonito Donaire. So the answer to that is he has
a fight in front of him on Saturday. We have to win that fight and
then the question is if we win that fight do we want to stay at 118,
move back down to 115 or do we take on (Rafael) Marquez or (Israel)
Vazquez or someone of that ilk at 122. That is our plan right now. Vic
fights for money, not for revenge."

The event is promoted by Don King Productions in association with
BankAtlantic Center.

Agbeko vs. Darchinyan and DeMarco vs. Adjaho are co-promoted with
Gary Shaw Productions, LLC.

USA SENATE HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE TO DISCUSS ISSUE OF PROVIDING AID TO ARMENIA AND NAGORNO KARABAKH

NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY
JULY 8, 2009
WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON, JULY 8, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. On July 9,
USA Senate House Appropriations Committee will discuss the issue of
providing aid to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh by holding voting within
the framework of Foreign Aid Bill. USA Senate House Appropriations
Committee’s June decision envisaged to provide million aid for Armenia
and million for Karabakh.

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) calls American
Armenians for persuading by letters and telephone calls the President
of House Appropriations Committee Daniel Inouye to support the
suggestion of bringing the aid of Armenia up to million. The American
Armenians should also call for allocating the military assistance to
be provided to Armenia and Azerbaijan equally.

RALPH YIRIKIAN ELECTED AS UN GLOBAL COMPACT NETWORK’S STEERING COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN IN RA

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
08.07.2009 20:15 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ VivaCell-MTS, the pioneer of the concept of Corporate
Responsibility (CR) in Armenia, took a new bold step toward higher
institutional – interorganizational level of promoting the concept of
CR in Armenia, when on June 30, a kick-off meeting between leading
companies operating in Armenia and major non-profits saw the launch
of the new initiative – the establishment of the Steering Committee of
the UN Global Compact Network in Armenia. The above network comprises
companies such as Coca Cola, Astarak Kat, Cascade Capital, Enterprise
Incubator Foundation, Microsoft, Grand Thornton Amyot, HSBC and many
others, VivaCell-MTS website reported.

The Steering Committee, which includes the most advanced companies and
not-profits in the sphere of CR, elected Ralph Yirikian as the Chairman
of the Network’s Steering Committee and the Official Representative
of UN Global Compact in Armenia.

In the capacity of the Official Representative of the UN Global
Compact in Armenia, Ralph Yirikian will be the Chairman of the GC
network in Armenia. One of the most important duties of the Chairman
is using its reputation to promote the adoption of the 10 principles
of Global Compact by the companies and NGOs engaged in the Network.

In her congratulatory statement, Consuelo Vidal, UN Resident
Coordinator in Armenia, said, "Dear Mr. Yirikian, I truly believe that
the Global Compact is a very efficient tool to mobilize the Armenian
business community around the ideas of corporate responsibility and
citizenship. Your outstanding experience in CR is a value which should
be shared with Armenian companies and here again the Global Compact
may be of great help. I am now assured that the UN Global Compact in
Armenia is in safe hands."

In his address to the Network members, Ralph Yirikian said, "I’ll try
to "sail the ship through the misty sea" with a driving force based
on the belief that VivaCell-MTS is doing the right thing to Armenia,
my homeland, through mentoring, guiding, co-sharing, as well as
co-participating with other corporate citizens in the making of a
better future leading to sufficient sustainability."

CITIZEN OF ARMENIA KILLED IN MOSCOW

Noyan Tapan
July 7, 2009

MOSCOW, JULY 7, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. A brawl occurred
at one of the Moscow night clubs, in which a citizen of Armenia
was killed. According to the panarmenian.net, the argument started
near the Chudnaya Dolina night club which is located at Novocherkask
park. There were some Armenians at the club who got into an argument
with other visitors of the institution. The young men went out to the
street to clear up the relations and began beating each other. During
the brawl one of the villains pulled off a knife and stabbed three
times on the breast of a 30-year-old citizen of Armenia. His friends
took him to hospital at once but the doctors could not do anything, he
died in the waiting-room. Now the policemen search the criminals. The
Rosbalt reported that a criminal case was filed.

Daily Star – Lebanon

An enchanting evening in tribute to the Star of the Orient

Beiteddine Festival opens with Amal Maher’s renderings of the music of
Oum Kalthoum

By Matthew Mosley
Daily Star staff

Saturday, July 04, 2009

Review

Beiteddine: "A Tribute to Oum Kalthoum" might sound a terrible
idea. The Egyptian diva, known variously as "Kawkab al-Sharq" ("The
Star of the Orient") or "Al-Sitt" ("The Lady"), has such a legendary
presence that any pretender to her throne seems bound for
disaster. Like an actress playing Marilyn Monroe or a painter copying
the canvases of Vincent van Gogh, there might seem something
ridiculous about another singer taking on the oeuvre of Kalthoum.
Within half an hour, however, Amal Maher had won over any
doubters. The Egyptian vocalist, playing the part of Kalthoum for the
Beiteddine Festival’s opening night spectacular, let out a long,
breath-defying wail as part of the opening number, "Inta Amri" ("You
Are My Life"), that left her audience in admiration.
Dressed in a diaphanous white gown, Maher looked impossibly leggy, as
if she were wearing stilts. Perhaps she was: On the couple of
occasions when the singer left her position by the microphone to say a
word to the conductor, movement seemed to be achieved only with
difficulty.
Maher’s stage presence wasn’t necessarily dynamic, but her voice was
distraction enough. Considering the vocalist’s slim frame, the power
of her lungs was incredible. Somehow delicate yet forceful, Maher’s
dulcet tones frequently raised hairs on the back of the neck.
Kalthoum’s songs are famous for their repetitive quality: She would
intone a phrase over and over again, each time subtly altering the
emotional emphasis, bringing her audiences to a trance-like state. It
is a testament to Maher’s talent that she seemed able to evoke a
similar feeling of collective euphoria. In the main courtyard of
Beiteddine’s Palace, many audience members swayed and shimmied with
their eyes closed, almost rising up out of their chairs with the
desire to move to the music.
But Maher did not create this magic all by herself. The singer was
backed up by a full 24-piece orchestra, led by Palestinian-Egyptian
conductor Selim Sahab. Currently artistic director of the Cairo Opera,
Sahab is a familiar figure in this city: He founded the Beirut Arab
Music Ensemble here in 1980.
Flamboyantly dressed in a white tuxedo, the conductor compensated for
any lack of movement in Maher’s performance. Whipping the
instrumentalists through a series of splendid orchestrations, Sahab
was bursting with energy.
The large orchestra lent a wonderful richness to the
proceedings. "Kalimat" featured a number of tremulous, breathy solos
on the ney, a variant on the flute that’s blown from the top like a
clarinet. At the end of these solos, as the audience crashed back into
the fray, the luscious depth of the full-blown sound was particularly
noticeable.
Kalthoum’s songs demand a greater degree of attention than the
three-minute ditties that litter today’s pop music landscape. A
typical Kalthoum concert would involve the performance of around three
songs over a period of three to six hours. "A Tribute to Oum Kalthoum"
wasn’t on quite such an epic scale. Maher performed four songs over a
little more than two hours.
Interspersed throughout the evening were excerpts from French, English
and Arabic documentaries on Al-Sitt’s life. The audience was granted
glimpses of her extraordinary story, from being dressed up as a boy by
her father at the beginning of her singing career to negotiating the
regimes of King Farouk and then Gamal Abdel Nasser, eventually
becoming a symbol of Revolutionary Egypt.

Lining a gallery behind the stage was a selection of photographs of
the diva from every stage of her career, mounted on wonderfully kitsch
shocking-pink. In many of the black-and-white images, Kalthoum had
been hand-colored in hyper-real hues, as though in apotheosis of the
pop-culture icon.
The remaining acts of Beiteddine Festival have something to live up to
after such a splendid beginning. Hot on the heels of the opening is,
however, another legend: Charles Aznevour. Voted as Entertainer of the
Century by CNN and Time Online in 1998, Beirut audiences have the
opportunity to see the Armenian-French tenor in action at Beiteddine
on July 9.
The recent fracas surrounding Moroccan-French comedian Gad Elmaleh
means that he’s ducked out of his three-day appearance at the
festival. Next on the agenda is Emir Kusturica with The No Smoking
Orchestra on July 18.
The multi-talented Kusturica is also a filmmaker, twice receiving a
Palme d’Or at Cannes and also a Silver Bear at Berlin. In his musical
incarnation, the polymath is a purveyor of energetic gypsy-rock, sure
to set legs jiggling and heads bopping in the Beiteddine auditorium.
July 22 sees an appearance from Madeleine Peyroux, the American
jazz-influenced singer-songwriter. Publicity-eschewing Peyroux has not
managed to achieve anonymity with her highly popular albums, such as
2004’s "Careless Love" and "Half the Perfect World."
One of Lebanon’s most successful sons makes a rare live appearance on
July 25. Gabriel Yared, internationally celebrated as a soundtrack
composer for such films as "The English Patient" and "The Talented
Mr. Ripley," will be performing a selection of his scores alongside
projected film clips. Yared’s piano will be accompanied by the
Budapest Symphony Orchestra and soprano Gaelle Mechaly, so the evening
promises to be an audio-visual spectacular.
Hanine y Son Cubano make a welcome return to the festival stage on
July 31. Performing a curious yet infectious blend of traditional
Arabic tarab with Cuban rhythms, the big-band group was formed by
avant-garde producer Michel Elefteriades. Hanine’s debut album spent a
whole year at the top of Lebanon’s best-seller chart, making their
Beiteddine appearance a hotly-awaited event.
Another regular at the festival is Armenian-Arabic fusion artist Guy
Manoukian. Fresh from the release of his new album, the singer and
composer will appear at Beiteddine on August 9.
In celebration of Jerusalem’s year as Arab Culture Capital, composer,
singer and oud player Marcel Khalife will be making a special
appearance with the Palestinian Youth Orchestra. A thunderous 100-part
orchestra and choir will apply themselves to "Ahmad al-Arabie," a
poetic opera with lyrics from Mahmoud Darwish. The vocal talents of
Oumayma al-Khalil and Reem Talhami will augment what promises to be a
must-see evening.
Last but not least comes Kadim al-Sahir, the Iraqi heart-throb,
returning to Beiteddine by popular demand. One of the most successful
singers of the Arabic world, with album sales of more than 30 million
under his belt, the singer will again charm Beiteddine audiences with
his rendering of the poetry of Nizar Kabbani.

Tickets for all events can be purchased from Virgin Megastores. For
further information, call +961 1 999 666

.0

IN KAZAKHSTAN, LUTHERAN WORLD LEADER URGES END TO ISLAMOPHOBIA
Anli Serfontein

Ecumenical News International
2 July 2009 | 09-0527 |

Astana, Kazakhstan (ENI). Renounce Islamophobia, the general secretary
of the Lutheran World Federation, the Rev. Ishmael Noko, has urged
world religious leaders at an inter religious congress in Kazakhstan.

Noko, a Zimbabwean, commended U.S. President Barrack Obama for reaching
out to Muslim communities and moving away from the language of the
"war against terror".

"President Obama’s overtures, while addressed to the Muslim world,
also challenge other religious communities to reject Islamophobia,"
said Noko in the Kazakhstan capital.

He was speaking at the opening ceremony of the Third Congress of
leaders of World and Traditional Religions in Astana, Kazakhstan,
on 1 July. The two-day event was attended by leaders of the world’s
main religions.

It included 77 delegations from 35 countries. The congress adopted
an appeal calling on religious and political leaders, public figures
and the mass media to "counteract the manipulation of religions or
religious differences for political ends so as to preserve the unity
of the society in the respect for legitimate diversity".

The general secretary of the World Council of Churches, the Rev. Samuel
Kobia, said, "The young people of today are not as burdened as we
are with the differences they see in each other. In a more globalised
society and in communities which are much more pluralistic than when
we grew up, they are getting to know people from different religions
already from a young age."

Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev opened the conference. The
Kazakhstan leader has established an inter-religious dialogue forum
in the multi-ethnic and multi-religious country, surrounded by states
that are mostly Muslim, and where there is limited religious freedom.

He said that inter-confessional dialogue is the most important
instrument to counter religiously inspired violence.

Nazarbayev called on participants to unite in efforts to create
a non-nuclear world. Resource-rich Kazakhstan is a former nuclear
testing ground of the old Soviet Union, which disposed of its nuclear
arsenal 18 years ago.

President Shimon Peres of Israel hailed the recent Arab peace plan
for the Middle East brokered by Saudi King Abdallah. Peres and the
secretary general of the Muslim World League and the Grand Sheikh of
Al-Azhar, Mohammed Sayed Tantaway, had conciliatory messages.

"We should separate religion from terror. This should be a common
effort by all believers, regardless of faith, creed or gender," Nobel
Peace Prize Laureate Peres told the gathering. He joined President
Nazarbayev’s call for the abandoning of nuclear weapons.

The secretary general of the Muslim World League, Abdullah bin Abdul
Mohsin Al-Turki, expressed the hope that the meeting will foster
understanding.

"We should go forth addressing the world whose organisations represent
the different religious strata," said Al-Turki. "Our goals should
be to protect the efforts of the religious institutions and preserve
them from falling prey or tools in the hands of unscrupulous people
using them for personal ends, means of financial gains, and wicked
thoughts that feed the spirit of transgression, thus justifying acts
of violence and terrorism.o The Christian delegation included Roman
Catholics, Orthodox, Lutherans and Armenian Apostolic churches.

Islam sent delegations from 15 countries. Other faiths represented
were: Judaism, Hinduism, Taoism, Shintoism, Zoroastrianism and
Buddhism.

ENI featured articles are taken from the full ENI Daily News
Service. Subscribe online to the Daily News Service and receive around
1000 full-text articles a year. Unless otherwise stated, ENI featured
articles may be re-printed, re-posted, re-produced or placed on Web
sites if ENI is noted as the source and there is a link to the ENI
Web site

THE WORLD’S GREATEST EVER FLYWEIGHT BOXERS

NewsBlaze
Published: July 02,2009

"The World’s Greatest Ever Boxer" 3-day boxing spectacular Oct. 2-4 at
the Paris Las Vegas Good things often come in small packages, no more
evident than in the Flyweight Division of "The World’s Greatest Ever
Boxer" promotion, which has been launched and is drawing worldwide
interest from boxing fans of all ages.

On-line voting at allows boxing fans from around
the world to select the greatest boxer in each of the original
eight weight classes, highlighted by the all-time pound-for-pound
"Greatest Ever."

The eight categories represent the eight original weight-class
divisions: Strawweights are included in the Flyweight category; Super
Middleweight in the Light Heavyweight division. Many fighters fought
and won titles at a number of different weights. As far as possible
they have been nominated in the division that they made their biggest
impact. Fighters have not been nominated on the basis of whether
they would beat another fighter in that division, though this is,
of course, a consideration. More importantly is their overall record,
who they fought at the time, as well as the impact they made on the
boxing world, and indeed the world around them. All nominees are
listed in the voting section at

The nominations committee was comprised of Thomas Hauser (boxing
journalist and award-winning Muhammad Ali biographer), Al Bernstein
(broadcaster and boxing analyst), Colin Hart (UK’s leading boxing
reporter), Jean-Philippe Lustyk (broadcaster and head of boxing
for pan-European sports channel Eurosport) and Ron Borges (boxing
journalist and Hall of Fame committee member).

The 10 Flyweight nominees with brief bios, listed in no particular
order, follow: Jimmy "The Mighty Atom" Wilde – 137-52 13 ND (99
KOs)…Welsh…..IHOF inductee…Pro Years: 1910-1923…..first
official (IBU) world flyweight champion…..one of the lightest world
champions of all-time, weighing between 98-108 pounds…considered by
many to be the greatest United Kingdom fighter of all-time..Notable
Victories: Johnny Rosner, Young Zulu Kid, George Clarke and Young
Jennings.

Pascual "El Terrier" Perez – 84-7-1 (57 KOs)…Argentinean…IHOF
inductee…Pro Years: 1952-1964…1948 Olympic Champion…first loss
came in 52nd pro fight…first Argentinean world champion…..Notable
Victories: Yosioshi Shirao, Dai Dower amd Donny Ursua.

Ricardo "Finito" Lopez – 51-0-1 (38 KOs)…Mexican…..IHOF
inductee…Pro Years: 1985-2002…..record holder for most consecutive
title bouts without losing (26)…47-bout win streak ended with
technical draw (head butt vs. Rosendo Alvarez)…defended WBC
Strawweight title 21 times, also WBA and WBO Strawweight and IBF
Junior Lightweight champion…Notable Victories: Hideyuki Ohashi,
Saman Sorjaturong, Manny Melchor, Kermin Giardia, Alex Sanchez,
Rosendo Alvarez, Will Grigsby, Ratanapol Sor Vorapin and Zolani Petelo.

Michael "Little Hands of Steel" Carbahal – 49-4 (33 KOs)…IHOF
inductee…American…..Pro Years: 1989-1999…1988 Olympic Silver
Medalist…..4-time World Champion…Notable Victories: Will Grigsby,
Pedro Feliciano, Muangchai Kittkikaem, Humberto Gonzalez, Josue
Camacho and Jorge Arce.

Chartchai Chionoi – 1-18-3 (36 KOs)…Thai…Pro Years:
1959-1975…3-time WBC Flyweight champion…Notable Victories:
Salvatore Burruni, Bernabe Villacampo, Walter McGowan (2), Efren
Torres and Fritz Chervet.

Vic "Raging Bull" Darchinyan – 32-1-1 (26)…Armenian…Pro
Years: 2000-Present…2000 Armenian Olympian…lives in Sydney,
Australia…..WBA, WBC and IBF Super Flyweight champion…former IBF
flyweight title-holder…..fighting July 11 for IBF Bantamweight title
vs. Joseph Agbeko…Notable Victories: Irene Pacheco, Dimitri Kirilov,
Glenn Donaire, Victor Burgos and Cristian Mijares.

Sot Chitalada – 26-4-1 (16 KOs)…Thai…Pro Years: 1983-1992…2-time
WBC Flyweight champion…now teaching MMA in California…..Notable
Victories: Gabriel Bernal (2), Yong Kang Kim and Jung Koo Chang.

Khaosai Galaxy – 49-1 (47 KOs)…Thai…IHOF inductee…Pro Years:
1980-1991…defended WBA 19 times, winning 16 by KO…longest
title reign of any WBA Flyweight title-holder…..Muay Thai
fighter…..Notable Victories: Eusebio Esponal and Israel Contreras.

Miguel "El Maestro" Canto – 61-9-4 (15 KOs)…Mexican…IHOF
inductee…Years Pro: 1969-1982…lost first pro fight and went on to
become WBC Flyweight champion…..holds record for having 13 15-round
title fights…Notable Victories: Shoji Oguma (3), Susumi Janagata,
Betulio Gonzalez and Antonio Avelar.

Benny Lynch – 81-12-15 (34 KOs)…..Scottish…IHOF inductee…Pro
Years: 1931-38…learned skills in carnival booths…considered
to be the greatest Scottish boxer of all-time…Notable Victories:
Small Montana, Peter Kane and Jackie Jurich.

GREATEST EVER WEEKEND OF EVENTS Boxing fans attending the festivities
will be able to celebrate, up close and personal, the achievements
of the World’s Greater Ever Boxers. A three-day boxing spectacular is
planned October 2-4 at the Paris Las Vegas, commencing that Friday with
an official welcome reception and official weigh in for the following
evening’s professional boxing show, presented by Sterling Promotions,
and featuring Team USA versus Team Europe, capped by an exclusive after
party. The event culminates Sunday with The Greater Ever black-tie
awards dinner, featuring some of the greatest boxers ever, as well
as world-class entertainment, and then an exclusive after party.

The Retired Boxers Foundation (RBF) is the official charity for The
World’s Greatest Ever Boxer. RBF assists retired professional boxers
in the transition from their days in the ring to dignified retirement,
helping those suffering from alcohol and substance abuse problems,
homelessness and effects of pugilistic dementia.

Four ticket packages are on sale for the Oct. 2-4 weekend’s events
through agents at the following numbers: North America – The Sports
Alliance (914.941.3366) Smart Ticket Solutions (847.917.8497); United
Kingdom and Europe – Rock Solid Events (UK: 0845 0945 606, Outside
UK: +44 845 0945 606); Australasia – Events Worldwide Travel Group
(Australia: 1300 788 666, Outside Australia: +61 3 5989 7666).

The event-only packages are as follows (all prices USD): Super VIP
($2,500), Platinum ($1,900), VIP ($1,400) and Gold ($1,115). The
Super VIP, Platinum and VIP packages have a number or premiums in
addition to those detailed in the Gold (welcome function, weigh-in,
Greatest Ever poker tournament, exclusive Paris Las Vegas gaming
area, exclusive memorabilia, movie screenings, access to Greatest
Ever dedicated gaming areas and VIP bar, media and legends signings,
general seating for the fights and at the awards dinner). Regional
agents can provide additional premiums for individual packages.

200-ANNIVERSARY OF WRITER AND PUBLIC FIGURE KHACHATUR ABOVIAN COMMEMORATED IN ARMENIA

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
02.07.2009 16:11 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ 200-anniversary celebration in honor of Khachatur
Abovian will begin in mid-June and end on October 10 with a concert
in the National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater after Alexander
Spendiarian, Hovhannes Zatikyan, the director of the house-museum of
Abovian told a press conference today .

An exhibition devoted to life and work of the famous Armenian writer
will be held in the house-museum of Abovian. Then exhibitions and
various events in 10 schools of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
bearing the name of Khachatur Abovian. A number of events are scheduled
in the city of Abovian.

"House-Museum of Abovian prepared 3 works that shed light on the
mysterious side of life and death of the writer, " Hovhannes Zatikyan
said adding that they are looking for funds to publish the books.

KREMLIN MAY TIGHTEN UP INTERNET USE IN RUSSIA

Iron grip on media does not extend to internet, but authorities’ attitude to
censorship could be changing

Luke Harding in Moscow
guardian.co.uk,
Tuesday 30 June 2009 16.16 BST

Russia is not China. And so far there has been no attempt by the
Kremlin to crack down on the web, which is the last remaining source
of free information for ordinary Russians in an otherwise controlled
media landscape.

The authorities keep an iron grip on television, ensure that most
newspapers toe a pro-government line, and keep critics off the
airwaves.

Recently, however, there are signs that the Russian government
is reconsidering its laissez-faire attitude towards the internet,
especially in the wake of Iran’s web-driven "green revolution".

Several Russian bloggers who have posted critical articles have found
themselves charged with extremism. One is in jail. Another was arrested
after comparing Russia’s prime minister Vladimir Putin to a penis.

The Kremlin also uses other darker strategies for getting its PR
message out, employing dozens of young, patriotic bloggers to flood
chatrooms with a pro-Kremlin message, and to attack its enemies.

Writing in last week’s Moscow Times, the economist Yevgeny Gontmakher
revealed how he came under "massive attack" from government bloggers
after criticising Vladislav Surkov, the Kremlin’s chief ideologue.

He concluded: "The modern Russian propaganda machine permeates nearly
every major media outlet and even extends to the blogosphere." As
well as the Russian language blogosphere, bloggers are also active
in the western press, including the Guardian.

Overall the picture is fairly dismal. "Today’s Russia is an
authoritarian state where a corrupt and illiberal ruling elite
maintains its power through media manipulation and the subversion of
the democratic process," the US-funded watchdog Freedom House said
in a report this month.

Still, the situation in Russia is better than in former Soviet
central Asia.

According to Oleg Panfilov, director of Moscow’s Centre for Journalism
in Extreme Situations, former Soviet countries can be divided into
three categories.

The first includes Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia and probably
Azerbaijan, where the internet is absolutely free. The next includes
Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, where the web is
largely or partly free. In the last category are Turkmenistan and
Uzbekistan, Central Asia’s most repressive, and generally paranoid,
republics. Here, there is severe censorship. In Uzbekistan even
the BBC’s website is banned, although you can watch BBC World TV in
upmarket Tashkent hotels.

The country’s secret police maintain a vigilant watch on net use,
and have arrested users in internet cafes. There are ominous signs
that more countries across the region are beginning to follow the
Uzbek example.

Journalists, human rights groups and the Organisation for Security
and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE) have all decried recent proposals
by Kazakhstan to introduce a new law on the internet. Under the law
the government will be able to regulate forums, chats, blogs, and
even online shops. Eight months ago Kazakhstan banned LiveJournal,
the most popular social networking website among Russian-speakers,
as well as a dozen opposition sites.

The restrictions have spilled over into neighbouring Kyrgyzstan,
which uses the same web servers. Enterprising Kazakhs are getting
round these restrictions by using proxies, but the overall picture
is not an encouraging one.