President receives OSCE Minsk Group co-chair
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Nov 8 2004
President Ilham Aliyev received the US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk
Group Steven Mann on Friday. The parties gave a high assessment
to the ceremony of joining the Azeri and Georgian sections of the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline held on October 16.
International and regional issues, settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan
conflict over Upper Garabagh and other matters were discussed at
the meeting.*
Canberra Times (Australia)
November 7, 2004 Sunday Final Edition
Drugs, violence enliven chess tourney
by Lucy Gibson
DRUG scandals, corruption and violence might have tainted the image
of one of the world’s most respected pastimes, but they have made
fascinating reading for followers of The Canberra Times chess
column.Columnist Ian Rogers reported from the 36th Olympiad in Spain
that Canberra chess identity Shaun Press faced a one-year ban from
the game after refusing a drugs test.Press, representing Papua New
Guinea, his country of birth, offered to list to the international
chess federation FIDE, any medications he was taking, but refused to
give a urine sample on the grounds that he had not been presented
with any evidence to say he was suspected of taking an illegal
substance.Testers dismissed Press, but later called him back to read
the regulations to ensure he knew the consequences of his actions.At
a hearing on the final morning of the Olympiad, Press defended his
position, saying the drug tests had been conducted illegally and
thereforehe could not be found guilty of refusing an illegal drug
test.However, it was reported there was no discussion of whether he
was guilty or innocent, rather a debate on what penalty should be
imposed.The plot thickened when it was alleged one of the tribunal
had a personal interest in seeing Press stripped of the points he had
accumulated during the tournament.Surinam’s Dr Dewperkash Gajadin
lost to the lower-rated Press during the Olympiad. If Press had his
points annulled it would mean Dr Gajadin’s team would move ahead of
PNG. Dr Gajadin did not declare his interest and, rather than vote in
favour of a one-year ban, it is believed he cast the decisive vote
which resulted in Press losing all his points and PNG subsequently
dropping12 places in the final standings of the Olympiad.But the saga
didn’t stop there.On the morning of the final round the Israeli team
complained of an Internet betting plunge for Georgia to lose heavily
to medal favourites Armenia in the final round.Then Georgia dropped
its two top players and lost, so Armenia won the bronze medal. A few
moments later the Georgian Grandmaster was arrested and charged with
assault for head-butting a security guard.Bet you won’t miss the
column next week, will you?
ArmenPress
Nov. 4, 2004
OSCE DID NOT SEND A LETTER TO KOCHARIAN, PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESMAN SAYS
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 4, ARMENPRESS: A spokesman for Armenian president
denied today allegations by a local daily Haykakan Zhamanak, which
claimed in its November 3 issue that the Vienna-based Secretariat of
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) sent
separate letters to the presidents of Armenia and several other CIS
countries, who signed under a statement last June that was criticizing
the OSCE for double standards which it uses when assessing democratic
processes in the former Soviet and Western countries.
The Armenian daily alleged that the OSCE letter told president
Kocharian that it was appalled by defense minister Serzh Sarkisian’s
last year’s remarks in the wake of presidential election that Armenians
and Europeans have different mentality and different ideas of
democracy.
“I would like to disillusion the daily’s correspondent, as no such
letter was ever sent to president Kocharian,” the spokesman, Ashot
Kocharian, told Armenpress today. “Unfortunately, this was just another
misinformation, spread by this newspaper,” he said.
BRANCH OF ARMSAVINSBANK ROBBED IN YEREVAN
04.11.2004 19:11
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ One of the Yerevan branches of the Armsavingsbank was
robbed, Aravot Armenian newspaper reported. According to the source, on
October 28 at about 11 a.m. local time two men in masks entered the
foyer of the bank and threatening with Kalashnikov gun took away a sum
amounting in almost $1.8 thousand and 18 telephone cards.
Kocharian calls for closer cooperation with Nagorno-Karabakh
01.11.2004 07:51:00 GMT
Yerevan. (Interfax) – Armenian President Robert Kocharian has spoken
in favor of intensifying cooperation between his country’s leadership
and the authorities of the self-proclaimed republic of
Nagorno-Karabakh, the presidential press service told Interfax.
“Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh are in the same economic
area. Therefore, it is necessary to coordinate reforms that are
underway, or otherwise the two economies might experience a lack of
harmony,” Kocharian said at a meeting attended by the Armenian and
Nagorno-Karabakh leaderships in Yerevan on Friday.
Kocharian said his numerous meetings with Nagorno-Karabakh leader
Arkady Gukasian have driven him to the conclusion that “relations
between the Armenian and Nagorno-Karabakh executive authorities need
to be more orderly now.”
“There is a need for certain decisions, so that bilateral relations be
determined not only by meetings and contacts between the presidents
and prime ministers but also by meetings between the ministries and
other agencies” of the two countries.
Azerbaijan lost control over Nagorno-Karabakh in the early 1990s
following a bloody conflict with Armenia.
GEORGIA REQUESTS MORE ELECTRICITY FROM ARMENIA
ArmenPress
28 Oct. 2004
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 28, ARMENPRESS: Georgia’s energy ministry said
Wednesday evening that it has asked the Russian-Armenian HayRusGazArd
venture to increase by 100 megawatt the volume of electricity, it
exports to Georgia through Armenia-located Alaverdi electricity lines.
A spokeswoman for HayRusGazArd, Shushan Sardarian, told Armenpress
that the Georgian United Distributing Energy Company signed a contract
with HayRusGazArd on October 14 for purchase of 500,000 kilowatt of
electricity daily at 2.5 US cents per one kilowatt/h. The contract
is valid until 2005 march 1.
Another Armenian company, the International Energy Corporation,
sells electricity to Georgian Telasi company at 2.6 US cents.
They want to silence us
Yerkir/am
October 22, 2004
Several days ago, the Ministry of Justice officially registered
Jehovahâ~@~Ys Witnesses. We can already see some direct consequences
of this act and make some predictions as to the possible further
developments.
We have received numerous phone calls from our readers. People voice
their protest against the Justice Ministryâ~@~Ys decision to grant
official registration to this religious organization.
Many people noted that after registration the Witnesses have
become more aggressive in their behavior and in their activities of
â~@~delivering the truth to the peopleâ~@~].
The Witnessesâ~@~Y behavior is of course backed up not only by the
mandate now given to them by the Justice Ministry. There are many
forces supporting all kinds of sects and other groups aiming to
deteriorate our national traditions and values.
Meanwhile, Armenian citizens, those who do not belong to any sects or
any minorities, are expecting the state agencies to answer several
questions. If the state agencies start to support and protect the
rights of the religious sects and all kinds of minorities, then
who will protect the rights and interests of ordinary citizens? Who
will protect the non-minority citizens from the very propaganda and
soul-hunting activities of those sects?
If the Witnesses can have the right for public preaching, shouldnâ~@~Yt
other citizens have the right to protect themselves and their children
from the same public preaching?
If the Witnesses can have the right to knock at our doors, to penetrate
schools and universities, shouldnâ~@~Yt we have the right to treat
them as unwanted guests, as ideological interveners into the value
system underlying our and our childrenâ~@~Ys identity? There are
other questions to be asked. But the answers are what matters. Does
our justice system have the answers?
–Boundary_(ID_+Q3gVwkzwhPjIwPaT0DBgw)–
The Star
Sunday October 24, 2004
Dutch request change of venue for World Cup qualifier
ANDORRA: Holland have requested to FIFA that their World Cup qualifier
against Andorra next month should be played outside of the tiny Principality
for security reasons.
The Dutch, in a letter sent to football’s world governing body and the
Andorran football federation, have asked for the match to be switched
because they claim the security of the players cannot be guaranteed.
On Monday, an Andorran federation spokesman had said the Nov 17 fixture
would be played in Andorra with 60,000 euros being spent on improving the
press box and flood lighting.
The Andorrans are in Group One along with Romania, the Czech Republic,
Holland, Finland, Macedonia and Armenia.
The Dutch previously played Andorra in March 2001 in a World Cup qualifier,
beating them 5-0 in Barcelona.
Andorra won their first ever match and secured their first points on
Wednesday last week with Macedonia playing the role of fall-guys in the 1-0
World Cup defeat.
The closest they had come before to any sort of success was in qualifying
for Euro 2000 when they were only just beaten 1-0 by France in a match
played in Barcelona. – AFP
Interfax
Oct 18 2004
Armenian leader, U.S. diplomat favor expanding economic links
Yerevan. (Interfax) – Armenian President Robert Kocharian and U.S.
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Laura Kennedy, who is currently
on a visit to Yerevan, agreed on the importance of intensifying the
economic component of bilateral relations, the Armenian presidential
press service told Interfax.
Kocharian thanked the American government for assistance it has
provided to Armenian reform. “We are sure that only with free trade
and free economic relations, and as low level of corruption as
possible can we set up conditions in which our citizens can fully put
their potential into practice,” Kocharian said.
The Armenian president and the U.S. diplomat also discussed regional
issues, in particular, efforts to settle the problem of
Nagorno-Karabakh.
Moving up rapidly
By Andrew Blazier Staff Writer
Pasadena Star-News
*Monday, October 11, 2004* – PASADENA — *Tenrox* Inc. is moving fast.
And it’s just picking up speed.
With average revenue growth of more than 40 percent in each of the
last nine years, the Pasadena-based firm is quickly finding its place
among the region’s high-tech rising stars.
Last month, the software company was named to *Deloitte & Touche*
LLP’s Technology Fast 50 list, ranking 16th among Los Angeles’
fastest-growing tech companies. Deloitte, a Big Four accounting firm,
presents the yearly honor to L.A.-area companies that generate at
least $1 million in annual revenues and have been in operation for
more than five years.
Tenrox’s revenues have grown 423 percent since 1999, but the company
is moving on the ground, as well. Founded in Montreal in 1995, the
Tenrox moved its headquarters to Pasadena in November to be closer
to a growing number of West Coast customers.
“We didn’t have a West Coast presence at all, so we had few customers
here,’ said President and Chief Executive Rudolf Melik, who runs Tenrox
with his brother, Ludwig Melik, the firm’s vice president of sales.
Tenrox maintains a staff of 100 in Montreal. In order for the company
to continue its torrid growth, it had to be located near the bulk of
its clients, who generally are located in the United States.
“We needed to have our key executives in the U.S.,’ echoed Ludwig
Melik.
Nine years ago, the Armenian brothers emigrated to Canada from
their home country, Iran. When they co-founded Tenrox with two other
partners, they served as a pure consulting firm.
In 1999, the company changed directions, devloping products that
help medium-size companies manage their accounting systems with a
centralized electronic format. The Meliks say the business has received
a sharp increase in demand from firms complying with the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002. Clients typically have between 100 and 200 workers.
That sweeping legislation was designed to reform management structures
and restore the public’s faith in corporate governance. But it has
created a wave of companies offering solutions to the problems caused
by increased regulation.
For the Meliks, the government’s demands have translated into surging
revenues. They say the software offers clients a broad range of
solutions to problems that include compliance with federal and state
labor laws, tracking project progress and speeding up reporting times.
The suite also aims to increase employees’ access to data such as
vacation time, individual schedules and benefit plans.
“Our product is mission-critical,’ Rudolf Melik said. “We don’t want
to miss a beat.’
Andrew Blazier can be reached at (626) 962-8811, Ext. 2477, or by
e-mail at [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> .