Author: Kharatian Ani

Study: about 7.4% of Armenian population labor migrants in 2002-2007

YEREVAN, January 16. /ARKA/. Labor migrants constituted about 7.4% of
the population of Armenia or 162,000-189,000 people in 2002-2007, says
a study report on migrants returned to Armenia in 2002-2008 presented
in Yerevan Thursday.

Labor migration constitutes the greatest share of the migration flow
from Armenia ` 94%; 3% of migrants left the country for permanent
residence abroad, 2% for education purposes and another 2% for other
purposes.

Over the period under review, about 20% of Armenian households (778,666
people as per the census of 2001) took part in labor migration.
Most migrants found themselves in migration processes more than once;
since January 2002 every labor migrant had an average of 2.5 trips
abroad.

According to the study, about 3% of the country’s households had at
least one of their members leaving the country for permanent residence
abroad. The number of Armenian citizens who left for permanent
residence elsewhere ranges between 25,000 and 37,000 people and
constitutes about 1.3% of the country’s population.

Less than 1% of the country’s households were involved in student
migration, says the report. Despite the fact than it was only one
member of a family who was leaving for abroad in the beginning, later
other members of the family were getting involved in the student
migration process as well20(multiplicative effect).

Hence, absolute number of student migrants is 7,000+ 3,000 people or
0.3% of Armenian population.

A total of 230,000 + 15,000 people or about 9.7% of adult resident
population of Armenia were involved in external migration process in
2002-2007.

The highest number of migrants were from Yerevan (53,000 people) and
the lowest from Siunik and Vayots Dzor regions ` 5,000 people from
each. Vayots Dzor provided the lowest number of migrants leaving for
abroad for permanent residence (300 people), Siunik – the fewest labor
migrants (2,700 people) and Siunik and Aragatsotn ` the fewest student
migrants (300 people each). No student migrants were recorded in
Aragatsotn, Lori, Shirak, Tavush and Vayots Dzor regions of Armenia
over the period under review.

The study was carried out by the Advanced Social Technologies research
NGO with assistance of OSCE Yerevan Office and with participation of
the migration agency of the country Territorial Administration
Ministry. The study was conducted among 2,500 households in Yerevan, 21
regional cities and 43 villages in March 2008. The random sampling
method was used in the study. `0–

Vancouver Sun, Canada
Jan 10 2009

Egoyan ‘Goes Hollywood’ with big-budget sex thriller

Egoyan gets the call to direct big-budget sex thriller

By Michael D. Reid, Times ColonistJanuary 10, 2009

Yes, Atom Egoyan says, it’s true. He’s going Hollywood and this time
it’s on his own terms.

Egoyan, 48, will direct Chloe, an erotic thriller starring Oscar
nominees Julianne Moore and Liam Neeson, and Amanda Seyfried (Mamma
Mia!). The script was penned by one of Egoyan’s favourite writers —
Erin Cressida Wilson (Secretary).

Described as "a smart, sexy thriller in the vein of Fatal Attraction,"
Chloe, which starts filming in Toronto Feb. 9, centres on a successful
doctor (Moore) who inadvertently endangers her family when she hires
an alluring young escort (Seyfried) to seduce her husband (Neeson),
whom she suspects of cheating.

"It’s a really intelligent script," Egoyan said. "It’s incredible
because the prostitute comes back with these amazing erotic stories
about a man his wife thought she knew. She gets addicted to them and
they enter into a complicated relationship."

The escort’s seductive behaviour begins to obsess Moore’s character,
reawakening her sexual desire.

Chloe is being fully financed by StudioCanal, the French production
company behind the Coen brothers’ Burn After Reading.

It’s being produced through Montecito Picture Company, co-founded by
Ivan Reitman and former Universal chairman Tom Pollock, who developed
the film. Their company has produced a string of hits including Old
School, Eurotrip and Disturbia.

Juno director Jason Reitman is an executive producer, and Joe Medjuck
and Jeffrey Cllifford will also produce.

"Working with Liam is what really made it come together," Egoyan
explained.

The Victoria-raised filmmaker directed Neeson last summer in an
acclaimed Lincoln Center remount of Eh, Joe, a mixed-media production
of Samuel Beckett’s teleplay.

Ironically, Neeson had been approached to do an earlier incarnation of
the film, but declined.

"He said he wanted us to work together again, so I implored him to
read it again," Egoyan said.

After making his mark internationally with a dozen indie features
exploring themes including alienation, incest, genocide and
technology, Egoyan said the timing was right for him to branch out
with a film regarded as more mainstream.

"It will be liberating," said Egoyan, whose 12th feature — Adoration,
an exploration of deception in the Internet age — is being released
this spring.

"Chloe is an interesting hybrid," he said. "Even though there’s this
aspect of storytelling about people getting caught up in histories and
projections they don’t understand — a study of certain needs and
desires — it is, unlike my own scripts, quite linear."

He said he was impressed that Seyfried, whom he saw in open auditions
in Los Angeles before Mamma Mia opened, was fearless in taking on her
challenging role. "She has this extraordinary combination of sincerity
and drive and endless depths of emotional reserve," he said.

Laughingly describing Ivan Reitman as "Mr. Hollywood," Egoyan said
he’s enjoying working with the veteran Toronto producer and director
(Animal House, Ghostbusters) who was a fan of his 1999 drama,
Felicia’s Journey.

He looked at several genre options before joining the creative team
behind Chloe, he said. "It’s full of psychological nuance. It’s very
much in my world even though it’s written by someone else."

He said this Hollywood experience is far more satisfying than his
first unpleasant foray in 1995 when he spent a year "wasting time in
L.A." waging polite battles with Warner Bros. executives who invited
him to direct the thriller Dead Sleep.

The studio resisted Egoyan’s casting choice of Susan Sarandon, who
then became unavailable after her Oscar win for Dead Man Walking.

Disillusioned and with his option about to expire on The Sweet
Hereafter, Egoyan walked away from the studio deal to make his
masterwork based on the Russell Banks novel. It brought him Oscar
nominations for best direction and adapted screenplay.

"I have more of a sense that everything feels right this time," said
Egoyan, who says he’s a genre enthusiast despite his reputation as an
auteur. "It’s subject matter I feel I can serve because I’ve had time
to work on the script and I’m thrilled that I got my dream cast."

Although Chloe was originally set in San Francisco, he persuaded
Reitman to relocate to Toronto, where he could work with his own team,
including director of photography Paul Sarossy and composer Mychael
Danna.

"It’s a wintry film," he said. "I tried to make the point, for better
or worse, that most Americans are familiar with Toronto."

ainment/Director+Atom+Egoyan+goes+Hollywood+with+b udget+thriller/1163290/story.html

THE STATEMENT OF YERKIR UNION

Lragir.am
15:05:27 – 15/01/2009

The events that took place in Akhalkalaki town of Samtskhe-Javakheti
region of Georgia in June 17-21, 2008 under very obscure and strange
circumstances, i.e. the explosion that occurred near the house of
the head of the regional police and the death of two ethnic Armenian
policemen, were used by the Georgian authorities as a pretext to
destroy the "United Javakhk" Democratic Alliance" political movement
and deal shortly with its leader -Vahagn Chakhalyan.

As a result, dozens of members of the organization were taken to
the police headquarters being subject to beating and use of force,
and were interrogated; the youth radio run under the auspices of the
organization was closed; numerous illegal searches and arrests were
made. Finally, early in the morning of July 21 the Georgian Special
Forces broke into Vahagn Chakhalyan’s apartment and arrested Vahagn
Chakhalyan, his father and his juvenile brother.

It should be mentioned that Vahagn Chakhalyan is charged according
to the Georgian Criminal Code with illicit purchase and possession
of fire-arms and ammunition (Article 236, part 1), organizing mass
disorder actions (Article 225), organizing of the group actions which
grossly disrupts public order (Article 226), showing group resistance
to a police officer or any other government representative (Article
353 part 2), and, finally, with hooliganismE2 perpetrated: both a)
by a group’s conspiracy; and b) against a government representative
(clause A and B of paragraph 2 of article 239).

Since Vahagn Chakhalyan was arrested, the Georgian authorities have
been continuously delaying the trial under various pretexts. Thus,
although the case brought against Vahagn Chakhalyan together with the
conclusion rendered by the prosecution was sent to court as early
as August 8, 2008, it was not until September 17 that the case was
proceeded by the Akhaltskha court, whereas the first hearing took
place on November 6 and was immediately postponed to November 19 on
the initiative of the judge.

>From chronological perspective, the last (third) hearing took place on
December 3, during which the prosecutor informed the court about the
new criminal charges brought against Vahagn Chakhalyan based on certain
events that had taken place in March 2006. The judge immediately
postponed the trial of Vahagn Chachalyan for an uncertain term.

Up to now all the applications presented by the defense asking to
provide the materials of the new criminal charges, and to resume
the trial remain unanswered. In fact, six months after the arrest of
Vahagn Chakhalyan, his trial hasn’t even started.

Instead, the Georgian authorities continue to impose political and
economic pressure on the members and supporters of the "United Javakhk"
Democratic Alliance", as well as on the=2 0relatives and friends of
Vahagn Chakhalyan. They open new criminal cases, initiate other trials
which are held summarily, under very vague circumstances and result
in sentences affirming the conclusion rendered by prosecution. The
Georgian authorities also create artificial obstacles for registering
a well-known French lawyer Patrick Arapian as a defender of Vahagn
Chakhalyan.

"Yerkir" Union has repeatedly applied to appropriate international
structures and human rights’ organizations calling them, above all:
a) To recognize Vahagn Chakhalian and all persons on related trials
as political prisoners; b) To investigate immediately the systematic
and continuous violations of human rights in the Javakheti region;
c) To monitor and closely follow the proceedings of the trials; d)
To impose pressure on Georgian authorities, in order to stop the
persecutions of the Javakheti-Armenian political activists and to
release all the political prisoners.

A number of bodies have responded to the appeal of "Yerkir" Union.

In particular, the OSCE Office in Georgia and the Office of the Human
Rights Defender of Georgia has sent observers to monitor the trials
of the Javakheti-Armenian political activists.

However, contrary to other international organizations, the office
of the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, as well as
"Amnesty International" did not show any reaction to the appeals of
"Yerkir"20Union, although that was supposed to be the mission and
duty of the mentioned institutions.

Thus, we want to believe that the strange silence demonstrated by the
mentioned international institutions with respect to the trials of
Javakheti-Armenian political activists accounts solely for technical
reasons and there is no other concealed intent behind it.

"Yerkir" Union again appeals to the Council of Europe Commissioner
for Human Rights, Mr. Thomas Hammarberg, and "Amnesty International"
to react to the processes which take place in connection with the
Javakheti-Armenian political activist Vahagn Chakhalyan’s case from
July 2008 up to present.

"Yerkir" Union is alarmed by the fact, that the indifference toward
this crisis shown by international community is actually empowering
the Georgian authorities to strengthen the pressure on the Javakheti
Armenian political activists, as well as the members of their families
and supporters, by this contributing to further escalation of situation
and getting the processes out of control.

TURKEY: ANTISEMITISM GETS OUT OF CONTROL
Prof. Barry Rubin

Global Politician
Jan 12 2009
NY

Breaking News: A n bomb has been exploded midnight January 12 near
the Israeli investment bank ‘Bank Pozitif’ which is close to the
Israeli Consulate Building in Istanbul.

This has been sent to me by a very reliable friend who has agreed
to distribution as long as his name is not used. You are invited to
post or send to your list. It is not unthinkable that the future of
the Turkish Jewish community is in doubt.–Barry Rubin

The Prime Minister in Turkey has encouraged hatred against Israel in
his speeches which has become obvious anti-Semitic propaganda among
the general public.

There are people around the clock besieging the Israeli consulate in
Istanbul shouting their hatred against Israel and Jewish people. All
around Istanbul billboards are full of propaganda posters against
Israel like; "Moses, even this is not written in your book" and
"Israel Stop this Crime." On the streets the people are writing such
graffiti as: "Kill Jews," "Kill Israel," "Israel should no longer
exist in the Middle East," and "Stop Israeli Massacre."

The week-end before, some people wrote, "We will kill you" on the door
of one of the biggest synagogues in Izmir resulted in the closing down
of synagogues. Near Istanbul University, a group put a huge poster on
the door of a shop owned by a Jew: "Do not buy from here, since this
shop is owned by a Jew." A group put posters on his wall saying that:
"Jews and Armenians are not allowed but dogs are allowed." Some young
people are even threatening others with violence if they are seen as
pro-Israel in social networking websites such as Facebook and Hi5.

The document attached is the official statement by the minister of
education stating that tomorrow [January 14] at 11am in all the high
schools and primary schools the students will pay homage to the women
and children dead during the war and furthermore, the teachers of
art will organize the session of painting and writing on the subject:
"Humanity Drama in Palestine" and the winners will receive awards.

The Jewish community can do nothing in response to what has been
going on for the last few weeks, except giving vague statements that
the Turkish Jewish Community does not want the war to be continued
any more.

We have previously faced some strong reaction regarding previous
operations in Gaza and the West Bank but this time is really different
from former ones. I feel open anti-Semitism and hatred from all
these people. Nobody understood, Even some widely read columnists
in Turkey are writing things that lead all these groups toward this
hatred becoming much more dangerous day by day.

But I know one thing: that the world should know about the widespread
and openly anti-Semitic propaganda which far exceeds anything happening
in Europe.

Prof. Barry Rubin is director of the Global Research in International
Affairs (GLORIA) Center, Interdisciplinary university. His new book
is The Truth About Syria (Palgrave-Macmillan).

You can buy his latest book The Israel-Arab Reader: A Documentary
History of the Middle East Conflict on Amazon.com here.

AZERBAIJAN OFFICIALLY DEMANDED FROM RUSSIA TO CLARIFY ISSUE OF TRANSFER OF $800 MILLION WEAPONS TO ARMENIA

Azerbaijan Business Center
Jan 13 2009
Azerbaijan

Baku, Fineko/abc.az. Azerbaijan demands from the Rusian side
clarification regarding reports of the recent transfer of weapons
to Armena.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan informs that over
the last few days the news agencies disseminated information about
alleged transfer of weapons worth $800 million from the 102nd military
base located in the city of Gumri, Armenia, to the latter. In this
connection on 12 January Vasily Istratov, the Russian ambassador to
Azerbaijan, was invited to the Azerbaijani MFA.

In the course of the meeting with deputy foreign minister Araz Azimov
of Azerbaijan the Russian diplomat was made an official inquiry on the
occasion of confirmation of information actuality. In his turn, the
ambassador promised that the Russian party would clarify the matter.

SCIENTISTS UNCOVER OLDEST KNOWN HUMAN BRAIN FROM OLD WORLD IN ARMENIAN CAVE

Smash Hits
cover-oldest-known-human-brain-from-Old-World-in-A rmenian-cave.htm
Jan 13 2009
India

Washington, Jan 13 (ANI): Scientists have uncovered in an Armenian
cave what may be the oldest preserved human brain from an ancient
society, which dates back to 6,000 years.

The cave overlooks southeastern Armenia’s Arpa River, just across
the border from Iran.

The researchers found a trio of Copper Age human skulls, each buried
in a separate niche inside the three-chambered, 600-square-meter cave.

The skulls belonged to 12- to 14-year-old girls, according to
anatomical analyses conducted independently by three biological
anthropologists.

Fractures identified on two skulls indicate that the girls were killed
by blows from a club of some sort, probably in a ritual ceremony,
according to Gregory Areshian of the University of California,
Los Angeles.

Remarkably, one skull contained a shriveled but well-preserved
brain. This is the oldest known human brain from the Old World,
Areshian said.

The Old World comprises Europe, Asia, Africa and surrounding islands.

Scientists now studying the brain have noted preserved blood vessels
on its surface. Surviving red blood cells have been extracted from
those hardy vessels for analysis.

The cave has also offered surprising new insights into the origins
of modern civilizations, such as evidence of a winemaking enterprise
and an array of culturally diverse pottery.

Excavations in and just outside of Areni-1 cave during 2007 and 2008
yielded an extensive array of Copper Age artifacts dating to between
6,200 and 5,900 years ago, according to Areshian.

The finds show that major cultural developments occurred during the
Copper Age in areas outside southern Iraq, which is traditionally
regarded as the cradle of civilization, Areshian noted.

The new cave discoveries move cultural activity in what’s now Armenia
back by about 800 years.

This is exciting work, said Rana Ozbal of Bogazici University in
Istanbul, Turkey.

According to Areshian, whoever they were, these people participated
in trade networks that ran throughout the Near East.

Additional discoveries at the site include metal knives, seeds from
more than 30 types of fruit, remains of dozens of cereal species,
rope, cloth, straw, grass, reeds and dried grapes and prunes. (ANI)

Gazprom ready help Georgia with repairing gas main damage

YEREVAN, January 9. /ARKA/. Gazprom offered Georgia help with repairing
the damaged gas main for the gas supply of Armenia to be resumed.

Igor Volobuev, Head of the Information Policy Department, Gazprom OJSC,
reported that Georgia stopped the gas transit to Armenia today. The
Georgian side informed that the reason is the repair of the damages on
the section from 44th to 66th kilometer of the Kazakh-Saguramo gas
main.

The Gazprom OJSC and the ArmRosgasprom CJSC offered the Gas Transport
Company of Georgia immediate assistance with repairing the damages for
the gas supply of Armenia to be resumed as soon as possible, Volobuev
said.

Georgian Minister of Energy Alexander Khetaguri reported earlier that
the damage of the gas main caused serious gas leakage. The gas supply
of Armenia was suspended. The damaged gas main section runs through the
Gardaban region of Georgia, and the repair will last four days. `0–

United Press International
Jan 10 2009

Turkish police uncover arms cache

ANKARA, Turkey, Jan. 10 (UPI) — Turkish police continued excavations
of an arms cache allegedly buried by the Ergenekon organization, a
group said to be intent on overthrowing the government.

Investigators said the cache was discovered in the capital Ankara
through the use of a map found in the home of Ibrahim Sahin, former
head of the Special Operations Unit of the National Police, Today’s
Zaman reported. Sahin and 36 other alleged members of Ergenekon were
arrested Wednesday.

Police said the arms were wrapped in 2004 newspapers. They included
three light anti-tank weapons as well as explosives and hand grenades.

Excavations were begun in other neighborhoods in Ankara.

Those detained Wednesday included six active-duty military officers
and seven retired generals. The arrests were the first of military
personnel still serving.

Police said the round-up was triggered by orders Sahin gave to
assassinate 12 Armenian leaders in Sivas. They said Sahin’s telephone
had been tapped.

rkish_police_uncover_arms_cache/UPI-42911231565981 /

ROCKLAND PSYCHIATRIC UNIT’S CHIEF SUSPENDED, ACCUSED OF PHYSICAL CONFLICT WITH PATIENT
By Steve Lieberman and Jane Lerner

Lower Hudson Journal news
Jan 8 2009
NY

The medical director of the Rockland County Mental Health
Department’s psychiatric in-patient unit has been suspended, pending an
investigation into an accusation that he had a physical confrontation
with a patient, officials within county government confirmed yesterday.

Although officials declined to discuss the situation surrounding
Dr. Vahan Kouyoumdjian, they said such a suspension is done to protect
the individual accused and the patients and that it does not suggest
that the person is guilty of anything.

Mental Health Commissioner Mary Ann Walsh-Tozer said she could not
discuss a personnel issue, but that people within county government
said the doctor was suspended Monday for an incident reported a week
earlier. They were not authorized to discuss the issue.

Speaking generally about the county’s policies regarding an employee
accused of wrongdoing, Walsh-Tozer said a suspension could be ordered,
pending an internal review of all of the allegations.

"If there is an incident that causes any level of concern, in order
to protect everyone involved, we would do a suspension with pay,"
Walsh-Tozer said. "This is not a statement of guilt other than putting
someone on administrative leave while we look into the situation."

She said many times the review would find that the accusations were
unfounded.

"Just because someone says something, doesn’t mean it’s so," she
said. "The reasons we don’t talk about the people involved is we
don’t want to harm their reputation or put out information that’s
partially or completely inaccurate."

Kouyoumdjian, whose salary in 2007 was $158,714, has no malpractice
charges filed against him and has not faced any disciplinary action
by the state Department of Health, according to state records.

Kouyoumdjian attended medical school in Armenia and did graduate work
in psychiatry at New York Medical College in Valhalla. He received
his license in 1996 to practice medicine in New York, according to
state records.

He could not be reached for comment yesterday.

The unit overseen by Kouyoumdjian includes a 43-bed hospital at the
county’s Dr. Robert L. Yeager Health Center in Ramapo that is designed
for short-stay crisis stabilization for people in an acute episode of
mental illness or life crisis, according to the department’s Web site.

Incidents involving patients must be reported to the state Department
of Health. Walsh-Tozer declined to comment on whether the incident
was reported.

But even if an incident involving a doctor were reported, the state
Health Department doesn’t release information or confirm that a
complaint exists until the Office of Professional Medical Conduct
reviews the accusations.

"We review all complaints received by the department on a case-by-case
basis," spokesman Jeffrey Hammond said yesterday. "We certainly would
have an interest in any case involving alleged patient abuse."

Other than the Health Department, such accusations could be forwarded
to the state Attorney General’s Office or the Rockland County
Sheriff’s Department, which would investigate any allegations at
county facilities.

Sheriff’s Detective Lt. William Barbera said the department had
not been advised of any incident involving a doctor at county
facilities. Barbera said the two state agencies also could have
been notified if an incident occurred or it could first be handled
internally.

"We have not been contacted," Barbera said. "We will investigate if
needed. They haven’t called back. We don’t know what they want us to
do, if anything, at this point."

AzerNews Weekly, Azerbaijan
Jan 7 2009

Armenian court convicts political analyst`s attacker

07-01-2009 04:39:57

An Armenian court has convicted an individual charged with making an
attempt on the life of a well-known local political analyst, the
Regnum news agency reported.
The country`s Northern Criminal Court sentenced Arshak Aghababayan,
nicknamed Turk Arshak, to 12 years in jail for executing an attempt to
kill Levon Melik-Shahnazarian.
According to the indictment, Turk Arshak and German Konjorian
attempted to kill the Armenian analyst on orders from an Azerbaijani
named Akhan. Both men, who came to Armenia from neighboring Georgia,
traveled to the village where Melik-Shahnazarian lived. After
discovering his home on April 22, 2008, the suspects fired a gun at
him from a three-meter range. The bullet hit the window frame and
bounced astray without hitting him. Several days later, Turk Arshak
made a phone call to Melik-Shahnazarian demanding that he stop his
media statements and threatening to kill him and his family if the
statements continued. The analyst, who tape recorded the telephone
call, reported the call to law-enforcement agencies, resulting in Turk
Arshak`s arrest on May 8.
According to the report, Aghababayan`s father died while he was still
a child, and the boy was raised by an Azerbaijani woman who was a
Georgian citizen. Therefore, he was given the "Turk" nickname.