Yerevan: Double Bridge Championship Ends

YEREVAN: DOUBLE BRIDGE CHAMPIONSHIP ENDS

Aysor
April 20 2010
Armenia

The 19th Double Bridge Championship took place in Armenian capital
city of Yerevan on April 17-18, bringing the victory to the Armen
Chelenko – Ashot Qeshishian pair. It’s worth mentioning that Armen
Chelenko wins the champs for the 7th time, while Ashot Qeshishian
added to his asset the 5th victory.

The Artur Antonian – Lev Seviyan pair took the silver; the bronze
went to pair of Artyom Baloyan – Gevorg Antonian.

Exhibition Dedicated To Armenian Genocide Opened In Painters’ Union

EXHIBITION DEDICATED TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OPENED IN PAINTERS’ UNION OF ARMENIA

Times.am
20 April, 2010, 11:15 pm

On April 20, an exhibition dedicated to the 95th anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide opened in the Painters’ Union of Armenia. Chairman
of the Painters’ Union of Armenia Karen Agamyan said that it is a
long-awaited exhibition. "Our jury has chosen 250 paintings telling
about the Armenian Genocide, sufferings of our nation and its further
victories. This exhibition is among most important events of recent
years," noted Mr. Agamyan.

Art critic, former director of the RA National Gallery Shahen
Khachatryan noted that another exhibition dedicated to the Armenian
Genocide took place recently in the National Gallery. However,
he observed some rashness in its organization. "Paintings of young
and older generations were exhibited in three halls. However, in my
opinion, it would have been much better to exhibit in the National
Gallery only works by our famous painters, who had survived the
Genocide, while there were exhibited only paintings by young and
older generations of painters," he said.

At the opening ceremony of the exhibition it was announced that the
state will allocate funds to purchase several paintings, which will
join the collection of the National Picture Gallery of Armenia. The
paintings quantity and terms for their purchase were not announced.

Besides, a catalog of these paintings will be created, while the
Armenian Ministry of Culture will cover the costs for its publication.

The exhibition will be open in the Painters’ Union until mid-May.

Ara Vardanyan: Artsakh Has To Become An Independent And Developed Re

ARA VARDANYAN: ARTSAKH HAS TO BECOME AN INDEPENDENT AND DEVELOPED REPUBLIC

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 20, 2010 – 15:57 AMT 10:57 GMT

On April 20, Yerevan hosted a meeting between Hayastan All Armenian
Fund chairman and Yerevan State Linguistic University (YSLU) students.

Ara Vardanyan presented foundation activities, also seeking to dispel
inaccurate impressions.

"During hard times, when our compatriots could not afford donating
to charity projects, Diaspora would contribute funding. Currently,
however, the situation is completely different.

We implement equal number of projects both in Armenia and Artsakh,
promoting hospital construction in Syunik, Tavush and other Armenian
regions.

As of today, our main tasks are: Armenian Genocide recognition
and de jure recognition of Artsakh status. Artsakh has to become
an independent and developed republic, perhaps even more so than
Armenia is. Our attention as well as that of international community
to Artsakh issue is currently crucial," Hayastan All Armenian Fund
chairman concluded.

The Armenian Chess Players In Malakoff

THE ARMENIAN CHESS PLAYERS IN MALAKOFF

Aysor
April 19 2010
Armenia

A group of Armenian chess players take part in the open taking place
in the city of Malakoff in France. After three rounds of the game
international masters Valentin Pambukchyan and Grigor Sevak Mkhitaryan
received 2 points each. Rudolf Grigoryan and Klod Adamyan received
1.5 points, Albert Lisayan and Vardan Chmshkyan received 1 points each.

197 chess player participate in the Armenian chess tournament as the
Armenian Chess Federation reports.

KfW provides EUR 20m to Armenia for housing market development

KFW PROVIDES EUR 20M TO ARMENIA FOR HOUSING MARKET DEVELOPMENT

news.am
April 19 2010
Armenia

The German KfW bank has provided a total â~B¬20m to the Central Bank
of Armenia (CBA) under the Sustainable Housing Finance Market program.

The 10-year credit has been issued with a 3-year grace period. The
German Government will subsidize part of the interest rates.

The Armenian banks will receive the funds at an annual interest rate of
8.25%, but the rates can be revised in line with market developments.

The program was launched in 2005, after the Armenian and German
Government reached an agreement. Under the program Armenia received
two â~B¬6m tranches, in 2006 and in 2007, as well as a â~B¬1.5m grant
for consulting.

The KfW bank has been assisting Armenia in implementing financial
cooperation programs since 1995. It opened its branch office in
Armenia in October 1998.

The bank’s focused its activities on the energy sector, water supply
and drainage, as well as on the financial and banking system and
private sector.

In 2009-2010, the bank is to provide a total of â~B¬110m under the
Armenian-German financial cooperation programs.

The Veil of Objectivity

The Mark
April 18 2010

The Veil of Objectivity

The New York Times claims to do objective journalism, but how
impartial can it really be?

Many have recently questioned just how objective the New York Times’
correspondent in Israel and Palestine, Ethan Bronner, can be when he
has a son serving in the Israeli army. In an article published March
28, Bronner showed readers there was cause for concern.

Bronner refers to illegal settlement expansion in East Jerusalem
simply as `Jerusalem housing.’ He quotes Americans and Israelis, many
speaking about Palestinians, but not one Palestinian. He includes a
quote from Moshe Yaalon, a senior Israeli politician, stating that
`the belief of land for peace has failed. We got land in return for
terror.’ Bronner could have asked a senior Palestinian government
minister what he thinks the Palestinians got in return for recognizing
Israel’s right to exist, and after over forty years of occupation and
nearly twenty years of negotiations. But he did not.

The Times sees nothing wrong with its coverage of the Israel-Palestine
conflict being shaped by journalists such as Bronner and their
stridently pro-Israel columnist, Thomas L. Friedman. Nor do they see a
conflict of interest in Bronner having a son in the Israeli army. They
believe this will not affect his coverage of its actions in the
occupied territories.

`Record the fury of a Palestinian whose land has been taken from him
by Israeli settlers ` but always refer to Israel’s `security needs’
and its `war on terror,” wrote veteran Middle East war correspondent
Robert Fisk, author of Pity the Nation: The Abduction of Lebanon and
The Great War for Civilization: The Conquest of the Middle East. Fisk
was referring to the creed of objectivity in journalism which he and
others like him believe only dilutes the truth by making journalists
timid voyeurs bound by the interests of the corporate media and
incapable of writing directly, frankly, and fearlessly. This veneer of
objectivity only serves to thinly veil the biases always present in
the media.

`If Americans are accused of `torture’, call it `abuse,” Fisk
continues. `If Israel assassinates a Palestinian, call it a `targeted
killing’. If Armenians lament their Holocaust of 1,500,000 souls in
1915, remind readers that Turkey denies this all too real and fully
documented genocide. If Iraq has become a hell on earth for its
people, recall how awful Saddam was. If a dictator is on our side,
call him a `strongman’. If he’s our enemy, call him a tyrant, or part
of the `axis of evil’. And above all else, use the word `terrorist.’
Terror, terror, terror, terror, terror, terror, terror. Seven days a
week.’

Last month, news outlets across the United States reported the arrests
of several members of a right-wing militia which planned to kill an
unidentified law enforcement officer and then bomb the funeral
procession. Even though, according to the Department of Homeland
Security, right-wing extremist ideology is now the most dangerous
domestic terrorism threat in the U.S., the mainstream press did not
refer to those who were planning the attacks as terrorists.

The Times called them `apocalyptic Christian militants,’ though they
had planned to use improvised explosive devices `based on designs used
against American troops by insurgents in Iraq.’ When the same
newspaper reported on the so-called `underwear bomber’ ` when Umar
Farouk Abdulmutallab attempted to blow up Northwest Airlines Flight
253 on Christmas Day, 2009 ` they wrote of the `terror suspect,’ the
`terrorist plot,’ `terrorist connections,’ and the `terrorism
incident.’ Terror, terror, terror, as Fisk would say.

Adam Nossiter wrote in the Times that `behind Mr. Abdulmutallab’s
journey from gifted student to terrorism suspect’ there `is a struggle
within Islam itself, not just in the Middle East or in centers of
jihadist ideology like London, but also here in Kaduna, the northern
Nigerian city where Mr. Abdulmutallab grew up ¦’ But when it came to
Christian terror suspects the word `terror’ in the Times was
conspicuously missing. There was no talk of `terrorist connections’ or
of a struggle within Christianity itself. Perhaps the paper shares Ann
Coulter’s view that `not all Muslims may be terrorists, but all
terrorists are Muslims.’

I was recently at the Times office in Manhattan and asked someone in a
senior position about the editorial board’s stance on Iran. While most
of the important editorial pages in the U.S. call for measures of
varying severity to be taken against Iran for stubbornly forging ahead
with its nuclear program, few dare examine the possible motives behind
Iran’s determination such as using nuclear weapons as a deterrent to
foreign aggressors.

Iran may want nuclear weapons because it sees the U.S. occupying
countries on its eastern and western boarders; because there was talk
in the previous U.S. administration of Iran being next after Iraq in
2003 when things seemed to be going well for Washington; or because
Israel, a non-signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT),
introduced nuclear weapons to the region in the first place. The
actual use of such a weapon by Iran would be an act of national
suicide.

The senior Times employee told me the editorial board’s position was
non-proliferation, meaning no weapons. This is a good principle at
face value, but why, then, had the paper not written editorials urging
Israel to ratify the NPT, to stop producing nuclear weapons, and to
open its massive arsenal to international inspections? The person
rather bizarrely retorted that Israel’s arsenal was not massive, when,
in fact, Israel may have hundreds of nuclear warheads (it is hard to
know how many exactly since Israel maintains a policy of nuclear
ambiguity). Compared to Iran’s possible development of a few warheads
and considering the damage that just one such weapon can do, Israel’s
arsenal is, indeed, massive.

Objectivity has become a creed without credence. It is time for
newspapers to either drop the illusion or restore the faith of readers
in it. This requires honest journalists who operate independently from
the power elite instead of seeing themselves as belonging to it, and
editorial boards that truly search for new and unconventional
perspectives. This will only be achieved when the press begins to
apply the same standards ` and the same terminology ` without
discrimination to all those it covers. The New York Times, as one of
the world’s preeminent papers, should do more to set the example.

-the-veil-of-objectivity

http://www.themarknews.com/articles/1338

Milano’s Case Will Shock European Court Of Human Rights: Alumyan

MILANO’S CASE WILL SHOCK EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS: ALUMYAN

Tert.am
16.04.10

Lawyers in charge of the case with Milano shop on Abovyan 4 in downtown
Yerevan are planning to appeal the case at the European Court of
Human Rights in the near future, Hayk Alumyan, a lawyer involved in
the case, said at a press conference today, adding that alienation
of the property is not maintained with such barbaric methods in any
democratic country.

"I am sure that once again we will see the European Court of Human
Rights reach a verdict due to which the state budget of the Republic
of Armenia will be held responsible for someone’s economic benefits,
to say nothing of the state rating. European Court of Human Rights
delivers verdicts against many countries, but those verdicts vary. The
Court will be shocked by this case when they see that there are such
countries where things like this happen," said Alumyan.

Milano was founded in 1995. Two years ago the territory that the
two-floor building occupies was considered as being "of public
priority interest," and a building is allegedly said to be built
on the site. Therefore, the territory is subject to alienation. The
proprietor Hovhannes Ghukasyan insists that he has not been paid the
amount due as compensation.

According to Alumyan the whole process of alienation has been conducted
in violation of the law.

"No contract was signed with these people [meaning proprietor],
but they were alienated. I do not know what kind of benefits emerged
here that they were subjected to such barbaric treatment and the law
was ignored," asked Alumyan, adding that Ghukasyan’s property was
estimated 207 million drams, while it should have been twice as much.

Recalling that the Judicial Acts Compulsory Service of the Republic of
Armenia has already alienated 70% of Milano’s property, Alumyan said
that the aim of JACS is to expel Ghukasyan and his family from Armenia.

Washington Meetings Opened New Era In Armenian-Turkish Relations

WASHINGTON MEETINGS OPENED NEW ERA IN ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 16, 2010 – 14:13 AMT 09:13 GMT

The Washington meetings opened a new era in Armenian-Turkish relations,
bringing Armenia to a more favorable position, according to Gagik
Harutyunyan, head of Noravank scientific and educational center.

"Azerbaijan and Turkey made a large number of mistakes. Today, Turkey
is a country, which has problems with other states, while Armenia has
proved as a reliable partner, reacting adequately to international
geopolitical tendencies," the expert told a news conference on
April 16.

"It’s more important for Turkey to open the border than to establish
diplomatic relations with Armenia. However, judging by the Turkish
Prime Minister’s recent statements, Ankara will first agree to
establish relations and only then open the border," Mr. Harutyunyan
said.

Commenting on the pother over the possible war in Karabakh, he said
it’s unlikely, given the military power of the Armenian army.

MP: Prosperous Armenia Party Against Concessions Of Armenia On Karab

MP: PROSPEROUS ARMENIA PARTY AGAINST CONCESSIONS OF ARMENIA ON KARABAKH ISSUE

/ ARKA /
April 16
YEREVAN

Coalition Party Prosperous Armenia opposed to unilateral concessions
to Armenia in the Karabakh issue in the name of the Armenian-Turkish
dialogue, the secretary of the faction Prosperous Armenia party Aram
Safarian said.

"Speaking about the unilateral concessions, we mean that the
sovereignty of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic should be recognized, the
independence of Nagorno Karabakh should be recognized in law and on
the international level," he said at a press conference on Friday.

The MP stressed that if Azerbaijan signals about that, then "all
other assignments will be specific tasks that will be settled through
negotiations."

"We expect to recognize independence of Nagorno Karabakh from
Azerbaijan," he said.

Safarian said that "when these signals become available, we will meet
again and discuss it.

The beginning of the Karabakh conflict was settled in 1988, following
a statement to withdraw from Azerbaijan by the predominantly
Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh.

On December 10, 1991 there was held a referendum in Nagorno-Karabakh,
in which 99.89% voted for full independence from Azerbaijan.

Following that Azerbaijan initiated large-scale war fares that led
to a loss of control not only over Nagorno-Karabakh but also seven
adjacent districts.

>From 12th of May of 1994, after the entry of the tripartite agreement
on truce in the conflict zone hostilities, in which around 25-30
thousand people were killed from both sides and nearly 1 million were
forced to flee their homes, were ceased.

The agreement on the establishment of the ceasefire has been followed
until now. From 1992 to date, negotiations are being held for a
peaceful settlement of the conflict within the OSCE Minsk Group
co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France.-0 –

Social Media In The South Caucasus: Shaping Society From The

SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE SOUTH CAUCASUS: SHAPING SOCIETY FROM THE BOTTOM-UP

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 15, 2010

When Karine Lazarian, 30, came up with an idea six months ago to bring
Armenia’s hidden problems to the surface, she placed her thoughts on
the backburner, thinking it could take years to realize her dream.

Ms. Lazarian, an NGO worker for more than 10 years, has felt
frustrated in what she sees as the government’s refusal to acknowledge
social problems such as domestic abuse, alcoholism, gender inequality
and extreme poverty. She wanted to create a three-country website where
people could anonymously submit reports, videos or photos of social
problems shared throughout the South Caucasus-the idea being to bring
light to these issues and remove the stigma of openly discussing them.

"This is the only way we can make a change," said Ms. Lazarian.

"Hiding these problems will not solve these problems." Then she
heard about Social Innovation Camp. Kicked off in 2008 and funded by
international organizations, the workshop is a two-day competition
that travels to different regions and helps participants implement
ideas-government accountability, environmental protection, consumer
rating-through social media tools and digital technologies. On April 8,
the camp came to the Caucasus, where participants from Armenia, Georgia
and Azerbaijan worked together in Tbilisi to design, code and develop
websites in less than 48 hours. Out of the dozens of ideas submitted
prior to the camp’s start, only six were chosen by the judges.

One of those ideas was Ms. Lazarian’s.

"I didn’t expect that I would be accepted. I was very excited when
I found out," she said, adding that this was just the motivation she
needed to get her project started.

Brave New (Digital) World

The camp in Tbilisi served as a practical workshop alongside "Social
Media for Social Change," a conference supported by a number of
international NGOs, including PH International and the Open Society
Georgia Foundation. Social media, also known as Web 2.0, has widely
gained notoriety over recent years with the growth of blogs and
popular networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Odnoklassniki.

But most recently, social media concepts have been used in spheres
other than simple communications and networking. With SMS technologies,
mapping applications, such as Google Maps, and open-source designs,
such as Wikipedia, users are creating innovative websites that not
only provide useful information and government accountability, but
save lives, as well.

Experts point to Ushahidi.com, a site built in 2008 during the violent
aftermath of Kenya’s disputed elections. The site made it possible
for Kenyans to report, via SMS messages, acts of violence that were
then pinpointed on a map for police, journalists or aid responders to
investigate. The Ushahidi precedent was again used in the earthquake
crisis in Haiti, where people reported urgent needs, such as serious
injuries or lack of water, using mobile devises. The problems were
then mapped and routed through to emergency response systems.

Other civic projects using Web 2.0 tools include sites in the United
States, like Bakersfield.com, where citizens can report and map the
location of potholes, bringing attention to city governments about
the need to repair bad roads. Hyperlocal websites are also becoming
popular, like EveryBlock.com, a project that aggregates news and
consumer ratings about stores, restaurants and organizations in city
neighborhoods.

For government accountability, traditional media outlets are
harnessing digital media tools to solicit help from readers to create
new databases, such as the recent example started by the UK-based
newspaper, The Guardian. After Parliament released thousands of
documents in the wake of the MPs’ expense scandal, The Guardian
uploaded nearly half a million pages of official documents to its
site for readers to review and earmark for further investigation. More
than 26,000 people have analyzed roughly 220,000 documents since the
effort launched in 2009.

Taking charge

Social Innovation Camp’s goal in the Caucasus, says its co-founder
Dan McQuillan, was to foster the creation of similar websites that
focus on specific needs in the region. One doesn’t have to complain
anymore if problems aren’t being recognized, he said. Social media
allows people to address these issues, themselves, without permission
from the government or grants from NGOs.

"It’s about taking the power of digital technologies and making
something happen," said Mr. McQuillan. "It’s a kind of activism,
but it’s not the normal kind of activism. It’s not confrontation;
it’s construction. It’s about building things to make a difference."

Douglas Arellanes, a facilitator at the camp, was a 2009 camp
participant in Bratislava, Slovakia and is a strong advocate for the
positive use of digital media. What the world is now experiencing,
he says, is yet another period of transition; every generation
goes through change, from the telegram, to the telephone, to the
television. But human needs, he says, have always stayed the same.

"What we’re doing right now is simply teaching our machines
something humans have known innately for generations. People are
social creatures and social networks have existed as long as people
have existed," Mr. Arellanes said. "There’s nothing new about social
networks. What’s new is that we’re using digital devises to mediate
that social interaction."

But ultimately, he says, it’s important to remember that social media
is simply a means to an end and not the solution for social change,
itself. "You have to be careful in promising too much in social media.

It is a great tool, but at the end of the day, it is just a tool.

What’s really important are the people behind it and the ideas
being good."

Recognizing the potential

At the camp, the six teams were divided among workstations cluttered
with laptops, wires, white boards and countless cups of coffee. Each
team, composed of members from at least two of the South Caucasus
countries, had only two days to design, program and present their
websites with business plans to the judges.

While Ms. Lazarian’s idea, "NoProblem," focused on raising awareness
about social issues in the South Caucasus, the other five teams
developed ideas around democratic, health and environmental issues.

The final projects, which aren’t fully functional yet, include a
multi-language website where users can rate public schools in the
region and a website that offers information about reproductive health
to Internet and mobile device users.

One of the projects, "GiveMeInfo," was designed to keep track of
Freedom of Information Requests denied by government ministries-an
attempt to put pressure on South Caucasus officials who illegally
refuse to release documents to the public.

For many in the Caucasus, the hope in digital technology can also be
found in its enabling of cross-border communication. Aliyev Reshad,
25, is an Azerbaijani student currently studying and working in
Tbilisi. When he heard about Ms. Lazarian’s idea, he jumped at the
chance to be on her team.

"I’m interested in regional projects, and I think this project will
help to break stereotypes and bring people together by their problems,"
Mr. Reshad said. "These issues make people from different countries
talk not about the problems that break us into two parts, but about
the problems we share."

The winning project, "SaveTheTress," was conceived by Mariam Sukhadyan,
an environmental activist from Yerevan. The website will allow users
to report, using photos, maps and SMS messages the illegal cutting
of tress, a problem that Ms. Sukhadyan says has drastically increased
over the last 20 years in Armenia. Her project was awarded $3,000 to
help support the website’s growth.

While the website isn’t fully complete, Ms. Sukhadyan says her team
will continue working on finalizing the details, translating the site
into Armenian and promoting it throughout the country. She hopes the
Ministry of Ecology and municipal departments will eventually joint
the project, as well.

Ms. Lazarian’s idea didn’t win, but she says she’s still passionate
about shedding light on social issues traditionally kept under wraps
in the Caucasus. She hopes to complete the website one day, saying
the camp helped her with strategies and ideas for the project’s future.

"For me the strongest part was to motivate people to talk about
problems, whatever they thought those problem were," she said. "The
main objective now is awareness, and eventually, we will see change."