Edicom
5 Mars 2004

La police bernoise met hors circuit deux épaves roulantes
Arménien et Biélorusse au volant

Berne (AP) La police bernoise a stoppé à fin février sur l’A8 près de
Brienz un conducteur qui circulait sans permis au volant d’une
voiture défiant les règles élémentaires de sécurité. Il s’agit d’un
requérant d’asile d’origine arménienne de 32 ans. Au volant de son
épave, il avait emprunté le tunnel du Gotthard et le col du Brünig.
Une autre voiture non conforme, conduite par un Biélorusse, a été
interceptée.
Hébergé dans le canton du Tessin, le requérant d’asile arménien
voulait se rendre à Interlaken, a expliqué vendredi la police
cantonale bernoise. Il circulait sans permis de conduire valable et
sans permis de circulation ni assurance responsabilité civile pour le
véhicule doté, qui plus est, de plaques minéralogiques périmées
depuis plus de neuf mois. Aucune formalité douanière n’avait été
remplie lors du passage de la voiture de France en Suisse, où
l’Arménien l’avait acquise il y a six semaines pour moins de 800
francs.
Présentant «un état général désolant», le véhicule a été mis en
sûreté par la police. Entre autres défectuosités constatées: trois
des quatre roues usées ne répondaient pas au freinage, le frein à
main ne fonctionnait pas, plusieurs pièces d’attache du châssis
étaient brisées, l’huile et le carburant fuyaient et les rétroviseurs
étaient attachés avec de la bande adhésive. Le conducteur a été
dénoncé pour diverses infractions à la loi sur la circulation
routière et pour non respect des prescriptions douanières.
La police bernoise a par ailleurs interpellé près de Thoune quatre
ressortissants biélorusses quelques heures auparavant. La voiture
était notamment dépourvue de freins excepté celui à main. Elle a
également été mise en sûreté et son conducteur dénoncé. AP

Oakland Tribune
March 10, 2004

Kaiser campaign donation chided
By Rebecca Vesely, STAFF WRITER

Consumer advocates demanded Tuesday that Kaiser Permanente take back
a$100,000 donation to a ballot initiative campaign that aims to change
the state’s unfair business competition law.

The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights is fighting the ballot
initiative on grounds that it will bar individuals and consumer groups
from suing businesses that violate consumer protection laws — including
patient protection and environmental statutes. The AARP, Sierra Club and
United Farm Workers are among other groups opposed to the initiative.

“Kaiser has invested$100,000 of our premium dollars into removing
consumer rights and accountability,” said Jerry Flanagan of the
Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights.

Kathleen McKenna, spokeswoman for Kaiser Permanente, said the HMO is
supporting initiative because of a “growing concern with frivolous
lawsuits.”

Appearing in front of Kaiser Permanente’s Oakland headquarters Tuesday
was Chant Yedalian, whose mother, Zevart — a Kaiser patient — died
from breast cancer in 1998 at age 53.

Yedalian used the state’s unfair business competition law, known as
17200, in a wrongful death lawsuit against Kaiser, arguing that it
denied his mother a potentially life-saving bone marrow transplant and
then further denied his rights to challenge the HMO in a jury trial.
Kaiser requires its members to go through binding arbitration instead of
trial.

Yedalian, who lives in Los Angeles, argued that Kaiser’s binding
arbitration clause is a violation of the unfair business competition
law.

“This was the only law available to protect people from this unfair
process,” Yedalian said.

Yedalian’s case is pending in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

McKenna said Kaiser’s campaign donation has nothing to do with its
arbitration policy.

“We’ve been using binding arbitration for 50 years,” she said.

She said Yedalian’s mother received inadequate notice about Kaiser’s
binding arbitration policy — a major reason why the case ended up in
court.

The initiative campaign, called Stop Shakedown Lawsuits, is driven by
the California Chamber of Commerce, the California Motor Car Dealers
Association and other business groups.

So far, the campaign has collected more than 300,000 signatures to place
the measure on the Nov. 2 ballot. To qualify, at least 373,816 valid
signatures must be submitted to the secretary of state by April 16.

The campaign has raised $2.5 million, mostly from banks, insurance
companies, car dealers, pharmaceutical companies and other businesses.
Blue Cross of California donated $250,000 and PacifiCare gave $10,000.

Campaign supporters said they want to stop unscrupulous lawyers from
using 17200 to sue for made-up claims and then force a settlement.

John Sullivan, president of the Civil Justice Association of California
and a co-chairman for the campaign, said the initiative would not bar
individuals from suing companies for harm or financial injury.

In a case to get out of arbitration, Sullivan said, many other statutes
and previous court decisions could surely be used “if justice is owed.”

“When groups like this find a case that has a tragic story — as this
one undoubtedly does — that 17200 figures into, you can turn it on it’s
head and argue that you can go out to any cases and find a 17200 case
tacked onto it,” Sullivan said.

Yedalian said 17200 was his only course of action.

“The initiative would prevent people from seeking justice,” he said.
“You can’t protect other members of the public without it.”

Contact Rebecca Vesely at [email protected] .
©1999-2003 by MediaNews Group, Inc. and ANG Newspapers

PRESS RELEASE
University of California, Berkeley
Institute of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies
260 Stephens Hall # 2304
Berkeley CA 94720-2304
(510) 643-6737
Contact: Constance Hwong

Intensive Elementary Western Armenian at U.C. Berkeley

An eight-week intensive summer course in Western Armenian will be offered at
U.C. Berkeley from
June 21 to August 13, 2004.

A number of full and partial fellowships are available for qualified
applicants. They are made possible by a grant from the Social Science
Research Council.

Deadline for financial aid: April 12, 2004.

Deadline for registration: June 18, 2004.

For detailed information regarding this course, please visit

PRESS RELEASE
Haigazian University-Public Relations Office
PO Box: 11-1748
Beirut, Lebanon

CONTACT : Loucia Isaac Seropian
Phone: 961-1-353010 Ext.: 365
Email: [email protected]

March 8, 2004

Haigazian University hosts ESU’s International Public Speaking Competition
2004- Lebanon

In coordination with The English- Speaking Union (ESU), a registered
charity (founded 1918) with a long tradition of cultural programs and
educational exchanges, the Haigazian University (Founded 1955) cordially
invites the concerned media to attend the ESU’s International Public
Speaking Competition of Lebanon held Saturday, March 20, 2004 -10:00 AM at
Haigazian University-Auditorium, Hamra, Beirut-Lebanon.

The theme for this year’s Public Speaking Competition is, “A Borderless
World”. Partaking in this Competition are full-time student contestants
representing local universities in Beirut using English as the language of
instruction.

The International Public Speaking Competition is organized and run annually
by the English-Speaking Union and Sponsored by HSBC Holdings plc in some 40
active countries in the World.

Each year the ESU chooses a universal theme to be addressed by young
international students, between 18-20 in full-time education. During the
preparations, the participants are advised by their professors to approach
the theme using a debatable style; aiming to teach, delight and move the
designated juries.
The overall objectives of this event is:

· To give young people experience in the fundamental skills of public
speaking.
· To give students from a variety of countries and backgrounds a chance to
meet, exchange views and form friendships.
· To provide a focus for the learning of effective English and
communication skills among young people in countries where English is not
the first Language.

Consequently, the ESU designates qualified juries to attend this event
across the concerned countries. The public speaker that manages to explore
and inspire the jury, as well as the audience, will travel to participate
in the headquarters International Public Speaking Competition at Dartmouth
House in London, May 2004.

In 2002 a young Lebanese student came second in the competition attended by
participants from over 35 countries.

###

END

Soviet program can protect computers against viruses

09.03.2004, 15.37

MOSCOW, March 9 (Itar-Tass) – Russian scientists believe that the
Security Programme for computers, created in Soviet times, can protect
computers against viruses almost totally, Boris Babayan, corresponding
member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, director of the Institute
of Microprocessor Computer Systems, told Itar-Tass on Tuesday.

According to Babayan, most of the computer viruses existing today
attack the ` weak areas’ of the software and penetrate the computers
through so-called ` holes’ in the operational systems. In the opinion
of Babayan, `the principle on which the Security Programme is based is
rather simple.’ When the programme detects the virus-infected file and
establishes the type of the virus, it blocks at once the whole of the
file. So, Babayan continued, `the virus can no longer spread inside
the computer, much less penetrate Internet.’ At the same time, `the
Security Programme neither reduces the working speed of the computer,
nor overloads its memory.’

Babayan believes the effective introduction of the Security Programme
is impossible without its adaptation to the modern operational
systems, like Windows, Mackintosh etc. `Some ten billion dollars are
needed for its introduction, but the expenditures are a trifle in
comparison with the damage, inflicted by numerous viruses spread in
Internet,’ he said.

Experts are of the opinion, that some 700 types of viruses are now
spread in Internet. Each virus has several versions. Some 20 viruses
are especially dangerous, including MyDoom, Bagle and
Nelsky. According to the estimates, the damage inflicted by MyDoom
alone has reached 36 billion dollars.

© ITAR-TASS.

PRESS RELEASE
AGBU Hye Geen
2495 East Mountain Street
Pasadena, CA 91104
Contact: Sona Yacoubian
[email protected]
626.794.7942

March 5, 2004

Women’s Conference to Discuss Contemporary Issues

Burbank, CA (March 5) – The AGBU Hye Geen and the Western Diocese of
the Armenian Church of North America are pleased to announce a timely
and relevant forum dealing with women’s issues – Armenian Women Facing
Contemporary Trends – on Saturday, March 27, 2004 from 9:30 a.m. to
4:00 p.m. at the Western Diocese in Burbank, California.

The forum will bring together speakers from various generations,
backgrounds and professions to present and discuss current issues
affecting the lives of Armenian women.

His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western
Diocese, will deliver the forum’s opening remarks. The morning session
(10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.) will feature presentations and discussions
on such topics as “Women in Traditional Armenian Family Interactions”
and “The Identity Crisis of Contemporary Armenian Women.’

The afternoon session (1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.) will offer participants
the choice of one of three workshops: `Interaction of Women and Men at
Home, in Society and the Workplace,’ `Women Facing the New
Generation,’ and `Education and Leadership Empowering Women.’ The
forum will reconvene for a plenary session and closing remarks from
3:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. The Western Diocese of the Armenian
Church of North America is located at 3325 North Glenoaks Blvd. in
Burbank, California.

Reservations are requested. Please call Shakeh at the AGBU Pasadena
office at 626.794.7942.

The AGBU Hye Geen, established in 1994 at the Alex Manoogian Center in
Pasadena, California, seeks to preserve, recognize and honor the
accomplishments of Armenian women, while working to advance and
promote women’s issues internationally.

###

A1 Plus | 21:52:20 | 10-03-2004 | Politics |

KOCHARYANS’ OPPONENTS HELD RALLY IN LORI PROVINCE

Opposition alliance Justice toured Armenia’s Lori province on Wednesday.

About one thousand people attend a rally staged by the opposition activists.

The alliance’s leader Stephan Demirchyan said the republic is badly in need
of transfer of power. MP Victor Dallakyan added that the day of ousting
current authorities is already coming up. The first to stand trial will be
Lori governor Henrik Kochinyan, who has pocketed 16 million dollars while
holding the office of transport minister.

—

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

HIS HOLINESS ARAM I WILL TAKE PART IN 10th ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION
OF THE GENOCIDE IN RWANDA

ANTELIAS, LEBANON – His Holiness Aram I is invited by the government of
Rwanda to bring his participation at the 10th anniversary commemoration of
the genocide in Rwanda, which will take place in Kigali the capital city.
His Holiness’ visit will take place from 18-21 April 2004. He will address
an international conference on “Genocides in the 20th century and lessons to
humanity”. Catholicos Aram I will also address an ecumenical worship on the
stadium of Kigali. In his public interventions His Holiness will refer to
the Armenian Genocide, which is the first Genocide of the 20th century and
the Rwandan genocide being the last.

In his invitation letter to His Holiness the foreign minister of Rwanda Dr.
Charles Murigande writes: “You stood by the people of Rwanda as they
struggled to deal with the terrible consequences of genocide. It therefore
gives me pleasure, on behalf of the people and government of Rwanda, to
invite you to the ceremonies marking the 10th anniversary of the 1994
genocide to be held in Kigali on 7th of April, 2004. Join us to reflect on
how to prevent and banish genocide for ever through active universal
solidarity”.

His Holiness will also meet the president and church leaders of Rwanda.

A high ranking delegation will accompany His Holiness during this visit. It
will include Dr. Sam Kobia, the General Secretary of the World Council of
Churches, Dr. Andre Karamagali, the director of the Department on Africa
affairs, Bishop Dandala, the General Secretary of All Africa Council of
Churches, Ms Teny Pirri-Simonian, the director of Church Relations
Department of the WCC, and Rev. Krikor Chiftjian, the Director of the
Catholicosate’s Information and communication Department.

The visit of His Holiness to Rwanda will follow a visit to Nairobi, Kenya.
The visitation program to Nairobi will include a public lecture on “The
challenges facing the ecumenical movement and Africa”, meeting with church
leaders, visit the headquarters of all Africa Council of Churches, visit
with the president, and address at the ecumenical worship.

##

The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

L.L. 50 MILLION IS DONATED TO THE ARMENIAN LEBANESE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS
BY “KHATCHIG BABIKIAN FOUNDATION”

ANTELIAS, LEBANON – Established in 2001, right before the death of Khatchig
Babikian, the former member of Lebanese Parliament and the chairman of the
executive council of the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia, the “Khatchig
Babikian Foundation” will donate 50 Milion Lebanese pounds for the Armenian
community schools in Lebanon for the current academic year.

The president of the foundation is His Holiness Catholicos Aram I. Its
executive committee includes Mr. Andre Tabourian, Mr. Vosgeperan
Arzoumanian, Mr. Yervant Pamboukian, and the three daughters of the late Mr.
Babikian, namely Rane Marie Babikian-Kiwan, Tina Babikian-Assaf and Carole
Kokoni.

Before his death Khatchig Babikian donated to the Foundation the major part
of his assets mainly composed of lands. The capital of the foundation will
increase with the income of the sale of the lands. Only the interests of the
capital will be used for humanitarian, educational and cultural projects.

##

The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

THE ARCHBISHOPS AND LAY REPRESENTATIVES OF EASTERN, CANADIAN AND
WESTERN PRELACIES IN ANTELIAS

ANTELIAS, LEBANON – The Archbishops and the representatives of three
Prelacies of the Eastern, Canadian and Western prelacies will travel to
Antelias next week, to meet His Holiness Aram I and the Religious and lay
executive councils of the Armenian Catholicosate of the Great House of
Cilicia.

The meetings will be extended over five days. The executive council, under
the leadership of His Holiness, will first meet separately with each prelacy
representatives and then jointly to discuss issues and projects related to
the three Prelacies.

The representatives will also take part in different activities organized in
conjunction with these meetings.

These meetings are part of the on-going meeting that His Holiness convenes
regularly with the diocesan prelates and lay representatives.

##

The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.