ANKARA (Combined Sources)–Turkish state prosecutors have dropped one of two criminal charges against best-selling author Orhan Pamuk.
The charge for allegedly insulting Turkey’s armed forces was dropped–but Pamuk still faces charges that he insulted "Turkishness," lawyers said.
Nationalist lawyers had petitioned prosecutors to file criminal charges against Pamuk for reportedly telling a German newspaper–Die Welt–in October this [...]

YEREVAN (Armenpress)–Armenian President Robert Kocharian handed out prizes to Armenia’s best athletes and coaches on Thursday for their outstanding performance in 2005.
Among those honored were 2005 World Cup Chess champion grand master Levon Aronian–judoist Armen Nazarian–and wrestler Movses Karapetian–who won medals in European championships.
The head of the Armenian National Olympic Committee Gagik Tsarukian revealed that [...]

The Armenian economy has expanded at a double-digit rate for a fifth consecutive year–reducing poverty and boosting personal income–Trade and Economic Development Minister Karen Chshmaritian said on Thursday.
Official macroeconomic statistics for the first eleven months of 2005 show a 13.5 percent increase in Armenia’s Gross Domestic Product compared to the same period. He said its [...]

KRASNODAR (Armenpress)–Vandals destroyed an Armenian cross stone monument in Siktivkar–the capital of Russian province Komi.
Yerkramas newspaper reported that the incident took place on December 27–when unknown assailants split the monument with sharp objects then threw it to the ground to be shattered.
The head of the local Armenian cultural-national organization "Van," Vardan Musinian described the incident [...]

WASHINGTON–DC–Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) added his voice to those raised by Congressional Armenian Caucus co-chairs Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ)–Wednesday–in calling on the Azeri government to end the destruction of centuries-old Armenian cross stones (khachkars) in the historic Julfa cemetery–located in southern Nakhichevan.
In a strongly worded letter to Azeri President Ilham Aliyev–Schiff condemned [...]

ANKARA (Reuters)–Turkey’s foreign minister said on Wednesday it might be necessary to change a controversial law–after nationalist lawyers used it to call for the prosecution of an EU lawmaker for criticizing the Turkish military.
The lawyers accuse Joost Lagendijk–a Dutch member of the European Parliament–of insulting Turkey’s armed forces by suggesting the military was provoking Kurdish [...]

ANKARA (Armenpress)–A second case of bird flu has been detected in Turkey and the authorities have taken immediate steps to contain the disease–Anatolia news agency reported on Tuesday–quoting officials.
Poultry in the eastern province of Igdir–on the border with Armenia–tested positive for the H5 avian influenza virus–but it was not yet known whether it was the [...]

YEREVAN (Arka)–Armenia’s GDP increased 13.5% in the past 11 months–according to President Robert Kocharian–who told a group of businessmen that 2005 was one of the most productive years for the country.
Kocharian emphasized that all sectors of Armenia’s economy saw growth–while major growth was in construction and foreign trade (32%).
"It’s quite serious progress–and all of you [...]

YEREVAN (Armenpress)–Armenia–gaining 2,619 points during combined 2005 championships–is now ranked fifth in the world.
Russia is ranked first with 2,710 scores–Ukraine–second with 2,662–US–third with 2,662 scores–and Hungary–fourth with 2,620 scores.

ISTANBUL (AP/Reuters)–A Turkish prosecutor has opened a new case against one of the country’s leading Turkish-Armenia’s for commen’s he made about an earlier prosecution. Hrant Dink–editor of the bilingual Armenian-Turkish newspaper Agos–was convicted in October of "denigrating Turkish identity," and received a six-month suspended sentence. The case became one of several prominent prosecutions over speech [...]

ANKARA–Turkish prosecutors said on Tuesday they had begun an investigation to determine whether a European Parliament lawmaker should be prosecuted for insulting Turkey’s armed forces–a decision likely to further strain the country’s ties with the European Union.
EU officials have already criticized Turkey for putting Orhan Pamuk–the country’s best known novelist–on trial for charges of insulting [...]

(Combined Sources)–The British House of Lords is scheduled to discuss the recent destruction of Armenian cross stones (khatchkars) in Nakhichevan’s Old Julfa cemetery–as "a question demanding a written answer."
Consideration of the issue was sponsored by Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords–Baroness Cox–who urged the British Government to take the opportunity to express concern to [...]

STEPANAKERT (Combined Sources)–Mountainous Karabagh Republic (MKR) President Arkady Ghukasian appointed his foreign relations advisor–Georgi Petrosian–to the post of foreign minister on Monday–to replace Arman Melikian. Melikian–who also held the post of MKR’s permanent representative in Armenia–will retain that position.
Presenting Petrosian to the MKR Foreign Ministry staff–Ghukasian linked the appointment to the "existing political situation."
The 53-year-old [...]

(AP)–Rescuers searched Monday for two hunters who were buried by an avalanche in the mountains of Armenia–the Emergency Situations Administration said.
The two men–aged 35 and 39–had been among a group of five from the city of Vanadzor–125 kilometers (80 miles) north of the capital–Yerevan–who went hunting for bears and mountain goats on Sunday.