The powerful earthquake that hit the Iranian city of Bam and killed about 40,000 people last month caused controversial comments among Armenian seismologists.

The President of the Armenian Association of Seismologists and Earth Physics invited journalists to a press conference last week to announce that the earthquake in Iran would cause a high seismic activity in the next 12 months in the whole region including Armenia.

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Armenia's Court of Appeal has upheld a lower-court decision that found Armen Sargsyan guilty of conspiracy to commit murder in the case of the chairman of Armenian Public Television Tigran Naghdalyan. Sargsyan is sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in the murder which took place December 28, 2002.

Sargsyan, brother of slain Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan, has maintained his innocence, and was supported by onlookers in court WHAT DAY??, who sat down in protest while the verdict was read.

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A forum was held in Yerevan last week aimed at strengthening civil society among countries of the former Soviet Union.

Organized by the International Council on Social Welfare (ICSW) and Mission Armenia non-governmental organizations, the forum attracted about 50 organizations representing members of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC).

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