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Employees of Armenian ministries go on strike, protesting against optimization

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Employees of several ministries have gone on strike since Friday morning in protest against the Armenian Government’s plan to merge several agencies into one into one single institution.

It is widely feared that the proposed optimization will bring about layoffs in the public sector, leaving many civil servants unemployed. The protesters have shared their concerns in a letter, which they intend to submit to Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.An employee of the Ministry of Culture says they were given a notice on Thursday saying that part of the agency will merge with the Ministry of Education and Science, with another part expected to be incorporated into the Urban Development Committee.
The protesting employees insist that no professional or public hearings were held in advance to allow for constructive debates and dialogues.

“I don’t know who and how decided that; how can an important structure as this [the Ministry of Culture] possibly close down?” said one of the participants.

An employee of the Ministry of Diaspora complained against a proposed move to dissolve their agency, insisting it their functions “are very important to avoid a demographic challenge”

 

Anthony Bourdain “was an activist for Armenian Genocide recognition”

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Late TV star and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain had become a staunch activist for recognition of the Armenian Genocide before his tragic death, System Of A Down frontman Serj Tankian revealed in an interview with The Rolling Stone.

Bourdain, the host of his widely successful television show, tragically took his own life earlier this year during production of its 11th season. Before that, however, he took a trip to Armeniato film an episode for his show. Tankian was instrumental in getting Bourdain to come to Armenia.

“It was tough losing Tony. Really, really tough. I just knew him for that week and a few calls and e-mails, but f*ck — I had no idea. Then Chris Cornell the same year and the same method. It threw me out of my orbit,” the artist said.

“He was amazing. He was always trying to understand the culture, the geopolitics, the societal effects. He’s like, “What’s really happening here?” He was talking to young and old people, getting multiple opinions. He became a staunch activist for recognition of the Armenian genocide. We mentioned it to him, but it wasn’t the core of our conversation. I remember the night before the show, he sat down with Anderson Cooper on CNN, and Tony was just like, ‘How is this possible that we’re in this kind of country and we’re denying this genocide that the whole world knows about? I cannot believe this is happening.’

“That blew me away: his hate of injustice and hypocrisy. I loved that about him. He was so f*cking ballsy. That’s why I reached out to him in the first place and wanted him to go to Armenia. I knew that that’s how he was and I was not disappointed. We had a great time.”

Related links:

The rolling Stone. Serj Tankian on Writing ‘Requiem Music,’ System of a Down’s Creative Stalemate

The Economist’s country of the year 2018

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Which country improved the most in the past year?

OUR ANNUAL “country of the year” award goes not to the most influential nation, nor to the richest, nor to the one with the tastiest food (sorry, Japan). It celebrates progress. Which country has improved the most in the past 12 months?

It is a tricky choice. A stellar performance in one year is no guarantee of future success. Last year’s pick, France, is now racked by riots. Myanmar, our winner in 2015, has regressed bloodily. Nonetheless, we must choose. For 2018, some of our staff facetiously suggested Britain, for giving the world a useful warning: that even a rich, peaceful and apparently stable country can absent-mindedly set fire to its constitutional arrangements without any serious plan for replacing them. Others suggested Ireland, for resisting a form of Brexit that would undermine Irish peace; and also for settling its vexed abortion debate democratically. Two Latin American states merit a mention. Whereas Brazil and Mexico are plunging into populism, Ecuador and Peru are strengthening institutions, such as the judiciary, that can curb a headstrong leader. South Africa has ditched a president, Jacob Zuma, who presided over the plunder of the state. His replacement, Cyril Ramaphosa, has appointed honest, competent folk to stop the looting.

In the end, the choice came down to three countries. In Malaysia voters fired a prime minister who could not adequately explain why there was $700m in his bank account. Despite Najib Razak’s glaring imperfections, his sacking was a surprise. Malaysia’s ruling party had dominated politics since the 1950s and gerrymandered furiously to keep it that way. Yet the opposition triumphed at an election, and Malaysians enjoyed the delicious spectacle of police removing big boxes of cash, jewellery and designer handbags from their former leader’s home. Malaysia might have made a worthy winner, except that the new prime minister, the nonagenarian Mahathir Mohamad, seems reluctant either to relax the country’s divisive racial preferences or to hand over power as agreed to his more liberal partner, Anwar Ibrahim, a former political prisoner.

Ethiopia had an extraordinary year. It is a huge place, with 105m people and a long history of tyranny and woe. A cold-war Marxist regime slaughtered and starved multitudes. The guerrillas who overthrew it looked to China for inspiration and loans. They had some success in rebuilding a desolate economy, but also shot protesters and virtually criminalised dissent. After tempers exploded following a rigged election in 2015, the ruling party this year picked a reformist leader, Abiy Ahmed, who has released political prisoners, largely unmuzzled the media and promised to hold real elections in 2020. He has made peace with Eritrea, opening a long-closed border and restoring access to the sea. He is even trying to liberalise Ethiopia’s debt-burdened, state-directed economy, where a phone connection is harder to get than in anarchic Somalia next door. If this were a contest for person of the year, Abiy might have won. But we did not choose Ethiopia because it is far from clear that the new prime minister will be able to curb ethnic violence. Separatists no longer fear being shot by the security services; some are now trying to create ethnically pure enclaves by driving minorities from their homes. Perhaps 1.4m people have been displaced so far. Autocracies, alas, seldom die quietly.

Yet in Armenia that is exactly what seems to have happened. The president, Serzh Sargsyan, tried to dodge term limits by making himself into an executive prime minister. The streets erupted in protest. Nikol Pashinyan, a charismatic and bearded former journalist and MP, was swept into power, legally and properly, on a wave of revulsion against corruption and incompetence. His new party alliance won 70% of the vote in a subsequent election. A Putinesque potentate was ejected, and no one was killed. Russia was given no excuse to interfere. A note of caution: Armenia’s nasty territorial dispute with Azerbaijan has not been resolved and could ignite again. However, an ancient and often misruled nation in a turbulent region has a chance of democracy and renewal. For that reason, Armenia is our country of the year. Shnorhavorum yem!

Source: https://www.economist.com/leaders/2018/12/22/the-economists-country-of-the-year-2018?fbclid=IwAR1tAzVwhtAYXFwKJ4WKYQue_2HYIiCOGWDeCOSXGOmhIRa2Sv12zlCAP70

 

Moscow, Yerevan ‘preparing document’ to guarantee foreign servicemen’s absence in Armenia

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the Moscow authorities are elaborating a joint document in collaboration with Yerevan to rule out foreign servicemen’s presence on the territory of Armenia.

In an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda, the Russian official said they are determined to avert possible risks through ensuring transparency.

“We are close to completing the preparation of the document that will guarantee foreign servicemen’s absence there [in Armenia] to make everything transparent in terms of [averting] risks and hazards,” he said.

Meantime Lavrov emphasized that Russia has considerably fewer diplomats compared to the United States.

Armenians head to polls in first ever snap parliamentary election, 7.76% of voters participated in voting as of 11:00

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YEREVAN. – The first ever snap parliamentary elections have kicked off in Armenia. Overall, 2,010 precincts will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. throughout Armenia.

Armenia has finally become a parliamentary republic, and the winner of today’s election will receive full power in the country. If one of the political forces wins the absolute majority of seats in the National Assembly of the 7th convocation, the person who heads its proportional list of candidates for deputies will be automatically appointed by the president as the head of the cabinet, the de facto leader of the country.

Two blocs and nine parties are running in the elections. Among them are “My Step” bloc, “We” bloc, the Republican Party of Armenia, Prosperous Armenia party, ARF Dashnaktsutyun, Orinats Yerkir, Bright Armenia,  Sasna Tsrer party, Christian-Democratic Party, Citizens’ Decision party and National Progress party.

The parliament is elected for the term of five years. At least 101 deputies will be elected, another four seats are distributed among representatives of the largest ethnic minority groups: Yezidis, Russians, Assyrians and Kurds.

Election is held based on the previous Electoral Code: according to national and territorial lists of candidates. Voters can vote either only for a party or a bloc, or for one of its candidates nominated in their electoral district.

The first data on voter turnout will be publicized at 12:00.

 

Armenia appellate court upholds ruling on remanding Robert Kocharyan in custody

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YEREVAN. — The Court of Appeal upheld the judgement of the first-instance court on remanding Armenia’s second president Robert Kocharyan, his attorney Hayk Alumyan told reporters.

Six prosecutors, including Prosecutor General Artur Davtyan, were participating in the hearings that commenced on November 27.

Kocharyan was charged with breaching Armenia’s constitutional order during the March 1, 2008 events in Yerevan.

The Court of Appeals canceled the decision of the first-instance court, but it was appealed by both sides. The Court of Cassation returned the case to the Court of Appeal.

Eight demonstrators as well as two servicemen of the internal troops were killed in the clashes between the opposition and the authorities on March 1 and 2, 2008. But no one had been brought to account for these deaths, to this day.

 

Khachatur Dadayan, Masonry is the most dangerous challenge that has been thrown into Armenia

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Interview by Arthur Hovhannisyan

Nyut.am Masonry denies Christianity, proclaims God to man, is totally denied the idea of ​​national belonging, completely ignores the notion of “homeland”. Our interview with publicist, economist Khachatur Dadayan is about this and other details related to masonry.

By the way, what Mr. Dadayan said about freemasonry, mastery of the masons, the high position acquisition, opportunities, special external signs, strict confidentiality, obedience, often cruel punishment for violating discipline, clear distinction, gradation, and today, according to published information , are typical of masonry.

– According to the published and well-known information, what is masonry?

– Frequency or Frequency (French, franc mason) is a direction that originated in England and declared its existence in 1717 for the first time. The organizational structure of that movement has as much mysterious as its historical explanation. In the Middle Ages, a class of brotherhood was made by masters who carried their craftsmen – hammers, trunks, aprons, aprons, etc.

By secrecy, masons acquired high standing, fame, honor, recognition, and tremendous financial opportunities. To recognize one another, the masons used special external signs, such as handmade, handcuffs, vocabulary, and subjects that were only known to them. However, two things were required – strict secrecy that could often be compensated for by life and absolute obedience.

– According to your studies, what is the masonry, the conclusion that you have made as a result of your studies corresponds to the already published and well-known information?

I think that masonry is the most dangerous challenge that has been thrown into Armenia, our nation and our statehood. If a community is supranational, it controls the person-controlled person above all, of course, it can not be overwhelmed.

– What is the division of the famous masons, about the degree of gradation?

– They had an internal division. The first group included architects, the second was the construction masters who assisted the architects, the third – the pupils or beginners. This category has been preserved for centuries. Workers called associations had the following divisions: The first ranks 1-18 included beginners, and secondly, the assistants were involved in the 18-30 stages, forming congregations, and the masons of the highest 30-33 degrees were philosophical advice. Here was the masonic elite – the Kadosh-Knight, the Grand Inspector, the General Investigator, the Grand Prix of the Royal Secrets, and the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.

– This is the external and internal organizational aspect of masonry, and what is the ideological orientation of that organization?

– In 1723 English Protestant Anderson wrote the first Charter of Freemasonry – the Code or the Constitution, which was based on the meaning. There were three principles proclaimed: Freedom, Equality, Brotherhood, that is, masonry would be a global community of mutual assistance, humanism, social solidarity, and achieved the realization of its principles through education, science, arts and human development and progress. Perhaps a question arises: what’s the difference between masonry and, say, other religious or worldly humanistic ideologies? The difference is immense, substantial and based on denialism and denial. First, denying Christianity, man is proclaimed God, God is substituted by a man, and the first word of the phrase “free melancholy” emphasizes freedom and independence from everything, including Christianity. Second, the idea of ​​national belonging is completely denied. Since man is God, then there must be human associations, not nations. It is not accidental that the creation of the “Human Rights Association” was initiated by the French Hospice Lyudovic Trarion. Thirdly, the concept of “homeland” is completely negatively affected.

Interview by Arthur Hovhannisyan

Editorial: We will present Khachatur Dadayan’s findings, discoveries, and other remarkable information about Armenian masons in one of our next releases.

Source: https://megainfo.am/hy/blog/5000/gb

Armenian universities deny role in Israeli “diploma scandal”

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Liana Yeghiazaryan
Public Radio of Armenia

Armenian universities rush to refute the reports on their involvement in a corruption scheme that saw a number of Israeli Arab doctors granted “false” diplomas.

The Israel Police arrested early Sunday 40 doctors, medical interns and pharmacists from the Arab sector who presented false credentials to the Health Ministry, Israeli sources report.

They are suspected of presenting graduation diplomas from universities in Armenia, even though the Police allege they did not complete the required studies there.

The three Armenian universities involved in the case are St. Tereza Medical University, Haybusak and Mkhitar Gosh Universities.

Rector of Haybusak University Suren Harutyunyan says he’s not aware of the details of the case and knows nothing beyond media reports.

Meanwhile, the university’s former President Anahit Harutyunyan, who was in office, when the diplomas were allegedly provided, says “the reports have nothing to do with Armenia.”

“If you look at the recent materials, you’ll see that the traces take to Moldova and the Gaza Strip. It has nothing to do with “Haybusak” and Armenia. If they have found someone’s [Armenian] diploma, it does not mean we are involved,” Harutyunyan told Public Radio of Armenia.

President of Mkhitar Gosh University Hayk Dertsyan assures they have not issued any “false diplomas” are not going to issue any in the future.

“Responsibility should lie with the one that has issued [false diplomas]. We are a knowledge-based institution. Foreigners have come here, graduated and received their diplomas. Information about all foreign students has been provided to the Ministry of Education and Science, all inspections have been properly carried out,” he said.

Larisa Hambartsumyan, Rector of St. Tereza Medical University, also denies any connection with the “dark story.”

“The boom has nothing to do with us. In one case a student from a Russian university repeated the last course of the stomatology department at our university and received an ordinary diploma. Why should Israelis dentists come to us, if that faculty is not certified?” Hambartsumyan said.

Meanwhile the Israeli Police say the detainees presented diplomas testifying to the alleged completion of their studies. On the basis of these documents they received the right to practice in Israel, but law-enforcers say these “doctors” did not receive sufficient education.

The investigation dubbed “License to kill” started after an anonymous call to the Ministry of Helath and established that the suspects were studying in various educational institutions abroad. After they failed to complete their studies and pass all the exams, they were referred to three universities in Armenia, where they received the diplomas after studying for a short time.

Upon returning to Israel, they submitted their documents to the Ministry of Health, and some were able to pass a qualifying exam and get positions in public hospitals or health ministry structures.

Israeli-based journalist Zvi Zilber says the corruption scheme is a huge blow to the overall rating of Armenian higher educational establishments.

According to him, although the case refers to only three universities, the Israeli Ministry of Health has already cautioned the Israeli students to avoid studying at Armenian universities.

“This applied to all higher educational establishments, including the State Medical University, although its name is in no way related to the story. The authorities in Israel have declared that diplomas from Armenian universities will be subjected to special scrutiny and may still not be recognizes,” Mr. Zilber said.

He says that becoming a doctor in Israel envisages a serious process, and notes that “if a group of people has managed to bypass the exams, there should be deeper layer under this iceberg.”

Armenian government backs bill to raise pensions

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The Armenian government approved a bill on making amendments and supplements to the law on state pensions at a session on Thursday.

The legislative initiative proposing to increase the minimum pension in the country is aimed at overcoming the extreme poverty among pensioners.

The number of pensioners is estimated at 497,394 people, including military pensioners, as of 1 January 2019.

According to the draft law, the new basic pension will be 25,500 drams (approximately $52.50), which, the government claims, will be enough to top the food (extreme) poverty threshold which reportedly stood at 23,313 drams in 2016.

The new measure will enter into force on 1 January 2019.

Armenian Serviceman killed in avalanche near Armenian village

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A contractual military serviceman has died in an avalanche in the village of Kakhakn, Gegharkunik province, caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said today in his campaigning speech.

“I have bad news,” he said. “The soldier was found dead. I express condolences to his family and friends.”

At Pashinyan’s suggestion, the attendees of the event held a moment of silence in honor of the victim.

On November 28, the ministry of emergency situations said that a person is missing in an avalanche. The ministry had not specified other details.