2021 November 29

Daily news wrap-up

News - Nov/29/2021: Rurik Semyonov __ New cheap power source __ Stats: Covid, Vax, Migration __ Genocide motion; Neighbor news __ Forests __ Armenia Fund meeting; Chief elected __ Free apartments __ Sci-Tech events __ Anti-corruption: Bribery; Underworld boss; Judge __ Yerevan's new buses + more?
by ar_david_hh

---

This is your 14-minute Monday briefing in 3499 words.

nice try

The new Police Patrol stopped a driver for having a tinted windshield and driving without insurance. The driver was detained and brought to the police station after attempting to bribe the officers.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069311.html

police detained several leaders of the criminal underworld, and the son of former Gyumri mayor Vardan Ghukasyan

The police raided 128 addresses and vehicles as part of several criminal investigations against mob bosses. Weapons, bulletproof vests, counterfeit cash, stolen license plates, and narcotics were found.

Among the several dozen detained individuals were the "vor v zanoke", the leaders of the underworld.

The former BHK MP Vardan Ghukasyan's son Spartak was also found and arrested. He was recently placed on the wanted list after allegedly threatening to assault cops after a resident complained that Spartak entered their backyard for a physical confrontation.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069312.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069296.html

Supreme Court issued a severe reprimand to judge in a case involving Pashinyan's daughter

Justice Ministry asked the Supreme Court to reprimand judge Zaruhi Nakhskaryan over two alleged ethic violations.

The first was about the judge rejecting a case relating to the authorities' attempt to recover a sum. The judge argued that the defendant is from Vanadzor so she (in Yerevan) can't preside over the trial. The Justice Ministry disagreed, citing the law. Today the Supreme Court sided with the judge and denied the motion to discipline.

The second was about the same judge refusing to recuse herself in Shushan Pashinyan (Premier's daughter) vs Narek Samsonyan (former regime media activist), amid bias complaints against the judge. The Supreme Court found that the judge violated ethics rules; she received a severe reprimand.

https://factor.am/447367.html https://factor.am/447385.html

update: judge extends former MOD Davit Tonoyan's pre-trial arrest by another two months

Tonoyan and his associate(s) are accused of knowingly purchasing "useless" weapons in a corruption scheme. They deny wrongdoing.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069365.html

unofficial: local mayor claims Azeris withdrew from Ishkhanasar hills after November 16 clashes

Armenia lost two positions during the November 16 attack. Russian and Armenian groups went to canvass the hill to find survivors.

The mayor of village Ishkhanasar, not far from the events, says Azeris have since left the areas because of "freezing 40-45 degree temperatures". He said Armenians cannot stay in those positions for the same reason. "It's a neutral zone". He provided no evidence.

According to the official report, Azerbaijan captured the two positions on a hill located on the border. Videos were recorded showing the destruction of Azeri vehicles and infantry when they attempted to move further.

https://armlur.am/1151039/

Rurik Semyonov's story

During the war, Lt.Col. Rurik Semyonov was credited with blowing up 2 Kamaz trucks full of ammo, 2 anti-tank equipment, 3 tanks, 8 vehicles, 1 TR artillery unit. The army published a mini-documentary about his service. It says:

The first strike was on the command centers, not the front lines. The enemy used drones and artillery. The Armenian side responded with artillery.

Rurik: I was with the commander (in Mekhakavan) working on the map and plan of action. I had to go to the front line to address problems after the battalion suffered losses. [He went to the Jrakan (Jabrayil) direction, where the heaviest fights were.]

Ashot Sahakyan: I met Ryurik when he was moving the anti-tank units to the front line to greet the enemy. //

Rurik's units engaged in a rifle battle. They were soon encircled but were able to use the gorge to sneak out without detection and retreat to a military base near Mt. Ara.

Ashot Sahakyan: we lost communication. We didn't know anyone's location. Hours later we learned that Rurik pulled his men out of the blockade and began forming a new defense line. //

The new positions were targeted by enemy artillery so he decided to fool them.

Rurik: we had four "shpal" on the hill where our trenches were. During the night I gave an order to move the shpal to the hill behind us. The enemy resumed artillery strikes in the morning, but they targeted the empty trenches behind us.

They later learned about our location but couldn't get to us because we dug trenches and fox holes. //

They held the lines near Shekher-Taghavard-Karmir Shuka. While in Shekher, the enemy brought 5x forces and attacked for a week.

Rurik: there were 65 of us. The enemy attacked twice a day with 300 people. We repelled all attacks but they brought TOS missiles, so we had to regroup in another location. The wounded soldiers were helping us reload the weapons. Everyone was helping. No one was disheartened.

At one point we took over the enemy's weapons. I taught boys how to use their AGS. They became experts by the time the war ended. //

Rurik's unit was conducting recon from the hills at night, to pass enemy coordinates to fellow units. They were able to defend the [Karmir-Shuka-Taghavard] line.

Rurik Semyonov is an Armenian of Russian descent. Azeris mistook him for a mercenary who moved to Armenia during the war. Semyonov's father Oleg had moved to Armenia 35 years ago as a soldier.

https://youtu.be/LTKI5i7MJSE https://factor.am/447058.html

All Armenia Fund held a board meeting / donation stats

President Sarkissian presided over the session, attended by other members, including Pashinyan. Notably missing was board member Robert Kocharyan, who does not want the board to discuss the audit results because his party in the Parliament wants to do it separately. Kocharyan was accused of weaponizing the charity to gain political points at the cost of the charity's reputation.

President Sarkissian: conversations about distrust sadden me. We expect the results of the relevant studies to shed light on the situation and will serve to build an atmosphere of trust.

The time has come to modernize the fund. We should adopt a new way of thinking, to widely use new technologies, to find new models of organization.

I'd like to thank all donors. I'm happy about the significant amount of money raised during the latest telethon. //

The board will discuss the 2021 results, the nine contracts that transferred ֏52B to the federal budget for Artsakh and post-war aid, and the appointment of an executive director.

Hayk Arshamyan was re-appointed as the executive director for 3 more years.

Hayk Arshamyan: we are happy with this year's donation results. It's more than in 2019. We prepared a video report about how the funds were spent. It was displayed during the telethon.

The number of our programs in Artsakh has increased 10x since 2018. This year's aid is for Armenian border settlements, too. We'll build 100 apartments by the end of the year in Gyumri.

We received $182M in donations between September 27 and December 31 of 2020. More came later. We send electronic spending reports to at least 100,000 donors each month. You can find the data on our website.

There was criticism around our $107M donation to Armenia through the government. There were rumors and lies, claiming the funds were spent on salary premiums. There will be a new report about this soon.

When I went to Himnadram in October 2018, I found that it was not trusted at all by the donors. Over time, we gained the trust. It is wrong to tarnish the reputation now based on media rumors. This is an apolitical structure meant for humanitarian projects. //

2017: $12.5M

2018: $11.1M

2019: $10.2M

2020: $22.9M

2021: $12.3M

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069293.html https://youtu.be/grWxvK_Paao https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/226332

Tags: #Himnadram

Azeri citizen loses leg in a landmine explosion during construction works in Artsakh's occupied Jrakan (Jabrayil) region

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069392.html

ECHR applies interim measures regarding 4 Armenian POWs

The European Court of Human Rights applied interim measures regarding 4 Armenian prisoners of war held by Azerbaijan after the November 16 events, to prioritize their physical inviolability and protection of their lives.

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1069313.html

Russia held a security council meeting to discuss AM-RU-AZ Sochi meeting results

Details about Sochi meeting in Friday post.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069297.html

UN General Secretary about the Sochi meeting:

We welcome the tripartite meeting on November 26. We welcome the resumption of contacts between AM and AZ at the highest level. We believe peace can be achieved with constructive dialogue, including as part of the OSCE Minsk Group. We'd like to thank Russia for supporting the continuation of dialogue. //

https://factor.am/447043.html

leaders of several countries met in Ashghabad for ECO summit (Economic Cooperation Organization)

The ECO members are Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan.

Iran's Raisi met Turkey's Erdogan to discuss regional security issues including ISIS in Afghanistan, and cultural ties between Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Iran.

--

Iran, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan signed a gas swap deal. Turkmenistan will use Iran to transfer 2 billion m^3 gas to Azerbaijan annually. Iran will receive gas from Turkmenistan, and export the same amount of its own gas to Azerbaijan, as part of the "swap". Iran will pay the gas debt it had accumulated from prior purchases from Turkmenistan.

--

The parties signed a statement to conclude the summit. In it, they congratulate Azerbaijan with "restoring territorial integrity" with the hope that it will "pave the way for lasting peace and economic prosperity in the region through good-neighborly relations."

https://factor.am/447097.html https://factor.am/447145.html https://factor.am/447267.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-azerbaijan-turkmenistan-gas-swap/31583984.html

Australian Parliament debated the recognition of the Armenian Genocide

In 2018, Australia organized an international humanitarian relief effort to aid survivors of the genocides of 1915.

Today Australian Federal Parliament’s House of Representatives debated a motion to call for the government to officially recognize the Armenian, Assyrian, and Greek genocides.

Joint Justice Initiative was recently launched by the representatives of the aforementioned communities to lobby for the recognition of the genocides. Over 40 federal parliamentarians have joined it.

The House unanimously approved the motion today, urging the feds to recognize the genocides.

Hay Dat's Kayserian: This unanimous outcome rejects Turkish interference in Australian foreign policy and calls on our country’s Prime Minister and his government to call a genocide a genocide. //

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069361.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069372.html

Turkey news = lira news

Erdogan ordered authorities to investigate possible "currency manipulations". He suspects the lira plummeted because of foreign intervention and some institutes buying too much foreign currency (GYULEN MAYBE?). International experts believe the reason is Erdogan's hijacking of the Central Bank and his unorthodox monetary policies. Meanwhile, the lira continues to lose its power. $1 = ₺12.87

--

Six opposition parties will sign a cooperation deal aimed against Erdogan, to restore the Parliamentary system in Turkey and to limit presidential powers. The president won't be allowed to return to another political job after the term ends.

--

Istanbul was hit by a storm. 4 dead, 38 injured. The roof of an 8-story building was ripped away and landed on a street. Storm videos: https://factor.am/447626.html

https://factor.am/447615.html

WhoScored: Henrikh Mkhitaryan was declared the best player of Roma-Torino match

Heno made a goal pass and helped the team to win. He scored the highest number of points as the overall best player, according to WhoScored soccer stats agency.

Roma is so far the 5th in the Italian league.

https://factor.am/447209.html

number of permanent residents is down by 1.1k from last year, but up by 3.5k from early 2021

As of this [January], there were 2,963,300 permanent residents.

As of this October, there were 2,966,800 permanent residents, down by 1,100 from 2020 October.

Warning: headline doesn't reflect the data: https://factor.am/447354.html

COVID stats

4.2k tested. 0.2k infected. 1.1k healed. 21 deaths. 12.9k active.

Jamnews's global per capita Covid death rate

Georgia 2nd, Armenia 8th, Azerbaijan 39th.

vaccination stats

1,217,391 vaccinations so far

436,380 have received both shots. (only ~22%)

you'll need a vaccine card of PCR test to visit restaurants and cultural venues starting January 1

Ministry: this may cause inconvenience but we believe it's necessary to protect public health. The requirements might expand to HayPost because our seniors visit HayPost to pick up their pension and for other transactions. We believe we must protect their lives by requiring anyone who enters HayPost to submit a vax card or negative PCR. //

Several restaurant owners were interviewed. Some of them were fed up and supported the restrictions, with the hope that it will convince the population to get vaccinated. Others feared that it'll reduce their revenues.

how many vaccinated people have died of Covid?

Ministry: 23. They all had other chronic illnesses or cancer. The average age was 75.

After the 1.2 million vaccinations, there were 79 complaints by recipients. Half of it was related to patients who received the vaccine without realizing they were infected at the time of receiving the shot. //

who can get a booster shot?

Ministry: boosters will be available 6 months after receiving the second jab. The booster is just one jab. We created a chart to provide advice on what vaccine you should receive as a booster.

If you had a non-RNA (conventional) vaccine, we recommend an RNA (Pfizer, Moderna) as a booster. It's important for the elderly, risky groups, and medical workers to receive it first. //

Armenia will restrict travel from several countries after the discovery of Omicron variant

Ministry: the virus continues to mutate and could possibly spread faster. Omicron has 50 mutations. Scientists are still trying to figure out its features.

We will temporarily restrict travel from South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Madagascar, and Tanzania. There will be other restrictions, too.

We have not yet discovered Omicron in Armenia. We're sequencing virus samples to identify the strains. We do this regularly.

Scientific studies will show whether existing vaccines will be effective against Omicron. //

Hourlong interview: https://youtu.be/plHk5J3kxsY https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/226264 https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069362.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069357.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069371.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069373.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069375.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069380.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069384.html

expert: Armenia should double its forest coverage by 2050

Agro-ecologist Samvel Tamoyan: only 11% of Armenia is covered in forests. They do not create preconditions for improving the ecological condition of the landscapes in the republic. It is necessary to double the forests.

The important question is, where should we plant the trees and what materials should we use? If we allocate an area about the size of today's forests, agriculture will suffer seriously. We don't have enough territories.

On the other hand, we must plant more trees. Therefore, planting should be done in the environment of agricultural use (agro-landscape), in areas that are currently unused. These can be abandoned rocky and trash-filled areas. We have many such areas. These should be our future forests.

This year's 10 million tree planting is not enough. We need to plant 4 times as many. It's not financially and ecologically convenient to import the planting materials, so we must produce them locally.

Given the negative impact of climate change on the plant, it is necessary to start growing seedlings where planting will take place. The Nature Ministry responded positively to these proposals. //

The ministry has planted hundreds of thousands of trees this year. They found that some of them died due to lack of water or the environment being too wet. They substitute the losses by planting more.

As part of forest protection reforms, the Nature Ministry plans to form round-the-clock services in Forest Committees. Mobile units will travel and patrol all day.

Nature Ministry about latest events: the "Tree Instead of Garbage" initiative was held in Nerkin Khndzoresk (Syunik) to clean the garbage and plant 500 trees along the road that leads to the village. Dozens of volunteers came from the village and Yerevan. It was organized by Taron NGO and the Armenian Society of Biologists, with financing from Lithuania. //

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069386.html https://youtu.be/VrJ5-6aKUFc https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1066512.html https://factor.am/447338.html

more ex-orphans will qualify for free housing

The government will amend the rules to expand the list of orphanage graduates who qualify for a free apartment. Those above 18, who spent 7 years in an orphanage, will receive apartment purchase vouchers.

Prior to this, the law was amended in 2020 to allow hundreds of homeless orphanage graduates to receive apartments.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069353.html https://www.azatutyun.am/a/30757054.html

Armenian science and technology potential attracts US funding agencies

Originally reported on November 8. This is an update.

Foundation for Armenian Science and Technology invited the US Office of Naval Research Global (ONRG) and the US Army Development Command (DEVCOM) to Armenia. The goal was to explore the breadth of scientific research in Armenia.

They visited various scientific and education centers, including YSU, Byurakan, PicsArt, etc.

Discussions were held with rectors, scientists, and representatives of the tech/startup community, to learn about the ongoing projects and achievements of local scientists.

ONRG and DEVCOM can leverage three mechanisms of funding:

1) Travel grants for Armenian researchers to visit the US for knowledge exchange and collab.

2) Support local workshops that bring together international scientific communities for exchange.

3) Provide basic research grants with up to 3yr duration, that explore fundamental issues and challenge conventional thinking in science and tech. //

https://youtu.be/4MDpA0gl7x8 https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1069298.html

Armenian students win gold and silver medals in the International Olympiad in Astronomy and Astrophysics

Education Ministry: Organized by Colombia, participated by 49 countries. Our team had five participants. Artashes Gyoletsyan won gold. Davit Gyulamiryan won silver. //

https://factor.am/447326.html

geeks gather to Capture the Flag

InfoSec contest took place in Microsoft Innovation Center, organized by UCOM ISP and Enterprise Incubator Foundation.

White Hat hackers from well-known IT firms Picsart, Krisp, Synergy, etc. took part in the contest to find and exploit software vulnerabilities and investigate malware. (CAN SOMEONE GIVE A HAND TO OUR BOY VANETSYAN?)

Krisp team won the competition with the most flags, followed by Uxtankyun and LifeTrace teams.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069395.html

VIDEO: the newly purchased buses and electronic payment terminals will soon enter service in Yerevan

211 buses with 8.5-meter length were purchased by Yerevan, with hundreds of longer ones by feds. The aforementioned 211 units will gradually enter service this week.

Marutyan presented the features: Euro-5 standards with CNG engines, meaning buses operate on eco-friendly "green" natural gas which also provides savings.

All buses have low floors, ramps, and special seats for the disabled. The passenger in a wheelchair presses a button to alert the driver to lower the ramp.

The driver's cabin is separated. The driver will have a uniform.

22 people can sit, 38 can stand.

Medkit near the entrance and window-smashing hammers next to each window in the event of an emergency.

Every seat has USB ports.

Buses have messages in Armenian, English, and Russian.

Heating, cooling, and ventilation.

The entrance is from the front door only. Exit is from the back door.

You can pay by dropping a 100-dram coin and proceed after the green light.

You can also pay electronically. The new terminal accepts a bank and other transit cards that will be distributed soon. You can also use the smartphone NFC. Another option is buying a one-time ticket and scanning its QR code at the terminal. All buses and metro stations will soon be equipped with these terminals.

All buses come with 6 cameras to prevent crime and ticket machinations. //

https://youtu.be/q8h-9n9DfFo https://factor.am/446873.html

Tags: #YerevanBus

Economy Minister visited Belarusian transport factory BelKommunMash

Minister Kerobyan learned about its trolleybuses, electric buses, and hybrids. There are electric buses that take express charging for 7 minutes before entering the route.

Kerobyan said Yerevan Mayor will soon visit Belarus to hold discussions as part of ongoing efforts to modernize Armenia's bus fleet.

https://factor.am/446996.html

PHOTO: new power plant opens in Yerevan / could it satisfy quarter of Armenia's electricity needs?

Pashinyan and Marutyan attended the opening ceremony of a new gas cycle power plant with a 254MW power, built by the Italian Renco company.

€280 million in private funds were invested and 1,200 workers were involved. 50 permanent jobs so far. The groundbreaking ceremony of the plant took place in July 2019.

The plant aims to supply cheap electricity to the energy network of Armenia.

Renco's Jiovanni: this will allow us to produce very cheap electricity, at ֏29/kWh. Considering that Armenia's consumption is 1,000MW, we'll be able to provide 20-25% of it.

Although alternative energy sources are important, they cannot always satisfy basic needs. Our plant has almost zero impact on the environment. //

SACE Italian Export Credit Agency: this is the first investment project but we can say for sure that the success of this program is a great precondition for other Italian companies to consider similar investments in Armenia. Armenia is a very important country located at the crossroads of economic systems. It is of great interest. //

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069376.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1069388.html

Masdar solar giant will build the second large solar farm in Armenia

UAE-based Masdar signed an agreement with the government on Friday to finalize the contract and finish building a 200MW solar farm "Ayg-1", which will sell electricity to Armenia for low prices. 15% of the $174M project belongs to the state (ANIF fund).

Today Masdar met ANIF's leadership Tigran Avinyan and Davit Papazyan to discuss the possible construction of Ayg-2, the second solar farm with 201MW capacity. This one will have batteries to store electricity.

https://factor.am/447010.html

end of report

The accused are innocent unless proven guilty in the court of law, even if they "appear" guilty.

News archive: http://www.armeniapedia.org/wiki/Daily_Anti-Corruption_Reports

Donations: soldiers' families, humanitarian aid, US tax-deductible donation.

---

Link to original report and comments: https://www.reddit.com/r/armenia/comments/r55rwm/news_nov292021_rurik_semyonov_new_cheap_power/