2022 January 11

Daily news wrap-up

News - Jan/11/2022: Everyone files taxes, everyone gets insurance? __ Minimum wage __ Cancer study __ Meghri customs modernization __ Passport index __ Sevan fish population grows __ Project Gagarin to build new community __ Kazakh facilities guarded by Armenians __ Ceasefire violation in the east
by ar_david_hh

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This is your 12-minute Tuesday briefing in 2930 words.

Azerbaijan violated ceasefire in Verin Shorzha direction

MOD: at 3:15 pm Azeri troops opened fire towards Armenian positions in Gegharkunik's Verin Shorzha. One soldier was wounded. The Armenian side returned fire.

It escalated again after 5:30 pm. Azeri troops used artillery and drones.

As of 9:00 pm, the Armenian side lost two soldiers and two others were wounded. The situation is relatively stable now. //

Azeri media reported the death of one of its soldiers.

Armenia urged Azerbaijan to follow through with the agreements reached in Sochi and Brussels

Foreign Ministry: we strongly condemn the use of artillery and drones on the eastern border. The provocation is another manifestation of the continuous attempts to encroach on the territorial integrity of Armenia. The international community should know that this attack was a violation of international law.

One of the options to deescalate the tension would be a mirrored withdrawal from this area, and the use of international monitoring mechanisms along the border. We urge Azerbaijani authorities to refrain from provocative actions and to fulfill the commitments reached in Sochi and Brussels to establish stability in the region. //

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072689.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072704.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072715.html https://factor.am/462312.html https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/229064

Tokayev: the withdrawal of CSTO peacekeepers from Kazakhstan will begin in 2 days and will last up to 10 days

The critical phase of "counter-terror" operations by Kazakh forces is over. "The situation is calm in all regions". The EU is satisfied that the peacekeepers will be withdrawn so quickly.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072636.html https://factor.am/462140.html

what were Armenian peacekeepers guarding in Kazakhstan?

The "Friendship" water canal and Almaty's municipal bread & pastry factory, one of the biggest in the country with over 1,000 employees.

https://factor.am/462185.html https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/13394665 https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/229067

3 Armenian citizens asked the embassy for help to leave Kazakhstan

They weren't permanent residents in Armenia so they will likely relocate to another country. "There are no plans to evacuate on a larger scale."

https://www.panarmenian.net/arm/news/297794/

Russian peacekeepers in Artsakh will have a new commander

The leadership rotates every 6 months. Rustam Muradov --> Mikhail Kosobokov --> Gennady Anashkin --> Andrei Volkov (soon)

www.civilnet.am/news/645974/արցախում-ռուսական-խաղաղապահ-զորախումբի-նոր-հրամանատար-կնշանակվի/

six more universities will implement the "Engaged Citizen" interactive courses

The Engaged Citizen university course is a new civic education activity funded by the United States.

>The course is comprised of five chapters: the philosophical foundations of democracy, human rights in Armenia, constitutionalism and liberal democracy in Armenia, civil society in Armenia and citizen engagement.

The goal is to have active and informed youth that will engage in democratic processes and advocate for modern and democratic Armenia.

Education Ministry official: the courses launched in 2021 in five universities. It will expand to six more this year. It is difficult to overestimate the role of civic education for a country on the path to democratic development. This is important for the continuous development of our institutions. //

More: https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/229036 https://www.ifes.org/multimedia/engaged-citizen-new-interactive-course-armenian-university-students

Emergency Ministry doubled the number of functional emergency sirens across the country in 2021

Ministry about 2021: Exercises were held to respond in the event of an earthquake. Children were trained in schools.

For the first time, during exercises, drones and robots were used to detect and rescue people.

www.1lurer.am/hy/2022/01/11/Ուսումնավարժանքի-ընթացքում-հետախուզական-և-որոնողափրկարարական-աշխատանքներում-առաջին-անգամ-օգտագործվե/640800

Armenia climbs 6 notches in Passport Index 2022

Armenia is 78th in the world when it comes to the number of destinations the holders can access without a visa.

The improvement of Armenia's position is mainly due to changes in the positions of other countries. (sad face emoji)

Armenia recently concluded an agreement on visa-free travel with Oman.

How many countries can you travel to without a visa if you are from:

Singapore & Japan: 192

Armenia: 65

Georgia: 115

Afghanistan: 26 (?)

https://arka.am/en/news/tourism/armenia_climbs_6_notches_in_passport_index_2022/

whitefish (sig) reserves have increased in Lake Sevan

... revealed the National Academy of Sciences today. They conduct studies annually.

NAS chief: the unprecedented measures to prevent illegal fishing in Sevan played an important role, and they are expected to give positive results. //

The Nature Ministry recently increased the oversight on lakeshores and established tightly controlled fishing quotas. Catching baby fish is illegal. Tons of baby fish were dumped into the lake to artificially increase the population. *(immigrant fish smh)*

https://www.panarmenian.net/arm/news/297789/

750,000 people made donations to All Armenia Fund during the wartime fundraiser

Himnadram director Arshamyan: Approximately 750k donors took part. Payments from 500k donors were made directly to the various accounts owned by the Fund. We have accounts in Central Bank and private banks. A significant portion of 500k was from diasporans.

Many donors sent small payments through SMS donations. We don't have their names or other info. //

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072683.html

former soldiers in a rehabilitation center will take online "Recoursio Academy" classes

From parenting skills to programming. The choice is theirs. The Soldier's House signed a contract with Recoursio to provide courses for recovering soldiers and its employees.

Those with professional skills cn become tutors on the platform.

https://factor.am/462164.html

update: attacks against Syrian migrants continue in Istanbul

Read yesterday's report for context. Turkish nationalist groups had attacked properties owned by Syrian migrants in Istanbul after ethnic clashes. Several suspects were arrested.

Last night, in another district of Istanbul, masked assailants attacked the migrants' houses. They broke into one house and killed a sleeping 19yo Syrian Nail Alnaif. Five suspects have been detained.

https://www.duvarenglish.com/syrian-refugee-killed-by-armed-masked-group-in-istanbul-news-60114 https://factor.am/462283.html

VIDEO: Sibil and a Turkish singer performed an Armenian song on Turkish TV

Istanbul-based Armenian singer Sibil Pektorosoglu (Torosyan) was a guest of a show where she teamed up with Turkish singer Yasmin Gyoksu to perform the Armenian-language song "Bingyol". She then performed a song "Namak" based on Shiraz lyrics.

Sibil was born in Istanbul. Her career began in the St. Vardanants choir. Her "Namak" performance was produced by a famous Turkish producer and broadcasted on state television.

https://www.facebook.com/armenpress/videos/669282850750821 https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072637.html

cancer & healthcare study was conducted in Armenia | obesity & healthcare

The results were published in Swiss magazine Frontiers of Oncology.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Armenia. Mortality has increased over the past 20 years. Armenia has been among the top-5 countries with the highest mortality in the region of Western Asia.

The detection and treatment are improving, but the risks are still high and smoking is still widespread.

Early detection rates are low and several important screening programs are absent. Diagnosis and treatment methods are not standardized; there is a lack of treatment accessibility due to insufficient government coverage and limited availability of essential medicines.

At the time of conducting the study, the budget's healthcare expenditures were 1.24% of GDP, compared to 4% for upper-middle-income countries.

Due to lack of voluntary health insurance coverage, out-of-pocket health expenditure accounts for 84% of the health expenditure, well above the WHO's recommended 20%.

According to Healthcare Ministry, the crude cancer rate in 2019 was 266.9 per 100,000.

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Women: breast, colorectal, cervical

Men: lung, bladder, colorectal

An unhealthy diet and physical inactivity are among the main risk factors for cancer. Per 2016 study:

• 20% are obese (14% men, 25% women)*

• 48% are overweight.*

It's very close to the European average but much higher than the world average.

https://arka.am/en/news/society/frontiers_of_oncology_publishes_study_of_armenian_researchers_on_cancer_control_/ https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2021.782581/full

update: government wants to introduce universal mandatory income tax filing in addition to the "universal healthcare"

As you know from previous reports, the government wants a comprehensive healthcare system in Armenia that will provide insurance to "all groups", likely in exchange for a paycheck tax. Read a Redditor's explanation here.

Pashinyan: the issue of implementing universal mandatory income filing is part of our 5-year plan. This is a very important system. Yesterday we discussed the planned healthcare system. We believe a new universal income filing is important to have an efficient and fair health insurance system. //

They discussed the formation and use of digital platforms to make the new systems efficient.

2020 article:

>The Armenian government is planning to launch a universal income filing system, requiring citizens to periodically submit income disclosures to tax authorities.

>The government has yet to provide specifics regarding the system, which will be a major change in the way citizens calculate and pay their income taxes.

>Currently, taxes are automatically withdrawn from people’s wages and there is no income filing on a yearly or quarterly basis.

More: https://hetq.am/en/article/118626 https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072691.html

Armenia and UK launch a program to improve customs processes in Armenia

IRS chief, World Bank rep., and UK ambassador met on Tuesday to sign an agreement to launch a UK-funded program that will support the IRS's IT system, improve its efficiency, conduct surveys to understand what the weak points are, and retrain the IRS agents.

The main goal of the 6-month program is to automate customs processes and exchange of information, review the customs processes on the border, etc.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072699.html

Meghri border checkpoint will be modernized and reconstructed

In 2018 Pashinyan administration rejected an "expensive" loan to rebuild the Meghri checkpoint. In 2020 they signed a loan agreement with European EBRD bank. They agreed to a €10.7M loan plus a €10.5M grant from the EU.

The government recently announced an international auction to choose the firm that will handle it. The EBRD has given a green light to the process. Separate auctions will select the supervising engineers and consultants.

According to preliminary estimates, the total area of the checkpoint will be 8.7 hectares. A 2-story building will be built on 4,000 m^2, and 1,500 m^2 will be allocated for a solar power plant.

https://ecepp.ebrd.com/delta/viewNotice.html?displayNoticeId=17857081 https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072655.html https://arka.am/en/news/business/armenia_to_use_ebrd_funds_to_modernize_meghri_border_checkpoint/ https://arka.am/en/news/business/armenia_looks_for_cheap_loan_to_reconstruct_meghri_border_checkpoint/

proposal: raise the minimum wage from $140/mo to $200/mo starting this July

Kocharyan-ARF alliance drafted a bill to raise the minimum wage from ֏68,000 to ֏100,000 starting July 2022.

They believe the higher minimum is necessary due to socio-economic reasons and significantly higher food prices. The author did not calculate the impact on the budget, saying precise calculations will be possible at a later date, but they believe the additional burden will be minimal because "it will return to the budget through taxes and mandatory payments".

In comparison, the Pashinyan administration wants to raise the minimum wage from ֏68,000 to ֏85,000, but at a much slower pace, gradually until 2026.

• It was raised from ֏55,000 to ֏68,000 in 2019.*

https://hetq.am/hy/article/139790 https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072667.html https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1067392.html

proposal: textbooks will become free for all 1-4 grade students

Ruling party MP drafted a bill to subsidize textbooks for 1-4 grade students who study in private schools. They are currently free for public school students only.

QP MP: The law prohibited the sale of books to the >40 private schools that exist in Armenia. At the same time, a contradicting law required these private schools to use the same textbooks and curriculum in classes *[VERY SMART]*. That meant schools had to scramble to find the textbooks from elsewhere.

There are over 4,000 elementary students in private schools. They, too, should qualify for the subsidy. //

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072675.html

Parliamentary Defense Committee will change the rules on how deputy chiefs are appointed

After 14 unsuccessful confirmation attempts, the Kocharyan-ARF alliance doesn't want to change its candidate. The ruling party accused them of creating a deadlock and hindering the committee's work.

Today the committee's majority approved an amendment to the nomination process. If the candidate is not elected, the party has to nominate another candidate within five days.

https://factor.am/461943.html

PHOTO: Gagarin Project wants to build a "new community" near Lake Sevan

• DAR Territorial Development and Competitiveness Foundation* is working on a project that will improve the quality of life in rural communities and boost tourism.

Six settlements in the northwest of Lake Sevan *(including one named "Gagarin")* will become a tourist attraction center in a few years. 11,000 residents currently live there. Modern infrastructure will be built for another 24,000 people.

MVRDV urbanism & architect rep. Winy Maas: energy, agriculture, cultural, and tourism infrastructure will be built with modern standards. Special attention will be paid to ecology and water resources. [there will be gardens and stuff]

The Hrazdan River basin will be "restored" in the area. Nearby reservoirs and other water sources will be used for irrigation.

This will be a self-sufficient, closed ecosystem. //

https://hetq.am/hy/article/139922 https://mineconomy.am/en/news/2274 https://youtu.be/1-ASi6bEXvo www.1lurer.am/hy/2022/01/11/«Գագարին»-նոր-ներդրումային-նախագիծ-Գեղարքունիքի-մարզում

֏30 million illegal logging discovered in Dsegh village

Prosecutors: officials at ArmForest's Tumanyan branch abused their power. The chief foresters and forest engineer did not conduct the necessary checks, which led to the illegal logging of 344 trees, amounting to ֏30 million in monetary damages.

The case has reached the court. The suspects' assets were frozen and will be used to compensate for the damage. //

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072648.html

COVID stats

5.9k tested. 243 infected. 132 healed. 2 deaths.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072641.html

over 8,000 Armenians have died of Covid

346,224 were tested positive after 2,614,055 tests.

https://arka.am/en/news/society/armenia_s_death_toll_from_covid_19_reaches_8_006/

U.S. CDC downgrades the travel warning for those visiting Armenia

It went from Level 4 (very high) to Level 3 (High). "Make sure you are fully vaccinated before traveling to Armenia. Unvaccinated travelers should avoid nonessential travel to Armenia."

US State Department's travel advisory is also "Level 3: Reconsider Travel due to COVID. Some areas have increased risk."

https://www.panarmenian.net/arm/news/297788/ https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/armenia https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/armenia-travel-advisory.html

ministers got boosted publicly

Economy's Kerobyan and Healthcare's Avanesyan took their third shots on Tuesday and recommended it to residents whose second shot was administered over 6 months ago.

Avanesyan: there are countries that wait only 4 months after the booster. It's not dangerous. The 3rd dose is still voluntary but we don't know how the pandemic will evolve tomorrow. If the information suggests that requiring boosters could save lives, we will implement the requirement.

Kerobyan: my first two shots were AstraZeneca, but since we now have Armenian-made *Sputnik Lite*, I decided to try that.

==Armenia is negotiating intellectual property & trademark rights with Russia to begin exporting Armenian-made Sputnik Lite vaccine

...announced minister Kerobyan today. I can't say when exactly, but we will have contracts with colleagues in multiple countries to export the vaccine, said the minister.

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072644.html

Singapore breaks down Covid deaths by the vaccine manufacturer

Singapore, with a 5.6 million population, had only 802 deaths last year. I had to double-check that.

This is the death rate per 100,000 people for each vaccine:

Not fully vaxed: 79

Sinovac: 11

Sinopharm: 7.8

Pfizer: 6.2

Moderna: 1

It's important to note that the sample size was small and did not account for factors like age and timing of vaccine doses, but the findings do raise a concern about the efficacy of Sinovac and Sinopharm compared to other ones.

Either vaccine is significantly better than no vaccine, however.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-10/singapore-lists-death-rate-divergence-on-covid-vaccine-type https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/singapore/

what was the annual inflation as of December 2021?

Total 7.7%

Non-food 8%

Fuel 43%

Food 13% (contributed by vegetables 40% and fruits 2%)

Sugar 20%

Bread 9%

Pasta 9.5%

Flour 10%

Rice 13%

Cereals 24%

Dairy, cheese, egg 11%

Meat 7.5%

Fish & seafood 31%

Fats & oils 15%

Margarine 21%

Other vegetable oils 12%

• It was mostly due to global supply shortages & import price hikes.*

www.civilnet.am/news/645960/հայաստանում-12-ամսյա-գնաճը-կազմել-է-77/

IRL mods 🍿🥤

• Language Committee is a state agency that keeps tabs on foreign language words used in public places, to promote the use of Armenian words. They recently forced the new Police Patrol to change the text on the new police vehicles.*

Today the Committee complained about foreign words used by the service industry.

Chief: we expect that the signs should be in the native language first, then in a foreign one. Yes, we have many tourists, but we live here and we have an official language here. Why should a sign be only in English?

72 lawsuits were filed last year. We won 8, lost 19, dropped 2, pending 43.

Courts are overloaded. In one instance, an appeals trial is scheduled for 2023. Businesses should voluntarily comply. Don't wait for the inspectors. //

https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1072664.html

famous Armenian-Spanish violinist Ara Malikian was invited to the Armenian embassy in Spain

They spoke about the possibility of holding joint cultural events in Spain to make Armenian culture more recognizable. The ambassador thanked Malikian for his pro-Armenian activities far from his homeland.

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/229065

two events will start tomorrow

Armenia's chess championship and the European figure skating championship in Estonia.

Armenia will have a representative in single skating *(Slavik Hayrapetyan)* and a couple for ice dance *(Tina Garabedian / Simon Proulx-Sénécal).*

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_European_Figure_Skating_Championships https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/229006

PHOTO: Armenia's chief meteorologist Surenyan shared a photo of a cloud taken above Chambarak settlement

https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/229021

VIDEO: wanna see how a star dies?

Scientists observed a giant star for several months and, for the first time ever, captured its death. They created an animation to detail the process.

https://youtu.be/d56cuhBBvQ8 https://scitechdaily.com/astronomers-witness-a-massive-dying-star-reach-its-explosive-end/ https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ac3f3a

James Webb telescope is fully deployed, but...

Geeks recently sent a new and powerful $10 billion telescope to study galaxies far far away. Its components had to be deployed in the space. This complicated process hs successfully completed.

Another half a year is needed to reach the final destination and cool off before it can transmit the much-anticipated data.

Because the geeks did a good job during the flight, the telescope has more fuel than planned, so it will last over 10 years instead of the planned 5-10.

Space junk will eventually strike the telescope, though, and that's "part of the plan". It will likely survive impact with small debris, but a big one would put it out of service for good. Unlike with the Hubble telescope, you cannot send humans to repair Webb.

The good news is Webb will fly in areas with relatively less space junk. Hubble, in comparison, is close to the Earth's junkyard.

https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-space-debris-james-webb-space-telescope https://www.theverge.com/2021/12/29/22858406/nasa-james-webb-space-telescope-mission

more

The news in русский (by Impossible-Ad-).

News archive: http://www.armeniapedia.org/wiki/Daily_Anti-Corruption_Reports Donations: soldiers' families, humanitarian aid, US tax-deductible donation.

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

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Link to original report and comments: https://www.reddit.com/r/armenia/comments/s1pjk0/news_jan112022_everyone_files_taxes_everyone_gets/