Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is also participating in the country-wide cleanup session with his family
One month ago, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced a “revolutionary scale” cleanup day scheduled for 23 March. Several days ago during a press conference, he again called on all residents of the country to come out and help clean up the country, remove trash, and deal with other small-scale environmental issues.
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He and his family are participating in the cleanup in Yerevan. However, he has not informed journalists of his whereabouts around the city in order for him to focus on the work and not waste time giving interviews.
Some government members and MPs are also participating in the cleanup, as are residents of the country.
Starting earlier this morning, residents of many communities across the country have been cleaning up their yards and surrounding areas.
The cleanup day was initiated by the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Development, and garbage collection is being carried out as part of the Clean Armenia programme.
Historic and cultural monuments, parks, inter-communal roads and areas adjacent to settlements are also being cleared of garbage.
On some streets of the capital, cleaning is noisy and fun. It is accompanied by, among other things, the songs of children.
Armenia on Saturday will be hosted by Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Group J starter of their UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying round group phase.
Bookmaker companies consider the host nation the favorites in this clash; on the average, they give a bet of 1.40 for a Bosnia and Herzegovina win, whereas the bet for Armenia winning this game is 9, and that for a draw is 4.70.
Saturday’s Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Armenia clash in Sarajevo is slated for kickoff at 11:45pm Armenia time.
And three days later, Armenia will play host to Finland, in capital city Yerevan, in their next Euro 2020 Group J match.
Italy, Greece, and Liechtenstein are also in this group.
Today, Armenian national football team will begin the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying campaign with a test away against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Our national team arrived in Sarajevo on Thursday.
National team captain and Arsenal midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan took to Twitter sending a message to the national team fans. “We’re all set for our tie. What about you, getting ready to cheer for us?” Mkhitaryan tweeted.
To note, Group J consists of six teams: Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, Greece, Italy and Liechtenstein, where they will play against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format.
The top two teams will qualify directly for the finals. Unlike previous editions, the participants of the play-offs will not be decided based on results from the qualifying group stage, but instead based on their performance in the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League.
The foundation pays compensation to the families of the dead and injured soldiers through monthly deductions from the salaries of all residents of Armenia
The Armenian Insurance Foundation for Servicemen is expanding its reach: starting from 1 April this year, families of military personnel who died or received disability compensation from 2008 to 2014 will receive monthly payments.
Previously, the fund only compensated families of military personnel who died or were injured between 2015 to 2016.
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As a result of the decision, the number of people receiving aid from the foundation will dramatically rise.
Starting next year, the scope will expand even further, and compensation will be given for even older cases.
The executive director of the fund, Varyuzhan Avetikyan, noted that currently the amount collected by the fund exceeded 14 billion drams ($28 million), and the total amount of payments during the period of the fund’s operation has already reached 941 million drams ($1.9 million).
The Insurance Foundation for Servicemen was launched in 2017.
The idea was proposed by former Minister of Defence Vigen Sargsyan. The creation of the fund was timed with the 25th anniversary of the Armenian army. Its purpose is to provide compensation to the families of dead and wounded soldiers.
The law On Compensation of Damage to the Life or Health of Military Personnel During the Defence of the Republic of Armenia came into force on 9 January 2017, with 1,000 AMD (about two dollars) deducted monthly from the salaries of all residents of Armenia.
The fund is also replenished through larger, private donations.
As a result, the families of victims, as well as soldiers of the first group with disabilities, are paid in total about ten million drams (about 21 thousand dollars) and five million drams (a little more than 10 thousand dollars) to the disabled of the second group.
At one point, the creation of the foundation caused an ambiguous reaction in society.
Residents of Armenia have always been very warm towards young people defending the borders of Armenia. In society there has always been a willingness to help the army. The problem of negative attitudes was that the people of the country did not trust the former government nor its promises about the transparency of the use of the collected funds.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced in 2018, while meeting with the mothers of dead soldiers, that more people would be helped by the Insurance Foundation for Servicemen.
At the time, Pashinyan said that in the coming years, taking into account the capabilities of the foundation, the period for assistance would increase.
“The problem is not only in the distribution of benefits, but also in the ability to pay this money on time. We cannot promise, and then fail to keep our promises – and thereby offend people,” said the prime minister.
Half a year later, on 22 March, Nikol Pashinyan wrote on his Facebook page:
“Starting from 1 April 2019, the 1,000 dram fund will begin to pay compensation to soldiers who received disabilities in the 1st and 2nd groups, and to the families of soldiers who died during combat duty from January 2008 inclusive. This is an extremely important decision and consolation for all of us.”
· 20 hours ago
Gladys Berjiklian has been praised by her colleagues as she became the first female to be elected premier in NSW, delivering the Coalition a third term at a time when polling shows the federal Liberal Party as increasingly unpopular.
The Liberals had only lost one seat during counting on Saturday night, the eastern suburbs electorate of Coogee – however East Hills and Penrith remained too to call.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian is greeted by Prime Minister Scott Morrison as she enters the ballroom of the Sofitel Wentworth for her victory celebrations.CREDIT:JAMES BRICKWOOD
NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet praised his leader’s qualities, saying the Liberals’ success in being re-elected was due to Ms Berejiklian.
“I think what Gladys has been able to successfully do in this election is talking about the other things, the significant infrastructure, that we’re building across the state and the importance of that,” told ABC TV.
“If you look at where the Liberal Party is across the country right now, this appears early on to be a very, very positive result.”
Mr Perrottet said becoming the first woman to be elected as Premier “sent a great message”.
“We were out yesterday and she was asked about what does she think this means … to be the first re-elected or first elected female Premier of New South Wales,” he said.
“I think she was too humble to answer that question, but I think, as a father of four young girls, it sends a great message to women and young girls right across our state,” he said.
“To have [a woman] elected as premier should inspire them to achieve their goals and hopes and dreams and I think that’s fantastic if it comes through from this evening.”
At the grand ballroom of the Sofitel Wentworth in Sydney’s CBD, where the Liberal faithful gathered to celebrate Ms Berejiklian’s win, the mood throughout the night was festive and celebratory.
Just before 10pm, Prime Minister Scott Morrison strolled into the ballroom with his wife and took the stage. He saw the Liberal NSW’s win as a good omen for his upcoming campaign.
“Tonight you’ve seen a government re-elected that’s delivered the lowest unemployment in history, delivered record funding for schools and hospitals, and that’s returned a budget to surplus and kept it in surplus,” he said.
“That’s what Liberal governments do; they deliver strong economy that delivers services that people rely on.
“In two months from now, we will be celebrating another Liberal-National government being returned.”
The Coalition has become the first conservative government, in nearly half a century, to be given a third term in NSW.
https://www.smh.com.au/nsw-election-2019/gladys-berejiklian-praised-as-she-becomes-nsw-s-first-elected-female-premier-20190323-p516xr.html