Category: 2020

 10:21, 24 August, 2020

YEREVAN, AUGUST 24, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Armed Forces army corps and military bases stationed in the south-eastern direction of the country are holding command-staff exercises.

The drill began at 05:00, August 24 in accordance to the 2020 Readiness Plan of the military, and are led by the Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces.

“The purpose of the exercises is to check the combat readiness of the troops and take measures to reduce the timeframes of executing actions, check and perfect the commanding bodies’ abilities in preparing and executing operations, implement tactical-strategic drill scenarios of countering enemy aggression and eliminating enemy strike teams, as well as agree the partnership issues of the army corps and the backup forces designated for this direction,” Defense Ministry spokesperson Shushan Stepanyan said on social media.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 10:40, 24 August, 2020

YEREVAN, AUGUST 24, ARMENPRESS. The next presidential election in Iran will take place on June 18, 2021, interior ministry’s official said, reports TASS.

The election process is scheduled to launch in February-March 2021.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 11:07, 24 August, 2020

YEREVAN, AUGUST 24, ARMENPRESS. 33 new cases of the coronavirus were recorded in the last 24 hours, the Armenian Centers for Disease Control said. Only 380 tests were conducted over the past day. 

The cumulative total number of confirmed cases has reached 42825, with 36049 recoveries (58 in the last 24 hours).

2 patients died from COVID-19 complications, bringing the total death toll to 854. This number doesn’t include the deaths of 256 (1 in the last 24 hours) other people infected with the virus, whose deaths were caused by other pre-existing illnesses, according to authorities.

As of 11:00, August 24 the number of active cases stood at 5666.

Reporting by Lilit Demuryan; Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

 11:50, 24 August, 2020

YEREVAN, AUGUST 24, ARMENPRESS. The United States Government has committed an additional $1.43 million through the U.S. State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to address the impact of COVID-19 in Armenia, the USAID Armenia Mission told Armenpress.

In total, the U.S. Government has committed over $4 million in emergency assistance to Armenia in FY20. The United States is providing life-saving support by coordinating with the Government of Armenia, international humanitarian partners, and other stakeholders to identify priority areas for investment.

$1 million in new USAID assistance will support the agriculture and tourism sectors to recover economically from the pandemic, and adapt its needs to the post-COVID world.

$436,000 in additional State Department funding will provide shelter, food, and access to medical and social services for vulnerable migrants unable to return home due to the pandemic.

In addition to the aforementioned COVID-19 assistance, the United States has invested more than $1.57 billion in total assistance to Armenia over the past 20 years, including nearly $106 million for health.

 12:03, 24 August, 2020

YEREVAN, AUGUST 24, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Church of the Holy Virgin in the Bulgarian city of Silistra marked its 400th anniversary on August 23, the Bulgarian News Agency reports.

It is the oldest Armenian Church in Bulgaria. Repair works at the church years ago led to the discovery of a stone plate with the year of the church’s construction.

The church’s dome is unique with its frescoes which, according to researchers, are a rare feature for Armenian churches. Another untypical feature are the openings in the upper part of the southern and northern sides of the central space inside the building, which serve to improve acoustics.

The walls are covered in religious oil paintings – not in frescos – many of which created by Silistra-based painter Bedig Bedrosyan.

The church is located inside a courtyard of some 1,800 sq m which also has a small house for the priest, a building that used to house the Armenian school and is now a community centre, and a memorial to the victims of the Armenian Genocide designed by Diran Apelyan.