Category: News

Multinational content delivery network (CDN) provider Cloudflare has announced that it plans to launch a series of new data centres across five continents, beginning with a facility in Yerevan, Armenia.

The new centre will be Cloudflare’s 103rd data centre globally. The company hopes that the new deployment will allow for greater speed, agility and security for approximately 6 million internet platforms, serving traffic to Armenia and neighbouring countries.

“Yerevan, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, has a rich history going back all the way to 782 BC. Famous for its cognac, lavash flatbread, and beautiful medieval churches, Armenia is also home to more chess grandmasters per capita than most countries,” Cloudflare said in a statement.

 

Today, President Serzh Sargsyan was present at the groundbreaking ceremony for Yerevan’s new Thermal Power Plant (TPP) in Erebuni administrative community, in the vicinity of Yerevan’s Thermal Power Plan. Present at the ceremony were the Vice Prime Minister, Minister for Economic Integration and Reforms Vache Gabrielian, Minister for Energy Infrastructure and Natural Resources Ashot Manukian, Director General of Renco Company, President of Armpower Company Jovanni Rubini, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Italy to RA Giovanni Ricciulli, other high-level officials.

According to the responsible officials and experts of Renco company, the Yerevan TPP, which is working on combined thermo- and gas cycle, has been designed with the implementation of the most advanced and high-quality equipment and scientific experience, which guarantees high efficiency of the station and its safety. Participants of the event assessed the construction of the station as an important step in providing energy security and prosperity for the residents of Yerevan in coming decades.

In the framework of the groundbreaking ceremony, Minister Ashot Manukyan and Director General of Renco Company Jovanni Rubini signed a joint memorandum which was put in a case and placed in the ground of the future TPS.

The construction plan for the TPP envisages the design of a power station working on gas, which can produce nearly 250 megawatts of power and has up to 53% general coefficient of efficiency, as well as plans for its development, financing, construction, operation, and technical maintenance. According to the responsible officials, the investments will be close to 285 million USD.

Construction works will last for 26 months and will be completed in the second half of 2019. During the construction alone created will be 900 temporary jobs, and after it becomes operational, 200 permanent jobs with high wages will be created. The Thermal Power Plan and its technical maintenance is designed for 20 years.

The responsible officials noted that the construction works for the third line of the double-lane Armenia-Iran 400kw and Armenia-Georgia 400kw new high voltage energy lines will be concluded in 2019, and considering the fact the construction of this new TPS will also be concluded in 2019, all this can provide the opportunity for Armenia to ensure a secure and dependable supply of electric energy to the neighboring countries, becoming a major player at the energy market of the region.

March 20 is celebrated as International Day of Happiness.

What is the International Day of Happiness? It’s a day to be happy, of course! Since 2013, the United Nations has celebrated the International Day of Happiness as a way to recognise the importance of happiness in the lives of people around the world.

In 2015 the UN launched 17 Sustainable Development Goals that seek to end poverty, reduce inequality, and protect our planet – three key aspects that lead to well-being and happiness.

Photo: AFP

 

Prime Minister Theresa May is to officially notify the European Union next Wednesday that the UK is leaving, the BBC reports.

Downing Street said she would write a letter to the EU’s 27 other members, adding that it expected negotiations to then begin as quickly as possible.

The move comes nine months after people voted 51.9% to 48.1% in a referendum.

Talks on the terms of the departure and future relations are not allowed under the Article 50 process until the UK formally tells the EU it is leaving.

If all goes according to the two year negotiations set out in the official timetable, Brexit should happen in March 2019.

The situation was relatively calm at the line of contact between the armed forces of Artsakh and Azerbaijan last night, Artsakh Defense Ministry reports.

The rival used firearms of different calibers as it violated the ceasefire more than 25 times, firing over 140 shots in the direction of the Armenian positions.

The front divisions of the NKR Defense Army keep the situation under control and confidently continue with the protection of the military positions.

About 30 bloggers from 11 countries came together in Artsakh for a forum initiated by “Artsakhakertum” NGO and the Atsakh Union of Journalists, Artsakhpress reports.

Attending the event were Anton Nossik (Russia), Anton Merkurov (Russia), Aleksandr Alimov (Latvia), Tarik Hafed (Algeria), Romain Mielcarek (France), Gilad Halpern (Israel), Aleksandr Hoishyk (Belarus), Irina Kovalchuk (Ukraine), Luciano Tirinnanzi (Italy), Petruška Šustrová (Czech Republic).

The forum focused on presenting conflicts on social media and ensuring freedom for bloggers and journalists.

The forum was chaired by co-president of “Artsakhakertum” NGO Artak Beglaryan and media expert Samvel Martirosyan.

Hrachya Arzumanyan, Director of the Ashkharh Center for Strategic Research, presented the reasons behind the Karabakh conflict.

“The Azerbaijani society needs to be cured from the illness called “Aliyev clan” with the help of the international court, which will condemn the upbringing that teaches generations to cut the heads and ears of Armenian women and children,” Arzumanyan said. He reminded that more than 100 Armenian soldiers were killed as a result of large-scale military actions waged by Azerbaijan in April 2016.

According to the expert, “they died because superpowers decided to play with the region.”

He believes that “under the conditions when the superpowers are unwilling to address the issue, bloggers can well  affect the situation.”

Artsakh’s Deputy Minister of Economy Sergey Shahverdyan presented the state of tourism in the country. He said about 15 thousand tourists from Russia, the US, Iran and European countries visit Artsakh annually.

“Tourism is a tool of intercultural dialogue, that’s why people must have freedom of movement,” he said.

He said teh Stepanakert airport doesn’t work because of Azerbaijan’s aggressive behavior and the apathy of international organizations.

Reuters – Billionaire philanthropist David Rockefeller, former head of Chase Manhattan Corp and patriarch of one of the most famous and influential American families, died on Monday, a family spokesman said. He was 101.

Rockefeller, who reportedly gave away nearly $2 billion in his lifetime, died in his sleep of congestive heart failure at his home in Pocantico Hills, New York, spokesman Fraser Seitel said in a statement.

One of the few remaining links to the U.S. “gilded” era of robber barons, he was the son of John D. Rockefeller Jr., who developed New York’s Rockefeller Center, and was the last living grandson of oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, founder of Standard Oil and the family dynasty. He also embodied an era when globe-trotting bank chiefs worked with the world’s most powerful politicians.

President Serzh Sargsyan sent a congratulatory letter to the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Hassan Rouhani and the Supreme Leader Sayyid Ali Khamenei on the wonderful holiday of spring awakening Nowruz.

The President of Armenia wished that the new year 1396 (according to solar calendar) becomes a year of further development, new success, and achievements.

President Sargsyan noted that in the past twenty-five years, the Armenian-Iranian friendly relations have been on the rise, encompassing a large pallet ranging from the high-level political dialogue to a close trade and economic cooperation, from human contacts to the scientific, educational, and cultural ties.

President Sargsyan expressed confidence that based on that solid foundation, the strong Armenian-Iranian interstate relations will expand and deepen for the benefit of a peaceful and prosperous future.

Serzh Sargsyan wished the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution great health, bliss, and activities full of success. He also wished the friendly people of Iran long-lasting peace and prosperity.

A plane with 44 passengers on board has crashed and burst into flames in South Sudan,  reports.

According to the soiurce, survivors were pulled from the burning wreckage after the passenger plane belonging to South Supreme Airlines crashed at Wau Airport on Monday afternoon.

Photos taken by people at the airport showed the scorched wreckage of the plane in pieces as it was surrounded by emergency services, airport personnel and UN peacekeepers.

Smoke filled the air as firefighters arrived at the scene of the air disaster and poured water on the plane’s smouldering remains.

South Supreme Airlines began operating in September 2013, with a handful of flights every week between South Sudan and neighbouring Uganda.

Armenia is placed 121st among 155 countries in the World Happiness Report 2017 published by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

Norway has jumped from 4th place in 2016 to 1st place this year, followed by Denmark, Iceland and Switzerland in a tightly packed bunch. All of the top four countries rank highly on all the main factors found to support happiness: caring, freedom, generosity, honesty, health, income and good governance.

Other countries in the region are placed as follows: Georgia – 125th, Turkey – 69th, Azerbaijan 85th, Iran – 108th.

Armenia’s partners in the Eurasian Economic Union Russia and Kazakhstan are ranked 49th and 60th respectively, Belarus is 67th, Kyrgyzstan is 98th.

The World Happiness Report was released to coincide with the United Nation’s International Day of Happiness on 20 March.