Armenian News - NEWS.am presents a daily digest of Armenia-related top news as of 11.05.2020:

·       Armenia has 79 COVID-19 new cases and 34 recoveries.

The republic has confirmed 3,392 COVID-19 cases with 1,359 recoveries and 46 deaths, the health ministry reported.

1,970 patients with COVID-19 are currently undergoing treatment. In total, 32,561 tests have been carried out.

Regarding the latest case of death, the 69-year-old male patient had pre-existing chronic diseases.

2 cases of death were registered yesterday when the patient had tested positive for COVID-19, but the cause of death was another disease. The total of such death cases is 17.

Artsakh president Bako Sahakyan on Monday signed a decree on prolonging the term of emergency declared in Artsakh on April 12.

The emergency has been extended for 30 days from 10 pm May 12, till 10 pm June 11, inclusive.

Earlier on Sunday, Artsakh reported four new COVID-19 cases.

·       A criminal case has been initiated into soldier Sasun Margaryan sustaining a fatal gunshot wound in Artsakh on Sunday, the press service of the Investigative Committee of Armenia reported.

A criminal case was filed on the charges of negligently causing a soldier to commit suicide.

An investigation is underway.

·       Armenian ex-PM Karen Karapetyan was present at the meeting of the parliament's inquiry committee for examining the circumstances of the military activities of April 2016.

After the meeting, Karapetyan talked to reporters and was asked what he had talked about with Armenian PM Pashinyan on April 22, 2018, whether he had proposed to go to the Republic Square with Pashinyan, and whether Pashinyan had responded to him that such a thing was not possible because there would be an impression that there were behind-the-scenes agreements to replace then PM and ex-President Serzh Sargsyan with Karen Karapetyan.

According to him, what they have agreed with Nikol Pashinyan “is our internal agreement.”

Asked whether that agreement was violated, Karapetyan answered, “No.”

When asked what questions were asked to him at the above-mentioned meeting of the committee, the former PM noted. “I have answered all the questions addressed by the committee. As the committee [meeting] is closed and contains state secrets, I can't say more.”

The former PM also touched upon the trial on the case against Armenian ex-president Robert Kocharyan.

According to him, the trial process “is quite agitated and politicized.”

·     Armenia on Monday ratified the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse. 

During the vote, 79 lawmakers supported the ratification of this convention, whereas 13 others voted against it.

·       A group of citizens are protesting Monday in front of the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA), demanding to revoke the licenses of the country’s credit organizations.

"Our movement is called 'No to Robbery', 'No to Credit Organizations,'" said Manuel Manukyan, one of the organizers of this demonstration.

The protesters are demanding a meeting with a CBA representative, noting that otherwise, they will even start a sit-in in front of the bank.