Armenian News - NEWS.am presents a daily digest of Armenan top news as of 07.10.2019:
WCIT is the signature event of the World Information Technology & Services Alliance (WITSA).
This year, WCIT will address The Power of Decentralization: Promise and Peril and explore how information and communications technology is transforming our lives for better and for worse, and its impact on profits and prosperity, safety and security, democracy and humanity.
Over 2,500 from 70 countries are participating in this year’s Congress.
The Congress is comprised of keynote speeches and panel sessions that bring together several speakers. World famous Kim Kadashian-West, Alexis Ohanian, GIPHY founder Alex Chung, VaynerMedia president Gary Vaynerchuk, renowned musician Serj Tankian, Acer founder Stan Shih, famous CNN journalist Richard Quest and many others are participating in the event.
· The opening of the Congress was marked by a concert at Republic Square on October 6. The WCIT Orchestra, composed of 100 musicians from 15 countries, for the first time performed on stage the music composed by AI in real time. And grammy award winning DJ Armin Van Buuren performed during the concert!
In an interview with Henri Arslanian, host of the FinTechCapsule™ and CryptoCapsule™ social media series, for Armenian News - NEWS.am the DJ said he has two passions.
“My two passions in life are computers and music.”
· The WCIT was opened by the remarks of Alexandr Yesayan, President of the Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises and chairman of the WCIT 2019 organizing committee.
“This was a big dream to bring this conference to Armenia and specially Karen Vardanyan, CEO of UATE, has this dream for more than ten years,” he said adding that “Armenia is now uniquely positioned today to become the center for this next three days as well as to become the center in the region as IT is developing in our country.”
According to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, “we believe we can make Armenia a paradise for talented people”
“The IT sector in our country has grown about five times in the last seven years. A steady 20% to 25% growth is recorded every year,” the PM noted.
According to Richard Clarke, National Security Expert and author, Chairman of the Middle East, Global Change, countries like Armenia can become economic powerhouses.
“Countries like Armenia, countries that train people in how to code, can become economic power houses, by tying into the knowledge economy,” he noted warning that if we do not create international norms, then the IT we are creating will become “a weapon against us”.
It is proven that those countries who make a decision to commit to ICT development benefit greatly to their decision, such as Armenia, Yvonne Chiu World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) Chair, in her turn, noted.
According to her, Armenia is rightly considered a Silicon Valley of the former Soviet Union.
Armenian people have young talents, she added.
· The opening ceremony of DigiTec Expo 2019, the largest and most anticipated event in the IT field, took place at Mergelyan Institute’s Yerevan Expo Center on Sunday.
The Executive Director of the Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises (UATE) Karen Vardanyan and the Co-Founder and General Director of Ucom, the Platinum Sponsor of the event, Hayk Yesayan, state officials, representatives of local and international organizations, diplomats and other guests were also present at the opening ceremony of DigiTec.
On the sidelines of the annual regional exhibition of IT technologies DigiTec, Armenia and India signed an agreement on franchising of engineering ArMath laboratories.
Also, a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between Armenia and Ethiopia which provides for the opening of over 50 engineering laboratories for schoolchildren according to the model operating in Armenia.
The ministers who have arrived in Armenia to participate in the WCIT forum also visited the expo.
According to Vardanyan, the ministers who have arrived in Armenia to participate in the WCIT forum are interested in cooperation with the Armenian side.
· Kim Kardashian, one of the brightest representatives of the Armenian diaspora came to Armenia with her sister Kourtney Kardashian, the eldest in clan, and their children.
That night, Kardashian shared new tweet from Yerevan.
“Almost 3 am in Armenia and I can’t sleep, I’m so excited to be here and see everyone!” Kim tweeted.
Monday morning, Kim Kardashian, her sister Kourtney Kardashian, and their children headed to Etchmiadzin to baptize their children.
According to NEWS.am STYLE, the smallest of Kim Kardashian babies, Psalm, was given the name Vardan at baptism. And other children named Ashkhen and Grigor.
· The founder of the VETO initiative Narek Malyan has shared the footage of the attack on him on March 4 this year.
“On the midnight of 4th March 2019 hooligan group "Restart", founded and funded by George Soros’ foundation, attacked the writer in front of his house with the plan of kidnapping,” the statement said.
According to human rights activist Ruben Melikyan’s tweet, “those pro-government activists, violently attacking a sound critic of the government, are still at large, while recently two anti-government activists’ non-violent action cost them freedom.”
· Armenian governor of Vayots Dzor province Trdat Sargsyan submitted his resignation, spokeswoman of the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures Armine Muradyan told Armenian News - NEWS.am.
The reason for the resignation was the scandal associated with the beating on October 18 of the Armed Forces lieutenant colonel Ara Mkhitaryan in Armenia’s Yeghegnadzor. Now the Armenian Prosecutor General is checking the possible participation in the beating.
The military officer, who was beaten in Yeghegnadzor, Armenia, continues to be in very critical condition.
