Armenian News - NEWS.am presents the daily digest of Armenia-related top news as of 06.12.21:
• Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Defense Army conscript Gor Martirosyan (born in 2002) received a fatal gunshot wound Sunday at the guard post of a Defense Army military unit—and in still unknown circumstances.
An investigation is underway to find out the details of this incident, the Artsakh Defense Army reported.
• Ten Armenians who were captured by Azerbaijan on November 16 have been returned to Armenia Saturday through the mediation of the Russian side.
These returnees are Narek Yerimyan, Arayik Arakelyan, Serzhik Amirkhanyan, Gevorg Hakobyan, Robert Nalbandyan, Harut Sargsyan, Artyom Manasyan, Erik Avetisyan, Arman Tevosyan, and Tigran Hakobyan.
• Bob Dole, the US former Senator from the Republican Party died aged 98.
Former Senate majority leader and the 1996 Republican nominee for president championed everything from reforming the federal food stamp program to bringing awareness to disabilities.
Senator Dole was also a chief advocate for Congress’ re-affirmation of the Armenian Genocide.
In 2019, Armenia bestowed the “Order of Honor” on Senator Dole for his considerable contribution to the development and enhancement of the friendly relations between Armenian and the USA.
• The Armenian ruling Civil Contract party is suffering a local election setback.
The ruling Civil Contract Party (CCP) faced a crushing defeat in Sunday’s Council of Elders elections in Aparan, Armenia, even amid a record-high voter turnout of 64.7 percent.
According to the Central Electoral Commission data, as a result of the processing of all ballots cast in this now-enlarged community, 66.69% of voters voted for the Karen Yeghiazaryan bloc of opposition parties. The latter’s only opponent, the CCP, received 33.31% of the votes.
Meanwhile, the Mamikon Aslanyan opposition bloc, led by the former mayor, has won convincingly with 38.71% of votes after processing the voting results of all polling stations in Sunday’s Council of Elders elections in Vanadzor, the third-largest city of Armenia
The CCP received only 25.06%.
However, the CCP recorded a Pyrrhic victory in the absence of any alternative political force in Sunday’s local elections in Armavir, Armenia.
As only the CCP ran in the elections in this now-enlarged community, there was no competition, and as a result, the voter turnout was at a record low of 20.73 percent.
• As of Monday morning, 95 new cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in Armenia, and the total number of these cases has reached 340,818 in the country.
Also, eight more deaths from COVID-19 were registered, making the respective total 7,691 cases.
In recent days, the cases of COVID-19 are decreasing in Armenia, but everything must be done to maintain these satisfactory indicators in the future, too, Armenian health minister Anahit Avanesyan told reporters on Monday.
What comes to vaccination news, Armenia will manufacture the Russian Sputnik Light vaccine, which will also be exported to other countries.
This one-dose vaccine will be manufactured by Liqvor Pharmaceuticals.
Liqvor Pharmaceuticals said they can meet the annual demand for this vaccine in Armenia in just three working days, but the respective work will be mainly export-oriented.
