RSF: Armenia's position on press freedom index unchanged at 61April 22, 2020 - 17:17 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia's position in Reporters Without Borders‘ fresh World Press Freedom Index has remained unchanged at 61. The country had significantly improved the state of press freedom in the previous edition, jumping by 19 notches among 180 countries of the world. The organization said media diversity has blossomed but the government that emerged from Armenia’s “velvet revolution” in the spring of 2018 has failed to reduce the media’s polarization. "The editorial policies of the main TV channels coincide with the interests of their owners. Journalistic independence and transparent media ownership are still far from being achieved," the report said. "There is concern about the volume of judicial proceedings against journalists and about excesses in the fight against fake news. The involvement of the security services in combating disinformation, followed by arrests of social media users, and attempts to legislate without prior discussion with civil society and journalists are alarming. However, investigative journalism is flourishing online and is well placed to play a major role in a national offensive against corruption." Norway has taken the 1st spot for the fourth year in a row, and is followed by Finland, Denmark and Sweden. Top stories From September 21 to November 11, a total of 2,820 Russians registered at a place of residence in Armenia, the police has said. The situation on the contact line between Karabakh and Azerbaijan was relatively stable overnight, the Defense Army says. Defense Minister Suren Papikyan has visited the southern Armenian province of Syunik, the Defense Ministry reported on March 18. Armenia has registered Covid-19-related deaths in 23 vaccinated individuals so far, according to Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan. Partner news | Kazakh Foreign Minister arrives in Armenia Kazakh Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu on Monday, March 18 arrived in Armenia for a two-day trip. Aliyev touts “good chances” for normalizing ties with Armenia Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has declared that there are “good chances” for normalizing relations with Armenia. Putin secures fifth term as Russian president Russian President Vladimir Putin has secured a fifth term in office through a dubious national plebiscite. Top Armenian, Indian defense officials discuss cooperation The discussions primarily focused on enhancing cooperation in the defence sector between Armenia and India. |