Armenia and world:

No matter how the region changes, Armenia will be of no strategic interest to Israel

Israeli foreign policy stands out by its carefulness, and the country will never take the path of confrontation with Azerbaijan and Turkey.

February 18, 2011
Walking a tightrope, Azerbaijan is trying to keep its balance and preserve the fictional status of the “great energy power of the region”. Bluffing of official Baku still works or it simply seems to us that it works, since various kind of information is received by Armenian media for reality. Every step of any country in the world against Turkey and Azerbaijan is treated by Yerevan almost as an act of friendly relations.
Economy:

Armenian population fears possible regular rise in gas prices

Armenian government assures it continues negotiating with Russia to prevent upsurge of energy resources tariffs.

February 12, 2011
While the population is expecting the regular rise in prices for natural gas, Armenian government assures it continues negotiating with Russia to prevent upsurge of energy resources tariffs. The results are expected to be announced in late February.
Culture:

Valentine’s Day: lovers celebrate, church opposes

Armenians have beautiful national holidays recognized by the Church and there is no need to look for new ones, a clergyman says.

February 12, 2011
Saint Valentine’s Day, although not an Armenian national holiday, takes root in Armenia. The romantic tradition to present ‘heart’ gifts is gaining popularity among young people, although majority of them do not have any idea of who Valentine was and why the holiday is celebrated.
Politics:

Twitter instead of cobble-stone. Can Armenia face a Twitter resolution?

Should Vladimir Lenin plot his October revolution in the 21st century, he would think over seizing Twitter and Facebook, instead of capturing post offices or railway stations.

February 12, 2011
Twitter instead of cobble-stone. Can Armenia face a Twitter resolution?
The recent events in Tunisia and Egypt have shown that social networks can have tremendous role in organization of political processes. Thanks to social networks, even under total media control by the authorities, the opposition forces managed to coordinate their protest actions and take millions of people to the streets to oust the rulers.
Society:

Abortion at home – a dangerous tendency among Armenian women

According to official statistical data, 10 149 abortions were registered in Armenia in 2009.

February 11, 2011
The National Security Strategy of Armenia describes low birth rate as one of the threats to the country’s national security.
Sport:

Armenia starts 2011 season with defeat

Review of February 3-10 sport events.

February 10, 2011
Football: Armenia dropped 2 places in FIFA world ranking, appearing 62nd in the list with 512 points. Armenia’s rivals in European Championship Group stage are listed as follows: Russia climbed to 12th position, Slovakia retained 20th position; Ireland came 35th; Andorra - 202nd. Top three are Spain, Netherlands and Germany with 1887, 1723 and 1485 points respectively.
IT & Telecom:

IT field registers growth, government financing remains unchanged

Review of January 31 – February 6 telecommunication and information technology events.

February 6, 2011
Armenian IT field registered 15% growth in 2010. The turnover in the field totaled $150mln against $129.9mln last year. The field employs 5 thousand specialists, with 197 companies operating. At that, government financing of the IT field totaled AMD 80mln (as in 2010), what is 60% less than in 2009, when AMD 200mln was assigned.
 
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