Culture: National self-consciousness, “Azerbaijani” music and revelation of an Armenian composerVardan Petrosyan: this music sounded when Armenians were being killed, but now many of our compatriots are enjoying these songs. February 19, 2011 The confrontation between Armenia and Azerbaijan is not only political. What is going on now is a all-out information and cultural war, which started back in the soviet time. Politics: Bicameral parliament: are Armenia and Diaspora ready for this move?There are apprehensions that involvement of Diaspora representatives in the parliament may cause new contradictions and a split among Diaspora Armenians. February 19, 2011 Diaspora Minister Hranush Hakobyan’s recent statement that Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan plans legislative changes to involve Diaspora representatives in the Armenian parliament caused hot debates, dividing the Armenian public into supporters and opponents of the idea. Armenia and world: No matter how the region changes, Armenia will be of no strategic interest to IsraelIsraeli 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 pricesArmenian 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. Society: Abortion at home – a dangerous tendency among Armenian womenAccording 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 defeatReview 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 unchangedReview 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. | Revolut launches in Armenia Fast and free money transfers, no hidden fees 4 rules for business success An ultimate guide Millions of dollars in investments and stimulation of economy 3 Armenian startups en route to becoming unicorns Azerbaijan's brutal beheadings and torture of Armenians A non-exhaustive summary of war crimes |