Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan scored a decisive victory in snap parliamentary elections on Monday, bolstering his rule after months of discontent and protests following a military defeat to Azerbaijan.
Mr Pashinyan's Civil Contract party swept to victory with nearly 54 per cent of the Sunday vote, overcoming anger at his handling of the devastating fight for control of the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region to secure a strong majority.
People want to have an honest leader who does not steal and is not an oligarch
"The people of Armenia gave our Civil Contract party a mandate to lead the country and personally to me to lead the country as prime minister," Mr Pashinyan, 46, said in the early hours of Monday after preliminary results were announced.
He urged supporters to flood the main square in the capital Yerevan for an evening rally to celebrate the victory.
Mr Pashinyan announced the gamble of snap polls earlier in the year, when protests against his rule were coming to a head, and after he claimed he had fended off a coup attempt from military leaders.
Those rallies and calls from the opposition for Mr Pashinyan's resignation began last November when he signed an unpopular peace deal mediated by Moscow to end fighting with Armenia's long-standing enemy Azerbaijan.
The two countries fought a vicious six-week war last year which claimed some 6,500 lives and saw Armenia hand over swathes of territory in and around Karabakh to Azerbaijan.
On Monday morning, the prime minister visited a military cemetery and laid flowers at the graves of soldiers.
Sunday's vote was seen as a two-horse race between Mr Pashinyan and his main rival Robert Kocharyan, who led Armenia between 1998 and 2008 and is seen as close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Analysts said many Armenians had cast their ballots for the prime minister because they dreaded the return of old elites, a sentiment echoed on the streets of Yerevan.
"People want to have an honest leader who does not steal and is not an oligarch," said Ruben Kazaryan, a 60-year-old IT worker.
In the wake of the polls, Mr Kocharyan, whose alliance received 21 per cent of the vote, alleged foul play.
"Hundreds of signals from polling stations testifying to organised and planned falsifications serve as a serious reason for lack of trust" in the results, Mr Kocharyan's Armenia Alliance said in a statement.
The alliance said it would not recognise results until "violations" were studied.
However election observers from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe praised the polls as "competitive and well-run" and said that vote counting was "highly transparent."
"The fundamental freedoms key to democratic elections were generally respected," OSCE monitors said in a statement.
Armenia's general prosecutor's office said by Sunday evening it had received 319 reports of violations.
Mr Kocharyan was himself accused of rigging a presidential election in favour of an ally and presiding over a deadly crackdown on protesters in 2008.
In 2018, Armenia won international praise for holding the country's first free and fair vote under Mr Pashinyan.
OSCE observers did however point to "intense polarisation" in Armenia's political landscape, saying the race was "marred by increasingly inflammatory language from key contestants".
During a venomous campaign, the candidates exchanged insults and threats. Mr Pashinyan brandished a hammer at rallies, while Mr Kocharyan said he was ready to fight the prime minister in a duel.
Despite stifling heat, nearly 50 per cent of around 2.6 million eligible voters cast their ballots.
Mr Pashinyan, who had spent time in jail as an opposition politician, was celebrated as a hero when he swept to power in a peaceful revolution in 2018.
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Read more about the coronavirus
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
The UAE's journey to space
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
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Emiratisation at work
Emiratisation was introduced in the UAE more than 10 years ago
It aims to boost the number of citizens in the workforce particularly in the private sector.
Growing the number of Emiratis in the workplace will help the UAE reduce dependence on overseas workers
The Cabinet in December last year, approved a national fund for Emirati jobseekers and guaranteed citizens working in the private sector a comparable pension
President Sheikh Khalifa has described Emiratisation as “a true measure for success”.
During the UAE’s 48th National Day, Sheikh Khalifa named education, entrepreneurship, Emiratisation and space travel among cornerstones of national development
More than 80 per cent of Emiratis work in the federal or local government as per 2017 statistics
The Emiratisation programme includes the creation of 20,000 new jobs for UAE citizens
UAE citizens will be given priority in managerial positions in the government sphere
The purpose is to raise the contribution of UAE nationals in the job market and create a diverse workforce of citizens
