Armenian farmers worry that heavy snowfalls or severe frosts might be in store at the end of this so-far mild winter, bringing damaging effects to fruits and vegetables.

In an ongoing war of words that reveal a widening divide between Turkey and Armenia, rather than hoped-for “normalization”, Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan today reiterated his government’s position that it is Turkey, rather than Armenia who jeopardizes the protocol process through “preconditions”.

The occupations of an engineer and a medical nurse are the least demanded on Armenia’s labor market, while builders and service sector workers are in most demand, according to the data of the State Employment Service that its director Sona Harutyunyan reported Thursday.

The commodity turnover between Armenia and Russia fell by more than 20 percent in 2009 as the world has been coping with its worst financial-economic crisis in decades, according to Russia’s trade representative in Armenia Alexander Zaytsev.

A lower court in Yerevan on Tuesday found a controversial opposition leader and editor of the ultra-opposition Haykakan Zhamanak daily guilty on 2008 post-election unrest-related charges, pressed by the state prosecutors, and sentenced him to seven years in prison.

Armenian women’s basketball team Hatis lost in Orenburg, Russia Thursday to the local Nadezhda 80-65 in the second-leg game as part of the Women’s Euro League 1/16 finals and thus dropped out of further competition.

Russia is interested in quick normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations, and the sooner it happens, the better it will be for the region, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at a press conference on Thursday. The minister arrived in Armenia on January 13 on an official visit, and has had talks with President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and Foreign Minister of Armenia Eduard Nalbandyan. The prospects of the development of Armenian-Russian relations, as well as the problems in the Southern Caucasus region were among the issues discussed during the talks.

At the ending World Team Chess Championship in Bursa, Turkey, Armenia beat the strong USA team in the penultimate round, having already disposed of chess grand Israel, held chess powerhouses Russia and India to a draw, beaten historical foe Turkey (in a revanche of sorts for soccer), but, disappointedly, lost to regional archrival Azerbaijan.

A young Armenian couple from Russia came to Armenia to get married, in part due to the “Wedding in Homeland” program of the Ministry of Diaspora.

Advisor to the Prime Minister of Armenia Fadey Sargsyan died in the early hours of January 10, aged 86.

Sargsyan (no relation to current PM Tigran Sargsyan or President Serzh Sargsyan), was a doctor of technical sciences, a member of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, a member of the International Academy of Informatics.