Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Trouble in Armenian capital Yerevan ahead of St Johnstone clash

Armenian police use water cannons to disperse protesters demonstrating an increase in electricity prices in the capital of Yerevan.
Armenian police use water cannons to disperse protesters demonstrating an increase in electricity prices in the capital of Yerevan.

Violent protests have erupted on the streets of Armenian capital Yerevan just over a week before St Johnstone FC are due to fly in for a crucial Europa qualifier.

More than 200 people were arrested during clashes over rising electricity prices.

Riot police used a high-powered water cannon to stop around 5,000 demonstrators marching on the city’s presidential headquarters on Tuesday.

On Monday, St Johnstone drew Alashkert FC in the qualifying round of the Europa League.

With Alashkert’s own stadium failing Uefa requirements, the team is expected to play at the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium in the centre of Yerevan on July 2.

Although many supporters say they are reluctant to follow the Saints on their 6,000 mile round-trip to Eurasia, some have already booked their flights.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office warned visitors about exploring the city.

A spokesman said: “A protest against an increase in electricity prices was dispersed by police using force in central Yerevan today.

“People should avoid the area around Opera Square, Baghramyan Avenue (about 10 minutes from the stadium) and other open spaces where large crowds may form.”

He said there may be further protests after the clashes, in which seven demonstrators and 11 police were injured.

Speaking shortly after the draw, Saints boss Tommy Wright said: “It’s horrible for the fans and that’s my main concern. I’m disappointed for them.

“As a team and as a club we’ll deal with it because it’s our jobs and that’s what we’re going there to do.

“But for the fans, it’s a nightmare because it will be expensive to get there.”

An Armenian police spokesman said 237 demonstrators were detained after some officers were hit with rocks.

Police retaliated by beating protesters with truncheons and launching a water cannon.