Ruben Hovhannesyan was a beginning theater actor and could not even imagine that several years later he will be one of the fighters of legendary Arabo detachment in the Karabakh war, which changed the life of the Armenian people drastically.

The excavations in the territory of the ancient fortress of Van Kingdom - Erebuni (782 BC) -have been carried out gradually due to a number of reasons.

Opening of foreign-language schools in Armenia has been one of the most discussed issues of the current month. And the more prospective the permission of opening such schools becomes, the more enthusiastically its opponents sound the alarm. Since the discussions on the project of introducing amendments to the Law on Language and the Law on General Education have initiated, activists of the grouping “We are against reopening of foreign-language schools in Armenia” have gathered in front of the Parliament building to stage protest actions.

With passions over the demolition of Moscow Cinema Open-Air Hall fading, Yerevan residents launched a collection of signatures against construction under way in the Student Park. A group of public activists made a statement, saying that “construction works carried out in the Park can transform the urban green belt into another ferroconcrete structure.” “We are ready to use all legal tools to rescue the parks of Yerevan,” people say.

The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan broke out as result of the ethnic cleansing the latter launched in the final years of the Soviet Union. The Karabakh War was fought from 1991 (when the Nagorno Karabakh Republic was proclaimed) to 1994 (when a ceasefire was sealed by Armenia, NKR and Azerbaijan). Most of Nagorno Karabakh and a security zone consisting of 7 regions are now under control of NKR defense army. Meanwhile, an ideological war was being fought beyond the conflict area.

This photograph taken in Yerevan in 1926 tells the story of an Armenian family from Van villayet of the Ottoman Empire. Aram O. Manukyan (in the center), Haykanush (left to him), Mariam (right to him), their daughters Arshaluys and Mayranush… Three years later, third daughter Siranush was born.

Once Armenia was known for one fruit only – the apricot. Imported from Armenia into Greece still by Alexander III of Macedon, it was named ‘fructus armenica’. From there it spread throughout Europe. Today the world is going to know another Armenian “fruit” – the powerful drug Armenicum.

According to the RA Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, out of 500 thousand elderly people in Armenia, 50 thousand are lonely, living in extreme poverty. For most of them, pension is the only source of income, and only 10 thousand are registered as eligible for social, medical and psychological assistance.

Saint Archangels (St Gevorg) Church was repaired and consecrated in the village of Tsira, Akhaltskha region. An Armenian church will be restored in Feodosia and one will be built in Malta. All three projects were initiated by Armenian communities. Meanwhile, both Armenian intellectual elite and ordinary people oppose the idea of building a church instead of Moscow cinema open-air hall.

The RA law on social protection of disabled people ensures equal rights for all Armenian citizens. According to the law, any person, no matter whether he/she has physical or mental problems, is entitled to receive special education of all levels (from secondary to higher). Actually, inclusive education is available in a small number of schools and doesn’t often meet required standards.