The expected rise of natural gas prices is forcing many taxi drivers to switch to benzene or liquefied gas, especially since benzene prices have gone down recently.

On February 16 at 12:07 we received a call from an anonymous person that an explosive was installed near the number 1 school of Ashtarak of the Aragatsotni Marz.

Prices for some construction materials have gone down, while for some prices have gone up.

Starting from February 16 the national anthem will be played in all Armenian schools every Monday.

On February 20-21 the highest temperature will be 9-14 degrees. The temperature may go below 2 at night," adds Mr. Surenyan.

On February 14, the Armenian Church celebrates the Feast of the Lord’s Presentation to the Temple. Tiarn’ndaraj, or Candlemas as it is known in the West, symbolizes the presentation of the 40 day-old Christ Child to the Temple in Jerusalem.

Many Armenians living in the Russian Federation cannot return to their Homeland because of the world financial crisis. This mainly refers to Armenians having some property in Russia – abode, cars, shops, etc.

Armenian students face difficulties in paying tuition fees because of the global economic crisis. Most of them say the fees are sent by their relatives working abroad.

An Armenian family was brutally killed in its apartment located in the Sofonovo settlement near Moscow in the evening.

Police officers prohibited residents of Northern and Main Avenues today from holding their next protest in front of the government building. They were forced to stand near the fountains at Republic Square and started whistling and screaming “Prime Minister”.

Restaurant singers could never even dream of singing on an opera stage during the Soviet years or throw a concert. Now they sing at restaurants, weddings and then they come to the opera asking how much they have to pay to throw a concert at the auditorium. We’re forced to give it to them because we have problems with financing, while they have all the money to spend,” told “A1+” in an interview today Director of the National Academic Theatre...

Recently there has been no room to move in the check point of Ninotsminda on the Armenian-Georgian border. The convoy of lorries and passenger vehicles seems endless.

A fire broke out near building 46 on Komitas Avenue on February 10. A advertisement hoarding burnt down as a result.

Sixteen residents living near the State College of Echmiadzin made their way to Yerevan today to demand Serzh Sargsyan to solve their problem, but the police officers were not too welcoming. This is not the first time that they are organizing a protest in front of the presidential residence.

Harassment of journalists and self-censorship among the news media intensified before and after a flawed February 2008 presidential election. The country’s authoritarian president, Robert Kocharian, imposed a state of emergency after the balloting to suppress demonstrations and block independent news reporting, a move that allowed him to deliver the presidency to a hand-picked successor, Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan.

Migrant construction workers in Russia face widespread abuse both in and outside of the workplace, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. In a climate of rising hate-motivated violence against migrants, exacerbated by the global financial crisis, the Russian government is failing to protect these workers from abusive employers, employment agencies, and police.

Individual taxi drivers say that the National Assembly did not give a complete and adequate response to their appeal/protest after their letter sent to the NA Chairman presenting their demands.

72-year old pensioner Azniv’s neighbors visit her room often and always talk about the past. They all currently reside in the former student hostel hostel in Charbakh. The guard of the hostel Mrs. Gayane accompanied us to the 4th floor showing us the rooms of pensioners from Baku.

Cell-phone sales have gone down in Yerevan after New Year and have led to low prices. “My income has decreased by 50 percent. I used to sell 9-12 phones a day before New Year, but now I sell five phones a day the most due to the fall of prices,” told “A1+” Edward Grigoryan who is a cell-phone salesman at the Central Post Office building.

The least amount of money needed to purchase a 3X4 meter area for a tomb in Yerevan today is 100,000 drams. The death of a person causes not only sorrow, but also material and moral damage if the family’s monthly budget is not enough for that.

From February 14 a new automatic system of payment will be applied at Yerevan Metro. Passengers will benefit from the discount system and will be able to recharge their cards at any booking office of the metro.

Some two hundred taxi drivers today flooded Yerevan’s main square with their cars in protest against stricter licencing and taxation rules imposed on them.

Starting from February 1 casino owners have to pay 125 thousand drams for a game machine but the state budget doesn’t benefit from it.

Twenty Armenian singers have submitted applications for the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest. Inga and Anush Arshakyans, Shprot, Arame and Mher are among the candidates.