Category: News

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has stressed the importance of informing parents about the possibility of receiving reimbursements for education-related social expenses incurred through organizations providing extracurricular education for children.

Pashinyan addressed the issue on October 24 during a visit to the BRUT Studio and Showroom in Yerevan. While touring the area with government officials, he entered the venue and inquired about the classes offered to children and their fees.

Speaking with the studio’s representatives, the Prime Minister explained that under the universal income declaration system, parents can recover part of the income tax they have paid to cover education expenses.

“You should also inform them, because we introduced this mechanism with you in mind as well,” Pashinyan said, emphasizing that the state indirectly encourages the activities of education service providers through this mechanism.

The Prime Minister asked whether the studio’s educational program had the required license and offered to look into the matter if necessary.

Under the current regulations, the maximum annual reimbursement for education-related social expenses is AMD 100,000. For extracurricular and non-formal education programs, reimbursement is available only if the program is endorsed by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport and the expense meets the established requirements.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has proposed using artificial intelligence tools in urban management to assess infrastructure maintenance needs and determine when repairs should be carried out.

Pashinyan made the suggestion on October 24 during a tour of Yerevan with government officials.

While visiting the Ajapnyak administrative district, he inspected a courtyard playground and discussed how to assess its repair needs.

“The fundamental issue for me is not the construction itself. The fundamental issue for me is when the first repair should be carried out after it is built,” Pashinyan said.

He stressed the importance of having a mechanism that would provide timely alerts when repairs are needed.

As a possible approach, he suggested using artificial intelligence to combine data on the year a playground was built with information about the number of residents and children living nearby to estimate when repairs would be necessary.

According to Pashinyan, timely repairs could extend a playground’s service life and save money.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan concluded his tour of Yerevan’s Ajapnyak administrative district on Saturday, speaking with residents, listening to their concerns and presenting the government’s programs.

The visit was broadcast live on social media.

Residents raised issues related to housing conditions, courtyard improvements, playground repairs, education, employment and social affairs. They also submitted individual requests and voiced concerns over property disputes.

Pashinyan addressed the idea of building new residential neighborhoods to replace old apartment buildings in Ajapnyak. He outlined possible options, subject to agreement between investors and residents, including purchasing residents’ apartments or providing them with apartments in newly constructed buildings, as well as arranging accommodation for residents during construction.

While walking through courtyards, the Prime Minister discussed playground maintenance and timely repairs, emphasizing the importance of ensuring the long-term use of infrastructure.

Conversations with residents also touched on the universal income declaration system, mechanisms for supporting non-governmental organizations, and the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Pashinyan stressed the importance of signing and ratifying the peace agreement.

Pashinyan was accompanied during the tour by Speaker of Parliament Ruben Rubinyan, Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan and other officials.

The Scientific-Educational Center of the National Security Service (NSS) of the Republic of Armenia and the Border Guard Troops Command organized an educational visit to Armenia’s state border for students of higher education institutions to familiarize them with the sections guarded by the NSS Border Guard Troops, the service conditions of servicemembers at border outposts, the specifics of border guard service, and the procedures and conditions for joining the Border Guard Troops.

According to the NSS press release, during the visit to a Border Guard Troops detachment, the head of the Scientific-Educational Center, T. Davitavyan, and lecturers from the Department of Border Guard Service held an open class for the students on the topic “The State Border of the Republic of Armenia.” They presented the geographical and spatial structure of the Republic of Armenia’s borders, the passage of the state border through land, water and airspace, the length of Armenia’s state border and the sections adjoining neighboring states, the procedures for the delimitation and demarcation of Armenia’s state border, and the role and significance of the Border Guard Troops in protecting Armenia’s borders. Information was also provided on legislative provisions and legal acts regulating the field of state border protection.

Accompanied by Border Guard Detachment Commander G. Kalantaryan, the students toured the detachment’s premises, where the facilities were shown and the students were familiarized with the living conditions of conscripts.

The student group visited a border outpost, where the tasks performed by the outpost in protecting the state border were presented. Technical equipment used to protect the state border and the specifics of its use were also demonstrated and explained. In addition, a dog handler demonstrated the service dog’s training exercises and techniques.

The group then visited the Bagratashen state border crossing point, where the border control process for entering and leaving Armenia was presented, and an educational tour of the crossing point was organized.

The group also visited the delimited section of the state border between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan in Kirants, where the specifics of guarding the already delimited section were presented. It was noted that service in the delimited section is carried out under much safer, more secure and calmer conditions.

The Anti-Corruption Committee of Armenia confirmed on Saturday reports of arrests amid investigations into election-related corruption offenses.

The law enforcement agency told Armenpress that criminal proceedings concerning election-related corruption offenses are underway in several communities in Armenia, with evidence-gathering and other procedural actions being carried out, and some individuals having been arrested.

It did not elaborate on the arrests.

“Evidence-gathering and other procedural actions are being carried out in several communities of Armenia as part of criminal proceedings initiated by the Anti-Corruption Committee in connection with election-related corruption offenses. Some individuals have been arrested. We cannot provide any further information at this time in the interests of the preliminary investigation,” the Anti-Corruption Committee said.

According to media reports, members and city council candidates of the For the Republic and Homeland parties were detained in Artik, representatives of the Our Community alliance in Martuni, and the community head, his deputy, and council members in Yeghegnadzor.

Local self-government elections will be held in 21 communities in Armenia on October 25.

Scattered showers are expected in some parts of Armenia on Saturday afternoon (October 24), Sunday night and afternoon (October 25), and Wednesday and Thursday afternoons (October 28 and 29). Thunderstorms are also possible.

The Hydrometeorology and Monitoring Center said dry weather is expected on Monday and Tuesday (October 26-27) and Wednesday night (October 28).

Southwesterly winds of 2-5 m/s are expected.

Temperatures will remain largely unchanged.

In Yerevan, dry weather is expected on Saturday afternoon (October 24), Monday and Tuesday (October 26-27), and Wednesday night (October 28). Brief showers are expected on Sunday night and afternoon (October 25) and Wednesday evening (October 28), with thunderstorms also possible. Brief showers are also expected on October 29.

A delegation from Lyon City Hall visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial on October 24 to pay tribute to the victims of the Armenian Genocide.

The delegation included Sophia Popoff, Deputy Mayor of Lyon responsible for biodiversity; Sébastien Bouchet, Director of the Biodiversity and Urban Nature Department; and Juliane Gourdin, Head of Human Rights, Urban Diplomacy and Climate Diplomacy Programs, the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute said in a statement.

The French delegation was welcomed by Lusine Abrahamyan, Deputy Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute for Museum Affairs. She presented the history of the Memorial’s construction, its architectural features and its significance.

Sophia Popoff laid a wreath at the memorial commemorating the victims of the Armenian Genocide. The guests then laid flowers at the eternal flame to pay tribute to their memory.

“Lusine Abrahamyan accompanied the guests to the Memorial Wall, behind which, in specially designated niches, are small urns containing soil taken from the graves of several foreign public and political figures, intellectuals and missionaries who spoke out against the mass killings of Armenians and the genocide perpetrated by the Turkish government in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The guests listened with particular interest to accounts of the pro-Armenian activities of Anatole France and Louis Dartige du Fournet,” the Museum-Institute said, adding that the delegation from France toured the Armenian Genocide Museum and viewed its permanent and temporary exhibitions.

At the end of the visit, Sophia Popoff made an entry in the Book of Honorary Guests.

The 2026 Junior Eurovision Song Contest kicked off in Malta on October 24, with 16 countries taking part. The contest is being broadcast live on Armenia’s Public Television.

13-year-old Naré is representing Armenia with the song “BOO!”

She will perform eighth.

The first round of online voting opened earlier on October 24 and closed just before the live broadcast began.

The second round of online voting will open during the live broadcast after all contestants have performed.

People can vote from anywhere in the world, including Armenia.

In addition to Armenia, the participating countries are the Netherlands, Cyprus, Portugal, Montenegro, San Marino, France, Poland, Malta, Italy, Ukraine, North Macedonia, Ireland, Albania, Georgia and Spain.

“BOO!” was written by Lilit Navasardyan and Grigor Kyokchyan, and its music video was directed by Artur Manukyan.

Japanese novelist and filmmaker Ryu Murakami, whose edgy works explored sex, violence, and youth culture and were translated globally, has died, The Japan Times reported, citing a statement from Murakami’s publisher.

He was 74.

“We are deeply and unbearably saddened to learn of the premature death of Ryu Murakami, who spent his career continuously releasing shocking works meant for a younger audience,” publisher Gentosha said in a statement.

Among the writer’s best-known works is his debut “Almost Transparent Blue,” which depicted the depravity of youths steeped in drugs and sex and won him one of Japan’s most prestigious literary awards in 1976.

His 1980 novel, “Coin Locker Babies,” featured children abandoned in baggage lockers and their subsequent survival, while 1997’s “In the Miso Soup” portrayed a tourist’s plunge into Tokyo’s red-light district.

“We pray for the peace of Murakami, who raced his way through life as the frontrunner of an era,” Gentosha said.