Category: News

Belgium’s Prime Minister Bart De Wever was at the royal palace on Monday morning to offer his government’s resignation to King Philippe following failed overnight budget talks, Euronews reported.

It comes after overnight negotiations with his core cabinet on the budget failed to reach an agreement.

De Wever left the palace after meeting with King Philippe for around 1.5 hours without addressing the press.

Following the meeting, the king announced he “is taking his decision under consideration and will consult the chairs of the various coalition parties from tomorrow.”

He added that he regrets that no agreement has been reached and that the country cannot afford a prolonged political crisis.

He calls on all parties involved “to put the general interest and a willingness to compromise first”. De Wever is set to meet with the king again on Friday.

According to Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot, there were “too many sticking points”. “If I were to list all the sticking points, it would take an eternity,” he told Belgian media.

The government must save €10 billion to stay within EU spending limits.

The budget deficit amounted to 5% last year, while a deficit of a maximum of 3% is permitted under European rules.

The Belgian national debt amounts to over €735 billion, more than 110% of Belgium’s GDP, while 60% is permitted.

Due to the failure to reach an agreement, interest rates on government bonds have increased, and Belgium has to pay more to meet its debt obligations.

If the King accepts De Wever’s resignation, new elections will be called.

Belgium’s coalition government is made up of De Wever’s conservative N-VA, liberals MR, centrists Les Engagés, socialists Vooruit and Christian Democrats CD&V.

Deputy Prime Minister David Clarinval blamed the socialist Vooruit for the failed talks as they insisted on their position for higher taxes.

Matti Vandemaele of opposition party Groen said “Prime Minister De Wever is failing to get his government on the same page, unless everyone follows his N-VA programme.”

Iliana Iotova and her running mate Kiril Valchev have won Bulgaria’s November 1 presidential election runoff, receiving 57.66% of the vote.

According to the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA), Iotova, Bulgaria’s acting president, and Valchev, director-general of BTA, secured victory over the other presidential and vice-presidential candidates, Andrey Gurov and Georgi Kandev, who received 39.38% of the vote.

The Central Election Commission (CEC) announced the preliminary results after processing 99.68% of polling station election commission protocols. The data were reported as of 5:00 a.m. on November 2.

A total of 1,091,206 voters cast their ballots for Iotova and Valchev, while 745,303 voted for Gurov and Kandev.

Another 55,938 voters selected the “None of the above” option.

An environmental expert has said that Armenia’s hosting of the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity will be of great importance for the country’s environmental policy, public attitudes, and environmental protection efforts, with its actual impact expected to become evident over the next two years, during Armenia’s presidency of the process.

Environmental expert and former Deputy Minister of Nature Protection Simon Papyan made the remarks in an interview with Armenpress, commenting on the organization of COP17, the issues discussed, the significance of the conference for Armenia, and the country’s priority environmental challenges.

“Holding the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity was a very responsible undertaking for us, because an environmental event of this scale had never been held in Armenia before. I can say that we came through this test with honor. I am impressed both by the organizational work and by the way the conference was conducted,” Papyan said.

Addressing the discussions held as part of the conference, Papyan noted that their main topic was biodiversity conservation, but that they also covered numerous other areas related to environmental protection.

“Since biodiversity is one of the components of an ecosystem, issues such as water resources, air pollution, forest conservation, and other matters were naturally also discussed, in terms of their interconnection with biodiversity. The discussions focused not only on biodiversity conservation but also on the sustainable use of natural resources and financing issues,” he said.

Papyan recalled that the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework was adopted in 2022, setting a number of important targets that the world must achieve by 2030.

“One of the most important targets is that at least 30 percent of the planet’s terrestrial and aquatic areas must be under protection by 2030. This refers to specially protected natural areas, including nature reserves and sanctuaries. Another important target is the restoration of at least 30 percent of degraded ecosystems. However, progress remains limited, and there are serious challenges to address in this regard,” he stressed.

In Papyan’s assessment, it is still too early to draw final conclusions about the conference’s results, as implementing the adopted decisions requires ongoing work.

“It is still too early to speak about the overall results of COP17. They will become clearer over the next two years, while Armenia presides over the process, because the decisions adopted at COP17 must be put into practice during that period,” he said.

Speaking about the significance of the conference for Armenia, Papyan singled out changes in environmental attitudes as the foremost priority.

“I believe this conference will have a serious impact on our environmental mindset. This applies not only to decision-makers, most of whom took part in various discussions, delivered speeches, and sought to contribute to biodiversity conservation, but also to society as a whole, starting with schoolchildren. It is very important that our attitude toward the animal and plant worlds changes,” Papyan said.

He stressed that human activity is one of the main causes of negative impacts on nature.

“Animals and plants do not take more from nature than they need. Humans, however, often upset this balance and have a negative impact on the environment through their activities. One of the key objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity is to reduce the negative impact of human activities, including economic activities. This is a very important and, at the same time, difficult challenge to address,” he said.

According to Papyan, another important factor for Armenia is its presidency of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

“Over the next two years, Armenia will preside over this process, and we must set an example for other countries by showing how we are moving forward with the implementation of the targets set for 2030. Naturally, everyone’s attention will be focused on Armenia. We will be asked: as the presiding country, how are you implementing these commitments in your own country? I hope that, as a result of all this, the overall state of the environment in Armenia will improve,” he stressed.

According to him, the balanced use of natural resources is of particular importance in biodiversity conservation.

Addressing Armenia’s priority environmental challenges, he singled out the restoration and preservation of Lake Sevan’s ecological balance as the foremost issue.

“Our top environmental priority is restoring and preserving Lake Sevan’s ecological balance. This is the most important issue because Lake Sevan is significant to us not only environmentally and socioeconomically but is also a key component of national security. We must protect it as the apple of our eye,” he stressed.

The second important area, according to Papyan, is forest conservation and restoration. “Taking climate change into account as well, we must pay great attention to forest conservation, preventing illegal logging, and reforestation efforts. This is a very important area.”

The expert also highlighted the need for the efficient and prudent use of water resources.

“If we do not use our water resources prudently, we will face serious problems. Prudent use means not only efficiently managing water quantities in households, industry, and other sectors, but also addressing pollution issues. We have serious problems when it comes to wastewater treatment,” Papyan noted.

According to him, certain investments are already being made in this area, and one of the priorities is treating wastewater flowing into Lake Sevan and improving the lake’s water quality. Papyan also addressed air pollution in cities, describing it as one of the important environmental challenges.

He stressed that effectively addressing environmental problems requires not only the work of government bodies but also the active participation of the private sector.

Papyan also emphasized the importance of international cooperation, particularly in the areas of financial assistance, the introduction of new technologies, and technology transfer.

Addressing the conservation of land resources, he stressed that land degradation is also one of Armenia’s major environmental challenges.

“The issue of land is very important because its restoration is a lengthy process. For example, 30 percent of the land in the Ararat Valley is degraded, and there are also serious salinization problems. For this reason, efforts to conserve and restore land must receive special attention,” Papyan said.

Concluding his remarks, he expressed hope that holding COP17 and Armenia’s presidency over the next two years would contribute to the development of the country’s environmental policy, more efficient use of natural resources, and improvement of the state of the environment.

COP17 took place in Yerevan from October 19 to 31, 2026. It was held alongside the 12th meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CP-MOP-12) and the sixth meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing (NP-MOP-6).

COP17 marked the first global review of collective progress toward implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).

The nearest star to us beyond the Solar System lies more than four light-years away from Earth. At the speeds achieved by today’s spacecraft, it would take thousands of years to reach it. Yet Kam Ghaffarian, an Iranian-born American engineer and entrepreneur who has devoted much of his career to turning ambitious ideas into technological ventures, envisions a very different timeframe for such a journey: just six months. Such a claim contradicts our current understanding of physics. The assertion that humans could reach Proxima Centauri in just six months should be treated as a proposition that still needs to be substantiated through scientific calculations, independent scientific review and, ultimately, experimentation. Nevertheless, it reflects the scale of Ghaffarian’s ambitions and his determination to push the boundaries of what we consider possible.

Kam Ghaffarian will arrive in Yerevan in the coming days to receive Armenia’s 2026 State Award for Global Contribution to Humanity through High-Tech. His decades-long career spans a wide range of fields, from developing innovative nuclear energy solutions to advancing commercial space exploration.

As the co-founder and executive chairman of X-energy, he is working to advance nuclear technologies that could provide power both on Earth, particularly for the new artificial intelligence data centers under construction, and for spacecraft involved in space exploration.

Another company he co-founded, Axiom Space, aims to build a commercial space station by the end of this decade, ahead of the planned retirement of the International Space Station. Through yet another company he co-founded, Intuitive Machines, Ghaffarian has helped bring commercial lunar exploration into a new era. In February 2024, the company’s Odysseus lunar lander became the first commercial spacecraft to achieve a soft landing on the Moon and the first U.S. spacecraft to reach the lunar surface since Apollo 17 in 1972.

Ghaffarian’s fascination with space began much earlier, during his childhood, when he witnessed the Apollo 11 Moon landing. The event had a profound influence on his choice of career. Decades later, that childhood inspiration has evolved into a far-reaching ambition: to make space more accessible, develop new sources of energy and ultimately take humanity beyond the boundaries of the Solar System.

In an interview with Armenpress on the sidelines of the STARMUS VIII festival, held on the Spanish island of Tenerife, Ghaffarian also spoke about the possibility of sending an Armenian astronaut into space, saying he could help make this ambitious undertaking a reality. In his view, such an achievement would represent not only a significant technological milestone for Armenia but also a source of inspiration for an entire generation.

Armenpress: I couldn’t help noticing your surname, so I have to ask: do you have any Armenian ancestry?

Kam Ghaffarian: I believe that. I was born in Iran, I’m Iranian, of course, but yeah, some of the family members, I believe, have Armenian [roots]. That’s where my name is, Ghaffarian. That’s why I am looking forward to visiting Armenia. 

You’re investing in a future where people can live and work in space. From where we stand today, how realistic is that vision, and how soon could it become a reality?

It’s very realistic that we’re going to create an environment where people will be working and living in space sooner than you believe. I mean, people have been living onboard the space station for the last 26 years, right? I was one of the people who was involved in developing the space station. When the astronauts from space talked to Houston, they would say, “Houston, we have a problem,” or whatever, they were my company employees that responded.

This is growing really, really fast, and I think that there are going to be more people living and working in space on a regular basis.

You mentioned the space station. We know that the International Space Station will end its operations by the end of 2030, and Axiom Space is working on a commercial space station. Who do you envision using this new station? Will it primarily serve governments and researchers, or will there also be room for private individuals who want to experience life in orbit?

All of the above. You know, we’re going to be working with a lot of governments.  So today the International Space Station belongs to, of course, NASA, which is the United States, Russia, European countries, Japan, and Canada, right? So in the future, it’s going to belong to the private industry, like Axiom Space. And then we will have people who will buy services from us. The United States will be one of our anchor tenants, but European countries — hopefully Armenia, many other countries. Hopefully one day I take an Armenian astronaut. I took a Turkish astronaut to space. And, you know, taking the astronaut to space inspires the whole population.

So when I go there, I’m hoping that I will persuade the Armenian government to say ‘we’re going to send an Armenian to space,’ sponsored by the government, and I can help with that.

In the future, all the governments will buy services from us, but also commercial, because we’re going to do manufacturing in space of things that it’s not possible to do on Earth. And then you’re going to have private astronauts that go to space and it’s a platform to go to other places in the solar system.

When do you think commercial space exploration will be able to operate independently of governments? At the moment, most companies in the sector rely on government contracts or partnerships. Do you see a future in which private companies can operate entirely on their own?

I believe so. It’s okay to have government as a customer. I mean, Apple, for example, or Google, they’re commercial companies. Government is just one of their customers. Airlines are commercial airlines, but government can come buy services. So in the future, it will be like that. It’s a commercial entity. One of our customers is going to be government, but it’s not the only one.

Coming back to Axiom Space, are you planning to build a completely new space station from scratch, or will you use existing infrastructure already in orbit?

No, we’re going to start brand new. We are doing it right now.

Have you already started?

Oh, yeah. We’re building everything, but we’ll be launching our space station in 2028 to 2029 timeframe.

And how big is it going to be?

The current space station, the way it was built, it was not modular. The way we’re designing ours is going to be very modular, so that each module is on its own. We can have 50 modules, 60 modules, 100 modules that are connected like Legos together. They’re interconnected. But once one module goes bad, we can deorbit that module and send another one out.

Will you be relying on companies like SpaceX to support your missions?

Yes, of course. We are currently using SpaceX, but we’re going to be working with many other companies.

In your view, what should be humanity’s ultimate destination in space?

The ultimate destiny for humanity I believe it’s to go to other stars. Not our solar system, but beyond our solar. Humanity’s destiny is to become interstellar. The ultimate destiny.

But with current technologies, it is impossible.

It is possible, but we need more time to develop more engineering, more science.

But it’s a one-way direction, right?

No, not necessarily, if we develop technology. Because you see, like, for example, if you want to go to our closest star Proxima Centauri, Proxima Centauri is 4 and a quarter light years. The distance from one part of our galaxy to another is 100,000 light years. So just go 4 and a quarter. If we go with the nuclear technology, it takes 2,000 years? And if you go with the nuclear fusion technology, it might take 100 years. We want to do it such a way you can go in 6 months.

Is it even possible?

Yes. We’re working on it.

What excites you most about space exploration?

What excites me is how it unifies humanity, how it brings us together. I believe that we become so divisive, and tribal. Everything is a separation from religion or country or national birth or political party. What excites me is to bring the whole humanity together, and we realize that we all really are one.

Don’t you think that even in that case politics could still get in the way…

Yeah, but I think if we want to be interstellar, I want you to imagine this. We go outside our solar system, and in our galaxy called Milky Way, there are 400 billion stars. We’re just one star. And there are so many other planets, and it’s 100,000 years across. Let’s say we leave our galaxy behind. There are 2 trillion other galaxies. 2 trillion. Just — just think about this.

When my son was 8 years old, he asked me, “Dad, how vast is the universe?” So I gave him what Carl Sagan said, which is, if you look at all the oceans on Earth, all the deserts everywhere, right, and look at all the grains of sand everywhere, our solar system is just one grain.

Just think how vast the universe is. And I think our destiny is to go and explore that, and go there.

The Armenpress coverage of the STARMUS festival is supported by Team Telecom Armenia.