It's the time of year umbrella salespeople enjoy and long-haired girls endure, as rains lead Armenia from spring into summer. Today's weather in Yerevan? Just as it appears.

The British Embassy in Yerevan has announced the beginning of the 2012 Olympics season. While the famed Olympic torch makes its way across Great Britain, strollers on Baghramyan Street pass the Queen's Guards, painted onto the embassy wall by Yerevan artist Edgar Amroyan.

From the window of her apartment in Yerevan 50-year-old Hasmik Tonoyan can see the proud profile of St Grigor Lusavorich church. In her cozy apartment for a second you forget where you are – all around there are clerical clothing and vestments – varkases (a broad stiff band of heavily embroidered brocade and decoration), clocks, mantles, collars, etc.

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Popular Soviet-time Armenian composer and pianist Arno Babajanyan’s rather eccentric statue by the Swan Lake, downtown Yerevan, seems to be motivating little ones to unconventional self-expression.

Environmental and civil activists celebrated Sunday, May 13, the victory in their 90-day struggle against the installment of kiosks at Mashtots park, downtown Yerevan. The event featured speeches, a concert and a film devoted to their movement.

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Greening, Planting, Beatifying

A military parade was held in the Karabakh capital of Stepanakert on May 9 to mark a “triple” anniversary – the 20th anniversary of the capture of Shushi and the formation of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’s Defense Army, as well as the 67th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.

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Click also here for the photo gallery on the celebration of Victory and Peace Day in Yerevan’s Victory Park the same day.

Armenia marked Victory and Peace Day with events in capital Yerevan’s Victory Park, with Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan having a dinner with World War II veterans.

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A fairly high number of registered voters – 62 percent – participated in Sunday’s parliamentary elections in Armenia. ArmeniaNow photojournalist Nazik Armenakyan was among them . . .

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According to latest figures, 2,484,003 citizens of Armenia have the right to cast a ballot in today’s parliamentary election that will seat 131 deputies to the National Assembly. Across Armenia, 1,982 polling stations opened at 8 a.m. and will remain open until 8 p.m. The vote is being monitored by more than 31,000 local observers and several international representations.