SOCIETY

Former Armenian residents, Masha and Girsha (Misha), have taken their first steps on the grass in a bear sanctuary in Romania after being moved there through a strenuous effort involving activists from several countries.

The concept of antismoking packaging of cigarettes is one of the most effective means of fighting against smoking both in Armenia and around the world, Alexander Bazarchyan, the head of the National Institute of Health of Armenia, told media Tuesday, which is World No Tobacco Day.

During the hostilities at the Karabakh-Azerbaijani line of contact, according to Armenian experts, the local media mainly managed to work properly and carry out their mission.

The Armenian government on Thursday decided to delay for a year the introduction of a compulsory accumulative pension scheme for private sector employees.

This week, Yerevan has been hosting five Nobel laureates in medical sciences delivering nine lectures on topics of biochemistry, physics and medicine, presenting their inventions, scientific achievements and unique success stories in the professional field to the Armenian audience.

Activists in Armenia staging protests in support of a Russian-Armenian businessman jailed in Moscow believe the conviction and imprisonment of the Karabakh native who has vastly contributed to his homeland’s rebuilding has political goals as they see Azerbaijan’s hand behind it.

The so-called Panama Papers revelations about world leaders’ connections to offshore businesses that have been the highlight of world media in recent days have not bypassed Armenia either, coinciding with anti-corruption sentiments in society amid an escalation of conflict with Azerbaijan.

The Armenian Police have disproved media reports claiming that a number of journalists covering last night’s protests in central Yerevan were detained or taken to police stations.

The Monday resignation of Mihran Poghosyan, the head of the Justice Ministry’s powerful Service of Mandatory Execution of Judicial Acts (SMEJA), whose name is linked with a global offshore scandal, is considered by some as a victory for media or civil society, others, however, believe it is not enough in terms of restoring justice and legality.

Last week two criminal cases in Armenia took a turn against Russia, and while there is no major interstate resonance in connection with these developments yet, analytical circles in both counties appear to be watching closely progress of Armenian claims.