A 15m column dedicated to the victims of the 7 Dec 1988 devastating earthquake has been erected in the area of the incomplete Spitak Memorial Complex.  The initiator of the project of creation of the memorial complex in the town of Spitak, which was completely ruined a quarter of a century ago, is Prof. Norayr Muradyan, Doctor of Economics, the former head of the Spitak region of Armenia and currently a Russian entrepreneur. Muradyan has set himself a goal to implement the project of construction of the Spitak Memorial Complex, which was approved by official structures as early as in the late 1980s.

The police have exposed a child molester, who acted in social networks and worked in children's cafes.

Spokesman of Armenia's Defense Minister Artush Hovhannisyan has urged parents to refrain from illegal actions during the winter conscription.

The OSCE/ODIHR recommends the Government of Armenia measures to improve people's confidence in elections, Nicola Schmidt, Deputy Head of the ODIHR Elections Department, told journalists after a workshop on electoral improvements held in Yerevan on Thursday for political and public figures.

 Foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan Edward Nalbnadyan and Elmar Mammadyarov have met in Kyiv to discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh problem.

During today's session  of the Armenian National Assembly, Tigran Urikhanyan, MP from the  Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) Faction, asked the members of the  Government whether anyone of them had made voluntary pension  contributions if they found the compulsory pension contribution  system so attractive.  

Urikhanyan's question was left without response because the session  time came to an end. Nevertheless, Vice Speaker of Armenian  Parliament, Spokesman for the ruling Republican Party of Armenia  Eduard Sharmazanov decided to answer the question of Urikhanyan who  comes out against the pension reforms. Sharmazanov reminded the PAP  member of the fact that in December 2010 the MPs of the PAP Faction,  who were "sitting on the right" of Sharmazanov then, unanimously  voted for the bill on compulsory pension contribution system.  Consequently, Sharmazanov said, the PAP's protest is absolutely  irrelevant

Over the past three years Ameria Group financed treatment of over 50 children. Auctions have repeatedly been held to raise the relevant funds. During today's  press conference, Tigran Jrbashyan, Development Director of Ameria Group, presented the results of the 11 Dec 2012 auction. 

The document prepared by the Armenian National Congress parliamentary faction about corruption in the government based on research of such organizations like the WB, IMF, Transparency International and Gallup International, shows that corruption in Armenia is of a systemized nature, the head of the ANC parliamentary faction, Levon Zurabyan, said in the parliament today. 

 Hundreds of Armenian citizens went into the streets on Wednesday to express their protest against the law on compulsory accumulative pension system.

 Parliament of Armenia passed amendments to the Law On State Pensions in the first reading, Thursday.

 At its today's session, the Armenian parliament voted on a bill to postpone for a year the introduction of mandatory accumulative pension. The results of the voting showed 46 MPs voted "against" and 54 "for" the initiative (66 votes for were necessary).

 Armenians in Syria persecuted by Islamic rebels have to leave the country, writes Robert Fisk, the Independent correspondent in his item "Nearly a century after the Armenian genocide, these people are still being slaughtered in Syria."

 Armenian wines of "Maran" company picked up gold medals at the XVII International Professional Wine Testing Contest of Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin (OIV) - white dry wine "Noravank" and red dry wine "Bagratuni",  director of the "Maran" company, chairman of the Union of Armenian Wine Makers, Avag Harutyunmyan, told Arminfo correspondent.  

 Here is a part of the confidential report by Amb. Marie L. Yovanovitch, titled: "Experience Engaging Diaspora Communities - Armenia",- Harut Sassounian, Publisher of the California Courier reported. 

 Russian gas tariff will not change for the Armenian consumers, Head of the President's Administration Vigen Sargsyan told reporters.  According to Sargsyan, the agreements signed in the course of Vladimir Putin's visit to Armenia on 2 December will allow Armenia not to increase the tariff for consumers for 5 years. Meanwhile, the head of the Republican Party of Armenia Faction in the Parliament assured reporters a day ago that following the sale of ArmRusgasprom's 20% shares to Russia, the gas tariffs for the population would be reduced. 

 Russia may use Nagorno- Karabakh as a bait to draw Azerbaijan into the Customs Union, Secretary of Heritage Party Stepan Safaryan told journalists on Wednesday.

 The Office of the Human Rights Defender has joined the group of activists protesting against the compulsory accumulative pension system in Armenia.

The territorial claims of Baku to Iran are unfounded, as Azerbaijan was created in 1918, Ambassador of Iran to Armenia, Mohammad Reisi, said at today's press-conference in Yerevan.

The European Union will wait for the results of the inquiry into the Dec 2 events in Yerevan, Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia Traian Hristea told journalists on Tuesday.

Iranian gas supplies to Armenia depend on the Armenian authorities' will only, Iran's Ambassador to Armenia Mohammad Reisi said at a press conference in Yerevan.