20:30 • 29.07.12

Syria’s consul to Armenia states about joining opposition

On July 28 Syrian ambassador to Belarus Farouk Tahan also stated about joining the opposition. Earlier Syrian ambassadors to Cyprus, United Arab Emirates and Iraq stated about it...

 

20:14 • 29.07.12

Assad forces pound Aleppo, declare Damascus victory

Assad's forces have struggled as never before to maintain their grip on the country over the past two weeks after a major rebel advance into the two largest cities...

 

19:34 • 29.07.12

Lebanon’s Arin dance ensemble wraps up its tour in Armenia

While being in Armenia for few days, the ensemble managed to visit the main historic sites of the country, which though, according to Gayane Manukian is not enough...

 

18:40 • 29.07.12

Marilyn Monroe had lesbian affair with 16-year-old girl, reveals new book

The 1950s blonde bombshell not only allegedly admitted to encounters with movie stars such as Joan Crawford, Barbara Stanwyck, Marlene Dietrich and Elizabeth Taylor...

 

17:25 • 29.07.12

Oxford University rewrites gender dress code

Under the old laws on academic clothing - known as subfusc - male students were required to wear a dark suit and socks, black shoes, a white bow tie and a plain white shirt...

 

17:05 • 29.07.12

Damascus committed to implement Annan peace plan: Syrian FM

At a press conference with his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi, he added in response to a question on possible talks between the Syrian government and the opposition groups...

 

16:40 • 29.07.12

Olympic gatecrasher: Woman was cast member says Seb Coe

She was a cast member who got "slightly over-excited", he told journalists at the daily Olympic news conference...

 

16:17 • 29.07.12

Helicopters, artillery fire over Syria's Aleppo

Opposition activists reported clashes in several rebel-held districts in the morning in what could herald the start of a decisive phase in the battle for Aleppo, Syria's commercial hub...

 

15:43 • 29.07.12

London 2012: Armenian judo fighter defeated by Polish rival

The Armenian judo fighters completed their performances in London Olympics...

 

15:42 • 29.07.12

Armenian churches lack good paintings of Mother Mary, painter alarms

“It is like having a mine but not be able to use it in a right way. It is necessary to present our work to the world on a tray which needs applying special mechanisms,” he said...

 

14:40 • 29.07.12

London 2012: Armenian judo fighter enters 1/8 final

In 1/8 the Armenian sportsman will compete with Polish Pavel Zagrodnik...

 

14:27 • 29.07.12

Syria foreign minister to hold Iran talks: report

It comes as Syrian troops battle rebels in Syria's second city of Aleppo in an offensive that world powers fear could result in heavy civilian casualties and spark a humanitarian disaster...

 

14:15 • 29.07.12

Ani Sargsyan was a talented actress with far going plans, director says

“Though she played small roles she had still a long way to pass if not this terrible end,” Gasparyan said, stressing that despite the disease she continued playing in the theatre...

 

13:30 • 29.07.12

Ryan Lochte wins medley gold as Michael Phelps finishes fourth

Phelps, the greatest all-round swimmer his sport has seen and gold medallist in both Athens and Beijing, was left without even a bronze...

 

13:10 • 29.07.12

Mecedes car, apartment to be gifted to ethnic Armenian judoist

“The victory of our compatriot is the victory of Judo Federation of our region which has brought up an Olympic champion...

 

12:50 • 29.07.12

Indian contingent fumes at presence of mystery woman in red

The woman of unknown origin brazenly gate crashed the party, raising security concerns and adding to the anger over India's blink-and-miss appearance on global TV screens...

 

12:09 • 29.07.12

Annan fears "imminent battle" in Syria's Aleppo

"I am concerned about reports of the concentration of troops and heavy weapons around Aleppo, in anticipation of an imminent battle," Annan said in a statement...

 

12:00 • 29.07.12

Armenian opposition unlikely to have united presidential candidate, pollster says

“Our prior issue is to decide how the parliamentary elections reformed the electorate, learn their preferences, issues, etc,” he said...

 

11:20 • 29.07.12

Syria: Opposition in call to arm rebel fighters

Sayda said that the "Yemeni example" in which President Ali Abdullah Saleh was granted amnesty in return for stepping down "can't be applied in Syria"...

 

10:43 • 29.07.12

Mitt Romney visits Israel to vow closer ties

Mr Romney will meet Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who is a personal friend of Mr Romney's, and President Shimon Peres...

 

10:30 • 29.07.12

Floods in North Korea 'killed 88 people in July'

South Pyongyang province suffered the biggest loss of life. More than 30,000 hectares of land have been submerged...

 

10:06 • 29.07.12

Romanians vote on impeachment of president

The centre-left government accuses Mr Basescu of exceeding his authority and of meddling in government affairs. Mr Basescu denies the accusations and has urged a boycott of Sunday's referendum...

 

Armenia

Armenia without Armenians is what Russia wishes, says expert
“The Armenians have never needed a third power to rely on, and they always had a victory ... We have always managed to solve our problems when left to ourselves ...

Your generation’s success is our enthusiasm, says Yerevan mayor
In his address, Taron Margaryan encourages the school-leavers to always remember the feats of the triumphant generation and uphold ...

Region

Azerbaijan plans purchase of Ukrainian radars
The Ukrainian representatives have offered Azerbaijan the updated version of the radars ...

Armenian churches in Turkey turn into ruins
Binguli’s historic establishments are being eliminated one by one. Hundreds of buildings of the region have remained alone against nature disasters and robbers...

Press digest

Haykakan Zhamanak: Return of liberated territories against recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh independence unacceptable
The paper says the Karabakh PM doubted the ongoing negotiations and stated that the participation of the Nagorno-Karabakh leadership in the negotiations is senseless...

168 Zham: Moscow’s second message
“In his congratulatory message, the president of each country considered it his duty to mention the cost of Serzh Sargsyan’s legitimacy…”

World

Syria crisis: Government 'to attend Geneva conference'
Its foreign ministry said the Syrian government would participate "in order for Syrians themselves to find a political path to a solution"...

Russian top social network blacklisted
The ban on VKontakte follows more than a month of pressure on the company and its founder, Pavel Durov, who has drawn comparisons with Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg ...

Business

Procter & Gamble returns ex-chief
In a surprise move, P&G said on Thursday that former CEO A.G. Lafley, a 33-year industry veteran, is returning to the US company's helm ...

Germany reports sluggish first-quarter growth of 0.1%
Gross domestic product rose 0.1% from the previous quarter, but contracted 1.4% compared with a year earlier. The figure showed the economy narrowly avoided falling into a recession...

Event

Heathrow Airport runways closed for emergency landing
All passengers and crew were "safely evacuated" from the plane following the incident at about 09:00 BST...

Internet speed rating: Armenia ranked 79th
Armenia has been ranked the 79th with 7.23 Mbps. Russia is the 26th with 19.15 Mbps, Georgia the 52d with 12.18 Mbps, Turkey the 68th with 8.17 Mbps, Azerbaijan the 119th with 4.06 Mbps...

Science/tech

The final moments of Richard IIIs burial revealed: King was squashed into tiny grave with his hands still tied by gravediggers '
The last Plantagent king’s remains were unearthed under a car park in Leicester in August 2012 - 527 years after his death at the Battle of Bosworth...

Google acquires kite-power generator
The deal comes as Makani carries out the first fully autonomous flights of robot kites bearing its power-generating propellers. Google has not said how much it paid to acquire Makani ...

Culture

First edition of Great Gatsby to be auctioned
"The book is now almost universally recognized as standing among the great achievements of 20th-century American literature with the tragic story of Jay Gatsby, and ...

Tolkien's "The Fall of Arthur" poem published 40 years after his death
On May 21, a previously unknown poem by "Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" authorJ.R.R. Tolkien reached eager readers at last...

Sports

Europa League winners could earn Champions League place
Uefa will announce on Friday whether the Europa League winners will be rewarded with a Champions League qualifying spot from 2016...

Eddie Ahern and Neil Clement receive lengthy BHA bans
Ahern was found guilty of conspiring to commit a corrupt or fraudulent practice, intentionally failing to ensure a horse was ridden on its merits and of passing information for reward...

Lifestyle

Microsoft mocks Apple in New Ad (video)
The new ad for Windows 8 is called “Less talking, more doing” and it makes fun of Siri, who is rendered useless ...

PSY look-alike fools Cannes
The paparazzi were similarly fooled:FilmMagic, a division of Getty Images dedicated to "global celebrity sightings ...