Today is winter solstice. The winter solstice occurs at the instant when the Sun's position in the sky is at its greatest angular distance on the other side of the equatorial plane from the observers’ hemisphere

One can come across taxis with different names in Yerevan streets. For instance “Khanga,” “Tanta,” “Minutka,” “Taxi jan,” “Mosh,” “Granat,” as well as the names of titles, castles, trees and flowers, marketplaces, etc.

A fire broke out in the village of Kurtan, Lori marz, at 04.40 a.m. A fire fighting team was sent to the scene shortly afterwards.

Violence against women takes different forms in Armenian families starting from isolation to psychological and sexual harassment. Recently, scenes of violence have been accompanied with severe rigour.

Some dairy-producing companies have raised prices for their products before the New Year. “Ashtarak Milk” raised its prices on December 8, while “Marianna” raised prices for sour cream by 10-20 drams a couple of days ago.

Hasmik Daveyan, 46, from the Dastakert settlement of the Syunik Marz came to Yerevan on government session day to organize a protest in front of the government building. Daveyan was waiting silently and patiently until the government officials would come out of the building so that she could ask them for help to save her, as she put it, from hunger.

An alarm was received December 17 at 1:49 p.m. that the resident of the 44th apartment of the building located on 7/2 Komitas avenue of Yerevan wasn’t answering the doorbell for several times and that a rescue team was in need.

Based on results of a survey taken by “A1+”, the majority of Armenian citizens will remember 2008 as the year of the events of March 1.

Armenian fishmongers complain that fish market prices have abruptly gone up in Armenia.

A fire broke out in apartment 14, building 74/1 in David Bek Street, Yerevan, at 5:00 pm, December 16. Two fire-fighting teams were sent to the scene in a short while.

A fire broke out December 15 in the church located in the Aygezard village of the Ararat Marz and left the 10 square meter roof of the church burnt.

Kindergartens nationwide are collecting money from parents. In many districts, kindergartens are still heated with radiators or wood. That is why parents are obliged to make payments and this is the issue facing residents of the Malatia-Sebastia district.

When there is a lack of seasonal vegetables in the market, the tomatoes and cucumbers grown in the greenhouses of Echmiazin sell quickly.

Everyone down with tuberculosis annually contaminates 10-15 people. Numerous people suffer from tuberculosis in Armenia today but they avoid undergoing a course of treatment and simply suffice with in-home treatment.

One of the two benevolent cafeterias in Alaverdi closed its doors on December 1. It is funded by “Mission Armenia” benevolent organization and has been feeding more than a hundred needy people for five years, most of them being pensioners and handicapped.

The snowfall in the Lori Marz on December 10 at 7:50 p.m. caused traffic jams on the Vanadzor-Yerevan highway in Jrashen village. At 7:55 p.m., representatives of the “Road Construction” CJSC of Spitak left for the scene and the cars were removed from the traffic jam with their help.

Lake Sevan is in danger again. The gold-extracting “GeoProMining” company- owner of the Ararat Gold Extraction Company and the Sotk gold mine exploitation concession- plans on moving the gold production unit from Ararat to Sotk.

The mothers and wives of the detainees of March 1 gathered today on one side of the Government building today, while the residents of the alienation zones on the other. RA Premier Tigran Sargsyan had promised to meet with them and discuss their issues. As to when that meeting would take place, the demonstrators don’t know because every time the government says that the prime minister is out of the country.

Drivers in Yerevan start to worry when it starts to get cloudy in the city. They are more worried over the situation in the tunnel of the road junction on Tigran Mets street after the rain.

We receive December 10, International Human Rights Day, with numerous human rights violations taken place during 2008. This year the situation of human rights did not make any progress.

Every human has rights. That is the essence of our humanity. It places on each of us the duty to stand up, not just for our own rights but also for those of others - and to help turn the vision of the UDHR into a reality

One needs at least 40 thousand drams to buy an artificial Christmas tree today. The prices of artificial fir trees have gone up in Armenia.

Investigator of the investigative department of Tumanyan of the Lori Marz investigative department of the RA Police General Investigation Department, Lieutenant Samvel Tandilyan was arrested at the scene of taking a 1,000 dollar bribe through the operative/investigative measures taken by the RA Police and National Security Service officers.

The IT sector in Armenia is rather vulnerable and there is not much room for development.