00:00Voting is underway in Armenia in a decisive parliamentary election that will shape the
00:05future of the South Caucasus' country and the entire region. The voters are choosing
00:10between re-electing incumbent Nikol Pashinyan and his centrist civil contract party and a
00:15fragmented pro-Russian opposition openly supported by the Kremlin. Russian-Armenian
00:20billionaire Sambel Karapetyan, running while on house arrest, is leading the strong Armenia
00:26opposition party, while former President Robert Kosharyan, who also ran a pro-Moscow campaign,
00:32is leading the Armenia alliance. Early polls predict a sweeping victory for Pashinyan,
00:38who is projected to receive 60% of the votes, while no opposition group is predicted to rise above 12%.
00:45Both the United States and the European Union endorsed Pashinyan's re-election bid,
00:49as he cautiously but surely introduced a pro-Western re-orientation of Armenian foreign policy.
00:55The shift came after Pashinyan secured a historic peace deal with neighbors Azerbaijan,
01:01setting his nation of some three million people on a collision course with Russia.
01:05Pashinyan says he will continue what he called an upwards trajectory for his country,
01:10stressing that there is, quote, no need to pass bleeding wounds from generation to generation.
01:152.4 million Armenians are eligible to vote,
01:18and results are expected late on Sunday night and into the early hours of Monday.
01:25Pashinyan says he will continue to vote, and he will continue to vote, and he will continue to
01:29vote. The vote comes amid mounting frustration over a prolonged political deadlock after lawmakers
01:37failed to agree on a new president earlier this year. The crisis dates back to February 2025,
01:43when an inconclusive election triggered more than a year of political stalemate,
01:46repeated failed votes, and successive snap polls. Prime Minister Albin Corti's Veteven Dossier party
01:52won previous elections but has struggled to secure enough support to stabilize governing institutions.
01:58Experts warn the latest ballot is unlikely to break the impasse,
02:01with deep divisions between parties still unresolved. Many voters say they feel disillusioned,
02:06expecting little change despite returning to the polls once again. The ongoing crisis is also
02:11weighing on daily life, with rising living costs hitting one of Europe's poorest economies.
02:16And the instability is being closely watched in Brussels, where Kosovo's repeated political
02:20deadlocks are seen as another setback for its EU accession ambitions and broader Western Balkan
02:25stability. Kosovo remains a potential candidate for EU membership, but internal paralysis risks
02:31slowing already stalled enlargement momentum in the region. An Israeli man opened fire at several towns
02:41in central Israel on Sunday, killing one person and injuring five others before being shot and killed by
02:47police. Israeli officials say all those who were injured have been transferred to hospitals to receive
02:53medical treatment. Police say the attacker was of Palestinian ethnicity but holds Israeli citizenship,
02:59and stressed that investigations are ongoing to determine the motives. Israeli media say the
03:06man carried out the shootings from inside his car, allowing him to reach several areas in a matter of
03:11minutes. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the incident as a terrorist attack and praised
03:17his country's agencies for quickly responding to and neutralizing the threat.
03:24The public open-air mass held in Madrid's Plaza de Sibeles, right outside City Hall, drew a crowd of
03:31around 1.5 million people according to official figures. As he made his way through the capital,
03:36Leo XIV blessed babies along the way. Many were surprised to see Queen Letizia dressed in white,
03:43but this is a privilege reserved for Catholic queens. In his homily, Leo XIV reminded the faithful that Corpus
03:49Christi is a return to the roots of the faith, renewing love and fidelity to God.
03:54Entre las autoridades presentes estaban los reyes Felipe VI y Letizia. En su homilía ha querido poner
03:59en valor las raíces de la fe y ha encomendado a España que su religiosidad no sea un museo del
04:04pasado, sino una escuela de la que beber en el futuro. Tras 15 años, España se ha vuelto a engalanar
04:09para recibir a un santo pontífice. Ha desplegado un dispositivo de seguridad nunca antes visto en la
04:15historia del país con unos 15.000 efectivos desplegados y más de 5.000 periodistas
04:20acreditados que acompañarán al Papa en su visita a España. María Muñoz Morillo, en Madrid, para Euronews.
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