News

January 03, 2009 16:12

• President of Georgia pardons 246 prisoners

  On December 31, 2008, President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili signed a decree on releasing 246 prisoners.

January 03, 2009 15:00

• Russian President signs the law on land alienation in Sochi

  Today, President of Russia Dmitri Medvedev has signed the Federal Law "On Making Changes in Some Legal Acts of the Russian Federation", which defines the order of alienation of land for construction of Olympic objects in Sochi. In particular, the Law stipulates a possibility not to alienate land plots from the owners for constructing Olympic objects, but to lease them for restricted usage.

January 03, 2009 14:00

• In 2008, Armenia was visited by 600,000 tourists

  Last year Armenia received about 600,000 tourists. It is by 20 percent more than in 2006, as reported by Mekhak Apresyan, head of the Department for Tourism of the Ministry of Economy of Armenia.

January 03, 2009 13:09

• In Georgia, Ombudsman accuses MIA head of criminal acts

  In Georgia, Ombudsman Sozar Subari, while speaking on December 30 at the extraordinary sitting of the parliament, made a statement that before the dispersal of the rally in November 2007 the heads of the power ministries of Georgia had a secret meeting in the study of Vano Merabishvili, Minister of Internal Affairs, where they had planned their actions on dispersal of the protesters.

January 03, 2009 12:00

• Dry-cargo ship with crew of Azerbaijanis and Georgians receives a hull breach in Black Sea

  Today in the morning, a dry-cargo ship "Kardelia" flying the flag of Cambodia and sailing to Georgia with three thousand tons of wheat was damaged near the Black Sea port Kavkaz in the Krasnodar Territory. 12 citizens of Azerbaijan and Georgia are onboard the ship.

January 03, 2009 11:00

• Year 2008: friends and foes in Russia

  In 2008 in Russia, at least 87 murders were committed on motives of interethnic enmity and at least 378 persons were wounded as a result of racist attacks. These are preliminary figures of the "Sova" Information and Analytical Centre, which, in the opinion of the authors, will surely increase.

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January 03, 2009 09:00

• Baku: group of Moslems protests against Israelis' actions in Gaza Strip

  On January 2, about 40 persons rallied near the Israeli Embassy in Azerbaijan to voice their protest against Israel's actions of in Gaza Strip.

January 03, 2009 08:00

• In Ingushetia, two persons wounded by shelling of Magas and explosion in Karabulak

  On January 2 at about 8:00 p.m. Moscow time a military was wounded in shelling of a security post at the building of the FSB Department for Ingushetia in Magas; and about 6:00 p.m. Moscow time in the city of Karabulak near a multi-flat house, an small-power explosive blew up, as a result of which an occasional passer-by was wounded.

December 30, 2008 23:00

• Ecologists claim that a presidential residence is under construction in Utrish

  Ecologists claim that many highly placed functionaries in Krasnodar krai are sure that "president himself" keeps the track of construction of the Sukko-Utrish highway on the territory of the resort town Anapa. The functionaries make a conclusion that the "project is going to be implemented in any case, whatever the protests of the community".

December 30, 2008 22:00

• Court of Armenia extends the custody of Atspanian who is on hunger strike

  Today the first instance court of the communities Kentron-Nork-Marash in Armenia, chaired by judge Gayane Karakhanian, has granted the application of the investigation agency to extend the custody of Sarkis Atspanian, citizen of France who took part in the Karabakh war, by two more months.

December 30, 2008 22:00

• Georgia applies to "Memorial" with a request to locate a captured soldier

  Mamuka Areshidze, director of the "Caucasian Strategic Studies Center", has handed to the "Memorial" organization the request of Georgian authorities to locate captured soldier Sergo Melia.

December 30, 2008 22:00

• Georgian Laborites start impeachment procedure against Mikhail Saakashvili

  The Georgian Labor Party has started to collect signatures for impeaching Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili. Shalva Natelashvili, leader of Laborites, stated at the December 29 press-conference that the parliamentary group of the party had started the procedures necessary for impeaching Saakashvili.

December 30, 2008 21:00

• Kungaev's lawyer protests against release of Budanov

  Sviatoslav Markelov, lawyer of Elza Kungaeva's family, has protested against the court ruling to release Yuri Budanov from prison before term. He has sent a complaint to Viacheskav Lebedev, chair of the Russia's Supreme Court, reports the administration of the Chechen Ombudsman to "Interfax".

December 30, 2008 19:00

• Chechens suspected of attempting Kadyrov's life accused of forging their diplomas

  The only charge count recognized by Ruslan Musaev, a suspect on the case of preparing an attempt to murder Ramzan Kadyrov, president of Chechnya, is forgery of a university diploma. This has been reported to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Shamil Arifulov, Musaev's lawyer.

December 30, 2008 18:00

• Broadcasting of Western radio stations to be stopped in Azerbaijan

  Broadcasting of the radio stations "Liberty", the "Voice of America" and the BBC on the local frequencies will be stopped from January 1, 2009. This decision has been taken today at the meeting of the National TV and Radio Council (NTRC) of Azerbaijan.

December 29, 2008 23:00

• Court in Kalmykia supports journalist

  On December 25, the Supreme Court of Kalmykia granted the cassation appeal of Semen Ateyev, journalist of the newspaper "Sovietskaya Kalmykia Segodnia", with regard to protection of honor and dignity.

December 29, 2008 23:00

• Administration of Nalchik pre-trial prison refutes information on harassment of prisoners from Ingushetia

  Aivar Bolov, deputy chief of RF department of execution of punishments for Kabardino-Balkaria, has categorically refuted information that prisoners from Ingushetia held in Nalchik pre-trial prison are harassed by the prison administration and are periodically placed to the punishment cell.

December 29, 2008 22:00

• Committee to Protect Journalists: threats against investigation in Karachaevo-Circassia are unacceptable

  The Committee to Protect the Rights of Journalists has called on the Russian authorities to conduct a fair investigation of the attack on Zhanna Akbasheva in Karachaevo-Circassia.

December 29, 2008 22:00

• Miners who retired on pension in the town of Zverevo, Rostov region, filed law suit in the European Court on Human Rights

  84 residents of Zverevo, Rostov region, sent their applications to the European Court on Human Rights. This was reported to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Valeri Diakonov, deputy of the Zverevo town Duma, one of the organizers of the protests by pensioner miners.

December 29, 2008 22:00

• Defense claims the person charged with the murder of Politkovskaya has an alibi

  Today, during the session of Moscow military district court which was considering the case of murder of Anna Politkovskaya, columnist of the "Novaya Gazeta" newspaper, the defense lawyers of defendant Sergei Khudzhikurbanov has presented a proof that he was not at the spot on the day of the murder.