News

Today, Sochi has started a three-day celebration of the City Day by opening fairs and exhibitions, and holding concerts and other events. The majority of interviewed citizens have confessed that they are still bewildered with the choice of the date for this relatively new city holiday.

The humanitarian organization named "Social Independent Inspection" has organized help to Pavel Sklyarov, a disabled person; 23 citizens have already helped him with foodstuffs and money. After the start of the action, the authorities have provided him with a special orthopaedic bed and suggested him a new treatment.

The switch to catering by outsourcing in kindergartens will degrade food quality, since the private provider will fail to deliver food on time to all institutions, said protesters in Volgograd. According to their version, this is a threat to children's health. In his turn, the spokesman from the Mayoralty has assured that the control over food quality will not decrease.

The public organization named "Ochag" (Hearth) in Kabardino-Balkaria started selling Circassian calendars for 2017. All the proceeds will go to the creation of the Adaptation Centre of repatriates, and to help compatriots.

The Chechen Muftiate has forbidden local believers to watch the feature movie by Iranian director Majid Majidi about the life of Prophet Muhammad. In their turn, the clergy of Dagestan has favourably reacted to its screening in the republic.

The Armenian-Russian relations are no obstacle to Armenia's cooperation with the NATO, said Jamie Shea, the Assistant to the NATO Deputy Secretary General. Deeper cooperation with NATO will enable Armenia to rely on the guarantee of Turkey's non-interference in the Karabakh conflict, believe the political analysts, interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot".

A recheck of doping assays of hasan Baroev a Greco-Roman style wrestler, and now – the Minister of Sports of North Ossetia, and depriving him of his Olympic medal are an attempt to discredit Russian athletes, the local sporting professionals, interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot", believe.

The international organization named "HALO Trust" has completed a fundraising campaign intended to demine 1.8 hectares in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR). In particular, it is planned to clear from ordnance a land plot belonging to the Vazgenashen community of the Martuni District, and a land plot adjacent to the villages of Myurishen and Adur of the Martuni District, and Arav of the Askeran District.

Members of the garden non-commercial partnership (GNP) "Kommunalnik" and the Sochi Mayor's Office have failed to challenge the decision, according to which the unsanctioned construction in the territory of the GNP was declared legal. The expert opinion about the building states it does not cause any inconveniences for members of the GNP "Kommunalnik".

Thorbjørn Jagland, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe (CoE), has treated the decision to leave the Azerbaijani oppositionist Ilgar Mamedov in custody as disrespect for the European Convention of Human Rights ECHR).

Protesters have demanded from the MPs to amend the labour legislation and reform the education sector. President Giorgi Margvelashvili has called on the "Georgian Dream" to use its constitutional majority to fulfil the party's electoral promises.

Kurman-Ali Baichorov, the Imam of Kislovodsk, sentenced on the charge of drug possession, has served sufficient sentence, and his case is closed. This was announced by the Stavropol Regional Court.

The disappearance in 2013 of Omar Valibagandov, a Makhachkala resident, involved law enforcers, and the investigation into the kidnapping is inefficient. This was stated in a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) by lawyers of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" and the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre (EHRAC).

Officers of the FSB Department for Chechnya have twice requested visits to Zhalaudi Geriev, a sentenced "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. That fact was found out during the court hearing on the appeal field against the journalist's sentence, while the Zhalaudi Geriev's advocates were not notified about the requests from the FSB.

In the case on the murder of the Avetisyan family members in Gyumri, public prosecutor has failed to make efforts to ensure the interests of the Armenian side and the victim party, states a representative of the successors of the Avetisyan family. The court of appeal has refused in disqualification of the public prosecutor.

The Russian Office of the international human rights organization "Amnesty International" (AI) will return to its Moscow office. This was reported by Sergey Nikitin, the head of the AI's Russian Office.

On November 14-15, at meetings in Tbilisi, Russian and Georgian businessmen discussed the option of restoring business relations. Both parties have emphasized mutual benefits of cooperation.

On November 17, Dunja Mijatovic, the OSCE Spokesperson on the Freedom of the Media, urged Azerbaijani authorities to refrain from expanding the criminal liability for defamation and insult, as well as to decriminalize defamation.

Andrei Bocharov, the Governor of the Volgograd Region, has called on law enforcers to find the perpetrators and customers of the attempt on him.

There were no legal grounds for placement of Dagestani Imam Magomednabi Magomedov to a punishment cell of the SIZO (pre-trial prison) No. 1 of Rostov-on-Don, and the punishment was imposed on the Imam with the purpose of putting pressure on him. This was stated by advocate Dagir Khasavov.