News

The participants of the roundtable "Russia Minus Northern Caucasus?" held on March 21 in Beslan by the association of victims of terror acts "Mothers of Beslan", discussed the socio-economic status of Northern Caucasus, its prospects and the religion as a factor of stabilization or confrontation.

The events around the Crimea will not affect the Karabakh issue, since the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) has more than 20 years ago enjoyed its right to self-determination and created its own state, while in the Crimea Russia is solving its geopolitical problems. This is the opinion of policy-makers and experts in the NKR.

The incident occurred in the Parliament Avenue, in front of the MoD of Azerbaijan. A Baku resident Ali Mukhamed oglu Akhmedov (born in 1972) cut his wrist veins, the APA reports with reference to a source from the Sabail District Police Office.

On Saturday, March 22, Yerevan hosted a rally against pension reforms initiated by the DEM.AM. The action was attended by about 15,000 people, who discussed all the risks associated with the new pension system, and declared that in case the amendments of the pension legislation were found constitutional, acts of civil disobedience would follow.

Vano Merabishvili, the former Interior Minister of Georgia, was interrogated within the case of the death of the former Prime Minister Zurab Zhvaniya. As now explained by a source from the General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) of Georgia, Merabishvili's summon to questioning was the haste with which he, then being the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), announced the reason of Zurab Zhvaniya's death.

Law enforcers killed two suspected members of the armed underground in the village of Plievo, Nazran District of Ingushetia, where on Saturday morning the counterterrorist operation (CTO) regime was introduced, said a source from the local law enforcement bodies.

On March 21, Dagestan held festivities and concerts to mark the Novruz Bayram, symbolizing the beginning of spring. In social networks, debates were launched on whether Muslims should celebrate it.

Another delay of the meeting of Zurab Abashidze with Grigory Karasin indicates that Russian-Georgian talks are in the deadlock, while possible changes in the topics of the talks may be associated with the crisis in Russian-Ukrainian relations and the situation in the Crimea, Georgian political scientists believe.

US General Attorney's Office has found no violations in the actions of the FBI agent who shot dead Ibragim Todashev, a native of Chechnya.

The Azerbaijani oppositional newspaper "Azadlyg" has been decorated with the "Freedom of Expression-2014" Award in the category of "Journalism" by the British human rights organization "Index on Censorship".

The ruling of the Nalchik City Court (NCC) to deport a student named Otkhman Ayal from Russia will be appealed against, said the advocate Mukharbiy Kardanov. The court's ruling is a political one, said Valery Khatazhukov, the Chairman of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic's Human Rights Centre.

During this month, activists of the Youth Network against Racism and Intolerance found in Sochi over 50 drawings and inscriptions with nationalist and racist content – these are the results of the monitoring, dated to the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

The Armenian Government has decided to stop the construction of the hydraulic power plant (HPP) in the Aragatsotn Region on the main water line Aparan-Yerevan, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed at the PR Division of the Ministry of Territorial Management.

In the period from 2010 to the beginning of 2014, the number of victims of the armed conflict in North Caucasus has decreased from 1705 persons in 2010 down to 986 in 2013, which is clearly shown in the infographics prepared by the "Caucasian Knot" based on its own data and information from other open sources.

After a search, law enforcers detained Egish Dadyan, a 26-year-old member of the Muslim community of Pyatigorsk. His relatives assert that they have no information about him for a week. The Stavropol Muftiat is concerned about the fact.

At the demand of the Prosecutor's Office of Chechnya, investigating authorities have resumed the criminal case on the fact of HIV infecting children in a Grozny city hospital in 2010.

In 2013, about 40,000 Russians applied for asylum in industrialized countries. This numbers is 76% more than last year. This was reported by the department of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Russian political analysts believe that joining of Abkhazia and South Ossetia to Russia by "Crimean scenario" is hardly possible. Although citizens of South Ossetia would be glad to join Russia, such a move is not beneficial for Russia at the moment. This was stated by Konstantin Zatulin, President of the Institute of CIS countries.

Move of the leaders of the "Imarat Kavkaz" to Dagestan and appointment of Aliaskhab Kebekov a successor of Doku Umarov proves the deepening split in the ranks of militants. This was stated by Musa Muradov, a correspondent of the publishing house "Kommersant".

According to participants of the City Council meeting, to solve ecological problems, Sochi needs to commission treatment plants, take appropriate measures to clean coastal waters, attract professionals, and conduct explanatory work among the population, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.