News

Today in Tbilisi, activists of Georgian non-governmental organizations have organized a protest against participation of Russian journalists and experts in a press conference on the situation in Georgia after the parliamentary elections.

Today in Moscow, the first round has been completed of negotiations on resumption of supplies of wines and mineral water from Georgia to Russia.

Today, former political prisoners, released under the law "On Amnesty", met in Georgia and adopted an appeal to the parliament with a number of demands, including creation of a torture museum in Tbilisi in the place of the current prison.

Today in Yerevan, a group of dentists has held a protest action against the amendments made in the tax legislation in December 2012.

Resignation of Magomedsalam Magomedov from the post of the head of Dagestan and formation of a new team by the acting head of the republic Ramazan Abdulatipov; attempt on Paruir Airikyan, a presidential candidate in Armenia and a possible, in this context, delay of the presidential election, celebrations in Volgograd in honour of the 70th anniversary of the victory in Stalingrad Battle and temporary renaming of the city; resignation of Ruslan Tambiev, Mayor of the capital of Karachay-Cherkessia, – look these and other events in the Caucasus in the review of the week of January 28-February 3, 2013, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

On February 4, Tbilisi opened free-of-charge courses of the Russian language and history. According to Archil Chkoidze, the chairman of the NGO "Irakli II Society", at present, the number of those who wish to study the Russian language in Georgia has increased dramatically.

The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has reported that all the six criminal authorities, who were released after adoption of the law "On Amnesty" and had no right to stay in the territory of Georgia, have left the country.

An action named "Funeral of Akram Aylisli's book" was held in Baku by more than 50 young activists of the ruling party "Yeni Azerbaijan", who accused the author of the novel of anti-Azerbaijani sentiments.

On January 31, the Telavi City Court ruled to release Georgy Sibashvili, the former first deputy of the governor of Kakheti (Eastern Georgia), on bail.

An improvised explosive device (IED) went off near the car of a border guard as he stepped out of the cafe.

The three young people detained today in Volgograd during picketing at celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad and Putin's arrival were released from the police.

Vardan Avakyan, 22, a conscript of the Armed Forces of Armenia, was found dead, said the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Armenia.

After meeting officials of the regional administration, the initiative group of residents of the city of Zverevo, Rostov Region, decided to postpone their hunger strike, which was scheduled because of unsolved problems with inflated tariffs on housing and communal services and absence of ration coal.

The supposed militant who was blocked in the Dagestani village of Gurik, Tabasaran District, opened fire at the police and broke out of the encirclement.

The authorities of Dagestan are investigating the circumstances of kidnapping and killing of a policeman from Chechnya.

The district centre of Imishli in Azerbaijan has hosted protest actions of local residents. They were attended by employees of public utilities, who demanded to eliminate wage debts, and district residents affected during the 2010 flood

On January 31 in Tbilisi, the students' movement "Laboratory 1918" held an action "Housing to all!" Currently, about 40 families live in the former school No. 68; they have no other shelter.

Relatives of the two residents of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR), who had been kidnapped, according to their relatives, by local power agents, have held a rally demanding to take action to find them.

At night on January 31, in Derbent, unidentified persons blew up the car of a local policeman – the man was not hurt.

The Volgograd City Duma has decided that on the days, dedicated to military history and related defence of the city during World War II, the name of the city will be "Hero City of Stalingrad".