News

Armenia lacks political weight to ever win the Eurovision Song Contest, local political analysts believe. In any case, Armenia will never win the first place, because the country is not ready to host this contest, local economists add.

A part of the Elbrus District of Kabardino-Balkaria is under the counterterrorist operation (CTO) regime, a source from the republic's operative headquarters has reported.

The actions of supporters and opponents of the gay parades, held today in front of the Georgian government, have gathered a few hundred people.

Today, Seiran Oganyan, Minister of Defence, is meeting the parents of the deceased regular soldier Lux Stepanyan, who had tried to bring their son's body to Yerevan and take part in the protest action.

As reported by Akhmed Kotiev, Secretary of the Security Council, today the opening of a criminal case against Akhmad Khashiev, in whose house Said-Hussein Atnazov blew himself up, will be decided.

An agreement has been reached with Georgian authorities that in late May relatives of the missing citizens of South Ossetia will meet the General Public Prosecutor of Georgia. This was reported at a meeting in Tskhinvali by Andriy Deschitsa, the OSCE co-chairman of the Geneva discussions on security in Transcaucasia.

Investigators have completed their inquiry into the criminal case opened against Alexander Kuptsov, a resident of Astrakhan, suspected of taking hostages in the Volga-Caspian Fishery College.

On May 17, Ilkin Rustamzade, an activist of the civil movement "Free Youth, was arrested in Azerbaijan by the decision of the Nasimi District Court for two months. Rustamzade is suspected of organizing a dance flash mob.

In total, 37 pupils aged from nine to fifteen and two teachers, who got poisoned by an unknown gas on May 17, are still under supervision of physicians in Grozny. Doctors assess their condition as stable.

On May 17, the Parliament of Georgia adopted a decision to transfer the Georgian troops deployed in Afghanistan from under command of France to the command of the United States.

The Ministry of Education and Sciences of the Russian Federation has allocated – with the aim to support compatriots from Georgia – a total of 92 scholarships for admission of students in the 2013-2014 academic year, Valery Svarchuk, the president of the Union of Russian Compatriots in Georgia "Fatherland", has reported.

On May 18, the International Museum Day, the museums of Nagorno-Karabakh will take part in the annual "Night of Museums" for the first time.

Today, at the court session, the North-Caucasian District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don considered the case against Ali Taziev, one of the leaders of the "Imarat Kavkaz" and questioned Aslanbek Muzhikhoev, a resident of Nazran, a prosecutors' witness.

Today, in Anapa, at the administration of the resort city, a gathering of citizens was held. They expressed their indignation about illegal construction in the territory of the temple complex located in Lenin Street. The gathering was attended by members of the Coordinating Council of Anapa.

Today, during a search of the house belonging to a resident of the Cossack village of Ordzhonikidzevskaya in Ingushetia, a suicide bombing has been committed. Power agents found weapons in the house. This was reported by Akhmed Kotiev, Secretary of the National Security Council. According to his report, close relatives of the detainee were invited to visit the law enforcers for a conversation.

The Tbilisi police should have prevented the collisions that occurred today during a rally in support of sexual minorities. This was stated by Ucha Nanuashvili, Ombudsman of Georgia. According to his opinion, the opponents of the rally were originally in aggressive mood, and that the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) was aware in advance that they would come close to the participants of the rally.

The Supreme Court of Dagestan dismissed the appeal filed by the defence of Gamzat Nurudinov and Shamil Magomedaliev, staff members of the Shamil ROVD (District Interior Division), who were sentenced to two years of conditional imprisonment in the case of beating 14-year-old Makhmud Akhmedov. This was reported by the Human Rights Centre "Memorial".

Gadjimurad Gasanov, a 23-year-old resident of the settlement of Prirechensk of the city of Buynaksk, was kidnapped by armed men in masks when he was leaving the mosque. This was reported by one of the worshipers of the mosque.

Today, Gasan Urdashev, a resident of Buynaksk, who works as boxing trainer, was detained by policemen. This was reported by his brother Gadji. The police investigate the detainee's possible communication with members of illegal armed formations (IAFs). This was reported by a source in the law enforcement bodies.

Makhach Gamzatov, a resident of Buynaksk, who was arrested in Makhachkala on May 15 on charges of aiding and abetting illegal armed formations (IAFs), is not allowed to be visited by an advocate. This was reported by the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial".