News

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has found the complaints of two women from Rostov-on-Don on torturous detention conditions at the local pre-trial detention facility (known as SIZO) justified and ruled that Russia should pay out compensation to them in the sum of 50,000 euros.

Overload of the center of Yerevan with high-rise buildings can result in seismic risks because an increase of the number of high-rise buildings in the center of the city in case of an intensive earthquake may cause "domino effect". This was reported to the journalists by Alvaro Antonyan, Director of Seismic Service of Armenia.

Gogita Arkania, resident of Gali district detained on accusation of terrorism, has acknowledged his guilt at the same time accusing Russian major Evgeny Borisov of organizing acts of terror in the territory of Georgia. This was reported by representatives of Georgian Ministry of Interior Affairs.

On December, 7, an assault upon Bakhrom Khamroev, member of Russian "Memorial" Human Rights Center, took place in Moscow.

The investigation has rejected the version that the crash of the Tu-154 of the "Dagestani Airlines" at the Domodedovo Airport on December 4 was caused by low-quality fuel, put into the aircraft fuel tanks at the stay at the Vnukovo Airport. As reported by the Airport, the Transport Department of the Russian ICPO (Investigatory Committee at the Prosecutor's Office) has allowed using the earlier sealed up vessel of fuel for fuelling other aircrafts.

The crash of the aircraft of "Dagestani Airlines" on December 4 is actively discussed on local blogs and forums. Dagestani Internet users note that they would prefer to fly by aircraft of other airlines, but this is not possible.

The pilots of the company deny that the reason for the emergency landing of the Tu-154 aircraft in the Domodedovo Airport on December 4 was the fault of the crew.

Today, in the village of Tatarka, Stavropol Territory, local Cossacks held a rally to protest against deteriorating living standards and problems of the settlement.

Experts in Georgia are actively discussing the arrest of six suspects of the autumn terror acts. According to Mamuka Areshidze, an expert in Caucasian matters, Russian security services are actively using residents of Abkhazia as their scouts in the territory of Georgia. A military expert Irakli Sesiashvili does not exclude that should the suspects' guilt be proved, a diplomatic scandal may burst out between the USA and Russia.

Today, in Pushkin Square, residents of the Astrakhan Region held a picket against the "lawlessness", reigning in the region, as they assert.

A 27-year-old resident of Volgograd has posted in his blog under his nickname Yanissimo in LiveJournal an appeal to Russian President Dmitri Medvedev with complains against the obstacles he faced in treating his little daughter, deeply rooted into the health care system. His story has caused wide public resonance. Yesterday, on December 6, Mr Medvedev read the text of the open appeal.

Seven residents of the Korostin village, Kotovsk District of Volgograd Region, have been detained in Moscow near the building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) for holding an unsanctioned picket. According to the picketers, a similar gang as in Kuschevskaya, sheltered by local militia, operates in their village.

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev has instructed Yuri Chaika, head of the General Prosecutor's Office (GPO), to supervise the investigation into the facts set forth in the video appeal of inspector Ekaterina Rogoza, who stated that investigators of the Kuschevskiy District, Krasnodar Territory, had been forced by their bosses to stop criminal cases.

In Gorodovikovsky district of Kalmykia archaeologists discovered remains of a settlement dating back to 10-11-th centuries AD, i.e. the period of existence of the Polovtsian khanate.

A piquet devoted to the problem of treating unsafe waste products of "Plastcard" public corporation passed off in Krasnoarmeisky district of Volgograd on December, 4. The piquet was organized by Informational Center (IC) "Volgograd-Express" and "Ecology" club with participation of regional unit of "Yabloko" party and representatives of CPRF.

A judge of Kuban district Magistrate's court of Krasnodar discovered violations in the protocols of detention of Suren Gazaryan, one of the leaders of "Ecologic Watch" in Northern Caucasus, and returned the documents to the Department of Interior Affairs of Western district of Krasnodar.

Gabriel Gabrielyan, convicted for participation in the demonstration on March 1, 2008, has been early released today from the penitentiary institution named "Hospital for Convicts".

In Chechnya, the local Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) and the Ministry for Emergencies (MfE) have launched a large-scale prophylactic operation aimed to reduce the risk of fires and other emergencies in the days of the New Year celebrations.

Today, Georgia will start the 11th Tbilisi International Film Festival. In December 6-12, in total about 100 films will be screened, represented by 19 countries, including Poland, Britain, Russia, Germany, Turkey, etc.

On December 4, unidentified criminals stole Levitan's painting named "Burlaki" (Barge Haulers) with estimated value of 100,000 US dollars from the P. Gamzatova Dagestan Museum of Fine Arts in Makhachkala.