News

According to the studies made by the international NGO named "Transparency International", the index of Georgia's budget transparency made 55 points, while in 2006 this same index was still lower - only 34 points. Georgia, along with Russia, which gained 60 points, got into the second category of countries, which "provide some information".

Nikol Pashinyan, editor-in-chief of the opposition newspaper "Aikakan Zhamanak", convicted in connection with the post-election events of 2008, is judicially challenging his sentence, arguing that it should be revised. The first hearing of the case was held on November 16 at the penitentiary establishment "Kosh", which was chaired by Judge Suren Mnoyan.

Sergey Tsapok, suspected of organizing the murder of 12 people in the village of Kuschevskaya, Krasnodar Territory, was put behind bars by decision of the Essentuki City Court.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin promised safety to journalist Manana Aslamazyan, Director of the "Internews-Armenia", who had left Russia. This was stated today by Eduard Sagalaev, President of the National Association of Broadcasters, at the awarding Ms Aslamazyan with the "TAFI-2010" Award.

Georgia has favourably perceived the resolution of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (PA), adopted on November 16 in Warsaw, which supports the Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Some experts and politicians expect that the document will be followed by real actions aimed to change the situation in the region, others are doubtful.

As reported today by the press service of the local Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), the resident who committed arson of a store in the city of Chegem was detained.

On November 15 in Helsinki, Finland, Kokoteatteri Theatre hosted a press conference on the occasion of publication of the book "The Colour of War" in the Finnish language. The book was written by Arkady Babchenko, a journalist of the "Novaya Gazeta" and a veteran of the warfare in Chechnya.

In North Ossetia, members of the organization named "Beslan Mothers" assert that the repairs made in the Beslan School No. 1 will completely hide the traces of the terror act committed there in September 2004.

The GUVD (Chief Interior Department) for the Stavropol Territory reports about suppression of a mass brawl in Stavropol that was near to burst out between groups of recruited builders from Turkmenistan and Armenia.

The militia of St Petersburg is searching the unidentified assailants who attacked on November 11 the local historian and publicist Igor Pykhalov, who wrote about deportation of Caucasian nations.

A gas explosion happened in the cafe named "Obzhorka", located at intersection of Mira and Kommunarov Streets in Krasnodar. Two women were hospitalized with burns; the building was damaged.

Today, the Prosecutor's Office of Georgia has announced disclosure of a "big corruption scheme" in the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and detention of a number of ministerial officials.

The case of kidnapping Garry Jopua has still remained undetected, Shota Utiashvili, head of Informational and Analytic Department of Georgian Ministry of Interior Affairs, said.

Today the population of Chechnya like the whole Moslem world started celebrating the holiday of sacrificial offering Kurban Bairam (Id-al-Adkh). From the early morning the Moslem believers gathered in the mosques for festive prayer after which the ceremony of sacrificial offering traditionally starts.

The party of Tsotne Gamsakhurdia's defense declared they would appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in connection with unlawful prolongation of the terms of trial on his cases by the Municipal court of Tbilisi.

On November, 15, two officers of law enforcement bodies of Chechen Republic got wounded as a result of an explosion of a mine in Kazbek district of Dagestan, a source in the Ministry of Interior Affairs reported.

According to regional authorities, today in the Rostov Region more than 80 percent of high-rise buildings under construction are funded by shareholders. In some cases, they fall into the category of deceived shareholders and start fighting for rights to own apartments. According to activists, there's little success in this fight; while the government, while dealing with the problem, not always involves victims in the process.

An explosion was triggered today in the morning in the Volgograd Region in the field of an agricultural enterprise in the vicinity of the village of Karpovka, which resulted in two deaths; two more persons with injuries were taken to hospital.

Today, in the House of Journalists, friends of the "Committee of January 19" will hold an action intended to invite the visitors of the festival "Profession: Journalist" to the show of the alternative documentary dedicated to Anastasia Baburova, a journalist who was shot dead on January 19, 2009, together with lawyer Stanislav Markelov.

The Supreme Court of South Ossetia has completed consideration of the case, initiated against Teimuraz Dzherapov, former minister of economy of the government of South Ossetian in exile (temporary administration of the republic formed in Tbilisi).