News

The police in the capital of Azerbaijan suppressed an action of protest of youth oppositional activists demanding release of political prisoners, in particular, those arrested in connection with the meeting of April, 2, and ensuring freedom of assembly. The action was timed to a visit of European Union Special Representative for Foreign Policy Catherine Ashton to Baku.

Khadjimurat Akkaev, an athlete from Kabardino-Balkaria, won the World Championship in Weightlifting, held in Paris on November 5-13.

Shamil Gasankhanov, a native of Dagestan, acting in the weight category of 74 kg, won a gold medal at World Championship in Combat Sambo, held on November 11-13 in Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital.

Election of South-Ossetian President will, according to preliminary data, need the second round, as none of the 11 candidates won more than half of electors' votes; celebration of Kurban Bayram (Eid al-Fitr), one of the major Muslim holidays; snowfalls hit South of Russia and Transcaucasia and provoke various accidents and other emergencies; defence motion demanding to review the case of former military Arakcheev, convicted for murdering residents of Chechnya, - look these and other events in the Caucasus in the review of the week of November 6-13, 2011, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

Commenting on the presentation of the project of a new city for refugees from Azerbaijan, held in Yerevan, Saro Saryan, Chairman of the NGO of the Nagorno-Karabakh refugees, called it a politically ill-considered step. According to him, refugees will unlikely agree to move once again.

Spartak Gogniev, a football player from the "Krasnodar" FC, who was injured during a match between the youth teams of the "Terek" and the "Krasnodar" FCs in the city of Grozny, declared no more claims against the Chechen club.

One of the persons killed in the city of Kaspiisk was identified as Magomed Djamaev, who led the grouping of Caspian militants. This was reported by the National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC). According to the NAC, Islam Rashidov, the second deceased, was an active member of the grouping.

Today, at the trial on case against three defendants accused of terrorism two witnesses - Nikolai Fedorenko, Assistant Officer on duty of the Lenin OVD (Interior Division) of Rostov-on-Don, and Alexei Bocharov, the operating investigator of the Lenin OVD of Rostov-on-Don. Before court session, relatives and lawyers of the defendants asserted their innocence.

On November 13, in the course of the referendum, 83.99 per cent of citizens voted to declare the Russian language the second official language in South Ossetia. 16.01 per cent voted against the idea.

On November 13 in the village of Shamkhal station of Kirov District of Makhachkala mass detentions of residents were conducted. At least 5 detainees were kept in the building of the OVD (Interior Division) of the village.

On November 14 in Kabardino-Balkaria in the trial of attack on the Baksan hydroelectric power plant (HPP) the defendant Shebzukhov claimed that he had not been involved in the act of sabotage, he had not participated in the attack on law enforcement agents, and that at the preliminary hearing he had given evidence under duress.

The fans were gathered at the unofficial football match between the second combined teams of Russia and Lithuania which passed off on November, 12, in Grozny by enforceable law. This is stated by residents of the town working in government-financed organizations of the republic, students and pupils of general senior school. In spite of this, about half of the tribunes for fans were empty during the match.

According to preliminary information after data handling of 98,84% ballot papers, Head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations Anatoly Bibilov (25,44%) and ex-Minister of Education Alla Jioeva (25,37%) are in the lead at the presidential election in South Ossetia. They will participate in the second round fixed on November, 27. This was reported by Bella Plieva, Head of republican Central Election Committee.

On November, 13, a procession under the slogan "You need not see, you should just look" organized by non-governmental organization "The Need for Public Information and Knowledge" and scientific and cultural organization "Forte" timed to the International Day of the Blind passed off in the capital of Armenia.

The Prosecutor's Office of the Astrakhan Region has revealed violations in the actions of the Volga-Caspian territorial department of the "Rosrybolovstvo" (Russian Federal Fishing Agency) in placing a state order on purchase of a Toyota Land Cruiser car.

Today, the capital of Armenia has launched the Second International Conference on Talysh Studies; the event will last for two days.

It is reported by the press service of the Investigatory Department for the Astrakhan Region of the ICRF (Investigatory Committee of the Russian Federation) that in Astrakhan a lawyer is suspected of a fraud by using his official position and inciting a person to suicide.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Azerbaijan has reported that on November 11, in the area of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the positions of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces were exposed to automatic and machinegun fire.

The Tbilisi Mayoralty is holding an action named "Plan your city budget" with involvement of residents of the Georgian capital. The aim of the action is to define the priorities of the city budget for 2012 with account of residents' opinions.

Levon Barsegyan, the head of the "Asparez" Journalistic Club from the second largest Armenian city of Gyumri, filed a lawsuit to the administrative court demanding to treat the actions of the policemen, who prevented the protest action in the morning on September 21 in downtown Yerevan, as illegitimate.