News

The majority of the members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom have voted for recognition of the fact of genocide against Armenians and Assyrians in the territory of the Ottoman Turkey.

The Basmanny Court of Moscow has stopped proceedings on the claim of President of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov against the "Novaya Gazeta", as the claimant recalled his.

Today, the Taganka Court of Moscow has found Sergey Hadjikurbanov, earlier acquitted on Anna Politkovskaya's murder case, guilty of extorting 350,000 US dollars and sentenced him to eight years of imprisonment.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports that Elmar Mamedyarov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, has stated that Azerbaijan accepts, in general, the updated version of the "Madrid Document" on Karabakh settlement. This version was presented to Azerbaijan and Armenia by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the countries-co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - US, Russia and France - at the OSCE summit in Athens last December.

In Astrakhan, the Kirov Regional Court has released on bail two employees of the city UVD (Interior Department) suspected of beating a confession out of a citizen. Their four colleagues are under recognizance not to leave.

The high accident rate persists in the roads of Chechnya. In January, the republic saw 20 large road accidents, where ten persons, including two children, were lost. Many residents of the republic believe that the reasons of the complicated situation are in the very system, while the STSI (State Traffic Safety Inspectorate, known in Russia as "GIBDD") needs serious reforming.

Boris Gidaev, a witness in the criminal case about the attack on power agencies of Kabardino-Balkaria, told about the circumstances, known to him, which preceded the possible suicide of Valery Kuchmezov, an employee of law-enforcement bodies, which had to do with the events on October 13, 2005.

A criminal case has been initiated against Armen Sargsyan, former head of the Construction Department of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Armenia on the fact of disclosing the confidential order of Mikael Arutyunyan, former Minister of Defence, about bringing the Armed Forces of Armenia to the state of special alert on the eve of March 1, 2008.

The Yasamal District Prosecutor's Office of Baku has initiated a criminal case based on events on February 13 in the capital of Azerbaijan, when a conflict burst out between the police and a group of believers. The case was opened under Articles 221.3 ("Hooliganism with use of arms or other objects") and 315.2 ("Resistance or violence to power agents") of the Azeri Criminal Code. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports that this was stated in the joint statement of the Central Police Body of Baku and the city's Prosecutor's Office on Monday.

Starting last October till this February, Chechen law enforcers, who fight against excessive tinting of car glasses, revealed 40,000 cars with substandard dark tinting. In the meantime, drivers complain of excessive demands of the STSI (State Traffic Safety Inspectorate) employees.

Khavazh Geroev, an employee of the Security Council of Ingushetia, was heavily wounded in a terror act and hospitalized. His car was blown up by means of a bomb.

As reported by Kaloy Akhilgov, press secretary of President of Ingushetia, on February 11-12, as a result of a special operation aimed to liquidate members of illegal armed formations (IAFs) in the vicinity of Arshty and Datykh villages, Sunzha District of Ingushetia, four local residents were lost and two others received wounds.

National teams of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan take part in the 21st Winter Olympiad in Vancouver, which opened on February 12; and the national team of Russia includes three representatives of the Southern Federal District (SFD).

Today, members of the Georgian organization "Journalists for Freedom of Speech" have handed over a petition to the Embassy of Switzerland in Tbilisi with a request to the government of this country to help Vakhtang Komakhidze, a Georgian journalist to receive political asylum.

In Moscow, on February 12, within the All-Russia Contest of the Union of Journalists of Russia (UJR), a ceremony of rewarding the winners of 2009 was held. The prizes were awarded for best publications, actual picture stories, new television programs, books and journalistic actions. The "Caucasian Knot" became a Laureate of the Prize "For Defence of Interests of Professional Community".

A couple of hours prior to the opening ceremony of Vancouver Olympiad, held on February 12, the Georgian Olympic team suffered a tragic loss: at the morning training session Nodar Kumaritashvili, a sledge racer, crushed himself to death in an accident it was broke to death.

The government of Armenia has approved a bill "On Making Additions in the Law 'On International Treaties'", assuming Armenia's possibility to cancel international treaties prior they come into legal force.

On February 14, Kalmykia will mark the national spring holiday - Tsagan Sar (White Month). Traditionally, celebratory actions and molebens will be held in all the khuruls (monasteries and prayer houses) of the republic.

Residents of Chechnya report that they are demanded to pay tax on their domestic animals. According to their version, officials assert that President of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov has personally ordered to take taxes on domestic cattle and poultry.

In Georgia, over fifty thousand families remain without electricity. On February 12, the cities of Poti and Kutaisi suffered from hurricane, when the wind reached 30 meters per second. Weather forecasters warn that today bad weather will cover the whole country.