News

The trial on the case of death of 24-year-old Vaan Khalafian, which started on July 6 in the general court of Kotaisk district, has been put off till July 15 because the lawyer of Khalafian's legal successor, his uncle Amik Khalafian, failed to attend.

Today, Magomed, the son of a well-know poet and publicist Ali Adallo, has reported to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that his younger brother, thirteen-year-old Gamzat, who lives in Makhachkala, was detained by law enforcement officers on July 5 and is held at the temporary detention center of Botlikh district militia.

Volgograd oblast court has passed a sentence to Alexander Novikov, former head of Volgograd Central district. He is convicted to seven years of imprisonment in a high-security colony.

The RF Accounting Chamber has published a report on checking the use of resources on preparing for the XXI Olympic Games in Vancouver, which notes non-targeted use by the Ministry of Sport and Tourism of resources for Olympic Games in Canada, and also problems in preparing for the Sochi Olympics.

The "Solidarnost" movement has announced today that, on July 9 at 19.00, a "Meeting against state inquisition" is planned to be held in Chistye Prudy near the statue of Griboyedov, in support of Yuri Samodurov, former head of Sakharov public center, and Andrei Yerofeyev, supervisor of the exhibition "Forbidden Art-2006", who are now defendants in the high-profile trial on the exhibition.

The persons who have shot at and exploded the RF MoI transport column today are known and will be found, states the Ingushetia president Yunus-Bek Evkurov.

More than 240 persons, mostly imams and representatives of the elders, are to take part in the conference of Moslems in Ingushetia which is planned for beginning of July. During the event, it is planned adopt new prices for kidnapping brides and buy out of vendetta, reports the republic's Moslems' Spiritual Department.

Scores of people may come under the amnesty for militants in Ingushetia, the draft of which is going to be soon submitted Dmitri Medvedev, reports Kaloi Akhilgov, press secretary of Ingushetia president Yunus-Bek Evkurov.

The term of arrest of Armenian journalist Ernest Vardanian, suspected of espionage and treason, has been extended in Transdniestria by one month more.

Representatives of Yamadaev's clan hope that the trial on the case of murder of Ruslan Yamadaev, former RF State Duma member, which started today in Moscow, will be "fair and open". At the same time, they express bewilderment that the court ostensibly failed to identify the organizers of the crime.

The interrogation of Oleg Orlov, head of human rights center "Memorial" , in connection with accusation under the criminal case of slander of the Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov whom Orlov accused of complicity in the murder of Natalia Estemirova, "Memorial" employee in Grozny, will start on July 6 at 14.30. Details may be found from the "Caucasian Knot".

Dozens of ex-combatants meeting today near the presidential palace demanded that Armenian leader Serge Sargsian should be firm and not yield to any pressure on the issue of settling the Karabakh conflict.

Today, during its first sitting since the renewal of the cabinet of ministers, the Georgian government has approved a plan of actions of the state strategy with regard to the "occupied territories" (Abkhazia and South Ossetia).

The Azeri police in Baku has dispersed today an action of protest by the "Musavat" party which demanded freedom of assembly, provision of democratic parliamentary election to be held in autumn and consideration of Azerbaijan interests at the negotiations on the Karabakh conflict.

Today, police in Baku have again dispersed an action of protest of "Azadlyg" (Freedom) block, which was held with a demand of freedom of assembly, democratic parliamentary elections to be held on November 7 and consideration of Azerbaijan national interests at the negotiations on the Karabakh conflict settlement.

An investigating officer of Sovietski district militia in Makhachkala has beaten Dzhamilia Taghirova, lawyer of Dagestan specialized bar, reports Rasul Kadiev, Dagestan lawyer, to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

On July 4, an exhibition of documentary photos "Rooted out" by Yuri Ivaschenko on the fate of Batumi Kurds and Ezides in Krasnodar Krai is to open in St-Petersburg.

Aslan Chechoev, brother of bee farmer Ghilani Chechoev murdered on June 24, has applied for help to the president of Ingushetia. In his letter, he asks for the persons implicated in the murder to be found and brought to responsibility.

A suspected member of illegal armed units has been killed in Kizliar district of Dagestan, report the republic's law enforcement agencies.

The Russian Orthodox church will continue to render help to residents of South Ossetia, as far as it can, and will send there sisters of mercy. This has been announced by Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, during the July 2 meeting with members of the Board of Trustees of the National Charity Foundation.