News

Today, Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, was the venue of a youth protest action in defence of the rights of Elmin Badalov, a student of the Azerbaijani State Oil Academy (ASOA), who was dismissed from the higher school after his publication in the press of an article about corruption in the academy. Bosses of the ASOA assert that the young man was dismissed for poor progress in training.

Activists of some NGOs have stated that checks of passports conducted by law enforcers during night hours are roughest violations of the law. This was their comment on power agents' actions in the settlement Mayakovsky, Staropromyslovskiy District. The militia, in its turn, reports that no complaints arrived from the local population.

Russia calls the Supreme Commissioner of the United Nations on Human Rights to classify the report about secret detention centres, which criticizes Russia for its prisons in the Caucasus. Vladimir Zheglov, Russia's representative, called the report "confrontational" and stated that the document should be removed from the UN's official website, where it was placed last month.

Residents of the city of Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, report about two explosions, which happened, when the delegation of the UK Parliament, headed by Lord by Frank Judd was visiting the republic. However, local law enforcement bodies assert that there were no accidents in Grozny during these days.

Galib Muvlanov, 24, a resident of Dagestan, who disappeared nine months ago in Makhachkala, is in the local SIZO (pre-trial isolation facility). According to his advocate, the preliminary investigation is over. Muvlanov is accused of encroaching on the life of law enforcers and illegal storage and manufacture of explosives.

The data about the number of today's explosions in Nazran differs. Local residents told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent about six, not two, explosions. According to the latest information, 35 persons suffered.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of the Republic of Abkhazia has expressed its serious concern of the speech of President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili at the Royal Institute of International Relations in London, where he reconfirmed the intention of the Georgian party to solve the Georgian-Abkhazian and Georgian-Ossetian conflicts by force of arms.

In the period from February 25 to March 1, the Don State Public Library of Rostov-on-Don will host a charitable action of the International Festival of Human Rights Films "Stalker". The organizers of the action are the Moscow Guild of Theatre and Cinema Actors, Rostov Regional Branch of the Union of Journalists of Russia, supported by the European Union. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent learnt about it on February 18 from Igor Stepanov, General Producer of the Festival and a member of the Union of Cinematographers of Russia.

The presidency in the European Union (EU), which is now carried out by Spain, is worried of the situation in Azerbaijan, where "journalists and other persons, who implemented their right to freedom of self-expression, were convicted on doubtful motives." This is said in the EU's statement that arrived to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent from the representative office of the European Commission in Baku.

Yesterday and today the Republic's Central Infectious Hospital of Makhachkala received 79 children - aged from newborns to 6 years - with the diagnosis of acute intestinal disease. Under preliminary data, the outbreak could be caused by recent failures of potable water supplies by the pumping station.

Residents of Sochi refuse to work as attendants in hotels and restaurants built in the city for the Olympiad-2014. In the opinion of townspeople, for the period of the Olympic Games it is better to invite workers from other regions and countries, for example, from China.

Zulfugar Heyirkhabar, a reporter of the Azerbaijani News Agency "Salamnews", was beaten today in Baku at performance of his professional duties. It happened in the morning in the crossing of the Istiglaliyat Avenue and Adyl Babaev Street, where the journalist was filming his report about gas explosion in the cafe "Karvan."

In Stavropol, a failure of some part in water supply line resulted in absence of water in School No. 11, kindergarten "Rostock", gerontology centre, cardiac centre and district Tashla, where private cottages are located. In total, the failure left about 4000 persons without water.

The leading Russian rating agency "Expert" made a study, which concludes that Adygea was ranked first in nomination "High level of public safety" and took the lead in the rating of investment attractiveness among Russian regions by the outcomes of 2008-2009.

Due to placement of Russian united military bases in Abkhazia, the Black Sea Fleet of Russia will become less vulnerable. This is the opinion of Admiral Vladimir Komoedov, former Commander of the Black Sea Fleet (BSF) and now Deputy of the State Duma. According to President of Abkhazia Sergey Bagapsh, the issue of BSF transfer from Crimea to Abkhazia is not discussed, as Abkhazia has enough Russian troops to cope with Georgian threats.

An action in defence of Utrish and Baikal will take place on February 20 in Krasnodar. A rally and a march will be already the fourth public action in defence of Utrish in Krasnodar for the last two and a half months. On that day, participation of activists of all sorts of public and political organizations, and residents of Krasnodar concerned of the situation is expected. On the same day, a rally in defence of Baikal and Utrish will take place in Moscow.

Alexei Dymovskiy, a former employee of the UVD (Interior Department) of Novorossisk, now kept in SIZO (pre-trial detention facility) accused of a swindle, will take a complex mental examination.

Employees of the Chechen MIA, mainly the units dealing with minors and local inspections, are engaged, since February 11, in searching actions aimed to reveal of homeless and neglected children. The broad-scale operation "Homeless Child" will continue till February 20.

The delegation of the UK Parliament, headed by Lord Judd, former PACE Rapporteur on Chechnya, finished its visit to the Chechen Republic. The meeting of the delegation with Ombudsman in Chechnya Nurdi Nukhazhiev was on the brink of cancellation, since the latter wanted to refuse to meet the British MPs in protest against the attitude of the UK Parliament to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Militia Major Alexei Dymovskiy, who had placed in the Internet a video appeal with criticism of the work of the militia and was later accused of swindle, has lodged a claim to the Pervomaiskiy District Court of Krasnodar asking to restore him at work at the UVD (Department of Interior) of the city of Novorossisk.