President of Armenia pardons 9 convicts for disorders in Yerevan January 12, 2009 22:00 President of Armenia Serzh Sarkisyan has pardoned nine convicts accused of participating in mass disorders in Yerevan on March 1, 2008.
Court takes office away from the Movement "For United Georgia" January 12, 2009 21:00 Today, the Tbilisi City Court has satisfied the demand of the Prosecutor's Office to transfer the building in Tbilisi housing the head office of the oppositional political movement "For United Georgia" into the state management.
Ilgar Mamedov: suspension of foreign radio stations deprives Azerbaijanis of objective information January 12, 2009 20:00 Suspension in the new year of broadcasting of western radio stations has actually deprived citizens of Azerbaijan of the last source of objective information. This statement was made by independent political scientist Ilgar Mamedov, co-founder of the public association named "Republican Alternative - REAL".
124 complaints sent to European Court from Rostov Region January 12, 2009 19:00 The number of complaints sent from the town of Zverevo, Rostov Region, to the European Court on Human Rights, has already reached 124. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed about it by Valery Dyakonov, deputy of the municipal duma of Zverevo.
"Voice of Beslan" to lodge another complaint against Russia to Strasbourg January 12, 2009 18:00 The All-Russia Public Organization "Voice of Beslan" plans to continue investigating the terror act committed in September 2004. In February, the organization will send another initiative group of 60 persons to Strasbourg to register a new complaint against the state.
Armenian army to be reformed in 2009 January 10, 2009 22:00 This year, the Ministry of Defence of Armenia plans to reform the national army by changing its structure.
Georgia-USA Cooperation Charter causes constrained emotions in Georgian politicians January 10, 2009 20:13 Most of Georgian political parties has welcomed signing the Georgia-USA Strategic Partnership Charter, however, they have warned the society against increased expectations from the document, and also expressed discontent with the non-transparent procedure of its drafting and adoption.
Armenian opposition complains of inmate beaten in prison January 10, 2009 19:00 Arman Musinyan, press secretary of the oppositional Armenian National Congress (ANC), has declared today that on December 23 ten persons in masks and camouflage came into the cell of inmate Vardges Gaspari, attacked him and started beating him.
Brayza: nobody recognizes Abkhazia and South Ossetia except for Russia, Nicaragua and HAMAS January 10, 2009 18:00 The USA will always recognize the territorial integrity of Georgia, and there are no chances that the States will ever recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia, so far recognized only by Russia, Nicaragua and HAMAS, as Matthew Brayza, the US under secretary of state, has declared today.
In Turkey, Prosecutor's Office starts investigation against those who apologised for genocide of Armenians January 10, 2009 17:12 The Turkish Public Prosecutor has launched an investigation against a group of Turkish citizens who published in one of Turkish websites a public apology to the Armenian nation for the massacre of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire during World War I.
EIU: in 2008, Russia and Georgia departed a lot away from democracy January 10, 2009 10:09 By the outcomes of the study carried out by the analytical group named "The Economist Intelligence Unit" (EIU), by the level of democracy development, Georgia takes the 104th place in the world, and Russia - the 107th. The document notes that among the post-Soviet countries these two powers lost most rating points compared with the previous research made in 2006.
Georgian media predict Prime Minister's resignation January 10, 2009 09:00 On Friday, January 9, the Georgian newspaper "Resonansi" reported, with reference to its own sources, that Prime Minister of Georgia Grigol Mgaloblishvili is going to declare his resignation.
Woman-skier dies under avalanche in Kabardino-Balkaria January 10, 2009 07:00 In Kabardino-Balkaria, a woman-alpinist-skier from St-Petersburg was killed by a snow slide, when she tried to ski down the Elborus.
In Kalmykia, director of football club fined for illegal employment of footballers January 03, 2009 20:00 Valery Bembinov, Director General of the "Elista" Football Club (FC), was fined by the city court of the capital of Kalmykia by 80,000 roubles for illegal employment of football players into the Municipal Unitary Enterprise (MUE) "Energoservice", where he was also director.
In Armenia, national minorities are concerned with problems of education and culture January 03, 2009 17:07 Representatives of the national minorities living in Armenia are most of all worried about the problems of education and culture. This was stated by Vardan Asatryan, head of the Department on National Minorities and Religions of the governmental office of Armenia.
In Krasnodar Territory ecologists stop construction in wildlife reserve January 03, 2009 17:00 Today, ecologists have stopped an attempt to start construction of a highway in the wildlife reserve "Bolshoi Utrish" in the Krasnodar Territory, having blocked the construction machinery.
President of Georgia pardons 246 prisoners January 03, 2009 16:12 On December 31, 2008, President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili signed a decree on releasing 246 prisoners.
Russian President signs the law on land alienation in Sochi January 03, 2009 15:00 Today, President of Russia Dmitri Medvedev has signed the Federal Law "On Making Changes in Some Legal Acts of the Russian Federation", which defines the order of alienation of land for construction of Olympic objects in Sochi. In particular, the Law stipulates a possibility not to alienate land plots from the owners for constructing Olympic objects, but to lease them for restricted usage.
In 2008, Armenia was visited by 600,000 tourists January 03, 2009 14:00 Last year Armenia received about 600,000 tourists. It is by 20 percent more than in 2006, as reported by Mekhak Apresyan, head of the Department for Tourism of the Ministry of Economy of Armenia.
In Georgia, Ombudsman accuses MIA head of criminal acts January 03, 2009 13:09 In Georgia, Ombudsman Sozar Subari, while speaking on December 30 at the extraordinary sitting of the parliament, made a statement that before the dispersal of the rally in November 2007 the heads of the power ministries of Georgia had a secret meeting in the study of Vano Merabishvili, Minister of Internal Affairs, where they had planned their actions on dispersal of the protesters.