News

Both Georgia and Russia should share responsibility for the war in South Caucasus and its consequences, as stated by Terry Davis, Secretary General of the Council of Europe.

The murder of Vitaly Cheldiev, high-ranking officer of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of North Ossetia, could be linked with his professional activities, as the militiamen who worked together with the Colonel and knew him well believe.

Natalia Kalinovskaya, chair of the "Psou" Territorial Public Self-Government (TPSG), who was detained by Sochi militia on September 29 together with Svetlana Beresteneva, another activist of protest actions against construction of the 2nd Sochi Cargo Port in the Imereti Bay, has stated that protest actions will go on despite the authorities' pressure.

Thomas Hammerberg, Commissioner of the Council of Europe for Human Rights, has published results of studying this March events in Yerevan. The report notes that it is promptly necessary to resolve the problem of prisoners and find those in charge of the post-election events of spring 2008 in Armenia.

Living standards in Abazin villages of Karachaevo-Circassia is extremely low, leaders of the Abazin public movements assert. The main reason of the situation is in disregarding the legislation on national minorities' rights.

On September 29, activists of the South-Ossetian Public Organization People's Forum "South Ossetia Accuses" picketed the Palace of the Europe in Strasbourg, where the PACE autumn session is taking place.

The 26 families of forced migrants who live in the so-called "hostel for persons in need of improvement of their housing conditions" (this is the way they now call, after an enforced decision of Chechnya's leadership, former Refugees' Temporary Accommodation Centres (TAC), located in the Republic), situated in the Staropromyslovskiy District of the city of Grozny, can remain homeless within the next few days.

Today, Sukhumi hosts celebrations of the 15th anniversary of the Independence Day. After laying wreaths and flowers to the Glory Memorial in the Freedom Square, a military parade was held.

Eneco Landaburu, head of the General Directorate of the European Commission for Foreign Contacts, has agreed that the conflict in South Ossetia was initiated by Georgia. This was stated today by Nikolai Kobrinets, Russia's permanent representative at the European Union.

The attempt on the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ingushetia Musa Medov will be investigated by the Chief Investigatory Department for the South Federal District (SFD); this assignment was made by Alexander Bastrykin, Chairman of the Investigatory Committee at the Prosecutor's Office (ICPO) of Russia.

On September 29, the Federal State Unitary Enterprise (FSUE) "Rosmorport" met no opposition to bringing reinforced concrete structures to the construction site of the "Second Cargo District of Sochi Port", as Sochi militia had detained two activists of the actions held against this construction.

The US Senate has condemned Russia's "disproportionate military response" to Georgia, but recognized thus that mutual interests of the USA and Russian Federation can ensure "in due course" improvement of Russian-American relations.

Erosi Kitsmarishvili, Georgia's ambassador to Russia, said today in his interview to the Georgian weekly "Kviris Palitra" that after the August events in South Ossetia he cannot stay with the Georgian power structures headed by President Mikhail Saakashvili.

The first military observers of the European Union (EU) have already arrived to the buffer zone located in Georgia's border with Abkhazia in the vicinity of the city of Zugdidi. This was reported today by General-Lieutenant Nikolai Uvarov, official spokesman of the Ministry of Defence of Russia.

The Gelendzhik Dolphinarium in the Krasnodar Territory is the single swimming pool in the world, where visitors are allowed to swim with dolphins without any medical examination and permit. Meanwhile, the death rate among the dolphins kept here is the highest in the world, as asserted by biologist Konstantin Andramonov, former employee of the Closed Joint-Stock Company (CJSC) "Gelendzhik Dolphinarium".

The statutory body of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) - its Bureau - has not supported the initiative of 24 MPs who demanded to adopt sanctions against Russian delegation because of the situation around South Ossetia, as Konstantin Kosachov, head of the RF's delegation, has reported.

This October, a group of experts from Russian Ministry for Emergencies (ME) will come to Chechnya with the mission to clear agrarian lands from mines. In total, the ME's sappers will have to demine about 90 hectares of arable land.

The murder of ex-deputy of Russian Duma Ruslan Yamadaev can lead to serious clashes between those who support President Kadyrov and their opponents from the Yamadaev clan.

Today, militiamen of the Stavropol Territory have reported detention of several militants involved in the attack on the city of Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria, in 2005.

A woman of 50, who was a passenger of fixed-route taxi, was killed by an explosion tonight in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan.