News

The Patriarchy of Georgia refutes the information about religion-based discrimination of local Armenian population and believes that brotherly relations between the Catholicos Patriarch of All Georgia and the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians will contribute to removal of the tension that has arisen because of several churches.

According to the "Sova" Information and Analytical Centre, in January-November 2008, 21 natives from the Caucasus were murdered and 63 more wounded on the motive of racial hatred. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed about it by Galina Kozhevnikova, Deputy Director of the Centre.

Active rehabilitation is under way in Tskhinval, however, it is impossible to resolve the problems in the private housing sector before winter. About 500 houses have been completely ruined or burnt. According to the owners, the South Ossetia authorities promise to start their restoration only in spring.

The Muslims of Kabardino-Balkaria are getting prepared for their feast - Kurban-Bairam, which starts on December 8 and will last for three days. The KBR president has decreed to make this day a holiday.

The law enforcement agencies report that, today, two militants have been killed in the course of a special operation conducted in the Barsukin district of Nazran, Ingushetia. According to Yuri Turyghin, Ingushetia prosecutor, the persons were connected with a number of terrorist acts and attacks on militia officers.

Today, two suspect militants have been killed and one FSS officer perished in the course of a special operation conducted in the settlement of Novy Khushet in the outskirts of the Dagestan capital.

The international human rights organization Human Rights Watch expressed its concern about the fate of Rasul Kudaev, former prisoner of Guantanamo, who is now held in the Russian pre-trial prison.

A tender for the right to rent land plots in the "Azov-City" gambling zone will be held soon in Rostov region. The new tender is connected with the fact that two winners of the previous tender - Casinos Austria and "Formula-1" - have dropped from participation in the project.

The orthodox church of Abkhazia morns for Russia's patriarch Alexi II. Office for the Dead is served in all churches and monasteries of Abkhazia.

Eduard Kokoity treats ironically the publications in the press to the effect that the South Ossetia president tries to take into his own hands the control over the financial flows from Moscow, allocated for the republic's rehabilitation. He says people will make their own conclusions.

The authorities of Ingushetia call on the militants who are not involved in serious crimes to stop illegal activities and lay down arms in exchange of being exempt from criminal prosecution.

During the last month, ten members of the armed units have been killed and 28 detained on the territory of the Chechen Republic. These data have been cited by Ruslan Alkhanov, Chechen minister of interior, at the meeting of chiefs of the power authorities in Grozny.

The murder of seven young women whose bodies were found last week in different districts of Chechnya has caused concern among many Chechen residents. While the investigation of the incidents continues, residents of the republic propose various opinions on their possible causes.

The Volgograd regional public charity organization "UNESCO Club "Dignity of the Child" has again become an object of persecution by Volgograd law enforcement agencies.

2 million dollars has been paid for the murder of Аnna Politkovskaya, "Novaya Gazeta" columnist. This has been reported by Valeri Chernilov, lawyer of one of the defendants.

The Chechen Republic MoI press-service refused to comment on the death of the Ilaev brothers to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. They claim that there is nothing to add to the published official information.

The NTRC (the National TV and Radio Council) of Azerbaijan is going to consider the issue of broadcasting by "Liberty", "the Voice of America" and the BBC on the country's national bands on December 25. This has been reported to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Nushiravan Magherramli, head of the NTRC, in response to the request to comment on the appeal of Miklosh Kharashti, OSCE special representative on media freedom, to continue the broadcasting of foreign radio stations.

During the search in the office of the science and information center "Memorial" in St-Petersburg, one of the attesting witnesses delivered a blow on Elena Alexandrova, volunteer of the organization. This has been reported to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Tatiana Morgacheva, the center employee, who witnessed the incident.

Georgian ombudsman Sozar Subari calls infringement of Ossetians' rights on ethnical grounds in Georgia as "total absurdity". He claimed this in an interview to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent on December 5 while commenting on the South Ossetia statement on the possible increase in the flow of refugees to South Ossetia from Georgia.

A piquet "against violence, war actions and terrorism" in North Caucasus was held yesterday night, December 4, on Pushkin Square in the center of Moscow. It was organized near the huge New Year fir-tree installed in Novopushkin park and lasted for an hour and a half, from 17.30 to 19.00.