News

The visit of Russian investigators to London on the death case of Alexander Litvinenko, former FSB (Federal Security Bureau of Russia) officer, is expected on the week to come.

Making comments on the messages that have appeared in mass media on actions planned in Stavropol with nationalist colouring in connection with the attempt on the Cossack Ataman, Alexander Serkov, Ataman of the Stavropol Cossack Society of the Tersk Cossack Army has noted that Cossacks are against such actions.

The Duma of the Volgograd Region has passed a bill brought in by the Office of Public Prosecutor of the Region, which establishes responsibility for adoption of illegal acts of law and infringement of the rights of citizens, wishing to get employed at the municipal service.

South Ossetia is planning to build its own gas pipeline, independently from Georgia. The statement was made on February 16 by Eduard Kokoity, president of South Ossetia.

On February 15, capital of Chechnya, the city of Grozny was the venue of an official presentation of a new EU project aimed to support the public health sphere and education in Chechnya and Ingushetia.

The journalists of North Ossetia who have initiated the public prosecutor's examination of the Internet-portal "Ingushetia.Ru" think that the statement of Zalina Markhieva, editor-in-chief of the web-site, "has nothing to do with reality."

Eduard Kokoity stated that he thinks it necessary to have a prompt renewal of the negotiating process within the framework of the Mixed Control Commission (MCC).

A break till March 5 has been announced in Rostov-on-Don by the North-Caucasian Regional Military Court in the case of internal troops officers Evgeniy Khudyakov and Sergey Arakcheev, accused of murdering Chechnya residents.

On Thursday, February 15, President Vladimir Putin declared a change of power in Chechnya: the president of the Republic Alu Alkhanov was decorated with an order and resigned, Ramzan Kadyrov was appointed to be acting president.

Boris Gryzlov, Chairman of the State Duma, has declared that in the closest future Russia will get an opportunity to address the International Court of the United Nations with the aim to solve the issue of deporting Ahmed Zakaev, now living in Great Britain, to the Russian justice.

The Moscow City Court has transferred to March 14 the selection of the board of jurors for considering the murder case of Paul Khlebnikov, editor of the Russian version of the Forbes magazine.

The Azerbaijani Milli Medzhlis (Parliament) is now drafting, with the aim to toughen the state control over the activities of missionary organizations, a new wording of the Law "On Freedom of Religion."

"Together with Mr. Jean-Mari Gennos, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Peacemaking Operations, the Friends have discussed the Georgian-Abkhazian peace process under the aegis of the United Nations, and the ways to promote the dialogue between the parties," the summarizing document runs.

The authorities of Chechnya intend to organize a major international conference in Grozny with participation of delegates from Russian and foreign human rights and non-governmental organizations.

On February 13, at the Independent Press Centre, representatives of the public held a presentation of the so-called "anti-application" book, prepared on the materials of various ecological and public organizations (Greenpeace of Russia, World Wildlife Fund, Ecological Watch over North Caucasus, International Olympic Committee, etc.).

Georgian special police agents ("spetsnaz") have released the citizens of South Ossetia who had been detained earlier on Tuesday.

The Office of Public Prosecutor of Chechnya has initiated a criminal case on the fact of swindle within the system of the Ministry for National Policy, Print and Information of the Republic.

In Nagorny Karabakh, the process of mine clearing is performed by army sapper units, the fast reaction group of the Rescue Service, and also by the forces of the international organization "The Hallo Trust."

According to the information of the press centre of the Ministry for Settling Conflicts in Georgia, in the course of the meeting in Geneva on February 12-13 of representatives of the Group of Countries-Friends of the UN Secretary General of the United Nations with participation of the Georgian and Abkhazian parties, the Georgian delegation presented a package of proposals on formation of safety mechanisms for restoration of peace and security in the conflict zone.

Today, the North Caucasian Regional Military Court has resumed the process on internal troops officers Evgeniy Khudyakov and Sergey Arakcheev accused of murdering Chechnya residents.