All news

Nikolai Yarst and Philip Vasilenko, members of the filming crew of the Russian Public Television, have been detained today in Sochi. Agents of the UVD (Interior Department) took away from their car a parcel with some gray-green substance, presumably, narcotic drug.

A Chechen businessman Medet Unlyu, who presented himself as an Honorary Consul of the unrecognized Republic of Ichkeria in Turkey, was shot dead on May 22 inAnkara. The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has denied the presence of Ichkeria's Embassy in the country.

Later this year Azerbaijani Parliament can pass the law "On Occupied Territories", Zakhid Orudj, an MP asserts. The idea of the bill, which regulates, in particular, cooperation of Azerbaijani and Armenian NGOs, was ambiguously perceived by political and public organizations both in Azerbaijan and in Armenia. However, the press service of the Azerbaijani Parliament points out that so far the bill has not been discussed by any of the committees; and consideration thereof is not planned.

The Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation has recognized the historical value of the ancient burials found in Derbent, and found it necessary to save and preserve the burial and memorial complex that dates back to 11th-12th centuries. The relevant opinion has been sent to the government.

The "Rospotrebnadzor" (Russian Federal Agency for Consumer Supervision) has not yet provided the Georgian wine companies, who have successfully passed inspections, with the excise stamps required for trading their alcoholic beverages in Russia. According to Levan Davitashvili, the head of the Georgian National Agency for Vine and Wine (Samtrest), the excise stamps are the only obstacle for wineries to start exports of Georgian wines to Russia.

After the double act of terror that took place on May, 20, near the bailiffs’ office of Makhachkala, 14 persons, a child among them, are still staying in the hospitals of the republic, the Ministry of Public Health of Dagestan reports. Three persons with grave wounding are undergoing treatment in Moscow.

On May, 22, Nils Muižnieks, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, arrived in Azerbaijan. On the first day of his official visit he had a meeting with representatives of civil community.

Leila Yunus, famous Azerbaijani human rights activist and Director of the Institute of Peace and Democracy (IPD), was rewarded with the National Order of the Legion of Honour of France for her struggle for human rights. The ceremony of Yunus’ rewarding with the French Order was held in the Embassy of France in Baku, in the evening of May, 22, the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent reports.

The Kutaisi Regional Court has chosen a two-month pre-trial detention as the freedom restriction measure for Vano Merabishvili, Secretary General of the "United National Movement" and ex-head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA). Zurab Chiaberashvili, the former Minister of Public Health of Georgia and Governor of Kakheti, will be released on bail, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

The explosion at the bus station of Nevinnomyssk was carried out by means of an improvised explosive device (IED), delivered by the leaders of North-Caucasian militants Ali Taziev and Rustam Dzortov, the convicts on the case said today at the trial of Taziev. The actual customer of the explosion was Taziev, Ruslan Kostoev, a convict on the case, said today.

A test batch of mineral water "Borjomi" has passed the customs control, Olga Chitaya, a representative of the company "IDS Borjomi Russia", told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to the Russian National Antiterrorism Committee (NAC), today, during an armed clash in the Karabudakhkent District, Magomed Abusaidov, a member of an illegal armed formation (IAF) and the leader of the Gubden grouping, was killed.

Today, the Baku Court of Grave Crimes, which is trying Hilal Mamedov, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Tolyshi Sado" (Voice of the Talysh), has began considering the defendant's charge of illegal possession and sale of drugs. The hearing was held in the open mode, unlike Mamedov's allegations of treason and inciting interethnic hatred, when the court sessions took place behind closed doors.

The workers of ferroalloy plant in the town of Zestafini, Georgia, are holding a strike demanding increase in wages and signing a trade union contract.

On May, 21, five families from area of compact settlement of refugees “Sozidanie” (“Creation”) in Promzhilbaza district of the town of Karabulak appealed to Head of Ingushetia and Public Prosecutor’s office asking to find out why they were not put on the waiting list for receiving dwelling certificates.

Builder Pavel Soloviev from Novosibirsk who reported being beaten up by the police personnel in Sochi was moved to a clinic in Novosibirsk. The physicians are currently preparing him for one more operation, Pavel’s wife Veronica Solovieva informed.

In the evening of May, 21, Prosecutor General’s office of Georgia brought charges against ex-Prime Minister, Secretary General of “United National Movement” party Vano Merabishvili and Governor of Kakhetia, ex-Minister of Public Health Zurab Chiaberashvili. Merabishvili and Chiaberashvili are accused of corruption, abuse of authority and embezzlement of state funds.

In Kutaisi, Vano Merabishvili, the former Prime Minister of Georgia and the present Secretary General of the "United National Movement" was detained after being questioned at the Prosecutor's Office of Western Georgia. Together with him, Zurab Chiaberashvili, the former Minister of Public Health, Labour and Social Welfare, was detained.

The MIA of Dagestan has received orientation attributes on the suspects of committing the terror act in Makhachkala; however, the number of suspects and their attributes are not disclosed, said a source from the Ministry.

On May 20, the group of activists defending the unloading dock in the Volgograd Region took another attempt to protect the historic structure from demolition. The opposition of the activists with people who tried to perform the demolition on that day was stopped by the police, which intend to carry out its own check. At present, the demolition of the building is suspended, the activists reports. The fate of the structure, according to Alexei Volotskov, a Deputy of the Volgograd City Duma, is currently decided by the Ministry of Sports of Russia.