All news

March 20, 2010 14:00

• Jehovah's Witnesses fined in Azerbaijan

  On March 3, the militia of Azerbaijan detained two Jehovah's Witnesses and fined each of them by the sum equal to the average salary for three weeks that is, by 200 manats (about 250 US dollars).

March 20, 2010 12:00

• Azerbaijan start celebrating Novruz Bairam

  Today, people in Azerbaijan start celebrating Novruz Bairam - a holiday of spring and New Year. In antiquity in the East, March 21-22 were considered to be the first days of New Year which came in spring. This year, according to the Shemakha Astrophysical Observatory, in the territory of Azerbaijan the spring arrives on March 20 at 9:31 p.m.

March 20, 2010 11:00

• Volgograd Mayoralty promises good potable water to Gumrak residents

  This May, the mayoralty of Volgograd plans to launch delivery of high-quality potable water to the village of Gumrak, where residents supper from its sharp deficit for several decades.

March 20, 2010 10:00

• Trial of South-Ossetian ex-Minister of Education to continue on March 23

  The building of the Tskhinvali City Court hosts the trial of Alla Dzhioeva, ex-Minister of Education of South Ossetia, accused of plundering money and bribery. On March 19, after a three-hour-long session, Judge Albert Gigolaev decided to announce a break till March 23.

March 20, 2010 09:00

• European Armenians call to condemn Turkish Premier's statement on Armenians' exclusion

  The Assembly of Armenians of Europe (ААЕ) has condemned the statement of Prime Minister of Turkey Erdogan about deportation from his country, if required, of illegal labour migrants-Armenians, and called the European institutions to condemn the non-tolerant attitude to other nationals living in Turkey.

March 20, 2010 08:00

• Festival of Buddhist culture on in Rostov-on-Don

  On March 19, a festival of Buddhist culture was started in Rostov-on-Don. Its central event is a unique exhibition "Treasures of Tibet", held under the aegis of the international public organization "Heritage of the Himalayas".

March 20, 2010 07:00

• Baku Baptists are concerned of accusations in media

  The Baptist community of the city of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, has expressed its anxiety in the context of an article that appeared in an oppositional newspaper and in which Baptists were accused of standing "against the Allah and Islam," and treated as foreign spies.

March 19, 2010 23:50

• Radio Liberty is available in Nagorno-Karabakh

  A private radio company named "Radioeye" has provided its frequency for Radio Liberty's broadcasting in Nagorno-Karabakh.

March 19, 2010 23:10

• Permitted literature is not returned to Jehovah's Witnesses detained in Dagestan

  Until now, the Jehovah's Witnesses, detained by the FSB on March 3 in Khasavyurt, cannot get back their literature, which had been recognized by the Bryansk examination as non-extremist, and believers' personal records; therefore, they filed an application to the prosecutor's office. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told about it by Grigoriy Martynov from the press service of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia.

March 19, 2010 23:00

• Finnish court rules not to extradite Chechen refugees Gataevs to Lithuania

  On March 17, the court in Helsinki made a decision not to extradite Chechen refugees Gataevs to the authorities of Lithuania, having sent their application for refuge to a new consideration. This was reported by Oksana Chelysheva, a human rights defender and journalist, one of the heads of the Finland-based organization "The Society of Russian-Chechen Friendship".

March 19, 2010 22:30

• Georgian journalist Kurdadze asks for asylum in Ukraine

  Bondo Kurdadze, editor-in-chief of the Georgian newspaper "Chance", applied for political asylum to President of Ukraine Victor Yanukovich. In his letter to the Ukrainian leader Mr Kurdadze asserts that his family has been receiving telephone threats for a couple of recent days.

March 19, 2010 22:10

• Court denies Dagestan resident's claims to Zhirinovsky

  Today, Judge Olga Vereshchak from the Meschanskiy District Court of Moscow has ruled to reject the claim lodged by Shamil Sheikhov, a resident of Makhachkala, in defence of his honour, dignity and business reputation against Chairman of the LDPR and Deputy of the State Duma of Russia Vladimir Zhirinovsky and editorial board of the newspaper "LDPR". The claimant told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that he was shocked by the verdict.

March 19, 2010 21:00

• Political hunger-strikers in Astrakhan are now seven in number

  Astrakhan sees the third day of the hunger-strike announced by deputies and activists of opposition parties. Today, it became known that Nazarbek Shnanov, head of the Pre-Volga Organization of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) has joined the action, increased its strength to seven persons.

March 19, 2010 20:30

• Militiamen suspected of beating a local arrested in Astrakhan

  The Kirov District Court of Astrakhan has arrested two employees of the city UVD (Interior Department), who, under the version of the investigation, had beaten a detainee forcing him to confess. In total, six persons figure in the case.

March 19, 2010 20:00

• Sochi residents complain of bureaucrats breaking privacy law

  Residents of Sochi assert that in 2007 ill-conceived plans of holding a Winter Olympiad in subtropics encroached on their rights to favourable environment, housing and property. Besides, they believe that the territorial authorities are breaking, under the pretext of appraising their property with the aim of illegal confiscation not for state needs, the law on privacy and individual information.

March 19, 2010 19:00

• Power agents continue searching militants in Chechen mountains

  The special operation against members of the armed underground started on March 17 goes on in the high-mountainous Vedeno District of Chechnya. One of the militants liquidated there was identified as an Arabian mercenary and one of militants' leaders; however, earlier the reports of power agencies did not mention the name of Abu Khaled.

March 19, 2010 18:00

• Turkey makes films about Armenian women kidnapped during WWI

  Young Turkish film directors Muzhde Arslan and Aitar Demirtas are making films about the Armenian girls who were kidnapped during World War I and then forced to marry Turks.

March 18, 2010 23:50

• The militiaman who beat Abkhazia resident to death in Moscow refuses to give testimony

  Former militiaman Anver Ibraghimov accused of beating to death Eduard Gurtskaya, resident of Abkhazia, refuses to plead partially guilty.

March 18, 2010 23:20

• Prosecutor's Office of Stavropol punishes officials for cold injury of children in sports club

  The Prosecutor's Office of Stavropol Territory has completed its check of a cold injury of children who had got to the hospital after fortifying procedures during kick-boxing training. Upon its results, local officials were punished, the coach was dismissed and criminal investigation against him is under way.

March 18, 2010 23:10

• Meeting in support of detainees on the case of murder of MIA chief held in Dagestan

  On March 17, a meeting in support of the rights of suspects in the case of murder of Adilgerei Magomedtagirov, Dagestan minister of interior, was held in Makhachkala.