Saturday, March 31, 2012

News and Features from the Caucasus

Two Police Officers Killed In Daghestan

Two police officers have died after an attack by unknown militants in the Daghestani town of Khasavyurt.
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

U.S. Senate Confirms 16 Ambassadors

The U.S. Senate has confirmed new ambassadors to 16 countries, including Croatia, Georgia, Kosovo, and India.
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Indicted Kyrgyz Ex-Official In Tbilisi

Georgian officials say that the former chief of Kyrgyzstan’s Presidential Secretariat, who is wanted in Bishkek on charges of corruption and involvement in the shooting of unarmed protesters, will be allowed to stay in Tbilisi until her legal status is officially clarified.
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Health specialists say the HIV virus is spreading in the North Caucasus and awareness remains low, hence the drive for more widespread testing. (file photo)

Ingushetia Mulls Pre-Nuptial HIV Tests

If the president of Ingushetia has his way, couples in the small North Caucasus republic may soon have to take an HIV test before being able to tie the knot.
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Azerbaijan: No Israeli Air-Base Access

Azerbaijan's government has denied a report saying that Baku has granted Israel access to Azerbaijani bases that could be used in potential air strikes by Israel against nuclear targets in Azerbaijan's neighbor Iran.
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Baxtiyar Haciyev in a Baku courtroom during his trial last year

Jailed Azeri Activist's Appeal Denied

A court in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, has rejected an appeal by a former opposition parliament candidate and social-media activist for early release from a prison sentence for evasion of military service.
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Former Chechen leader Akhmad Kadyrov was assassinated in 2004.

Poetry Competition To Mark Former Chechen Leader's Anniversary

Authorities in the Russian North Caucasus republic of Chechnya have announced a poetry competition to mark the 61st birthday anniversary of the late Chechen president Akhmad Kadyrov.
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HRW Slams Detention Of Azeri Journalists

The New-York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged Azerbaijani authorities to allow two detained television journalists access to their lawyers and families.
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Azeri Rock Singer Freed From Jail

The lead singer of an Azerbaijani rock band jailed for insulting the mother of President Ilham Aliyev has been released after 10 days in custody.
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Russia Insurgent Leader Said Killed

Russia’s National Counterterrorism Committee has reported the killing by security forces of a suspected leader of the Islamic insurgency in the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, in Russia's volatile North Caucasus.
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