North Caucasus - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Latest North Caucasus News

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov (right) with newly appointed Chechen Prime Minister Magomed Daudov in Grozny.

Chechen Leader Names New Premier

Ramzan Kadyrov, head of the Russian North Caucasus region of Chechnya, has appointed a new prime minister. More

Fire Cuts Gas To Daghestan

A fire in a pipeline in Russia's southern Daghestan Republic has left thousands of people without gas. More

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov (file photo)

Chechen Leader Sacks Cabinet

The head of Russia's Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, has announced the sacking of the republic's government. More

'Caucasus Insurgent Leader Killed'

Russia's National Antiterror Committee has announced that a suspected leader of the Islamist insurgency in the Russian North Caucasus republic of Daghestan has been killed in a special operation by security forces. More

Seven Insurgents Killed In Daghestan

Russian Army officials say that security forces have killed seven suspected insurgents in the southern Daghestan region in the past several days. More

More North Caucasus News

Caucasus Report -- Blogging The Caucasus

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov (left) and his newly appointed Prime Minister Mogamed Daudov.

Chechen Leader Restructures His Government

Chechen Republic head Ramzan Kadyrov has restructured the government hierarchy, naming an obscure deputy prime minister as premier. More

A man holds his ballot at a polling station in Yerevan during parliamentary elections on May 6.

Will Disputes Within Two Strongest Parties Nix New Armenian Coalition?

Two weeks after the May 6 parliamentary elections, it remains unclear whether President Serzh Sarkisian's Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) will again seek to form a coalition government as it did in 1999, 2004, and 2007. More

Blog Archive

Features & Commentary

The European Court of Human Rights ordered Russia to pay compensation to Fatima Bazorkina over the disappearance of her son in Chechnya.

NGO's Legal Woes Threaten Pursuit Of Justice For Chechens

A prominent rights organization that helps Russian citizens sue their country at the European Court of European Rights is fighting for survival after the Russian Justice Ministry struck it off its registry. Among other things, the group has been instrumental in holding Moscow to account for atrocities committed by federal troops in the North Caucasus.

Russia's Chechnya Invites Azerbaijan To Explore Oil Fields

The government of Russia's North Caucasus Republic of Chechnya has invited the state oil company of Azerbaijan to explore for oil in the violence-riddled region.

Akhmed Zakayev is a member of the unrecognized secessionist Chechen government. Britain has refused to extradite him to Russia, saying he is at risk of torture.

Chechen Separatist Leader Unfazed By Reported Murder Plot

British security services have reportedly uncovered a plot to assassinate exiled Chechen separatist leader Akhmed Zakayev in London. Britain's "Sunday Telegraph" reports that MI5 fears Chechnya's strongman leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, wants Zakayev killed.

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.

Does This Language Make Me Look Fat?

A new study by a Yale University economist suggests that the language you speak can have an impact on your long-term well-being by affecting how you think about saving money, smoking, exercise, and even obesity.

Social Network Aims To Attract World's Muslims

A newly planned social network -- conceived during the early days of last year's Arab Spring uprisings -- seeks to link the world's Muslims on a platform where they won't be exposed to pornography, insults to Islam or a political agenda. But some Muslims have their doubts.

RFE/RL's North Caucasus Service reports the news in one of the most violent and dangerous regions in the world where media freedom and journalists remain under severe threat.