OC Media

OC Media

The puzzles and problems of the most populated city in the South Caucasus

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Archi­tects say town planning reg­u­la­tions forbid the con­struc­tion of high-rise buildings on the coast. (Vafa Zeynalova /OC Media)

The lack of job oppor­tu­ni­ties and devel­op­ment prospects in the rural regions of Azer­bai­jan has provoked a pop­u­la­tion influx to the capital, and the rapid growth of Baku’s pop­u­la­tion has increased the load on the city’s infra­struc­ture. Problems faced by the metrop­o­lis and its inhab­i­tants include gas cutoffs, waste man­age­ment issues, water shortages, and traffic jams. [Read more…]

Investigation | Who are Panorama Tbilisi’s mystery backers?

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The Georgian Co-Invest­ment Fund’s rendition of planned Sololaki Hotel over­look­ing Tbilisi.

Since its announce­ment by bil­lion­aire then–Prime Minister Bidzina Ivan­ishvili, the Georgian Co-Invest­ment Fund has began to reshape Georgia’s capital. OC Media set out to unmask the backers of the project, but with the money chan­nelled via murky offshores, this proved to be somewhat impos­si­ble.

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Mosque demolished in historic Baku district despite protests

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Haji Javad Mosque (wikimedia.org)

The Haji Javad Mosque, located in the his­tor­i­cal Sovetski area of Baku’s Yasamal District, was demol­ished overnight on 1 July, despite objec­tions from locals, who were report­ed­ly pushed away from the site by police. President Ilham Aliyev has dismissed the head of the district admin­is­tra­tion for making an ‘unau­tho­rised decision’, Azer­bai­jani news outlet Trend reported.

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Yerevan street vendors protest forced removal from Ferdowsi Market

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Pavilions adjacent to houses on Ferdowsi Street (David Stepanyan/OC Media)

On 6 June, the Yerevan City Hall informed the vendors of the clothing market on Ferdowsi Street that con­struc­tion work would begin there on 15 June. The vendors were asked to move their impro­vised pavilions to other spots. They remain dis­sat­is­fied with the decision and have asked for six months to relocate. The nego­ti­a­tions have so far been fruitless.

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