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This morning, an armed clash with a group of unidentified persons broke out in the Tabasaran District of Dagestan, when the latter opened fire at policemen. One of the attackers was shot dead; and a SWAT agent was lost in the shootout.

On July 18, Sochi hosted a rally, where its participants declared the inadmissibility to build-up the territory, formerly a part of the National Park. Land plots are allocated with violations of the law; many construction sites are legitimized only by court judgements, said the activists.

The action "Stop Russia!" was held at the administration of the Georgian government in Tbilisi on July 18. According to organizers, it was over 3000 persons strong. Activists of the "National Movement", members of NGOs and media professionals protested against the policy of Georgian authorities in relation to Russia, demanding "an appropriate response to the Russian occupation."

Russian border guards have detained a 60-year-old resident of the Georgian village of Knolevi, when he was cultivating his land plot together with his son, the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has reported.

Officials of the Investigating Committee of Armenia have received the case files of the murder of the Avetisyan family in Gyumri, which was earlier investigated by the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF).

The Parliament of South Ossetia has passed a law prescribing the minimum number of party members. Now, for registration of a political party, it needs to have at least 500 members.

Festive prayers (namaz) were held in the mosques of Azerbaijan in connection with the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Some Muslims of the country completed their fasting on July 17.

Rights defenders call on Armenian authorities to close the case, initiated against Kristine Khanumyan, Director of the company "Start Media", who refused to disclose to investigators her anonymous source, who told about the abuse of power by the boss of the Shirak Region.

In Western Georgia, five inmates of Prison No. 2, located in the city of Kutaisi, has gone on hunger strike in protest against their verdicts.

The Georgian Parliament has approved the bill, under which residents of the country's mountainous regions will receive higher pensions; and local enterprises will get taxation preferences. The MPs from the "United National Movement" (UNM) refused to vote.

The defence of Magomed Piraev, a figurant of the case on banditry of policemen of the Kizilyurt ROVD (District Interior Division), has petitioned before investigators to stop prosecuting him for lack of evidence.

On July 17, the celebration of Eid al-Fitr in Moscow was attended by over 160,000 people; and by over 80,000 believers – in the Moscow Region. The number of participants of the festive sermon in the capital has decreased in comparison with the previous year, while the figure has gone up in the Moscow Region, the Council of Muftis of Russia reports.

The court has scheduled a new consideration of the case of Nasir Javadov, a resident of Dagestan, who died during interrogation, for July 30. The defence hopes that new judges will be able to attract the policemen, whom they could not interrogate earlier.

On Friday, about 150 persons gathered in Freedom Square to protest against the increase of the electricity tariff. The rally was organized by the initiative group "Arise, Armenia!"

The articles by the journalist Vladislav Maltsev, covering the conflict in the mosque of Nasyr-Kort in Ingushetia, are intended to incite hatred against Muslims and are slanderous, said the believers of the above mosque.

Some residents of Dagestan refused to support the transfer of the holiday Eid ul-Fitr (Uraza Bayram) to July 18, and began fast-breaking today. Believers of various Islamic trends should support the single holiday announced in the republic, since it contributes to unification of Muslims, said the residents of Dagestan, interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot".

The Special Troops of the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) detained four members of the NGO "Free Zone", namely: Onise Gergedava, Lasha Rukhaya, Vazha Morgoshiya and Soso Mindiashvili on suspicion of disobeying the police. Later, the police announced detention of five persons.

The defence of Anna Gritsevich, a correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot", has lodged an appeal complaint to the Krasnodar Territorial Court against the judgement of the Adler District Court of Sochi, which sentenced her to a three-day administrative arrest for disobeying the police.

A cassation complaint against the verdict to Asrudi Musaev, a resident of Chechnya, convicted for complicity in the fraud with maternity capital, has been left without consideration by a Judge of the Supreme Court (SC) of Russia. Musaev's advocate asks Vyacheslav Lebedev, the Chairman of the SC of Russia, to reverse the above decision of the SC's Judge, claiming that there are falsifications in the case.

The law enforcers, who were shelled today in the Derbent District of Dagestan, tried to stop a car for inspection. Two men in the car were killed by return fire, the Chief Department for the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD) of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has confirmed.