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The Moscow City Court has questioned Rustam Makhmudov, accused of the murder of Anna Politkovskaya, the observer of the "Novaya Gazeta". The defendant denied any involvement in shadowing the journalist and any guilty of her murder.

The members of an illegal grouping, who were liquidated in the Stepanov District of the Stavropol Territory, transported an improvised explosive device (IED) in the trunk of their car, said a source from the Investigating Department (ID) for the Territory of the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF). Also, automatic firearms were found in the car.

Supporters of ex-Mayor of Makhachkala Said Amirov made efforts to force Sagid Murtazaliev, the head of the Russian Pension Fund for Dagestan, to refuse from testifying. This is the topic of Murtazaliev's comment, released by Albina Sunkulieva, the press secretary of the Pension Fund.

The earthquake that hit the Vedeno District of Chechnya in the morning on April 27 caused no human victims or destructions, a source from the Republic's Ministry for Emergencies (MfE) told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. Its epicentre was in a forested mountainous terrain, thus, serious consequences were avoided, the expert explained.

During the week from April 21 to April 27, 2014, the armed conflict in Northern Caucasus affected at least 13 people, of whom ten were killed and three wounded. These are the results of the calculations run by the "Caucasian Knot" based on its own materials and information from other open sources.

Amina Asalieva, his wife, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that Nizam Asaliev was selling furniture; he was last seen at the furniture warehouse on April 26.

Zakir Magomedkerimov, one of the two residents of Derbent, kidnapped on April 26, has been released; the whereabouts of Arif Mamaliev is still unknown, his relatives report.

The discussion of the "Circassian issue" should be transferred into the scientific and historical context and depoliticized, said Barazbi Karamurzov, the Rector of the Kabardino-Balkarian State University (KBSU), at an international conference held in Nalchik.

On April 26, in Makhachkala, a rally was held at the memorial to the participants of liquidation of the consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), dedicated to the 28th anniversary of the disaster. The problem of providing housing facilities to liquidators is being successfully addressed. However, they need more sanatorium vouchers, said the participants of the rally.

Five suspected militants were killed in the city of Derbent during a special operation. One of them was preliminarily identified previously as a member of the "Yuzhnaya" grouping, said a MIA source.

On April 20-26, 600 cases of ceasefire violation were registered at the contact line of Karabakh and Azerbaijani armed forces, said the Nagorno-Karabakh Defence Army (NKDA), adding that the Air Forces of Azerbaijan made training flights along the perimeter of the contact line.

In Adygea, about 1500 people took part in the festivities on the Day of the State Flag of the Republic, which is also the national Circassian flag. The activities carried out in this holiday have consolidated the authorities and public movements, said Zaurbij Chundyshko, the head of the Maikop public organization "Adyge Khase-Circassian Council".

The editorial staff of the on-line edition "Yukselish Namine" (In the Name of Revival), based in the Azerbaijani city of Sumgait, has announced the pressure imposed by local authorities and police on Elchin Gasanov, the deputy editor-in-chief.

As a result of the hurricane, 25 houses got damaged in Adzharia, said Mamuka Turmanidze, the head of the Agency for Emergencies and Urgent Situations of the Autonomy; and local authorities have added that strong winds and rains that hit the East of Georgia killed hundreds of domestic animals. No human injuries have been reported.

The tenants of the apartment block at No. 5a Akatsij Street, which was blocked as a result of the construction of the M-27 highway, have gone to court against inaction of the Sochi service of court marshals, which fails to enforce the ruling of the Adler District Court of September 25, 2013.

The lawsuit concerns the protection of honour, dignity and business reputation of the police division of the Khosta District of Sochi, claimed to be damaged by rights defender Roman Shikarev in his Twitter account. Roman refuses to plead guilty.

The Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said that the crime detection in the republic is high, reaching 100% in some districts. However, as noted by Lev Levinson, an expert of the Human Rights Institute, this statistics indicates not the real state of affairs, but the attitude of district authorities to the Ministry bosses.

The human rights organization "Amnesty International" (AI) has called on the Georgian government to amend the Law "On Prohibition of All Forms of Discrimination", adopted by the Parliament in the first reading, so that to ensure a real ban on all forms of discrimination. The Georgian Ombudsman Ucha Nanuashvili and several local NGOs sent a package of recommendations on the Law to the Parliament.

The critical statements made by the head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov in relation to the Khasavyurt Mayor Saigidpasha Umakhanov cannot be explained by economic interests of the Chechen leadership related to Khasavyurt marketplaces, said the experts questioned by the "Caucasian Knot".

Circassian young people from Russia and abroad have encouraged their peers – youth organizations of Circassian Diasporas in Europe and United States – to develop constructive relations with Russia and Abkhazia, says the appeal of the Circassian Youth Forum; its participants add that they want to hold the event on a regular basis.