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The Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources (known as "Rosprirodnadzor") believes that the connivance of the officials from the Committee for Environment Protection of the Rostov Region had seriously damaged the ecology of the region. The prosecutor's office is investigating the case against Grigory Skripka, head of the Committee, initiated under the articles of "abuse of power" and "excess of power".

Audronus Azhubalis, operating Chairman of OSCE and Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, called for democratic reforms in Azerbaijan. Azhubalis declared at a meeting with the leaders of political parties of the country on March, 14, that Azerbaijan had a great potential to become the closest partner for Europe.

No less than seven people were killed, eight wounded and two kidnapped in armed confrontations in Northern Caucasus during the week from March, 7, till March, 13. This is the result of counting done by "Caucasian Knot" based upon its own data and information from other open sources.

Today, the Disciplinary Judicial Bench of the Krasnodar Territory reinstated two magistrate judges from the village of Kuschevskaya, who had been found guilty of links with the Tsapok's grouping.

On March 14, Anatoly Pakhomov, Sochi Mayor, provided his study for talks on compensations and damage caused to the city by Olympic construction with 15 public activists who came there.

Despite the absence of warfare in Northern Caucasus, annually armed conflicts in the region take away lives of dozens of civilians. The year 2009 became the bloodiest for the Republic of Ingushetia - 304 casualties; in 2010, the death toll halved - 148 casualties. The figures are presented in the blog of the "Caucasian Knot" by Magomed Mutsolgov, head of the human rights organization named "MASHR".

A group of 11 parents from the Baksan District, Kabardino-Balkaria, has addressed their sons, who are on the wanted list and accused of involvement in illegal armed formations (IAFs), with an appeal to lay down their arms.

A two-month arrest has been chosen as a freedom restriction measure for Samson Khachatryan, a famous boxer and opposition activist, who was detained on March 13 in Yerevan.

The Audit Department of Russian President has established facts of overpricing the construction materials used for building Olympic venues, said Konstantin Chuichenko, head of the Department.

A termless hunger strike was announced by Raffi Ovannisyan, leader of the oppositional "Heritage" Party, Deputy of the National Assembly of Armenia and former head of the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in protest against the situation in the country.

The defence advocates in the murder case of lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova have addressed the Judicial Qualification Board (JQB) of Moscow with a complaint against Judge Alexander Zamashnyuk, who is chairing the trial. According to the defence, the judge had broken ethical norms.

On March 14, the Georgian Ministry of Defence issued a release about the death in a German hospital of Corporal Valery Verskiani, who on March 5 hit a mine in Afghanistan.

According to the latest data, seven militiamen got injured as a result of an assault at "Kizilyurt" Department of Interior Affairs in the Republic of Dagestan and an explosion near it. Bomb technicians are currently trying to neutralize a bomb found in Kizilyurt, a representative of law enforcement bodies of Kizilyurt district said.

Fifteen participants of an antigovernment action held on March, 12, in the center of Baku by "Musavat" party underwent administrative sanctions. Nine of them were arrested for a term of 7 to 10 days on accusation of insubordination to the police. Five more persons were fined to a sum of 20 to 30 manats (24 - 36 dollars) and one was released from the courtroom after getting a notice.

The Election Commission of the Republic of Adygea has fixed no violations during the elections to the State Council-Khasse of the Republic held on March 13. At the same time, activists of the Association "Golos" state numerous violations.

Sergey Kulagin, a member with decisive vote of the precinct election commission No. 10 of the city of Stavropol, said that at 60-70 percent of polling stations during elections of deputies of the City Duma, the required voter turnout was achieved by bringing voters from aside.

Elena Kolosova, a resident of Rostov-on-Don, who had accused Moscow doctors of disrespectful attitude in treatment of her one-year-old son Yaroslav at the Russian Children's Clinical Hospital, is going to take her child away to Germany. Financial support to the family was promised by sponsors, who were found through the Ministry of Social Development.

Last night, on March 13, in central Moscow, in the "Mir" Concert Hall, where a concert with participation of Chechen performers took place, an unidentified person wounded a militiaman from a traumatic pistol. This was reported by a source from law enforcement bodies of the capital.

The five-time champion of the Soviet Union and two-time European champion in boxing, a member of the opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC) Samson Khachatryan was arrested on charges of violent actions against the authorities of Armenia.

As reported by Gennady Vasyunin, head of the Investigatory Division for the city of Tuapse of the Regional Department of the Investigatory Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF), they refused to open a criminal case against a group of ecologists, detained at their action-picnic held in the forest in the Krasnodar Territory near the object, which ecologists regard to be the summer cottage of Alexander Tkachov, territorial governor.