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On February 9, Alexander Khloponin, Plenipotentiary of Russian President in the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD), said, when meeting students in Nalchik, that the main reason for the spread of religious extremism and terrorism is the growth of corruption as a result of "essential deficiencies of the authorities, both regional and federal."

As reported by the Chief Department (CD) of the Russian Ministry for Emergencies (MfE) for the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR), over 20 rescuers are now searching Sergey Bashkirov, 23, a skier from the town of Korolyov near Moscow, who was covered by an avalanche on Mount Cheget near Elbrus.

On February 9, Vladimir Markin, spokesman of the Russian Investigatory Committee, announced that 200 jewellery items stolen from the casualties' house were detected in the house of an acquaintance of Roman Gubarev, a suspect of killing eight people in Stavropol.

According to a source from law enforcement bodies, the fourth suspect of organizing the terror act in "Domodedovo" Airport on January 24 - Bashir Khamkhoev, a resident of Ingushetia, has been already arrested by the court.

On February 9, residents of the aul of Inzhichishkho made an appeal to the nations of the Karachay-Cherkessian Republic (KCR), Coordination Board of National Associations of Karachay-Cherkessia, and Circassian public organizations of North-Caucasian republics with notification about the rally, where they want to demand from the leadership of the republic and NCFD to investigate the murders of Aslan Zhukov, one of the leaders of Circassian youth, and Fral Shebzukhov, an adviser of the KCR President.

The three explosions that occurred in the evening on February 8 in two districts of Grozny, the Chechen capital, were not terror acts. In one case a grenade blew up, while the two other explosions could be just of everyday origin, sources from power structures of Chechnya believe.

Shortly before his death, Magomed Gamzatov, one of the leaders of the Didoy ethnic minority residing in Dagestan received a letter from the administration of the President of Russia. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told about it by a relative of Gamzatov.

Two women-residents of Chechnya, whose relatives thought them to have been kidnapped, were found by Chechen law enforcers in North Ossetia. Such incidents, according to a MIA officer, are used by some media and human rights organizations for allegations that kidnappings continue in Chechnya.

The office of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" in Grozny was approached by Magomed Edilov, 51, a local resident and a friend of a resident of the Moscow Region, who perished in a special operation in Chechnya. Mr Edilov complained of being harassed by FSB agents.

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg fined Russia to a sum of 160 thousand euros for disappearance and death of residents of Chechnya Movsar and Movladi Nasukhanovs and Magomed Dudarov in 2002.

On February, 9, Elchin Gasanov, one more of the activists of the party People's Front of Azerbaijan (PPFA) , reporter of "Yukselish Namine" ("For the Sake of Revival") was summoned to the police department of Sumgait.

On February, 9, Somali pirates captured a Greek tanker Irene SL in shore of Oman the crew of which includes a citizen of Georgia.

A regular soldier, private Kotinyan, Gevorg Andranikovich, born in 1992, died in an emergency incident in the Defence Army of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The City Court of Pyatigorsk, Stavropol Territory, has passed a verdict of guilty to a district militiaman of the local OVD (Interior Division), who tried to improve his performance indicators by planting drugs on citizens and then "finding" them.

On Monday, February 7, a 56-year-old local resident died in the Astrakhan Regional Infectious Hospital from complications caused by A/H1N1 influenza virus (swine flu).

As reported by the press service of the regional FSB department, on Monday, February 7, Lieutenant Colonel Khanahmed Yarakhmedov, deputy head of Penal Colony No. 2 of the Russian Federal Penal Service (known as "UFSIN"), was detained, when receiving a bribe of 80,000 roubles.

On February 8, Makhachkala hosted a rally of residents of the village of Khrakh-Uba (Khrakhoba), which is part of the village soviet Novoaulskiy, Magaramkent District of Dagestan, but is located inside the Khachmaz District of Azerbaijan. The protesters - about 300 persons - demanded to protect villagers' rights.

The Supreme Court (SC) of Azerbaijan has upheld the sentence passed by the court of the Kusar District to Usman Garisov, a resident of Dagestan on charges of contraband and drug use. He was sentenced to four years in prison.

The Presnya Court of Moscow has extended till May 11 the custody of the two persons accused of murdering Yuri Volkov, a fan of the "Spartak" Football Club.

The investigation has established the supposed killer of four children during the massacre of the family of farmer Ametov and his friends from Rostov-on-Don in the village of Kuschevskaya.