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An employee of the Russian MIA's Chief Department for the Southern Federal District (SFD) is accused of planting a kilo of heroin into the car of Alexander Afanasiev, Director of the OBI Supermarket, against whom a criminal proceeding was later instituted on drug dealing.

The bosses of the Rostov Youth Theatre have apologized for the situation around cancellation of several plays of the festival "Rostov Readings" and cancelled their earlier decision not to admit them to performance.

Today, Makhachkala hosted a rally of residents of the village of Khrakh-Uba, located in the territory of Azerbaijan. The participants of the action told about threats of deportation from Azerbaijan and harassment of enclave villagers. The protest rally was about 60 persons strong. The action was sanctioned by the administration of Makhachkala.

As reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Azerbaijan, Sergey Buntman, deputy editor-in-chief of the "Echo Moskvy" radio station, was put on the list of persons, whose visit to the country is highly undesirable.

The Stavropol Interregional Ecological Prosecutor's Office has dismissed the decision of the Administration of Stavropol to cut and build up the Mamay Forest, which was defended by the city public.

Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, has resolutely condemned conviction in Azerbaijan of young oppositionists Jabbar Savalan and Bakhtiyar Gadjiev.

Starting from today, senior officials of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) are forbidden to use their service cars. Such order was issued by the head of the republic Arsen Kanokov with the aim to acquaint the top managers of Kabardino-Balkaria with the problems of public transport.

The Georgian authorities have blocked the road across the border between the villages of the Sinagur District of South Ossetia and Georgia and stopped passing villagers through the checkpoint. This was reported by Pavel Kumaritov, Head of the Administration of the Dzaus District of South Ossetia.

Journalists were told by Ovik Abramyan, Speaker of the Parliament, that the Armenian National Assembly would consider the amnesty issue at its extraordinary session on May 25. According to his story, this is the ninth amnesty campaign in the history of independent Armenia; and it will be completed before the 20th anniversary of Independence - on September 21.

Today Tbilisi has seen continuation of oppositional actions; and a new wave of them is scheduled for May 25. However, some Georgian MPs see "the hand of Moscow" in the events, while Russian Foreign Ministry accuses Saakashvili's regime of human rights violations.

In the evening of May, 22, about 30 people tried to organize a procession along Primorsky boulevard in Baku. In this way they wished to support arrested youth activists. The action was dispersed by the police, five persons were detained.

"Sakharov's May-Day" passed off in Moscow near the Museum and Social Center named after academician Andrey Sakharov. It was on open-air party: "Freedom Day", a meeting and a concert.

As reported by Manana Salukvadze, an activist of the People's Forum, in Batumi the police have dispersed a rally of supporters of the oppositional Forum with application of truncheons.

In Volgograd, 30 women, whose children have no places in kindergartens, have joined the three-day nationwide hunger strike in defence of children's right to free preschool education.

The Georgian Public Television has provided live broadcast to the oppositionists, who gathered today in Tbilisi with a demand of resignation of President Mikhail Saakashvili.

At the moment of receiving a bribe of 10,000 roubles, employees of the Department of Own Security of the GUVD (Chief Interior Department) of the Astrakhan Region detained a GIBDD (traffic police) inspector.

The capital of Kabardino-Balkaria hosted an almost a thousand-strong rally near the monument to victims of the Caucasian War, dedicated to the 147th anniversary of the end of the War.

Deputies of the oppositional "Heritage" Party are holding an action of civil protest in Yerevan with participation of ecologists and residents of adjacent areas. The aim of the action is to stop illegal, according to its participants, construction works in the capital and to restore green plantations.

On May 20, the Standing Commission on State and Legal Affairs of the National Assembly of Armenia passed a positive opinion on the proposal of President Serzh Sargsyan "On Declaring Amnesty".

Now in Georgia, inmates may contact their relatives through video conferencing. Since May 19, this service is available for juvenile offenders; and in the near future the innovation will be gradually introduced in other penal institutions.