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Today in Sukhumi, an agreement was signed on establishment of diplomatic relations between Abkhazia and the Republic of Nauru - one of the smallest countries in the world. Nauru, thus, has become the fourth country to recognize Abkhazia.

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, and Co-Chairman Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL) issued the following statements today after learning that a Russian court sentenced a law enforcement official to two years in prison for the murder of independent journalist Magomed Yevloyev.

In the morning on December 15, in Nakhichevan, three participants of the project of the local Resource Centre on Human Rights and Democracy were beaten by a group of unidentified persons. The reason of the attack was in the anticorruption project of this public organization.

Today, Isalmagomed Nabiev, one of the figurants of the so-called "execution list", a publicist, human rights activist and chairman of independent trade union of drivers and businessmen of Dagestan, has stated that so far the corresponding instances gave no reaction to his request to protect him with state defence.

Twenty deputies of the National Assembly of Armenia, who mainly represent the parties of the ruling coalition, have addressed President Serzh Sargsyan with an appeal to pardon Sasun Mikaelyan, an imprisoned activist of the opposition and a veteran of the Karabakh War.

The law enforcement bodies of the Chechen Republic assert that they have managed to prevent a big subversive and terrorist act. Last Saturday, on December 12, in the foothill Kurchaloy District of the republic, a militants' hideout with ammunition and explosives was liquidated.

At night on December 14 in Sochi, the cargo port located near the mouth of Mzymtma River was washed away. Residents of the Imereti Lowland report that the storm has demolished the piles and dropped building cranes. Water attacks the coastal road running along the sea from the mouth of the river to the main ice palace.

Two bombs were neutralized on the gas pipeline Mozdok-Tbilisi. As reported by the PR Group of the local FSB Department, currently the works are underway on liquidation of other explosives. Because of limited gas supplies, lessons were cancelled today in all Ingush schools.

The terror act against the "Neva-Express" train, committed on November 27, made no effect on the case about a similar episode in 2007. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told about it by Murat Yunusov, the lawyer for the defendants in the case of the explosion of the same train committed two years ago.

According to the Georgian party, Alexander Bondarev, a dissident from Soviet time, living in Paris, and a resident of St Petersburg Ekaterina Timofeeva have addressed their requests for citizenship to the authorities of Georgia.

On December 26-27, 2009, the all-Russian action in defence of the unique natural territory of the Utrish Nature Reserve at the Black Sea shore, which, in the opinion of activists from ecological organizations, is under threat of extinction.

President of the Russian Federation Dmitri Medvedev has congratulated Sergey Bagapsh on his re-election to the post of President of the Republic of Abkhazia. According to Mr Medvedev, "the Russian-Abkhazian relations have received a powerful impetus for development and reached a new level."

On December 11-13, Sochi districts held public hearings on the draft "Rules of Land Use and Development of Sochi" (RLUD). The RLUD draft was designed by the Limited Liability Company (LLC) "Institute of Building Projects" from St Petersburg under the order of the Department of Architecture and Town-Planning of Sochi Administration.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France has awarded the premium of the French Republic "Freedom, Equality and Brotherhood" to the Chechen NGO "Let's Save the Generation". This French premium is awarded every year on the International Day of Human Rights, December 10, to five human rights organizations from different countries of the world.

As reported by Georgian MP Giya Tortladze, who visited today the conflict zone, the authorities of South Ossetia refused to release the two Georgian teenagers detained in this zone and postponed the issue till December 14.

The visit to Azerbaijan on December 11 of Yuri Merzliakov (Russia), Robert Bradtke (USA) and Bernard Fassier (France) - co-chairs of the Minsk OSCE Group - was held confidential.

Today, at the presidential election in Abkhazia, by 7:30 p.m. Moscow time the voter turnout was 64.29 percent; at many polling stations people had to wait for their turn to cast ballots. As stated by Batal Tabagua, chair of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) of Abkhazia, the figure allows recognizing the election valid. The CEC promises to announce preliminary outcomes by midday on December 13.

The parliament of the Republic of Nauru will consider the issue of recognition of independence of South Ossetia. This was stated Kiren Keke, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Finance of Nauru, at his meeting in Tskhinvali with Stanislav Kochiev, chairman of the parliament of South Ossetia.

A young man - Ramaz Bezhanidze, 27, whose life was supported by a respiratory apparatus, - died today in the afternoon from swine flu in a Batumi hospital. This was reported at an emergency press conference by Alexander Kvitashvili, Minister of Public Health of Georgia.

Ruslan Kishmariya, Abkhazian President's plenipotentiary for the Gali District, has categorically refuted statements of some Georgian media that the Abkhazian militia and Russian militaries violently brought residents of the Gali District to polling stations to force them to take part in today's presidential election in Abkhazia.