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Employees of the Dagestan Department of the FSB (DFSB) have conducted an operation aimed to detain those militiamen who extorted bribes from residents of Makhachkala under a threat of criminal prosecution.

Administration of the city of Gyandzha, Azerbaijan, plans to bake a huge baklava (a sort of oriental candy) for the Novruz Bairam holiday, which by its size will claim to be included into the Guinness Book of Records.

The law enforcement bodies of Chechnya report that near the Roshni-Chu village, Urus-Martan District, the body of earlier kidnapped local resident was found.

Georgia will officially quit the CIS after August 18, as stated on March 13 by Alexander Nalbandov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia. According to his story, one year will expire on that day - the mandatory term stipulated for all the procedures related to exit from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

Several thousands rallied on March 13 in Tbilisi to a concert given by singer and musician Giorgiy Gachechiladze, brother of Levon Gachechiladze, leader of the United Opposition of Georgia. The protest event of the opposition in the form of action-concert came to an end without any incidents.

On March 13, Mnatsakan Martirosyan, Judge in the "Case of Seven", removed away from the courtroom for the period of 10 days Grigor Voskerchyan, the only defendant who was allowed to be present at judicial hearings. The others were removed on March 9.

The oppositional MPs of Georgia Georgiy Tsagareishvili and Roman Mersagishvili have quitted the Pardon Commission under the President of Georgia, having stated that they were revolted by Saakashvili's decision to pardon the four policemen guilty of death of Sandro Girgvliani, a bank employee.

In Sochi, the service for catching homeless animals has sped up its work, which contradicts the Russian legislation, runs the application sent to the prosecutor's office of the city by animal advocates.

The main goal of the analytical centre, now created in Ingushetia with the aim to check the institutions of religious training, is the work with youth. The employees of the centre will visit mosques on a weekly basis and hold meetings with villagers of Ingushetia. Azit Gudanilov, an employee of the centre, told about it to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Sergey Arakcheev, a former officer of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of the Russian Federation, convicted for murdering three peaceful residents of Chechnya, is now calling Russians, in the pages of his Internet website, to sign his appeal to President of Russia Dmitri Medvedev. As of today, the letter has been signed by 1284 persons.

Mezhid Alkhazurov, 19, blew himself up by a land mine in a high-mountain village of Dargo, Vedeno District of Chechnya.

On March 10, Dagestan hosted a meeting of Republic's leader Mukhu Aliev with the members of the Commission of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation for Interethnic Relations and Freedom of Conscience and a group of well-known Russian human rights activists. The delegation held a session of public hearings in the Republic, however, in the opinion of Nikolai Svanidze, Chairman of the Commission, the parties failed to start a dialogue.

Today, at about 1 p.m. local time, Gagik Shamshyan, press photographer of the dailies "Aravot" (Morning) and "Chorord Ishkhanutyun" (Fourth Power), was violently beaten by the securities of the Valery Bryusov Yerevan Linguistic University right in the lobby of this higher school.

According to "Rostovstat" (Regional Statistics Authority), as of March 12, 2009, 32 enterprises of the Rostov Region were holding back wages of 16,000 workers. Four enterprises of the city of Taganrog owe 78.5 million roubles to more than six thousand workers, and three enterprises of the Aksay District owe 25.882 million roubles. The Region has also debts to its budget-paid employees: as of March 12, they make 931,000 roubles.

On Tuesday, March 10, Dashgyn Gyulmamedov, President of the National Assembly of Georgian Azerbaijanis (NAGA) was arrested in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.

On Wednesday, March 11, utility gas blew up in a lean to a dwelling house killing two daughters of the owner, both Group II invalids.

The company named "RusHydro", which is building the Zaramag Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP), has flooded the Alaidon Necropolis, a unique monument of the Koban culture of the Caucasus, which was found in North Ossetia. The accident was reported by Ossetian archaeologist Khasanbek Chshiev.

On March 11, in the submontane Achkhoi-Martan District of the Chechen Republic, unidentified criminals shelled a motorcade with employees of law enforcement bodies. One of the militiamen was hospitalized with gunshot wounds. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent learnt about it from a source in law enforcement bodies of the Republic.

The engineering-sapper subdivisions of the Internal Troops (ITs) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Russia neutralized, during February this year, 360 different explosive objects and six self-made bombs detected in the territory of Chechnya.

Today, the European Court on Human Rights has unanimously convicted Russia for violent disappearances of 13 persons in different districts of Chechnya in the period from January 2001 to January 2003.