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This year, 3000 pilgrims from Chechnya will make their Hajj to Mecca. The number of free-of-charge places in the quota was cut by more than three times.

Today, the new president of Ingushetia Yunus-Bek Evkurov has dismissed the government of the republic, having signed the corresponding resignation decree.

Before the end of 2008, the National Television and Radio Board of Azerbaijan plans to make decision to stop broadcasting of radio stations Liberty, Voice of America in national frequencies.

Illegal stay of migrants in the territory of Volgograd Region is fraught not only with violations of the migratory legislation. Cases are frequent, when they are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or sick with other socially dangerous diseases. The Regional Administration suggests placing such patients to temporary accommodation centres (TACs) for clearing all their circumstances.

None of the companies, who signed investment agreements and land leasing contracts in the "Azov-City" gambling zone, has cancelled them because of financial crisis.

Mother of Magomed Tsechoev, condemned for an attack on power agencies of Ingushetia, insists that her son is innocent, asserts that he was tortured and asks human rights activists to meet him in the colony. Tsechoev's case is pending at the European Court for Human Rights for two years already.

In 2008, at least three persons died in Azerbaijani police stations during the first hours after detention. This is stated in the document issued by the Institute for Peace and Democracy (IPD) of Azerbaijan, headed by human rights defender Leila Yunus.

Eighty-nine criminal cases in relation to 104 participants of the events on March 1 in Yerevan have been already sent to courts; this is the result of the six-month-long investigation. Now, seven persons are in pre-trial custody. This was reported by Agvan Ovsepyan, General Public Prosecutor of Armenia, during his meeting with Silva Zege, special representative of Secretary General of the Council of Europe.

The bridge across the Tirifoni River located in the Georgian-South-Ossetian border and connecting the Ossetian village of Zemo Artsevi with the Georgian village of Kveshi was blown up today. There were no casualties.

Resignation of Murat Zyazikov from the post of President of Ingushetia was inevitable, since it was too obvious that he had lost control over situation in his Republic and exhausted the patience of federal authorities, as Russian analysts regard.

On Tuesday, October 28, advocate Isakhan Ashurov met, at Penitentiary Establishment No. 2, his client Farkhad Aliev, former Minister of Economic Development of Azerbaijan. As he said, Aliev's condition is poor, and he has no duly qualified medical care.

The information that human rights activist Mustapa Abdurakhmanov was found shot dead in Makhachkala is incorrect, reports the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Dagestan. According to the Ministry, Abdurakhmanov was liquidated on October 28 during a combat engagement in the Sergokalin District; he was a supporter of Wahhabism.

Magomed Khazbiev, head of the Ingush Nationwide Rally Organizing Committee, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that people of Ingushetia are triumphant and thank Russian President Dmitri Medvedev for dismissing Murat Zyazikov.

Today, at the second court session on the case of murdering Farid Babaev, leader of the Republic's branch of "Yabloko" Party, committed in Dagestan, the judge has ruled that the following sessions will be held in the closed mode, since, in the opinion of the prosecution, the coverage of the trial in media exerts pressure on jurymen and witnesses.

The warfare in South Ossetia was prepared both by Georgia and Russia. This conclusion was made by human rights activists of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" and the "Demos" Centre who visited Georgia on October 12-23 to study humanitarian consequences of the August military conflict.

The application lodged by Ahmed Kotiev, deputy chair of the alternative parliament called "National Assembly of Ingushetia", to the GOVD (City Militia Unit) of Nazran, was delivered to law enforcement bodies of the city of Mozdok, North Ossetia, for further consideration and investigation. Ahmed Kotiev told about it to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent today.

For the first time on October 30, officials took part in the events commemorating victims of political repressions, held in the regions of the South Federal District (SFD). The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told about it at the secretariats of the Human Rights Society "Memorial" in Nalchik and Astrakhan.

Experts differ in their opinions on assessing the attacks on GIBDD (Traffic Inspectorate) employee Zakre Zyazikov and Deputy Minister of Economy Arsamak Zyazikov - new attempts on the relatives of President of Ingushetia Murat Zyazikov.

The Council of Press (CP) of Azerbaijan has sent an appeal to President Ilham Aliev asking him to pardon four convicted journalists.

In Ingushetia, on October 27, power agents cordoned a street in Surkhakhi village, conducted searches and kidnapped three young men-members of the Aushev clan.