Main news of August 11

A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours.

RUSSIA

* President Dmitry Medvedev criticized his presidential envoy to the North Caucasus region for the poor situation in the volatile republic of Dagestan.

* Two NASA satellites registered almost 100 fewer hotspots than on the previous day, according to the ScanEx website that receives information from the satellites.

* The Russian Air Force will install firefighting equipment on its Il-76 military transport planes, the force commander said.

* The Russian Air Force and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) completed the active phase of joint anti-terrorism drills in the Far East.

WORLD

* The Georgian Foreign Ministry protested the deployment of Russian S-300 air-defense systems on the territory of its former republic of Abkhazia.<

* The deployment of S-300 air defense systems in Abkhazia is in compliance with the current defense cooperation agreement with Russia, the foreign minister of the former Georgian republic said.

BUSINESS

* The world's top aluminum producer RusAl, which holds a blocking stake in Russia's largest nickel producer Norilsk Nickel, has called for Norilsk Nickel to appoint Yakov Itskov, the head of RusAl's international alumina division, as Norilsk's first deputy general director in charge of operating business, RusAl said.

* Russia will extend spring sowing considerably to make up for damage caused if the current drought lasts until September, Agriculture Minister Yelena Skrynnik said.* Forest areas that have been ravaged in wildfires across central Russia will return within 15 years, but it will take some 300 years to make a full recovery, an ecologist said.

SPORTS

* Dutch coach Dick Advocaat saw his Russia team overcome Bulgaria 1-0, getting his time in charge of the Russian national side off to a winning start.