Eurasia

A third US naval ship has been delivering humanitarian aid to Georgia. However, unlike the two other American vessels, the USS Mount Whitney was offloading supplies at the Russian-patrolled port of Poti. Earlier US shipments steered clear of a potential showdown with the Russians by diverting to Batumi.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Oil prices closed modestly lower Wednesday as the market focused on demand amid a slowing global economy and signs that OPEC is under pressure to cut supply.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran summoned the French charge d’affaires on Wednesday to voice its concern about an anti-Islamic congress to be held in Germany later this month.

The Russia-Georgia clash has generated heated anti-Moscow rhetoric from John McCain and U.S. neoconservatives about a new Cold War, a prospect that most people might see in a negative light but which many military contractors surely view as a financial plus.

TEHRAN (FNA)- A team of Russian nuclear experts is visiting Iran as part of regular checking of the Islamic Republic’s first nuclear power plant which is under construction by Russia in the southwestern Iranian port city of Bushehr.

ATHENS, Greece (CNN) — Defying police presence and a thunderous downpour, dozens of Greek pagans huddled near the Parthenon in Athens on Sunday, holding a protest prayer for a museum being built at the foot of the sacred site.

MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) — Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin says it is weighing its options following the arrival of more NATO vessels in the Black Sea, according to reports.

Russia’s Ambassador to the EU has warned that the bloc will lose out by suspending long-delayed talks on a framework for new relations as retaliation for the military campaign in Georgia.

Europe has agreed to help rebuild war-devastated Georgia, but rebuilding relations with Russia may take longer. EU leaders decided to put new partnership talks with Moscow on hold if Russian troops are not withdrawn from Georgia soon. President Sarkozy will go to Moscow next week to reinforce Europe’s position.

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia praised the European Union on Tuesday for taking a “responsible approach” to its conflict with Georgia by declining to impose sanctions on Moscow but said the EU had failed to understand its reasons for intervening.