Eurasia

(Reuters) – Following are developments in Georgia at 1030 gmt on Sunday: — A senior Russian defense official said Russian troops controlled most of Tskhinvali, the South Ossetian capital.

TBILISI (Reuters) – Russia has started an operation to storm the Georgian-controlled Kodori gorge in Georgia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia, the Georgian Interior Ministry said on Sunday.

MOSCOW (Reuters) – The commander of the 58th Army that spearheaded the Russian counter-attack in Georgia’s breakaway region of South Ossetia was injured by shrapnel and is undergoing treatment in hospital, Itar-Tass news agency said.

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian warships are not planning to block shipments of oil from Georgia’s Black Sea port of Poti, but reserve the right to search ships coming to and from it, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said on Sunday.

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Georgian troops have not been defeated and are still fighting in and around the separatist region of South Ossetia to prevent Russian troops from making further advances, a senior Georgian official said on Sunday.

BRESSANONE, Italy (Reuters) – Pope Benedict called on Sunday for an immediate halt to the fighting between Russia and Georgia over the breakaway South Ossetia region and urged world powers to help find a peaceful solution.

ERGNETI, Georgia (Reuters) – Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili visited the village of Ergneti on the very border with South Ossetia on Sunday as Tbilisi said it had withdrawn it forces from the breakaway territory.

BEIJING (Reuters) – The Georgian and Russian Olympic teams have decided to stay on at the Beijing Games despite Russian military attacks on Georgia’s breakaway region of South Ossetia, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said.

TEHRAN, (ISNA)-Iran’s president senior adviser Samare Hashemi said the Zionist regime letter of objection to Turkish government over Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visit to Istanbul is “of no value.”

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran on Saturday called for an immediate stop of military conflicts in South Ossetia, and voiced readiness to offer any help to end the crisis in South Ossetia.