August, 2008

• 16 August

  Bush accuses Russia of “bullying” in Georgia

  US President George W. Bush has again expressed Washington’s support for Tbilisi. In a statement made from the White House, Bush said: “The people of Georgia have cast their lot with the free world and we will not cast them aside.”

  Read More »
• 16 August

  Medvedev and Merkel spar in Sochi over Georgia

  The other half of the diplomatic pincer movement took place in Sochi, as the German Chancellor Angela Merkel used a pre-planned trip there to try to lean on the Russian president to withdraw his troops. The talks were short. Afterwards it appeared there had been no meeting of minds. Russia …

  Read More »
• 16 August

  No return for Georgian refugees, says S. Ossetia

  The self-styled president of South Ossetia has said Georgian refugees who fled the enclave will not be allowed to return home. The comments by Eduard Kokoity feature in an interview with the Russian newspaper “Kommersant.”

  Read More »
• 16 August

  Gori takes the brunt of the Russian military stand-off

  The Georgian town of Gori has been at the heart of the powerplay between Russia and Georgia. Most of the residents of Gori have fled the shooting, bombing and armoured intimidation.

  Read More »
• 16 August

  Russian troops remain in Georgia

  Russian tanks and troops are still in and around Georgian towns, days after Moscow declared its military operation was over. For the second day running Georgian police have been trying to persuade Russian troops to leave the town of Gori, after rejecting Russian demands yesterday for joint security patrols.

  Read More »
• 15 August

  Serbia wants international court opinion on Kosovo

  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Serbia said on Friday it would seek an opinion from the International Court of Justice on whether Kosovo’s declaration of independence was legal and that Belgrade would abide by whatever the court said.

  Read More »
• 15 August

  Iraq boosts pilgrimage security as bombers strike

  KERBALA, Iraq (Reuters) – A roadside bomb struck a minibus packed with pilgrims bound for Iraq’s holy Shi’ite city of Kerbala on Friday as authorities deployed more than 40,000 police and soldiers to avert new violence in the annual rite.

  Read More »
• 15 August

  Two soldiers from NATO force killed in Afghanistan

  KABUL (Reuters) – Insurgents killed two soldiers from NATO-led forces in an attack in eastern Afghanistan on Friday, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.

  Read More »
• 15 August

  Bulgarian prince seriously injured in car crash

  MADRID (Reuters) – Prince Kardam of Bulgaria, the eldest son of the former king of Bulgaria, was seriously injured when his car crashed into a tree on a Madrid highway on Friday, a traffic police spokesman said.

  Read More »
• 15 August

  U.N.’s Ban unable to reach Russian leader on phone

  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has so far been unable to contact Russian President Dmitry Medvedev by telephone to discuss the crisis in Georgia, a U.N. spokesman said on Friday.

  Read More »