GEORGIA: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered an end to military action in Georgia.
Russian military officials say they will not move their troops or peacekeepers from their current positions.
Just before the Russian president's action, Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov said the only way to end the conflict is for Georgia to
withdraw from South Ossetia.
The announcement comes after today's bombing of the Georgian town of Gori by Russian aircraft.
Journalists in the town reported several casualties. Gori is 75
kilometers west of Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, and was the birthplace
of former Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.
PAKISTAN VIOLENCE: Pakistan police say a roadside bomb attack on a military vehicle today in the northwestern part of the country has killed at least
13 people and wounded several others.
The attack on the air force bus occurred as it was crossing a bridge on
the outskirts of the city of Peshawar, as the vehicle was heading to a
nearby base. Reporters at the scene say the blast tore a large hole in
the bridge.
At least 10 people have been wounded by the explosion. The victims
include both military personnel and civilians. There has been no claim
of responsibility for the bombing.
Pakistani military forces have been carrying out helicopter air strikes
against suspected Muslim insurgents in the nearby Bajaur tribal region.
KASHMIR PROTEST: Officials in Kashmir say security forces have killed five people taking part in protests led by Muslim separatists today in the Indian-controlled part of the disputed region. Three protesters were gunned down in the town of Bandipora, located about 60 kilometers north of Kashmir's summer capital of Srinagar. Two protesters were killed in a separate demonstration just south of Srinagar. The latest protests were staged a day after Kashmiri separatist leader Sheikh Aziz and three other people were shot dead by Indian forces trying to stop thousands of Muslim protesters from marching to the Pakistan-controlled part of Kashmir.
VIETNAM - FLOODS: Vietnamese officials say flooding in the wake of Tropical Storm Kammuri has left about 150 people dead or missing in Vietnam's mountainous northern provinces. The government says flash floods and landslides have swept away or damaged more than four thousand homes since Kammuri hit on Friday. Officials say the storm has cut roads and communication and submerged several thousand hectares of cropland. United Nations humanitarian and development officials released a statement Monday saying they are monitoring the situation.CHINA - VIOLENCE: China's official news agency says three security officers were stabbed to death today and another was wounded in the restive western Xinjiang region. The Xinhua news agency said an assailant jumped off a vehicle passing a checkpoint and attacked the officers, then escaped. The attack is the latest in an upsurge of violence in the mostly Muslim region that started shortly before the Olympic Games under way in Beijing. On Sunday, at least 11 people were killed in a series of attacks in the region. Attackers set off an explosion at a police station in the city of Kuqa, and Chinese authorities said assailants also targeted supermarkets, hotels and government offices in the region.
KOREAS - BOAT COLLISION: South Korean officials say two North Koreans are missing after a North Korean fishing boat collided with a South Korean vessel in the Sea of Japan. Military officials say the North Korean fishing boat collided with a South Korean vessel carrying sand early today in North Korea waters. Police say two other North Korean fishermen were rescued by the crew of the sand dredger. South Korean authorities say the North Korean boat had four people on board. A South Korean spokesman said the cause of the accident has yet to be determined.
OLYMPICS WRAP: American swimmers dominated the Olympic competition today
with Michael Phelps now three for three in his quest to win a record
eight gold medals at the Beijing Summer Games.
Phelps took gold in the 200 meter freestyle in a world record time
(1:42.96). The 23-year-old Phelps now joins an elite fraternity that
includes Carl Lewis and Mark Spitz, all with nine gold medals.
Phelps' compatriot Natalie Coughlin captured the gold in the 100 meter
backstroke (with a time of 58-point-96 seconds). Aaron Peirsol took the
gold in the 100 meter backstroke with a world record time (52.54).
Aussie Leisel Jones won the women's 100 meter breaststroke with an
Olympic record time (1:05.17).
SPORTS - OLYMPICS: Second-seeded Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia and Sony Dwi Kuncoro of
Indonesia have advanced to the quarterfinals of the Olympic men's
badminton tournament in Beijing.
Also in men's singles, South Korea's Lee Hyun-il defeated German Marc
Zwiebler (21-13, 21-11).Third seed Bao Chunlai of China beat Poland's
Wacha Przemyslaw (21-11, 19-21, 21-13).
In men's doubles, Americans Howard Bach and Lao American Bob Malaythong downed South
African brothers Chris and Roelof Dednam (21-10, 21-16).
The Americans take on second seeded Cai Yu and Fu Haifeng of China in
the quarterfinals.
ZIMBABWE: Human Rights Watch is calling on southern African leaders to push for an end to violence in Zimbabwe, as power sharing negotiations between Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai get set to resume for a third day. The human rights group's report released today, called "They Beat Me Like a Dog," accuses Mr. Mugabe's Zanu PF of continued killings, beatings and arbitrary arrests of opposition activists and members of parliament. The Zanu PF has previously denied accusations by the opposition and human rights groups of political violence.
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