GEORGIA: A U.S. Navy warship carrying humanitarian aid has arrived at the
Georgian port of Batumi with supplies for people displaced by fighting
between Russian and Georgian troops.
The USS McFaul arrived today (Sunday) at the Black Sea port, the first of several American ships expected to deliver aid in the coming days.
Also today, a spokesman for the Georgian Interior Ministry said a train
carrying fuel exploded near the city of Gori. The spokesman (Shota Utiashvili) blamed Russia for the explosion.
Officials say the train hit a land mine as it traveled from Azerbaijan
toward the Black Sea, and that several tanker cars are burning.
IRAQ: Iraqi police say back-to-back explosions targeting police in Baghdad have killed at least four people.
Police say today's (Sunday's) explosions took place in rapid succession in the neighborhood of Nahdha. At least 15 people were wounded.
Reports said at least three deaths took place after the first explosion, and as people rushed to help, the second bomb went off.
Saturday, a suicide bombing at a car dealership in the city of Kirkuk
killed five people, including a Sunni militia leader from Diyala who is
allied to U.S. forces.
NEPAL-TIBET: About two thousand Tibetan exiles, including monks, nuns and children held a protest rally in Nepal's capital of Katmandu today (Sunday) hours before the closing ceremony of the Olympics in Beijing.
Police allowed the demonstration to proceed without incident on the outskirts of the city.
Tibetan exiles in both Nepal and India have been staging frequent
demonstrations to protest China's response to the unrest that erupted
in Tibet's capital in March.
The March protests in Lhasa were among the largest in almost 50 years of Chinese rule.
OLYMPICS-US-CHINA: The top U.S. diplomat in China is calling for the immediate release of
eight Americans detained for protesting during the Beijing Olympics.
Ambassador Clark Randt urged China today (Sunday) to demonstrate respect for human rights.
Randt says consular officials visited the eight detainees Friday, and that they have not claimed any maltreatment.
He expressed disappointment that China has not shown greater tolerance and openness during the Olympics.
OLYMPICS WRAP:The 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing end today (Sunday) with an elaborate closing ceremony including a cast of thousands and British superstars. Highlights include a duet by tenor Placido Domingo and Chinese soprano Song Zuying, as well as a display by several hundred martial artists. Although criticism of China's human rights was persistent on the sidelines of the Games, Beijing appears to have gotten what it wanted as host. Many have praised China's flawless handling of the logistics for the Games, and Beijing led the gold medal total (51). The United States won the most medals overall - 110, China came in second with 100, and Russia was third with 72 medals.
