Georgia has launched a major offensive aimed at regaining control of the break-away region of South Ossetia. Correspondents say the Georgian military has been using fighter jets and heavy artillery to pound the province.
There are also reports of damage and several casualties in the regional capital, Tskhinvali. Georgian President Mikhail Saakasvhili has announced that his government is calling up all military reservists. In a televised statement, he also said that Russian aircraft had bombed several Georgian villages, describing the move as an act of aggression. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who is in Beijing to attend the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games, has criticised the Georgian offensive against the rebels. Putin said this would provoke retaliatory measures Russia warns Georgia over troop detention ...
Putin proposes new cabinet line-up ... from Russia. Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council has held an emergency session to discuss the escalating conflict. It has expressed concern over the fighting but failed to endorse a Russian-sponsored statement urging the two sides to cease hostilities.
(Deutsche Welle)
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