Main news of August 12

 

RUSSIA

* Russia announced the end of its "peace enforcement" operation in Georgia, but reserves the right to take further military action in the event of any Georgian attack on South Ossetia

* Russia's foreign minister said the country rules out negotiations with Georgia's president, and insisted that Georgia must no longer have a peacekeeping presence in breakaway South Ossetia

* Russian security forces arrested a top Georgian intelligence officer on charges of collecting data on Russian troops in the North Caucasus and South Ossetia's president, the FSB said

* Russian Greco Roman wrestlers Nazyr Mankiev and Islambek Albiev clinched Russia's first two gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing

WORLD

* The presidents of Russia and France agreed on six principles to resolve the situation in South Ossetia

* Georgia's president gave a speech in front of thousands of flag-waving supporters outside parliament, denouncing Russia and declaring his country's withdrawal from a post-Soviet alliance

* Abkhazia's operation to force Georgian troops from the upper part of the Kodori Gorge has been completed, the Abkhaz deputy defense minister said

* NATO refused to rule out the prospect of Georgia joining the military alliance in the future, despite recent fighting in South Ossetia

* At least 112 people died and another 45 are missing in floods and landslides in northern Vietnam, the center for flood and typhoon prevention said