Main news of August 29

WORLD

* The Discovery space shuttle finally lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida after bad weather and technical problems caused three previous launches to be delayed, a NASA spokesman said

* With around 35% of ballots counted in last week's presidential elections Afghanistan's incumbent president, Hamid Karzai, has extended his lead to 15% over his nearest rival, the country's Central Election Commission said

 

RUSSIA

* One person was killed and two others are missing when heavy rain caused a dam to burst in Russia's Far East, a local emergencies ministry spokesperson said

* Legendary Soviet-era children's writer and poet Sergei Mikhalkov, who died Thursday at the age of 96, was buried with full military honors at the Novodevichye Cemetery in Moscow

* Work to repair the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric station in south Siberia, following a tragic accident on August 17 that left 71 people dead, is to be carried out in three shifts, the acting CEO of RusHydro said

* Russian law enforcement officers continued their special operation to root out illegal armed groups in the North Caucasus republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, a police spokesperson said

* Two people died and six others were injured when a minibus and a truck collided in northeast Russia, a regional emergencies ministry spokesperson said

SPORTS

* Olympic champion Elena Isinbayeva put her disappointing performance in the world championships behind her to set a new pole vault world record in Zurich, Russia's Vesti-24 channel reported