World News 08-08-08

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width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>News and Music Free Radio Stations RadioZX</B></FONT>     |     <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News and Music Free Radio Stations Radio">home</A>                              back to  <A HREF="news.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News">News</A></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B>World News 08-08-08</B></I></div> <div> <B>08/08/08</B></div> <div> Mighty Quinn radiozx editor</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="6bdb4d40.jpg" border=0 width="180" height="212" ALT="Atomic Boom blast" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Is This The Start of World War III . . .  <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC3333" FACE="Arial" ><B>Cuba</B></FONT> thinks so . . .    <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>08/08/08 </B>may go down in History as the Start of World War III</FONT></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Russia & China Team-up and Attack Georgia...</B></div> <div> <B>While </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC3333" FACE="Verdana" ><B>China</B></FONT><B> is Wowing the World on TV ...  </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0000" FACE="Verdana" ><B>Russia</B></FONT><B> drops Booms</B></div> <div> <B>as </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#3300FF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Bush & Putin Party</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#CC0000" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><B>at the Beijing Olympic Games   </B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>08/08/08</B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> Putin and Beijing CON Bush again. . .  Georgia reports new Air Strikes</div> <div> <B>Georgia is America's # 3 Troop Supporter in Iraq</B></div> <div> <B>And now Georgia is fighting for their LIFE . . .  All by themselves</B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Russian warplanes attacked three military bases and key facilities as battle continues </B></div> <div> August, 08, 2008</div> <div> By MUSA SADULAYEV, Associated Press Writer</div> <div> DZHAVA, Georgia -</div> <div> Culled from <A HREF="http://www.yahoo.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.yahoo.com/"><IMG SRC="6cdd7210.gif" border=0 width="215" height="33" ALT="yahoo logo" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A></div> <div> <IMG SRC="6bcf2fa0.jpg" border=0 width="242" height="250" ALT="G.W. Bush and Hitler" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="6" VSPACE="0"><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Russia dispatched an armored column into the breakaway enclave of South Ossetia on Friday after Georgia, a staunch U.S. ally, launched a surprise offensive to crush separatists.</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Witnesses said hundreds of civilians were killed. Fighting reportedly raged well into the night with Georgia's interior ministry saying early Saturday that warplanes attacked three Georgian military bases and key facilities for shipping oil to the West.</div> <bR> <div> <B>The fighting, which devastated the capital of Tskhinvali,</B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > threatened to ignite a wider war between Georgia and Russia, and escalate tensions between Moscow and Washington. Georgia said it was forced to launch the assault because of rebel attacks; the separatists alleged Georgia violated a cease-fire.</FONT></div> <bR> <div> "I saw bodies lying on the streets, around ruined buildings, in cars," said Lyudmila Ostayeva, 50, who had fled with her family to Dzhava, a village near the border with Russia. "It's impossible to count them now. There is hardly a single building left undamaged."</div> <bR> <div> The fighting broke out as much of the world's attention was focused on the start of the Olympic Games and many leaders, including Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Bush, were in Beijing.</div> <bR> <div> The timing suggested Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili may have been counting on surprise to fulfill his longtime pledge to wrest back control of South Ossetia — a key to his hold on power. The rebels seek to unite with North Ossetia, which is part of Russia.</div> <bR> <div> Saakashvili agreed the timing was not coincidental, but accused Russia of being the aggressor. "Most decision makers have gone for the holidays," he told CNN. "Brilliant moment to attack a small country."</div> <bR> <div> Seeking to prevent an all-out war, diplomats issued a flurry of statements calling on both sides to halt the fighting.</div> <bR> <div> <B>The U.N. Security Council held two tense emergency sessions 12 hours apart with both sides using the forum to launch accusations. As the meeting recessed, officials promised a third council session Saturday.</B></div> <bR> <div> Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged Russia to halt aircraft and missile attacks and withdraw combat forces from Georgian territory. Rice said in a statement the United States wants Russia to respect Georgian sovereignty and agree to international mediation.</div> <bR> <div> The leader of South Ossetia's rebel government, Eduard Kokoity, said about 1,400 people were killed in the onslaught, the Interfax news agency reported. The toll could not be independently confirmed.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="6cb9a730.jpg" border=0 width="154" height="115" ALT="Russian warplane booming" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="6" VSPACE="0"><B>As night fell, there were conflicting claims as to who held the battlefield advantage.</B></div> <div> Saakashvili said "Georgian military forces completely control all the territory of South Ossetia" except for a northern section adjacent to Russia. But Russian news agencies cited a Russian military official as saying heavy fighting was under way on the outskirts of the regional capital.</div> <bR> <div> It was unclear what might persuade either side to stop shooting. Both claim the battle started after the other side violated a cease-fire that had been declared just hours earlier after a week of sporadic clashes.</div> <bR> <div> The United States was sending in its top Caucasus envoy, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza, to try to end the bloodshed.</div> <bR> <div> It was the worst outbreak of hostilities since the province won de facto independence in a war against Georgia that ended in 1992. Russian troops went in as peacekeepers but Georgia alleges they now back the separatists.</div> <bR> <div> Russia, which has granted citizenship to most of the region's residents, appeared to lay much of the responsibility for ending the fighting on Washington.</div> <div> In a telephone conversation with Rice, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Georgia must be convinced to withdraw its forces, according to a ministry statement.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Georgia, which borders the Black Sea between Turkey and Russia, was ruled by Moscow for most of the two centuries preceding the breakup of the Soviet Union.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Georgia has angered Russia by seeking NATO membership — a bid Moscow regards as part of a Western effort to weaken its influence in the region.</B></div> <bR> <div> Saakashvili long has pledged to restore Tbilisi's rule over South Ossetia and another breakaway province, Abkhazia. Both regions have run their own affairs without international recognition since splitting from Georgia in the early 1990s and have built up ties with Moscow. </div> <bR> <div> <B>Georgia has about 2,000 troops in Iraq, making it the third-largest contributor to coalition forces after the U.S. and Britain.</B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > But Saakashvili told CNN the troops would be called home Saturday in the face of the South Ossetia fighting. </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>A senior U.S. defense official said Georgian authorities have asked the United States for help getting their troops out of Iraq</B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >.</FONT></div> <bR> <div> The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions have been private, said no formal decision has been made on whether to support the departure, but said it is likely the U.S. will do so. </div> <bR> <div> Also, Pentagon officials said Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has reached out to his counterparts in Russia and Georgia, but has not yet connected with them. </div> <bR> <div> Early Saturday, Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said the Vaziani military base on the outskirts of the Georgian capital was bombed by warplanes during the night and that bombs fell in the area of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline. He also said two other Georgian military bases were hit and that warplanes bombed the Black Sea port city of Poti, which has a sizable oil shipment facility. </div> <bR> <div> Utiashvili said there apparently were significant casualties and damage in the attacks, but that further details would not be known until the morning. </div> <div> Earlier, Georgia's Foreign Ministry accused Russian aircraft of bombing two military air bases, inflicting some casualties and destroying several military aircraft. Rustavi 2 television said four people were killed and five wounded at the Marneuli air base. </div> <bR> <div> Twelve Russian troops were killed and 30 wounded in the fighting, said Russian Ground Forces spokesman Col. Igor Konashenkov. Saakashvili said late Friday that about 30 Georgians had been killed "mainly members of the Georgian armed forces." </div> <bR> <div> Russia's Defense Ministry said it was sending in reinforcements for its troops in the province, and Russian state television and Georgian officials reported a convoy of tanks had crossed the border. The convoy was expected to reach the provincial capital, Tskhinvali, by evening, Channel One television said. </div> <bR> <div> <B>"We are facing Russian aggression," said Georgia's Security Council chief Kakha Lomaya. "They have sent in their troops and weapons and they are bombing our towns." </B></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="6c35a810.jpg" border=0 width="90" height="129" ALT="Putin thinking" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="6" VSPACE="0">Putin warned in the early stages of the conflict that the Georgian attack would draw retaliation and the Defense Ministry pledged to protect South Ossetians, most of whom have Russian citizenship. </div> <bR> <div> Chairing a session of his Security Council in the Kremlin, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev also vowed that Moscow will protect Russian citizens. </div> <div> "In accordance with the constitution and federal law, I, as president of Russia, am obliged to protect lives and dignity of Russian citizens wherever they are located," Medvedev said. "We won't allow the death of our compatriots go unpunished." </div> <bR> <div> On Friday, an AP reporter saw tanks and other heavy weapons concentrating on the Russian side of the border with South Ossetia — supporting the reports of an incursion. Some villagers were fleeing into Russia. </div> <bR> <div> The Georgian state minister for reintegration, Temur Yakobashvili, said Georgian forces had shot down four Russian combat planes over Georgian territory but gave no details. Russia's Defense Ministry denied an earlier Georgia report about one Russian plane downed and had no immediate comment on the latest claim. </div> <bR> <div> Yakobashvili said one Russian plane had dropped a bomb on the Vaziani military base near the Georgian capital, but no one was hurt. More than 1,000 U.S. Marines and soldiers were at the base last month to teach combat skills to Georgian troops. </div> <bR> <div> South Ossetia officials said Georgia attacked with aircraft, armor and heavy artillery. Georgian troops fired missiles at Tskhinvali, an official said, and many buildings were on fire. </div> <bR> <div> <B>Georgia's president said Russian aircraft bombed several Georgian villages and other civilian facilities.</B> </div> <bR> <div> A senior Russian diplomat in charge of the South Ossetian conflict, Yuri Popov, dismissed the Georgian claims of Russian bombings as misinformation, the RIA-Novosti news agency reported. </div> <bR> <div> The Georgian attack came just hours after Saakashvili announced a unilateral cease-fire in a television broadcast late Thursday in which he also urged South Ossetian separatist leaders to enter talks on resolving the conflict. </div> <bR> <div> Georgian officials later blamed South Ossetian separatists for thwarting the cease-fire by shelling Georgian villages in the area. </div> <div> ___ </div> <div> Associated Press writers Misha Dzhindzhikhashvili in Tbilisi, Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow and John Heilprin at the United Nations contributed to this report.</div> <bR> <div> <B>March 18, 2008</B><A HREF="http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90883/6375941.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776"><IMG SRC="6c2ce3c0.jpg" border=0 width="206" height="60" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A> culled from <A HREF="http://Yahoo.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://Yahoo.com">Yahoo.com</A></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Russia opposes attempts to politicize Beijing Olympic Games</B></div> <div> <IMG SRC="2eb946f0.jpg" border=0 width="148" height="111" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="6" VSPACE="0">Russia opposes those attempts to politicize the Beijing Olympic Games by making use of the Tibet issue, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement published on its website Monday. </div> <bR> <div> "Attempts to politicize the conduct of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in China are unacceptable," the statement stressed. </div> <bR> <div> "Russia has repeatedly declared that it regards Tibet as an integral part of China, considering resolving relations with the Dalai Lama to be an internal affair of the People's Republic of China," the statement said. </div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="6c45f8c0.jpg" border=0 width="95" height="140" ALT="Osama" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="6" VSPACE="0">Russia hoped that the Chinese side will take all the necessary measures to end illegal actions and secure an early return to normalcy in the autonomous region, it added. </div> <bR> <div> Russia is convinced that the Chinese side will provide the highest level of organization of the Games, particularly in terms of issues with regard to the security of the athletes and guests of the Olympiad, the statement said. </div> <div> <A HREF="china_xinhua.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="China News and Propaganda Index"><I>Source: Xinhua</I></A></div> <div> <B>August 8, 2008</B>   culled from <A HREF="http://www.cnn.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.cnn.com"><IMG SRC="6b894240.gif" border=0 width="148" height="36" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Chinese Islamic group threatens Olympics</B></div> <div> BEIJING, China (AP) -- A Chinese Islamic faction that has threatened to attack the Olympics released a new video, warning Muslims to stay away from the Beijing Games and avoid buses, trains, planes and buildings used by Chinese, a U.S. group that monitors militant organizations said Thursday.</div> <bR> <div> On the six-minute video issued Wednesday, two days before the opening of the games, a representative of the Turkistan Islamic Party reiterates the group's threats against the Olympics made in a video last month, according to SITE Intelligence Group. It shows images of the Beijing Olympics logo in flames and an explosion over an Olympics venue.</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="6ba24db0.jpg" border=0 width="292" height="219" ALT="A police officer asks girls to move away from the fence outside the National Stadium in Beijing on July 27" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="6" VSPACE="0">"Choose your side," says the speaker, grasping a rifle and dressed in a black turban and camouflage with his face masked. "Do not stay on the same bus, on the same train, on the same plane, in the same buildings, or any place the Chinese are," he warns Muslims, according to SITE.</div> <bR> <div> The video accuses China of using the Olympics to hide its actions from the world.</div> <bR> <div> The TIP representative spoke the Turkic language of the Uighurs, a largely Muslim minority in China's restive western Xinjiang territory near the borders of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Uighurs have a long history of tense relations with the central government.</div> <bR> <div> The Turkistan Islamic Party is believed to be based across the border in Pakistan, where security experts say it has received training from al Qaeda. Last month, the group issued videotaped threats and claimed responsibility for a series of recent bus bombings in China.</div> <bR> <div> On Monday, assailants killed 16 border police and wounded 16 others in the Xinjiang city of Kashgar when they rammed a stolen truck into the group before tossing homemade bombs and stabbing them. Chinese authorities called the raid a terrorist attack and said they had arrested two men who are Uighurs. No group has claimed responsibility.</div> <bR> <div> The latest video claims the communist regime's alleged mistreatment of Muslims justifies holy war. It accuses China of forcing Muslims into atheism by capturing and killing Islamic teachers and destroying Islamic schools, according to the SITE. It says China's birth control program has forced abortions on Muslim women.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="6bb24db0.jpg" border=0 width="292" height="219" ALT="A man takes pictures of soldiers and a surface-to-air missile launcher near the National Stadium on July 25" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="6" VSPACE="0">"They are implying that anyone who is complicit with the Chinese regime is a legitimate target," Rita Katz, director of SITE, told The Associated Press.</div> <bR> <div> "The reason for the increased propaganda from TIP at this time is likely due to the fact that the international media's attention on the Olympics in China provides the group with the perfect platform to publicize their existence and activities on a global scale," Katz added.</div> <bR> <div> The group also calls upon Muslims to offer support financially, physically and spiritually, SITE said.</div> <div> News of the video came just hours after President Bush landed in Beijing for a three day visit to attend the games opening ceremony and some Olympic events.</div> <bR> <div> "I think what they're doing is they're trying to capitalize on the buildup to the games," said Ben Venzke of Washington-based IntelCenter, another group that monitors militant groups.</div> <div> Terrorism analysts and Chinese authorities have said that with more than 100,000 soldiers and police guarding Beijing and other Olympic co-host cities, terrorists were more likely to attack less-protected areas.</div> <div> Copyright 2008 The <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >Associated Press</FONT>. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>US military surprised by speed, timing of Russia military action </B></div> <div> by Jim Mannion</div> <div> WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US military was surprised by the timing and swiftness of the Russian military's move into South Ossetia and is still trying to sort out what happened, a US defense official said Monday.</div> <bR> <div> Russian forces surged into the breakaway region last week after weeks of clashes, threats and warnings between Tblisi and Moscow which culminated August 6 in a two-day Georgian offensive into South Ossetia.</div> <bR> <div> That the two countries were on a collision course was no surprise to anyone, but the devastating Russian response was not expected, officials said.</div> <bR> <div> "We were tracking it earlier in that week and we knew that things were escalating," said a military official, who asked not to be identified. "I can tell you it moved quicker than we anticipated that first day."</div> <bR> <div> But how it unfolded is still unclear, clouded by conflicting claims from both sides.</div> <div> "I think a lot of what you're asking needs to be ironed out," said the official.</div> <bR> <div> "Some of these little issues are definitely still big questions in this event -- What was the intent? Who started it? Why did they start it? And why weren't they prepared to defend what they started?"</div> <bR> <div> President George W. Bush, who urged Moscow to cease fire and return to pre-August 6 positions, charged in a televised statement that Russia's intention appeared to be depose Georgia's democratically elected president.</div> <bR> <div> But the extent of the Russian operation remained unclear to US officials on Monday.</div> <div> Georgian officials said Russian troops had moved out of South Ossetia into Georgia proper, occupying the city of Gori while Georgian troops were retreating to the capital.</div> <bR> <div> But US defense officials said they were unable to corroborate the Georgian claims.</div> <div> "We don't see anything that supports they are in Gori," said a defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "I don't know why the Georgians are saying that."</div> <bR> <div> "That assessment is ongoing," said Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman.</div> <bR> <div> The United States has among the most powerful tools for monitoring brewing conflicts, from spy satellites to reconnaissance aircraft and drones capable of scooping up radio signals or capture real-time images of forces on the ground.</div> <bR> <div> But the extent to which they were trained on this remote conflict before it turned violent is not known.</div> <bR> <div> The Russians, however, warned on August 3 of a growing threat of "large scale military conflict" between Georgia and South Ossetia.</div> <bR> <div> The State Department issued a mild statement on August 5 urging Moscow to refrain from provocative actions, but gave no hint that it was aware that military action either by Georgia or Russia was in the offing.</div> <bR> <div> Officials have suggested the fighting was not seen as an immediate threat, in part because there were only about 95 US troops and 35 civilian contractors in the country training Georgian troops for Iraq. And they were not near South Ossetia.</div> <bR> <div> Some 1,650 US troops conducted a joint exercise with the Georgian military in mid-July. But they were out of the country when the hostilities flared.</div> <bR> <div> At around the same time, the Russian military deployed 8,000 troops to the North Caucases for counter-terrorism exercises that Moscow said were unrelated to the tensions with its southern neighbor.</div> <bR> <div> The US defense official said about 8,000 to 10,000 Russian troops have moved into South Ossetia. They also have flown SU-25, SU-24, SU-27 and TU-22 fighters and bombers during the campaign.</div> <bR> <div> But the official said there was no obvious buildup of Russian forces along the border that signaled an intention to invade. </div> <div> "Once it did happen they were able to get the forces quickly and it was just a matter of taking the roads in. So it's not as though they were building up forces on the border, waiting," the official said. </div> <bR> <div> "What are their future intentions, I don't know. Obviously they could throw more troops at this if they wanted to," he said.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Georgian exit leaves vacuum near Iranian border </B></div> <div> By KIM GAMEL, Associated Press Writer Mon Aug 11, 2008</div> <div> BAGHDAD - The departure of 2,000 Georgian soldiers from Iraq leaves a question mark over the future of a series of checkpoints along smuggling routes near the Iranian border, forcing the U.S. to shuffle units to fill the vacuum.</div> <bR> <div> Three Georgian checkpoints on highways surrounding the area's main city of Kut, 100 miles southeast of Baghdad, were empty on Monday, residents and Iraqi officials said.</div> <bR> <div> But many Iraqis aren't sorry to see the Georgians go. They say the Georgians were rude, disrespectful and ineffective.</div> <div> "They never respected us," 20-year-old college student Saad Hassan complained. He said Georgian soldiers would hold families at checkpoints for hours even in extremely hot or cold weather.</div> <bR> <div> The former Soviet republic was the third-largest contributor of coalition forces after the U.S. and Britain. After Georgia initially sent a group of 70 servicemen to Iraq in August 2003, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili agreed to increase the contingent to 2,000 servicemen as he courted U.S. support to lessen Russian influence.</div> <bR> <div> But Georgia called its forces home after an outbreak of fighting with Russia over the breakaway region of South Ossetia.</div> <bR> <div> The U.S. military, which began flying the Georgians home on transport planes Sunday, has acknowledged the decision would have a "near-term impact" but insisted American commanders were making adjustments to minimize the disruption to operations.</div> <bR> <div> Last year, Georgia agreed to move most of its soldiers from the relatively safe Green Zone in Baghdad to a mainly Shiite desert area southeast of the capital. The purpose was to help interdict supplies allegedly smuggled to militiamen from Iran, particularly powerful roadside bombs known as explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs.</div> <bR> <div> At the time, U.S. commanders said the Georgians would give their strapped forces a boost by helping search vehicles and people along highways as part of stepped-up efforts to stanch the flow of illegal arms and foreign fighters to Baghdad.</div> <bR> <div> The U.S. military said Monday that the Georgian brigade had searched 175,291 vehicles, 792,859 people at checkpoints and traffic control stops and had conducted 2,469 patrols in the area since Oct. 30, 2007.</div> <bR> <div> Citing security concerns, the military declined to give specifics about unit changes to make up for the absence of the Georgians.</div> <bR> <div> "We will make adjustments to ensure sustained operations and don't anticipate their departure will result in any significant long-term impact on the overall security situation in Iraq," said Maj. Daniel Elliott, a spokesman for U.S. forces south of Baghdad.</div> <bR> <div> "They were an important and valued partner and contributed quite a bit to the improved security in Wassit province where the bulk of their forces operated with us and our Iraqi security force partners," Elliott said</div> <bR> <div> But the governor of Wassit province, which includes Kut, said the Georgians provided little real security and that officials were considering removing the posts — long the source of tensions with the locals.</div> <bR> <div> "I do not think that the departure of the Georgian soldiers will have an impact on the situation in the province," Latif Hamad said in a telephone interview. "There were always language and poor performance problems. Our security forces can fill any vacuum."</div> <bR> <div> Local Iraqis were happy to see the Georgians leave. They complained that the Georgians, most of who could speak little English or Arabic, were rude and disrespectful.</div> <bR> <div> "They did not try to give us services. Instead, they were a source of annoyance by delaying us at their checkpoints and mocking the simple locals," said Salim Ali, a 45-year-old farmer.</div> <bR> <div> The Georgians were unavailable for comment. The telephone at the Georgian headquarters in Kut was constantly busy. </div> <div> The U.S. military gave the Georgians a warm farewell and said it expected to have them all out of Iraq by early Tuesday, despite Russian protests over the flights.</div> <bR> <div> "We want to thank them for the great support they've given the coalition and we wish them well," U.S. military spokesman Rear Adm. Patrick Driscoll said Sunday at a news conference in Baghdad.</div> <bR> <div> While the Georgians were primarily based in Wassit province, small contingents remained in Baghdad to help guard the Green Zone, which houses the U.S. Embassy and Iraqi government offices.</div> <bR> <div> The Pentagon has said the Georgians also were helping provide security for important bridges near Baqouba, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad, as well as for three coalition forward operating bases.</div> <bR> <div> The U.S. commander in northern Iraq said only about 80 of the Georgian troops had been deployed in his area, and the effect of their departure would be minimal.</div> <bR> <div> "We've adapted quite frankly. These were good soldiers but we've been able to adapt the battle space to account for their loss," U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Mark Hertling told a Pentagon press conference, speaking from a U.S. base outside Tikrit.</div> <bR> <div> At least five Georgians soldiers have died in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.</div> <bR> <div> At its height, in the months after Saddam Hussein was toppled, the multinational force numbered about 300,000 soldiers from 38 countries — 250,000 from the United States, about 40,000 from Britain and the rest ranging from 2,000 Australians to 70 Albanians. </div> <div> ___ </div> <div> Associated Press writers Sameer N. Yacoub in Baghdad and Pauline Jelinek in Washington contributed to this report.</div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="6e88f090.jpg" border=0 width="399" height="265" ALT="Georgian soldiers are seen after returning from Iraq AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="6" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> Georgian soldiers are seen after returning from Iraq, in Tbilisi, Georgia, Monday, Aug. 11, 2008.</div> <bR> <div> The U.S. military started flying some 2,000 Georgian troops home from Iraq on Sunday, Aug. 10, 2008, after Georgia recalled them.</div> <bR> <div> Russian armored vehicles rolled deep into western Georgia on Monday, quickly taking control of several towns and a military base and slicing open a damaging second front in Russia's battle with Georgia.</div> <bR> <div> Other Russian forces captured the key central city of Gori.</div> <div> (AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov)</div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="6e990110.jpg" border=0 width="400" height="273" ALT="AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov 2" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="6ea8ffd0.jpg" border=0 width="399" height="253" ALT="AFP/File/Ali Yussef 3" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="6" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> A military Humvee displaying the Georgian flag drives along a road in the town of Kut, 175 kilometers (109 miles) southeast of Baghdad on August 9.</div> <bR> <div> The US military is expected to complete the airlift of 2,000 Georgian troops from Iraq to their home country Monday.</div> <bR> <div> A Pentagon spokesman said as Russian forces pushed deeper into Georgia.</div> <div> (AFP/File/Ali Yussef)</div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="6eb8ff70.jpg" border=0 width="399" height="247" ALT="AFP/File/Ali Yussef 4" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="6" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> Russian troops leave armored vehicles and trucks near the village of Khurcha in Georgia's breakaway province of Abkhazia, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2008, heading toward the border with Georgia.</div> <bR> <div> Russia warned Monday that its troops in Georgia's breakaway province of Abkhazia will cross into the Georgian-controlled territory if Georgian troops in the area refuse to disarm.</div> <bR> <div> Georgian Security Council chief Alexander Lomaia said Gen. Sergei Chaban in charge of Russian peacekeepers in Abkhazia conveyed the demand Monday through U.N. military observers in the area.</div> <div> (AP Photo/Vladimir Popov)</div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="6ec90120.jpg" border=0 width="400" height="274" ALT="Civilians run for safety as a Russian rocket fire hits a convoy AFP/Marco Longari" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="6" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> Civilians run for safety as a Russian rocket fire hits a convoy of departing Georgian troops just outside Gori.</div> <bR> <div> Russian troops launched attacks deeper into Georgian territory on Monday, prompting Tbilisi to retrench its troops closer to the capital as <A HREF="bushs_ttreatment_of_troops.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bushs Treatment of Troops">US President George W. Bush</A> blasted Moscow's actions as "unacceptable".</div> <div> (AFP/Marco Longari)</div> <bR> <bR> <div> Scientists Invent Invisibility Cloak?</div> <div> Berkeley may have been the home of an anti-war movement, but its scientists have just announced a breakthrough that could revolutionize warfare. </div> <bR> <div> What if you could make objects -- and even people -- invisible? If it's no longer science fiction, can you think of any _non_ military uses for making things invisible?</div> <bR> <div> Details of the scientific breakthrough are expected to be published within days in two of this planet's most respected peer-reviewed journals: <I>Science</I> and <I>Nature</I>. But this weekend's <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>Times</B></I></FONT> of London has published a preview of what we might expect.</div> <bR> <div> To be sure, development of an actual invisibility process is still years away; but that it's even being considered at all may come as a surprise to those not accustomed to seeing such stuff outside of the world of science fiction.</div> <bR> <div> This pioneering work is being done by a team led by Chancellor's Professor Xiang Zhang at the University of California at Berkeley. </div> <div> Professor Zhang's area of research of micro-nano scale engineering -- which is the scale on which his seminal research is being conducted.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="7a344060.gif" border=0 width="580" height="6" ALT="stars and stripes line" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Make your opinions known to the U.S. Congress, Senate and State Officials</B></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?OrderBy=state&Sort=ASC" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_in">U.S. Senators Contact info</A>     <A HREF="http://www.house.gov/writerep/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.house.gov/writerep/">Congressperson in the U.S. House of Representatives</A>     <A HREF="http://congress.org/stickers/?dir=congressorg&officials=officials&lvl=L" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://congress.org/stickers/?dir=congre">Governors & State Officials</A></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="7a344060.gif" border=0 width="580" height="6" ALT="stars and stripes line" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.adamschocolate.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.adamschocolate.com/"> <img src="HTMLobj-2916/aniGif.gif" alt="Adams Secret Dark Chocolate" border="0" align="bottom" width="468" height="60">  </A></div> <div> Holiday Gifts - Birthday Gifts - Unique Gifts - Personalized Gifts</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><I>The Newspaper  </I></FONT>Hot <I> </I>Headlines . . .<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><I>     </I></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><IMG SRC="04b23230.png" border=0 width="35" height="35" ALT="newspaper" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">   </FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >for people on the Run   </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><IMG SRC="57d31110.gif" border=0 width="49" height="17" ALT="UPDATED" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> 24/7 - 365</FONT></div> <div> <IMG SRC="2a7be0f0.gif" border=0 width="190" height="15" ALT="Our Business is Information" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><IMG SRC="2e6be0f0.gif" border=0 width="190" height="15" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <A HREF="contact_us.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us">Email Us your questions</A></div> <bR> <div> <B>Get Rid of Life's Little Annoyances</B></div> <div> <B>VOTE</B></div> </td> </tr></table></body>