For the last two days, everyone in Tbilisi everyone was trying to guess what was really happening in Gori. Russian forces had taken the city several times in the last week, first virtually and then in reality. Yesterday and the day before people fled from Gori to Tbilisi and every rumor about what was scarier than the last. Shota Utiashvili, head of the analytical department of the Georgian Interior Ministry, told me that the Russian military was mining buildings there and the city would be blown sky-high within hours. People fleeing from there said that Gori had been abandoned to Cossacks and Ossetians militias to plunder as they entered with the 58th Russian Army. Rustavi 2 television channel reported that the aggressors were ripping out and carrying away al ... Read more »

MINSK, Belarus (AP) - An Ame­rican lawyer has been sentenced to three years in prison in Belarus in a case that raised already high tensions between Washington and the authoritarian ex-Soviet republic.

Emmanuel Zeltser's sentencing Monday comes after being convicted at a closed trial for commercial espionage and using false documents. He is an expert on organized crime and money laundering.

The United States raised protests over his detention and raised concerns about his health in custody. His attorney says he is not getting proper medication for diabetes.

Three detained for murder of Cameroon national in southern Russia

■ ULYANOVSK (RIA Novosti) - Police have detained three men suspected of killing a Cameroon national during a quarrel in the Volga city of Ulyanovsk, the local police press service said on Monday.

Th ... Read more »

Leryn Franco is just your run-of-the-mill javelin thrower/pageant queen/model with her own calendar. But during the Beijing Olympics the 26-year old Paraguayan became so much more to the American people; she became our javelin thrower/pageant queen/model with her own calendar. So, my fellow Americans, it is with a heavy heart that I regret to inform you that our favorite Paraguayan athlete (sorry Jose Luis Chilavert) was eliminated from the Olympics this morning after failing to qualify for the javelin finals. Take all the time you need.

Ms. Franco became the object of our attention after she was notic ... Read more »