 Aid corridors for S.Ossetia
The UN refugee agency UNHCR has welcomed news that two humanitarian corridors will be established in South Ossetia. It is calling for safe passage for thousands of displaced civilians caught up in the conflict between Russia and Georgia.
In separate events, US President George W. Bush denounced Moscow's bombing of Georgia, describing it as a ‘disproportionate response' to Georgian aggression. The French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has begun a mission to promote a ‘controlled' withdrawal of troops. Russia, which says attacks on Georgia will end soon, has demanded an unconditional withdrawal of Georgian troops from South Ossetia. Bolivians back Morales
Unofficial results suggest the President of Bolivia, Evo Morales, has won a referendum to decide whether he should stay in office. Exit polls indicate the president took more than 60 per cent of the vote. Eight governors were also subject to recall votes, five were victorious, while three, including supporters of the president, will lose their jobs before fresh elections are held. Bolivia is divided over the president's plans to give more voice to the poor, indigenous communities and women as well as to redistribute land. Many in the gas-rich areas of the east of the country oppose the government and are demanding greater regional autonomy. Mine collapse kills 34
At least 34 illegal gold miners are dead, and more are missing after a mine collapsed a village in Noumbiel province in Burkina Faso. According to authorities, heavy rain caused the walls of the mine near the village of Boussoukoula to collapse on Saturday. It is believed around 50 people were working in the mine, despite a June government ban on mining during the rainy season to avoid accidents. High gold prices in recent years have attracted large numbers of impoverished, informal workers to the mines. Vietnam storm relief
In Vietnam, thousands of troops and disaster relief staff are using trucks and boats to deliver water, food and medicines to residents in flooded villages in the north. Tropical storm Kammuri hit the region at the weekend, leaving at least 98 people dead and 50 missing. Another 38 people were injured in the disaster, with over 4,000 buildings flooded and thousands of hectares of crops destroyed. Algeria bomb kills 6
At least six civilians in Algeria are dead following in the second attack this month against security forces. The suicide car bombing targeted a coastguard barracks and a post of the paramilitary gendarmerie in the coastal town of Zemmouri el Bahri on Saturday. According to an official news agency, 19 people have been wounded. The blast follows a similar attack earlier this month which wounded 25 people in the town of Tizi Ouzou. That attack was claimed by al Qaeda's north Africa wing, but so far nobody has claimed responsibility for the latest killings. Thaksin flees Thai graft trial
The ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his family have fled to the United Kingdom to escape their corruption trials in Thailand. A statement said he fled because he could not expect justice in Thai courts. Both Thaksin and his wife were expected at a court hearing on Monday for the allegedly unlawful purchase of real estate. But the couple, who had left Thailand to attend the Olympic Games in Beijing, flew to England instead of going back home. They had lived in exile in Britain after the PM was ousted in a 2006 military coup but returned to face corruption charges when political allies won the general elections.
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