Pictured above is the President of Georgia, Mickheil Saakashvili . All in one piece and looking quite healthy. But things might have been different. French President Nikolas Sarkozy reportedly saved him from a serious recent threat by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to depose him from power and “hang him by the balls,” according to an account that emerged yesterday from the Elysée Palace. The Russian PM informed Mr Sarkozy of his plans for deposing the Tbilisi government and rather unconventionally disposing of President Saakashvili when the French leader was in Moscow in August to broker a cease-fire in Georgia. The conversation apparently went like this : “I am going to hang Saakashvili by the balls,” said Mr Putin. Mr Sarkozy responded:...

 Welcome to Georgia, Population 9,544,750 (2007 est.) It is also the third fastest growing state in terms of numeric gain and fifth in terms of percent gain, adding 202,670 residents at a rate of 2.2 percent. From 2006 to 2007, Georgia had 18 counties among the nation’s 100 fastest-growing counties, the most of any state. Georgia is also known as the Peach State and the Empire State of the South. Atlanta is the most populous city, and the capital. Georgia is bordered on the south by Florida; on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and South Carolina; on the west by Alabama and by Florida in the extreme southwest; and on the north by Tennessee and North Carolina. The northern part of the state is in the blue ridge mountains, a mountain range in the vast mountain system of the...

As the dust settles on Georgia's recent conflict with Russia, Kate Eshelby heads for the peaceful mountain region of Svaneti where she finds the harvest in full swing and the time-honoured tradition of feasting - and drinking - alive and...

Troy Davis Rally in ParisFrom Amnesty International USA 25th October 2008I am delighted to share some good news with you! Troy Davis received a stay of execution based on a new last-minute appeal filed this past Wednesday to the federal appeals court in Atlanta. As a result, he will not be executed on Monday, October 27th, as originally scheduled. Your action has succeeded in putting a spotlight on Troy's case worldwide and bringing about this victory. At least 300,000 individuals have written letters in support of Troy. Additionally, prominent leaders such as former President Jimmy Carter, the Pope, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu have all called for justice in this case. Yesterday, Amnesty International organized a Global Day of Action in which hundreds of activists in dozens of countries...

Simon Tisdall: The next US president should take a more constructive approach to challenges from the east, if only out of enlightened...

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Troy Anthony Davis' appeal. His fate is back in the hands of Georgia authorities who may seek a new execution date at any time. The Supreme Court's decision to deny Troy Davis' petition means that no court of law will ever hold a hearing on the witnesses who have recanted their trial testimony in sworn affidavits. Doubts about his guilt raised by these multiple witness recantations will never be resolved. An execution under such a cloud of doubt would undermine public confidence in the state's criminal justice system and would be a grave miscarriage of justice.Amnesty International USA said “it is deeply disappointed with today's Supreme Court ruling that permits the execution of Troy Anthony Davis in Georgia. The organization maintains...

Martin Woollacott: Two months after the Caucasus conflict broke out, some sober lessons are emerging for all...

Hapless UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown (pictured above) yesterday repeated again and again his determination to “take whatever action is necessary” to maintain the stability of the financial system in the face of the latest stock market turmoil. The PM updated ministers on the ongoing situation at the morning meeting of the Cabinet. Afterwards Mr Brown’s spokesman said: “He reiterated that the Government is ready to take whatever action is necessary to get the country through this challenging period for the global economy.” Brown keeps saying that - “we’ll do whatever it takes” - so what does he eventually decide last night to do today ? Well we know that Brown hasn’t got a single spark of originality, don’t we - so...

Russia's defence ministry blames Tbilisi for 'deliberately planned terrorist...

No sign of withdrawal despite pledge by Moscow, while civilians complain of kidnaps and theft by...

Russia's differences with the UK over Georgia are well known.  I saw President Saakashvili in New York on Saturday. All eyes are on compliance with the cease fire plan, the entry of European peace monitors, support for the Georgian economy and the Geneva talks on long term resolution of the issues starting mid October. My meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov included Georgia on its agenda.  But we also found common ground on the Middle East and the Iranian nuclear programme.  Russia remains important in both. A serious, businesslike half an...

Unarmed vehicles pass through military checkpoint near city of Gori, in central...

Troy and his MotherJust an hour and a half before Troy Davis' scheduled execution last night, the US Supreme Court stepped in and granted a stay until Monday September 29th! The court will decide whether or not to hear Davis' appeal on Monday.Thank you to all who took action with us to stop this injustice. We hope the US Supreme Court makes the right decision next week. In the mean time, please continue to contact the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles as they can grant clemency at any time.For updates, please visit http://www.amnestyusa.org/troyThanks for you support!US Supreme Court Order(ORDER LIST: 554 U.S.)TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2008ORDER IN PENDING CASE08-66 DAVIS, TROY A. V. GEORGIA(O8A241)The application for stay of execution of sentence of deathpresented to Justice Thomas and...

Often it is to diplomats, rather than politicians, to which we must turn for a sane and sober assessment of international events. On Open Democracy’s Russian blog, Sir Roderic Lyne, ambassador to the Russian Federation (2000-04), has called for temperate analysis and assessment to prevail, in considering western relationships with Russia. His predecessor and namesake, Sir Roderick Braithwaite, previously called for more understanding of Russia’s position, in an article which was highlighted previously on this blog. Lyne begins by cutting through the hyperbole which attended the conflict between Russia and Georgia. “This is not Russia's 9/11; nor Prague 1968 nor Budapest 1956 nor Munich 1938. The thesis that the Cold War has come back is untenable ……… Emotion stirred by...

Troy set to be executed today!In the sad event that there is no intervention today, Troy Davis will be executed by the state of Georgia at 7 p.m.Please make one last attempt to halt the execution of a potentially innocent man. Call the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles and the Georgia Attorney General's Office and urge them to stop the execution.BOARD OF PARDONS AND PAROLES: 404-657-9350GEORGIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: 404-656-3300Mr. Davis' serious claims of innocence, which include the recantation of 7 out of 9 witnesses, have never been heard in court. Further, no murder weapon was found and no physical evidence linked Davis to the crime.For more information visit:...

Outgoing US president defends "war on terror" and marks Iran and Syria out as countries that support...

Outgoing US president defends 'war on terror' and says Iran and Syria support...

Moscow describes shooting of unmanned aircraft near South Ossetia as...

Shooting of unmanned aircraft described as 'provocation' by Moscow as row over breakaway province rumbles...

OK, I am back, though it is entirely possible that my temporary absence, caused by other work, has not been much noticed. The other reason for my absence has been a certain inner difficulty: it is hard to summon up interest in the doings of the EU when far bigger and more exciting things are going on in the world.On the whole, I am happy to write about bigger issues, partly because we are examining Britain’s role in the world, which means that the world has to make an appearance in our examination; and partly because our self-defined remit involves a discussion of various countries and organizations. Some of our readers prefer it that we (and they) remain big fish in a very small pond. The problem is that at 5ft 1in it is very difficult to be anything but a herring (though not a sprat)...

I've just returned from a fascinating two days in Budapest and Warsaw, where I met politicians, business leaders and academics to discuss how we can best work together, within Europe, to tackle the challenges of climate change, the credit crunch, and the Georgia crisis - to name but a few. And I took part in two seminars on the theme of "Building a successful and sustainable Europe". Poland is, of course, a large and influential EU Member State - one of the "Big Six" - and a natural partner for the UK. We can find common cause on many issues, such as how to best respond to Russia's actions on Georgia. And we have a great deal to discuss on subjects where we differ - for example on the action that is needed to tackle climate change. In Budapest I was reminded about...

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s grip on his Cabinet (above) weakened yesterday amid claims of dissent at a recent meeting of ministers. A senior Cabinet member has revealed that the special pre-Labour Party Conference session was ‘excruciating’ and that several ministers were clearly unhappy with the PM’s performance and presentation. One minister even demanded to know why the No.10 Downing Street meeting was not discussing New Labour’s unpopularity rather than focusing on the Conservative opposition, it has been claimed. ‘This can’t go on for much longer,’ the source revealed. ‘It’s not just the country that isn’t listening to Gordon Brown any longer - his ministers aren’t listening to him either. The meeting...

From Amnesty International USAIn the face of an overwhelming public outcry the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles shockingly refused to grant clemency to Troy Davis last Friday.Troy Davis is still scheduled to be executed by the state of Georgia on September 23 at 7pm.Mr. Davis' serious claims of innocence, which include the recantation of 7 out of 9 witnesses, have never been heard in court. Further, no murder weapon was found and no physical evidence linked Davis to the crime.Urge the board to reconsider its decision: http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/site/lookup.asp?c=jhKPIXPCIoE&b;=4496963Amnesty International and the NAACP held a rally on Thursday night in Atlanta calling for clemency. Earlier in the day, Amnesty International and others delivered over 20,000 petitions, just a small...

Georgia's attack on South Ossetia was unnecessary, unprovoked and encouraged by US, says...

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s “fightback” and ”relaunch”  were in chaos last night after a New Labour whip became the first member of the Government to demand a leadership election. In what is being seen as the first move in a concerted effort to remove Brown, government Whip (or rather former government Whip - she’s been fired !) Siobhain McDonagh said a ‘huge number of Labour MPs’ wanted to see a ‘clear the air’ contest. A senior party figure added: ‘This is the opening salvo in what will be a series of events in the coming weeks designed to put pressure on the Cabinet and force ministers to come off the fence. And all this is against the background of voters reportedly seeing the Prime Minister as ‘out...