Voters in Georgia went to the polls in local elections today in the first ballot since President Mikhail Saakashvili led the country into a disastrous war with neighbouring Russia nearly two years ago.

The president of Georgia confirmed that his country seized a shipment of highly enriched uranium, and blamed Russia for creating the instability that allows nuclear smugglers to operate in the region.

The head of a TV station in Georgia has been forced to defend a faked report of a Russian invasion which sparked panic across the country.

OUTRAGED Georgians yesterday slammed a local television channel that sparked panic by broadcasting a faked report announcing that Russia had launched an invasion and the country’s president was dead.

Georgia’s opposition has vowed to take protests nationwide after refusing a power-sharing offer from the president, who they say must resign.

GEORGIA said it put down a mutiny at a military base yesterday and accused Moscow of trying to foment a wider rebellion on the eve of NATO war games in the former Soviet republic.

THOUSANDS of Georgians took their campaign to oust Georgia’s President Mikheil Saakashvili to his office yesterday, the fifth day of protests against his rule.

Revelling in his reputation for earthy language, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin unabashedly confirmed a crude outburst against Georgia’s president today – and even took the tirade a step further.

Georgia will appeal to judges at the International Court of Justice today to impose emergency measures to halt what it calls a campaign of ethnic cleansing by Russia in the separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

US Vice President Dick Cheney today condemned Russia for what he called an “illegitimate, unilateral attempt” to change Georgia’s borders by force.

The US will send an extra billion dollars to Georgia to help the pro-Western former Soviet republic in the wake of Russia’s invasion, President George Bush said today.

Russian president Dmitry Medvedev sternly warned the West that it would lose more than Moscow if it tried to punish Russia with sanctions over the war with Georgia.

Russia warned the West against supporting Georgia’s leadership, calling for an arms embargo against the ex-Soviet republic until a different government was in place.

European Union leaders tonight moved to condemn Russia’s invasion of Georgia but stopped short of imposing sanctions on Moscow.

Huge crowds surged into the streets of Georgia’s capital Tbilisi today to demonstrate against Russia.

Russia today warned the West against supporting Georgia’s leadership and called for an arms embargo against the nation until a different government was in place.

Russian president Dmitry Medvedev today officially recognised the independence of the breakaway Georgian territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili said he did not believe Russia would keep its promise to withdraw from most of the country in the coming days.

Mikhail Gorbachev says the US should reconsider talking to Russia in a condescending way

Russian tanks and troops roamed freely around Gori today and made forays toward the Georgian capital, keeping control of the road that slices through Georgia’s midsection despite Russia’s announcement that a withdrawal had begun.

GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel said yesterday in the Georgian capital that the ex-Soviet republic, currently mired in conflict with Russia, will join Nato.

Russian president Dmitry Medvedev announced that Russian troops will begin pulling back from Georgia tomorrow as Western leaders pushed for a swift withdrawal from positions Russia has held for days of warfare in its small southern neighbour.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has joined calls for the immediate withdrawal of Russian forces from Georgia.

The Georgia peace deal was faltering today in the face of Russian military dominance.

Fighting continued tonight between Russia and Georgia with thousands dead or fleeing their homes and towns left smouldering ruins despite a cease-fire declaration.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev today appeared to order a halt to military action in Georgia.

Russian forces pushed a second front deep into Georgia, seizing towns and a military base in the western parts of the country.

RUSSIAN jets staged raids and its forces moved deeper into Georgian territory yesterday as Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin denounced the US for helping Georgia.

Russia invaded Georgia today sending forces beyond the two breakaway provinces it now controls.

Georgia’s president said today he signed a cease-fire pledge proposed by envoys from the European Union.

Russian tanks and troops rumbled into the separatist Georgian province of South Ossetia today and Russian warplanes bombed a Georgian town – a major surge in border fighting that has killed hundreds of civilians in just two days and left some towns in smouldering ruins.

Russia sent hundreds of tanks and troops into the separatist province of South Ossetia and bombed Georgian towns today in a major escalation of the conflict that has left scores of civilians dead and wounded.

The capital of Georgia’s separatist region of South Ossetia came under heavy fire early today, just hours after Georgia’s president declared a unilateral ceasefire.

GEORGIA said yesterday it would seek Western support to replace Russian peacekeepers in the breakaway province of Abkhazia with an international force, but Nato struck a cautious note.

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, taking an oath today for a second term as his country's leader, pledged to calm troubled relations with Russia but also to pull his ex-Soviet republic closer to the United States and the West.

Tens of thousands of opposition supporters rallied today across Georgia’s capital Tbilisi to protest against what they denounced as massive vote fraud that helped Mikhail Saakashvili win his second presidential term.

TENS of thousands of opposition supporters rallied yesterday in the Georgian capital to protest what they denounced as massive vote fraud that helped US-allied Mikhail Saakashvili win a second presidential term.

Mikhail Saakashvili was re-elected as Georgia’s president with 52.8% of the vote, election officials said tonight.

Georgia’s presidential election was essentially in line with the country’s democratic commitments, but revealed problems that must be addressed urgently, the observer mission of a top international democracy group said today.

President Mikhail Saakashvili was on track to win 52.50% of the vote in Georgia’s presidential election today, according to an exit poll based on results as of 4pm (12pm Irish time) – four hours before the polls closed.

Georgians began casting ballots today to determine whether their country will continue to be led by Mikhail Saakashvili, the brash young president who four years ago set out to transform the bankrupt former Soviet republic into a modern European state.

GEORGIA’S pro-Western president said yesterday the country would hold early presidential elections in January to defuse a crisis fuelled by protests against him.

A state of emergency was declared in Georgia as protesters took to the streets calling for the removal of President Mikhail Saakashvili.

GEORGIAN President Mikhail Saakashvili blamed Russia yesterday for orchestrating six days of mass protests against him, hours after riot police beat and fired tear gas at opposition demonstrators.