Georgia officially ended its membership of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) on Tuesday.

// Aug. 18, 2009 - 05:16 GMT

Russian pole-vaulter Elena Isinbaeva said her failure to retain her World Championship crown in Berlin may have been due to a loss of concentration caused by years of success.

// Aug. 18, 2009 - 05:31 GMT

The death toll in an accident at Russia's largest hydropower plant has risen to 12 people, with 64 still unaccounted for, the country's emergencies minister said on Tuesday.

// Aug. 18, 2009 - 05:40 GMT

Police in Ecuador have seized more than 6 tons of cocaine near the border with Colombia, national media said on Tuesday.

// Aug. 18, 2009 - 05:41 GMT

Russia and Mongolia are holding joint tactical exercises to practice interoperability during peacekeeping operations, the press service for Russia's Siberian Military District has said.

// Aug. 18, 2009 - 05:56 GMT

At least eight people are dead and more than 50 are missing after a turbine room in one of Russia's largest hydro-electric stations flooded.

// Aug. 18, 2009 - 06:03 GMT

North Korea agrees to reopen the border with its neighbour and resume tourism projects after Kim Jong Il met with the head of South Korea's Hyundai Group.

// Aug. 18, 2009 - 06:05 GMT

Russian Anna Pyatykh won a bronze medal in the triple jump at the World Championships in Athletics in Berlin with a distance of 14.58 meters.

// Aug. 18, 2009 - 06:41 GMT

Israel will freeze construction in the West Bank until the beginning of 2010, the Israeli prime minister's office has said, according to Israeli media.

// Aug. 18, 2009 - 06:43 GMT

Four people were injured in an explosion in Dagestan early on Tuesday, the volatile southern Russian republic's interior ministry said.

// Aug. 18, 2009 - 07:01 GMT