Dhaka, Aug 29: The 9th Home Secretary level talks between India and Bangladesh will begin here today.

The two-day meeting is expected to discuss various security related issues, border management issues as well as ways of enhancing cooperation between the law enforcement agencies of both sides.

The Indian delegation is led by the Union Home Secretary, Madhukar Gupta and the Bangladesh delegation by their Secretary, Ministry of Home Affair, Mohammad Abdul Karim.

The last meeting was held at Delhi on August 2-3, 2007.

Moscow, Aug 29: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has said that the Georgia conflict may have been orchestrated by US President George Bush in a bid to get his party’s presidential nominee John McCain win this November election.

Though Putin did not specify which candidate he was talking about, but there was no doubt that he was referring to Senator John McCain, the Republican presidential dandidate, reported the New York Times.

Washington - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's allegation that the United States provoked the conflict in Georgia is "ludicrous," the US State Department said Thursday.

"Those types of charges that the United States was involved in instigating it, you know, just are without foundation and just ... ludicrous - plain and simple," State Department deputy spokesman Robert Wood said.

New York  - The UN Security Council met behind closed doors Thursday to discuss the crisis in Georgia, the first meeting of the powerful body since Russia recognized the independence of the two breakaway provinces at the heart of the military conflict.

Russia's decision on Tuesday to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia, contrary to previous Security Council resolutions, drew swift condemnation from the United States and European Union.

Denver, Colorado  - Barack Obama is to accept the Democratic nomination for the presidency in a speech later Thursday, when he is expected to chart his plans for improving the weak economy and restoring the country's international standing.

Obama is the first African-American presidential nominee from a major party and his speech comes on the 45th anniversary of one of the most famous civil rights events in the country's history - Martin Luther King Jr's 1963 I Have A Dream speech.

Washington  - Russia's recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia violates Georgia's sovereignty, the top industrialized democracies said Wednesday.

"Russia's recognition of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia violates the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia," said the G7, which includes Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.

The G7 called on Russia to pull its troops back into the disputed breakaway provinces, out of Georgian territory and adhere to an August 11 ceasefire agreement.