Brussels - Georgia was Wednesday promised a higher-than- expected 4.55 billion dollars in aid over the next three years to help it recover from its 5-day war with Russia.

Pledges were made by some 40 countries and 15 international organizations attending a donors' conference in Brussels.

The total far exceeded the 3.2 billion dollars that the World Bank had estimated Georgia would need to rebuild its infrastructure, settle its refugees and get its economy back on track.

Brussels - Representatives from nearly 70 countries gathered in Brussels on Wednesday for a donors' conference designed to raise billions of dollars in aid to help Georgia recover from its August conflict with Russia.

According to a World Bank report, Georgia needs a total of 3.7 billion dollars (2.9 billion euros) in aid over the next three years. Of these, some 560 million dollars are already accounted for.

Much of the additional help is to be spent on rebuilding damaged roads, helping resettle scores of refugees and getting the economy back on track.

The European Union's executive arm, which is jointly hosting the conference with the World Bank, has already pledged up to 500 million euros in aid over a three-year period.

Brussels - Georgia is hoping for a billion-dollar shot in the arm on Wednesday when representatives of 67 nations and financial institutions gather in Brussels for a one-day donors' conference.

Moscow/Tskhinvali - Leaders of the breakaway Georgian republic of South Ossetia accused Tbilisi on Saturday of violating the ceasefire agreement that ended August's five-day war with Russia over the region.

South Ossetian Interior Minister Mikhail Mindsayev was quoted by the Interfax news agency in the capital Tskhinvali as saying that the Georgians fired on a South Ossetian sentry post early on Saturday morning.

No one was injured in the attack.

Moscow/Tskhinvali - Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia on Saturday once again accused Georgia of violating the ceasefire that ended August's five-day war with Russia over the region.

The Georgians fired on a South Ossetian sentry post Saturday morning, South Ossetian Interior Minister Mikhail Mindsayev was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying in the capital of Tskhinvali.

No one was injured in the attack.

The shots were fired from a machine gun located in the Georgian village of Nikosi as the South Ossetian guards were taking up their posts, he said.

South Ossetia and Georgia have traded accusations of violating the ceasefire since the conflict ended.

Geneva - More than 20,000 Georgian residents displaced by their country's war with Russia in August have returned home, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Friday.