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.

New Delhi, Oct.17: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will be visiting India on October 20.

During the visit, he will meet the External Affairs Minister, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee.

Both are expected to review bilateral relations in diverse spheres and discuss regional and international issues of mutual interest.

A protocol on holding regular consultations between the Ministry of External Affairs of India and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation during 2009-2010 is expected to be signed during the visit.

Mukherjee and Lavrov last met each other in New York on September 28 on the sidelines of the 63rd UNGA meeting.

Tallinn - A young Russian-born girl abandoned in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, remains in the care of local social services nearly a week after she was found.

The two-year-old was found alone near a shopping centre in Tallinn last Saturday, sparking a widespread media campaign in an effort to identify her.

That paid dividends on Tuesday when a relative contacted police and revealed the girl was born to Russian parents but sent to Estonia to live with an uncle. Estonia has a sizeable ethnic Russian minority, accounting for around a quarter of the population.

Moscow - Russian energy stocks plummeted on deteriorating global oil prices Thursday with export monopoly Gazprom loosing two- thirds of its market value as indices hit three-year lows.

Oil firms Rosneft and Lukoil led a plunge of over 11 per cent on the MICEX index, where most Russian stock's are traded, before trading was halted at 4:12 pm (1200 GMT) on Thursday.

Brussels  - Russia's withdrawal of its soldiers from parts of Georgia outside the breakaway republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia is a good start, but it is not enough for EU member states to re-open talks on a strategic deal with Russia, EU leaders agreed Thursday.

Brussels - The European Union will do anything in its power to facilitate direct talks between Georgia and Russia following the collapse of talks in Geneva, but the chances of a quick breakthrough are slim, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said Thursday.

"After the big tension in August, it is very difficult to get face-to-face talks. But we will do everything possible," Solana said on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels.

Solana's comments came a day after talks between Russia and Georgia in Geneva - the first since the Russian-Georgian war in August - were suspended amid mutual recriminations.