* Russia signs up to Georgia truce Russia has followed Georgia in signing a French-brokered peace plan for ending their nine-day-old conflict.

* Egypt: Iran owes West transparency Iran should not present the Western nations justification for war on “a silver platter” in the conflict over its nuclear program the way Saddam Hussein of Iraq did.

* Musharraf ‘running out of time’ Pakistan’s foreign minister has said President Pervez Musharraf must stand down in the next two days or face impeachment proceedings.

* IN DEPTH / The Russian empire strikes back Exactly 40 years ago, on a hot August day in 1968, Alexander Dubcek stood looking out his office window as thousands of Soviet soldiers poured into his city, Prague.

* ‘We are running out of time for a 2-state solution’ At the end of my conversation with Sari Nusseibeh at the American Colony Hotel in Jerusalem, he told me he wouldn’t be surprised if one of the Palestinian residents of the city ran for mayor in the municipal elections.

* Ahmadinejad Sticks to Guns in U.S. ally Turkey No progress was made on the Iranian nuclear standoff with the West during the controversial visit of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Turkey.

* Sadr asks for a blood pledge of loyalty Moktada al-Sadr, the Iraqi Shiite cleric, on Friday called on his followers to sign in blood a pledge of loyalty.

* Jordan restores relations with Hamas The Hamas movement on Friday released a statement welcoming the restoration of its ties with Jordan.

* Head of World Congress of Russian Jewry accuses Georgia of genocide Russian-speaking Israeli figures have expressed dismay at a statement made by the chairman of the World Congress of Russian Jewry.

* US and Poland ink missile deal, rattling Russia The US and Poland have agreed to put part of a US global missile shield and new anti-aircraft defences on Polish soil.