In the wake of the tragedy that claimed 153 lives at Madrid's Barajas airport Wednesday, the Spanish press has cornered the airline Spanair, seeking answers and explanations for the puzzling crash.

Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov announced Thursday that the withdrawal of Russian troops from Georgia will be complete by Friday, but a senior commander on the ground said a full withdrawal would require 10 days.

A car bomb ripped through a minibus carrying police officers and wounded 13 people in the western towns of Izmir, Turkey. While nobody has claimed the attack, Izmir has in the past been the target of bomb attacks, especially by Kurdish rebels.

During a visit to Kabul on Thursday, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the UK is resolute to help Afghanistan fight extremism. Brown met with British troops in the southern Hemland province.

A carrier pigeon was "arrested" by the Bosnian police after prison guards suspected the animal of being used to smuggle drugs to prisoners. The bird is behind bars as police are investigating the case.

The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe has decided to send 20 observers to oversee the implementation of a ceasefire deal signed last week between Russian and Georgian forces.

Following an intensified diplomatic standoff between Moscow and the West over the Georgian crisis, Russia has frozen its military cooperation with NATO, the Norwegian defence ministry said Wednesday.

The United States and Poland signed a US missile shield deal Wednesday, intended to ward off an Iranian or North Korean attack. Russia has protested vociferously against the deal, which would base 10 US interceptor missiles in Poland.

According to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Russia is to invest 16.7 billion euros (24.6 billion dollars) in hi-tech industries between 2008 and 2010, in order to make the country less dependent on its natural resource exports.

Separatist leaders in Georgia's breakaway provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia urged Russia to recognise their independence at mass rallies. Following the clashes with Georgia, Moscow strengthened its rhetoric in support of the two regions.

At least 153 people have been killed and 19 injured when a Spanair jet carrying 173 people crashed at Madrid airport. The jet broke up in flames when it attempted an emergency landing after take-off.

Airport operator BAA, owned by Spain's Ferrovial, received a tougher-than-expected ruling from Britain's competition regulator, which said it should sell two of its three London airports because of its near monopoly in the region.

South Ossetia's ethnically Georgian villages are emptying as residents flee attacks and looters. Only those who can’t - or won’t - leave remain. FRANCE 24 correspondent Romain Goguelin reports from South Ossetia.

After blocking a Western draft that demanded an immediate Russian withdrawal from South Ossetia, Russia circulated its own draft resolution, which restates a six-point peace plan signed last week with Georgia.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called Moscow an "outlaw" after it vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding full compliance with the ceasefire in Georgia. Russia has promised full withdrawal by Aug. 22.

Leipzig's giant games convention opens its doors to industry representatives and the general public this week, with organizers expecting an attendance record this year.

Some 200 fires swept across southern Italy, causing at least one death from smoke inhalation, according to the Italian civil protection service. The most serious blazes were concentrated in the region of Calabria.

Abkhazia, one of Georgia's two separatist regions, will formally ask Russia for recognition as an independent country on Wednesday. Russia has previously drawn comparisons between Georgia's rebel provinces and recently independent Kosovo.

Two small bombs exploded without causing any casualties on a highly popular beach in Malaga, in southern Spain. The beach was evacuated after a warning allegedly made in the name of armed Basque separatist group ETA.