'The cold war is over...'

Last Modified: 15 Aug 2008
By: Samira Ahmed

President Bush announces that bullying and intimidation are not acceptable ways of conducting foreign policy.

"The Cold War is over... Bullying and intimidation are not acceptable ways to conduct foreign policy in the 21st century." Strong words from President Bush in his brief but pointed statement at the White House on the Russian-Georgian crisis.

On the ground Nick Paton Walsh has more evidence of Russia's continued military action in Georgian territory; destroying Georgian military capabilities on sea and land. But today it's the diplomatic movements that are the focus.

Angela Merkel has told the Russian president that their reaction was "disproportionate". By the time we go on air, the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice will have spoken in Tbilisi. But tensions have been heightened by Washington and Warsaw announcing a deal to site the American missile defence shield in Poland, fiercely opposed by Russia.

SATS MARKERS SCRAPPED More than three months after Channel 4 News reported serious delays and mismarkings in England's Sats exams for 11- and 14-year-olds in England, the QCA qualifications authority has finally scrapped the contract of the controversial American firm ETS Europe - 18 months into a five-year contract; with £20m paid back.

The head of the QCA told me earlier today that he won't resign over the fiasco; which saw headteachers, parents and shocked markers openly attack the incompetence of the whole process. Education Secretary Ed Balls, on 17 July, told this programme that there was no reason to intervene in the crisis; that the standard of marking this year was "at least as good as in past years... We don't think there's been a fall in the quality of the marking." But his officials sat in on meetings between the QCA and ETS as the crisis deepened.

Tonight he's back in the studio to answer questions about why they stood by for so long; and how they'll be able to run reliable Sats next year, now that they're starting to look for a new provider just weeks before the start of the new school year.

GOLDENWHEELS Alex has all the latest from Beijing. And Carl Dinnen reports on Great Britain's cycling gold, with the men winning the team sprint ahead of World Champions France. Victory was particularly sweet for Chris Hoy - when he started cycling the team was so badly funded they couldn't afford to give him his own tracksuit.

Plus the penguin at Edinburgh zoo who's just been promoted from colonel-in-chief of the Norwegian King's Guard to field marshal.