South Ossetia: Shots fired after annulled poll win

Troops fired warning shots last night as thousands rallied to support a presidential candidate whose apparent victory over a Kremlin-backed rival was annulled in the breakaway Georgian province of South Ossetia.

A handful of soldiers who guarded the main government building in the capital, Tskhinvali, fired as several thousand supporters of Alla Dzhioyeva approached. Marching in the heavy snow, they chanted her name and shouted "Justice!"

A former anti-corruption crusader, Ms Dzhioyeva declared herself President after the Supreme Court annulled the election due to alleged violations and barred her from a fresh vote. Her rival Anatoly Bibilov, who had been endorsed by Russia's dominant pro-Kremlin party, was trailing with 40 per cent to her 57.