Russian president Dmitri A. Medvedev announced Monday that Russia had agreed to withdraw its troops by mid-October from its positions in Georgia outside the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. But Mr. Medvedev said Russia would stand by its decision to recognize the two breakaway regions as independent nations.

The Bush administration must keep up the pressure on Russia to withdraw its remaining troops from Georgia and permit deployment of neutral peacekeepers. At the same time, the administration — which allowed this crisis to get out of hand — must be careful not to incite more conflict or give the Kremlin any more excuses.

The 24-hour channel, MTV Network HD, which includes a Nickelodeon-branded block, is to launch in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Poland and Sweden. Territories in Asia are expected to follow later, although at this stage there is no specific date.

Data is increasingly flowing around the United States, which may have intelligence — and conceivably military — consequences. Some Internet technologists and privacy advocates say that the actions of US intelligence agencies and other government policies may be hastening the shift toward Canada and Europe.

There is a split between “old and new Europe” — roughly Western and Eastern Europe, said Clifford Kupchan, a director of the Eurasia Group. New Europe, backed by Britain and Scandinavia, is taking a harder line toward Russia, while old Europe “will only be reinforced in its view that Georgia and Ukraine are not ready for NATO.”