President Bush says Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia must remain part of Georgia. Mr. Bush told reporters at his Texas's ranch Saturday that the international community is clear these two regions are within Georgia's borders. "A major issue is Russia's contention that the regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia may not be a part of Georgia's future. The two regions are a part of Georgia. And the international community has repeatedly made clear that they will remain so." President Bush went on to warn Russia that there is not debate on this matter. "Georgia's border should command the same respect as every  other nation's. There is no room for debate on this matter." The president's remarks followed a meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and  other national security advisors. The U.S. leader again called on Russia to honor a ceasefire agreement and withdraw its forces from Georgia.

Negotiators are suggesting they are close to reaching a power-sharing deal between Zimbabwe's president and leading opposition group. Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai both attended the opening of a regional summit in South Africa Saturday where they faced rising pressure to conclude an agreement. At least 2000 demonstrators marched in Johannesburg to protest Mr. Mugabe.

In Iraq, police say a car bombing in Baghdad has killed six people and wounded nine others in the latest attack targeting Shiite pilgrims. The pilgrims were making their way to Karbala while hundreds of thousands of people descended on the city for a festival marking the birth of the Shiite's 12th and last imam. Authorities tightened security in and around Karbala, deploying more than 40,000 police.

U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps has won his seventh gold medal of the Beijing Games by the smallest allowable margin to tie Mark Spitz's record for gold medals at a single (口误) Olympics. Phelps made an incredible comeback to win the 10-meter(应该为100-meter) butterfly by a mere one-100th of a second  over Serbia's Milorad Cavic. On the track of Beijing's National Stadium, Jamaica's sprinter Usain Bolt broke his own world record for a gold in the men's 100 meter.

Meanwhile, Chinese officials say recent attacks by separatists in the western province of Xinjiang are not a sign of wider unrest in the region. VOA's Mike O'Sullivan reports that officials who met with reporters Saturday defended China's dealings with ethnic minority populations including Tibetans.

Chinese policies and law department official Mao Gongning, appearing at a news conference on ethnic minority rights, called the recent attacks in Xinjiang the work of a handful of criminals. He says they will not affect relations between Beijing and China's eight million Uighur Muslims, who are based in the far-western province. He says the attacks are not related to ethnic or religious issues. Uighur separatists have carried out three violent attacks in Xinjiang in the past two weeks, killing 16 policemen in one incident and three security officers in another. Chinese security personnel are reportedly keeping close watch on Uighur residents of Beijing, and China has tightened visa restrictions to keep out potential foreign protesters. Mike O'Sullivan, VOA news, Beijing.

Tens of thousands of Muslims took to the streets of  Indian Kashmir Saturday to mourn the death of a separatist leader. The protestors traveled from Kashmir's main town  Srinagar  to the home town  of Sheikh Abdul Aziz who, along with 21 others, was killed by police this week during violent protests. Aziz was a leader of an alliance of Muslim separatists groups.

U.S. military officials say coalition and Afghan forces have killed dozens of militants in clashes throughout southern and eastern Afghanistan. More than 30 militants were killed in three days of fierce fighting in Zamto Valley in southern Kandahar province. The coalition says its troops along with Afghan forces called in air strikes during the clashes that began Wednesday and ended Friday.

I am Robert Burns, VOA news. More news on the internet at voanews.com.

In one of her strongest statements to date, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice condemned what some have  described as Russia's first foreign invasion since the Cold War ended. Georgia says Russia now controls one third of the country three days after Moscow accepted a European Union-brokered ceasefire. Speaking after talks with Georgian President  Mikheil Saakashvili in Tbilisi, Rice said Russian forces need to leave Georgia at once. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov  has made clear however that the world, in his words, can forget  about any talk about Georgia's territorial integrity. Georgian President Saakashvili responded that his country will never give up territory including the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia which seek closer ties with Russia. Stefan Bos for VOA news, Zestaponi, Georgia.

A Russian convoy has moved deeper into Georgia, advancing to about 50 kilometers from the capital, Tbilisi. News agency reports from the scene say ten armored vehicles left the war-battered city of Gori, headed toward the capital, but they stopped near the village of Igoeti. Russian troops have allowed some humanitarian supplies into Gori, after blocking access to the city for several days. Georgian authorities have been trying to re-enter the abandoned town , but so far have refused to endorse a proposal for South Ossetian police to patrol Gori. Russian officials told reporters Friday that they discovered a large depot of U.S.-made weapons near the Georgian town of Senaki. U.S. officials have not responded to that comment. The breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia declared independence from Georgia in the early 1990s, but have failed to gain international recognition.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says a planned U.S. missile defense system in eastern Europe is aimed at his country. Mr. Medvedev's  remark comes one day after  U.S. and Polish negotiators reached the preliminary agreement to deploy part of the system in Poland. Earlier Russian officials said the timing of the agreement reached during the crisis with Georgia proves the missile shield is  not  related to the threat from Iran as the United States has claimed. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, speaking in Tbilisi,  said U.S. officials have made extensive efforts to assure Russia  the missiles are only for defensive purposes. The United States and Poland have been discussing the missile defense plan for the past 18 months. A top Russian general also said Poland's agreement to host the missile defense system exposes the country to the threat of attack.

Allies of Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf say there are ongoing talks with his political opponents about allowing Mr. Musharraf to resign without facing impeachment charges. But VOA's Barry Newhouse reports from Islamabad that the president's spokesman continues to deny that Mr. Musharraf plans to step down.

Days before a Pakistan's coalition government says it will reveal several impeachment charges against Mr. Musharraf, some of the president's allies say there are ongoing talks between the two sides that could allow Mr. Musharraf to quietly resign without facing impeachment or criminal charges. A spokesman for the president is denying that the president plans to step down or is seeking a deal for legal immunity. But Senator Mushahid Hussein, a senior leader of the president's Pakistan Muslim League Q party, confirms in an interview with VOA that there are talks under way for some sort of compromise agreement. "I can certainly say that there are backchannels between the presidency and the government which are trying to reach an amicable settlement." So far, members of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's PML-N party have insisted that the president stand trial even if he resigns. The stance of the Pakistan People's Party on the issue has been unclear. Barry Newhouse, VOA news, Islamabad.

Talks to end Zimbabwe's political crisis are due to resume in South Africa Saturday on the sidelines of a regional summit. Earlier this week, three marathon sessions failed to produce a power-sharing deal.

This is VOA news.

Pakistan is celebrating its 61st year of independence from Britain as political strife continues to mount in the nation. Pakistani leaders called for reconciliation one week after ruling party lawmakers announced they are seeking to impeach the president. In a televised address marking Independence Day, President Pervez Masharraf did not directly address call for his resignation or impeachment.

Real estate experts warn Australia faces an acute shortage of affordable housing as immigration reaches record levels. There are estimates that Australia needs to build an extra 40,000 new homes a year simply to cope with current demand. From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports.

Australia opens its doors to about 300,000 new migrants next year as  part of a plan to address a chronic lack of workers. That means the country will see its highest immigration flow in more than 60 years. An army of temporary and permanent settlers will be granted visas as part of the government efforts to sustain a decade and a half of economic growth. There are three major strands to Australia's migration program: skilled workers, family reunions and humanitarian migrants. The skilled component is at unprecedented levels, with qualified migrants being recruited in vast numbers from traditional areas including Britain and New Zealand, as well as emerging nations such as China and India. In demand are accountants, engineers, computer professionals, health care workers and many workers in skilled trades such as construction workers. Such an influx of new migrants puts pressure on Australian society and has helped create a housing crisis as demand for inexpensive accommodation in major cities outweighs supply. Phil Mercer, for VOA news, Sydney, Australia.

Nigeria relinquished  control of the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon despite fears that the handover could provoke attacks from  local armed groups opposed to the change.

U.S. and Polish negotiators have reached a preliminary agreement on deploying a proposed U.S. missile defense system in eastern Europe.

U.S. stock market indexes made gains in Thursday's trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose seven-tenths of a percent or 84 points, ending the day at 11617. The price of gold fell 20 dollars, trading at $806.85 an ounce. John David Chadwick, VOA news.