http://192.168.2.6/music/20061001/2006VOA0930.mp3

It's 15:00 Universal Time and here is the news from the Voice of America.
I'm David Deforest from the VOA news center in Washington.

President Bush has told an audience in Washington that the fight against terrorism is the core of his generation. Mr. Bush spoke to a group of civilian reserve officers in Washington today. ''From Afghanistan and Iraq to Africa and Southeast Asia, we are engaged in a struggle against violent extremists, a struggle which will help determine the destiny of the civilized world.''

Mr. Bush focused on Afghanistan and Pakistan two days after meeting with both countries' presidents at the White House. He said Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf understand what Mr. Bush called the ideological struggle of the 21st century.

Iraqi authorities say the brother-in-law of the new judge trying former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein for genocide has been shot and killed in Baghdad. Kadhem Abdul Hussein and his son Karrar were in their car when gunmen opened fire. There are conflicting reports on the condition of the son. It was not immediately clear if the two were targeted because they were related to the judge. Also in Iraq, gunmen killed two policemen in the Duorit district of Baghdad. And Iraqi security forces launched an operation against insurgents in the town of Baquba. Officials say they detained 60 suspects.

Palestinian witnesses say an Israeli air strike in the Gaza Strip has killed two people. They say the attack took place near the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun early today. The Israeli army says the men were collecting a rocket launcher that was used over the past week to fire rockets into Israel.

Georgian officials say four Russian officers detained in Tbilisi have been charged with spying and are expected to appear in court for a preliminary hearing. Anya Ardayeva has this report from Moscow.

On Thursday, Georgian Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili showed journalists video and audiotapes that in his words confirmed the guilt of the arrested officers. The videotapes reportedly show the arrested officers meeting with suspected Georgian agents in Tbilisi, an exchange of cash and a meeting at the Georgian-American border between a Russian officer and a Georgian agent. Georgian officials also say the officers are linked to an attack in the town of Gori in February 2005 which killed 3 police officers and injured 26 people. But Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov refutes these allegations.

He says the charges against the officers are in his words absolutely forced and that the officers could have not participated in the attack as they arrived to serve Georgia only three months ago. In response to the arrests, Russia called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. It said it will recall its ambassador to Tbilisi and has stopped issuing visas to Georgian nationals. Anya Ardayeva, for VOA news, Moscow.

Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev will meet with President Bush today in Washington. Mr. Nazarbayev has said he hopes his visit will bring relations between the United States and Kazakhstan to a new level.

Rival groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo's election process are building alliances. A run-off presidential election will take place October 29th, along with an election for provincial post. VOA's Nico Colombant has a report from our regional bureau in Dakar.

Month-long campaigning has started for the provincial election while the presidential campaign will have to wait until mid-October to kick off. But seats are already being counted for the one-round parliamentary election which took place along with the first round presidential vote in July. Parties associated with incumbent President Joseph Kabila say they have more than half the 500 seats. Armand Kasongo is a member of the coalition backing the pro-presidential party known as the AMP. He says more and more parties are joining Mr. Kabila's camp.

We expect more and more people joining us, so we are quite sure and we expect and we are convinced that before the settlements of the new assembly, we should maybe reach 350 members. Kasongo says he hopes this will translate into a landslide win for Mr. Kabila in the 2nd round. Mr. Kabila who won 40% of the vote in July will face formal rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba who won 20%, mainly from western areas. Nico Colombant, VOA news, Dakar.

On Wall Street, US stock indexes are down at this hour.
I am David Deforest, VOA news. More news on the Internet at VOANews.com.