Beijing - China on Saturday called for a ceasefire in Georgia's South Ossetia region and expressed "serious concern" over the escalating conflict there.

"China is seriously concerned about the worsening situation and armed conflict in South Ossetia," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in a statement posted on the ministry's website.

"We call on the relevant parties to keep restraint and cease fire immediately," Qin said.

Damascus - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is scheduled to pay a two-day visit

Moscow/Tbilisi, Georgia - The war between Russian and Georgia expanded on Saturday morning, with fighting spilling outside the Caucasus province of Ossetia, and both sides moving reinforcements to the region.

The fiercest fighting was in the South Ossetian city of Tskhinvali, where street fighting and artillery exchanges continued sporadically throughout the night.

Intense howitzer and tank fire in the vicinity of the town was audible by mid-morning on Saturday.

Georgian television showed images of hundreds of rockets and heavy artillery shells crashing into Tskhinvali. Shelling reduced entire city blocks to rubble, according to eyewitnesses.

Ludhiana-based SEL Manufacturing Company Ltd has received an export order for exporting readymade garments i.e. innerwears to the extent of appx. 1.1 million pieces from the party in Russia.  

Moscow/Tbilisi, Georgia - Russian aircraft carried out airstrikes overnight Friday against targets near Tbilisi, according to reports early Saturday from Georgia.

The conflict over Georgia's breakaway South Ossetia region raged on as the Georgian Air Force base at Vaziani was bombed, according to the Russian news agency Itar-Tass, citing the Georgian Interior Ministry.

There were no initial details about casualties or damage at the air base, about 20 kilometres south-east of the capital.

Attacks by air were also reported at a military base in Senaki in western Georgia and in Poti, a port on the Black Sea.

New Delhi, Aug. 8 : The Russian Federation on Friday accused Georgia of backtracking on an agreement that was aimed at restoring peace in South Ossetia.

A Russian Foreign Ministry statement claimed that Georgian military units undertook “a treacherous, massive attack on Tskhinvali” hours after the leaderships of the two countries had arrived at an understanding to end the “conflict in South Ossetia”.

The statement further went on to question the credibility of the Georgian leadership, which it said was a “responsible participant of the negotiation process and of the international intercourse corresponding to the principles of the United Nations Charter”.