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US not containing China: Obama
Another blast in Peshawar claims 5 lives
Outrage in Washington over Obama’s Japan bow
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UN ‘Hunger Summit’ opens in Rome
UN, Denmark suggest 2010 deadlines on climate deal
One-third of CIA budget goes
to ISI: Report
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US not containing China: Obama
Beijing, November 16 The US does not seek to contain China’s rise and he welcomes it as a “strong, prosperous and successful member of the community of nations,” Obama said at an interaction with students the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum. His comments came ahead of his meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao, during which, Obama said, he would focus on global economic recovery, nuclear disarmament, climate change and promotion of peace and security in Asia. While making it clear that the US does “not seek to impose any system of government on any other nation,” Obama said, “but we also don’t believe that the principles that we stand for our unique to our nation.” “These freedoms of expression, and worship, of access to information and political participation we believe they are universal rights. They should be available to all people, including ethnic and religious minorities, whether they are in the United States, China or any nation.” Obama, who later arrived here for his maiden state visit to China, told the US-style Town Hall meeting that the world is fundamentally interconnected and power in the 21st century is no longer a zero-sum game. “The jobs we do, the prosperity we build, the environment we protect and the security we seek are all shared,” he told the audience. “One country’s success does not come at the expense of another.” Calling the US-China ties “positive, constructive and comprehensive”, Obama said the relationship opens the door to partnership on key global issues. Very few global challenges can be solved unless US and China agree, he said. The world’s most developed nation and the fastest-growing country differ over binding targets for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. China and the US are also divided over how to deal with Iran’s nuclear ambitions. He said the US and China are not “predestined adversaries,” as the two countries “share much in common” while “are different in certain ways.” Quoting the ancient Chinese saying that “Consider the past and you shall know the future,” Obama said the US and China have known setbacks and challenges over the last 30 years, and he was looking forward to deepening the partnership between the two nations. — PTI
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Another blast in Peshawar claims 5 lives
At least five persons were killed and 26 injured when an explosive-laden vehicle exploded outside a police station some 7 km south of Peshawar on Monday.
While the police claimed it was a suicide bombing, conflicting versions emerged from eyewitness and official statements. Senior police official of the area Khurshid Khan said the bomber rammed his van into the Badabher police station, which blew up causing considerable damage to the building and virtually destroying the nearby mosque. But eyewitness Mohammad Shahid said he saw a pick-up speeding towards the police station at which a soldier belonging to the Paramilitary Frontier Constabulary opened fire to stop it. This was the second blast outside Peshawar within 48 hours and ninth in November. “The pick-up exploded with a big bang,” Shahid said adding that the blast left a five-feet wide crater in the ground and huge fumes in the air. “I saw some body parts, school bags and other material flung in the air,” he said. Shahid said he was taking his children to school when the blast occurred. “The explosive device is estimated to weigh about 200 to 250 kg,” Mohammad Iqbal senior staff of the bomb disposal squad said. A horse-cart driver Javed Khan said the dead included his three colleagues who were trapped in the blast. ‘I fell on the ground and a shrapnel hit my forehead. I saw debris all around and people crying for help,’ Khan said. Dr Zafar Iqbal in the Lady Reading Hospital said initially four bodies were brought to the hospital along with 26 wounded people, four of them in serious condition. One of the injured died later.
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Outrage in Washington over Obama’s Japan bow
Washington, November 16 Political talk shows have played and replayed the moment from the second day of Obama’s weeklong Asia tour, which set the blogosphere on fire and chat show tongues wagging. “I don’t know why President Obama thought that was appropriate. Maybe he thought it would play well in Japan. But it’s not appropriate for an American president to bow to a foreign one,” said conservative pundit William Kristol. Another conservative voice, Bill Bennett, said on CNN’s “State of the Union” program, “It’s ugly. I don’t want to see it.” “We don’t defer to emperors. We don’t defer to kings or emperors. The president of the United States this coupled with so many apologies from the United States is just another thing,” said Bennett. — AFP
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UN ‘Hunger Summit’ opens in Rome
Rome, November 16 Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is the only leader from the group of eight industrialised countries expected to be among the 60 heads of states and governments who attend the “Hunger Summit” that runs through Wednesday. Pope Benedict XVI will be among the inaugural speakers at the meeting at the Rome headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organisation. Humanitarian groups warned last week that the summit could be a “waste of time,” calling for the commitment of new resources to fight hunger. — AFP
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UN, Denmark suggest 2010 deadlines on climate deal
Copenhagen, November 16 The top UN climate official said a treaty could be wrapped up by mid-2010, while Denmark said it might take until December. Negotiations on the deal, originally due to be reached at the December 7-18 summit, are badly bogged down. Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen on Sunday proposed to a group of world leaders that next month’s conference aim for political agreements on emission cuts and financing, but delay the drafting of a legally binding treaty. US President Barack Obama, whose difficulty in passing a domestic climate change package has been one of the main obstacles to a global deal, quickly fell in behind the plan. Some 40 environment ministers are meeting in Copenhagen to find ways to rescue at least a political deal to fight global warming at next month’s summit, despite splits on central issues such as who should cut greenhouse emissions by how much. — Reuters
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One-third of CIA budget goes
to ISI: Report
Lahore, November 16 The Los Angeles Times quoted officials as saying that the payments have triggered intense debate within the US government, because of "long-standing suspicions that the ISI continues to help Taliban who undermine American efforts in Afghanistan and provide sanctuary to Al-Qaida members in Pakistan”. But US officials have continued the funding because the ISI’s assistance is considered crucial: “Almost every major terrorist plot this decade has originated in Pakistan’s tribal belt, where ISI informant networks are a primary source of intelligence,” the paper reports. The White House National Security Council has “this debate every year,” said a former high-ranking US intelligence official involved in the discussions. —
ANI
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Beijing, November 16
