World

Press Briefing By White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs; And Ambassador To China Jon Huntsman; Senior Director For The National Security Council For Asian Affairs Jeff Bader; Deputy National Security Advisor Mike Froman; And Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes

November 17, 2009 -- MR. GIBBS: Good afternoon, guys. I am going to very brief, so brief that all I'm going to do is turn this over to -- first to Ambassador Huntsman, to give us a few minutes on the trip; Jeff Bader, who will talk a little bit more about -- in addition to what the Ambassador talks about -- what happened at some of the meetings today; as well as Mike Froman, who you've heard from during the trip.    » read more »

November 17, 2009 -- Beijing, China -- At the invitation of President Hu Jintao of the People’s Republic of China, President Barack Obama of the United States of America is paying a state visit to China from November 15–18, 2009. The Presidents held in-depth, productive and candid discussions on U.S.-China relations and other issues of mutual interest.    » read more »

Summit Key Opportunity to Press Moscow to Regain Lost Momentum for Reform

November 17, 2009 -- (Moscow) - European leaders should use the upcoming EU-Russia summit to convey alarm over deteriorating human rights in Russia and to press for concrete improvements, Human Rights Watch said today. The summit is scheduled for November 18 and 19, 2009, in Stockholm.

During the past year, Russia has suffered unprecedented blows to its human rights community, with at least five independent civic activists murdered, and others imprisoned, beaten, and harassed. A leading rights activist is facing criminal charges for speaking out over the murder of a colleague. Violence has surged in the North Caucasus.    » read more »

Conservation Groups Welcome Australian Senate’s Support for Coral Sea Conservation Zone

Sydney, Australia - 11/17/2009 - Conservation groups today welcomed the Australian Senate’s support for the Federal Government’s Coral Sea conservation zone. This support now gives a green light for assessing whether the Coral Sea should be protected as a marine park.

The motion by National Party Senator Ron Boswell and Liberal Party Senator Ian Macdonald today to disallow the Coral Sea conservation zone was voted down by the Australian Labor Party, the Australian Greens, and Senator Nick Xenophon.    » read more »

18 November 2009 -- Amnesty International has urged Afghanistan's newly re-elected President Hamid Karzai to prioritize human rights and the rule of law in his second term in order to strengthen the country's stability and security.

"Afghans from around the country continue to tell us that they suffer from poor governance, endemic corruption, a weak and inept justice system and lack of respect for human rights and rule of law," said Sam Zarifi, director of Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific programme. "All these factors weaken support for the government and its international allies."    » read more »

Countries Discuss Outer Space Cooperation

BEIJING -- November 17, 2009 -- China and the United States today released a joint statement at the conclusion of formal talks between President Obama and President Hu Jintao that included agreements on nuclear weapons issues and cooperation in space.

In the statement, the United States and China "reaffirmed their commitment made on 27 June 1998 not to target at each other the strategic nuclear weapons under their respective control." This reverses a decision by the Bush administration, which was first announced in the 2002 Nuclear Posture Review, to target China with U.S. nuclear weapons.    » read more »

November 17, 2009 -- TEL AVIV, Israel – Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle today signed a bilateral collaborative trade agreement between Israel and Wisconsin on research and development. The agreement, signed by Governor Doyle and Israeli Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor Ben-Eliezer, promotes collaboration and a strong working relationship between Wisconsin and Israel in research and development.

“Wisconsin and Israel share a strong past and a bright future in research and technology development,” Governor Doyle said. “This agreement creates an important framework for Israel’s and Wisconsin’s scientists, engineers and researchers to embark on ground-breaking research and development in many promising fields, especially water technology.“    » read more »

BEIJING, Nov. 17 -- China's GreenGen clean coal project achieved another important milestone today as the partners executed their joint venture agreement, recognizing Peabody Energy's participation as a full equity partner.

The agreement was commemorated at a signing ceremony at the historic Great Hall of the People in Beijing and included Peabody Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Gregory H. Boyce; Huaneng Group President Cao Peixi; U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu; and Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang.    » read more »

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 17, 2009 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has been awarded a contract by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) for a nationwide air traffic management system based upon cooperative surveillance.

The contract will extend air traffic control surveillance throughout the Kingdom. It will also enhance flight safety for the rapidly growing domestic airline sector and improve the efficiency of Saudi Arabia's air traffic management system.    » read more »

"Chevron's Lobbying Efforts Look Like Extortion"

November 17, 2009 -- Washington D.C. - Ways and Means member Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-CA) testified today before the Trade Subcommittee hearing on trade preference systems. Rep. Sánchez, a long time advocate for a new trade model, took the opportunity to discuss what works about U.S. trade preferences policy as well as what does not.    » read more »

November 17, 2009 -- Washington - Rep. Ron Kind returned Sunday from a congressional fact-finding trip to Pakistan - a weeklong visit that comes at a time when the Obama administration is turning up the heat on Pakistan to do more to fight against al-Qaida and the Taliban.

The trip also comes as President Barack Obama prepares to unveil a new strategy for Afghanistan that could include a significantly increased troop presence in the region.    » read more »

Partnership Positions GE as first U.S. High-Speed Rail Locomotive Manufacturer

Erie, Pa., USA and Beijing, China (Nov. 17, 2009) - GE and China’s Ministry of Railways today announced that they signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to jointly advance high-speed rail (HSR) opportunities in the United States. This collaboration will allow GE Transportation to be the first U.S. locomotive manufacturer to more effectively compete for high-speed rail projects against global competitors.

In addition, the partnership would accelerate GE’s passenger rail technologies and create in the near future up to 150 high technology jobs in the U.S. The announcement was made as part of "GE's Clean Technology Week in China" activities.    » read more »

November 17, 2009 -- “While it is good to know that 14,700 people have now disclosed previously hidden offshore bank accounts, the U.S.–Swiss Annex disclosed today, designed to compel disclosure of the names of U.S persons with Swiss accounts at UBS, is very disappointing.

"It complicates and muddies what should have been a straightforward agreement by UBS and the Swiss Government to disclose Swiss accounts hidden from the United States by U.S. accountholders.

"UBS admitted last year that it ‘participated in a scheme to defraud the United States’ out of tax revenue. Since then, UBS has been prohibited by its government from simply turning over the names of the 52,000 U.S. clients suspected of participating in that tax evasion scheme with UBS.    » read more »

11/16/2009 -- WASHINGTON -- United States Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., today urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to help protect homeowners from scams by companies and individuals claiming to have solutions for tainted Chinese drywall. In a letter to FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz, Sen. Landrieu and five other Senators raised concerns about deceptive practices that prey on consumers with defective drywall and asked the Commission to fully investigate and prosecute companies engaging in these activities.

The letter was signed by Senators Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), David Vitter (R-La.), Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Jim Webb (D-Va.).    » read more »

Feingold's Bipartisan Legislation Would Bring New Attention and Support to Ending Africa's Longest Running Rebel War

November 17, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. – The Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed bipartisan legislation today authored by U.S. Senator Russ Feingold and cosponsored by Sam Brownback (R-KS) requiring the Obama administration to develop a new multifaceted strategy to confront one of Africa’s longest running rebel groups, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).    » read more »