Ready to Rule from Day One...
will not attend the Apec summit in Vladivostok in September, which comes soon after the Democratic presidential nominating convention, the White House said yesterday.
The announcement by White House front man Jay Carney came days after Russian President Vladimir Putin
...Second President of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Because of constitutionally mandated term limits he is the current Prime Minister of Russia. His sock puppet, Dmitry Medvedev, was installed in the 2008 presidential elections. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law. During his eight years in office Russia's economy bounced back from crisis, seeing GDP increase, poverty decrease and average monthly salaries increase. During his presidency Putin passed into law a series of fundamental reforms, including a flat income tax of 13%, a reduced profits tax, and new land and legal codes. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile...said he would skip this week's G8 summit at the US president's retreat at Camp David, as he finalizes his cabinet.
Carney delivered the news to the press pool traveling with Obama in New York.
Obama had not been expected to travel to Russia for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit, as it takes place soon after the Democratic convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, during the week of September 3.
Indonesia says a military force from predominantly Muslim countries should be deployed in Iraq before the United States withdraws. The recommendation is part of a larger proposal to resolve the conflict in the war-torn country. Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda said like-minded moderate Islamic countries acceptable to the Iraqis should contribute to the "intervening force", whose deployment should not be seen as an extension of the U.S.-led coalition troops or Iraqi security forces. "This force would not be perceived as enemies by the Iraqis because we're going in there as brothers who are there to help," he said in an interview here Wednesday. 
Asia-Pacific leaders vowed yesterday to dismantle the âterroristâ groups that have carried out a series of deadly attacks in the region. âWe condemned terrorist acts in the region that took thousands of lives and aimed to destabilise economic prosperity and security in the Asia-Pacific region,â the 21 
US President George W. Bush, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President 
All 44 North Koreans who forced their way into Canada's embassy in China have left for an undisclosed third country, officials said after weeks of diplomacy between Ottawa and Beijing. The asylum seekers had been holed up inside the embassy since late September, as negotiations took place on their fate. China, which did not consider the North Koreans as refugees, at first demanded they be handed over to its authorities. Canada declined to do so. Sebastien Theberge, spokesman for Canadian Foreign Minister Pierre Pettigrew told AFP that the refugees had all now left for a third country, though he would not disclose where.