It’s good for the world if such big country as China will have an independent opinion over foreign policies relatively apart from other UN’s security members.
China signalled its intent to pursue a more assertive foreign policy, saying “a fifth of mankind” had a right to be heard, and stating its opposition to the west on a range of issues.

The country’s foreign minister, Yang Jiechi, threatened retaliation for American arms sales to Taiwan, and made it clear that China was prepared to stand alone among the permanent members of the UN security council in opposing sanctions against Iran.

He insisted Iran had not closed the door on negotiations over the export of its uranium, and called for patience and “a more flexible, pragmatic and proactive policy” towards talks with Iran.

Speaking at a global security conference in Munich, Yang also rejected western criticism on internet freedoms and China’s role at the Copenhagen global warming summit in December
China’s foreign minister Yang Jiechi during a security policy conference in Munich in 2010. Photograph: Michaela Rehle/Reuters

Farzan Esfandiar has just passed his one year old birthday a couple of days ago.

Happy birthday, Farzan!

Even in the world richest country like USA, the hungry people do exist. 49 million out of 350 million is not small number. via WP
The number of Americans who lack dependable access to adequate food shot up last year to 49 million, the largest number since the government has been keeping track, according to a federal report released Monday that shows particularly steep increases in food scarcity among families with children.

In 2008, the report found, nearly 17 million children — more than one in five across the United States — were living in households in which food at times ran short, up from slightly more than 12 million youngsters the year before. And the number of children who sometimes were outright hungry rose from nearly 700,000 to almost 1.1 million.

Roger Federer made history on Sunday when he defeated brave Andy Roddick 5-7 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 16-14 to win a sixth Wimbledon title and claim a record 15th Grand Slam crown in a classic final.

But the Swiss second seed was given a huge fright by the American sixth seed who led by a set, had four set points in the second and didn’t drop serve until the final, heartbreaking game of the match, via the Age

The mega star Michael Jackson dies after suffering from cardiac arrest and being rushed to hospital a moment ago.
Singer Michael Jackson, 50, died in Los Angeles today, various news sources reported. Jackson, a child Motown sensation who grew into a moonwalking megastar, sold millions of records, earning worldwide adoration in the 1980s.
His brother, Jermaine Jackson,confirms Michael’s death in a press confrence. LA Times blog reports:
At a brief news conference in the auditorium of the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center this evening, Jermaine Jackson sighed audibly several times before addressing reporters.

“This is hard,” he said softly. “My brother, the legendary King of Pop, passed away on Thursday, June 25, 2009 at 2:26 p.m…. It is believed he passed away of cardiac arrest.”
Interesting to note when Jermaine end up his press conference saying, “May Allah be with you, Michael, always,” raising speculation if Michael has indeed converted to Islam as once reported by the Telegraph on 21 Nov 2009.

Who’s Michael Jackson?

An excerpt from Wikipedia:

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene at the age of 11 as a member of The Jackson 5 and began a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group. Referred to as the “King of Pop” in subsequent years, five of his solo studio albums are among the world’s best-selling records: Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and HIStory (1995).

In the early 1980s, he became a dominant figure in popular music and the first African-American entertainer to amass a strong crossover following on MTV. The popularity of his music videos airing on MTV, such as “Beat It”, “Billie Jean” and Thriller—credited for transforming the music video into an art form and a promotional tool—helped bring the relatively new channel to fame. Videos such as “Black or White” and “Scream” made Jackson an enduring staple on MTV in the 1990s. With stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of physically complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style influenced hip hop, pop and contemporary R&B artists.

Jackson donated and raised millions of dollars for beneficial causes through his foundation, charity singles and support of 39 charities. Other aspects of his personal life, including his changing appearance and behavior, generated significant controversy, damaging his public image. Though he was accused of child sexual abuse in 1993, the criminal investigation was closed due to lack of evidence and Jackson was not charged. The singer experienced health concerns from the early 1990s until his death, as well as conflicting reports regarding the state of his finances. Jackson married twice and fathered three children, all of which caused further controversy. In 2005, Jackson was tried and acquitted of further sexual abuse allegations and several other charges.

One of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records—including one for “Most Successful Entertainer of All Time”—13 Grammy Awards, 13 number one singles in his solo career—more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era—and the sales of over 750 million albums worldwide. Cited as one of the world’s most famous men, Jackson’s highly publicized personal life, coupled with his successful career, made him a part of popular culture for almost four decades.

Somali pirates on Wednesday hijacked a U.S.-flagged cargo ship with 20 American crew members onboard, the shipping company said.

The 17,000-ton Maersk Alabama was carrying emergency relief to Mombasa, Kenya, when it was hijacked, said Peter Beck-Bang, spokesman for the Copenhagen-based container shipping group A.P. Moller-Maersk. more

Death link to too much red meat
Scientists have produced new evidence suggesting eating lots of red and processed meat damages health.

They found big meat eaters had a raised risk of death from all causes over a ten-year period.

In contrast, a higher intake of white meat was associated with a slightly reduced risk of death over the same period.

The US study, featured in Archives of Internal Medicine, was based on more than 500,000 people.