Forces loyal to Yemeni leader Ali Abdullah Saleh and top tribal leader Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar are observing a truce made late Friday, as tribal mediators try to put an end to recent fighting which broke out this week. Meanwhile, in Syria, security forces fired on anti-government protesters in a number of cities, killing at least eight people.
Yemeni tribal leaders appear to have thrown down the gauntlet against embattled President Ali Abdallah Saleh, attacking two military bases on Friday belonging to the powerful Presidential Guard. The Presidential Guard is controlled by Mr. Saleh's son Ahmed, and is his main base of support.
The Yemeni Air Force later intervened, according to witnesses, bombing the tribal forces besieging the Fardha Nehem base, 80 kilometers north of the capital Sana'a. Pan-Arab television also reports that tribal forces in the province of Jouf have also laid siege to another Republican Guard base.
In Sana'a and at least a dozen other towns and cities, thousands of protesters continued to demonstrate against Mr. Saleh, amid a lull in fighting between the president's loyalists and tribal forces. Al-Ahmar said that he was observing a truce, as tribal leaders mediate in the conflict.
At a funeral for around 30 of his men killed in the recent fighting, al-Ahmar told mourners that if Mr. Saleh "wants a peaceful revolution, we are ready for that. If not, we will fight him."
But Deputy Information Minister Abdou Jundi, an ally of Mr. Saleh, insisted that al-Ahmar's forces tried to take several government ministries, provoking the conflict:
He says that al-Ahmar's forces seized several government ministries and used every caliber of weaponry to do so. He adds that al-Ahmar's men also tried to take the interior and defense ministries, in addition to capturing the Yemeni news agency.
Al-Ahmar's press spokesman Abdel Qawi al Qeissi disputed the claim, insisting that it was Mr. Saleh's forces that began the fighting by trying to take an empty school near al-Ahmar's family compound:
He claims that the school was in neutral territory but that suddenly Mr. Saleh's side tried to take it, at which point al-Ahmar's forces tried to stop them and shooting began.
Skirmishes continued during the day Friday inside Sana'a between Mr. Saleh's forces and those of al-Ahmar. Fighting later Friday was reported as sporadic and light.
Bitter fighting broke out between both sides on Monday, 24 hours after President Saleh refused to sign a Gulf plan that would have forced him to step down in 30 days. The President accused opposition parties of refusing to attend a signing ceremony at the presidential palace.
Meanwhile in Syria, witnesses are reporting protests in at least a dozen towns and cities, including the capital Damascus and the second largest city of Aleppo.
Witnesses say pro-government militiamen and other security forces fired on crowds in Syria's third largest city Homs, as well as in smaller cities near Daraa and Damascus.
President Barack Obama and other G8 leaders wrapped up a two-day summit in the French coastal town of Deauville with harsh words for the governments in Libya, Syria and Iran but promises of billions in aid for democratic transitions in Egypt and Tunisia.
Following talks Friday with French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy, President Barack Obama said the two were united in their call for Libyan leader Moammer Gadhafi to go.
"We agreed that we have made progress on our Libya campaign but that meeting the UN mandate of civilian protection cannot be accomplished when Gadhafi remains in Libya directing his forces in acts of aggression against the Libyan people," the president said. "And we are joined in resolve to finish the job."
The push for Gadhafi's departure got a boost from Russia, which has offered to mediate the Libyan leader's departure. G8 leaders in Deauville also condemned Iran's nuclear program during their two-day meeting. Summit host, President Sarkozy, said he agreed with President Obama that Syria's leader Bashar al-Assad should either allow a democratic transition in his country - or step aside.
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But the G8 leaders also offered major incentives to two Arab nations on the road to democracy - promising $20 billion in aid to Egypt and Tunisia via multilateral institutions. President Sarkozy said another $20 billion was available to the two countries in bilateral assistance and other aid.
Tunisian Finance Minister Jalloul Ayed told reporters the country's top priority was to boost the economy and create jobs for hundreds of thousands of unemployed youths.
"The consolidation of democracy goes hand in hand with prosperity," Ayed said. "Because if Tunisians don't feel very quickly that democracy is creating the conditions for them to feel better, to feel more prosperous, then we run the risk to see that democratic process fail in the end."
Democracy was the hallmark of G8 talks with several leaders from sub-Saharan Africa.They included those from three countries - Ivory Coast, Guinea and Niger - who have recently held democratic elections.
Sarkozy said African countries understand the new G8 partnership with Africa will give priority to those countries who fight against corruption and for democracy.
Nongovernmental activists say the G8 summit should have given more priority to the environment and helping the poorest and most vulnerable. But some, like Save the Children's Global Campaign Director Adrian Lovett said this year's G8 also delivered good news.
"Well we think there are some good signs coming out of this French G8. We didn't have the highest hopes for the outcome for Africa but some signs of progress," said Lovett. "The critical thing for us is that the package that's been agreed for Arab countries musn't divert attention away from the existing promises that leaders have made to Africa, to the very poorest countries."
Besides supporting the so-called "Arab spring" declaration, G8 leaders also pledged to help Africa achieve peace, stability, economic development and growth.
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President Barack Obama is in Poland, in an effort to strengthen relationships in Eastern and Central Europe, and to ask support for emerging Arab democracies. Our correspondent reports from Warsaw, the final stop on the president's six-day, four-nation European tour.
President Obama Friday began his first trip to Poland by paying tribute to the country's 20th-century war dead at its Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Then, the president laid a wreath at the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes. The granite monument marks the 1943 uprising in the Warsaw Ghetto and the persecution of Polish Jews.
Later, Mr. Obama hosted a working dinner for the presidents of 18 countries taking part in the Central European summit.
As the dinner began, Mr. Obama told the leaders the United States has taken great inspiration from the blossoming of freedom and economic growth in Eastern and Central Europe.
Serbia and Romania boycotted the dinner, to protest the inclusion of the president of Kosovo, a country they do not recognize.
The folliwing countries were represented at the dinner: Albania, Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine, as well as Poland.
Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski officially welcomes Mr. Obama on Saturday. The two leaders will discuss trade issues, including the exploration of the shale gas found under Poland.
They will also likely talk about an agreement to station U.S. F-16 fighter jets in Poland, a deal Russia opposes. Cooperation on the war in Afghanistan will probably be on the agenda as well.
Another likely topic of conversation is support for emerging democracies in the Middle East and North Africa, which administration officials have compared to the former communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe two decades ago.
And Polish officials may bring up the problem of Poles having to obtain visas to travel to the U.S.
Mr. Obama is expected to discuss many of the same issues later in the day with Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Former Polish president and Solidarity labor leader Lech Walesa declined an invitation to meet with Mr. Obama and Polish political leaders on Saturday. His only explanation was, "It did not suit me." Previous U.S. presidents have met with Mr. Walesa one-on-one.
Before returning to Washington, Mr. Obama will lay a wreath in memory of Polish President Lech Kaczynski and 95 others who died in a plane crash in Russia last year.
Mr. Obama had planned to attend memorial services for the crash victims, but was prevented from flying to Poland by a large cloud of volcanic ash blanketing much of Europe.
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The United Nations reports thousands of people are fleeing the conflict in the disputed Abyei region between north and south Sudan. Aid agencies describe the situation as volatile, with sporadic shooting and looting reported.
Before northern Sudanese troops marched into Abyei and fighting erupted last week, an estimated 110,000 people lived in the town. Now, air and road patrols by UNMIS, the U.N. Mission in Sudan, report few civilians are present.
The United Nations says humanitarian organizations in Abyei have had their offices ransacked and stocks of emergency relief items looted. Many aid workers have left the area because of insecurity.
Tens of thousands of internally displaced people reportedly have poured into Southern Sudan's Warrap, Unity and Northern Bahr El Ghazal state. A spokesman for the International Organization for Migration, Jambe Omari Jumbe, says it is difficult to get an accurate count of the numbers fleeing.
"Many of them are still on the move and some of them are actually hiding in the bushes. But, according to some estimates … we know that between 20,000 and 30,000 people are actually on the move. Many are in need of food and water and with recent heavy rains may be vulnerable to water-borne disease and infections," said Jumbe.
IOM is coordinating the delivery of emergency assistance to the internally displaced people. It is providing trucks, essential non-food relief items, fuel and medicines to support humanitarian operations.
Jumbe says a mobile clinic has been put on standby in Wau to provide help if requested by other humanitarian organizations in the area.
The World Health Organization reports the hospital in Abyei is not functioning. The health staff has deserted and gone to the southern Sudanese town of Agok.
WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic says many people have been treated for minor wounds and sprains. In addition, he says 70 surgical cases have been treated in Agok. Many are related to the conflict in Abyei.
He says the greatest needs are for shelter, food and water, and that existing primary health-care services are overstretched because of the large influx of IDPs (internally displaced people).
"It is expected that morbidity and mortality in children will be due to acute respiratory infections - diarrhea, malnutrition and malaria. The onset of the rainy season and population movement are likely to lead to an increase in these cases," said Jasarevic.
Jasarevic says aid agencies are immunizing children under five against killer diseases. He says both UN and non-governmental agencies are sending surgical teams and critical medical supplies into the region.
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Russia says it is willing to help mediate Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's exit from power, but will not offer him asylum.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev speaking at the G8 Summit in France called on Gadhafi to resign and said that some countries might be able to shelter him. The Russian president announced sending an envoy to the Libyan rebel stronghold of Benghazi on Friday.
Earlier, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the Libyan leader had "deprived himself of legitimacy" and it had become necessary to find a formula to help him leave. Russia has previously offered to mediate a settlement between anti-government rebels and Gadhafi.
Meanwhile, forces loyal to Gadhafi have renewed efforts to regain control of rebel-held Misrata, Libya's third largest city.
The Reuters news agency says fierce fighting between pro-government forces and rebels is raging on the city's western outskirts. Separately, the French news agency AFP quotes NATO's Lieutenant General Charles Bouchard as saying pro-Gadhafi forces have laid landmines around the city.
Also, a series of explosions rocked the Libyan capital, Tripoli, late Thursday. Some of the blasts occurred near Gadhafi's residential compound. However, the specific targets from the suspected NATO airstrikes were not immediately identified.
Earlier Thursday, Libyan Prime Minister Al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi offered a truce with rebels, but ruled out Mr. Gadhafi's departure - a key demand of the opposition and NATO.
Also, Britain said it would deploy Apache helicopter gunships against Gadhafi's forces in Libya as part of NATO's operations. France has already indicated it will send attack helicopters to the North African country.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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Thousands of Egyptians are gathered on Cairo's Tahrir Square for a so-called "second revolution" just three months following President Hosni Mubarak's ouster.
The activists are demanding the ruling military government quicken the pace of democratic reforms, including rooting out official corruption. They say military-leaders have included too many members of Mubarak's ruling party in the reform process.
However, Egypt's best organized political force has criticized the demonstration. The Muslim Brotherhood cautioned protest organizers against "driving a wedge" between the military and the people.
The ruling military council echoed that sentiment in a message posted Thursday on its Facebook page, warning of "suspicious elements" who want to divide the two sides. The army says it will steer clear of the protests to avoid any clashes.
Meanwhile, Egyptian authorities have been carrying out a sweeping investigation of state land sales in country's lucrative property market since Mubarak's February departure.
On Thursday, a court sentenced former housing minister Ahmed Maghrabi to five years in prison for involvement in an illegal land deal. He is the third senior minister of Mubarak's former government to be sentenced to jail for corruption.
The former president himself, along with his two sons, has been charged the killing of pro-democracy demonstrators earlier this year, as well as abuse of power and wasting public funds
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan says he is determined to improve security in his country with a new administration that takes power with Sunday's inauguration.
Security was a driving issue in the presidential campaign following bomb blasts by militants from the oil-rich Niger Delta and attacks on police by members of an extremist Islamic group in the north.
President Jonathan campaigned hard to convince Nigerians that his government was meeting those security challenges. But rioting that immediately followed his election raised anew questions about security preparedness. The New York-based rights organization Human Rights Watch says Muslim-Christian electoral violence in northern states killed at least 800 people.
President Jonathan says he is determined to protect Nigerians wherever they live.
"As president, it is my solemn duty to defend the constitution of this country. That includes the obligation to protect the lives and properties of every Nigerian wherever they choose to live," he said.
Delta State University political science lecturer Benjamin Agah says part of the problem is that suspects arrested after attacks are often released without prosecution, returning to the streets for the next round of violence.
"The same people who ought to be found guilty, who ought to be jailed or who ought to be punished, they are the same people who will still come out again, untouched by the law. So the president has a lot of security challenges," he said.
Agah says the new government must be willing to better equip security forces, especially in remote areas of the north.
"There are some places now that can not be policed ordinarily except through air. So the police should be fully equipped. They should be given the requisite necessities to enable them to fight these criminals," he said.
Public affairs analyst Kole Shetimma says insecurity is a problem for the president that runs far deeper than spending more money on police.
"In these security challenges, I think that we should not approach it from a law-and-order perspective. I think we have to look at the socio-economic and political conditions that have given way to some of these major problems," said Shetimma.
In the Niger Delta, for example, President Jonathan helped organize an amnesty for militants fighting against a federal government that they say has failed to develop the oil-rich region. There have been delays in paying monthly stipends to those demobilized combatants and far fewer job-training programs than were promised.
Shetimma says the president must address the underlying economic grievances in the Delta.
"How do we ensure that the communities in which this oil is produced have access to some of the oil resources that we have. The new petroleum bill, which gives like ten percent of the oil resources to the communities, I agree that that should be fast-tracked," said Shetimma.
In the north, the extremist Boko Haram group is fighting to establish Islamic law and says it recognizes neither the Nigerian constitution nor the just-completed election. It is rejecting an amnesty offer from the governor-elect of Borno State, who is trying to end months of attacks against security forces.
Shetimma says one of the obstacles is the government's refusal to recognize that security forces acted outside the law last year in killing Boko Haram members in Jos.
"It has to be on how do you respond to the loss of property? How do you respond to the security implications? So I am hoping that this is going to be a comprehensive approach to the issue of Boko Haram," said Shetimma.
President Jonathan says part of his plans for improving security in the north and in the south is to increase employment for young men who he says are being used as "cannon fodder for the ambitions of a few."
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A group of prominent Israeli figures have signed a letter urging European leaders to support a Palestinian bid for statehood recognition from the United Nations.
Israeli news organizations released contents of the letter on Friday. It was signed by more than 20 well-known public figures, including former Knesset speaker Avraham Burg, former Foreign Ministry director-general Alon Leil and Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman.
The letter says a Palestinian declaration of independence would be a "positive, constructive step" given the "mutual suspicions" and "foot-dragging" by both sides. The group also pledges to recognize a Palestinian state based primarily on border lines that existed before the 1967 Six Day War - a condition opposed by Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Earlier this week, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas vowed to pursue a plan to seek U.N. recognition of statehood if there is no progress in the U.S.-mediated peace talks with Israel by September.
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A senior member of the Palestine Liberation Organization - Hanan Ashrawi - says the Arab Spring events of the past few months have had a major impact on the Middle East, including the reconciliation of the rival Palestinian groups, Fatah and Hamas. But, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the U.S. Congress earlier this week that Israel will never talk peace with the Palestinians as long Hamas plays a leading role.
Political violence in Yemen. NATO airstrikes in Libya. Millions promised by the world's industrial giants for democratic change in the Middle East. All are elements of what's called the Arab Spring.
But there are no signs of spring between Israelis and Palestinians.
"Israel will not negotiate with a Palestinian government, backed by a Palestinian version of al-Qaida," said Netanyahu. He stressed to Congress there can be no peace talks if the militant Hamas group is part of the Palestinian leadership.
Yet that is what is needed, said Ashrawi, a senior member of the Palestine Liberation Organization. She said Palestinian unity demands that all groups be embraced in the government.
"Hamas belongs within this democratic pluralistic system, not as a substitute for it, or a replacement or an alternative," she said.
But any Hamas role is unacceptable to Israel. Jonathan Peled, spokesman for the Israeli embassy, said "Israel cannot be expected to sit down and negotiate with an organization that calls for its destruction."
In September, the United Nations General Assembly will consider a proposal to recognize Palestinian statehood. Ashrawi said that will lead to membership and its benefits within the international community.
"It means you get access - you have access to all the judicial accountability you need within the U.N. [United Nations] system," she said. "And then, you have the recognition that you do have boundaries."
Peled predicts the U.S. and other countries won't allow it. "To go through the United Nations for recognition, is not the correct path. I think that is the strongest message that is coming out of this last week's visit."
That, Ashrawi said, would be a mistake. "If you block us from the U.N., from getting accountability from Israel, from trying to get protection for Palestinians, by peaceful means, by non-violent means, then it seems to me you leave us with the option of violence, as the only thing that works."
If so, the Arab Spring holds little promise of thaw between Israelis and Palestinians.
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Thai police have arrested U.S. citizen Lerpong Wichaikhammat, 54, and charged him with defaming the revered monarchy for an alleged offense dating to a four-year-old post on his blog.
Insulting the monarchy, known as "Lese Majeste", is a serious crime in Thailand that is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Rights groups and academics have criticized the controversial law and say Thai authorities abuse it for political purposes.
The alleged offense appears to have occurred years ago, when he was living in the U.S. state of Colorado, where he spent 30 years.
Thai police say Lerpong, who also goes by the name Joe Gordon in the United States, provided a link on his blog in 2007 to the book "The King Never Smiles."
The unauthorized biography of 83-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej is deemed critical of the Thai royal family and is banned in Thailand.
Gordon was arrested on Tuesday in northeastern Nakhon Ratchasimaand province where he has been living for the past year. In addition to the Lese Majeste charge, he is accused of violating Thailand's Computer Crimes Act for committing Lese Majeste online.
It is not clear why authorities decided to arrest Gordon now, but rights activists say there has been increasing use of the law to silence critical voices and political opponents.
Benjamin Zawacki, Asia researcher for Amnesty International, spoke about the controversial law this week at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand.
"Although the Lese Majeste law has been on the books for decades, during Thailand's ongoing political crisis, which began in late 2005, it has been used more vigorously amidst a worsening climate for political expression," said Zawacki.
A spokesman at the United States Embassy in Bangkok says a consular official visited Gordon on Friday and that they are following his case closely.
Zawacki says the law, as currently drafted, means Thailand is violating its international legal obligations to protect freedom of speech and that it should be changed.
Thai authorities say the strict law is necessary to protect the revered monarchy from slanderous attack and to ensure national security.
Zawacki says it is clearly a legal and factual stretch to claim that an insulting remark could compromise the security of the nation.
Rights groups and academics have decried authorities' increasing use of the law to silence critics and opposition politicians.
A Thai historian and an editor of opposition Red Shirt news magazines were recently charged with Lese Majeste.
Thai authorities have also charged 18 leaders of the Red Shirts movement.
Gordon would not be the first to be charged with Lese Majeste for posting someone else's writing.
The editor of the online magazine Prachatai, Chiranuch Premchaiporn, was charged last year on several counts of Lese Majeste for bloggers' postings on her website.
Authorities say that although she did not post them herself, she did not remove the offending messages quickly enough and could be sentenced to several decades in prison.
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North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has returned to Pyongyang after a week-long visit to close ally and neighbor China. Also this week, Burma's new president, the ex-general Thein Sein, traveled to Beijing for talks with Chinese officials.
When he left Beijing Friday after a week-long visit to China, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il said in a letter to President Hu Jintao that ties between the two countries are "sealed in blood."
As is typical for the North Korean leader's secretive trips abroad, the exact purpose of his third trip to China in a year was unclear. Chinese officials described his visit as an economic study tour. On Thursday, China's Xinhua news agency quoted Kim as saying his government is focusing its attention on economic development.
Impoverished North Korea remains heavily reliant on Beijing's economic assistance and political influence. But it is unclear if the country is seriously interested in abandoning its centrally planned economic model.
Professor Jonathan Pollack is a senior fellow with the John L. Thornton China Center in Washington. He says Beijing does not assert as much influence over Pyongyang as many in the West believe, and like other countries, is secretly hoping for a power change.
"China does feel it is among the very few states - maybe the only state - that has the kind of reach into the North Korean system, though I would argue that their influence is often greatly exaggerated, and is not that great," said Pollack. "But they are making calculations on the expectations that inevitably, there must be some kind of internal shift in NK to some extent."
While Pollack says China's relationship with North Korea is partly based on the uncertainty of Pyongyang's future, he says the relationship with Burma is quite different.
Burmese leader President Thein Sein, the former general of the military junta, visited Beijing Friday for talks with top leaders. The trip is the first bilateral visit by Thein Sein since he took office at the end of March as head of a nominally civilian government.
Pollack says that China has more economic incentives at stake in its relationship with Burma than North Korea.
"I think for China, what it seeks in the Burmese case, are the not insignificant economic equities," added Pollack. "The economic equities do not exist with North Korea at least not at this point. North Korea in that sense, is much more a demander of China, seeking whatever economic and energy support it can."
China has become Burma's second largest trading partner and its largest foreign investor, with Beijing reporting investments of more than $15 billion last year. Much of the funding has gone toward the construction of twin pipelines that will carry oil and gas across Burma to southern China.
Chinese officials are expected to have questions about security along the pipeline route in Shan state, which is troubled by an ethnic insurgency.
Pollack says China's relationship with Burma, the first country to recognize the Chinese Communist Party's rule in 1949, is a longstanding and complex one and Beijing is keen to keep the status quo.
"Burma is a state that is deeply suspicious of the outside world," Pollack noted. "If the Chinese see some modest inroads they can make, primarily by economic means and maybe to a degree by some amount of political validation, they are prepared to attempt it."
While Beijing's relationship with the North Korean and Burmese governments raises concerns abroad about China's motives, Pollack and other experts argue that maintaining such close ties with neighboring countries are vital for Beijing.
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U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, President Barack Obama's nominee to be the next ambassador to China, says Beijing must do more to pressure North Korea to give up its nuclear program. Locke told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Thursday, if confirmed, he will also raise concerns about China's human rights record.
Locke said while the United States welcomes a strong, prosperous and successful China, such status brings with it new responsibilities. He called on China to do more to pressure North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program and discourage further provocative acts, a reference to the sinking of a South Korean warship and the shelling of a South Korean island in the disputed maritime waters of the Yellow Sea last year.
"China has a very unique role given its influence and ties with North Korea," Locke said. "We, obviously, urge China to do more to influence North Korea's behavior. I think the recent provocations by North Korea, and the reaction by the South, is giving China pause causing China to realize that it has to step up to defuse the situation to make sure that no further provocations occur, which then could result in retaliatory actions by South Korea."
Locke, the first Chinese-American to be nominated for that post, said China should use its regional influence as a source of security, stability and prosperity. He expressed concern about a recent U.N. Security Council report China has blocked that accused North Korea of violating international sanctions by selling ballistic missile technology and other nuclear-related items to Middle Eastern countries.
The report implies that the transfers passed through a neighboring third country, which some diplomats say was China. The report says one of the destinations of the banned goods was Iran. Both China and Iran have rejected the allegations.
The Commerce Secretary said, while there are areas of collaboration, there are areas of what he called "vigorous disagreement," including human rights where, he said, the United States has significant concerns about Beijing's recent actions.
"Especially the crackdown on journalists, lawyers, bloggers, artists and religious groups. The protection and promotion of liberty and freedom are fundamental tenets of U.S. foreign policy and, if confirmed, I will clearly and firmly advocate for upholding universal rights in China," Locke said.
He said the detention of artist Ai Weiwei raises many issues about China's commitment to building a society based on the rule of law.
Locke said he sees significant progress in addressing the U.S. trade imbalance with China, concerns about its currency and enforcement of intellectual property rights:
"We've got to make sure that we monitor the progress in China," Locke said, "make sure they adhere to their commitments, whether it's on intellectual property. The Chinese have a campaign right now that's supervised by the State Council, Vice Premier Wang Qishan. That campaign has been extended to really ensure that government agencies and state-owned enterprises purchase legitimate software. But, we've got to monitor that. We're demanding and insisting on accountability and audits to make sure that the Chinese follow through."
Locke said China recognizes it must export less and focus more on domestic consumption, while the United States must export more. He said there is a great hunger and demand in China for American products and services. Locke said, if confirmed, one of his top priorities will be in helping U.S. companies do more business in China.
And, he pledged to reach out to the Chinese people where he said there is an appetite for more freedom and democracy. Locke is expected to win easy confirmation in the Senate.
Judges in a Belgrade court ruled Friday that Serbian war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic is healthy enough to be extradited to the Hague headquarters of the International Criminal Tribunal.
Mladic, who spent Thursday night in jail, was back in a Belgrade court Friday. Earlier in the day his son Darko visited him in jail, where Mladic told him that he was not guilty of the war crime charges he is accused of during the Bosnian war.
Darko Mladic also said that in his opinion, his father was not well enough to be transferred.
The former Bosnian Serb army commander was initially in court Thursday following his arrest in northern Serbia after 16 years in hiding. That appearance was cut short due to what his lawyer said was Mladic's poor health.
The United Nations tribunal on war crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia indicted Mladic in 1995 for atrocities he allegedly carried out, or ordered, during the three-year siege of the Bosnian city of Sarajevo, and for the killing of 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys near the city of Srebrenica.
The Serbian court will determine if all conditions for Mladic's extradition to The Hague are fulfilled. Serbian officials say the process will take about a week.
Russia, an ally of Serbia, has called for the trial to be fair and unbiased. The Russian foreign ministry said Friday the trial should not be used to drag out the work of the tribunal.
The capture of Mladic and one more fugitive still at large, Croatian Serb Goran Hadzic, is a key condition in Belgrade's bid to become a candidate for European Union membership.
Serbian President Boris Tadic has told U.S. news network CNN claims that Belgrade officials knew where Mladic was hiding are "rubbish".
Croatian President Ivo Josipovic said the capture of Mladic is crucial for the international reputation of Serbia.
Bosnia's organization of families of war victims expressed relief after 16 years of waiting for the arrest of one of Europe's most wanted men.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
G8 leaders have pledged $20 billion in assistance for the democratic transformations in Egypt and Tunisia and address development and security needs in sub-Saharan Africa. The pledge came on the final day of their summit in Deauville, France.
G8 leaders said in a final communique that the money is intended to shore up the so-called Arab Spring, following requests by Tunisia and Egypt for massive aid following their popular uprisings this year.
The International Monetary Fund also says it is ready to offer billions of dollars in loans to help spur economic growth and jobs in the region. Britain and France have already pledged additional aid.
But any financial assistance to the region is likely to come with strings attached. That was the message delivered by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso as he discussed future European aid to Tunisia and Egypt.
"Our aid is conditional. We'll do more if they'll do more. More support if they are ready to go further in terms of democratic reforms," Barroso said.
Ivory Coast's new President Alassane Ouattara also appealled to G8 leaders for financial assistance to help his country get back on its feet after years of conflict.
Ouattara told France's Europe 1 radio that Ivory Coast needs between 15 and 20 billion euros - or about $21 to $28 billion - over the next five years to build democracy and reduce poverty. Analyst say that again, any G8 assistance is likely to come with accountability strings attached.
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