Dozens of U.S. billionaire promised to give at least half their wealth to charity

New York  – Tens of millionaire United States (U.S.) on Wednesday (4 / 8 ) promised to give at least half their wealth to charity, as part of a charity campaign two richest men, Warren Buffet and Bill Gates.Forbes magazine estimates based on the billionaire’s wealth, at least amereka can give 150 billion dollars worth of money. Among the rich people who joined the campaign for “The Giving Pledge” is a New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the media magnate Barry Diller and Ted Turner, and Oracle founder Larry Ellison, director of “Star Wars” George Lucas and energy king T. Boone Pickens.

Till now 40 richest people in the U.S., including Microsoft founder Gates and investor Warren Buffet who give a commitment.Since the campaign was launched in June, Buffett, Gates and his wife Melinda have spoken to the 20 percent richest people in the U.S. – between 70 to 80 people – to take their share. “In many cases we believe they already have the interest to charity. Already there are 40 people who signed,” said Buffett.”We want to recruit as many mungkind from 40 people to contribute and so they invite others so we can make a bigger stake and start with the good.”

U.S. millionaire campaigns asked to give at least half their wealth during their lives, or after they die, and to publicize their cause with a letter explaining their decision.Gates has kekeyaan approximately 53 billion worth of dollars, which put him in second place in the world’s richest people list of Forbes magazine. Buffett’s third-richest man is, his wealth comes from insurance and investment company Berkshire Hathaway Inc. The company ranked third in the list with a fortune worth 47 billion dollars.

“The Giving Pledge” does not accept money or directing people on how menyumbang.Para billionaires are only required to make a moral commitment to give their wealth to charity.”The idea is not to tell anyone when or how to do it, but at least offer what has been learned by the other,” Buffett said.Millionaire who was involved during this average has been actively involved in charity utnuk kegitan everything from genetics and cancer research, education, gun control, library and art.

Tax Avoidance motivation was not
“I’ve always said that I like making money, and I like to give it. I do not like to inheritance. More harm than benefit,” said Pickens, whose wealth worth approximately one billion dollars.

Buffet and Gates will make some dinner this year to recruit more millionaires, and a member of “The Giving Pledge” will hold annual meetings to discuss their charitable activities. They also will meet with some of the richest people in China in September and India in March.”We expect this to be followed by other countries. If they want to follow what we consider to be a good idea and do it, we’ll be happy,” said Buffett.Forbes said the U.S. is home to 403 billionaires, the highest compared to other countries.

“I always thought that the best thing is to make the world a better place for your children and your grandchildren, instead of giving them some money. The kids you get more benefit from your charity work than your legacy,” said Bloomberg , which has a net worth of 18 billion dollars.

Buffett said there were no members of “The Giving Pledge” whose motivation is to avoid taxes.Real estate and construction billionaire Eli Broad, the capitalist John Doerr, a media entrepreneur and former leader Gerry Lensfest Cisco Systems John Morgridge joined Gates and Buffett as “The Giving Pledge” was introduced in June. As many as 34 other members announced on Wednesday.

Buffett pledged in 2006 to give 99 percent of fatherly fortune to Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and family charities yayasana. Bill and Melinda has so far donated more than 28 billion of their wealth to their foundations. List of billionaires and their letters can be read on the site http://www.thegivingpledge.org.

Who Partake Join The Millionaires
Paul Allen (57) has a wealth of 7.8 billion poundstrling founded Microsoft. She resigned in 1983 because of fear of cancer. Since then she has helped charities.

Michael Bloomberg (68) is a financial news tycoon with a fortune of 12 billion pounds, which now serves the New York mayoralty for the third time. He once said: “The best financial planning ended with the toss check to the funeral home.”

Warren Buffett (79) is the world’s third richest man who has a wealth of 30 billion pounds through the investment company Berkshire Hathaway. He vowed to give 99 percent of the money.

Bill (54) and Melinda Gates (45). Bill is the inventor of Microsoft, and he remains the largest single shareholder with a profit of 33 billion worth of poundstrling. He founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000, which has donated more than 17 billion pounds for charity.

George Lucas (66) has a personal fortune of about 1:26 billion pounds. Director of “Star Wars” it never won an Oscar and Golden Globe and she often works with Steven Spielberg.

T. Boone Pickens (82) American financial expert who heads the BP Capital Management and was worth two billion pounds.

Rockefeller David (1995) is a member of the Rockefeller family, one of the famous American family that started from the 19th century. Personal fortune valued at 2 billion pounds.

Diane von Furstenberg (63) and Barry Diller (68) between them, worth a combined wealth of more than 1 billion pounds. Diane is a designer known for “wrap dress” designs, while Barry’s famous thanks to popular shows like “The Simpson” while working at Fox television stations.

Ted Turner (71) founder of the CNN news network and has a net worth of 1.1 billion pounds. He had more land than other U.S. citizens and have the largest bison herds on the planet.

Barron Hilton (82) is one of Conrad Hilton, who started the chain of hotels with the same name, and is the grandfather of Paris Hilton. He has wealth valued at approximately 1.6 billion pounds.(AFP)

Thousands of Czechs are protesting plans to place a Michael Jackson statue in Prague.

PRAGUE A group of fans plans to erect a 6-foot column with a bronze bust of the King of Pop in Letna Park, where Jackson held a concert in 1996. They want to unveil it Aug. 29 to mark Jackson’s 52nd birthday.City authorities have approved the project.

By Tuesday, more than 2,000 people had joined a Facebook protest claiming it makes no sense to put the statue in the park because Jackson had no connection with the Czech Republic.A Prague art gallery has proposed putting statue by a Czech contemporary artist there instead.(AP)

Rep. Raúl Grijalva doesn't back down,Az

Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva of Arizona has been characterized as passionate, outspoken and just plain stubborn.After he called for a boycott on his own state because of its new immigration law, his office received death threats.But he didn’t back down. Instead, Grijalva continued to denounce the law, calling it “racially motivated.”Such is the style of Grijalva, 62, who has become the face and voice of SB 1070 opposition in interview after interview in newspapers and on television.Unlike some politicians, Grijalva is consistent, said Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), who calls the Democrat his political “diametric” opposite. “I haven’t seen him change his perspective hardly ever.”

Phoenix officials have estimated that the city could lose more than $90 million over the next five years in canceled hotel and convention center business because of the boycott. As a result, Grijalva has been called irresponsible and a grandstander.”How does that help his working-poor constituents, some of whom earn their living in the hospitality and restaurant industry in Arizona?” said Mike Hellon, the former GOP state chairman.

Grijalva, one of the most liberal representatives in Congress, places the blame with the GOP-controlled state Legislature and Republican Gov. Jan Brewer. “The irresponsibility occurred when the governor put her signature on that law,” he said.

For Grijalva, who prefers western bolos over neckties, immigration issues strike a personal chord.Grijalva’s father, “a cowboy,” migrated to the U.S. in 1945 during the bracero program, which brought in guest workers from Mexico to offset the loss of farmworkers serving in World War II. His father became a citizen, sponsored by a construction employer.
Grijalva is a Tucson native who became the first of three children to attend college. At the University of Arizona he became involved with the Chicano Liberation Committee, an organization that pushed for the recruitment of Latinos at the school and advocated for a Mexican American studies program.Grijalva said he was motivated by his parents, who pushed him to become educated.”It’s very much the immigrant tradition,” he said.

In 1972, after several years as a community organizer, he decided to vie for a seat on the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board. He lost and said he learned that he couldn’t run for an elected position by appealing solely to Latino voters.He ran again, and ended up serving on the board from 1974 to 1986. Grijalva, who makes a point of putting the accent mark on the “u” in his first name, was the first Latino elected in more than 100 years. (His eldest daughter, Adelita Grijalva, who currently serves on the school board, remembers going to protests as a child, her younger sister in a stroller pushed by her pregnant mother, Ramona.)

He moved on to the Pima County Board of Supervisors. In 12 years, he successfully advocated for a paid Cesar Chavez holiday and worked on the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, which seeks to protect open spaces of desert but allow for growth. He often fought with his four colleagues to secure funding for health clinics in the area.Grijalva was elected to Congress in 2002 with 59% of the vote. He’s developed a reputation for advancing environmental and labor causes, and in the last three elections, he hasn’t received less than 61% of the vote in the Latino-dominated 7th District, which includes a large portion of southwestern Arizona.

“My whole family, personal and political life sprung from that community,” he said recently of the area he represents.Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) alluded to the district’s location when slamming Grijalva’s call for the boycott.

“I’m wondering if we look at the map of Congressman Grijalva’s congressional district, if we haven’t already ceded that component of Arizona to Mexico judging by the voice that comes out of him,” he told Fox News. “He’s advocating for Mexico rather than the United States and against the rule of law, which is one of the central pillars of American exceptionalism.”But Grijalva’s stance resonates with his voter base, said John Garcia, a University of Arizona political science professor who has known Grijalva since 1972.”He’s sort of reflecting a lot of the sentiment and frustrations and anger not just among Latinos, but people who are dissatisfied with the whole battery of anti-Latino legislation,” Garcia said.

After immigration law and now Arizona will faces boycott calls

PHOENIX Civil rights leaders are urging organizations to cancel their conventions in Arizona. Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks are encountering protesters on the road. And the AriZona iced tea company wants everyone to know that its drinks are made in New York.Arizona is facing a backlash over its new law cracking on illegal immigrants, with opponents pushing for a tourism boycott like the one that was used to punish the state 20 years ago over its refusal to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. with a holiday.”The goal is to as quickly as possible bring to a shocking stop the economy of Arizona,” former state Sen. Alfredo Gutierrez said Friday as a coalition called Boycott Arizona announced its formation.

The outcry has grown steadily in the week since Republican Gov. Jan Brewer signed the nation’s toughest law against illegal immigration. The measure makes it a crime under state law to be in the country illegally, and directs local police to question people about their immigration status and demand to see their documents if there is reason to suspect they are illegal.Many in Arizona support the law amid growing anger over the federal government’s failure to secure the border. The state has become a major gateway for drug smuggling and human trafficking from Mexico.

Critics say the law will lead to racial profiling and other abuses, and they are giving Arizona a public relations beating over the issue.Groups have called on people not to fly Tempe-based US Airways, rent trucks from Phoenix-based U-Haul or go to Suns and Diamondbacks games. A New York congressman and others are urging major league baseball to move the 2011 All Star Game out of Phoenix.

The Major League Baseball players’ union opposes the new law, issuing a statement Friday expressing concern it could have a negative impact on hundreds of ballplayers and their families. The union will consider taking “additional steps” if the law goes into effect this summer.The cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles have talked of cutting off deals with the state and its businesses.Phoenix is vying for the 2012 Republican National Convention, and at least one mayor has called on political leaders to choose a different city.

About 40 immigrant rights activists gathered outside Wrigley Field in Chicago on Thursday, chanting, “Boycott Arizona” as the Diamondbacks opened a series against the Cubs. A small plane pulling a banner criticizing the law circled the stadium.Civil rights leaders from the Rev. Al Sharpton to Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa have pushed for a boycott.Turning the tables on the state, the Mexican government warned citizens to use extreme caution when visiting Arizona.With all things Arizona now under attack, the AriZona Beverage Co. evidently feared business would suffer. The iced tea company tweeted: “AriZona is and always has been a NY based company! (BORN IN BKLYN ’92)”

Fifteen million people visit Arizona each year for vacations, conventions and sporting events such as the Fiesta Bowl, pro golf tournaments and baseball spring training. The state tourism office estimated that conventions and other travel and tourist spending in Arizona brought in $18.5 billion in 2008.Some companies said the call for a boycott has had no noticeable effect, although Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., said he has heard of six events being canceled. One of the groups to pull out is the American Immigration Lawyers Association, which canceled a fall conference to be held at a Scottsdale resort.

“We knew that the governor had this bill sitting on her desk,” spokesman George Tzamaras said. “Literally, minutes after she signed it the board of governors convened a conference call, and by an almost unanimous vote the association decided to pull that meeting.”The prospect of a boycott unnerves Arizona tourism officials.”We’re worried about keeping every convention and meeting here in Phoenix. It’s an economic driver here in the state; it provides hundreds of thousands of jobs and a good economic boost to the state,” said Doug MacKenzie, spokesman for the Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau.MacKenzie said he has heard of five or six event cancellations, adding, “I think it’s misguided to bring the tourism industry into the crosshairs of this political issue.”

In 1990, Arizona voters’ rejection of a King holiday set off a cascade of cancellations of conventions and other events. The NFL pulled the 1993 Super Bowl from the Phoenix suburb of Tempe. The NBA told the Phoenix Suns not to bother putting in a bid for the All-Star game.By the time voters finally passed a holiday bill two years later, estimates of lost convention business in the Phoenix area alone topped $190 million.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who surprised many by reversing course and supporting the new immigration law, said the latest furor and the King dustup are completely different.”One was about honoring a civil rights hero who a majority of Americans held in extremely high esteem,” he said. “The other is about an issue of national security and the security of our citizens, where we have broken borders and are literally overwhelmed with both human smuggling and drugs.”

The governor’s spokesman, Paul Senseman, said boycotts are a foolish response when opponents can mount a legal challenge or try to repeal the law in a referendum.”A boycott is not only the least effective but the most discriminatory and harmful method to utilize when there are other methods in our democratic process that are readily available,” he said.(AP)

LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal have only one goal

CLEVELAND LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal have only one goal, and they moved one step closer to their objective on Saturday.Cleveland’s superstars, separated for a large chunk of the regular season, combined for 36 points and seven blocks as the Cavaliers opened the Eastern Conference playoffs with a 96-83 win over the Chicago Bulls.

James had 24 points and four blocks and a slimmed-down O’Neal, playing for the first time since Feb. 25, scored 12 in 24 minutes as the top-seeded Cavs won a testy opener between two teams that obviously don’t care for each other.Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Monday in Cleveland.

Derrick Rose had 28 points and 10 assists for Chicago, which trimmed a 22-point deficit in the third quarter down to seven in the fourth.But James converted a three-point play with 2:29 left and Mo Williams followed with a 3-pointer to put Cleveland up 94-81.

After they were eliminated in the Eastern Conference finals last May by Orlando, the Cavaliers went out and traded for O’Neal, a four-time NBA champion and icon. O’Neal was brought in not only to combat Magic center Dwight Howard but to help James win his first title and deliver Cleveland its first championship in any major pro sport since 1964.

The Cavs need 15 more wins to get it.Williams added 19 points and 10 assists, and Antawn Jamison, acquired at the trading deadline, finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Cleveland blocked 12 shots – 10 in the second half.

James was his usual MVP self, making plays at both ends. But unlike past postseasons, he doesn’t have to do it alone this time.O’Neal, who upon arriving in Cleveland promised to “win a ring for the King,” looked remarkably sharp despite missing the Cavs’ final 23 games after tearing a thumb ligament. He dropped 20 pounds while he was sidelined by watching his diet and swimming.

Cleveland’s offense ran smoothly while he was in the middle and he had the game’s signature play early in the third quarter.Posting up Joakim Noah in the foul lane, O’Neal made a quick spin move to fake out the Bulls center, who stumbled forward and nearly fell on his face. O’Neal then delivered a dunk and sprinted back down the floor scowling.

The Cavs quickly extended a 15-point halftime lead to 68-46, but the Bulls, who have been in playoff mode for the past two weeks as they fought for the No. 8 seed, wouldn’t go away.Chicago cut it to 82-75 while James was on the bench, but once he came back, the Cavs were on their way.The teams traded unpleasantness on more than one occasion. Noah, who said the Bulls would “try to shock the world” in the series, exchanged words with Cleveland’s Anderson Varejao and was booed every time he touched the ball. James and Brad Miller were assessed technicals in the first half following a collision, and James and Luol Deng had a discussion after the halftime horn.

As has become his ritual every postseason, James arrived extra early at Quicken Loans Arena. He was on the floor more than three hours before tip-off, getting in some extra shooting as he prepared for a postseason Cleveland fans hope ends like none before.

Taking passes from assistant coach Chris Jent, James intently worked on his inside game before moving outside to knock down jumpers. He maintained the serious demeanor he has displayed in recent days, a clear sign he’s locked in for this title run.”We’ve prepared for this moment,” he said, surrounded by reporters. “It’s here.”

Before taking the floor, James gathered his teammates in the hallway outside Cleveland’s locker room for a prayer and then broke the huddle.”One, two three,” James said.”Championship,” they responded.Anything less this time will be a disappointment.

NOTES: A diehard New York Yankees fan, James said he did not watch the Bronx Bombers receive their diamond-filled World Series rings earlier this week. “I saw them win it last year, though,” he said. “I knew the rings would come at some point.” … James entered the playoffs averaging 29.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.3 assists in 60 postseason games. No other player in NBA history (minimum 20 games) has averaged more than 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists. … Entering the game, Cleveland hadn’t won a playoff game against Chicago since 1992. The Bulls have won all five previous playoff series between the teams (1988, ’89, ’92, ’93, ’94). … The Bulls are the first team since Toronto (2001-02) to reach the playoffs despite a 10-game losing streak during the season.(AP)

Riyadh Saudi Arabia Announced plans to build a nuclear center

Riyadh Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Announced plans to build a nuclear center and the new alternative energy technologies to develop diversified sources of energy. Former Trade Minister Hashem bin Abdullah Yamani will lead the new institute, named “King Abdullah City for Nuclear and Renewable Energy” is.Former Trade Minister Hashem bin Abdullah Yamani will of the lead the new institute, named “King Abdullah City for Nuclear and Renewable Energy” is. News agency “SPA” says the agency will be built in the city of Riyadh.

News agency “SPA” says the agency will from be built in the city of Riyadh.Before you are interested in developing nuclear energy, Saudi Arabia has also tried to develop some other alternative energy sources, including solar energy before Before you are Interested in developing nuclear energy, Saudi Arabia has tried to develop Also Some other alternative energy sources, including solar energy before The new institute will develop national policies of Saudi Arabia of nuclear energy development and to monitor all use of commercial nuclear power plants.

The new institute will of develop national policies of the Saudi Arabia of nuclear energy development and to monitor all use of commercial nuclear power plants.The agency is also responsible for handling nuclear waste, call the Government of Saudi Arabia’s official statement. Also The agency is responsible for handling nuclear waste, call the Government of Saudi Arabia’s official statement. Electricity needs are sourced from a number of power plants to oil and gas continues to rise in Saudi Arabia in particular to support projects of distillation of salt water.

Electricity needs are sourced from a number of power plants to oil and gas continues to rise in Saudi Arabia in particular to support projects of Distillation of salt water.

Nadia Bloom. After missing four days, he was eventually found alive in a swamp in Winter Springs

WINTER SPRINGS  The Miracle of life really overshadow Nadia Bloom. After missing four days, he was eventually found alive in a swamp in Winter Springs, Florida, United States, Wednesday (14 / 4) then.Autistic woman was found in the mud bog that became very vicious crocodile habitat. Nadia the besieged dozens of vicious crocodile is reportedly for five days did not suffer serious injuries although severely dehydrated and mosquito bites.

The girl was found by a friend of Nadia’s father, when they wanted to keep track of these swamps. “God seemed to direct me to find Nadia,” explained King. Nadia missing Friday (9 / 4) while out cycling, making a video about nature.

Nadia’s father, Jeff Bloom, said she and the authorities have to find her son to use radar, helicopters, dive teams, volunteers until golden retriever. Since crowded as the swamp, the officers took 1.5 hours to lift the body of Nadia.11-year-old girl appeared calm. He admitted that he only slept for two hours during the sunset in the swamp. Nadia had seen some fierce snake, but his body was not touched by the crocodile.

missing 11-year-old central Florida girl with Asperger syndrome was found alive on Tuesday

WINTER SPRINGS, Fla. A missing 11-year-old central Florida girl with Asperger syndrome was found alive on Tuesday, four days after she disappeared into an alligator-infested swamp a half-mile from her suburban home. Nadia Bloom was taken to a hospital in nearby Longwood, Fla., where she will be evaluated and treated for dehydration and insect bites, said Winter Springs Police Chief Kevin Brunelle.

“If I never believed in miracles, I sure do now,” Brunelle said during an afternoon news conference. Brunelle said Nadia told rescuers two things: “I’m glad you guys found me” and “I can’t believe you guys rescued me.

” Her sister has said Bloom, who has an autism-related disorder called Asperger syndrome, may have gone into the dense woods hoping to make a nature video. It took nearly two hours for rescuers to carry Nadia out of the thick brush and swamp. It wasn’t police who located her.

James King, who goes to church with Nadia’s family, found her Tuesday morning in a dry patch in the middle of the swamp and called authorities. King climbed a tree and unfurled toilet paper in an attempt to draw attention to where they were. Brunelle said he dispatched a helicopter to look for King and Nadia, but it didn’t work.

Using cell phone signals, authorities found King and Nadia. “Mr. King is a hero right now,” said Brunelle. “He led us to her.” Brunelle added that detectives are questioning both King and Nadia for more details on the rescue and how the little girl spent her time while she was missing.

Brunelle did say that Nadia told them that she had not talked to anyone since going into the woods on Friday. Authorities began searching for Nadia in wooded areas near Lake Jesup, one of the most alligator-filled lakes in Central Florida. The fifth-grader was last seen riding her bike on Friday, and authorities became alarmed when they found her bike and helmet. She did have a backpack with her. Shortly after word came that Nadia was alive, her father briefly spoke to the media. “It all came so fast and it just shows the compassion of the human spirit.

It should give everybody encouragement,” her father, Jeff Bloom, told reporters after rescue crews lifted her into an ambulance. When asked how he felt, Bloom said: “I can’t even describe it. Let’s give the glory to God.”

President Barack Obama and prime ministers and other top officials from 47 countries start work Monday on a battle plan to keep nuclear weapons out of terrorist hands.

WASHINGTON President Barack Obama and presidents, prime ministers and other top officials from 47 countries start work Monday on a battle plan to keep nuclear weapons out of terrorist hands.Confronting what he calls the “single biggest threat to U.S. security,” Obama is looking for global help in his goal of ensuring all nuclear materials worldwide are secured from theft or diversion within four years.

On the eve of what would be the largest assembly of world leaders hosted by an American president since 1945 – the San Francisco conference to found the United Nations – Obama said nuclear materials in the hands of al-Qaida or another terrorist group “could change the security landscape in this country and around the world for years to come.”

While sweeping or even bold new strategies were unlikely to emerge from the two-day gathering, Obama declared himself pleased with what he heard in warm-up meetings Sunday with the leaders of Kazakhstan, South Africa, India and Pakistan.”I feel very good at this stage in the degree of commitment and a sense of urgency that I have seen from the world leaders so far on this issue,” Obama said. “We think we can make enormous progress on this, and this then becomes part and parcel of the broader focus that we’ve had over the last several weeks.”

He was referring to what had gone before this, the fourth leg of his campaign to rid the world of nuclear weapons. The United States is the only country to use the weapons, two bombs dropped on Japan to force its surrender in World War II.The high-flown ambition, which the president admits will probably not be reality in his lifetime, began a year ago in Prague when he laid out plans for significant nuclear reductions and a nuclear-weapons-free world.

In the meantime, he has approved a new nuclear policy for the United States, promising last week to reduce America’s nuclear arsenal, refrain from nuclear tests and not use nuclear weapons against countries that do not have them. North Korea and Iran were not included in that pledge because they do not cooperate with other countries on nonproliferation standards.

That was Tuesday, and two days later, on the anniversary of the Prague speech, Obama flew back to the Czech Republic capital where he and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev signed a new treaty that reduces each side’s deployed nuclear arsenal to 1,550 weapons. Medvedev also arrives Monday to sign a long-delayed agreement to dispose of tons of weapons-grade plutonium from Cold War-era nuclear weapons – the type of preventive action Obama wants the summit to inspire.Obama welcomes the assembled world leaders at a Washington convention center late Monday afternoon, but begins the day with a morning meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, whose intelligence apparatus is deeply involved in the Afghan war.

He then will sit down one-on-one with the leaders of Malaysia, Ukraine, Armenia and China.National Security Council spokesman Ben Rhodes said Obama would squeeze in a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey is a key NATO ally, and relations have been difficult recently, particularly over Iran. Rhodes said there were additional “pressing issues,” including normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia.

Throughout the two-day gathering, Iran will be a subtext as Obama works to gain support for a fourth round of U.N. sanctions against Tehran for its refusal to shut down what the United States and many key allies assert is a nuclear weapons program. Iran says it only wants to build reactors to generate electricity.Support from Medvedev and Chinese President Hu Jintao, who sees Obama privately Monday, is critical, but neither is firmly committed to a new sanctions regime. (AP)

Nepalese Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has died in Kathmandu

The former Nepalese Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has died in Kathmandu, his aides and state TV say.Mr Koirala served four terms as prime minister with the Nepali Congress Party and led protests that brought down King Gyanendra’s authoritarian rule.

Thousands of supporters had gathered outside his daughter’s house where he was taken after being in hospital for several days. Mr Koirala’s aide Bal Krishna Khad confirmed the death at the age of 86.