"When I talked to Jim about taking this job shortly after the election, it was a difficult decision for him. He had just retired from the military, had a wide range of family obligations. But because of his patriotism, his dedication to keeping America safe, we were able to agree that he would serve, but he asked that (we would) he would serve for about two years."
China and Turkey have agreed on what they describe as a new strategic partnership during a visit by the Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. The economies of both countries are among the fastest-growing in the world, and the partnership aims to boost trade. Here is our correspondent in Turkey Jonathan Head.
After battling with Europe over his currency, the Chinese premier must have found his welcome here in Turkey, something of a relief. There was no mention of the undervalued renminbi by his Turkish hosts, and although Turkey is concerned about the huge imbalance of their mutual trade in China's favour, it masks those concerns behind a bold declaration that they would boost their trade eightfold to $100 billion over the next 10 years.
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Intelligence officials in Pakistan say another suspected American air attack has killed at least five people in the northwest close to the Afghan border. Officials said two missiles hit a house used by Islamic militants in North Waziristan. On Thursday, Pakistan repeated its call for the United States to stop the increasing number of cross-border attacks.