US President Barack Obama denounced waterboarding, offered cautious hope on the economy and looked to calm fears about swine flu as he held a major White House news conference to mark his 100th day in the White House.
Obama said he had no second thoughts.
“I do believe that it is torture,” he said flatly of waterboarding, which simulates drowning.
He appeared to acknowledge that useful information had been obtained in interrogations in which it was used, an assessment made in a memo by his administration’s top intelligence official.
Obama also gave assurance that one way or another, Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal would not fall into the hands of Islamic extremists.
He said he was confident “primarily, initially” because he believes Pakistan would handle the issue on its own. But he left the door open to eventual US action to secure the weapons if needed.
Obama said he was “gravely concerned” about Pakistan. He said he does not fear an immediate takeover of Pakistan by the Taliban, but said the Pakistani government seems unable to deliver basic services and thus gain the kind of public loyalty necessary to survive against challenges over the long term.
The wide range of issues raised at Wednesday’s news conference captured the whirlwind of Obama’s first 100 days. Obama has had to deal with two wars, the deepest recession in decades and, most recently, the swine flu outbreak, even as he pushes to overhaul healthcare, energy and education policies.
Obama said he did not want to meddle with private business, even though the government was moving toward ownership stakes in banks and auto companies.
He said he would be glad if someone could tell him that the banks and auto industry were healthy “and that all you had to worry about was Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea, getting healthcare passed, figuring out how to deal with energy independence, deal with Iran, and a pandemic flu.”
“I would take that deal,” he said.
Obama took office on Jan. 20 amid high expectations. The first black US president, Obama, 47, won over Americans with his youth, intellect and commitment to change the nation after the unpopular presidency of former US president George W. Bush.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
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