World powers rallied around China with sympathy and pledges of help after Monday's earthquake.
"The thoughts and prayers of the American people are with the Chinese people, especially those directly affected. The United States stands ready to help in any way possible," US President George W. Bush said in a statement. "I extend my condolences to those injured and to the families of the victims of [Monday's] earthquake in China's Sichuan Province. I am particularly saddened by the number of students and children affected by this tragedy."
Bush's sentiments were echoed by China's neighbors, with close ally Pakistan expressing shock at the disaster.
"I am deeply shocked and grieved at the loss of precious lives of our Chinese brethren and damage to property caused by the severe earthquake that hit China," Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said in a message to his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao (?⊿?瞈?. "At this difficult time, we stand by the great Chinese people and assure them of our full support and solidarity."
Japan said its rescue teams were on standby, but expected that Beijing preferred to handle the disaster on its own.
"We want to provide whatever we can as our neighbor has suffered huge damage," Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura told reporters. "But we still have to see what the requests are."
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak told his Cabinet to seek ways to help, while Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd also extended sympathy.
"I have written to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao [皞怠振撖跑 this morning, expressing this and offering Australian assistance including the search and rescue capability of the states and territories of Australia," Rudd said.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy also offered support.
"I would like to let you know that I am deeply moved and would like to assure you of France's support for the Chinese people in this difficult moment," Sarkozy said in a letter to Hu.
The EU expressed sympathy over the massive loss of life.
"We share the grief of all those who have lost loved ones and express our heartfelt sympathies to those who have been injured and suffered heavy material losses in this catastrophe," EU head Slovenia said in a statement.
New Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sent a telegram to Hu.
"I ask you to pass condolences to the friends and family of the perished and wishes for a speedy recovery to all those who suffered," he said. "We are ready to help relieve the consequences of this emergency if needed."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel also offered condolences, and Canada said it was ready to send help.
Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki said he was saddened by the disaster.
"On behalf of the government and the people of Kenya and on my own behalf, I send this message of condolence and encouragement to the government and the people of China following the tragic loss of lives as a result of the earthquake," Kibaki said in a statement.
Airlines in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia and Singapore yesterday canceled flights to and from the Indonesian island of Bali, after a nearby volcano catapulted an ash tower into the sky. Australia’s Jetstar, Qantas and Virgin Australia all grounded flights after Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki on Flores island spewed a 9km tower a day earlier. Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, India’s IndiGo and Singapore’s Scoot also listed flights as canceled. “Volcanic ash poses a significant threat to safe operations of the aircraft in the vicinity of volcanic clouds,” AirAsia said as it announced several cancelations. Multiple eruptions from the 1,703m twin-peaked volcano in
A plane bringing Israeli soccer supporters home from Amsterdam landed at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport on Friday after a night of violence that Israeli and Dutch officials condemned as “anti-Semitic.” Dutch police said 62 arrests were made in connection with the violence, which erupted after a UEFA Europa League soccer tie between Amsterdam club Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv. Israeli flag carrier El Al said it was sending six planes to the Netherlands to bring the fans home, after the first flight carrying evacuees landed on Friday afternoon, the Israeli Airports Authority said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also ordered
Former US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi said if US President Joe Biden had ended his re-election bid sooner, the Democratic Party could have held a competitive nominating process to choose his replacement. “Had the president gotten out sooner, there may have been other candidates in the race,” Pelosi said in an interview on Thursday published by the New York Times the next day. “The anticipation was that, if the president were to step aside, that there would be an open primary,” she said. Pelosi said she thought the Democratic candidate, US Vice President Kamala Harris, “would have done
Farmer Liu Bingyong used to make a tidy profit selling milk but is now leaking cash — hit by a dairy sector crisis that embodies several of China’s economic woes. Milk is not a traditional mainstay of Chinese diets, but the Chinese government has long pushed people to drink more, citing its health benefits. The country has expanded its dairy production capacity and imported vast numbers of cattle in recent years as Beijing pursues food self-sufficiency. However, chronically low consumption has left the market sloshing with unwanted milk — driving down prices and pushing farmers to the brink — while