温家宝平壤会晤金正日
温家宝4日上午乘专机抵达朝鲜首都平壤，对朝鲜展开为期三天的正式访问，朝鲜领导人金正日亲自前往机场接机。中国外交部发言人此前表示，中朝双方还将签署关于经贸、教育和旅游等方面的一些合作文件。分析人士表示，包括美国在内的一些国家希望温家宝此次访朝能够成功劝说平壤重新返回六方会谈的谈判桌。外界普遍关注朝鲜是否就核问题，作出重要公布。
巴基斯坦再延迟孟买袭击案审判
反恐法院把案件推迟到10月10日延期再审。官员们不肯提供进一步细节，因为听证会是保密的。这些嫌疑犯被控在去年谋划了对印度商业之都孟买进行的恐怖袭击。印度指责巴激进组织虔诚军制造了这起为期三天的围击。
李显龙5日访日期待与鸠山深入讨论东亚共同体
将于5日起访日的新加坡总理李显龙3日接受了日本媒体的书面采访，称希望在和日本首相鸠山由纪夫的会谈上深入探讨鸠山提出的东亚共同体。
东亚地区存在东盟加日中韩（ASEAN+3）、东亚峰会、亚太经合组织（APEC）等各种地区论坛，但李显龙指出将这些论坛“变成不排他的开放论坛有益于日本和本地区”。他认为“经济、安全两方面都必须维持亚洲与美国的坚固纽带”，强调东亚共同体不能把美国抛离亚洲之外。
冈田前往柬埔寨参加日本与湄公河流域国外长会议
冈田克也2日下午启程前往柬埔寨，出席“第二次日本与湄公河流域国家外长会议”。日本长年援助湄公河流域，但近年来中国在这一地区的影响力不断增强。日本希望通过这一会议来扭转局面，以确保在亚洲的发言权。参加外长会议的除柬埔寨外，还有越南、泰国、缅甸和老挝。冈田将在3日下午依次同泰国、缅甸、老挝和柬埔寨各国的外长进行会谈。
中国大力援助柬埔寨令日本产生危机感
对于湄公河流域5国，日本一直增加政府开发援助（ODA）进行重点支援，但3日在柬埔寨召开的“第二次日本与湄公河流域国家外长会议”上，在湄公河流域影响力不断增强的中国大力修建国道和湄公河桥梁，令日本支援人士产生了危机感。
日本希望纠正湄公河流域的贫富差距，将从泰国首都的曼谷起，途经柬埔寨到达越南最大城市胡志明市的“南部经济走廊”建设作为重点项目。该工程建成后，从曼谷到胡志明市只需1到2天，日本企业对此也抱有很高期待，目前道路修建已基本完成。
但在仅靠渡轮才能渡过的最后关口，柬埔寨国内湄公河架桥计划的正式决定被拖延后，在上游中国开始着手建设作为抵达越南的迂回途径的桥梁和国道。这项工程仅仅花了3年时间，明年两座桥即将完成，速度之快令相关人士备感震惊。
中国在去年召开的柬埔寨援助国会议上宣布的援助金额首次超过日本居首位。今年7月美国与除缅甸外的该流域4国建立起合作关系。今后，围绕具有较大发展潜力的湄公河流域，各大援助国间的竞争还将继续。
美国“希望中国参加G4”
一位西方七国集团（G7）的官员表示，美国希望G7缩小规模，由美国、欧盟、日本及中国组成新的G4。在过去十多年来，七国集团主导了国际金融和经济策略。但去年国际金融危机的爆发，使得七国集团的影响大为下降，而包括中国在内的几大发展中国家成为全球经济复苏的关键。
美国眼中的未来中国经济
“中国经济将在2036年超越美国。2050年将达到美国经济的两倍。”
美国卡内基基金会高级研究员艾伯特-凯德尔去年8月公布了一份题为《中国经济崛起的现实与虚构》的研究报告。对于以经济统计数据为基础计算的这份报告，凯德尔表示这是“保守”估计的结果。
如果以购买力平价(PPP)代替目前价值过低的中国人民币汇率来计算，中国超越美国的时间将进一步提前。约10年过后的2020年，美国和中国的国内生产总值（GDP）将并驾齐驱，达到18万亿美元。再过十年，中国将领先美国10万亿美元以上。
中国和美国现在被并称为“G2”。但美国外交关系协会(CFR)研究员伊丽莎白-伊科诺米和亚当-塞加尔在《外交政策》上投稿称，“G2是海市蜃楼”。他们消极地预测说，高估两国之间的关系只会提高期望值，但实际差距不会缩小。他们主张，不是因为美国认识不到中国的重要性，而是因为双方在利害关系、价值和能力方面不符。
Report Says Iran Has Data to Make a Nuclear Bomb
Two years ago, American intelligence agencies published a detailed
report concluding that Tehran halted its efforts to design a nuclear
weapon in 2003. But in recent months, Britain has joined France, Germany
and Israel in disputing that conclusion, saying the work has been
resumed.
The atomic agency’s report also presents evidence that beyond improving
upon bomb-making information gathered from rogue nuclear experts around
the world, Iran has done extensive research and testing on how to
fashion the components of a weapon. It does not say how far that work
has progressed.
The report, titled “Possible Military Dimensions of Iran’s Nuclear
Program,” was produced in consultation with a range of nuclear weapons
experts inside and outside the agency. It draws a picture of a complex
program, run by Iran’s Ministry of Defense, “aimed at the development of
a nuclear payload to be delivered using the Shahab 3 missile system,”
Iran’s medium-range missile, which can strike the Middle East and parts
of Europe. The program, according to the report, apparently began in
early 2002.
If Iran is designing a warhead, that would represent only part of the
complex process of making nuclear arms. Experts say Iran has already
mastered the hardest part, enriching the uranium that can be used as
nuclear fuel.
IAEA sets Oct. 25 for inspection of Iranian nuclear facility
The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog on Sunday said inspectors would be
examining Iran's recently revealed nuclear facility on October 25.
Mohamed ElBaradei spoke in Teheran following talks with Iranian
officials over a recently revealed uranium enrichment facility that has
caused consternation around to world over the extent and purpose of
Iran's nuclear program.
"It is important for us to send our inspectors to have a comprehensive
verification of the facility and to make sure that it is for peaceful
purposes," he said. "We agreed that our inspectors will inspect the site
on the 25th of October."
ElBaradei, who sat along aside Iranian nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi,
said talks had been a success and he saw the possibility of defusing the
international crisis over Iran's nuclear program.
"We need transparency on the part of Iran and we need cooperation on the
part of the international community," he said, describing a "shifting of
gears" in relations between Iran and the western powers.
Revelations that Iran had a second, previously unknown, site to refine
uranium has raised new international fears of the purposes of the
nation's nuclear program.
The US and its allies say Iran's program is seeking nuclear weapons
while Iran says it is for peaceful purposes.
Iran planning to send astronaut into space
After a series of breakthroughs in space research and technology, Iran
sets the wheels turning on plans to send its first astronaut into orbit.
Iran's Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Reza
Taqipour, said Wednesday that scientists are exploring ways to implement
preliminary plans to launch a manned mission into space.
“We have a clear outline of the plans, but at the same time we are aware
that implementing our plans depend on a broad national participation,”
Taqipour told Mehrnews on Saturday.
Earlier in February, Iran went down in history for placing its
domestically-made satellite into orbit and thus joining a small group of
countries that have the ability of both producing satellites and sending
them into space using domestic launchers.
The Omid data-processing satellite was designed to circle the Earth 15
times every 24 hours and to transmit data via two frequency bands and
eight antennas to an Iranian space station.
With a full mission accomplished, Omid went up in flames in late March
after successfully ending its 50-day orbit around space.
Iran's space breakthrough came as a big surprise for European powers and
the US, mainly because the country has been under Western sanctions for
nearly 30 years.
MIT scientist Geoffrey Forden said Iran's breakthrough in space research
and technology is to such an extent that the country "could get a person
up into low-Earth orbit certainly within the next few years, at the rate
they're going."
Forden, a former inspector with the United Nations Monitoring,
Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), said Iran has designed
the Omid data-processing satellite using state-of-the-art technology
such as more efficient hydrazine fuel.
"If Iran really has developed more advanced rockets that can burn more
efficient fuel, then it is a step closer to launching people into
space," Forden said in an article in New Scientist.
