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Protests mark start of Orthodox Christmas in Bethlehem

BETHLEHEM, West Bank — Orthodox Christmas celebrations kicked off in the traditional birthplace of Jesus on Wednesday to the sound of bagpipes and protests by Palestinians accusing church leaders of selling land to Israelis.

Palestinian boy-scouts played bagpipes and hundreds of pilgrims watched a colourful procession led by Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III through Manger Square in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem.

Two columns of Palestinian riot police escorted the top Orthodox cleric in the Holy Land to the Church of the Nativity, built on the site where Christians believe Mary gave birth to Jesus after she and Joseph found no room at the inn.

Theophilos was elected patriarch in 2005 to replace Irineos, dismissed by the church over an alleged multi-million-dollar sale of church land in annexed Arab east Jerusalem to Jewish investors.

The protesters chanted slogans against Theophilos and held up signs in English, Arabic and Greek accusing him of betraying his Palestinian followers.

"He did not fulfil his promise to cancel the deal," said Marwan Tubasi, President of the Council of Arab Orthodox Organisations and Palestinian deputy tourism minister.

Tubasi said Theophilos has since also approved the lease of further church land to an Israeli company.

Property transactions with Israelis anger Palestinians who see east Jerusalem as the capital of their promised state.

Following the procession, Theophilos began Christmas ceremonies for Greek, Syrian and Coptic churches, leading prayers at the ancient Church of the Nativity.

Some other Orthodox churches also joined in rites that were attended by hundreds of tourists and pilgrims.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas was due to attend midnight mass.

The Orthodox faith uses the old Julian calendar in which Christmas currently falls 13 days after its more widespread Gregorian calendar counterpart on December 25.

The Armenian Church will celebrate the city's third Christmas on January 19.

Iraq attacks kill scores on eve of Christmas, Ashura

HILLA, Iraq — Twenty-seven people were killed and more than 100 wounded in a string of attacks across Iraq on Thursday ahead of Christmas and the Shiite commemoration ceremonies of Ashura.

In the worst attack, 15 people including a provincial councillor were killed and 70 wounded when twin bombs struck outside a busy bus station in Hilla, south of Baghdad, Iraqi officials said.

"Fifteen people, including provincial councillor Neemat al-Bakri, were killed and 70 wounded in the explosion caused by a car bomb and a mine," said an interior ministry source.

Bakri was a member of the multi-confessional alliance formed by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to contest parliamentary elections scheduled for March next year.

Also identified among those killed was Colonel Taleb al-Shamri, a police officer in charge of local efforts to eradicate improvised explosive devices.

The attack took place in a car park in the centre of Hilla, a mainly Shiite town that is the capital of Babil province.

Witness Fadel Hassa, 25, who has a shop nearby, said a car had stopped at the Babel Hussein bus station around 1:30 pm (1030 GMT) and that the explosion occurred within moments.

"A few minutes later... police came to disarm a bomb placed some 20 metres (yards) from the site of the first attack, and it exploded as they arrived, causing numerous injuries among passersby and the police."

In the sacred Shiite town of Karbala, 110 kilometres (70 miles) south of Baghdad where pilgrims were converging for Ashura ceremonies culminating on Sunday, a bomb killed one person and wounded 12, security sources said.

The late afternoon attack occurred despite the deployment of 20,000 police.

In Baghdad, eight people were killed and 30 others injured when two explosive devices went off earlier in the afternoon.

The first bomb was attached to a car near a commemoration ceremony in Sadr city, the poor Shiite neighbourhood north of the capital, leaving five dead and 25 wounded, according to a military spokesman.

The second, which killed three people and injured 20, exploded in Zafraniya, south of the city centre, where a preliminary Ashura ceremony was also taking place.

Ashura, which means tenth in Arabic, falls on the tenth day of the Muslim month of Muharram and commemorates the death of Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Mohammed.

Tradition holds that Hussein was decapitated and his body mutilated by the armies of Sunni caliph Yazid in 680 AD.

In Mosul, 350 kilometres (220 miles) north of Baghdad, a 23-year-old Christian, Bassel Icho Yuhanna, was killed when gunmen opened fire on his minibus as he was parking it in front of his house in the east of the city, police chief Mohammed Jassem said.

In Kirkuk, 240 kilometres (150 miles) north of Baghdad, local army captain Zamel Mohammed was killed in a bomb attack on his car as he was driving through the north of the city.

In Sharkat, 290 kilometres (180 miles) north of Baghdad, a member of the Sahwa anti Al-Qaeda militia group was killed and three of his comrades wounded when gunmen opened fire on their checkpoint.

The Sahwa, known as the "Sons of Iraq" by the US army, joined American and Iraqi forces to wage war in 2006 and 2007 against Al-Qaeda and its supporters, leading to a dramatic fall in violence across the country. But attacks remain common in some areas.

Obama, Medvedev to meet on nuclear weapons talks

WASHINGTON — Negotiations with Russia to replace an expired Cold War-era arms control treaty have bogged down and now appear unlikely to be concluded by the end of the year as the White House had hoped.

As the two sides seek a breakthrough, President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, plan to discuss the nuclear negotiations in a meeting Friday on the sidelines of United Nations climate talks in Copenhagen, Denmark. The two leaders are not expected to seal a deal.

U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks, say negotiations with Russia to replace the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty have become hung up on a disagreement about how to monitor the development of new intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Obama and Medvedev initially had instructed negotiators to seek a fully ratified deal by the Dec. 5 expiration of START. Recently Obama had expressed hopes that a deal could be completed by the end of this year.

The Obama administration has sought to make the negotiations a vehicle for demonstrating improved relations with Russia. The administration hopes that greater cooperation on arms control can lead to Russian help on stickier issues including efforts to rein in Iran's suspected nuclear ambitions.

Officials said U.S. negotiators would continue working with their Russian counterparts on the treaty through the weekend in Geneva after the meeting of the two presidents. Top negotiators may pause for the Christmas holidays, however.

On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed disagreements standing in the way of a deal.

Lavrov blamed the U.S. delegation for slowing negotiations in the past few days. He told reporters in Moscow that the talks have now resumed their pace, but a deal is unlikely to be reached in time for Obama and Medvedev to sign it when they attend the climate summit in Copenhagen on Friday. He urged the United States to accept deeper cuts and less intrusive verification measures.

U.S. officials said Russian negotiators were seeking changes from the original treaty on the encryption of missile flight data. The now-expired treaty banned such encryption so that each side could monitor missile tests from a distance. Using such data, monitors could determine whether the other side was developing missiles restricted by the treaty.

According to Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Washington-based Arms Control Association, Russia has less of an interest in monitoring such data because it is seeking to upgrade its missile arsenal while the United States has not been testing new missiles.

The missiles the U.S. has are the most accurate, deadly ones in existence, he said.

Despite the disagreements, U.S. and Russian officials continue to express optimism that the treaty can be concluded soon. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Thursday that the United States will not bend for a quick deal.

"It doesn't make sense to get something just for the sake of getting it, if it doesn't work for both sides," he said.

The expired START pact, signed by Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and U.S. President George H.W. Bush, required each country to cut its nuclear warheads by at least one-fourth, to about 6,000, and to implement procedures for verifying that each side was sticking to the agreement.

Obama and Medvedev agreed at a Moscow summit in July to cut the number of nuclear warheads that each possesses to between 1,500 and 1,675 within seven years as part of a broad new treaty.

UN builds mud brick homes for homeless Gazans

JERUSALEM — A Palestinian man made homeless by last winter's Gaza war was the first to receive a U.N.-funded mud brick home Saturday, with U.N. aid officials saying they're reverting to ancient building techniques because Israel won't allow concrete and other construction materials into blockaded Gaza.

The U.N. hopes to build around 120 mud brick homes for dozens of Gaza families in the next few months, said John Ging, head of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency in Gaza. Each house costs about $10,000 and takes three months to build.

Thousands of Gazans were made homeless during Israel's three-week military assault on the Hamas-ruled territory a year ago. The offensive, which also killed hundreds of Palestinians, was meant to punish Gaza's Hamas rulers and put a halt to years of rocket fire from the territory on Israeli border towns.

Gazans have been unable to rebuild because Israel and Egypt continue to enforce a border blockade first imposed in June 2007 after Hamas overran the territory. Gaza residents made homeless by the war have squeezed into homes of relatives, rented apartments or paid black-market prices to fix broken windows and patch up walls.

Some 1,000 Gazans still live in tents, Ging said.

"A mud hut is still better than a tent," said Ging. "It's not a solution to the reconstruction of Gaza but it shows you how desperate the situation is, that a year later, people living in tents have the hopeful prospect of getting a temporary mud brick shelter," he said.

Israel says raw materials could be seized by Hamas to make weapons or fortify their military structures. Senior U.N. officials say they have repeatedly offered guarantees that the material will be used in reconstruction.

Gaza police have rebuilt at least one of their stations out of mud, and several residents throughout the territory have also used mud to build simple homes.

The first house was given to Majid Athamneh, an elderly man who lost the apartment building where he and his children lived during the war in the border area of Izbet Abed Rabo. His new mud house looks out on the ruins of his former home.

Also in Gaza, Palestinian medic Moawia Hassanain said a 40-year-old farmer was killed by an exchange of fire between Palestinian and Israeli forces on Saturday morning.

An Israeli army spokeswoman said Palestinians fired at Israeli soldiers, sparking the brief battle.

The border area has been relatively quiet since the Gaza war.

Guinea junta's No. 2 returns after president shot

CONAKRY, Guinea — The overnight return to Guinea on Saturday of the No. 2 man in the junta that seized power a year ago makes it more likely that the military clique will be able to hang on to power following an assassination attempt on the president.

Many people, however, fear the army could fracture and plunge the country into further violence.

The head of the presidential guard who is accused of having fired at point-blank range on the president was still at large, and it is unclear how many of the roughly 150 men formerly under his control will stay loyal to him.

The Guinean army is said to be divided into units headed by different military strongmen which act more like private armies and were only loosely held together by Capt. Moussa "Dadis" Camara, who seized control last December.

Gen. Sekouba Konate, the vice president and minister of defense — who is said to be close to the wounded president — arrived overnight Saturday from Lebanon, where he had been when Camara was shot and wounded by his former top aide, said Idrissa Cherif, the spokesman for the National Council for Democracy and Development, or CNDD.

Camara was airlifted Friday in a private plane to a Moroccan hospital for treatment and underwent surgery on Saturday for the head wound, said Cherif.

Cherif, the minister of communication, said the surgery was "a minimal intervention" and that the bullet had only "grazed" his head. But a retired diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the bullet had caused splinters of bone from his skull to penetrate his brain. He said it would likely be weeks before Camara could return — if at all.

Blaise Compaore, the president of neighboring Burkina Faso who sent his private plane to transport Camara to Morocco, said on state radio that his condition "is difficult but not desperate," citing a doctor.

In sidewalk cafes and on radio talk shows, the constant chatter was about who is now in control? Cherif declined to say that Konate would assume the role of interim president, but said: "The CNDD is in control. Konate is the vice president of the CNDD. So he is the one giving us firm instructions. He coordinates everything. Dadis equals Konate and Konate equals Dadis. They are brothers ... He is our boss until our president returns."

Camara's departure has left a dangerous void in the country of 10 million where the military has become deeply fractured. It is the first time that the 45-year-old leader has left Guinea since seizing control in a coup last December and he canceled multiple trips abroad, sometimes leading his private plane idling on the tarmac, for fear of a countercoup.

The crisis was exacerbated by Konate's absence and the fact that Toumba has not been found, although the government on Saturday promised a large ransom to anyone with information and confirmed that four of his top aides had been arrested trying to leave the country.

Konate was rumored to have been one of three officers who could have become president during last year's military coup, but he ended up bowing out to Camara.

Since then, Konate has became one of Camara's closest associates and the two were almost always seen together. He is a commanding presence inside the army and is said to have several hundred men that are faithful to him.

A top diplomat who spoke on the condition of anonymity, in keeping with protocol, said that Konate does not appear to have presidential ambitions, in part because of his private nature as well as a speech impediment which makes it difficult for him to talk in public. Other diplomats confirmed the account, as did two government officials, all of whom requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the press.

His return makes it more likely that the clan allied with Camara will be able to hang on to power and reign in the military, although the danger remains that the army is atomized and a group within it could use this as an opportunity to launch a countercoup. Part of the problem is that the army is rarely paid. Troops attach themselves to different commanders in an effort to secure their livelihood.

"The main bulk of the army is hanging around in barracks and not getting paid," said Richard Moncrieff, the West Africa analyst for the International Crisis Group. "The junta is heavily divided and factionalized — principally on personal lines. There are five to six strongmen, surrounded by their 'boys' who follow them around and carry their weapons in return for a little money," he said.

Guinea has been under military rule for the past 25 years, but only in the last year did the army devolve into near anarchy, with military pickup trucks loaded with armed men speeding through the capital acting as armed gangs.

Numerous businessmen and at least two diplomats have had their SUVs boldly stolen by the military.

In September, Mali's Ambassador Hassan Barry was driving home when soldiers yanked him out of his diplomatic car, stole his cell phone and drove off, the Malian flag fluttering in the wind.

Ghanaian ambassador Dominic Ezoa Aboagye also had his SUV stolen by soldiers, who took his money as well as his clothes and left him standing in his underwear on the side of the road, said two diplomats, including one inside the Malian Embassy, who were familiar with the matter and who spoke on the condition of anonymity in keeping with protocol.

In recent months, the military cliques have often turned on each other, with Toumba's men beating a senior general. And there was increasingly bad blood between Konate and Toumba following a Sept. 28 opposition rally in which the presidential guard opened fire on the unarmed demonstrators and raped female demonstrators.

Diplomats and junta officials say that Konate — who was away from Conakry during the slaughter — demanded that Toumba be arrested, but Camara refused. When Camara was shot by Toumba on Thursday it was allegedly after an argument broke out between them over who would take the blame in front of a U.N. commission now investigating the massacre, which killed at least 157 people.

___

Associated Press writers Brahima Ouedraogo in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and Solana Pyne in Rabat, Morocco, contributed to this report.

(This version CORRECTS Corrects slug, incorporating story sent as BC-AF--Guinea-Uncontrolled Army. UPDATES with return of No. 2 man in junta.)

Ex-guerrilla easily wins Uruguay presidency

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — President-elect Jose Mujica retreated to his flower farm and shunned the spotlight on Monday, saying that dumping more talk on Uruguayans after a speech-filled campaign "would be like raining on what is already wet."

Congratulations poured in from across Latin America for the former guerrilla whose homespun manner and vows to govern as a conciliator persuaded his nation to trust him with its democracy.

Mujica won 53 percent of Sunday's vote to 43 percent for former President Luis A. Lacalle.

His victory owes much to the popularity of outgoing socialist President Tabare Vazquez, a physician whose 2005 victory ended 150 years of rule by right-wing parties or the military. Vazquez's coalition chose Mujica to run for the single-term presidency.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who rose from leftist union chief to govern as a centrist in neighboring Brazil, praised his "dear friend" and predicted that Mujica will advance the cause of creating a more just society.

Ecuador's leftist President Rafael Correa said Mujica's "historic victory also represents a triumph for Uruguyan democracy and for the region."

And Mexico's conservative Felipe Calderon called Mujica to invite him to visit.

Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, however, may have touched some sore nerves with his message, praising the guerrilla past that Mujica assured Uruguayans he had put behind him.

Chavez called Mujica a symbol of leftist resistance who always fought with morality on his side and whose presence is now necessary to counter "gorilismo" — referring to right-wing coup plotters in Latin America.

Chavez went on to laud the militance of the National Liberation Movement-Tupamaros, the movement that Mujica helped found in the 1960s and that carried out bombings, kidnappings and robberies to overthrow elected governments of the time.

During the campaign, Mujica repeatedly denied that he would hijack Uruguay's stable parliamentary democracy and install a radical socialist state modeled on Chavez's in Venezuela. He insisted that he's inspired instead by Silva's performance as president.

The Tupamaro guerrillas caused so much chaos in the 1960s that many Uruguayans initially welcomed a dictatorship that ruled from 1973 to 1985. Mujica spent all that time in prison, enduring torture and solitary confinement for killing a policeman — a crime he denies committing.

He says prison cured him of any illusion that armed revolution can achieve lasting social change, and he now rejects the "stupid ideologies" of the past.

Obama hails US-India ties amid talks with Singh

WASHINGTON — Seeking firmer footing for U.S.-India relations, President Barack Obama tried Tuesday to calm India's fears about Asian rival China, salving bruised feelings in the world's largest democracy with an elaborate state visit and assurances of India's "rightful place as a global leader."

"The relationship between the United States and India will be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century," Obama declared — twice — during a news conference with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The two appeared before reporters in the East Room after an elaborate morning welcome ceremony that was moved indoors by rain and about two hours of private talks in the Oval Office. The daylong White House extravaganza in India's honor was to be capped with the day's most buzz-worthy event: the first state dinner of Obama's presidency.

The black-tie party for more than 300, featuring a mostly vegetarian meal of curry prawns, aged basmati rice, eggplant salad, lentil soup, potato dumplings and other delicacies served under a giant tent on the South Lawn, was Washington's premier must-have invite. Menu, decor and attendance details — each designed to celebrate Indian culture and delight Indian guests — were kept tightly held until just hours before guests arrived in their finery.

In a dinner toast, Obama said, "We celebrate the great and growing partnership between the United States and India."

"Tonight under the stars, we celebrate the spirit that will sustain our partnership, the bonds of friendship between our people," the president told the large assemblage of political and cultural figures from both nations.

The Obamas sought to add their own flair to the evening, as they have with all their entertaining since they took over the White House in January. Marcus Samuelsson of the award-winning New York City restaurant Aquavit was brought in to help prepare the food alongside White House chefs and two Oscar-winners topped the entertainment lineup, American Jennifer Hudson of "Dreamgirls" and Indian A.R. Rahman of "Slumdog Millionaire."

Lunch at the State Department was in high demand too, hosted for Singh by Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and attended by scores of lawmakers and others. "You're the hottest ticket in town," Biden said to the Indian leader.

From the playing of national anthems, to repeatedly glowing remarks, to the last dinner toast, there was one theme: India is top on the priority list for America.

With relations taking a bit of a backseat since their heyday under former President George W. Bush, it was a message Indians had wanted to hear even before Obama took a just-completed trip to Asia, where he bypassed an India stop and paid much homage to the rising global power of China.

India and China have a strong trade relationship, despite a disputed shared border. And talking of an enhanced role for China in Asian or global affairs — as Obama did repeatedly while in Shanghai and Beijing — raises hackles in India.

Obama also has lavished attention on Pakistan since taking office 10 months ago, hoping to boost Pakistani cooperation in the fight against al-Qaida and other extremists based along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Pakistan and India are nuclear-armed rivals that have fought two wars since their 1947 independence from Britain, bitterly divided over the disputed Himalayan Kashmir region that they both claim.

The president refused to be drawn into the tense India-Pakistan relationship when quizzed about the effect of U.S. military aid to Pakistan by an Indian reporter.

Obama said "it is not the place" of the United States to try to resolve the conflicts from the outside. At the same time, he said America will do what it can to ensure both Pakistan and India feel secure and able to address the needs of their citizens.

One of Obama's first promises at Singh's side was to visit India next year.

He also touted India as a key partner on a range of crucial global issues. He used some of the same complimentary language he displayed while in China, only there he was looking to prod Beijing to do more with its new clout, while with Singh he was lauding what is already happening.

Obama said he and Singh agreed to "work even closer" on sharing information between law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Obama called the two nations "natural allies" on the topic.

"We both recognize that our core goal is to achieve peace and security for all peoples in the region, not just one country or the other," the president said.

Noting that the United States was India's largest trading partner, Obama said broadening trade ties would help create much needed jobs in the two countries, both wracked by economic recessions.

The two leaders glossed over a dispute about commitments to reduce the greenhouse gases blamed for global warming in advance of next month's 192-nation climate change summit in Copenhagen. Developing countries argue that rich countries produced most of the heat-trapping greenhouse gases on their march to development and therefore should bear the main burden of fixing the problem. Wealthy nations like the U.S. and Europe say all countries — including large polluters India and China — must agree to broad cuts in emissions.

Obama said they had moved "one step closer" by joining together in hopes for a successful outcome in Copenhagen, where leaders are no longer expected to reach a legally binding agreement but instead a political deal including emissions commitments and financing for developing countries. But neither Obama nor Singh gave evidence that either country had moved from their previous positions.

Associated Press writers Foster Klug and Robert Burns contributed to this report.

China govt pleased but ordinary folk cool on Obama

BEIJING — State media heralded President Barack Obama's maiden trip to China as a triumph, but ordinary Chinese were largely shielded by their government from his most critical remarks and activists were disappointed by the measured tone of those they did hear.

One blogger even pined for the tough line taken by former President George W. Bush.

"Like a star rushing from one show to another, Obama has come and gone, without stirring the slightest ripples," blogger Zhao Dezhu wrote in an online post.

Zhao, who writes a popular blog and twitters under the name Hecaitou, said the visit made him miss Bush who "couldn't speak with flowery language and even made grammatical mistakes but spoke as plainly as an American farmer."

Obama, by contrast, speaks "with sweet but empty words."

State media portrayed the two-and-a-half day trip as a slam-dunk for China-U.S. relations, saying a joint statement issued by Obama and China's President Hu Jintao was a breakthrough to inspire the world.

"The Sino-U.S. Joint Statement is as worthy as gold," trumpeted the state-run 21st Century Business Herald while the Beijing Post said it set "a good example for many other bilateral relations."

Among regular folk, there was no such sizzle.

Maybe it was the rain in Shanghai or the below freezing temperatures in Beijing, but crowds did not line the streets to catch a glimpse of the president's motorcade — a marked difference from the well-wishers who have clamored to see Obama in Europe.

Obama does have a following in China, particularly among youth who see him as an exciting contrast to China's staid leadership, but his visit seems to have had little effect on even those who like him — possibly because many of his comments were not widely disseminated.

Several young people interviewed Wednesday said they admired Obama, but none had seen his town hall-style meeting in Shanghai and they based their opinions on photos, state media coverage, or things they'd read about him before. They had little to say about his visit specifically.

"He has a big fan club among the young people of China, because many of us have seen the adversity he has gone through and we look up to him for inspiration," Li Yuanyuan, a 24-year-old office worker said during her lunch break in downtown Beijing.

Han Xuanke, 29, an employee of a technology firm in Beijing's business district said he was more interested in Obama than he had been in Bush or former President Bill Clinton.

"He represents energy and something new and exciting that Chinese politicians don't have," Han said.

The town hall was intended to let the president mix with people like Han and Li, but Beijing ensured it was a tightly scripted affair that few people were able to see because it was only broadcast on one regional television channel.

Obama's strongest comments during the town hall were directed at China's Internet controls.

"I'm a big supporter of non-censorship," Obama said. "I recognize that different countries have different traditions. I can tell you that in the United States, the fact that we have free Internet — or unrestricted Internet access — is a source of strength, and I think should be encouraged."

The critical remarks were played down in the Chinese media and scrubbed from some Chinese Web sites.

The event was streamed live on the White House Web site, but the connection was choppy and delayed. The State Department said later more than 7,000 Chinese Internet users watched the event — a tiny fraction of the more than 300 million Chinese who are online.

Chinese bloggers who saw it were grateful that he addressed censorship, but many zeroed in on what they considered Obama's waffling language.

"Learn English from Obama: Instead of saying 'I want to eat,' say 'I am a big supporter of non-hunger,'" Wang Pei, a writer based in eastern China's Hangzhou, twittered on Tuesday.

Many were watching the town hall closely for how Obama would handle China's poor human rights record, especially after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in February that the United States would not let such concerns interfere with cooperation with Beijing on global crises.

Obama spoke broadly about basic freedoms but steered clear of the buzz phrase "human rights." The next day, he more pointedly raised the issue during a media appearance with President Hu, even touching on rights for minorities — a particular sore spot in China, where Tibetans and Muslim Uighurs seek more autonomy.

"We do not believe these principles are unique to America, but rather they are universal rights and that they should be available to all peoples, to all ethnic and religious minorities," Obama said.

Xue Chen, a research fellow of Strategic Studies at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, said Obama's measured tone on such sensitive topics was a positive development that showed a rethinking of U.S. foreign policy since Bush.

"They are now more willing to take the role of a listener. And only in this way can the U.S. interests be better met," he said.

For many mainland activists, however, the approach fell short.

Yang Zili, a Chinese dissident recently freed after eight years in prison for forming a political study group, had been expecting something stronger from Obama.

"Although Obama mentioned some words such as 'rights' and 'freedom' in the speech in Shanghai, we expect he can do more to promote the improvement of China's human rights condition," he said.

Zhang Jian, a 30-year-old office worker from north China's Inner Mongolia region said many Chinese were taking a wait-and-see approach to the new leader.

"It's a trip Obama needs to make. ... But I don't think we're necessarily going to immediately warm up to the U.S. as a result of one trip," said Zhang who was visiting Beijing on business. "It will be a relationship built over mutual trust and understanding over time."

Associated Press writer Chi-Chi Zhang and researcher Xi Yue contributed to this report.

Suspect, 20, charged with second-degree murder in death of Sask. teenager

ONION LAKE, Sask. — A man has been charged with murder after the body of a 16-year-old boy was found in a home early Saturday in Onion Lake, a small community northwest of Saskatoon.

Cpl. Kelly West, a spokesman for Saskatchewan RCMP, said Sunday that police discovered the boy's body after they were called to assist ambulance personnel at the home.

"At the time they entered the residence in Onion Lake and located 16-year-old Keeley Winslow Crookedneck, who was determined to be deceased at the time," he said.

An investigation led police to believe that the boy had died as the result of foul play, he said.

Police would release few details about how the teen may have died.

RCMP took a suspect into custody and by Sunday afternoon, had laid charges in connection with Crookedneck's death.

Cassidy Stanley Lewis, 20, also of Onion Lake, is charged with second-degree murder.

He's expected to appear in court in Lloydminster, Sask., Monday.

West said an autopsy is scheduled to be performed on Crookedneck's body on Monday in Saskatoon.