Paulson: China Should Move Faster on Yuan"" Ahmadinejad on Gadhafi, Syria, alleged plot, nuclear weapons and America's role"

1.China should embrace a faster appreciation of its currency but U.S. policy makers should be wary of taking punitive actions to force the issue, former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Tuesday.

Paulson, speaking during an appearance in Washington, said the U.S. and China could both benefit from Beijing taking on much-needed structural changes to its financial markets. (Read the full speech)

“I believe … very strongly that it is in China’s best interest to reform and move to a market-determined currency that reflects economic conditions,” Paulson said.

He was critical, however, of ongoing efforts in Congress to pressure China to allow its currency, the yuan, to appreciate at a faster pace. The Senate in recent weeks passed a measure allowing U.S. officials to target Beijing’s currency policy through trade penalties and various international organizations.

“I don’t think that an approach that could lead to a trade war … is the right way to go,” Paulson said.
2.all American troops would be out of Iraq by the end of the year, Ahmadinejad said they should have left sooner.

"The Iraqi government is independent and sovereign. They should decide how to provide training for their military personnel," Ahmadinejad said.

Asked whether Iran's involvement with Iraq will increase because of the American withdrawal, Ahmadinejad said there would be no changes.

Ahmadinejad also addressed accusations that Iran has misled the International Atomic Energy Agency. The agency has said Iran was not providing enough details for it to conclude it is engaged in only peaceful nuclear activities.

Ahmadinejad called such claims "lies."

"The era of nuclear bombs is over," he said as he questioned the credibility of the agency.

Ahmadinejad's stances on conflicts mirror his speech last month at the U.N. General Assembly.

Delegations from the United States and several European nations, including France and the United Kingdom, walked out during his speech, in which he repeatedly condemned the United States and said some countries use the Holocaust as an "excuse to pay ransom ... to Zionists."

In his remarks, Ahmadinejad called the September 11, 2001, attacks "mysterious" and said they were a pretext for a U.S.-led war against Afghanistan and Iraq.

He said the United States killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden instead of assigning a fact-finding team to investigate "hidden elements involved in September 11."

He also blamed the United States for numerous global problems, including the financial crisis, and criticized it for overspending on the military and "printing trillions of dollars" that triggered inflation, according to a translation of his speech provided by the U.N.