WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama vowed on Thursday to bolster U.S. efforts to fight AIDS, setting a new goal of providing treatment to 6 million people worldwide, up from the earlier goal of 4 million.

Obama, at a World AIDS Day event, also challenged other nations to boost their commitments and called on China to “step up” as a major donor in the effort to expand access to AIDS drugs.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States urged its ally Bahrain, home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet, to quickly address abuses laid out in a report on Wednesday that alleged that Bahraini security forces used torture to obtain confessions.

A Bahraini government-commissioned panel charged with investigating abuses found that Bahrain’s security forces used excessive force to suppress pro-democracy protests this year, saying five people were tortured to death.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States urged its ally Bahrain, home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet, to quickly address abuses laid out in a report Wednesday that said Bahraini security forces used torture to obtain confessions.

A Bahraini government-commissioned panel charged with investigating abuses found that Bahrain’s security forces used excessive force to suppress pro-democracy protests this year, saying five people were tortured to death.

NUSA DUA, Indonesia (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama sought to charm Asia-Pacific leaders this week with Australian slang and memories from his childhood in Hawaii and Indonesia in his bid to boost U.S. ties with the fast-growing region.

The top goal of the nine-day trip, which took Obama away from Washington just as U.S. budget battles were intensifying, was to cement a foreign policy “pivot” towards Asia that could open the door to more American exports and jobs.

NUSA DUA, Indonesia (Reuters) – President Barack Obama sought to charm Asia-Pacific leaders this week with Australian slang and memories from his childhood in Hawaii and Indonesia in his bid to boost U.S. ties with the fast-growing region.

The top goal of the nine-day trip, which took Obama away from Washington just as U.S. budget battles were intensifying, was to cement a foreign policy “pivot” toward Asia that could open the door to more American exports and jobs.

NUSA DUA, Indonesia, Nov 18 (Reuters) – U.S. President
Barack Obama welcomed on Friday a $21.7 billion jet deal his
administration helped broker between Boeing and an
Indonesian airline, calling it a “win-win” for U.S. workers and
Asian consumers.

The agreement was announced by the White House near the end
of Obama’s nine-day Pacific tour designed to emphasize trade
opportunities in Asia he hopes will bolster the still-weak U.S.
economy ahead of next year’s election.

NUSA DUA, Indonesia (Reuters) – President Barack Obama said on Friday he saw “flickers of progress” in Myanmar, pledged to send his secretary of state to the isolated country and promised new ties if it pursued democratic reforms.

Obama, on the Indonesian island of Bali to attend a summit of Asia-Pacific leaders, said he had spoken for the first time with Nobel laureate and democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. He said he was sending Secretary of State Hillary Clinton next month to the country, also known as Burma.

NUSA DUA, Indonesia (Reuters) – Tensions between the United States and China threaten to spill over into meetings of Asia-Pacific leaders from Friday, with President Barack Obama declaring his intention on the eve of the gathering to assert U.S. influence in the region.

Obama said in Australia Thursday, on his last stop before jetting to the meetings in neighboring Indonesia, that the U.S. military would expand its Asia-Pacific role despite budget cuts, declaring America was “here to stay” as a Pacific power.

CANBERRA (Reuters) – President Barack Obama announced on Thursday that the U.S. military would expand its role in the Asia-Pacific region, despite budget cuts, declaring America was “here to stay” as a Pacific power which would help shape the region’s future.

Obama, addressing Australia’s parliament, also acknowledged China’s misgivings at U.S. moves in the region, saying he would seek greater cooperation with Beijing.

CANBERRA (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Wednesday unveiled plans to deepen the U.S. military presence in the Asia-Pacific, with 2,500 U.S. marines operating out of a de facto base in northern Australia.

China, already worried the United States is caging it in, immediately questioned whether strengthening military alliances would help the region when economic woes put a premium on cooperation.