Afghanistan Summit
Speaking at a70-nation London summit on the future of Afghanistan (organised by the UK, UN and Afghanistan government), British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the nations faced "a decisive time", and that mid-2011 should be the deadline for "turning the tide." The focus of the summit talks has been around forming a relationship with the Taliban that allows for rehabilitation of low to mid-level Taliban fighters. President Hamid Karzai said Afghanistan could need foreign support for its security forces for up to 15 years, and that he plans to reintegrate some Taliban fighters into society. "We must reach out to all our countrymen, especially our disenchanted brothers who are not part of al-Qaeda or other terrorist networks," Mr Karzai told the attendees. Brown pledged to support the expansion of Afghan security and support Afghan police. This would bring Afghan national security forces to 300,000, a presence far bigger than the coalition forces.

Barack Obama Commits To Climate Change Bill
Barack Obama put himself firmly behind the effort to get a climate change bill through Congress last night – but said it must include a new generation of nuclear power. The brief passage on energy and climate in Obama's state of the union address did deliver the signal Congress (and much of the world) had been seeking; that the White House is ready to throw itself into the effort to pass legislation. But Obama made it clear that he supported a "bipartisan" effort which would incorporate energy policies that are popular among Republicans – and fiercely opposed by the liberal wing of his own party. Most of the instant reaction to the speech from environmental groups was positive – though few commented directly on Obama's support for nuclear power or drilling. If drilling and nuclear energy doesn’t tickle your climate change appetite, the yummier enviro news is that Green & Black's are going 100% Fairtrade; the move will make Green & Black's the world's leading manufacturer of organic Fairtrade chocolate.

Girl Found Alive 15 Days After Haiti Quake
Darlene Etienne, believed to be 16-17 years of age, was found conscious but dehydrated and with a broken leg. She was rescued from under a house in Port-au-Prince yesterday, 15 days after the devastating earthquake that killed as many as 200,000 people. A rescue worker, JP Malaganne, described her as happy, shocked and crying - "I don't know how she happened to resist that long. It's a miracle," he said. Neighbours heard her voice and called authorities who brought in rescuers. The team then dug out a hole big enough to give Etienne some oxygen and water. She had a very weak pulse, but within 45 minutes, they managed to remove her, covered in dust, from what appeared to be the collapsed porch area of the home. Fuilla said, "I don't think she could have survived even a few more hours." A discussion was held at the Haiti conference in Montréal this week concerning the issue of child and human organ trafficking; that the Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive believed to be taking place.

Google And YouTube Copies Launch In China
Goojje and Youtubecn Web sites (imitation websites of both Google and YouTube) have emerged in Beijing, China, as the country faces off against the real ‘Google’ over its local operations. YouTubecn.com offers videos from the real YouTube, which is owned by Google and blocked in China. The Google imitation is called Goojje and includes a plea for the US-based company not to leave China, after it threatened this month to do so (in a dispute over web censorship and cyber attacks). The separate projects went up within a day of each other in mid-January, just after Google's threat to leave.