This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com.

China: ‘Any attack on Pakistan is an attack on China’

Pakistan media are reporting that China has issued an ultimatum to Washington that “Any attack on Pakistan would be construed as an attack on China.” Saying that “US, Pakistan near open war,” the reports say that the ultimatum was a demand that the US respect Pakistan’s sovereignty in the aftermath of the bin Laden operation. This ultimatum was reportedly delivered at the May 9 China-US strategic dialogue and economic talks in Washington. Pakistan Tribune.

In today’s main article, I discussed how positions have hardened substantially in the last week between the Palestinians and Israelis, and that this hardening is going to continue. This is characteristic of generational Crisis eras. In the case of Pakistan, the success of American’s violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty was a great shock to them, and the anger appears to be growing.

Positions are hardening in India, as well. India’s Defence Minister A K Antony said that the killing of bin Laden was “a watershed in the global war on terror,” and that, “the ripples of this event will have wide ranging impact on our strategic neighbourhood.” He added that finding bin Laden in Abbottabad, deep inside Pakistan, has “internationally stamped Pakistan’s position as the core of terrorist activities in the region.” Outlook India

New suicide bombing in Pakistan

A suicide car bomber struck a police facility in an army cantonment in Peshawar, in Pakistan’s northwest, early Wednesday. One person was killed, and 14 injured, in the latest attack, only a couple of days after a major 18-hour attack on a naval base in Karachi. Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Pakistan’s Taliban terrorist group, is assumed to be the perpetrator again, although no one has yet taken credit. AP

Tribal warfare in Yemen enters second day

Hundreds of tribesmen loyal to Sadiq Ahmar, head of the powerful Hashid tribe, are in open warfare with the security forces of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is refusing to step down despite massive anti-government demonstrations. It’s feared that the clashes of the last two days could spiral into worse violence, or full scale civil war. LA Times

Ahmadinejad escapes injury in Iran oil refinery explosion

An explosion at Iran’s largest and oldest oil refinery killed at least four people and injured 25 during a visit by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to inaugurate an upgrade at the sprawling plant. Sabotage or an assassination attempt on Ahmadinejad’s life are suspected, but state media says it was an accident caused by a gas leak. Either way, the explosion is highly embarassing to the regime. The National (UAE)

France’s Christine Lagarde plans to run for IMF chief

Francine Lagarde

France’s Finance Minister Christine Lagarde plans to announce on Wednesday her candidacy to be the new had of the International Monetary Foundation (IMF), following the resignation of Dominque Strauss-Kahn, who is embroiled in a criminal sex scandal. Sources say that the EU has reached a consensus supporting Lagarde. Reuters

Gold and silver coins to be legal currency in Utah

Crazy idea of the week: Utah legislators want to make Utah the first state in the country this month to legalize gold and silver coins as currency. One banker plans to offer a debit card that will be backed by the user’s gold and silver coins. AP

Poll: Fox News Channel and Bill O’Reilly are ‘most trusted’

A poll by Boston’s Suffolk University finds that network news is dying, and that Fox News Channel is the most trusted news source. Fox’s Bill O’Reilly came out on top as the most trusted individual. U.S. News

Armenians grapple with Eurovision dilemma

Nigar Jamal and Eldar Gasimov, also known as Ell/Nikki from Azerbaijan, 2011 Eurovision winners

Armenia and Azerbaijan are bitter enemies, technically still at war, even though a cease-fire agreement was signed in 1994, leaving the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory unresolved. But now Armenians are facing a major new problem, after Azerbaijan won this year’s glitzy Eurovision pop music competition, meaning that next year’s competition will be held in its capital, Baku. The dilemma has split Armenians, some of whom say that Armenians cannot compete in Baku, and others who say that competing is a matter of national honor. Eurasia Net