US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has asked Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to devise a political solution to the ongoing ethnic conflict in the country.
A suspected Chinese spy balloon, said to be the size of three buses, was spotted over the United States' airspace, the Pentagon has said, a development that has further strained the already tense bilateral ties as Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday abruptly postponed his key visit to Beijing.
"The United States believes that the long-term legitimacy and viability of the UN Security Council depends on its reflecting the world of the 21st century," said Gordon Duguid, the State Department Acting Deputy Spokesman, onThursday.
State Department's Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey made this observation on Monday when asked whether the US has any concerns about Ahmadinejad proposed visit to New Delhi and whether there had been any message sent to India about the proposed meetings. Casey said it's up to every country to determine for itself how it's going to organise its bilateral relations.
Khan was convicted in the Toshakhana case which was filed last year on the complaint of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) which had earlier disqualified him in the same case.
Hillary Clinton was on Saturday "voluntary" quizzed by US federal prosecutors for three and a half hours as part of a probe that has hung over her White House bid for her use of a private email server as secretary of state.
As the Sri Lankan army prepares for a final assault against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the United States on Monday expressed its deep concern over the humanitarian situation in the conflict zones there, saying 'it is in a terrible condition'."We are very concerned about the humanitarian situation there. It is dire," State Department Acting Spokesman Robert Wood told reporters.
Concerned over the 'hostilities' towards civilians in the conflict-hit northern part of Sri Lanka, the United States has asked the island government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to hold negotiations to end the fighting. "We want the government and the LTTE to discuss ways to end the hostilities," said Robert Wood, acting spokesman of the State Department. He said one of their primary concerns is the humanitarian situation in the country. "
They agreed to continue technical exchanges to help end the epidemic worldwide as soon as possible, it said.
There is no such annual parade in the United States, which is militarily the most powerful country of the world.
'It was a step backward for Pakistan's democratic transition and democratic process. And that is one that ultimately would carry consequences, will carry consequences, and does carry consequences for our relationship,' State Department Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey asserted.
The United States has condemned in the 'strongest terms' the successive terror attacks in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad, describing them as 'heinous acts'."This series of blasts were obviously heinous acts, something that we abhor. Our condolences go out to those killed and injured, and to their families. We wish them a speedy recovery," State Department's acting spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said on Monday.
China and the United States were headed for a major diplomatic confrontation as Washington on Wednesday ordered the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston, a move it said was aimed 'to protect American intellectual property and private information', hinting at cyber espionage.
Asked about US Ambassador India David Mulford's comments that the deal could be finalised under Bush, who is in his final year in office, State Department's deputy spokesman Tom Casey said, "There are internal political considerations in India which have not been resolved yet and it is for the Indian government to do so". The questioner had asked what sort of message Mulford intended to send when the deal is largely though to be on a backburner in the face of opposition.
Nitish also reiterated that he was "not a claimant" for the top post.
"There's no change in US policy on this (Kashmir issue). Certainly we believe that any difference -- any differences between India and Pakistan are things that should be resolved through dialogue. We have supported dialogue and discussion among the parties in the past, and we'll continue to do so," State Department Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey told media persons on Wednesday.
Immediately after India launched its surgical strikes, sources said, it had informed the US of its action.
China urged the US to immediately address its wrongdoings, take practical measures to undo the adverse effects caused by Pelosi's visit.
WikiLeaks, the whistleblower website, has not yet responded to the demand made by the US last week to return all classified leaked documents on Afghan war, Pentagon and State Department officials have said.
In response to another question, he ruled out calling Putin. "No," he said.
China on Friday concurred with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's observation that an Asian Century cannot happen if India and China don't join hands and emphasised that the two neighbouring countries have 'far more common interests than differences'.
Defence Secretary Mattis said he cannot certify that Islamabad has taken 'sufficient actions' against the dreaded Haqqani terror network.
The report said that Pakistan will retain its capabilities for the foreseeable future as a necessary deterrent against perceived existential threats from India.
Responding to questions, Kirby called for de-escalation of tension between the two countries. "We've seen those reports (of Indian surgical attack), we're following the situation closely as I think you can understand. "We also understand that the Indian and Pakistani militaries have been in communication," he said. "We believe that continued communication is obviously important to reduce tensions.
"In terms of our views on conversations with the Chinese and representatives of the Dalai Lama, we've been calling for that for a long time. We certainly support the statements, as the president said, that the Chinese government has said that they're willing to have this meeting take place," State Department's Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey said at a briefing.
The United States Wednesday said the sanctions against two Indian firms, for allegedly selling missile goods and chemical arms material to Iran, were based on "credible evidence".
Four Indian-American women have been racially abused and smacked by a Mexican-American woman in the United States state of Texas who hurled racist slurs at them that they are 'ruining' America and should 'go back to India'.
US State Department Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey ruled out a deal with Pakistan.
Cold wave conditions continued unabated in Kashmir Valley with minimum temperatures hovering below freezing point, causing severe problems to the residents.
"We'd certainly like to see that dialogue resume. As you point out, it is something that has gone on in the past and we think it's the best way to be able to manage and deal with the problems in Tibet," State Department Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey said. "But I'm not in a position at this point to tell you that there's any commitments made that I'm aware of to resume that kind of high-level discussion," he said.
A video shared by Qureshi's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party on Twitter shows plain-clothed men taking him away, with him waving at party workers before departing from the location where he was detained.
The United States has claimed that Pakistan is willing to "sacrifice blood" and treasure to protect themselves and their neighbours against extremists.\n\n
The BJP and the AIADMK are unable to sort out ideological differences, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Diplomatic and Congressional sources tell Rediff.com that for all intents and purposes, the F-16 sale is dead.
His remarks came in response to the India-US joint statement issued after the talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump.
The United States appears determined to expand its bilateral relations with India, regardless of the outcome or the timing of the US-India civilian nuclear agreement.
The US said it has provided $ 841 million for tsunami relief and reconstruction, and the American people have contributed more than $ 1.8 billion in private funds.
The United States has said Pakistan's first cruise missile test was conducted in a way that was not 'provocative', although Islamabad did not give advance information about it to New Delhi.\n\n
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