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.
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. "
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.
Beijing was caught by surprise as Kishida, who was on an official visit to New Delhi from March 19-21, entered Poland from India using a secretly chartered plane instead of the standard government aircraft, Japanese TV channel NHK reported.
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.
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.
"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.
China demanded that the Pakistan should apprehend and punish the perpetrators to the full extent of the law.
Immediately after India launched its surgical strikes, sources said, it had informed the US of its action.
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.
Defence Secretary Mattis said he cannot certify that Islamabad has taken 'sufficient actions' against the dreaded Haqqani terror network.
"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.
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.
The report said that Pakistan will retain its capabilities for the foreseeable future as a necessary deterrent against perceived existential threats from India.
She became the first Indian woman and the first ever Indian athlete to win a gold medal in any format of a global track event when she stood atop the podium at the IAAF World U20 Championships, clocking a time of 51.46 seconds.
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".
US State Department Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey ruled out a deal with Pakistan.
"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.
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 has claimed that Pakistan is willing to "sacrifice blood" and treasure to protect themselves and their neighbours against extremists.\n\n
US President Joe Biden will address the American people on US troops withdrawal from Afghanistan on Tuesday.
Diplomatic and Congressional sources tell Rediff.com that for all intents and purposes, the F-16 sale is dead.
A Qatar Airways Delhi-Doha passenger plane was diverted to Karachi on Monday after it declared an emergency due to indication of smoke in the cargo hold, the airline said.
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.
Cold wave conditions continued unabated in Kashmir Valley with minimum temperatures hovering below freezing point, causing severe problems to the residents.
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
Deputy spokesman Tom Casey said Burns has 'spoken about his willingness' to go to India but that a trip has not been formally scheduled.
Australia is considering not sending any government officials to the Winter Olympics to be held in Beijing next year amid growing calls from lawmakers for an official diplomatic boycott, the Sydney Morning Herald said in a report on Thursday.
No such decision has been taken either in the Indian Ocean or South China Sea.
The Nationalist Congress Party on Friday said the Centre cannot carry out any project forcibly without taking the local population into confidence.
The world reacted with shock and horror to the assassination of former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto after an election rally in Rawalpindi.
The US and China have sparred over the origin of the virus for days, with a Chinese official promoting conspiracy theories.
The move comes after the assassination of former prime minister of Lebanon in Beirut.
Myanmar's pro-democracy leader has begun a hunger strike.
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