Northern Ireland boxer Sean McComb has been fined and banned from the Gold Coast's nightclub districts for the rest of the Commonwealth Games after being involved in an altercation with bouncers at a local bar.
Global rating agency Fitch has revised upwards India's growth projection to 6 from 5 per cent for the current fiscal and said the recent election results should provide additional confidence and spur growth.
Putting Pakistan on notice, the US has asked it to act together with all "interested parties" to prevent "future terrorist attacks" emanating from its soil and asserted that it will "closely" follow the steps being taken by Islamabad following the Mumbai terror strikes.
India and the US may ink the landmark nuclear deal as early as Friday after President George W Bush signs into law the legislation on the initiative. The signing of the HR7081, the approval legislation for the US-India civilian nuclear agreement, into law by Bush on Wednesday will be followed by formal inking of the accord by the two countries, which will be done by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Minister for External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee.
Michael Chang, the youngest man to claim a Grand Slam singles title when he won the 1989 French Open, has been elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
The United States today said Pakistan has taken "some positive steps" since the Mumbai terror strikes even as it asked Islamabad to "act" to prevent "any future terrorist attacks".
Top winter looks straight off the runway, to keep you warm and stylish.
"We continually review our strategy with respect to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. So it is something that is occupying quite a bit of our time at the State Department, DOD, as well as the White House," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
Thousands of revellers streamed into the town of Windsor, trying to capture their own little piece of the extravaganza that is the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on Saturday. Well-wishers flew in from all over the world to get a glimpse of the bride and groom. Some enthusiasts even camped out for six days to get a prime spot to view the newlyweds.
The stars were out in full force at the Kensington Roof Gardens, in London, on Thursday night.
The US has refused to be drawn into the latest uncertainty in Pakistan following Nawaz Sharif's decision to pull out PML-N ministers from the government and said political parties in the country will have to address the issues pertaining to coalition politics.
When asked if India should be test-firing a nuclear capable missile at a time when Washington is trying to dismantle the nuclear programmes of Iran and North Korea, McCormack replied: "It's not the first time they've test-fired missiles.
United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Monday spoke to External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee over telephone about the bilateral nuclear deal. During the conversation, Rice conveyed to Mukherjee that the US was keen on moving ahead with the civilian nuclear deal, informed State Department spokesman Sean McCormack. McCormack said, "She (Rice) still supports it going forward. We have conveyed that to the Indian government at a number of different levels."
The United States has said that it is not contemplating any deal with Pakistan similar to the India-US nuclear agreement, insisting that New Delhi's case was unique because of its past record on non-proliferation.Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday indicated that the country may seek a similar arrangement with its close ally China. "Pakistan will now make efforts for a civil nuclear deal and they (the world community) will have to accommodate us," he said.
The US on Wednesday said the issue of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's plans to doff his uniform after re-election is a matter for the Pakistanis to work out within the "confines of their laws and Constitution."
The US has said its policy on the Kashmir issue that it should be resolved bilaterally remains unchanged, days after Pakistan Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani sought its support in the settlement of the problem with India.
The Bush administration wants to learn more about the work of Pakistan's disgraced nuclear scientist A Q Khan and his network activities even as Islamabad maintains the matter related to him as "a closed chapter".
The United States has welcomed President Pervez Musharraf's decision to lift emergency rule on December 16, calling it a positive and significant step to steer Pakistan back towards democracy. "It's a positive and significant step. We look forward to the elections taking place in early January," US State department spokesman Sean McCormack said in his briefing.
"I don't think there's any change. There's no change in their status," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said, commenting on the issue in the backdrop of a meeting between a top American envoy in Kathmandu Nancy Powell and Maoist leader Prachanda.
The United States has praised Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf for his role in the war on terror, but said that Islamabad had not been successful in closing down the terror network in restive tribal areas on the Afghan border.
"They had a discussion about where we stand. We made it clear that we are fully prepared once the Indian government has taken certain steps to submit the agreements to the Congress so that they can be passed," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said when asked about the talks between US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Minister of External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee earlier this week.
Carmaker Ford India on Wednesday said it will launch its small car in the country during 2010. "We are working on the small car programme and will be launching it in 2010," Ford India vice-president (Marketing Sales and Service) Scott McCormack said.
He admitted that some member countries of the 45-nation grouping have expressed concerns about the deal and 'we have talked to a lot of those various states'. "I am not going to name them, but we have talked to a lot of them. They have announced themselves publicly. You can look it up and what their concerns are," McCormack said.
Ford is looking at multiple platforms to drive into India's small car market.
"Whatever the solution is, certainly the people of the region need to have a voice in it, however the two sides choose to resolve it," McCormack added.
The Bush Administration has expressed hope that the ethnic Indians detained in Malaysia will be provided full protections under the Malaysian law and would be given due process.
US says no to changing its laws for N-deal with India.
Dismissing speculations that the India-United States nuclear agreement was 'dead', the Bush administration has said that Washington will continue to work towards making the landmark deal a reality. "We are still very supportive of the deal. We still would like to see it move forward, but the Indian government and the political system is engaged in a debate, and we'll see what the outcome out of that debate is," US States Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
As for the decision of who fills what post, that's going to be up to the Pakistani government and ultimately the people to decide, the US said.
US spokesman Sean McCormack, in response to a question on infiltration in Afghanistan, said it was not just Pakistan but the region as a whole, including India has an interest in the stability and prosperity of Afghanistan.
The US has said this is a precursor to discussions on the N-deal.
McCormack told media persons on Monday that the US understood the concerns of Afghanistan on cross-border terrorism and that there has been an increase in Taliban activities over the recent months.
The Bush administration has expressed hope that the US Congress will pass a legislation on the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal in a manner that would not make radical changes in the historic agreement so that they could "faithfully" implement it.
McCormack wanted what he described as 'our friends in Pakistan' to view a free media as an institution that ultimately strengthens the society and added that the media has a responsibility to report the news accurately and objectively.
The United States on Wednesday said that it would support India's effort in getting some of the steps cleared for the finalisation of the India-United States civil nuclear agreement, but those steps have to be taken by India first. "There are a number of different steps that will need to be taken in order to finally conclude all aspects of this agreement. It's up to India to go through some of those steps on their own," US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
'There are a number of different interests that we have in common'.
With the diesel-powered vehicles looking to form a large chunk of the automobile market in the next three to four years, Ford India is planning to set up a diesel engine facility in its existing 350 acre complex in Chennai.
The two countries are aiming at sorting out differences particularly on issues like reprocessing right, perpetuity of fuel supplies and continuance of the civilian nuclear cooperation if India were to conduct an atomic test.
"I know that there were some press reports about whether or not he was going to be going this week or next week. I am not aware that he has any travel plans, at this point, to go to India," McCormack said.
Undersecretary for Political Affairs R Nicholas Burns also spoke about the case yesterday during a joint news briefing with Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah in Washington.
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