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Showing posts from October, 2010

Obama visit short on substance

Barack Obama’s mother instilled in him from a very early age an interest in other cultures. An anthropologist, Stanley Ann Dunham had worked in India and it was only natural that one of the cultures and traditions her son would learn about would be Indian.

Pressure on US to back India for UNSC seat

As the United States President Barack Obama prepares to visit India early next month, he is facing pressure to throw US support behind India’s bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Intel sharing reviewed on Mumbai terrorist

The Obama administration has ordered a review of U.S. intelligence about David Coleman Headley, the Pakistani-American involved in plotting the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, to find out whether intelligence agencies failed to share reports that may have helped prevent the attack.

Headley information was general in nature: US

The Obama administration is conducting an extensive review of what US agencies knew about David Coleman Headley prior to the attacks in Mumbai.

Obama’s India itinerary finalised

US President Barack Obama's itinerary during his three-day trip to India has been realesed by the White House.

Pak-American arrested for terror plot

Federal agents have arrested a Pakistani American who US officials say was plotting terrorist attacks on Washington’s metro transit system.

Pak won’t use military aid against India: US

The Obama administration has assured India that a $2 billion military assistance package it has offered Pakistan will not be diverted against India. “They have assured us they will ensure the weapons are used for what they are intended for,” an Indian official said on the condition of anonymity.

Saddam aide Tariq Aziz sentenced to death in Iraq

Tariq Aziz, Saddam Hussein's former right-hand man and once the international face of the Iraqi regime, was sentenced to death by the Iraqi supreme criminal court on Tuesday.

Karzai confirms cash from Iran

Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Monday confirmed that he receives cash in bags from Iran, but he defended the process as "transparent."

US plans $2 billion military aid to Pak

The Obama administration will ask Congress for a $2 billion military assistance package for Pakistan, even as the US officials express frustration at that country's reluctance to go after militant groups that provide safe havens for Al Qaida and the Taliban.

U.S. officials urge Sudanese to compromise

Leaders of north and south Sudan must be willing to compromise when they meet in Ethiopia next week to discuss a way past obstacles to holding a referendum in January that is likely to result in the secession of southern Sudan, U.S. officials said on Friday.

U.S. plans $2 billion aid package for Pakistan

The Obama administration will ask Congress for a $2 billion military assistance package for Pakistan even as U.S. officials express frustration over that country's reluctance to go after militant groups that provide safe havens for al Qaeda and the Taliban.

Taliban leaders in talks lack 'influence'

The Afghan government's reconciliation effort with the Taliban is being hamstrung by a lack of participants who wield clout within the militant group and a "peace council" viewed by many Afghans as more eager to maintain the status quo.

Obama to visit Pak in 2011

US President Barack Obama has told Pakistani officials he will not visit their country during his trip to Asia next month, but will visit Pakistan only next year.

Pakistan rakes up Kashmir, yet again

Pakistani Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday called on the US to resolve the Kashmir issue saying that the recent events in the Valley had ‘endangered’ the stability of South Asia.

Obama to visit Pakistan in 2011

President Obama will visit Pakistan next year as his administration attempts to shore up its relationship with a key ally in which recent polls found both he and the U.S. share abysmal approval ratings.

Pakistan's haven for terror unit irks U.S.

With U.S.-Pakistani strategic talks set to start in Washington on Wednesday, the Obama administration is growing increasingly frustrated with Islamabad's reluctance to shut down a terrorist group that provides safe haven for al Qaeda and Taliban leaders in Pakistan.

Bin Laden henchman reported in Pakistan

The mystery surrounding Osama bin Laden's whereabouts may finally be solved.

Take a new leap, Obama advised

Ahead of US President Barack Obama’s visit to India next month, a new report acknowledges a fear prevalent among many prominent Indians and Americans that a rapid expansion of the US-India relationship has “stalled” and recommends a “bold leap forward.”

U.S. drone attack kills a top Pakistan Taliban leader

A top Pakistan Taliban leader who recently warned that terrorists would launch attacks in the U.S. and Europe "very soon" has reportedly been killed in a U.S. drone attack.

Plot to assassinate Pakistani prime minister foiled

Pakistani police say they have disrupted a plot to assassinate the prime minister and other top officials after engaging in a shootout with Islamist militants on Wednesday.

U.S. digs in to rescue Chilean miners

Having survived 69 days underground, the last of the 33 miners trapped in a Chilean mine emerged from the bowels of the earth late Wednesday and were reunited with loved ones, capping a grueling, dramatic rescue made possible by a generous supply of U.S. equipment, manpower and ingenuity.

U.S. aids police in Sudan for security

The U.S. has poured millions of dollars into a multinational effort to build a police force in south Sudan that it hopes will ensure a peaceful referendum in January in which southerners are expected to vote for seceding from the north.

Pakistan roadblock cuts off Taliban funds

The Pakistani government's decision to shut a key supply route for coalition convoys in Afghanistan also has cut off a source of income for Taliban militants and a trucking racket that reap big profits from a cross-border "protection."

Musharraf: Pakistan backed militants in attacks on India

Pakistan provided support and training for militants to fight in India in an attempt to focus world attention on Kashmir, the country's former president said in a recent magazine interview.

Congress getting frustrated with Pakistan as a war ally

The closure of a key supply route for coalition forces in Afghanistan, a spate of attacks on NATO fuel tankers and criticism of U.S. drone strikes are fueling frustration in Congress over Pakistan's performance as an ally in the war against militants.

East Is East Again

The CWG mess has given the India rising story a few nasty knocks.

Poll: Most Pakistanis oppose drone strikes

An overwhelming majority of Pakistanis living in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) oppose U.S. drone strikes and military operations against al Qaeda and the Taliban in the lawless region along the Afghan border, according to a new survey.