US to help build Pakistan a robust economy: Official

September 18th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and China Friday signed an agreement to build a communication satellite in the next three years, officials said. China will provide $200 million to Pakistan to build the PAKSAT-1R satellite.

September 16th, 2009 Japan's new PM wants to build trust with ObamaTOKYO — Japan's new prime minister says he wants to build a relationship of trust with President Barack Obama, but has no intention to back down on plans to push for a review of the U.S. military presence here.

September 7th, 2009 NEW DELHI - There is little hope of reversing the slowdown in India's merchandise exports in the near term, and the country's growth is expected to decelerate in the next two quarters, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said here Monday. But a revival of the country's economy can be expected from the last quarter of this fiscal, Mukherjee said during an interaction with the members of the Forum of Financial Writers and the Commonwealth Journalists Association here.

September 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Top US nuclear scientists have shockingly revealed in a report that Pakistan is enhancing its nuclear weapons and production capabilities. According to the report, which is yet to enter the public domain, Pakistan is readying a new nuclear capable ballistic missile for deployment and two nuclear capable cruise missiles.

July 15th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The United States is working out a new strategy to reduce tensions with Pakistan over the drone strikes. The Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Paul Jones, told the US Congress recently, that Washington is planning to broaden its public relations initiatives in Pakistan to enable it to understand the US tactics.

June 22nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - The President of Pakistan, Asaf Ali Zardari, has expressed his fears over Taliban and Al-Qaeda turning out to be a major threat to the world, if their destabilizing alliance is allowed to triumph in Afghanistan and Pakistan. "If the Taliban and al-Qaeda are allowed to triumph in our region, their destabilizing alliance will spread across the continents," Zardari wrote in the Washington Post.

June 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama welcomed the "robust debate" that has taken place in Iran during the presidential election and expressed optimism it will boost efforts to open dialogue with the Islamic state. "We are excited to see what appears to be a robust debate taking place in Iran," Obama said Friday as Iranians went to the polls to vote in a race that pits conservative President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad against reformist challenger Mir-Hossein Moussavi.

June 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new US amendment moved in the Congress, asks Pakistan to reform its counter terrorism policies to thwart threats by the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. The amendment also stresses the need for Islamabad to confront, and deny safe haven to Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and other extremists.

May 28th, 2009 LONDON - Pakistan may acquire three Type 42 Batch 3 destroyers from Britain after they are retired from the Royal Navy (RN). Pakistan is also in discussion with the United States to acquire FFG 7 frigates.

April 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Pakistan could get $2.8 billion in military aid from the US in addition to the proposed $7.5 billion civilian aid package spread over five years, a defence official has been quoted as saying. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the FOX News channel that the additional money would be spent on 'equipping, training, and building infrastructure directly related to counter insurgency operations'.

March 31st, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani Tuesday said US President Barack Obama was being 'unfair' in comparing Pakistan with Afghanistan in the war against terror. 'Comparing Pakistan with Afghanistan would be unfair,' the official APP news agency quoted him as saying when asked to comment on Obama's new AfPak policy unveiled last week.

March 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Congress party Tuesday said the attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore was the result of the 'space' that Pakistan has been conceding to terrorists and the international community must build pressure on Pakistan to dismantle the terror infrastructure on its soil. 'The attack on Sri Lankan cricketers makes it evident that it is the result of the space that Pakistan has been conceding to terrorists and hard-liners.

February 6th, 2009 KOLKATA - India is yet to receive an official response on the dossier it has given to Pakistan on the Mumbai terror strikes, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said here Saturday. 'I am yet to receive any official communication from Islamabad so far,' Mukherjee told reporters.

January 8th, 2009 NEW DELHI - US Ambassador David Mulford Friday tread cautiously on the alleged involvement of Pakistani official agencies in the Mumbai terror attack, saying accusations could not be made 'without proof'. 'I don't want to make accusations without proof,' Mulford replied when asked whether the US suspected the involvement of official agencies in the Mumbai terror strike.

December 29th, 2008 NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD - The Indian Army Tuesday denied there was a build-up of troops on the border and said they were only on alert after Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi asked New Delhi to 'relocate forces to peacetime locations'. A senior Indian Army officer, who said he was reflecting the official position but could not be identified, said: 'We have not deployed any troops along the border.