The Obama administration is not asking Pakistan’s military to occupy its rugged border regions, the base for extremist groups that attack the US, allied and Afghan forces on the other side, Clinton said in an interview with Bloomberg News following two days of meetings in Islamabad.

There are different ways of fighting besides overt military action, she said. Clinton said she pressed Pakistan to fully share intelligence with the US forces in Afghanistan to prevent attacks and choke off money and supply routes. “Better coordination might prevent incidents like the September 20 assault on the American Embassy in Kabul, which the US blames on the Haqqani network,” she said.

“We can go after funding. We can go after couriers,” she said she told Pakistani leaders. Already strained ties with Pakistan were exacerbated by the US commando assault in May that killed al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden. Clinton, along with CIA Director David Petraeus and General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met with Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, the Army chief of staff, and Ahmad Shuja Pasha, the head of the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate.

Clinton praised recent cooperation against al-Qaeda as a model for how to crack down on the Haqqanis as well as the Taliban based in Pakistan. “Because of intelligence sharing and mutual cooperation, we have targeted three of the top al-Qaeda operatives since bin Laden’s death. That could not have happened without Pakistani cooperation,” she said.

All political parties came together last month behind a resolution to seek talks and a ceasefire with insurgents rather than an all-out military assault. Prime Minister Gilani urged the Americans ‘to give peace a chance’ before pressing his military for more.

Clinton said the US message to Pakistan was that the same insurgents who have launched lethal attacks against the US and Afghan targets might unleash their violence inside Pakistan. She said she urged Pakistan’s leaders to take advantage of the roughly 130,000-troops, US-led Nato force next door in Afghanistan while it’s still there.

The US and Nato have begun pulling out troops and plan to hand full security control to Afghanistan’s government by the end of 2014.

In the coming months, forces from Pakistan and the coalition in Afghanistan should ‘squeeze’ the Taliban and allied extremists, such as the Haqqani network, which operate on both sides of the border.

“There’s no way that any government in Islamabad can control these groups,” Clinton said in the interview, conducted in Tajikistan as she wrapped up a seven-nation trip across the Mideast and south-central Asia.

There is an opportunity, while we are still with 48 nations across the border in Afghanistan, where we have a lot of assets that we can put at their disposal to help Pakistan.

The Pakistanis said they ‘have to figure out a way to do it that doesn’t cause chaos’ in their country, she recounted. She said the US and Pakistan agreed on ‘90 to 95 percent of what needs to be done’ and the two countries will work on what ‘next steps we take together’.

Asked if US troops in Afghanistan will launch cross-border attacks if Pakistan fails to act, Clinton replied: “There’s a lot going on that is aimed at these safe havens, and we will continue to work with them on that”. “Negotiations are ‘a bumpy process’ requiring patience and persistence that we’re willing to invest, in order to determine what’s real and what’s not,” she said.

“Today is the day things change in Denmark. This evening we’ve shown that the Social Democrats are a big and driving force in Denmark. We’ve written history today,” said Thorning-Schidmt addressing her victorious partisans.

This victory brings the Danish left back to power after 10 years in opposition, which could result in Denmark turning out to be less hostile to economic co-ordination within the European Union.

Austerity measures brought in by the Rasmussen government may be softened, along with immigration restrictions driven by the rightist Danish People’s Party, which gave vital support to that government.

“There is no parliamentary support for our government. Tomorrow, I will go to the queen at 11 o’clock and present the government’s resignation. The Danes have spoken. It has been a close election,” said Rasmussen, accepting the defeat.

Thorning-Schmidt’s marriage to Stephen Kinnock, son of Neil Kinnock, the former leader of the British Labour Party, made headlines during the campaign, due to charges of his alleged avoidance of Danish tax and questions over the health of their relationship.

The slim majority could be a problem for her. The two biggest gainers of the elections were the far-left Red-Green Alliance and the centrist Social Liberals, who are both supporting Thorning-Schmidt but disagree on most other matters.

Thorning-Schmidt’s own Social Democrats ended up the second-largest party after Rasmussen’s Liberals.

Among the tasks she will have to face, the highest priority will be certainly the economy. Denmark has been spared much of the damage endured by other West European countries as it remains outside the euro zone. This meant it is not engaged in bailing out debt-laden countries like Greece, which has become a major concern to neighboring Germany.

Geithner is currently in Warsaw, Poland, to meet with Eurozone finance ministers to find a way out of the continent’s huge debt problems after more than two years of bailouts, wrecked economies and bickering. His presence in Europe suggests how increasingly concerned Washington has become over the global impact of the Eurozone’s financial issues.

Fekter told European media that Geithner urged leaders in “very dramatic terms” to tackle its debt crisis to prevent the destabilization of the global financial system. However, she claimed, he ruled out a proposal to impose a tax on financial transactions, which some European countries believe would be an equitable way to share the cost of bailouts.
Meanwhile, a decision to hand out the next $11 billion tranche in bailout money for Greece (the vortex of the debt malaise) will be delayed until October, according to Jean-Claude Juncker, the prime minister of Luxembourg and the head of the Eurozone finance ministers’ group.

The Greek government complained that if it does not receive the funding, the country may run out of money, forcing Athens to stop paying public employees and default on its debts.

Juncker responded that while eurozone officials welcomed “the renewed, firm commitment of Greece” of adhering to its tough austerity program, the finance ministers “would decide in October on the next tranche.”

Fekter, however, said she is “very optimistic that the next tranche can be paid out to Greece” but warned that a default by Athens would be costly.

“Should a situation arise, where this way [of providing rescue loans] suddenly becomes more expensive than the alternative, we will have to think about the alternative,” she said. “But at the moment this is not yet the case.”

Other disagreements also prevail – finance ministers ruled out more fiscal stimulus to kick-start European economies, arguing that increased spending would be foolish amidst a backdrop of high debts.

Meanwhile, European markets have been convulsing with growing fears that Greece will indeed default. Credit ratings agency Moody’s recently downgraded two large French banks with significant exposure to Greece.

Five central banks around the world just agreed to raise liquidity by providing more funds to commercial lenders in Europe.

IMF boss Christine Lagarde added to the chorus or doom, by warning that the global economy faces “great economic anxiety” as possible solutions dwindle as the clock ticks.

“We have entered into a dangerous phase of the crisis,” she said. “Collective, bold, decisive, courageous action is needed. [A solution] will require strong political will across the world, not just in one country but in many countries, and it will require decisive action on the part of some central banks.”

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said the government was considering legislation to grant right of vote to Pakistanis living abroad. She was speaking at an Award Ceremony organised by the 14th of August Committee of Pakistani Community in Norway, which had announced a “Bridge Building Award” for Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani. Dr Firdous received the award on behalf of the Prime Minister. The award was announced in recognition of the Prime Minister’s services for strengthening of democracy, promotion of human rights and his efforts for normalization of Indo-Pak relations.
Dr Awan acknowledging the role of millions of Pakistanis living and working abroad said they were an asset of Pakistan who were remarkably contributing to the national economy.

The Information Minister elaborated the sacrifices offered and the role played by Pakistan against extremists and terrorists, steps for protection of rights of minorities in Pakistan, incentives for increased investment, efforts for the uplift of less developed areas, efforts for strengthening economic ties with European Union, Pakistan’s relations with China and the United States and measures for promoting inter-faith harmony.

She said Pakistan attaches great importance to its trade and economic relations with Norway. She paid tribute to the 14th of August Committee of Oslo for building bridges between the Pakistani Community and the people of Norway.

Sonia Gandhi, the key powerbroker of Indian politics, returned home on Thursday after undergoing surgery in the United States a month ago for an undisclosed condition, a spokesman told AFP.

Gandhi, president of the ruling Congress party and widow of former premier Rajiv Gandhi, is the influential patron behind Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who has led India since 2004.

“Sonia Gandhi arrived early this morning, she is doing fine,” Congress spokesman Janardan Dwivedi told AFP, without giving further details.

Rehman Malik said that MQM is the representative political party of Karachi and the allegations against Altaf Hussain are baseless.

Talking to a press conference at State Guest House, Malik said that 103 culprits have been arrested in the Lyari operation and hundreds of weapons with hand grenades were also seized.

Speaking about allegations charged by Zulfiqar Mirza, he said that Mirza is his younger brother.

Upon a question about the absence of his assets in Pakistan, Malik said that I have my home in Pakistan and I also did business outside but there are no corruption charges against me.

Rehman Malik said that DG Rangers Major General Ejaz Chaudhary will take charge of the Rangers.