Observers have said that U. S. President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, once bitter rivals for the presidency, have hammered out a good working partnership.

The News York Times said Friday that however that relationship has not yet approached the tight bonds and easy access Clinton's predecessor, Condoleezza Rice, enjoyed with President George W. Bush.

Washington, Jan 5 :The unstable situation in Yemen poses a threat to regional and global security, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday.

International efforts to support the Yemeni government in confronting extremism must be strengthened to prevent Al Qaeda from using the country "as a base for terrorist attacks far beyond the region," Clinton said.

Dubai, Jan 4 : US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton Monday sent a special message of felicitation to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice-president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), on the occasion of unveiling of Burj Dubai, the world's tallest building, WAM news agency reported.

"Your efforts to create international cooperation in our global economy are an important endeavor. I applaud your commitment to sustainable development," Clinton said.

Copenhagen, Dec 17 : There will be no accord at the climate summit unless emerging economies take "decisive actions" to combat global warming that can be "operationalised in an international code" in a transparent manner, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Thursday.

Clinton named China but appeared to include India, South Africa and Brazil too as she said there must be "standards of transparency that provides credibility to the entire process" of moving towards a treaty to tackle climate change.

Islamabad - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday praised Pakistan's offensive against the Taliban and al-Qaeda near the Afghan border, saying "this is a fight that has to be won."

Speaking at the prestigious Government College University in the eastern city of Lahore, Clinton said militants were "slowly but insidiously" gaining territory after undermining the government's writ.

Washington  - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to President Barack Obama "really restores an image and appreciation" of the US on the world stage, but would not influence decisions on whether to send more troops to Afghanistan.

Washington  - Pakistani Prime Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi urged the United States on Tuesday to outline a clear commitment to the stability and economic development of South Asia.

Meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Qureshi said his government has the political will to tackle the extremism and militants along the border with Afghanistan.

"The people of the region have to be assured that the United States has a vision for the entire region," Qureshi said. "Not just Afghanistan and Pakistan but the entire region."

Washington  - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton offered Beijing "warm wishes" as it celebrated 60 years as the People's Republic of China on Thursday.

Clinton also noted that 2009 marks 30 years since the United States and China established formal diplomatic ties after decades of estrangement.

"We are committed to building a positive, cooperative and comprehensive relationship that reflects the deepening ties between our two countries and enhances the security and prosperity of all our people," she said in a statement.

New York  - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton may have lost out on her bid last year for the Democratic presidential nomination, but she briefly got to be "Madam President" on Wednesday while presiding over the UN Security Council.

Clinton delivered a speech to the 15-nation council and ended with, "I resume now my function as president of the council."

"I kind of like being a president," Clinton said as the council chamber bust into laughter.

Washington - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton unveiled plans to directly engage Myanmar's junta to help promote democratic reforms in the country.

Clinton told journalists on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday that the administration of President Barack Obama decided on a double-pronged approach of both engagement and continued sanctions.

New York - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met Monday with foreign ministers from Japan, South Korea and Australia to weigh action on North Korea's nuclear programme and Tokyo's call for a major shake-up in the US-Japanese relationship.

Nairobi/Monrovia - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday threw her weight behind Africa's only female leader, Liberian President Ellen Johnson, who is facing calls to quit.

The West African nation's Truth and Reconciliation Commission recently recommended Sirleaf be banned from politics for backing former warlord Charles Taylor at the beginning of the country's two bloody civil wars.

However, Clinton said that Sirleaf's entire record had to be considered when judging her.

Washington - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton resolved differences with a student who angered her with a question during a public forum in Congo, the State Department said Tuesday.

Clinton lost her cool Monday when the male student appeared to have asked her for her husband's opinion on China's growing economic clout in Africa.

Nairobi/Kinshasa - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton Tuesday called on the Congolese government to tackle sexual violence against women, during a visit to the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The sprawling Central African nation's bloody war officially ended in 2003, but various rebel groups have kept the conflict running in the eastern provinces, bringing violence and terror to civilians.

Washington - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, in a statement released during her tour of Africa, said Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi "should not have been tried and should not have been convicted."

Reacting to the new 18-month house arrest sentence, Clinton again called on the Myanmar military rulers to lift Suu Kyi's house arrest, and also to release the more than
2,000 political prisoners being held in the country's prisons.

Nairobi/Kinshasa  - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Tuesday was due to fly to the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where she is expected to call for the end of the use of rape as a weapon of war.

The sprawling Central African nation's bloody war officially ended in 2003, but various rebel groups have kept the conflict running in the eastern provinces.

Luanda/Kinshasa - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton Monday arrived in conflict-hit Democratic Republic of Congo, where she is expected to call for an end to sexual violence against women.

While a bloody war in the sprawling Central African nation officially ended in 2003, various rebel groups have kept the conflict running in the eastern provinces.

Johannesburg - US Secretary of State of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was set to touch down Sunday in the oil-rich state of Angola on the third stage of her seven-country Africa tour.

Clinton was en route to Angola Sunday morning from South Africa, where she spent two days meeting with political, business and community leaders in order to improve relations that faltered during the presidencies of George W Bush and Thabo Mbeki.

Durban, South Africa - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton flew to the South African city of Durban on Saturday for a meeting with President Jacob Zuma that she described as "helpful".

"He gave us his view of things on regional issues such as Zimbabwe, Somalia and Sudan, where - his counsel in these matters, was extremely helpful," Clinton said.

Zuma meanwhile said he and Clinton had also discussed the need to reform international institutions so that these reflect the interests of all countries.

Johannesburg - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday called for renewed efforts from South Africa to ensure Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe holds up his end of a fragile power-sharing agreement.

Clinton, who is on the second leg of a seven-nation African tour that began Tuesday in Kenya, was addressing the business community in Johannesburg after meeting earlier with her foreign affairs counterpart Maite Nkoana-Mashabane and former president Nelson Mandela.