Once again, the governments in Washington and Islamabad find themselves locked in a war of words. On Thursday, the outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, accused Pakistan's intelligence agency, the ISI, of supporting the Haqqani network. Admiral Mullen went further, describing the network as a veritable arm of the ISI. Pakistani officials reacted angrily, the Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar warning that America risked losing an ally. But Jay Carney says it's critical the Pakistani government break any links it has and take strong and immediate action against a network which he says represents a threat to both countries.
The Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has returned home from Cuba after having what he says was his final round of chemotherapy for cancer. Mr Chavez said the treatment had been successful and he felt born again. The Venezuelan leader, who had surgery in Cuba in June to remove a tumour, said his health would not stop him standing for re-election next year. Secrecy over the exact nature of his cancer has fuelled speculation that his condition may be worse than officially stated.
The government of Azerbaijan has denied allegations that the country was promised two gold medals at next year's London Olympics in return for millions of dollars. A spokesman said the allegations made in a BBC television programme were based on what he described as false facts and absurd conclusions. The accusations came from sources within international boxing, who told the BBC that a secret deal had been done to get funding from Azerbaijan in return for manipulation of the Olympic boxing tournament.