Ratcheting up the tensions over Ukraine by several notches, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday night signed a decree recognising two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine – Donetsk and Lugansk – as sovereign nations. Putin signed the document after an hour-long, detailed televised address to the nation in which heRead More →
War clouds hovered over Ukraine on Sunday with both Russia and the US deepening their mind games over a possible invasion of Kyiv by Moscow. While Russia extended its military drill in Belarus involving a large number of troops, which was originally scheduled to end on Sunday, the US saidRead More →
In a decision that has evoked mixed reaction, Japan’s Princess Mako has chosen to give up her royal status so that she can marry the man she fell in love with. Pained by the harsh reactions and opposition to her choice, Mako went in on a simple ceremony on TuesdayRead More →
American troops are unlikely to withdraw from Afghanistan by May 1 as envisaged in the “peace deal” signed by the Trump administration and Taliban leaders last year. Days after US President Joe Biden said it would be “tough” to meet the May 1 deadline, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd AustinRead More →
Over 100 people were killed and another 4,000 seriously injured as a gigantic, nuclear-like explosion rocked Lebanon capital Beirut on Tuesday evening. The blast happened at 6 pm local time at the port area in Central Beirut. It as so powerful it sent up a huge mushroom-shaped shock wave flippingRead More →
Even as the border tension stand-off between India and China is yet to abate, India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited the Stakna forward areas in Leh, the capital of Ladakh on Friday. During his interaction with soldiers at the Lukung post near Pangong Lake, Singh said, “Not an inch ofRead More →
Days after China blocked access to Indian newspapers and television channels to deny its citizens of credible news from across the border, China’s vassal Nepal decided to please its master but it did not have the courage to do it openly. So, instead of announcing a government ban on IndianRead More →
Days after two Indian diplomats faced harassment in Pakistan, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday summoned the Charge d’ Affaires of Pakistan to convey New Delhi’s decision to “reduce the staff strength in the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi by 50%”. This effectively means India will expelRead More →
Excerpts from India’s foreign minister S Jaishankar’s opening remarks at the RIC trilateral foreign ministers’ video conference on June 23, 2020 Friends, We welcome this special RIC meeting of Foreign Ministers to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the conclusion of the Second World War, as well as the foundation ofRead More →
India is going through a peculiar situation. Days after President Ramnath Kovind signed off on the amended law that offers citizenship to the persecuted minorities of three neighbouring countries – Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan – Muslims across the country are demanding the law should not be implemented. Reason? Foreign MuslimsRead More →
When Finnish transport minister Sanna Mirella Marin takes over as Prime Minister of the Nordic country later this week, she will be the world’s youngest Prime Minister at 34 – younger than Ukrain’s 35 years young premier Oleksiy Honcharuk and New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern who is 39. Marin was electedRead More →
MONICA BOSE RAGHAVAN There are not many countries in the world where more than half the ministers and over 40% of the Members of Parliament are women. Sweden scores on both fronts. But, then, Sweden is not like any other nation. It proudly calls itself the world’s first ‘feminist government’Read More →
Ministerial declaration, Stockholm, 11 June 2019 We, the participating states – Argentina, Canada, Finland, Ethiopia, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland – to the Stockholm Ministerial Meeting on Nuclear Disarmament and the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), met today to discuss howRead More →
In a fresh initiative to ratchet up international opinion towards a nuclear weapons-free world, Sweden plans to host an international ministerial meeting in Stockholm on June 11 on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. The purpose of the meeting, to be hosted by Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Margot Wallström, is toRead More →
Clouds of war are hovering over West Asia with the US and Iran hardening their stance. While tensions between the two countries have risen sharply ever since Donald Trump became the US President, the latest impasse was triggered by Iran’s threat that it would stop respecting an international deal itRead More →
Italy was supposed to host the G20 summit only in 2022 but it would now host the group of 20 meeting a year earlier, in 2021. Likewise, India was to be the host of the world leaders’ annual meet in 2021. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India wouldRead More →
Donald Trump’s New Year gamble seems to be paying off. A day after the US President accused Pakistan of “lies and deceit” and “fooling America” in its commitment to fighting terrorism, events unfolded on Tuesday exactly as the net assessment forecast. A baffled Pakistan first tried to shrug off Trump’s devastating tweet as a non-issue, then questioned the US questioning and finally panicked being forced to knock at the doors of China. And China, exactly as expected, jumped to the rescue of its beleaguered neighbour saying the latter has done enough to wipe out terrorism from its soil and neighbourhood!Read More →
In perhaps the first show of his diplomatic side, Trump called the Mexican President as a “friend” and termed the meeting a “great honour”Read More →
Citing unnamed sources, Indian media has reported that New Delhi has told its diplomats in Islamabad that their wards can no longer study in Pakistan schools. While Indian diplomats posted in Pakistan can’t have their children living with them, spouses will be allowed to stay, say the reports. While IndianRead More →
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Distinguished Members of the U.S. Congress Ladies and Gentlemen. I am deeply honoured by the invitation to address this Joint Meeting of the U.S. Congress. Thank you, Mr. Speaker for opening the doors of this magnificent Capitol. This temple of democracy has encouraged and empoweredRead More →
By EMILY SCHAUER BROWN Till a few weeks ago, nobody would have taken Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump seriously. His background in business and flare for drama that has led him from industry to industry, including a stint in Hollywood as the creator of the The Apprentice, meant that votersRead More →
Indian actor Anupam Kher has said he’s been denied visa to attend the Karachi Literature Festival (KLF), which begins February 5. Kher, who was among the 18 Indians invited to participate, was to deliver a speech at the festival. Kher took to Twitter to express his disappointment. “I feel bad forRead More →
Dear readers, Diplomatic News – India (www.diplomaticnews.in) was launched on January 1, 2011 to capture the diplomatic, geo-political, strategic developments around the world that have a direct bearing on India. As Diplomatic News turns five, we are in the process of creating a panel of writers from various countries. IfRead More →
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address at the Parliament of Afghanistan Eight centuries ago, a famous son of Balkh Province, one of the greatest poets in human history, Jalaluddin Rumi, wrote, “Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that gives flowers, not thunder”. This is the wisdom ofRead More →
The recent terrorist attacks in Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), India’s northern states bordering Pakistan, have once again exposed military-ruled Pakistan’s nasty game in the region. At Gurdaspur in Punjab, three terrorists killed seven people – three unarmed civilians and four policemen, including a superintendent of police – andRead More →
By EMILY SCHAUER Indian finance minister Arun Jaitley recently made a trip to the US in an effort to maintain ties with the US and drum up foreign investments. Seeking to increase the flow of American investment to India, Jaitley highlighted several improvements in India that boost investment appeal.Read More →
By EMILY SCHAUER Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has successfully lobbied the United Nations to adopt an International Day of Yoga, which will debut on June 21, 2015, tying the now-international physical, mental and spiritual practice back to its Indian origins. Yoga is a practice heartily embraced throughout the WesternRead More →
By George Friedman The murders of cartoonists who made fun of Islam and of Jews shopping for their Sabbath meals by Islamists in Paris last week have galvanized the world. A galvanized world is always dangerous. Galvanized people can do careless things. It is in the extreme and emotion-laden momentsRead More →
Four suspected terrorists from Pakistan, who were supposedly sailing in a fishing boat in the direction of Gujarat in India, blew themselves up when intercepted by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on January 1, 2015 in the Arabian Sea, India’s defence ministry said in a statement on Friday. The ICGRead More →
On the first day of the New Year, India and Pakistan exchanged the list of their nuclear installations under a bilateral treaty that bars the two countries from attacking each other’s atomic facilities. This is an annual practice in vogue since 1991 when the Agreement on the Prohibition of AttackRead More →
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe got a shot in the arm with his ruling coalition winning a new two-thirds majority in the elections held on Sunday. The win, in which Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) retained its majority in the House of Representatives, is seen as a referendum on hisRead More →
After two weeks of intense talks during the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Lima, Peru, delegates from 194 countries came to an agreement on how to tackle climate change. The deal – the “Lima call for climate action” – includes a framework for setting national pledges,Read More →
During his sixth visit to India on 11 December 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin received an assurance from India that Russia would remain a top defence supplier for India. “Even as India’s options have increased today, Russia will remain our most important defence partner,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi saidRead More →
The threat of use, or misuse, of nuclear weapons is real and the consequences of such an event will be catastrophic, the Vienna Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons warned. The two-day conference, which ended on December 9, 2014 in the Austrian capital, sought to draw global attentionRead More →
The interrogation methods used by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on detainees were ineffective, much harsher than previously revealed and often produced wrong information, according to the executive summary of a report de-classified by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released on Tuesday. Only the 528-page summary has beenRead More →
US President Barack Obama picked the man who described the US as “the single most important provider of security in the world” as the new defence secretary. The nomination of Ashton Carter as Pentagon Chief comes about a week after Obama reportedly pressured former defence secretary Chuck Hagel to resign. TheRead More →
Yes, says Goldman Sachs. And as early as 2016, by which time India’s economy is estimated to grow faster than China’s. According to the American investment bank, India’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2016 will grow at the rate of 6.8 per cent, while China’s will be 6.7 per cent.Read More →
OPINION By EMILY SCHAUER Last week it was announced that Chuck Hagel submitted his resignation to President Obama. In the ensuing days, there was more speculation than fact rolling around the wires as America decided how it felt about this news. Since his announcement, there has been significant talk overRead More →
Text of speech delivered by US Trade Representative Michael Froman at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, New Delhi, on November 24, 2014. “I’ve been coming here for the past 15 years, as a tourist, as a business person and as a government official, but thisRead More →
By EMILY SCHAUER On Thursday, US President Barack Obama announced his plan to act unilaterally on the hot-button immigration issue by issuing an Executive Order. Opponents, primarily members of the Republican Party, decry his action as unlawful, and to some, it is an impeachable offence. In his speech announcing theRead More →
US President Barack Obama on Friday set the ball rolling for creating history by accepting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation to be the Chief Guest of India’s Republic Day on January 26, 2015. For one, Obama will be the first US President to be India’s chief guest during RepublicRead More →
Seeking a third term, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Thursday announced presidential elections ahead of schedule. The decision to hold presidential polls, expected in January next year, comes two years before the expiry of 69-year-old Rajapaksa’s current six-year term. “I am declaring a secret today. I have signed theRead More →
Ebola and climate change were among the non-economic topics mentioned in a joint statement by the Group of Twenty (G20) after their two-day summit in Brisbane, Australia that ended on Sunday, Nov. 16. On the economic front, the leaders of the G20 committed to reviving the subdued global economy withRead More →
In a major victory for India, the US on Thursday agreed to support the former’s demand to be allowed to continue with its food stockpiling scheme. In return, India will lift its veto on a global agreement on streamlining customs rules, known as the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), being negotiatedRead More →
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have an unusually-long 10-day foreign trip starting November 11, 2014. “Starting 11th November I would be travelling to Myanmar, Australia and Fiji to participate in various summits and bilateral meetings,” Modi said in a statement. The Indian PM is to attend two key multilateralRead More →
One of the first foreign policy announcements made by Stefan Lofven upon taking over as Prime Minister of Sweden early this month was that Sweden would be the first country in European Union (EU) to recognise Palestine. On Thursday, Sweden officially recognised the state of Palestine, a move welcomed byRead More →
Singapore is the most business-friendly economy in the world, according to the latest annual study by the World Bank, “Doing Business 2015: Going Beyond Efficiency”. This is the ninth consecutive year the Southeast Asian country has been ranked the best country to do business. The top 10 countries in termsRead More →
In a subtle message to China, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that India would supply naval vessels to Vietnam. This would be India’s first significant military transfer to Hanoi. The development is notable as it comes at a time when Vietnam is tied in a territorial disputeRead More →
Having won the tightly-contested the Presidential election, albeit by a narrow margin, Dilma Rousseff has her task cut out. In her second term as Brazilian president, Dilma has the tough job of perking up the country’s stagnant economy in her four-year term. Acknowledging the challenge ahead, Dilma said she shouldRead More →
Squarely blaming the US for disrupting the world order by seeking to impose its will on other nations, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday warned that new wars will break out if Washington doesn’t learn to respect the interests of other countries. Putin was speaking on “The World Order: NewRead More →
In a notable victory, India has been re-elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the term 2015-17, receiving the highest number of votes – 162 – in the Asia-Pacific group. India is already a member of the 47-nation UNHRC and its term is due to end onRead More →
By Reva Bhalla International diplomats will gather on January 22 in the Swiss town of Montreux to hammer out a settlement designed to end Syria’s three-year civil war. The conference, however, will be far removed from the reality on the Syrian battleground. Only days before the conference was scheduled toRead More →
September 28, 2013 Your Excellency, President of the General Assembly, Excellencies, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, Let me first of all congratulate you, Mr. President, on your election to the presidency of the 68th session of the UN General Assembly. We wish you every success and we assure you of ourRead More →
September 27, 2013 Washington DC The Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh and the President of the United States of America Barack Obama met this morning followed by a working luncheon at the White House. Marking their third bilateral summit, the two leaders reflected proudly on the transformation ofRead More →
Seeking to enable relief and reconstruction activities in opposition-controlled areas of Syria, the US has eased economic sanctions on the country, the US Department of State said in a statement to the media. According to the media note, which was reviewed by Diplomatic News, Secretary of State John F. KerryRead More →
Keeping in line with its policy on such incidents, Israel has chosen to “neither confirm nor deny” its role in the bombing of the neighbouring Syrian capital. According to media reports, Israel did a ‘pre-emptive’ strike on Syrian army facilities in the capital city of Damascus on Sunday. Israeli sourcesRead More →
In a major relief to peaceniks, the three-week face-off between India and China has ended. By Sunday evening, the Chinese troops have started withdrawing from their newly erected tents on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) which India claimed was 19 kms inside Indian territory. The move comes as aRead More →
With the standoff between India and China over Chinese troops’ alleged incursion into Indian territory entering the third week, two bilateral visits are at stake. Indian foreign minister Salman Khurshid’s proposed China visit on May 9 and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s trip to India – his first foreign sojourn afterRead More →
Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has rejected the application for tenure renewal by journalism professor Cherian George, reports Strait Times. This is the second time the university has denied the tenure appeal of the professor. NTU’s decision to let go of Prof George, who is popular among students and hasRead More →
The love-hate relations between India and Pakistan suffered another blow with the death of Indian citizen Sarabjit Singh in Pakistan. Singh was badly beaten up last week in a Pakistani jail allegedly by fellow inmates. Singh suffered a serious head injury and slipped into coma soon after. He was inRead More →
As many as 40 per cent of US college graduates are either unemployed or unemployable as they need further training before they can get their first job, according to an online survey done on Tuesday. The poll was conducted by global management consulting firm Accenture. It surveyed 1,050 workers whoRead More →
More than 20 people have lost their lives in the latest spate of bomb attacks in Iraq on Monday. About five bombs went off in the majority Shia Muslim areas, bringing the national death toll over the past week to 200. There has been a steady spike in sectarian violenceRead More →
A powerful explosion ripped through an office building in Prague, the Czech capital, at 9.56 am local time. Initial reports quote Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda as saying it’s a gas explosion and not a terrorist attack. About 40 people have been reportedly injured and some people could be trapped under theRead More →
Is Indian economy slowly coming out of the woods? The country’s February exports figures seem to indicate so. The latest exports data, released today, showed that India exported goods worth $26.26 billion in February, a slight improvement over January’s $25.5 billion. When compared to the figures in February last year,Read More →
Amid a slowing economy and dismal foreign investor confidence in the country, India has sought to present a subdued annual Budget for the next financial year (April 2013 to March 2014). In the Budget released on 28 February, Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram proposed to tax the super rich, and increaseRead More →
Dear readers, www.diplomaticnews.in was launched on this day two years ago to capture the developments in global politics and diplomacy. As Diplomatic News turns two, please join me in celebrating this occasion. Sincerely, Editor Birthday greetings may be sent to editor@diplomaticnews.inRead More →
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India comes at a most inopportune time. New Delhi is witnessing an unprecedented massive protest campaign – mostly led by the city’s University students – against the increasing incidence of rapes in the capital city. The latest trigger is the gang rape of aRead More →
After about three years in opposition, Japan’s conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won the national parliamentary elections on Sunday, paving the way for former Prime Minister 58-year-old Shinzo Abe’s return to power. LDP and allies won 325 seats in the 480-seat lower house. Abe, who is widely described as “hawkish”Read More →
Three weeks after issuing it, Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi today revoked the controversial decree that gave him sweeping emergency powers. This is expected to defuse the violent protests and growing political tension gripping the country. The decision came after exhaustive talks among representatives of Muslim Brotherhood, the political movement toRead More →
The row between the Maldives and an Indian company, GMR Group, over the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport in the tiny island nation, threatens to mar the otherwise friendly relations between the two countries. In the latest development, a higher court in Singapore ruled on 6 December 2012 that Maldives canRead More →
From the looks of it, Palestine has the world on its side. On Friday, it won 139 votes in its favour against 9 votes against it, thus winning a thumping majority for new status at the United Nations (UN) as a non-member UN observer. However, Palestine’s new upgraded status hasRead More →
In one of the bloodiest terror attacks, 36 people have been killed in Pakistan on Wednesday night as Taliban terrorists including suicide bombers targeted security forces and Shia processions in Rawalpindi and Karachi during the Islamic month of Muharram. In Rawalpindi, the bomber blew himself up when security personnel preventedRead More →
After eight bloody days that saw 900 missiles being launched into Israel by Hamas militants, 1,500 bombings by Israel in the Gaza strip and the killing of 154 Palestinians and five Israelis, Israel and Palestine group Hamas have agreed on a ceasefire on Wednesday, which alone saw at least 13Read More →
India today executed Mohammed Ajmal Mohammed Amir Kasab, the lone survivor of the 10-member Lashkar-e-Tayyiba terrorist squad that killed more than 160 people of various nationalities in Mumbai on 26 November 2008. The other nine terrorists were killed during the encounter with India’s security forces. Kasab, a Pakistani national, wasRead More →
By Aung San Suu Kyi, Chairperson, National League for Democracy, Myanmar (Excerpts from Suu Kyi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Lecture in New Delhi on November 14, 2012) There can be few occasions in life more fulfilling than those on which debts of kindness and friendship can be repaid. These past fewRead More →
US President Barack Obama’s comment that India should open up more sectors to foreign investment has Indian political leaders up in arms. In an interview to the Press Trust of India, Obama had said that India’s prohibitive investment climate was a matter of concern for the American business community. “TheyRead More →
Historical linkages between India and Ethiopia data back at least 2,000 years of recorded history, according to India’s ministry of external affairs (MEA). The oldest African country is looking up to India in more ways than one. In January-end, Ethiopia opened its first honorary consulate in Chennai. Ethiopian ambassador GennetRead More →
It was a spiritual event keenly watched for any political undertones. However, the 4-day Global Buddhist Congregation concluded in New Delhi on 30 November without turning political – despite the presence of Dalai Lama, who China accuses of masterminding “anti-China activities”. Delegates at the congregation unanimously passed a resolution toRead More →
BY GEORGE FRIEDMAN Everyone is wondering about the next disaster to befall Europe. Italy is one focus; Spain is also a possibility. But these crises are already under way. Instead, the next crisis will be political, not in the sense of what conventional politician is going to become prime minister,Read More →
By A.M. Godbole The notion of mutually assured destruction (MAD) helps prevent a direct full-blown military confrontation amongst nuclear weapons states. This has been an important pillar of the global security architecture in the post-second world war era. With India’s reportedly steady progress in its strategic nuclear submarine project—generally consideredRead More →
After 10 years of central-right rule, Denmark has swiftly swung to the left. In the process, it has got a new face. Literally, a good looking face. Helle Thorning-Schmidt, leader of the Danish Social Democrats, is slated to take over as the next Prime Minister of Denmark. In the recently-concludedRead More →
By Monika Skupa The land of Dracula, football craze and the Roma nomads… more than this, foreigners don’t know much about Romania. Located at the confluence point where Central, Eastern and Southern Europe meet, this European country offers a handful of breathtaking places to the travellers who are keen notRead More →
With the fall of the 42-year autocratic regime under Muammar Gaddafi in Libya, all eyes are now on Syria, where pro-reform activists have been fighting for the ouster of president Bashar al-Assad for the past five months. So far, the protesters have succeeded in making the government withdraw a 48-yearRead More →
The six-month-old liberation struggle in Libya entered a crucial phase with the rebels taking control of capital Tripoli. This more or less portends the end of the Gaddafi regime, which has been ruling the country for the past 42 years. However, at the time of writing this, there is noRead More →
By Sachu Jacob The current famine in Somalia was a disaster waiting to happen. Human suffering has been part of the history of Somalia; years of fighting between various war lords, violence and lack of governance have let this small country in the Horn of Africa sink to anarchy. PeaceRead More →
British Prime Minister David Cameron is facing his first political test. Since Saturday, London has been witnessing the worst kind of riots and looting. The rioting initially started off in Tottenham on Saturday. The trigger was the fatal shooting of a 29-year-old man, Mark Duggan, by armed police officers. TroubledRead More →
Close on the heels of the US debt ceiling deal, credit agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) downgraded the US government’s credit rating from AAA to AA-plus. This is the first time in history that US gets a credit lower than the coveted AAA. Now the US is in the sameRead More →
Ranjan Mathai is India’s new foreign secretary. The appointment is for two years, which can be renewed if the government so wishes. He succeeds Nirupama Rao, who has been posted as India’s ambassador to the United States. Fifty-nine-year-old Mathai hails from Kerala, a tiny state in the southern part ofRead More →
The new Pakistani foreign minister’s maiden visit to India began with a lot of hope. “I bring the good wishes of the people of Pakistan and the government of Pakistan,” said Hina Rubani Khar immediately upon landing in New Delhi on Tuesday, Interestingly, Khar chose to meet separatist leaders ofRead More →
Agence Maghreb Arabe Press, the state news agency of Morocco, has reported that a military airplane belonging to Morocco’s Royal Armed Forces has crashed, killing at least 78 people — 60 soldiers and nine crew members; the rest are civilians. The plane was reportedly about to land at western Sahara,Read More →
Pakistan’s new foreign minister is only 34 years old. But that’s the least surprising factor of the new minister, Hina Rabbani Khar, who has been promoted from junior minister to the cabinet. In a deeply-conservative Pakistan, it’s the first time a woman has been appointed as a foreign minister. TheRead More →
By Sachu Jacob Mumbai is India’s commercial and entertainment hub. It is also one of the most densely populated cities in the world. So any terrorist attack on it could have maximum collateral damage. Terrorists knew it all along, and perhaps that’s why they have struck the city as oftenRead More →
Hillary Rodham Clinton, US Secretary of State, arrived in New Delhi on 18 July to attend the second round of Indo-US strategic dialogue. Clinton is accompanied by a large delegation including top US counter-terrorism officials such as Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper and Deputy Secretary, Homeland Security JaneRead More →
For the second time, Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan requested the French government to postpone the ceremony of the second-highest French civilian award. On 13 July, Rai was to receive the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) from Jerome Bonnafont,Read More →
In a suspected terror attack, Mumbai, the financial capital of India, was rattled during the evening rush as three bombs ripped through crowded places within minutes of each other, killing dozens and injuring many more. Indo-Pak relations are likely to be the first casualty. Initial reports suggest that at leastRead More →
By Matthew Gertken and Jennifer Richmond Beijing has become noticeably more anxious than usual in recent months, launching one of the more high-profile security campaigns to suppress political dissent since the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989. Journalists, bloggers, artists, Christians and others have been arrested or haveRead More →
By Rev. Prof. Renta Nishihara When the great earthquake took place on 11 March, I was at the university. My bookshelves were falling, lights were swaying wildly. Turning on a TV, I saw a great tsunami about to swallow up some people. The city’s public transport at Tokyo was paralyzed,Read More →
Does India want to trade with Iran or not? It seems Indian companies do, but the government doesn’t. Or that is the signal the Indian government is giving out through its thoughtless, preposterous actions. On 27 December 2010, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) through a notice circulated to allRead More →
To say that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s two-day trip to India (21-22 December 2010) was highly successful would be an understatement.Read More →
BBC lists Kashmir as an independent country, undoes it, quietly Is Kashmir part of India, part of Pakistan, or is it a separate country? The answer might vary depending on who you ask. As far as India is concerned, Kashmir is an integral part of India just like any otherRead More →
