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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →