Far from the political noise generated by state assembly elections, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday had lunch together at a five-star hotel in Johannesburg soon after attending the memorial service of anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela.
Bangladesh government on Tuesday reacted sharply to top opposition leader Khaleda Zia's refusal to meet visiting President Pranab Mukherjee, saying it 'is a departure from democratic norms and courtesy'.
Bangladesh's main opposition leader Khaleda Zia has condemned recent attacks on Hindus in different parts of the country allegedly by activists of fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami and demanded punishment to perpetrators of the attacks.
Describing India and Myanmar as "natural partners", Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tonight suggested using the huge untapped potential of the economic relationship between the two countries for mutual benefit.
On the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Myanmar in quarter of a century, Manmohan Singh held 'broad-ranging' discussions with Myanmar President Thein Sein on a road map for bilateral cooperation and said New Delhi was committed to Myanmar's economic development.
India on Monday announced that it will provide a 500 million-dollar line of credit to Myanmar as the two countries signed agreements on a range of sectors, including air services, beginning a "new journey" of bilateral cooperation. On the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Myanmar in quarter of a century, Manmohan Singh held "broad-ranging" discussions with Myanmar President Thein Sein on a roadmap for bilateral cooperation.
As Manmohan Singh arrived Nay Pyi Taw in Myanmar on Sunday for the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Myanmar in 25 years, it marked another milestone in this country's steady march out of decades of diplomatic isolation and military rule even as key questions remain about the sustainability of the political reform process.
Ahead of the Pakistan foreign minister's visit to New Delhi, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on Wednesday said a "new chapter" has opened in India-Pakistan ties and both sides are working to narrow the trust deficit between them. "A new chapter has opened in our relations with Pakistan where I had gone recently and the latest was the foreign secretary-level meeting in Islamabad. Let us admit that there is a trust deficit between the two countries," he said.
India on Wednesday hoped that Bangladesh would not draw any "adverse inference" from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's recent controversial remarks about the country, as External Affairs Minister S M Krishna arrived in Dhaka on a three-day official visit. "I hope no adverse inference will be drawn by the Bangladesh government from the prime minister's remarks," Krishna said.
While it makes economic sense for countries like Thailand, where the English-speaking population is very small, to engage teachers from India to teach the language in that country rather than from any other part of the world, it is often argued that if it is a question of learning English, it would be better to go for those from the US, Britain or Australia even if this means more money.
The Centre has extended by one year the visa for controversial Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin, who has also moved for permanent residency in India. The extension of her visa came a day before its expiry, relieving the 46-year-old author of tension about her future stay in India, her 'adopted' home since leaving Bangladesh in 1994 in the face of death threats from fundamentalist groups against her alleged blasphemous writings.
At the delegation-level talks between the two sides, which followed a brief one-to-one meeting between Ansari and Gen Aye, the Myanmarese side acknowledged India's security concerns but conveyed that the insurgents would not be permitted to use its territory to target India, they said.
Vice President of India Mohammad Hamid Ansari arrived in Naypyidaw in Myanmar on Thursday on a four-day visit during which India and Myanmar will sign three agreements, one of which will see auto giant Tata Motors setting up a truck manufacturing unit in this neighbouring country.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said that he was optimistic about the chances of Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Kamlesh Sharma for the coveted post. Sharma, a seasoned diplomat, is pitted against Malta Foreign Minister Michael Frendo, a veteran politician who heads the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group. The election for the post of Commonwealth Secretary General is expected to take place during the three-day summit, beginning on November 23.
Before 1975, the city had several thousand Indians as its residents but most of them had left due to the war between Vietnamese guerrillas and American troops.
Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, who undertakes his maiden visit to India early next month, has sought Indian investment in its energy sector, including civil nuclear power.
Sections in France may still be sore about Laxmi N Mittal's takeover of Arcelor but Luxembourg, where the factory is located, is certainly not afraid of the owner of the world's largest steel manufacturer of Indian origin.
There is good news for Jharkhand. Contrary to the perception, the world's biggest steel manufacturer Laxmi N Mittal has not given up plans to set up a greenfield unit in the state.
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