United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has expressed deep regret over the death of an Indian UN peacekeeper who was killed during clashes between renegade soldiers of Congo and government troops on the border with Uganda.

Gen Bikram Singh, a veteran infantry officer, on Wednesday took over as the 25th chief of the Indian Army, succeeding Gen V K Singh whose 26-month tenure was mired in controversies. The 59-year-old Gen Bikram Singh will have a tenure of two years and three months in the top post

The 25th general to lead the world's second largest army is one of its most decorated serving soldiers today.

Bolton Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Muamba remained in a critical condition after suffering a cardiac arrest during the FA Cup quarter-final at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, the hospital and club said in a joint statement on Sunday.

Tottenham Hotspur's FA Cup quarter-final against Bolton Wanderers was abandoned on Saturday after Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba collapsed near the centre circle.

Equatorial Guinea produced arguably the biggest ever upset in African Nations Cup finals on Wednesday by beating Senegal 2-1 to book a quarter-final place and send one of the favourites tumbling out.

The British risk analysis firm Maplecroft recently released a 2011 scientific report ranking the top 10 countries at extreme risk for impacts from climate change.

Lionel Messi and Alexis Sanchez, club mates at Barcelona, sparkled as Argentina and Chile put behind them a weekend to forget with victories in the South American 2014 World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday.

Latin America has the largest income inequality, although it is more equitable than sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia in life expectancy and schooling, states a UNDP report.

The Global Peace Index 2011 notes that while several countries experienced improved levels of peacefulness, others, notably those in North Africa and the Middle East that have been swept up in the political turmoil of the "Arab Spring", have experienced sharp falls in their peacefulness.

Holders Internacional fell victim to another Uruguayan ambush of a Brazilian team when Penarol upset them 2-1 away to knock them out of the Libertadores Cup on Wednesday.

The name of the company could not be disclosed as per the confidentiality clauses of the agreement inked by Tech Mahindra.

A United Nations plane with 33 people onboard crashed while attempting to land amid torrential rain in the DR Congo capital of Kinshasa on Monday, killing 32.

Whatever the humanitarian stance taken by the leaders in Washington, London and Paris, the real catalyst for action in Libya is not the deaths of countless civilians, but the need to secure the supply of oil to an increasingly thirsty developed world, argues Richard M Bennett

Indian peacekeepers have rescued seven women from Mai Mai rebels in the North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is often referred to as the rape capital of the world.

India is also the third largest borrower of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the World Bank), with a total portfolio of $21.9 billion (Rs 98,590 crore).

European champions Inter Milan won the Club World Cup and brought some relief to beleaguered coach Rafael Benitez when they brushed aside Africa's TP Mazembe 3-0 in the final on Saturday.

Pakistan has violated Indian airspace 23 times in the last three years, Lok Sabha was informed on Monday. "Indian air space has been violated 29 times by foreign aircraft during the period between December 2007 and November 2010. These include 23 occasions by Pakistan, thrice by China, twice by the United States and once by Bangladesh," Defence Minister A K Antony said in written reply to a query.

In a significant development, Jammu and Kashmir has been removed from the UN list of unresolved disputes, giving a setback to Pakistan which has been asking the world body to intervene on the issue.

An Indian peacekeeper has been accused of sexual misconduct in the UN peacekeeping mission in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Anayansi Lopez of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations has said.

Just three places below Afghanistan, Pakistan has been ranked the 10th most failed state in the 2010 Failed State Index released by the prestigious Foreign Policy magazine on Monday.

An Indian soldier on a United Nations peacekeeping mission in strife-torn Congo was killed during a firefight between the Congolese Army and armed assailants.

Benfica's Paraguay forward Oscar Cardozo converted two second-half penalties to help them come from behind and beat 10-man Liverpool 2-1 as the Europa League dished up more drama in the quarter-finals on Thursday.

World Cup title hopefuls Spain, England and Argentina seized morale-boosting victories in warm-up matches on Wednesday.

Bharti will have to deal with 15 different regulatory regimes in Africa as opposed to just one in India.

It also had other suitors like French company Vivendi, Egyptian company Etisalat and even MTN.

African Nations Cup will go ahead despite an attack by gunmen on the bus carrying the Togo team as the players entered the host country Angola for the tournament, the organisers CAF said on Friday.

Barcelona, who provide the backbone for World Cup favourites Spain and will be parading Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi, are the team to beat at the Club World Cup that kicks off this week in Abu Dhabi.

China is using its growing trade power to enhance its global influence, especially in Africa, Latin America and Asia, where it is perceived as an all-weather friend. Since opening up its economy in 1978, China's foreign trade has been growing by leaps and bounds.

On Wednesday morning, the management sacked 5 more pilots, bringing the total number of those fired to 10.

Baloch political leader Dr Jumma Khan Marri on the struggle for greater autonomy from Pakistan and a greater share of the region's natural resources.

Former Wimbledon champion Michael Stich's return to competitive action 12 years after his retirement lasted only 62 minutes on Tuesday, losing his doubles first round at the German Open.

Cristiano Ronaldo had his first training session in Real Madrid bcolours in Dublin on Tuesday.

The top 10 failed states in the 2009 list are: Somalia, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Guinea and Pakistan.

Steel czar Lakshmi N Mittal is keen on selling half of his stake in a Kazakhstan oil field to state-run ONGC Videsh Ltd to tide over the severe financial constraint affecting his planned expansion in energy sector.

De Beers does not expect any recovery in demand for diamonds until Christmas next year at the earliest and is planning to cut production drastically.

Aggressive diplomacy and a well prepared case against the JuD, parent organisation of Lashkar-e-Tayiba, led to Security Council's decision to call for worldwide freezing of its assets and putting four LeT leaders on a list of terrorists subject to sanctions, including ban on foreign travel. The case prepared by India was so convincing that even China, which bailed out Pakistan and prevented ban being imposed on earlier occasions, decided to go along.

Launching its largest ever humanitarian appeal, the UN has sought $7 billion in urgent aid for 30 million people in 31 countries, to tide over the hunger crisis that has been compounded by the economic downturn. The latest aid appeal dwarfs last year's call by the international agency for $3.8 billion for 25 million people.

The Army's 'prestige has been hurt' after the arrest of its serving officer in connection with the Malegaon blasts, the Deputy Army Chief said on Thursday, but stressed that it was a 'freak' incident.Lieutenant Colonel Srikant Purohit was on Wednesday arrested in Mumbai for allegedly supplying money and explosives for the September 29 Malegaon blast. The officer was posted at the Army Corps Training College and Centre at Pachmarhi in Madhya Pradesh.

In his first visit to India after taking over office, Ban Ki-Moon recalled India's long and glorious association with India and said, 'throughout these many decades, India has given its best to the United Nations and to the world -- its best economists, doctors and engineers, its most promising ideas.'