From being on the verge of war and violence, West Asia has actually got a sudden reprieve. Seema Mustafa explains
India on Wednesday abstained from voting while Russia and China vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution that threatened action against Syria if it didn't immediately halt a deadly crackdown on anti-regime protesters. Russia and China, both permanent members of the Security Council, vetoed the European-backed resolution, killing the draft. Apart from India, countries that abstained from voting were Brazil, Lebanon and South Africa.
The Indian hoopsters commence their London Olympic Games qualifying campaign on Thursday, by taking on Lebanon in their opening Group A league match of the 26th FIBA Asia Basketball Championships at Wuhan, China.
Flame according to experts is a sophisticated malware which has struck Iran. The primary job that is undertaken by Flame is to spy on documents, recorded conversations and also keystrokes. In addition to this it also allows the attackers to tweak programmes and add new functionalities.
Its promise has fallen short before the onslaught of the votaries of the old order and ruthless extremist forces, notes Talmiz Ahmad.
Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli paid the price for attempting to score with an audacious trick shot against the LA Galaxy when he was immediately withdrawn from Sunday's friendly by manager Roberto Mancini after just 30 minutes.
Putting Pakistan on notice, a Republican-majority Congressional panel has cleared a key bill that would slap strict restrictions on the United States aid to Islamabad for not doing enough in the war against terrorism.
The Geneva agreement is a signal, which at least Saudi Arabia and Israel are so reading, that normalisation of relations between US and Iran is not merely about the nuclear fuel cycle, says K C Singh.
India on Friday called for the full implementations of United Nations Security Council resolutions imposing sanctions against Iran without harming its legitimate economic activities, as New Delhi underlined the need to resolve the row over Tehran's nuclear programme peacefully.
The terror attack on a car of the Israel embassy -- which injured a diplomat, her driver and two others on Monday afternoon in Delhi -- is suspected to be the handiwork of militant group Hizbollah. The attack comes in the wake of similar attempts at terror strikes on Israeli diplomats and properties in Georgia and Bangkok. Till date, say intelligence agencies, the presence of Hizbollah has been minor in India, with no specific input about a terror attack being planned.
Dempo Sports Club was handed a humiliating 0-9 thrashing by Uzbekistan's Nasaf FC in their AFC Cup encounter in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday. The result of the match is Dempo's worst ever in all competitions, and the heaviest in AFC Cup history.
Arunima Sinha, the national-level volleyball player who lost her leg after being thrown out from a running train near Bareilly, will be able to walk once again with a city-based non-governmental orgaqnisation on Friday deciding to provide the athlete with a 'Jaipur Foot' free of cost.
Any attempt to defang Islamic State must first cut off its main sources of funding, especially its revenue from oil sales, extortion and crime, ransom payments, and support from foreign donors. This will also be need to be backed up by efficient forces on the ground.
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on Monday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh against the backdrop of violent protests in Gulf, West Asian and North African regions, which is home to lakhs of Indians. Krishna is understood to have briefed Dr Singh on the various steps taken by his ministry to ensure the safety and security of Indians living in these regions. The prime minister was briefed about the contingency plans of the ministry in case of any threat.
The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin -- arguably the largest and most influential international medical organisation in the country -- has slammed African American Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain's bigoted remarks about minority physicians.
Those whom the gods wish to destroy they first make mad. Whether Hindus or Greeks coined that aphorism, it resoundingly describes the Bharatiya Janata Party's blundering ineptness. Obsessed by 2014, the party has missed the chance of creating a precedent for statesmanship and squandered the asset it has in someone of Jaswant Singh's calibre.
The extent and nature of India's role in the ongoing turmoil in West Asia must be defined primarily by its strategic interests in the region. Few are, however, sure if New Delhi has any idea about its regional strategic interests, says Harsh V Pant.
The film has not worked in India but overseas, Ra.One seems to be the biggest blockbuster of all time.
India, regarded as a key emerging political and economic power, would be the president of the powerful United Nations Security Council in August and again later next year, most likely in November 2012, during its two-year term.
October 27 is a historic day, not only for the Infantry but for the entire Indian Army. It was on this day, 64 years ago, that the first infantryman landed at Badgam in the Kashmir Valley to chase away Pakistani invaders. The enemy was thrown back and the valley was saved. It was the first glorious action undertaken by the Indian Army in the post-Independence era. Therefore, October 27 is celebrated as 'Infantry Day' throughout India.
An Ethiopian airliner carrying 82 passengers and eight crewmembers crashed into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after taking off from the Beirut International Airport on Monday morning, officials said.
Dubai's police chief on Friday said leaked United States diplomatic cables to be released soon will prove his claim that the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad was involved in the murder of Hamas commander Mahmoud Al Mabhouh in Dubai almost a year ago.
Lebanon-based terrorist group Hezbollah has acquired an arsenal of more than 50,000 rockets as well as 50 Fateh missiles capable of reaching Tel Aviv raising fears of a conflict to Israel, which could turn into a full-scale regional war.
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.
A group of over 50 pro-Palestine Indian activists, who were scheduled to begin a road trip to Gaza via Pakistan on Thursday, have been denied visas by the Pakistan government citing 'security reasons'. The activists were scheduled to leave for Palestine on Thursday along with a few people from other countries like Japan and Malaysia by road through Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt, before entering Gaza with medical aid.
After an impressive opening day on the mat, Indian wrestlers cut a sorry figure at the Asian Games today with the trio of Manoj Kumar, Anil Kumar and Sanjay finishing out of the medal bracket in their respective weight categories of the Greco-Roman competitions in Guangzhou.
United States President Barack Obama will be in India on November 6 for his longest State visit yet. Apart from our own coverage, we provide you this one-stop blog of what the world media is saying about the visit and its significance
A very delayed and subdued reaction, at a time when the non-aligned world had expected a big country like India to come out in support of rights and justice. It was yet another example of the mealy mouthed approach that has come to define Indian foreign policy, says Seema Mustafa.
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday said that post 26/11 attacks, there have been just two terror strikes in India -- Pune and Mumbai.
Pakistan former foreign secretary Salman Bashir is coming to Delhi as the next envoy, which is a prized posting. Wondering why he was appointed?
The Brit star was honoured for his portrayal of a mourning professor in A Single Man at the September 12 ceremony.
A United States official is set to hold talks in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Lebanon this week on sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council on Iran over its nuclear programme.
India, along with four other members of the United Nations Security Council, abstained from voting on a resolution that approves a no-fly zone over Libya and authorises "all necessary measures" for protecting civilians there from Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's forces. Ten of the 15-member body voted in favour of the resolution, but five nations -- China, Russia (which have veto power) and non-permanent members India, Germany and Brazil -- abstained from voting.
Ibrahim Dabbashi, Libya's deputy envoy to the United Nations, who had turned against Muammar Gaddafi, has called on the United Nations Security Council to pass a resolution imposing a no-fly zone in the North African country within the next 10 hours.
Kolkata giants East Bengal lost 1-2 to Syrian powerhouse Al Ittihad and suffered their fifth straight defeat in the AFC Cup, in Aleppo, Syria.
East Bengal slumped to their fourth straight defeat in the AFC Cup after a 1-4 drubbing at the hands of Al Qadsia in their away match in Kuwait City.
Superseding emergency measures put in place following a foiled terrorist attack on a US-bound aircraft on December 25, America on Friday announced enhanced security measures for all international carriers to strengthen passengers' safety.
The United States is reportedly planning to discontinue its policy of nationality based security checks of America-bound travelers and will now select passengers for special scrutiny at airports on the basis of possible matches to intelligence information, including physical descriptions or a particular travel pattern.
Securing a non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council is India's top priority for the year and it seems "eminently doable" with India putting a concerted effort, Indian envoy to the UN Hardeep Singh Puri has said.
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