Amid questions over the 'boat' operation, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Monday said "circumstantial evidence" indicated that the occupants of the vessel were "suspected or possible terrorists" and that they were in touch with Pakistani maritime officials and army.

The Pakistan maritime security agency apprehended 12 Indian fishermen and seized their two boats near the international maritime boundary on Sunday, a Porbandar-based non-government organisation claimed.

An AirAsia flight from Indonesia to Singapore with 162 people aboard reportedly went missing on Sunday morning after losing contact with air traffic controllers.

Once again an Indian prime minister has realised that with Pakistan and China, things will not move as he wishes.

Any official-level talks between India and Sri Lanka, without any clear-cut understanding on the livelihood issues, could end up in India having to acknowledge bilaterally even more than what it had no hesitation in accepting in Parliament and outside, says N Sathiya Moorthy

From early indications, the Modi government's foreign policy seems to be pragmatic and reciprocal, says K G Suresh.

President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday addressed the first joint sitting of Parliament as mandatorily required under the Constitution after the general elections. The address is the political, economic and foreign policy road map of the Narendra Modi government and covers virtually all crucial areas.

China wants a code of conduct for troops on the India-China border areas. While the Indian side has reacted cautiously, it is not clear what effective additional protocols that the current proposed code will bring forth to usher stability in the border areas, says Srikanth Kondapalli.

India has given a clear indication that killing of its five soldiers on LoC by Pakistan Army will delay the Indo-Pak Secretary-level talks, asserting that dialogue can only proceed in an environment free of violence and terror.

When Vietnam's India born Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh arrives in New Delhi on Wednesday evening, he will have many areas of similar interest to discuss with his counterpart, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid.

The Dragon is likely to be a prominent discussion topic, as PM begins his three-day Japan visit, reports Shyamal Majumdar

"China will never pursue development at the cost of sacrificing other country's interests. We will never benefit ourselves at others' expense or do harm to any neighbour," Xi said in his first foreign policy speech after getting elected as the General Secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China succeeding Hu Jintao.

China on Thursday questioned the Japanese premier's assertions claiming sovereignty over disputed islands in East China Sea, saying Tokyo is 'self deceiving itself' by ignoring historical facts and international laws.

Amid its raging dispute with Japan over the sovereignty of islands in East China Sea, the Chinese military has conducted exercises with amphibious tanks practising stealth landing on the territory.

China's aggressive posturing over maritime boundaries has caused East Asian countries to look at other powers for support.

A near billion-dollar arms and defence equipment procurement deal between Bangladesh and China may raised eyebrows in New Delhi while giving ground to the belief of China's "strategic encirclement" of India. However, the present government of Bangladesh has been trying to modernise its defence not only with arms from China, but also from countries like Russia and other countries in recent years.

Redif.com's A Ganesh Nadar travelled to Rameswaram to meet fishermen harrowed by the Sri Lankan navy, which has been resorting to stone pelting to drive them away from what it claims as its territory

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's foreign relations adviser Gawher Rizvi dismissed the reports as "untrue" which claimed "US troops are staying in Bangladesh" installing a base.

Pakistan has complained to United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon that the geographical coordinates notified by India of the Sir Creek estuary are "inconsistent" with international law and "impinge" upon Islamabad's territorial limits in the disputed area.

Pakistani authorities have arrested 122 Indian fishermen and seized 23 fishing boats on charges of poaching in the country's territorial waters, a spokesman said on Thursday.

Sri Lankan Navymen on Monday detained 14 fishermen from Tamil Nadu for allegedly fishing in their waters but freed them hours later on sighting an Indian Navy vessel near the International Maritime Boundary Line.

India is looking towards "unlocking processes" and exploring "doables" to revive the stalled dialogue with Pakistan, officials said on Friday, as Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao prepares to meet her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir next week in Thimpu.

'The emerging security environment in the Asia-Pacific is likely to revolve around China and the US with India viewed as a critical balancer in the region. New Delhi will now have to demonstrate that it is capable of thinking strategically.'

In yet another indication of the involvement of Pakistani establishment in the 26/11 Mumbai attack, LeT operative David Headley has corroborated the statement of lone captured terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab that the terrorists got training from Pakistan Navy.

Former national security advisor Brajesh Mishra, during whose tenure India-China relations had improved significantly, has said that China's present threat to India is more dangerous than in 1962, when the countries clashed in a war, and that Indian politicians were to blame for India's weak defence position.

Tamil-actor-turned political leader Vijaykanth told rediff.com that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's announcement of demanding Indian citizenship for Sri Lankan Tamil refugees is helping the dream of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse.

Bangladesh will protest in the United Nations against Myanmar's claim to a territorial sea in the Bay of Bengal, especially that of the "baseline" which is needed to delimit its maritime border, officials in Dhaka on Thursday.

Pakistani maritime authorities have arrested 50 Indian fishermen and seized nine boats after they strayed into its territorial waters near Karachi port. "These fishermen were fishing in nine boats which have been taken into custody as well. They would be produced before a magistrate on Friday for further investigations," an official of the Pakistan Maritime security forces said on Thursday.

Bangladesh on Friday moved two warships to confront an alleged 'intrusion' by three Indian vessels, for hydrocarbon exploration in its territorial waters, in the resource-rich Bay of Bengal.The move came after the Bangladesh Navy protested the incident and the government ordered a probe, following which 'appropriate' action will be taken.A news agency, quoting Foreign Ministry officials, said that 1 survey vessel backed by two Navy ships intruded for hydrocarbon exploration

'There had been a proposal to put up a chain of radars across the coast of India and some of it has already been implemented. "You could spend billions of dollars, but the coast could still get breached.'

Pakistan and India are close to concluding an agreement on the Sir Creek maritime boundary dispute, which has been hanging fire for decades, with all issues having been resolved, former Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri has said. The joint map and joint survey has been done and there are no more issues to be resolved between the countries, he said.

Unlike Indo-Pak talks, which are equally sensitive, India-China border talks have been low-key without arousing any kind of unrealistic optimism or expectation. Talks have been slow, but steady, without meeting any roadblock. This is symbolic of maturing of relationship between the two countries which has been achieved over the years.

India's security authorities have urged the (Indian) government to revamp coastal security mechanisms in the wake of the escalation of fighting between Security Forces and the LTTE, state-owned Daily News reported.

The two sides exchanged maps outlining their respective claims over the marshy strip as well as maritime boundary in that area.

Indian and Pakistani officials held technical-level talks near Islamabad on Friday to work out modalities for conducting a second joint survey of the Sir Creek area.

The DG said that large number of fishermen from both countries had difficulties in identifying the maritime boundary.