New Delhi will have to fashion a pro-active foreign policy response that relies less on Washington in crafting an appropriate response to the changing dynamic in Af-Pak, says Harsh V Pant.

The company has had three Japanese executives for the post of managing director over three years.

Zora, who is married and stays at her in-laws house, keeps coming back to what once used to be her paternal house in Indira Gandhi Camp II in Sewa Nagar in South Delhi, for she does not have parents, but has two younger sisters and a brother. Her two sisters live in a plastic tent, which is often targetted by miscreants at night.

With the chokers tag behind, South Africa will arrive in India on Tuesday in search of their first ICC World Cup in 13 years but experienced batsman Hashim Amla said there is less pressure and hype around the team this time which might act in their favour in the mega-event.

Former captain Mashrafe Mortaza will not take part in next month's World Cup. The injured fast bowler was left out of Bangladesh's 15-man squad named on Wednesday. Mortaza, 27, injured his knee during a domestic match last month and selectors felt he would not have regained full fitness in time for the Feb 19-April 2 tournament being co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

A look at India's performance on day three of the 2010 Asian Games, on Monday.

Members of Parliament from diverse parts of India -- from the Naxalite-affected regions to south India -- react to President Obama's speech.

'Beijing is watching Obama's visit closely. While Chinese leaders have faced opposition from Japan and Vietnam, they view India's rise with caution.'

Delhi and Tokyo need to urgently assess the implications of their lacklustre ties and get serious about remedying this situation. The Indian prime minister's visit is a step in the right direction but much more needs to be done to enhance regional and global stability, says Harsh V Pant.

A senior official from the Protocol Department, who is involved in the preparations for Obama's visit to Mumbai and Delhi, said that there have been requests from a large number of chief ministers. But no such meeting has been granted.

New Delhi's defence establishment has quietly put in place India's own counter-measures to woo and bolster China's neighbours as a long-term strategy, says Nitin Gokhale.

Indian women's hockey coach Sandeep Somesh held his wards poor finishing and penalty corner conversion responsible for the side's 1-2 loss against Australia and said the home team will have to win their remaining two matches if they wish to enter the semi-finals.

Pakistan on Thursday accused India of adopting an 'untenable, illegal and amoral' position on the issue of Kashmir and said New Delhi should come forward for meaningful and result-oriented talks aimed at resolving the decades-old issue.

The Climate Change conference in Copenhagen last year yielded the contentious and non-binding Copenhagen Accord.

Indians, cosseted by stories about their success in America, often think they are the golden immigrants, the good ones, guests who can come for dinner. And stay. Perhaps now the blinders will come off, writes Sandip Roy

The foreign ministers' talks failed just when progress seemed on the horizon, says Sheela Bhatt

The railway is not operating trains on Kharagpur-Rourkela section between 10 pm and 5 am.

The continent's first World Cup was embraced off the pitch but on it, where only Ghana of the record six teams taking part got beyond the group stage, it was a massive disappointment.

France native Claude Arpi shares his thoughts on Saturday's quarter-finals at the World Cup.

India's Rohan Bopanna and his Pakistani partner Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi crashed out in straight sets from the doubles quarter-final of the Wimbledon in London.

India should carve out a policy response that protects India and its interests from the negative externalities of the US strategy in Afghanistan, writes Harsh V Pant.

'No political office anywhere in the world holds as much clout and influence over society as it does in India. I say that because the political office holder is the only person in the country whose influence is far more than his or her innate merit,' says L K Advani.

FIFA has an extremely serious problem which can easily be remedied by appointing a 'fifth official' (or video referee) who could be consulted by radio whenever there is a serious doubt.

Whether France prove the doubters wrong with a fine World Cup run or make another embarrassing exit remained anybody's guess after their opening 0-0 draw with Uruguay on Friday.

In a major setback for the Pakistan People's Party-led civilian government, the Lahore high court on Monday dismissed an appeal filed by Interior Minister Rehman Malik against his conviction and sentencing in two corruption cases by another court.The anti-corruption court, acting on references by the National Accountability Bureau, had awarded Malik a three-year prison term. The court pronounced the sentences after the minister failed to turn up for the trial.

This unheralded, mandatory holiday of sorts provided one such occasion. It proved to be a blessing in disguise for those who otherwise have to slog it out round-the-clock.

Chauvinism, narrow-mindedness or self-righteous wrath? Amber Rahim Shamsi weighs in on the resentment bubbling over at the idea of Sania Mirza having married a Pakistani.

Figuring out the state of an army's morale is easy. All it takes is a couple of drinks with two groups of people: the officers and the enlisted men. If the chatter is mainly about sports and professional competitions, ongoing training and about how much tougher and smarter they are than their rival units, morale is high. If talk centres on pay and allowances, promotions and postings and on the world outside the army, you can bet money that morale is low.

Solutions from major players like Microsoft, Google and Intel suggest that computing in Indian languages is coming of age.

India is willing to walk the "extra mile" to open a new chapter in relations with Pakistan but it must act decisively against terrorism, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asserted on Monday."We seek cooperative relations with Pakistan. Our objective is a permanent peace because we recognise that we are bound together by a shared future. If there is cooperation between India and Pakistan, vast opportunities will open up for trade and development that will create prosperity.

A WTO ruling opening up China to Hollywood should help Bollywood too

England off-spinner Graeme Swann's sparkling form in South Africa contrasts with his tour there 10 years ago when he spent a lot of time drinking and was a million miles from the Test side, he was quoted as saying on Sunday.

He described how India had negotiations with US for almost 36 hours over the words of the Accord.

The film is a decent entertainer with a message for the youth.

'There is much that India and the United States can do together to reduce the global risks of nuclear proliferation, including by building a new global consensus on the way ahead. The negotiation of a verifiable Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty in the Conference on Disarmament will be a significant contribution.'

Foreign policy expert Dr Ashley J Tellis believes there are three fundamental objectives that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to the United States can accomplish.

English legend Ian Botham lashed out at the cricket administrators for shoving more and more Twenty20 down the fans' throat and said the slam-bang format, which is 'bastardising the game', has no place in international cricket.

While the Pakistani army and US troops continue to drive the Taliban out of their hideouts in South Waziristan, there is perhaps a dormant, but more dangerous, threat looming overhead.

Excerpts from the text of the Prime Minister's address at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New Delhi on Friday

India created history on Friday by taking over as the number one team in the ICC ODI rankings. Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his boys outclassed New Zealand by six wickets in the second match of the tri-series in Colombo, on Friday, which also ensured that they toppled South Africa from the top of the rankings