Nursing "serious suspicions" on India's role in Nepal's political process, Maoist leader Prachanda has said the Indian establishment had failed to "grasp the verdict" of the historic 2008 election and he is keen to discuss his concerns with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on Saturday conveyed India's 'deep disappointment' to Maoist leader Prachanda over his verbal attacks on the country, terming them 'baseless propaganda'. During a meeting with Prachanda in Kathmandu, Krishna asked the Maoists to fulfill their peace process commitments and join the consensus on concluding the peace process and drafting the new constitution by the targeted date of May 28. Krishna "conveyed deep disappointment".
The United kingdom and France on Saturday joined India in making it clear that there should be no 'double standards' in the fight against terrorism, a view that can be seen in the context of Pakistan. The three countries also highlighted the need to bring to justice the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks and 'vigorous efforts' to deal with terrorism emanating from Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Pushing for a legally binding substantive outcome at the Copenhagen climate change meet, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday said India is willing to sign on to an ambitious global target for emission reduction or limiting temperature increase, if it is accompanied by an equitable burden-sharing paradigm. He denounced attempts by some developed nations to junk the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions.
The United States, which foiled a major terror plot by the Lashkar-e-Tayiba to target India, has cited legal limitations in allowing Indian investigators to quiz arrested operatives David Coleman Headley and Tahawwur Rana. US National Security Adviser James Jones said President Barack Obama has shown personal interest in the Headley-Rana case and the matter was discussed during his meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday.
The meeting between Dr Singh and Sarkozy on climate change assumes significance as it came just ten days before the Copenhagen Summit on the issue.
The issue of climate change is going to dominate the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting which is being attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
As the stand-off between Iran and the West continues over its nuclear programme, the United States has said India should use its 'influence' to convince the Iranian leadership to accept the 'one of the most reasonable' and 'perfectly plausible' proposal of low enrichment uranium.
Identifying education and business as areas of reconnecting with Indian diaspora, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh invited them on Friday to undertake a 'pilgrimage' to the 'new creative India' and be active partners of the country's development and progress by making use of investment and business opportunities.
Unhappy with the behaviour of Pakistan over terrorism, particularly the Mumbai attacks, India is not too keen to have a foreign ministerial meeting with Pakistan, even though both Union Foreign Minister S M Krishna and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi are in Port of Spain in to attend an international summit.
Indian Consul General in Chicago Ashok Atri, embroiled in a controversy over visa issued to Lashkar-e-Tayiba operative Tahawwur Hussain Rana, has met Union External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and said that no rules had been violated in giving him the travel document, as he had submitted all proper papers for the same.
While the Framework would support small and medium enterprises in exploring new business opportunities, the US-India Financial and Economic Partnership would deal with economic, financial and investment-related issues.
India and the United States have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on counter-terrorism and five other pacts as they ventured to chart their ties as "one of the defining relations" in the 21st century in which India will have a leadership role in the region and the world.
US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday effusively praised each other after their first substantive meeting with the US President calling the Prime Minister a man of "honesty and integrity" who has helped unleash India's "extraordinary economic growth".
India's growth rate, which slowed down to 6.5 per cent this fiscal because of global financial meltdown, is expected to get back to around 9 per cent within two years.
Reaching out to the American business community, he said, virtually all spheres of Indian economy are open for participation by foreign investors and "no investors will be more welcome than investors from this great country".
Coinciding with the Copenhagen meet, India is considering a legislation incorporating all its action plans and national missions aimed at reducing dependence on coal based fuels.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi termed as a 'positive development' the Joint Statement issued last week after talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani in Sharm-el Sheikh, Egypt, and said it needed to be taken forward.
Notwithstanding the resolution of G-8 countries on curbing transfer of enrichment and reprocessing technology, India on Thursday asserted that it was proceeding with bilateral civil nuclear deals with various countries on the basis of 'clean waiver' granted by the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
India on Thursday asked Pakistan to demonstrate the same 'force' to deal with terror groups like Laskar-e-Tayiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed like it has done against the Taliban in Swat Valley.