Former United Kingdom Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been appointed as the United Nations' special envoy for global education.
In its explanation of vote, India said 'we find that our views have not been reflected in the draft being considered for adoption today. We would like to reiterate that a consultative and constructive approach involving the neighbouring countries and the region, remains important as the international community strives for the peaceful resolution of the issue'.
China's Ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yu and Acting Minister of Refugee Affairs of the Afghan caretaker government Khalil-ur-Rehman Haqqani attended the handover ceremony at the airport.
Beijing's growing assertiveness as kingmaker in Kabul has suffered a setback with Washington quietly moving in, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's special envoy Shyam Saran started hectic parleys with Nepalese leaders on Thursday to help form a consensus government amidst deepening political crisis in Katmandu.
India is primarily focusing on evacuating its nationals from conflict zones in eastern Ukraine including Kharkiv and Sumy, and that the total number of Indians still stuck in the battle-scarred nation is roughly in the range of 2,000 to 3,000.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at a media briefing that 1,396 Indians were brought back home in six flights in the last few days as part of the evacuation mission.
For the first time, China has come out openly backing Pakistan's Inter-Service Intelligence saying the spy agency could not have been involved in the recent attack on an Indian consulate in Afghanistan.
Shyam Saran, Prime Minister's special envoy on climate change,demitted office on Sunday after a fruitful tenure which saw him play a key role in ending India's nuclear isolation and drafting policies on environment-related issues.
US President Barack Obama has nominated veteran diplomat David Hale as the next ambassador to Pakistan.
United States special envoy Richard Holbrooke on Wednesday met National Security Adviser M K Narayanan in New Delhi. According to reports, the two discussed how India could help Washington's strategy aimed at ending terror threats emanating from Afghanistan and Pakistan.Holbrooke, the special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, was accompanied by Chairman of US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen.Holbrooke is also meeting Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon.
Wisely skirting a prospective foreign policy pitfall, US President Barack Obama appointed a special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, shelving the controversial idea of appointing an envoy for South Asia.
Guterres referred to the Simla Agreement, which is a bilateral agreement and rejects any third-party mediation in the issue.
United States has stepped up diplomatic efforts to defuse the deepening political crisis in Pakistan, with Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke asking the country's top leadership to resolve differences with the PML-N so that they could focus on the war against militancy.
In a clear indication that it is against the appointment of an American special envoy for the sub-continent, India said on Tuesday that there was a bilateral mechanism to improve Indo-Pakistan ties and third party intervention would not make any difference.Asked about US media reports that the incoming Obama administration may appoint former President Bill Clinton or some other person as special envoy, Pranab Mukherjee said that such news reports were speculative.
A transition official has confirmed that Obama's foreign policy advisers are discussing the possibility of appointing a special envoy to India, the New York Times said. But the paper quoted another transition official as dismising as "speculation" reports that former President Bill Clinton was being considered for appointment as a special envoy to deal with the Kashmir issue.
China's Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin said China wants 'relevant parties' to resolve the issue through consultation.
Special envoys Lodi Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen said they have told Chinese officials during the two-day talks in Beijing that continuing the parleys on the Tibet issue will serve no purpose until the Communist country takes "tangible" measures. The Dalai Lama was "disappointed" on the outcome of the latest Beijing talks, the duo said in a statement in Dharamsala.
"India has been deeply concerned over the rapidly deteriorating situation in Ukraine and the ensuing humanitarian crisis," India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti said.
Two of the US Cabinet members -- Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Transport Secretary Elaine Chao -- have resigned over the storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters. US Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund has also announced that he would resign this month after he faced criticism for failing to prevent Trump supporters from storming the building.
India invited leaders of the BIMSTEC countries as well as Kyrgyz President Jeenbekov, the current chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and Mauritius PM Jugnauth for the Modi's swearing-in.
In a tweet, before leaving for New Delhi, Rajapaksa said he was looking forward to strengthening bilateral relations with India.
'The ISI wanted to create internal disruption in the Valley by the killing of the security forces.'
The two sides are also expected to explore ways to deepen defence collaboration, including exercises, defence transfers and technologies ahead of the next edition of the 2+2 defence and foreign ministerial dialogue to be held in the US later this year, they said.
Get your lowdown on what your favourite Hollywood stars have been up to.
The United Nations Security Council on Thursday expressed deep concern over the declaration of the state of emergency in Myanmar by the military and called for the immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other political leaders arbitrarily detained by the military.
United States President Barack Obama has appointed Cliff Sloan, a high-powered lawyer with extensive experience in all three branches of the government, as his special envoy for the closure of the much-criticised terrorist detention centre at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba.
Academy Award winning actress Angelina Jolie, often billed as the 'most beautiful woman on the planet', is doing some amazing work as a special envoy for the United Nations's body for the refugees, the UNHCR. The ravishing actress, who has covered some of the most troubled regions in the world with a message of compassion, is currently on a humanitarian mission in Lebanon to meet with Syrian refugees.
'I have worked long & hard with Robert. He will do a great job!' he said.
'Modi has visited all these three countries (the UAE more than once, inexplicably) but has left out Kuwait and Oman, the two Gulf countries that are closest to India in their political, cultural and civilisational ethos,' notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
A young girl from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, who has been tackling the problem of child labour, has been conferred with the first United Nations Malala Award for spreading education among child labourers. Razia Sultan, 15, will be felicitated as United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education's Youth Courage Award for Education
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Annan was the first black African to take up the role of the world's top diplomat
Organisers of next year's Glasgow Commonwealth Games are introducing some of the "best practices" of the 2010 New Delhi Games, Senator Hugh Segal, Canada's Special envoy for CWG renewal, said.
With the world commemorating November 10 as 'Malala Day' in honour of Pakistani child activist Malala Yousafzai, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon extended his support to the young girl and her fight for education, describing her as the "global symbol" of every girl's right to an education.
Despite dependence on the ISI for years of sustenance, Taliban leaders may harbour resentment over the ISI's excessive control, notes Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at the Research and Analysis Wing.
Talks between Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng and US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman to improve the relations got off on a rough note at the northeastern Chinese port city of Tianjin, with Xie launching a blistering attack on Washington, accusing it of being the "owner of coercive diplomacy".
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama's two special envoys, in talks with Beijing since 2002, have resigned citing the "deteriorating" situation in Tibet and frustration over lack of positive response from Chinese side to the dialogue process.
In further escalation of tension with the United States, Pakistan has asked for the visit of President Barack Obama's special envoy to be put on hold till it formulates its policies towards Washington, in the wake of the deadly strike by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, killing 24 Pakistani soldiers. Obama's Special Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan Marc Grossman was scheduled to visit Pakistan as part of his ongoing tour to the region.
The Taliban knows that Washington holds the key, points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
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