Experts tell Carnegie Endowment for International Peace that a Modi government may be Asia oriented, but the US will remain a deep influence. Aziz Haniffa reports
Trump and Macron's handshake was white-knuckle prolonged one, with as usual fierce, crunched bones, tightened jaws and both had a fixed smile and as per the French president was entirely intentional.
Commentators in Canadian media highlighted that Union Minister of State for Agriculture Gajendra Shekhawat received Trudeau at the Delhi airport when he arrived on a seven-day India visit on Saturday evening and contrasted it against Modi himself receiving several world leaders at the airport.
'They don't have a political strategy so they are going to try to deal with it purely as a law and order problem.' 'They will try to use the same strategy they have repeatedly used since 2014 in Kashmir.' 'Mr Modi has landed in a situation where he faces the possible prospect of not only being unable to Indianise Kashmir, but his actions may end up making the rest of India a virtual carbon copy of Kashmir.'
The PM was also seen chit-chatting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak at the reception for the leaders who have arrived in Manila for the 31st ASEAN summit and related meetings.
A Japanese delegation will soon visit India to study the opportunities
Firm equity market failed to restrict the rupee's fall against the dollar
The rupee depreciated by 17 paise to end at nearly one-month low of 61.72 against the greenback on Friday on sustained dollar demand even as domestic equities surged to new highs.
China also said that it was opposed to any third-party involvement in the resolution of the Sino-India boundary disputes.
'Modi's abject capitulation will play out badly in his core constituency.' 'The bulk of our strategic community is under the impression that India under Modi has already become a superpower.' 'They don't even want to look at the country's emaciated limbs or its asthmatic problems,' says Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
The US President describes N Korea as a 'big problem'.
President Xi Jinping on Tuesday pushed China's free trade vision for the Asia Pacific region and asked APEC to "break open closed doors" as leaders of the grouping held talks on forging consensus over opening up commerce in the resource-rich and economically dynamic region.
'The coming two months could unfold unpredictable results or unpredictable consequences or both at the same time,' says Rajaram Panda.
On his second day of the visit, Modi visited the International Rice Research Institute in Los Banos, an urban locality situated at a distance of around 65 km from Manila -- the capital of the Philippines -- and then visited the Mahaveer Philippine Foundation, that provides free Indian-made prosthesis 'Jaipur Foot' to needy amputees. Here are images from Modi's second day in the Philippines.
While Mumbai struggles with heavy rains for the past four days, torrential rain in Japan, unleashed floods and landslides resulting in the deaths of over 150 people. Rescuers in Japan are racing to find survivors after the country witnessed the country's worst weather disaster for 36 years.
Although the India-Japan relationship has its own driving forces in terms of robust economic ties and shared values, China is the elephant in the room in the strategic parleys between the two countries, says Rup Narayan Das.
'After many rudderless years, India and Japan have prime ministers with a sense of purpose and direction,' says Brahma Chellaney.
After a successful first day to the Taj Mahal and the wildlife sanctuary in Mathura, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is in India on a seven-day-long visit, made his way to Gujarat accompanied by his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau and three children -- daughter Ella Grace, and sons Hadrien and Xavier. Here are the some snapshots of Trudeaus' day in Gujarat.
The rupee has gained by 21 paise or 0.31 per cent in last two days
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, while reacting to Japan's plans to step up investments in the northeastern states, told the media that China is opposed to any foreign investment in the areas where it has disputes with India.
We take a look at India's major imports and exports with Japan in recent years.
A video posted by the IS warns that Kenji Goto will be executed within 24 hours.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has announced that the 2.3 million strong People's Liberation Army, the world's largest, will be trimmed by three lakh.
"This government is dedicated to the poor -- Dalits, oppressed and deprived and will attempt to do something for those who have to suffer in life. This government is committed to the welfare of the poor and how their lives can be changed and this government has been making constant efforts in this regard," Modi said.
'Both nations have a common problem: A rampaging, jingoistic and hostile China which is making substantial territorial claims. In the long run, Japan and India are going to be the victims of Chinese aggression -- so they might as well hang together to contain China,' argues Rajeev Srinivasan.
'Sachin Pilot once calculated that with a million Indians flooding the labour market every month, only an additional 12 million jobs annually could keep unemployment at the same level.' 'That's chickenfeed for the functionaries who cram my e-mail inbox every day with such a constant flow of job offers that trying to empty it is like trying to drink dry the horn connected to the ocean in Norse mythology,' says Sunanda K Datta-Ray.
For 20 years, the stock market headed nowhere, and this has created permanent aversion.
Forex dealers said besides increased selling of the American currency by exporters and banks, the dollar's weakness against other currencies overseas also supported the rupee, but a lower opening in the domestic equity market limited the rise.
The gunmen in four off-road vehicles opened fire on the people who tried to exit the mosque after the explosion.
'Modi's initial forays into foreign policy had the flavour of Aswamedha Yagas launched by ancient kings to conquer the world.' 'He overcame the hesitations of history and explored unconventional ways to win friends and influence people.' A fascinating excerpt from Ambassador T P Sreenivasan's new book, Modiplomacy -- Through a Shakespearean Prism.
Sushma Swaraj does not follow anybody, Gadkari is happy to track only two, while Parrikar has only 117 tweets.
Ahead of his visit to Japan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday tweeted in Japanese to strike a chord with the Japanese people whose "scale of innovation" he admired.
The irony is that Trump detests fat people...
The FoBs were constructed by the Army Engineers in a record 117 days.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe congratulated Osaka on Twitter and thanked her for 'giving Japan a boost of inspiration at this time of hardship'
A homoeopathic state of mind pervades our thinking in governance and infrastructure-building. Do it in small, harmless doses, but nothing bitter, sharp, or bloody, says Shekhar Gupta.
He said that the US 'does not, and never will, accept North Korea as a nuclear state'.
United States President Barack Obama's proposed visit to India in January next year is a great opportunity to strengthen and expand bilateral strategic partnership, top American administration officials and experts have said.
Rediff.com's Vipin Vijayan, who is travelling with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Japan, reports from Tokyo.
