Smartphones are full-featured mobile phones with personal computer like functionality with camera and email capabilities with a complete personal organiser. "We are working with our OEMs to bring to market smartphones with full in-built HSDPA (advance version of 3G mobile functions) next year," Qualcomm India and South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation President Kanwalinder Singh told PTI.
Soon after the Union Ministry of Culture decided on refusing US dollar payments for entry tickets to monuments in Agra due to the falling value of dollar against the Indian rupee, the Archaeological Survey of India is planning to lower the entry ticket cost for tourists belonging to the South Asian Association for Regional cooperation (Saarc) countries, bringing it down from Rs 750 to Rs 20.
In the same year, medical tourism was a $333-million strong market and the ministry said given its growth rate of 25 per cent it will emerge as $2billion market in 2012.
The existing SAARC Development Fund could be merged into the bank.
'Victims of terrorism do not sit together with its perpetrators to discuss terrorism.'
Bangladesh is awaiting a fresh date to host the SAARC summit postponed due to the devastating tidal wave disaster that hit Asia and said priority would be given to India, Sri Lanka and Maldives in setting the new schedule.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he looks forward to useful conversations with his fellow leaders from China, South Africa, Brazil and Russia on addressing pressing international and regional challenges that stand in the way of their goals.
The 2016 SAARC Summit was originally planned to be held in Islamabad on November 15-19, 2016. But after a terror attack on an Indian Army camp in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir on September 18 that year, India expressed its inability to participate in the summit due to "prevailing circumstances". The summit was called off after Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan also declined to participate in the Islamabad meet.
The South Asian nations could script a new history of cooperation and prosperity that could serve as an example for other nations, notes Dr Rahul Mishra.
India, along with some other members, objected to the proposal and due to lack of consensus or concurrence, the meet has been cancelled.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will make a statement in Parliament on December 14 on the recent developments in India-Pakistan relations.
An expenditure of at least Rs 17.6 lakh was incurred on the oath-taking ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan, an RTI reply has found.
Nepal said it would take necessary initiatives and hold discussions with member-states to press for holding the 19th SAARC Summit.
Modi attended the 20th ASEAN-India Summit in Jakarta. Secretary-General of ASEAN Dr Kao Kim Hourn also attended the summit.
Extending its support to Saarc Bank, Sri Lanka on Thursday said the proposed financial institution will help in alleviating poverty in the South Asian region.
Modi said the coming together of SAARC leaders will lead to effective outcomes and benefit citizens in the fight against coronavirus. The PM on Friday had proposed formulation of a joint strategy by the SAARC nations to fight coronavirus, a suggestion that was backed by all the member states.
"Sri Lanka regrets that the prevailing environment in the region is not conducive for holding the 19th SAARC Summit in Islamabad," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The launch will be a major feat in country's space history as no exercise on this scale has been attempted before.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday called for close cooperation between India and Bangladesh for building mutual trust to combat the threat of terrorism.
An Indian high commission diplomat was denied permission to travel to Lahore to set up the mission's stall at the ongoing South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Trade Fair where all the other SAARC nations have their representation.
He did not mention the issue of Jammu and Kashmir.
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation has "survived" but not "triumphed" as had been envisaged, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday said while lamenting the postponement of the eight-member grouping's Islamabad summit.
Leaders of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan have also decided not to attend the summit, which now has to be cancelled as per the SAARC charter.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a $1 million ad-hoc grant for the operational budget for the BIMSTEC secretariat and another $3 million assistance to revive the grouping's centre for weather and climate.
The SAARC has not lived up to its potential, the White House said.
India is not expecting any dramatic results from Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar's visit to Pakistan on Tuesday, senior officials said on Friday emphasising that his visit was a "SAARC yatra and not a Pak yatra".
We must fight this global challenge confronting humanity together, Khan said on Twitter.
The terrorists opened fire on the army camp at Langate in Kupwara district at around 5 am, which was retaliated by the jawans, a senior army officer said.
'No Cold War should be reignited and no Ukraine-style crisis should be repeated in Asia'
India said it firmly believes that a peaceful and secure neighbourhood will yield "rich dividends" for SAARC nations.
Describing "knowledge" as the focal point of all religions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said South Asian region will be left behind if it does not embrace modernity.
There is a view that heavyweight portfolios like home, finance, defence and external affairs besides education and culture, two ministries with strong ideological hues, will be kept by the BJP, while its allies can get anywhere between five to eight cabinet berths.
Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar arrived in Kabul on Wednesday to hold talks with the Afghan leadership
During the visit, apart from attending the SAARC meet, Singh is likely to have bilateral meetings with his counterparts from other SAARC member-countries, including Pakistan's Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.
India is 'patiently' awaiting Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's response to the invitation for swearing in of Narendra Modi as 'short duration bilateral meetings' are being set up with all the other South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation leaders, who have decided to attend the ceremony on May 26.
"You can change friends but not neighbours," Atal Bihari Vajpayee famously said this 15 years ago.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that developing close relations with India's neighbours is a key priority of his government, ahead of his planned visit to Kathmandu on Tuesday afternoon to attend the 18th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, Summit.
As its factories resumed operations after over two-month of grim battle against coronavirus, China is busy tapping into the vast business opportunities of export of key medical goods, specially ventilators and personal protection equipment (PPE), across the world, including India, where both private and government bodies are placing orders for the import of these products.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances