Ex-CIA official Bruce Reidel had said in Washington, DC that amid speculations over Zardari's future, he believes that the 'creeping establishment' of Pakistan's fifth military dictatorship is underway right now, reports Aziz Haniffa.
Former Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs, Karl F Inderfurth, has told the US Congress that Washington should publicly support India's bid for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council, arguing that the India's case has never been stronger.
Bolton said that the arguments for China joining the World Trade Organisation was that it would become a more market-oriented rules-based society.
The key reason for the country's stagnating exports is its failure to build a strong manufacturing base, says T N Ninan.
In little over a year, the Big Cinemas has acquired a chain of 188 screens in more than two dozen cities in the US, covering almost all the major centers of South Asian population from Manhattan and Edison in East Coast to Los Angeles and San Jose in California and Chicago in the Mid-West.
Manmohan Singh and Yusuf Raza Gilani hold the key to South Asia's progress, observes Sanjaya Baru, former media advisor to the Prime Minister.
'India enjoys the maneuverability of a coming big power.' 'It is this possibility that has persuaded Moscow to humour India and stayed Washington from getting punitive about India's neutrality on the Ukraine issue.'
According to a report by Greenpeace and AirVisual, air pollution will cause around 7 million premature deaths globally next year.
In terms of working hours, Asian cities still lead the field with an average of 2,154 hours annually, followed by Africa with 2,138 hours, the Middle East with 2,023 hours and South America with 1,989 hours.
The proposals of six para-athletes, who are training in India and abroad ahead of the Asian Para Games that will take place between October 6 and 13 in Jakarta, were also cleared at the meeting.
Making it easier to do business is a key element of our strategy, says Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar.
'While visits and personal meetings are useful, changes of strategic significance have occurred recently, with Beijing trying to take the lead which Modi must take note of.'
Just like China wants Trump to lose the US presidential poll, it may want Modi to lose the Lok Sabha polls. So months before the 2024 elections, China may take possession of an important area, say one of the Char Dhams, warns Sanjeev Nayyar.
Since its release last month, Central Intelligence Agency veteran and senior adviser to four Presidents on Middle East and South Asian issues Bruce Riedel's new book, Deadly Embrace: Pakistan, America and the Future of Global Jihad, has been creating waves in administration, Congressional, think tank and diplomatic circles.
'The men in black suits and hair dye in Beijing have not only completely blown the cover story of "peaceful rise," but have managed to antagonise regional powers in the Indo-Pacific.'
If Mr Modi and his team expect to win the 2019 elections, groundwork for improved performance in their second term should be done now.
Both the Asian giants were among the top three countries spending more on armaments, according to a new report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
National football team coach Wim Koevermans has announced his squad of 21 players for India's two international friendlies which are scheduled to be held this month.
If India is to follow a smart cultural diplomacy, it has unmatched advantages over both China and Pakistan, says Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
Situated at a height of 15,200 feet above sea level, the pass sits on the top of a craggily formed Himalayan range that separates the Tibetan plateau from the Indian sub-continent.
'With just 2.4 per cent of global landmass, India houses six to eight per cent of planetary biodiversity and hence is a prime target of wildlife criminals.'
The prime minister will have a tight schedule in the Philippines as besides attending the 15th ASEAN-India summit and 12th East Asia summit on November 14, he will have a series of other engagements including bilateral meetings with several leaders.
The prime minister's outreach to Japan is a recognition of the civilisational potential that the two nations hold and can wield in evolving an era of 'Asianism' in global politics, says Anirban Ganguly.
Official sources said withdrawal of tanks and other armoured elements from certain friction points is nearing completion while pulling back of troops from the North bank areas is being undertaken.
"Imagine a jihadist State with the fastest growing nuclear arsenal in the world," Bruce Riedel said. "And, if that doesn't scare you at night, you are watching too many horror movies."
The chargesheet, filed by the State Investigation Agency, has highlighted several instances where parents were taken across the border using valid travel documents but were later compelled to pay extra money for their wards' admission to universities and colleges there.
News of all that transpired on and off the football field.
India cannot choose its geography and devise regional strategies to dovetail into the Western Indian Ocean hypothesis conceived in the Pentagon, argues Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
From nitrogen frozen bhel puri and pav bhaji fondue to duck chilli samosas and paapri pizzas, fine-dining restaurants are now adding a bit of zing to the humble street food
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will focus on extended neighbourhood, particularly the ASEAN and Central Asian regions, says Archis Mohan
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.
In bilateral interfaces relations with China have also to be given due weight, opines Premvir Das
Taking a dig at China, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said 'some irresponsible nations' with their narrow partisan interests and hegemonic tendencies are coming up with wrong definitions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
'Putin is in danger of losing face in his Ukrainian adventure. His bluster is a response to this.'
Other than India, China and Mexico, the top 10 recipients of remittances include the Philippines, Poland, Nigeria, Romania, Egypt, Bangladesh and Vietnam. Remittance flow to South and East Asia has continued to post strong growth, largely on the fact that the gulf countries, a major destination for Asian migrants, have not significantly reduced hiring migrants.
The world's lowest ranked soccer team, Bhutan, will take on Sri Lanka next month, while sleeping giants India face Nepal in the first qualifying matches for the 2018 World Cup.
Tshering Dorji scored the only goal of the match in the 84th minute for the small Himalayan nation, ranked last of the 209 teams in FIFA's rankings, against Sri Lanka.
