Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Monday that he had asked Saudi Arabia to use its "good offices" to persuade Pakistan to desist from the path of terror.
Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor on Saturday defended India's decision to vote against Iran on the International Atomic Energy Agency resolution, claiming that it had been taken keeping in mind the fact that the Islamic nation was a signatory of the NPT. He was responding to a question on whether India had toed America's line over Iran's nuclear programme.
Expect the unexpected when it comes to Test cricket says Indian batting ace Sachin Tendulkar, who recalled how Wasim Akram peppered him with bouncers even as he expected yorkers in his maiden Test series in Pakistan. Tendulkar was speaking in Mumbai on Friday at the launch of a book Shadows across the playing field, authored by India's Minister of state for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor and former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman and diplomat Shaharyar Khan.
Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor on Thursday defended Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on the joint statement issued after his meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Egypt.However, his statement had few takers, and most experts feel that the reference to Baluchistan in the joint statement would prove to be a costly blunder.The Bharatiya Janata Party has also criticised Dr Singh.
A big question mark is on whether Shashi Tharoor, who had led the delegation to the US among other countries, will be picked as speaker by the Congress, as the seasoned Lok Sabha member's enthusiastic endorsement of the government's action following the terror attack has soured his ties with his party.
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on Tuesday met Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the wake of the controversy surrounding Minister of State Shashi Tharoor's role in the IPL's Kochi team. IPL commissioner Lalit Modi recently alleged that Tharoor had asked him not to disclose details about owners of the consortium led by Rendezvous that bought the new Kochi franchisee.Tharoor hit back at Modi by alleging that he had made attempts to pressure the winning consortium.
After creating a controversy by his 'cattle class' remark, Union Minister Shashi Tharoor has now complained about his workload while tweeting about 'ridiculously full' engagements.
According to an official in the finance ministry, Pushkar, if an employee of Rendezvous, would have to pay 33 per cent perquisite tax. Otherwise, she is liable to pay gift tax under section 56 of the Income Tax Act, since the shares were given to her without taking any consideration (compensation). "The value of shares will be determined by a merchant banker if it is a perquisite tax," the official said.
The Indian Premier League's new franchise Rendezvous Sports World (RSW) has threatened to sue IPL commissioner Lalit Modi for breaking the confidentiality terms.
India on Saturday said it wishes to see that 'exemplary punishment' is given to the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, who have been charge-sheeted in a Pakistani anti-terror court.
Former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor is hoping that the Kochi IPL team will be able to compete in the fourth edition, following the BCCI's decision to postpone a final decision on its fate to December 5.
Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said he was looking forward to a 'thorough inquiry' into the Indian Premier League imbroglio, which cost him his position as Minister of State for External Affairs.
In an effort to check forgeries and misuse of passports, the government is rolling out e-passports that will carry biometric information in a chip.
Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner Shah Rukh Khan has denied offering any role in the team to Dubai-based entrepreneur Sunanda Pushkar, who is at the centre of an ownership row involving the Kochi franchise.
Alliances fight wars effectively only when they share an endgame. If Israel acted without US knowledge, then the military alliance is operating without real coordination at the level of strategic targeting. Neither picture is reassuring in a war that is no longer regional in its consequences. Prem Panicker continues his must read daily blog on the Gulf War.
India on Tuesday said Pakistan should do more in containing militancy as well as dismantling terror infrastructure in that country. "Frankly we have not seen enough action on either, though we acknowledge that the civilian government in Islamabad had apprehended seven persons in connection with the Mumbai terror attacks," Shashi Tharoor, minister of state for external affairs, said in New York.
Shashi Tharoor, who resigned as minister of state for external affairs after being in the eye of the IPL storm, on Saturday said "truth" should come out on the issue and asserted he doesn't need to quit public life as he has committed no irregularity.
The government, on Wednesday, said cooperation from Pakistan was lacking in bringing the perpetrators of the strikes to justice. Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha, Shashi Tharoor, Minister of State for External Affairs, said, "Terrorism is a principal preoccupation in most of our international contacts. We seek to ensure that all countries show us support in the actions we need to undertake."
Shashi Tharoor on Friday rejected the Opposition's demands for his resignation as minister of state for external affairs by asserting that the allegations against him on the IPL issue were 'baseless, ill-founded and ill-motivated'. "The real motive behind the public controversy that has been created around me is to make the Kochi team unviable and to assign this IPL franchise to elsewhere than Kerala," he said in a statement tabled in the Lok Sabha.
A parliamentary panel on external affairs has expressed concern over China's growing presence and influence in the Indian Ocean Region, citing risks to India's national security and strategic interests. The panel also highlighted the strengthening China-Pakistan naval nexus as a cause for concern.
Tharoor's remarks came after several BJP leaders accused the Congress of 'Pakistan parasti (worship)' and Union minister Jyoritiraditya Scindia asked if this was part of the 'Haath Se Haath Jodo Abhiyan' with enemies.
Inaugurating the solidarity rally, Venugopal, a Rajya Sabha MP, strongly condemned the war unleashed by Israel in Gaza and their attacks against hospitals and refugee camps there.
'The Congress submitted four names to the government as the people who should accompany the delegation.' 'I don't know what happened to those names.' 'When I was approached, I told them to speak to my party.' 'I have no further involvement with this delegation.'
Ironically, it was Twitter that did Shashi Tharoor in. Though the former minister of state external affairs has maintained a stoic silence on the micro-blogging site ever since his unceremonious exit, his followers are on the rampage
Having drawn flak for staying in a five-star hotel for the last three months, Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor described the controversy as "silly seasoned" that prompted invitation by many of his friends to stay with them.
"There is no dearth of talent in my ministry. I have the assistance of very able secretaries," she said in a curt tweet.
The question is no longer whether the war will expand. It has. The next few days will tell us whether the war stabilises around Hormuz or whether the Strait itself becomes the trigger for a far larger rupture. What to watch for over the next 48 hours is simple: Any move by the US toward direct naval control of the Strait; any credible Iranian attempt to disrupt or mine shipping lanes and, critically, whether energy infrastructure in the Gulf continues to be targeted.If those lines are crossed in tandem, the war will no longer be containable within the region.
The sources said Misri reiterated the government's stand that the decision to stop military actions was taken at a bilateral level, as some opposition members questioned US President Donald Trump's repeated assertions about his administration's role in stopping the conflict.
Unfortunately, the best man does not always win, but I feel enriched by the experience of the campaign and getting to know Rajeev Chandrasekhar, says Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
'The entire US ecosystem built over decades at the bases in the Gulf region, especially the UAE, costing trillions of dollars have been decimated, dealing a mortal blow to the US Central Command's war capability,' points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
The former Union minister said the population debate is 'utterly misplaced' and half a century out-of-date as a large majority of Indian states have achieved replacement levels of fertility.
The Cabinet reshuffle of October 28 seems to have left some Congress ministers dismayed. While some are reportedly upset over being demoted, others are unhappy about being ignored for key ministerial posts.
The government of India may be rethinking its rule barring foreign visitors from coming back to India within 60 days of their earlier visit unless they take special permission from the embassies or consulates.When the rule was initially introduced, then minister of state in external affairs ministry Shashi Tharoor had tweeted that terrorist Ajamal Kasab and his associates did not need visas to come to Mumbai to carry out the 26/11 attack.
The proposed legislation on Emigration (Overseas Mobility (Facilitation and Welfare) Bill, 2024) seeks to replace the Emigration Act of 1983 with a view to facilitate the circular mobility of people intending to emigrate for overseas employment.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh returned home on Saturday after a week-long trip to the United States and Brazil. Asked on the controversy regarding Shashi Tharoor, the PM said, "In politics, ups and downs keep happening."
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, who faced trolling on social media in the wake of India and Pakistan reaching an understanding on May 10 to halt all military actions, has received support from veteran diplomat Nirupama Menon Rao, a body of Indian diplomats and a host of politicians from several parties.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor was questioned by the Special Investigation Team on Thursday for the second time in the last four weeks on the Indian Premier League controversy as also various aspects leading to the mysterious death of his wife Sunanda Pushkar.
Tharoor said the Congress should stand up for its foundational principles.
Shashi Tharoor has been removed as Congress spokesperson after the party high command received complaints that he had embarrassed the party with his praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Celebs and commoners cast their votes in the second phase of the Lok Sabha election on Friday, April 26, 2024
