'The Chinese can't be trusted hence the need to verify and re-verify.'
President Pranab Mukherjee's recent visit to the Pacific Island nation is path-breaking, but much more needs to be done, says Dr Rahul Mishra.
Danti is highly focused on diplomatic entities. It may already have full access to internal networks in Indian government organisations.
'Employment of dedicated lightweight special forces aircraft may provide the answer for repeat anti-terror air strikes with surprise elements intact, the cost benefit assured and attrition minimal,' says Group Captain Murli Menon (retd), India's former air adviser in Pakistan.
Vandalism of the statue of the apostle of peace comes during the week of nationwide protests against the custodial killing of African-American George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25.
India on Monday made it clear to the United States that it cannot be "business as usual" between the two sides till the Devyani Khobragade issue is resolved.
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Wednesday attended the four-day congregation of Buddhist monks and scholars that triggered a diplomatic row between India and China and led to the postponement of border talks, but refused to make any political comments.
India and the United States may be moving towards a resolution of the stand-off over senior diplomat Devyani Khobragade's case with the envoy getting exemption from personal appearance in a New York Court hearing visa fraud charges against her even as she got her accreditation to the United Nations headquarters.
Bashir, who served as foreign secretary from May 2008 to March 2012, has been named Pakistan's new high commissioner to India and is expected to take up the post next month.
Such criticism by China of a foreign government official, particularly of a major power like the US, is very unusual. It is clear that China will come under increasing pressure certainly till the US presidential elections are held, observes former senior RA&W officer and China expert Jayadeva Ranade.
India is all set to become member of Missile Technology Control Regime, a key anti-proliferation grouping, as it cleared final hurdles in getting membership of the bloc that will help it access high-end missile technology.
The Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday the Charge d'Affaires of Pakistan High Commission was summoned and informed about the decision which was based on instances of involvement of Pakistani officials in 'acts of espionage' and 'dealings with terrorist organisations'.
Terrorism has to be fought at its root of origination. Today we are just removing cobwebs but not killing the spider, asserts counter-insurgency expert Brigadier Narender Kumar (retd).
Pakistan's new envoy to the United States, Sherry Rehman, is set to reach Washington on January 9 to occupy the position that was vacated by Husain Haqqani after he was linked to the Memogate scandal.
There is no chance of the case against Devyani Khobaragade being dropped, but a plea deal is possible, which could avoid a jail term for the Indian diplomat, sources in the US government tell Rediff.com's George Joseph in New York.
'None of these three countries -- Turkey, Iran or Malaysia -- ever made a hostile move against India to support the Pakistan-based terrorist elements,' notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
He made a reference to the clash between Indian and Chinese troops in Ladakh's Galwan Valley in June this year. "What our jawans can do, what the country can do, the world has seen in Ladakh," he said.
Bevan, who will take up his appointment in November 2011, has studied Social Anthropology at Sussex University before joining the Foreign Office in 1982 and has served in a number of bilateral and multilateral missions overseas.
Khan in his maiden speech at the 74th UNGA session suggested that nuclear-armed Pakistan may not have much of a choice if a conventional war were to break out between Pakistan and India which he described as a country seven-times its size.
Harris, in a major foreign policy speech as part of her three-day visit to Singapore, said America's vision includes the freedom of navigation which is vital to all.
The Taliban is highly pragmatic and would regard it wasteful to resume military offensive to capture Panjshir. The Taliban's preference, historically, has been to keep the military option as the last resort, explains Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar
The sortie had to be executed in good weather and in sub-zero temperatures, which meant it was to be accomplished by mid or third week in May before the earth heated up and the monsoon clouds made things difficult.
Seeking better ties with countries in the region, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Friday that India was engaging its neighbours without looking for reciprocal actions.
The stage is set for International Yoga Day celebrations tomorrow as India leads 191 countries to mark the day with over 35,000 participants expected to perform various yoga 'asanas' at a mega event on Rajpath in New Delhi.
China is worried over the images of its key defence and nuclear sites on Google Earth, fearing that terrorists might use them. The communist nation sought United States' help in getting the image resolution reduced, according to a diplomatic cable.
Riaz Mohammad Khan will replace Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, who was asked to leave India after the attack on Parliament.
India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador T S Tirumurti, said on Tuesday that India condemns all forms of anti-semitism and all forms of discrimination on religious grounds anywhere in the world.
Pakistan's security forces have arrested more than 300 terror suspects, including foreigners, in a crackdown against militants in the capital Islamabad. Pakistan has launched countrywide crackdown on militants after the Peshawar school massacre which killed 148 people, most of them students, last week.
The Indian high commission in London has issued a blow-by-blow account on the alleged wife-bashing by its senior diplomat Anil Verma, who has been transferred back to India, saying the incident was 'provoked' by a row over a Christmas tree gift. Taking a tough stand on domestic violence, the mission said in a statement, "There is no question of condoning domestic violence which is totally unacceptable."
Here's the full text of President's Ram Nath Kovind's address to the joint sitting of both houses of Parliament on the first of Budget Session 2022.
'The really striking thing is that the Taliban has suo moto presented to us certain firm benchmarks against which it expects us to hold to account the Taliban rulers's actions in the period ahead' notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
'We are trying to trace them.' 'We feel their phone batteries must have died because they are travelling by road.'
Rediff.com takes a look at how the ice between the two estranged neighbours melted after months of diplomatic and political antagonism.
'It is time India thought big not only about its global clout politically and diplomatically, but also act its size against pin-pricking by anti national elements,' says Group Captain Murli Menon (retd).
PSLV C-29 blasted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, about 110 km from Chennai, at 6 pm and released the six satellites one by one into a 550 km circular orbit.
India on said it has asked Italy to provide more security to its embassy in Rome after the mission reported receiving hate mails and a live bullet in retaliation to Italian marines issue.
'The skills and abilities of civil servants are still respected, even though they become whipping boys when things go wrong.'
Madhuri Gupta, the 53-year-old second secretary at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad who has been arrested on charges of allegedly spying for Pakistan, was hoping for a plum diplomatic posting in either London or Washington.Gupta made friends easily and could make great small talk. She could talk about clothes, hair styles or Pakistan's Urdu press -- 'where the real news was' -- with equal ease.Gupta spoke perfect Urdu and could have easily passed off as a Pakistani.
Eight Indian soldiers, who lost their lives while serving in United Nations peacekeeping operations last year, are among 106 military, police and civilian personnel to be posthumously awarded a prestigious UN medal this week for their courage and sacrifice in the line of duty.
