'It doesn't look as if any sensible, worldly wise, person is in charge in China.' 'If at all anybody is in charge, it can only be a bunch of bumpkins of whom Xi has become a puppet,' observes B S Raghavan, the veteran civil servant.
A realistic assessment will tell us that not much has changed between India and Pakistan; the relationship remains as fraught as before with little prospect of reconciliation, notes Ajai Shukla.
The defence minister has to correct a major asymmetry. Will his discipline come in the way?
'God knows what kind of charges were framed against him and Kallu Gujjar, as both of them came out of jail the very same evening of their arrest.'
Pakistan also accused India of trying to quell the Kashmiri struggle by using "brute force".
'There can be no dispute over the adverse impact such a policy will surely have on India's manufacturing competitiveness,' notes A K Bhattacharya.
India's Internet economy has two choices: An immediate $30 billion Sale-and-Leaseback or a $3 trillion value harvesting over decades, observes Vibhu Arya.
Earl Eddings was named the new permanent chairman of Cricket Australia (CA) by the board, on Wednesday, four weeks after taking up the post on a temporary basis when David Peever was forced to resign.
The Commission, sources said, will have to decide on who commands the majority in SP before January 17 when the notification for the first phase of assembly polls is issued.
"After friendly consultations between the Chinese and US sides, the handover work for the US underwater drone was smoothly completed in relevant waters in the South China Sea at midday on December 20," a brief Chinese ministry statement said without providing details.
The group led by Akhilesh Yadav is the Samajwadi Party and is entitled to use its name and reserved symbol bicycle, the three-member Election Commission headed by Nasim Zaidi said in its order.
Here are the key figures among the 32 accused in the Babri mosque demolition case who were on Wednesday acquitted by a special CBI court in Lucknow of all charges.
The resolution said that any changes to the status of Jammu and Kashmir must be made with the direct consultation of the Kashmiri people, who must play a central role in the determination of their future.
A single judge bench of Justice J K Ranka stayed the operation of letters of Joint Secretary Mahendra Nahar that required Ombudsman Gyan Sudha Mishra, a retired judge of the Supreme Court, and Ethics Officer Pana Chand Jain, a retired judge of of the high court, to put down their papers and leave their respective assignments by handing over the files to C P Joshi, the newly-elected RCA chief.
Rajinikanth's visible electoral strength is his constant mouthing of the term, 'aanmiga arasiyal', or 'spiritual politics', without he having to explain what it is. By implication, it is all that what Dravidian politics is not about. It may imply anti-corruption, being against Periyar's forgotten anti-god, anti-Brahmin dictum, but also ends up covering 'Tamil pride', which begins with Tamil language where, as a Maratha from Karnataka, he has more to defend himself. However, in the contemporary national context, aanmiga arasiyal is seen as a front for Rajini to market his brand of 'soft Hindutva' but identified even more with the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in political terms, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
In a major development in the ongoing Samajwadi Party feud, Mulayam Singh Yadav has postponed the national convention of party called by him on January 5.
The transition team of United States president-elect Donald Trump is fuming over with the Pakistan government's version of his telephone conversation with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
'There will be much for President Trump and Prime Minister Modi to discuss including growing Chinese military cooperation with Pakistan, which heralds a new attempt by China and Pakistan to neutralise India's influence in its Indian Ocean neighbourhood,' notes Ambassador G Parthasarathy.
The poll of people in 25 countries found that just 27 per cent of all respondents, on average, have confidence in Trump to "do the right thing in world affairs".
The Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the decks for oath taking of Manohar Parrikar as the chief minister of Goa by refusing the plea of Congress to stay the ceremony, saying the BJP has shown the support of 21 out of the 40 newly elected MLAs.
Pakistan's major political parties have pledged to work for better relations with India and to resolve outstanding issues like the Kashmir dispute through dialogue while pushing economic ties.
'Pakistan is determined to garner the peace dividends.' 'On the diplomatic front, this will be, principally, in terms of a revival of Pakistan's relations with the US,' notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Dinakaran said the value of his movable and immovable assets stood at Rs 74,17,807 -- immovable assets worth Rs 57.44 lakh and movable assets worth were Rs 16.73 lakh.
Under attack, Sibal claimed he did not represent the Sunni Waqf Board in the Ayodhya case in the SC.
"Only one of the five permanent members, China, openly favours Pakistan," the Dawn report noted.
Former Board of Control for Cricket in India president Biswanath Dutt, best known in Indian cricket fraternity as Jagmohan Dalmiya's mentor, passed away on Monday after suffering from acute lung infection.
With 75 per cent of votes counted, the ND party was leading with 39.6 per cent of total votes heading towards a majority in the 300-member Greek Parliament, while Tsipras' leftist Syriza was behind with 31.6 per cent of total votes, CNN reported.
'Jay Shah's tenure as BCCI secretary ended in May.' 'Sourav Ganguly's tenure as BCCI president ended on July 26.' 'Why have they not quit?'
In an unusual personal intervention in a foreign election, United States President Barack Obama has asked the two presidential candidates in Afghanistan's disputed polls to maintain calm and threatened to cut-off American aid if 'extra-constitutional' steps are taken.
Unveiling a five-point formula to improve relations with India, China's newly elected President Xi Jinping on Tuesday said the resolution of the boundary dispute between the two sides "won't be easy" and pending its final settlement "peace and tranquility" should be maintained on the border without affecting the overall ties.
The failure to reform has meant that there is no buzz about job opportunities, or about urban opportunities enticing young people off the farms. And it is this failure that has contributed to the widespread disappointment that threatens to make the next general elections closer than expected, says Mihir S Sharma.
Khan, who is believed to have the backing of the powerful military, has vowed to make a 'Naya Pakistan' which would be an Islamic welfare state.
An agreement between India and Pakistan, however tenuous, has its own meaning and impact. We have not heard the last word about the ceasefire agreement, observes Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
In this moment there has to be honest acknowledgement of how so many in our community willingly voted for another four years of Trump, based on the morally flimsiest of reasons, points out Suleman Din.
PM Modi telephoned Imran Khan to congratulate him on his party's victory in the general elections
She said the prime minister who resolves the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and ends bloodshed in the state will have his name written in "golden letters" in the history.
Imran's party has asked the FO if it would be possible to invite PM Modi.
Questioning the timing of a 'sting' operation on the Babri Masjid demolition, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday alleged that it was "sponsored", accusing the Congress of using "pawns" to vitiate the atmosphere before elections and asked the Election Commission to stop its publication and telecast.
'In an alliance, you are forced to overlook loyal workers.' 'It sends a negative message and workers turn against the party.' 'I have forbidden this alliance.'
'There shall be no change in India-Japan ties,' predicts Rajaram Panda.
