Namaskar, my name is Nancy Powell… I am delighted to be returning to India where I have lived and worked in Kolkata and New Delhi.. I am anxious to reconnect with old friends and revisit my favourite places”, said an optimistic ambassador designate in a YouTube video message to India, shortly before she was scheduled to take over the diplomatic mission. She was the first woman ambassador the US had […]
Narendra Modi has his own website and is on Twitter, Facebook and Google+ Ahead of the general elections, political parties in India are attempting to woo voters on social media for the first time. Politicians are taking part in Google+ Hangouts, televised interviews organised by Facebook and using the Facebook-owned smart phone messaging app WhatsApp to connect with millions of tech-savvy urban voters. India’s 16th general election – to […]
At least eight people were killed March 30 in clashes between groups backing rival candidates in Turkey’s municipal elections. Security officials said six people were killed in a gun fight between two families in the village of Yuvacık in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa’s Hilvan district, which borders Syria. In the Siverek district of the same province, another brawl happened after one family insisted on violating the rule of anonymous […]
STORY HIGHLIGHTS Two North Korean mid-range missile launches detected by the South Korean military If confirmed, Rodong launch would be the first since 2009 Launch comes amid joint U.S.-R.O.K military exercises and three-way summit in The Hague Incident only the latest chapter in DPRK’s sparring with neighbors North Korea is back to its old ways, it seems. South Korea’s military has reported that its reclusive northern neighbor test-fired two medium-range ballistic […]
Leaders of the G7 group of nations have called on Russia to stop all efforts to “annex” Ukraine’s Crimea region. They said if Russia took such a step they would “take further action, individually and collectively”. The G7 leaders also said they would not recognise the results of a referendum in Crimea this weekend on whether to split from Ukraine and join Russia. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s national security chief has warned […]
While the West can do little to control Putin now, it could at least stop helping him Sudden moves bring out deep-seated insecurities. Vladimir Putin’s adventure in Crimea was a Rorschach moment in international affairs: Everybody read into it what they wanted to see. In Canada, retired diplomats lined up to tell reporters that Stephen Harper’s response proved he’s a lousy diplomat. Around the world, armchair generals decided Putin had […]
Voting in India for the next government begins on April 7 and ends on May 12. Results will be declared on May 16. These are the dates when different states and Union Territories will vote: Andaman and Nicobar islands: April 10Andhra Pradesh: April 30 and May 7Arunachal Pradesh: April 9Assam: April 7, 12 and 24Bihar: April 10, 17, 24, 30, May 7 and 12Chandigarh: April 10Chhattisgarh: April 10, 17, 24Dadra […]
U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel makes remarks to the press on looming budget cuts at the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia, February 24, 2014. The Pentagon unveiled a $496 billion base budget on Tuesday that looks beyond Afghanistan to future U.S. security challenges after a dozen years of war, cutting the military to afford more training and new weapons as it adapts to an era of tighter spending. The budget set […]
Russian President Vladimir Putin says there is no need yet to send Russian troops into Ukraine, but he has not ruled out doing so. Russia reserves the right to use “all means” to protect citizens in Ukraine, he told a news conference. Russian and Ukrainian troops in Crimea are involved in a tense stand-off. Mr Putin called the toppling of President Viktor Yanukovych in the capital Kiev an “anti-constitutional coup […]
STORY HIGHLIGHTS NEW: The U.S. suspends upcoming trade, investment talks with Russia, official says President Obama urges Congress to work with him on Ukraine aid GOP Rep. Royce: The best option would be economic sanctions to weaken the ruble A first step? Boycott the G8 summit in Sochi and kick Russia out of the group The Kremlin sends troops across the border, and the United States and its allies cry […]
