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Positive Movement on NK,
Many Hurdles Remain
(March 19, 2007)
The United States (U.S.)
and North Korea (NK) seem
to have resolved a dispute
over $25 million of frozen
funds, a key point that
stopped the progress in
negotiations to dismantle
the NK nuclear weapons
program.<More>
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Heidelberg in Gujarat
(March 19, 2007)
World's fourth largest
cement maker, German
company Heidelberg Cement
said that it is planning a
two million ton cement
plant in Gujarat to augment
the 3.5 million tons it
already produces in India.<More>
India Rises on "Positive
Influence"
(March 06, 2007)
A survey by BBC World
Service radio of 28,000
people in 27 countries
found Japan, France, the
European Union and Canada
to have the most positive
influence while India was
the only nation to have
vastly improved its global
stature last year.<More>
Sunni-Shia Consensus?
(March 05, 2007)
Iranian hard-line
President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad and Saudi King
Abdullah bin Abdulaziz
have reportedly agreed to
stem increasing rift
between Sunni and Shia
Muslims that is dragging
West Asia into crisis.<More>
Malaysia Expects 400K
Indian Tourists
(March 05, 2007)
As part of its "Visit
Malaysia Year 2007,"
Malaysia is pitching for a
25 per cent rise in
tourists from India to
reach 400,000 this year
using easier visa regimes,
prizes, and shopping
discounts.<More>
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Trilateral Conference
Concludes in Delhi
(February 19, 2007)
The first structured and
sixth trilateral
conference between India,
Russia, and China ended in
New Delhi with an emphasis
on cooperation rather than
confrontation should
govern approaches to
regional and global
affairs."<More>
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Italian Training for
Indian Archeologists
(February 19, 2007)
In a recent interview with
The Times of India, Deputy
Prime Minister and
Minister for Culture and
Tourism Francesco Rutelli
said that Italy will be
"training Indian
archaeologists in the
field of preservation and
restoration."<More>
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India, Saudi Youth
Initiatives
(February 19, 2007)
Taking forward the
cooperation agreement
between India and Saudi
Arabia signed during the
visit of King Abdullah to
India in January 2006, the
two nations have agreed to
hold bilateral exchange
programs involving
students, youth, and
sportspersons.<More>
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Indians 3rd Largest
Immigrants to Australia
(February 08, 2007)
Indians have overtaken
Chinese population in
Australia to become the
third largest settlers
in that continent after
Britain (23,320) and New
Zealand (20,250).<More>
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No Accord over Palestine
Control
(February 08, 2007)
Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas
Prime Minister Ismail
Haniyeh continued their
discussions in the
Islamic holy city of
Mecca to make peace and
reach understanding over
disagreement on Israel
and averting a civil war.<More>
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NK Accuses US of Preemptive
Attack Plans
(February 06, 2007)
A senior North Korean official
accused the US of planning a
pre-emptive strike to
neutralize the nuclear
facilities after reports
emerged of a large deployment
of stealth fighters by the US
in South Korea ostensibly for
"training" purposes.<More>
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First India-Russia-China
Structured Meeting
(January 30 , 2007)
India, Russia, and China will
hold their first structured
foreign ministerial meeting in
New Delhi seen as an effort to
coordinate response and
efforts in international
affairs, although the foreign
ministers have met thrice over
the last 2 years .<More>
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Lebanon Aid Pledge Mired in
Internal Strife
(January 29, 2007)
Saudi Arabia and United States
got 30 other nations to pledge
USD 7.6 billion to shore up a
shaky Lebanese government led
by Prime Minister Fouad
Siniora under siege by
Hezbollah-led Shiite
population.<More>
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Russia Wants Energy, Military
Pie
(January 25, 2007)
Russian President Vladimir
Putin arrived in India to
rejuvenate ties hoping to win
a strong share of India’s
large energy and military
budget and also be the Guest
of Honor of the Republic Day
Parade that showcases Indian
military and cultural might.<More>
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Chavez Armed With Decree
Powers
(January 23, 2007)
Empowering President Hugo
Chavez with sweeping powers to
enforce economic, social, and
political change via,
Venezuelan lawmakers called
such measures a “historic
necessity†to initiate an
“unstoppable†process.<More>
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Halted Support for US Iraq
Strategy
(January 22, 2007)
Even as US allies in West Asia
expressed support for the US’s
new Iraq strategy, Riyadh
haltingly expressed support
but also doubted the
even-handedness of the
government in Baghdad to deal
with the Sunni population or
its capacity to stop sectarian
violence.<More>
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Mexican War on Drugs
(January 22, 2007)
Mexico said that it has
deployed 7,600 soldiers in the
Pacific coast state of
Guerrero to neutralize drug
gangs who have committed
atrocities such as beheadings
and perpetrated violence in
resort haven Acapulco.<More>
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US for More Sanctions on NK
(January 17, 2007)
The US complained that the UN
committee monitoring sanctions
on North Korea (NK) has not
adopted US-sponsored and other
amendments to October 14
sanctions that would limit
transfer of equipment, goods,
and technology to the
communist regime. <More>
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Hamas Wants Internal
Peace
(January 16, 2007)
Hamas leader and
Palestinian Prime
Minister Ismail Haniyeh
urged Palestinians to
“halt internal clashesâ€
and renewed his call for
a “national unity
government†but
President Mahmoud
Abbas’s Fattah party
quickly rejected the
call as “vague.†<More>
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Indo-Portugal Ties Takes
Off
(January 16, 2007)
Portugal President
Professor Anibal Cavaco
Silva, a politically
representative
parliamentary
delegation, and large
business delegation
visited India and signed
4 significant
agreements.<More>
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Russia to Scale Back Oil
Output
(January 11, 2007)
Citing “problems in
transiting crude across
Belarus,†Russian
President Vladimir Putin
urged Cabinet colleagues
to lean on oil companies
to explore “the
possibility of scaling
down extraction of oilâ€
and hinted at diverting
oil transit routes away
from Minsk.<More>
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Venezuela to Nationalize
Telecom
(January 11, 2007)
Bucking the global trend
to privatize and
globalize businesses and
state-owned enterprises,
Venezuelan President
Hugo Chavez announced
plans to nationalize his
country’s electrical and
telecommunication
companies.<More>
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Ortega Assumes Power in
Nicaragua
(January 10, 2007)
Ringing warning bells in
Washington, former
revolutionary Daniel
Ortega assumed office in
a ceremony attended by a
dozen anti-American
world leaders and left
ideologues even as he
promised to balance
economic and ideological
considerations.<More>
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Saudi Cabinet Changes
Possible
(January 10, 2007)
Saudi Arabian King
Abdullah is reportedly
considering his first
Cabinet reshuffle and
could include changes to
important positions as
foreign minister and oil
minister in order to
induce new talent into
his regime.<More>
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Bolivians Go on Rampage
(January 09, 2007)
Thousands of leftist supporters of Bolivian
President Evo Morales, including Indian
groups, labor unions, and coca farmers,
burnt furniture and official records in a
state capitol demanding the resignation of a
governor supporting conservative opposition.<More>
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New Goal-Oriented Iraq Strategy
(January 08, 2007)
As US Generals gave a sobering view of
progress made by their troops in Iraq, a
recent report suggested that President
George Bush may introduce a new policy in
Iraq that includes a set of goals that the
government must meet.<More>
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Israel Plans to Strike Iran
(January 08, 2007)
In what could transform the whole West Asian
region into decades of crisis and human
suffering, Israel is reportedly planning to
launch low-yield nuclear “bunker busters†to
destroy Iran’s contentious nuclear sites at
Ishafan, Natanz, and Arak.<More>
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Abbas Shows Street Muscle
(January 08, 2007)
Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas’s supporters
showed their strength through a massive
congregation at a stadium in Gaza City and
encouraged Fattah party strongman Mohammed
Dahlan threaten hard-line party Hamas of
reprisals.<More>
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Indo-Japan Ties Need Boost
(January 04, 2007)
Given regional and global developments
arising out of globalization and nuclear
weapons program of North Korea, industry
leaders are asking for a more active
political engagement of Japan which they say
will be more active this century.<More>
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Islamists Driven Out of Mogadishu
(January 02, 2007)
Islamists controlling Somali capital
Mogadishu the last 6 months and enforcing
medieval laws were driven out by
Western-supported Somali government troops
and backed by Ethiopian tanks and MIG
fighter jets.<More>
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Saddam Hanged, West Asia Crisis Intensifies
(January 02, 2007)
Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein convicted
by a court of questionable credentials following
controversial judicial process was hanged
heightening the growing divide in the Islamic
world that threatens to envelop the region and
indirectly the world.<More>
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Ethiopia Declares War against Islamists
(December 27, 2006)
Ethiopia formally declared war on Islamists
in neighboring Somalia claiming that such
dramatic step was necessary to protect its
sovereignty and its warplanes bombed two
Islamist-held airfields in Somalia including
the one in capital Mogadishu.<More>
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Israel Proposes Prisoner Exchange
(December 26, 2006)
In an act of good faith, Israeli Prime
Minister Ehud Olmert suggested that his
government would be willing to release
Palestinian prisoners even though the
captured Israeli soldiers remain in Gaza but
also proposed a formal agreement with the
Palestinian Authority.<More>
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Japan Considering Nuke Deterrent
(December 26, 2006)
In a move that has consequences way beyond the
region, a Japanese daily Sankei report says that
the Japanese government is apparently
considering a nuclear warhead as deterrent to
North Korean (NK) nuclear weapons program which
is being denied by government spokesperson.<More>
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Somalia in “State of War†with Ethiopia
(December 25, 2006)
Somali Islamic leader Sheik Hassan ahir
Aweys claimed that the nation is in a “state
of war…against Ethiopia†contradicting his
earlier pledge to return to peace talks with
the government and is now asking “All
Somalis†to “take part in struggle.â€<More>
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Little Progress in US-NK in Direct Talks
The United States and North Korea (NK) made
no progress in their first direct meeting
after a long time on the sidelines of the
six-nation nuclear arms talks in Beijing to
discuss US financial restrictions on
Pyongyang, a key stumbling block in the arms
negotiations.<More>
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Chavez Single Party System
(December 20, 2006)
Venezuela President Hugo Chavez initiated
steps to consolidate his landslide
re-election to move his nation towards a
single party system through consolidation of
loosely allied parties and concentrate more
powers to himself.<More>
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Darfur Force by UNSC
(December 20, 2006)
The United Nations Security Council urged
Sudan to accept deployment of a peacekeeping
force that will contain African Union (AU)
and European troops in the ravaged Darfur
region to augment the 7000 under-funded and
ill-equipped AU force that has failed to
stem the bloodshed.<More>
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ICG Says Iraq Close to Collapse
(December 20, 2006)
As the Pentagon reported an all-time high
violence levels, an International Crisis
Group (ICG) report warned that Iraq is on
the brink of total disintegration and drag
the entire West Asian region into a regional
war.<More>
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No Sanctions Says NK
(December 19, 2006)
A defiant Pyongyang declaring itself a
nuclear power and threatening to increase
its arsenal unless UN sanctions imposed on
it since its October 9 nuclear test and
remove financial restrictions that prompted
the bankrupt nation to break-off the 6
nation dialogue 13 months ago.<More>
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Elections in Palestine
(December 19, 2006)
Within a year of elections that returned
hard-line Hamas into power resulting in the
abortion of the Israeli-Palestinian peace
process and internal discord and civil-war
conditions, Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas announced plans that he is pushing
ahead with early elections.<More>
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Manmohan’s Japan Visit
(December 18, 2006)
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Japan
where he invited greater investment from
Japan under a Comprehensive Economic
Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and also
requested Tokyo’s support for the Indo-US
civilian nuclear deal in the Nuclear
Suppliers Group (NSG).<More>
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Hamas Takes Over Gaza Border
(December 15, 2006)
After weeks of politically motivated
assassinations and murder of children, Hamas
gunmen fought fiercely with Fatah-allied
border guards to seize control of the Gaza
Strip’s EU-monitored border crossing with
Egypt.<More>
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Qualitative Jump in Indo-US Relations
(December 12, 2006)
In a major show of good faith, US policy
makers worked into the night to reconcile
the House and Senate versions of the
amendments to US law that would facilitate
Indo-US civilian nuclear cooperation and
will be signed into law by US President
George Bush.<More>
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Hezbollah Show of Force
(December 11, 2006)
Heightening the political deadlock, the
pro-Syrian Hezbollah led massive
demonstrations outside government offices
demanding the government’s dissolution
accusing it of “corrupt†leadership but
Lebanon ’s west-backed cabinet vowed not to
give in.â€<More>
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Iran Wants US Out of Iraq
(December 11, 2006)
Even as Iran said it will help when the US
pulls out of the region, the Iraqi President
rejected recommendations by the Iraq Study
Group because it contained “dangerous
articles†undermining “the sovereignty of
Iraq †and was an “insult to the Iraqi
people.â€<More>
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Chávez Wins a Polarized Nation
(December 07, 2006)
In yet another irritant for globalization
enthusiasts, Venezuelan President Hugo
Chávez won the presidential election by a
landslide for the 3rd time based on a strong
economy and blatant anti-Americanism and
global economy he calls “socialist
revolution.â€<More>
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Coup in Fiji
(December 06, 2006)
The military commander of Fiji
overthrew the elected
Government, declared a state
of emergency, and installed a
new prime minister and police
chief claiming to prevent
legislation that favored
indigenous Fijians over
naturalized and native Indians.<More>
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