Manmohan Singh had a ‘powerful presence’ at G20: Lord Mandelson

September 17th, 2009 LONDON - In a survey released by the British First Secretary of State, Lord Mandelson, British firms have been urged to enhance their efforts to seek out opportunities in emerging markets like India and China The survey, entitled Survive and Prosper, found that almost two-thirds of UK companies expect to earn more than 20 per cent of their revenues from these emerging markets within the next five years. "UK businesses should be strategic about their exports and plan for the long term.

July 9th, 2009 L'AQUILA - Prime MInister Manmohan Singh briefly met with US President Barack Obama during the outreach meeting of G8 and G5 leaders at their summit here Thursday. Both leaders shook hands and exchanged pleasantries, Indian officials said here.

July 4th, 2009 LONDON - Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is nowadays sporting a mysterious black eye. His eye bruising was seen during a reunion with confidant Peter Mandelson at an award ceremony.

July 4th, 2009 LONDON - Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair Friday finally got to publicly thank the man credited with crafting his Labour party's win and putting him into power - courtesy of an Indian medal. Old pals Blair and Lord Peter Mandelson were brought together on a London stage by the Labour Friends of India, a lobby group, for Mandelson to present his former boss with the Frenner Brockway medal.

June 29th, 2009 LONDON - A powerful Indian-origin minister is likely to be appointed the next European Commissioner from Britain, a newspaper reported Monday. Shriti Vadera, an ex-banker who is now a minister for business and a formidable ally of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, is tipped to be his choice to fill Britain's place in the next European Commission, The Times reported.

May 16th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Saturday rang up Prime Minister Manmohan Singh congratulating him as India's ruling coalition was on its way to victory in the Lok Sabha elections. According to sources in the Prime Minister's Office, Manmohan Singh is expected to call on Sonia Gandhi later in the evening when all results of the election are known.

May 8th, 2009 NEW DELHI - President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday greeted the nation on the occasion of Buddha Poornima, which is being celebrated Saturday, and stressed the importance of Lord Buddha's teachings of non-violence. 'On the auspicious occasion of Buddha Poornima, I extend my greetings and good wishes to all the citizens of this country,' the president said in her message.

April 7th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Fresh from earning plaudits from global leaders, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has plunged into a taxing election campaign that will test if his political acumen matches his economic insights that were much sought after and acted upon at last week's G20 summit in London. After kicking off the campaign in Assam, a state he represents in parliament, Manmohan Singh will criss-cross the country in the next four weeks as he seeks to disprove rival BJP's prime ministerial nominee L.K.

April 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - President Pratibha Patil, Vice President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday greeted the nation on the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti being celebrated Tuesday. Extending her good wishes, the president in her message said : 'May the message of Lord Mahavir of love, compassion and peace guide our conduct and inspire us to follow the path of ahimsa (non-violence) for good of all humanity.' Lord Mahavir is the 24th and last Tirthankara, according to Jain philosophy.

April 2nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has greeted the nation on the auspicious occasion of Ram Navami, which will be celebrated tomorrow.

January 25th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has reiterated his government's commitment to peacefully resolve all outstanding issues with India to usher in an era of peace and prosperity on the subcontinent. In a message to his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh on Republic Day, Gilani said: 'It is a matter of pleasure for me to convey, on my own behalf and on behalf of the government of Pakistan, our warm felicitation to you and to the government and people of India on the occasion of the Republic Day of India.' This is the second time Gilani has communicated with Manmohan Singh in a week.

January 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama has wished Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who underwent a successful heart surgery, 'a quick recovery'. Obama, in his message to mark India's Republic Day, said: 'I wish Prime Minister (Manmohan) Singh a quick recovery.' The prime minister underwent five bypass surgeries Saturday at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi.

January 25th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has reiterated his government's commitment to peacefully resolve all outstanding issues with India to usher in an era of peace and prosperity on the subcontinent. In a message to his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh on Republic Day, Gilani said: 'It is a matter of pleasure for me to convey, on my own behalf and on behalf of the government of Pakistan, our warm felicitation to you and to the government and people of India on the occasion of the Republic Day of India.' This is the second time Gilani has communicated with Manmohan Singh in a week.

January 16th, 2009 LONDON - British Business Minister Lord Peter Mandelson is to lead a 100-strong business delegation to India next week, saying the two countries must not allow the economic downturn to undermine their strong trade ties. Mandelson will lead a team that includes civil nuclear players AMEC and Rolls Royce, infrastructure companies Arup and Benoy, the world's largest law firm Clifford Chance, energy major Cairn, technology and engineering firm GKN, telecom multinational Vodafone and Standard Chartered bank.

January 6th, 2009 LONDON - Former Deep Purple star Jon Lord rules out the rock group's reunion without drummer Ian Paice, which means Metallica's Lars Ulrich will not be able to play with them. Lord wrote on his website that it is too early to talk about a Deep Purple reunion and that Paice would definitely be a part of the band for any possible reunion.