‘Political’ appointees to Dhaka’s India, other key missions likely

September 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In preventing violence against women and girls in Liberia, Indian women peacekeepers have set an example that must be emulated in UN peacekeeping missions across the world, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said. "I recently met with an all women police unit from India in Liberia who provide an excellent example of the steps a UN mission can take in cooperation with the host government to prevent violence against women and girls," Clinton told the Security Council Wednesday.

September 21st, 2009 DHAKA - Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh hasina Monday said awarding of gas exploration contracts to foreign firms was in the country's interest and "not a sell-out." Hasina said gas exploration is necessary to meet the increasing demand of electricity. "Gas needs to be explored.

September 13th, 2009 Lag in filling senior policy jobs at Treasury, HHSWASHINGTON — The White House has filled important policy jobs at the two departments essential to President Barack Obama's domestic priorities at a much slower rate than elsewhere in his administration after eight months in charge of the government. At the Treasury Department, which is overseeing one of the largest financial rescue plans in history, just 12 of the 33 high-level posts requiring Senate confirmation are filled.

August 31st, 2009 PYONGYANG - US and South Korean spy planes conducted over 170 reconnaissance missions over North Korea in August, the official media reported Monday citing a military source. Some 90 flights were conducted by the US, which used the RC-135, U-2 and E-3 reconnaissance aircraft over waters near the northeastern part of South Korea, while South Korea was responsible for at least 80 flights, the Korean Central News Agency said.

August 22nd, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi Saturday asked rich Indians working abroad to contribute to the diaspora fund so that welfare activities can be undertaken for distressed citizens living outside the country. "We request the rich and well to do to contribute to this fund so that the missions can add to their corpus and do more welfare activities for the needy.

August 21st, 2009 DHAKA - Bangladesh Rifles' (BDR) Subedar Major Nurul Islam, who died while resisting colleagues staging a mutiny in February, is the country's new hero. Six months after the two-day mutiny was quelled, the government which is now in the process of trying the guilty and revamping the border guards, has recognised him as a martyr, The Daily Star reported Friday.

July 16th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The U.S.-India Political Action Committee (USINPAC) has welcomed the appointment of Timothy J. Roemer as USA's Ambassador to India.

July 12th, 2009 DHAKA - Bangladeshs trade deficit with its principal partners India and China will cross $5.5 billion this fiscal, keeping up the pattern of higher imports and lower exports. The economy would, however, be helped by remittances from its large manpower working abroad and the government is trying hard to sustain in the face of the global downturn, officials of Bangladesh Bank predict.

July 10th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The ministry of external affairs (MEA) made irregular expenditure of Rs.2.43 crore at its missions and posts abroad, India's audit watchdog said in its report tabled in parliament Friday. Of this, the Indian Consul General in Hamburg spent Rs.1.27 crore, the missions in Dushanbe, Kiev and Oslo spent Rs.57.98 lakh, while missions in 11 other cities between them spent Rs.58.10 lakh, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India said.

June 25th, 2009 DHAKA - Habib Tanvir will continue to live in the world he created through stage, eminent cultural personalities of Bangladesh said of the Indian theatre pioneer who died earlier this month. They noted with deep appreciation Tanvir's bringing to the cities indigenous theatre forms, using motifs and ideas from the rural areas.

June 24th, 2009 DHAKA - Retired career diplomat Ahmad Tariq Karim has been appointed the new high commissioner of Bangladesh to India. Brought back from voluntary retirement and a sabbatical in a US university, Karim was the deputy high commissioner in New Delhi in the 1980s.

June 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - The United States and Pakistan jointly flew 12 drone missions over the tribal areas in March until Islamabad abandoned the mission, the Washington Post claims. Paying heed to Pakistan continuous demand of a joint drone missions into the tribal areas, US forces offered a compromise in early spring.

March 20th, 2009 NEW DELHI - India is fast becoming a Pakistan, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) said Friday while describing CIA chief Leon E. Panetta's meeting with Home Minister P.

January 9th, 2009 NEW DELHI - India should step up diplomatic efforts to ensure 'a lasting political solution' based on Tamil demands for autonomy within a united Sri Lanka, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) said Saturday. After discussing the military offensive in Sri Lanka's north at its Central Committee meeting in Kochi Jan 8-10, the party said the Mahinda Rajapaksa government should not deny a political solution to the Tamil problem.

December 29th, 2008 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's presidency Tuesday denied any move to change the present setup even as a report in a leading English daily claimed that there is a serious rift between President Asif Ali Zardari and his handpicked Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. Terming as 'ridiculous and baseless' reports in Indian media, the presidency in a statement said Zardari does not want to take over Gilani's authority.