Afghanistan won’t allow Pakistan to erode sovereignty: Rao

NEW DELHI - Afghanistan is too independent to allow Pakistan to erode its sovereignty and the gradual progress the war-ravaged country has made, says Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao.

India’s dialogue is with Pakistan’s civilian government: Foreign Secretary

NEW DELHI - India will continue to have a dialogue with Pakistan’s civilian government and does not plan to establish any direct contact with its military, Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao has said.

Santos assumes Colombia’s presidency amid conciliation with Venezuela, Ecuador

Colombia’s new leader conciliatory with neighbors

Supporter rallies and political intrigue liven final day of Haiti’s candidate registration

Fanfare, intrigue at sign ups for Haiti election

Santos assumes Colombia’s presidency; Venezuela’s foreign minister strikes conciliatory note

Santos becomes Colombia’s 59th president

BOGOTA, Colombia — Juan Manuel Santos was sworn in Saturday as the 59th president of Colombia, which despite major security gains remains the Western Hemisphere’s only nation beset by a politically based armed conflict.

Juan Manuel Santos takes over as Colombia’s president

BOGOTA - Conservative Juan Manuel Santos took office Saturday as Colombia’s new president, to succeed his former boss Alvaro Uribe with a four-year mandate.

Santos assumes Colombia’s presidency, Venezuela’s foreign minister in attendance

Santos sworn in as Colombia’s 59th president

3 women on Supreme Court may have more impact on court’s daily routine than outcome of rulings

3 women on high court: Historic but impact unclear

Doctors: Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo has non-Hodgkin lymphoma; prognosis is good

Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo has cancer

Kagan sworn in as 112th justice, fourth woman ever to serve on US Supreme Court

Kagan sworn in as fourth woman on Supreme Court

Fidel Castro addresses Cuban parliament

HAVANA - Cuba’s revolutionary leader Fidel Castro Saturday delivered a speech on the Iranian nuclear issue before country’s parliament, his first official appearance in four years.

Kashmiris hold protest in Delhi

NEW DELHI - Kashmiri students and professionals living in Delhi Saturday took out a rally here to protest the human rights violations back home.

Coats tries to take road less traveled _ backward through Washington’s revolving door

Coats tries to go back through D.C. revolving door

Venkaiah Naidu demands JPC of CWG projects

HYDERABAD - Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday termed the alleged large-scale corruption in 2010 Commonwealth Games projects as a ‘national shame’, and demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe seeking the intervention of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh into the matter.

Fidel Castro attends parliament, his first official government appearance in 4 years

Fidel Castro makes 1st official govt appearance

All-party meet to discuss local bodies polls in Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - An all-party meet will be held here Aug 12 to discuss the final dates for the local bodies polls in Kerala and how to go about the conduct of elections, official sources said Saturday.

High heels, cow dung, movie theaters, plagiarism add up to Colorado’s 3-ring political circus

Come and see Colorado’s 3-ring political circus

3 women on Supreme Court may have more impact on how court does business than on decisions

3 women on Supreme Court: How big a difference?

Chhattisgarh has best government-party tuning: BJP

RAIPUR - The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is experiencing the best co-ordination between government and party in Chhattisgarh, party’s newly-appointed state in-charge J.P. Nadda said Saturday.

Afghan president: Donors should stop supporting private security, share contract information

Karzai: Shutter private security companies

We are under attack in West Bengal, says CPI-M resolution

VIJAYAWADA - The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) has admitted that the party is facing “an unfavourable situation” in the party-ruled states of Kerala and West Bengal after suffering reverses in the Lok Sabha elections.

Russia accuses US of flouting non-proliferation treaty

Moscow, Aug 7 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Russia Saturday accused the US of violating its obligations under bilateral nuclear arms reduction treaties.

Russia accuses US of failing to fulfill arms control, nuclear non-proliferation obligations

Russia accuses US of arms control breaches

Charity: 6 Americans on medical team among 10 killed by militants in remote N Afghanistan

6 Americans on medical team killed in Afghanistan

Zardari claims ‘Marshal Plan’ victory in ’showdown’ with Cameron

LONDON - Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has claimed to have won the much awaited ’showdown’ against British Prime Minister David Cameron, saying he has convinced the British leader to back the idea of a Marshal Plan to rebuild Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Weekly Address: President Obama Highlights Benefits to Seniors Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

WASHINGTON- In his weekly address this week, President Obama highlighted a Medicare Trustees report noting the steps we took this year to reform the health care system have put Medicare on a sounder financial footing, which will help to preserve Medicare for generations to come. Additionally, America’s seniors are already seeing more benefits as a result of health reform, including a rebate to cover the cost of their prescriptions if they fall into the Medicare Part D drug coverage gap. In the coming years, as we continue to ramp up reform, we expect seniors to save in premiums and out of pocket costs. And the President will continue to make Medicare stronger to ensure our seniors have access to affordable and quality healthcare. 

Bihar Drought: Nitish Kumar seeks financial aid from Manmohan Singh

NEW DELHI - Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Saturday and sought financial assistance of over Rs 5000 crore from the Central Government to deal with the drought situation in his State.

Nepal MP claims threats by Indian officials; embassy rubbishes

KATHMANDU - A Nepali lawmaker, who left his ethnic party from the Terai plains to join the Maoists, has created a furore with charges that he was threatened with abduction and worse by Indian officials, claims that were repudiated by the Indian Embassy in Nepal as baseless.

Schwarzenegger asks judge to let same-sex weddings resume immediately in California

Schwarzenegger: Let same-sex weddings resume now

Regain lost faith of people, Karat urges CPI-M-led governments

VIJAYAWADA - Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Prakash Karat Saturday asked the party-led governments in West Bengal and Kerala to do their “utmost” to regain the lost faith of the people.

Zardari fails to “educate” Cameron over Pak’s anti-terrorism efforts

LONDON - Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari had vowed to “educate” British Prime Minister David Cameron over Islamabad’s role in ‘war on terror’ after the later attacked Pakistan for ‘exporting terror’, however, the President failed to put up any strong objections during his meeting at the Chequers here.

Turkish ship, seized by Israel in flotilla violence in May, arrives in Turkish port

Turkish protest ship returns home

ISTANBUL — The ship seized by Israel in a deadly raid as it carried aid to the Gaza Strip in May returned to Turkey on Saturday. A pro-Palestinian activist said it would send more aid ships unless Israel lifts its Gaza blockade.

President to visit Tripura, Mizoram next month

AGARTALA/AIZAWL - President Pratibha Patil will visit Mizoram and Tripura next month to attend the convocations of universities of the two northeastern states, officials said Saturday.

UPA government policies aimed to help super rich: CPI-M

VIJAYAWADA - Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Prakash Karat Saturday slammed the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government saying its policies were designed to help only the super-rich.

Trinamool-Maoist gangs killed 250 CPI-M activists: Karat

VIJAYAWADA - The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Saturday alleged that the Trinamool Congress, led by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, and Maoists were working in tandem and over 250 CPI-M activists have been killed by “TMC (Trinamool Congress)-Maoist gangs”.

US official: Americans among 10 killed by militants in remote northern Afghanistan

Americans among 10 killed in northern Afghanistan

CPI-M supports ‘maximum autonomy’ for Kashmir

VIJAYAWADA - The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Saturday said the central government had failed to solve the Kashmir issue and supported “maximum autonomy” for the troubled state as its problems “can’t be resolved through conventional means”.

Zardari ‘hurt’ by Cameron’s anti-Pak ‘terror export’ tirade

LONDON - Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has said that British Prime Minister David Cameron’s accusation of Islamabad promoting terrorism has ‘hurt’ him personally, as his wife, Benazir Bhutto, had succumbed to extremism as well.