India leaps into interplanetary space with Mars mission

India will be the first Asian country and the fourth entity in the world to leap into interplanetary space Tuesday with an exploratory mission to Mars, about 400 million km from planet Earth.
 

Nightmare in Nairobi revisited : Any lessons learnt?

The terrorist attack on an upmarket mall in Nairobi is over a month old and more bodies are still being found in the rubble even as investigations proceed in an opaque manner. The Westgate carnage has left 75 people dead and several hundred injured; and twenty-three people still remain missing.

Africa's 'least-corrupt' Rwanda looks for Indian investments

Rwanda, a nation of just 11 million people that is seen as the newest African success story and also hailed as the "least corrupt country in Africa", is looking to tap into the entrepreneurial dynamism of smaller Indian cities for investments in the country's development, its envoy here says.

Al-Qaeda's new front

After an explicable lull following Osama bin Laden's demise two years ago, though not believed to be in its fabled original shape, al-Qaeda has shown signs of new life.

Libya again: Who makes America do such silly things?

Recent events in Libya remind me of my first assignment in that country. But first let us recapitulate the latest American adventure.

'Indian bizmen more committed than Chinese in Africa'

Indian businessmen are not aggressive as Chinese in Africa but they have long-term commitments for the development of the continent and have already invested billions of dollars, Bharti group Chairman Sunil Mittal has said.   

Uprisings in Arab world stage-managed, outcomes questionable

Nairobi killings: No society is an island

The terrorist attack on the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, is a reminder of how seemingly highly localised militancy can suddenly become an international danger. When it comes to terrorism, no society is an island. Al-Shabab has repeatedly traded blows with neighbouring governments over the past half decade.

Kenya's 'time bomb' and the Somalian terror threat

On a recent visit to Nairobi, I along with my wife visited Westgate, an upscale mall thronged by scores of shoppers, most of them foreign tourists. The visit was provoked by an attractive full page advertisement in the in-flight magazine, The Traveller Msafiri, distributed by Kenya Airways. The full-page advertisement described the mall as a ''world class shopping destination" and boasted that it is open seven days a week with ample parking and 24-hour security.

'Financial aid gives India greater say in African affairs'

Increasing financial and technical assistance by India has helped Asia's third largest economy to have a greater say in Africa's affairs, a senior official of the African Development Bank has said.