Editor's Note
Our reports on NAM Summit, G8 Summit, BRIC Summit, Shanghai Cooperation Summit are incisive and bear critical insights into the global diplomatic discourse. Global issues like tighter regulation of financial markets, terrorism, climate change, energy security, food security and equitable healthcare resonated in most of these global conferences. Similarly, our analysis of the visits of Indian PM and foreign minister to France and Japan from a bilateral perspective may be of interest.   Read the Note.  
 

NAM SUMMIT: Angst over Meltdown Impact
Egypt takes over as new Chair; Declaration Calls for UN Reforms
NAM was founded in September 1961 by Jawaharlal Nehru, first Indian Prime Minister, former Egyptian president Gamal Abdel-Nasser and ex-Yugoslav president Josip Tito   Read the Article.  
 

EU PRESIDENCY: Ahead and Taking on Challenges 
Prime Minister Mr. Fredrik Reinfeldt outlines the Swedish Vision
It is a pleasure to be here today at the Centre for European Policy Studies and present my vision of the Swedish Presidency, which started on 1 July. For some reason it seems as if nobody envies us this task. And it is true that our Presidency will take place under very special circumstances. A new European Parliament taking office, a new European Commission about to be appointed and uncertainty about the future of the Lisbon Treaty.   Read the Article. 
   

DR. MANMOHAN SINGH'S VISIT TO FRANCE: Strategic Partnership to Touch New Areas
Indian PM as the Guest of Honour at Bastille Day Parade   
“India is a major power of the 21st century. Its involvement is essential in all major global matters” — Nicolas Sarkozy  Read the Article.  
 

G8 SUMMIT: Energy and Climate Change Dominate the Outcome   
Apart from Italy, which currently holds the G8 Presidency, there are 7 other members such as Canada, France, Germany, Japan, UK, USA and Russia. The outreach group known as G5 include China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa) who were invited to participate in some of the sessions. In total, an assortment of 15 countries and 9 International Organisations were specially invited. Read the Article.
  

BRIC SUMMIT: Rise of the 'Rest'
Russia's de-dollarization moves make the summit dynamic
The summit echoed member countries Brazil, Russia, China and India demand for increased global economic reform and a “strong, stable, predictable and more diversified international monetary system”, which was a message against the global domination of the US dollar as the world’s standard reserve currency  Read the Article.      
     

HILLARY CLINTON'S VISIT: Business as Usual
Hillary succeeds in maintaining the Bush Era momentum
At the government level-there were signing of two important agreements, a Technical Safeguards Agreement permitting U.S.-licensed components to be used on Indian civilian spacecraft, and an agreement creating a US$30-million endowment to fund science, technology, and innovation.  Read the Article.  
 

GROWING INDO-US ECONOMIC PARADIGM: 
Unruffled by Meltdown Pangs  
The Indo-US Economic Summit held in New Delhi in January 2009 drew up action plans for strategic tie-up for a number of areas including finance, aviation urban development and manufacturing sector.  Read the Article.
  

Norwegian Pension Fund Investing in India
The Norwegian Pension Fund has stepped up its investments in India from US$1 billion to approximately US$3 billion. Currently more then 70 Norwegian companies from a variety of sectors present in India. Indians are topping the immigration quota of experts in Norway. This is people who have been headhunted to high skilled jobs.  Read the Article.  
     

BILATERAL NOTES
US trade representative Demetrios Marantis to visit Indai
Australian Delegation reassures India on Students' Safety
Sweden offers India civilian nuclear technology 
India, South Korea ink trade pact
   Read the Notes.
   

NEW NATO CHIEF: Former Danish PM, Rasmussen is new NATO Chief
Former Danish Prime Minister Mr. Anders Fogh Rasmussen took over as secretary-general of the NATO alliance on 1 August 2009. NATO is a 28-nation military alliance which is now 60 years old. Rasmussen listed out his priorities in earnest. They include successful conclusion of the Afghan War; weeding out the irritants in the ties with Russia that are under strain after last year’s Russo-Georgian conflict; and expanding NATO’s partnerships with moderate nations in North Africa and the Middle East.    Read the Article.  
   

SHANGHAI COOPERATION SUMMIT: Focus on Regional Cooperation
India-Pak meeting makes news... 
Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) leaders converged at Yekaterinburg, Russia, on June 16, 2009 for a summit that called for constructive dialogue and enhanced cooperation to tackle regional and international issues. The Joint communique of the summit informed that leaders “exchanged views in depth on a wide range of regional and international issues”. The leaders also called for the establishment of a more just and rational system of inter-governmental relations, and set priorities for future cooperation.   Read the Article.  
 

Indian FM chooses Japan as the first port of call  
The new foreign minister participated in the third Annual Bilateral Strategic Dialogue between India and Japan and held discussions on a range of topics having bilateral and global interest, including disarmament and climate change.  Read the Article.
 

INDIAN BUDGET 2009: Of Balancing Growth with Populism
India’s newly re-elected government may have disappointed investors by presenting a deficit-laden budget sans many pro-market initiatives but it did reciprocate to its voters by committing lavishly on infrastructure and rural empowerment. Respecting the electoral mandate, the Congress Party has delivered a budget with intense economic populism.  Read the Article.
 

OBAMA'S RUSSIA VISIT
US Stands for a Strong and Prosperous Russia  
The US President Barack Obama wrapped up his first visit to Russia with the confidence that the relations between the two nations are improving. His address at a university graduation ceremony in Russia outlined this vision and hoped for a future, including a desire for a strong and prosperous Russia.  Read the Article.
 

Changes in Canada    
I’m a Canadian, but a fairly long time resident of India, with 13 years of living and working here under my belt. I visited the land of my birth and citizenship in May/June (2009), the first visit since the same period in 2005. Since four years had lapsed between visits, when I got back, Diplomatist Editor Kalyan Kumar asked if I would write about any changes in Canada that I witnessed. That was a hard one. Had he asked me in advance to take notes while there, perhaps I could come up with more than what this short – very short – piece provides. In fact, the only thing that I can recollect is the changing – or I should say improving – attitude of the general population towards drinking and driving.  Read the Article.
 

Mauritius to Host Global Bhojpuri Conference   
The Indian Diaspora Centre in Mauritius will be hosting the Bhojpuri International Conference on 29 and 30 August this year. According to Jagdish Goburdhun, President of the Indian Diaspora Centre in Mauritius, “the conference will highlight the cultural wealth of the Bhojpuri language, its music, culture, and so many aspects. Three workshops will discuss the present situation of the language, the role of Bhojpuri in the socio-economic development of a country and the cultural wealth it carries. Debates will also highlight the possibility of incorporating Bhojpuri in the local educational curriculum at primary level”.  Read the Article.
  

Surging Opportunities set to Expand India-Oman Relations    
There are a number of areas where Oman and India can work together for mutual economic benefits. The domains with large prospects of cooperation include oil & gas, infrastructure, IT, Education & Training, Healthcare, Tourism and Hospitality, New & Renewable Energy etc.  Read the Article.