Digest of international news for the week

Saturday:

Washington: US President Barack Obama seeks to dismiss notions that his international standing has diminished due to the recent election rout at home, citing his remarkable chemistry with leaders like Manmohan Singh and Angela Merkel at international summits like the G20.

Washington: Pakistan has used terror outfits as a hedge against India, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said and implied that things might not have completely changed.

Washington/United Nations: Global leaders and fellow Nobel laureates today welcomed the release of Burmese democratic icon Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest, hoping that it will pave the way for restoration of real democracy in the country.

Sunday:

Wuhan (China): India discusses with China key bilateral issues, including seeking Beijing's support for its quest for a permanent UNSC seat and its concerns over stapled visas to Kashmiris, as the two countries prepared for the crucial visit of Premier Wen Jiabao to New Delhi next month.

Yangon: Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, freed from seven years of house arrest, tells thousands of wildly cheering supporters that she would continue to fight for human rights and the rule of law in the military-controlled nation.

United Nations: In a significant development, Jammu and Kashmir has been removed from the UN list of unresolved disputes, giving a setback to Pakistan which has been asking the world body to intervene on the issue.

Monday:

Wuhan (China): India discusses with China key bilateral issues, including seeking Beijing's support for its quest for a permanent UNSC seat and its concerns over stapled visas to Kashmiris, as the two countries prepared for the crucial visit of Premier Wen Jiabao to New Delhi next month.

United Nations: Pakistan objects to the exclusion of Jammu and Kashmir from a list of disputes under the observation of the Security Council in a speech made by UK's top diplomat in an annual debate on UNSC reforms here.

Tuesday:

Mina (Saudi Arabia): A human tide of pilgrims, put at nearly 2.8 million, descends on the Mina valley carrying bags of pebbles to symbolically stone Satan on the third day of the Hajj, as Muslims worldwide mark the Eid al-Adha festival.

London: UK's much-awaited royal wedding is to take place next year with an official announcement saying that Prince William, the second-in-line to the British throne, is to marry his longtime companion Kate Middleton in 2011.

Wednesday:

Geneva: India has performed poorly in providing social security protection to its people until recently with "very high vulnerability" to poverty and informal labour practices in the world, according to the International Labour Office.

Washington: Describing India as a "responsible" global stakeholder, the US has said its support for New Delhi's quest for a permanent UNSC seat is not at odds with India's refusal to sign the NPT and CTBT.

Thursday:

Beijing: Pakistan is set to buy Chinese air-to-air SD-10 missiles and avionics to arm its 250 JF-17 Thunder fighter fleet, the country's air force chief has said, amid signs that the French had spurned offer to equip them.

Islamabad: Eleven years after the Kargil War, the Pakistan Army which has been denying its role in the conflict has quietly put the names of 453 soldiers and officers killed in the battle on its website.

Friday:

London: Indian-origin entrepreneurs Sir Gulam Noon and Raj Loomba are conferred peerages of the UK for life, as the appointment of 53 new members to the House of Lords prompted criticism that several former party donors had been named.

Kathmandu: Nepal's Maoists prevent the caretaker government from presenting the budget and raises slogans against it, forcing speaker to adjourn the Parliament after fixing December 2 as next date for convening session.

Washington: In what is being viewed as the "most significant change" in its Afghan strategy, the Obama administration has invited both India and Pakistan to be engaged in transition process of the war-torn nation, where the US intends to transfer security to Afghan forces by 2014.