Beirut: Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halki survived a bomb attack on his convoy in Damascus on Monday, state media and activists said, as rebels struck in the heart of President Bashar al-Assad's capital.
Six people were killed in the blast, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, the latest in a series of rebel attacks on government targets including a December bombing which wounded Assad's interior minister.
Halki wields little power but the attack highlighted the rebels' growing ability to target symbols of Assad's authority in a civil war which has cost more than 70,000 lives, according to the United Nations.
Assad picked Halki in August to replace Riyadh Hijab, who defected and escaped to neighbouring Jordan just weeks after a Damascus bombing which killed four of the president's top security advisers....
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08:10 PM, Apr 29, 2013
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid says India knows how to take pressure when it comes to its foreign policies. While speaking to Karan Thapar on Devil's Advocate, Khurshid called the Italian government sensible in connection with the marines row. ...
08:41 PM, Mar 31, 2013
The UPA-II regime continues to be on life support as it is now completely dependent on outside support after the DMK pulled out and the all-party meet on Wednesday failed to reach a consensus. While the UPA-II's fate hangs in balance, all eyes are on the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) vote on Sri Lankan war crimes, that will take place in Geneva on Thursday at 2:30 pm (IST). ...
07:55 AM, Mar 21, 2013
The government's attempt to reach a consensus on the Sri Lankan resolution failed on Wednesday as party after political party opposed a country-specific resolution. ...
11:34 PM, Mar 20, 2013
Sri Lankan High Commissioner Prasada Kariyawasam spoke to CNN-IBN and slammed the US-sponsored resolution against the island country by calling it "uncalled for". He added that the protesters demonstrating against Sri Lanka are all "uninformed" and their agitations have taken form of "terrorism". ...
06:35 PM, Mar 20, 2013
Why is India not in favour of a strong UN resolution against Sri Lanka? CNN-IBN's senior editor Suhasini Haidar joined IBNLive readers for an interaction on the issue. ...
06:19 PM, Mar 20, 2013
Sri Lanka has been in the line of fire over alleged human rights violations against Lankan Tamils for almost four years now. Allegations of war crimes and human rights abuses have swirled and eddied around the Sri Lankan Army since the killing of LTTE supremo Prabhakaran, but the photographs of his teenage son Balachandran gave it an ugly disturbing edge. ...
02:08 PM, Mar 20, 2013
Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday said that the government intends to amend the resolution on Sri Lankan war crimes, but was still holding talks with other parties to come to a conclusion. "The position of the party is that we intend to amend the resolution. The opinion among other parties so far is divided. We will continue to speak to other parties to come to a consensus," Chidambaram said....
10:56 AM, Mar 20, 2013
The DMK has ruled out any compromise saying it is ending the nine-year alliance with the Congress with a heavy heart over the UN resolution on Sri Lanka. "There is no question of reconsidering when the resolution is to be passed day after tomorrow as there are just two days left now. In no ways is India helping the Tamils," DMK leader TKS Elangovan said. ...
09:12 AM, Mar 20, 2013
The UPA government is still working on a resolution on the Sri Lankan Tamil issue in a desperate last ditch effort to get the DMK back on board. But a breakthrough looks unlikely at the moment. The UPA government is likely to move amendments to the US-sponsored resolution against Sri Lanka at the UNHRC. But moving the amendments is no easy task and will involve hectic lobbying. ...
07:58 AM, Mar 20, 2013
The DMK, the second largest constituent of the ruling coalition, the UPA, has officially withdrawn support from it. A delegation of DMK leaders, led by TR Baalu, handed over the letter of withdrawal of support from the UPA to President Pranab Mukherjee at 10.30 pm on Tuesday. The UPA is in minority in Parliament now. The coalition government will be more than ever at the mercy of powerful but fickle...
10:58 PM, Mar 19, 2013
Sri Lankan envoy to India Prasada Kariyawasam called resolution against the island country unecessary, while speaking to CNN-IBN's Suhasini Haidar. He also said that those protesting against Sri Lanka in Tamil Nadu are taking the form of terrorism. ...
08:02 PM, Mar 18, 2013
Newly-elected Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday offered his support in protecting Sri Lanka's national sovereignty, hinting at Beijing's backing to stave off a US-backed resolution against the country at UN Rights Council. ...
08:44 AM, Mar 17, 2013
Days before a US-sponsored resolution will be taken up against Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council, Colombo accused Washington of committing human rights abuses. ...
03:50 PM, Mar 11, 2013
Amid sustained pressure by political parties from Tamil Nadu, Government on agreed to have a discussion on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue in Lok Sabha on Thursday. ...
03:20 PM, Mar 06, 2013
North Korea stepped up its bellicose rhetoric on February 1 threatening to go beyond carrying out a promised third nuclear test in response to what it believes are "hostile" sanctions imposed after a December rocket launch. The North frequently employs fiery rhetoric aimed at South Korea and the United States and in 2010 was blamed for sinking a South Korean naval vessel. It also shelled a South Korean island in...
06:23 PM, Feb 05, 2013
United Nations: As India executed 26/11 terrorist Ajmal Kasab, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has called on nations who still use the death penalty to abolish the practice. Ban welcomed a UN General Assembly resolution, passed earlier this week, that called on all member states to establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolish death penalty. The resolution, passed in the general assembly's Third Committee on Monday,...
09:18 AM, Nov 22, 2012
Chennai: Ratcheting up pressure on the Centre, UPA key ally DMK-organised pro-Eelam TESO meet on Sunday accused it of remaining "silent" to the sufferings of Sri Lankan Tamils and asked the government to play a more pro-active role to ensure their well-being, including moving a UN resolution. "...This conference points out to the Indian Government that a question has naturally arisen in the hearts of Tamils as to why it...
09:44 PM, Aug 12, 2012
United Nations: Russia remained at loggerheads with the US and its European allies ahead of a scheduled vote on Wednesday afternoon on a new Syria resolution and there appeared to be little hope that the UN's most powerful body would unite behind a plan to end the 17-month civil war in the country. The key stumbling block is the Western demand for a resolution threatening non-military sanctions and tied to...
11:09 AM, Jul 18, 2012
New Delhi: India played a key role to introduce "an element of balance" in the US-sponsored resolution in Geneva on Sri Lanka rights violations, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said. In a letter to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Manmohan Singh said he had instructed the Indian delegation "to remain in close contact with its Sri Lanka counterparts in an attempt to find a positive way forward." "You would be aware that...
03:53 AM, Mar 25, 2012
