Kathmandu: After a long break following political instability in the Himalayan country, India and Nepal on Monday resumed bilateral security consultations in New Delhi.

1.The India-UK annual Summit was held in Delhi on January 21, 2008. The delegation from the United Kingdom was led by Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown MP and that from India was led by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.

On the first day of his visit to Oman from January 13-14, 2008, the Minister of External Affairs, H.E. Mr. Pranab Mukherjee called on the following Omani dignitaries - H.H. Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmood Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers Affairs of the Sultanate of Oman and H.E. Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs of the Sultanate of Oman. Both sides discussed bilateral relations and means to further strengthen them.

The quintessential politician and a veteran of many a political battle, Pranab Mukherjee, as external affairs minister, is typically in the thick of things. Not only does he continue to head a dozen important government committees but is now on a hectic tour of India's neighbours including Pakistan and the ASEAN summit at Cebu to promote India's foreign relations. Before he left, he sat down for an hour-long interview with INDIA TODAY Editor Prabhu Chawla and Associate Editor Saurabh Shukla in the executive drawing room of South Block. Excerpts from the interview:

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has again spoken of his country's support for a greater role for India in world affairs, at the United Nations as well as top international institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

India will continue to witness dynamic growth in 2008, driven by investment in the manufacturing and service sectors, and will be "largely insulated from weakness in the global economy," a new United Nations report has said.

10th January is observed as World Hindi Day. It was on this day in 1975 that the first World Hindi Conference was held in Nagpur under the auspices of Rashtra Bhasha Prachar Samiti, Wardha. Since then, 10th January is celebrated as World Hindi Day.

My colleague Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs, Shri Vayalar Raviji,
Chief Ministers and Ministers of various States represented on the dais,
President CII Shri Sunil Bharti Mittal,
My brothers and sisters from the diaspora,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my privilege to be here this morning at this important plenary session on “Development Challenges facing the states”. This debate could not have come at a better time. The public discourse on the development challenges that India faces must engage the attention of all us, whether in government or outside it. It should also engage the attention of civil society and the overseas Indian community.

We have just heard that a suicide attack on a convoy of the Border Road Organization which is constructing the Zaranj – Delaram Road in Afghanistan. We understand that at least two of our security personnel have been killed and some others injured. A number of Afghan security personnel have also been killed.

The Ministry of External Affairs, in association with Utkal University, Bhubneswar, is organizing a seminar on Indian Foreign Policy and Strategic Issues at Hotel Swosti Plaza, Bhubneswar from 5-6 January 2008. Hon'ble Chief Minister of Orissa, Shri Naveen Patnaik has been invited to be the Chief Guest and will preside over the inaugural session of the seminar at 1000 hrs on 5 January 2008.

At the invitation of His Excellency Mr. Wen Jiabao, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh will pay an official visit to the People’s Republic of China from 13 to 15 January 2008.