International news digest for the week

Saturday

Cairo: The Arab League suspends Syria until President Bashar al-Assad implements an Arab deal to end violence against protesters, and calls for sanctions and transition talks with the opposition.

Male: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announces a $100 million Standby Credit Facility to Maldives and a number of other key initiatives, including building the capacity of Maldivian security forces, boosting India's ties with this strategic island nation.

Sunday

Rome: Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi quits power to cheers from a crowd of thousands in Rome after a wave of market panic that shook the euro zone and brought his long rule to an end.

Cape Town: Widely respected cricket writer Peter Roebuck, who has considerable following in India, commits suicide here after police reportedly questioned him on allegations of sexual assault.

Monday

Beijing: Ahead of the crucial Sino-Indian Special Representative talks on boundary dispute, China says a fair solution cannot be achieved "over night" and will "take time".

Islamabad: Former Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi resigns from both Parliament and the ruling Pakistan People's Party and launches a scathing attack on President Asif Ali Zardari, saying he had "sold" out his values to cling to power.

Tuesday

Washington: The US says there is no change in its policy of denying visa to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

Melbourne/Bangalore: Eyeing India's growing uranium needs and its potential to provide jobs in Australia, Prime Minister Julia Gillard pitches for lifting a long-standing ban on export of the yellow cake to the rising Asian giant.

Wednesday

Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani says a decision is "yet to be taken" on the issue of granting Most Favoured Nation-status to India and that the cabinet had authorised the Commerce Ministry to conduct negotiations in this regard.

Melbourne: US President Barack Obama virtually backs Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard's plans to sell uranium to India saying it "seemed to be compatible with international law and the NPT".

Thursday

Islamabad: Pakistani authorities arrest 122 Indian fishermen and seize 23 fishing boats on charges of poaching in the country's territorial waters, a spokesman says.

Beijing: China gives a cautious response to moves by Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard to lift the long- standing ban on uranium sales to India, as it expresses reservations over New Delhi becoming a member of the powerful NSG, saying some countries have "concerns" over it.

Friday

Bali: Contending that there are "no irritants whatsoever" in Indo-US ties, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tells President Barack Obama that India has gone "some way" to allay the concerns of US firms by notifying rules for nuclear business and any specific grievance will be addressed within the "four corners" of Indian laws.

Bali: Against the backdrop of the South China Sea issue row, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tells his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao that India's oil exploration in the disputed maritime area is "purely commercial activity" even as the two sides agree that there is enough space and areas for them to work together.