Friday, November 27, 2009 NEW DELHI: India on Friday voiced "serious concern" over what it termed a military nexus between its neighbours China and Pakistan, warning that New Delhi would try and match Beijing's growing firepower.Defence Minister A.K. Antony said India hoped to improve fractious relations with regional countries but that it must remain vigilant about ties between Pakistan and China."The increasing nexus between China and Pakistan in the military sphere remains an area of serious concern," Antony told a seminar in New Delhi."We have to carry out continuous appraisals of Chinese military capabilities and shape our responses accordingly."In the latest cross-border spat, China recently conveyed its "strong dissatisfaction" over the Dalai Lama's trip to the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh which is claimed in full by Beijing.Antony repeated Indian criticism of arch-rival Pakistan, accusing it of failing to take responsibility for the attacks in Mumbai last year that left 166 people dead.
BEIRUT: Thousands of people converged Saturday on central Beirut to mark the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Lebanese former premier Rafiq Hariri.Waving Lebanese flags and carrying pictures of the slain leader, men, women and children gathered under sunny skies in Martyr's Square where members of the parliamentary majority were to address the crowd. The rally comes as final preparations are underway in The Hague for the launch of the international tribunal set up to bring Hariri's killers to justice. It also comes as the country prepares for legislative elections in June that will pit Western-backed political parties against a Hezbollah-led alliance backed by Syria and Iran.Hariri died in a massive car bombing on February 14, 2005 that also killed 22 others. The assassination was widely blamed on then Lebanese power-broker Syria, which has denied any involvement. The attack on the Beirut seafront was one of the worst acts of political violence to rock Lebanon since t...
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