International and Bilateral Issues:

China has said that it is opposed to any country that “provides a platform” for the Dalai Lama and his “anti-China activities,” in the wake of India and China last week postponing the 15th round of border talks following Beijing's concerns over a Buddhist conference that was scheduled to take place at the same time in New Delhi.
China views the exiled Tibetan religious leader as a “splittist,” who is campaigning for Tibetan independence. The Dalai Lama, however, says he does not seek independence in Tibet, and wants China to give Tibetans “genuine autonomy” in religious, cultural and educational spheres.
China had expressed its opposition to the Buddhism conference being held at the same time as the border talks, although he made clear China's opposition to India giving the Tibetan religious leader “a platform.”

Ken Russell, one of Britain's most daring filmmakers, has died at the age of 84.
He is hailed for his raucous 1969 adaptation of D.H. Lawrence's novel Women in Love , which won him an Oscar nomination.
Women in Love became controversial for a nude wrestling scene between Oliver Reed and Alan Bates.
His other controversial works included religious drama The Devils and rock opera Tommy .

A series of postage stamps in commemoration of the arrival of the first indentured Indian labourers to South Africa 151 years ago have been launched here.
The stamps feature a sketch of the S S Truro, the ship that brought the first indentured labourers for the sugarcane plantations in Natal province from India in 1860

Pakistan, by all accounts, continued to seethe for the third day on Monday over NATO helicopter attack on a border outpost
Yusuf Raza Gilani said it would not be “business as usual” and that Pakistan would review its relationship with the U.S.
Mr. Gilani said while Pakistan wanted to remain engaged with the U.S., the relationship would have to be anchored in mutual respect and equality.
Pakistan may not attend the Bonn conference on Afghanistan or could scale down its presence
Pakistan also disputes the presence of terrorists on its side of the border with Eastern Kunar in Afghanistan as these areas, according to the military, had been cleared.
While NATO has regretted the incident and described it as “tragic” and “unintended”, the firing, according to ISAF personnel, was a result of the unclear border between Afghanistan and Pakistan which terrorists use to their advantage.

China on Monday said it was “shocked” by NATO attack in Pakistan, expressing its “strong concerns” and calling for an investigation.
After the Abbottabad raid, which led many countries to question Pakistan on its failure to crack down on terror, China was a rare source of support for an embattled Pakistani leadership.
China believes the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan should be respected in real earnest

Videocon Industries and BPCL on Monday said the natural gas discovery they made off Mozambique may hold 15-30 trillion cubic feet of inplace reserves which they may ship into India in the form of LNG