Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s birthday celebrated in Amritsar

AMRITSAR - Relatives of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his other well-wishers here on Saturday celebrated his 77th birthday by distributing sweets and holding prayers for his long life and good health.

Limited scope for another stimulus in India: PM

PITTSBURGH - While he persuaded the G20 leaders not to bring an abrupt halt to their stimulus packages to revive their and the global economy, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said there was little scope for another such package in India.

Birthday boy Manmohan says he’s indebted to Indians (Lead, Changing Dateline)

ON BOARD AIR INDIA ONE - Ever so shy when it comes to his personal life and plaudits, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who turned 77 Saturday, said he was indebted to the people of India for the faith they have reposed in him, even as he treated the accompanying delegation to a cake.

I lost touch with stock markets, says Manmohan Singh

PITTSBURGH - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who as finance minister in the 1990s invited criticism for saying he does not lose sleep over the rise or fall of a key equities market index, was cautious Friday night when answering a question on the stock markets.

Pakistan must end use of terror as state policy: Manmohan Singh

PITTSBURGH - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said Pakistan must give up the use of terrorism as a “state policy” and bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks to book, as it will encourage India to “walk an extra mile” to improve ties with the neighbour.

Developing countries to get more voting power at IMF

PITTSBURGH - The Group of 20 (G20) nations Friday agreed to increase the voting power of developing countries at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by at least five percent.

Obama says world leaders united and confident after bringing economy out of crisis

PITTSBURGH — World leaders on Friday issued sweeping promises to fix a malfunctioning global economic system in hopes of heading off future financial meltdowns. President Barack Obama said actions taken so far “brought the global economy back from the brink.”

Dr. Singh bats for stimulus measures, urges G-20 to resist protectionism

PITTSBURGH - Making a case for the developing countries at the G-20 summit here, Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh made a strong pitch for defending the stimulus measures, cautioning the G-20 countries from a premature exit.

US, France, Britain warn sanctions against Iran (Third Lead)

PITTSBURGH - The US, Britain and France Friday charged Iran with defying the UN Security Council and warned of sanctions if Tehran refuses the International Atomic Energy Agency to access a new uranium enrichment facility.

World leaders commit to future G20, curbing bank bonuses (Roundup)

PITTSBURGH - World leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) agreed Friday that the bloc of advanced and emerging countries will permanently replace the long-standing Group of Eight (G8) as the main body to discuss economic issues.

Manmohan Singh meets Brown on sidelines of G-20 summit

PITTSBURGH - Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh today met British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on the sidelines of Group of 20 summit in Pittsburgh, US.

India will grow at 6.3 percent: Manmohan Singh

PITTSBURGH - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday predicted a 6.3 percent growth for India during the current fiscal even though he saw a dip in the economic expansion of developing countries as a whole to 1.5 percent.

Time not ripe to end stimulus: Manmohan Singh

PITTSBURGH - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday told the G20 summit that the time was not ripe yet to withdraw the stimulus packages that were announced to stabilise the slowdown-hit global economy, as he raised India’s concerns over protectionism.

Ahmadinejad cancels press conference at UN

NEW YORK - Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has cancelled a press conference scheduled for later Friday at United Nations headquarters in New York.

Manmohan Singh meets British, Japanese, Australian leaders

PITTSBURGH - Starting his day early, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from three countries on the margins of the G20 Summit here Friday.

Iran confirms new nuke plant, Obama sees it as not peaceful (Second Lead)

PITTSBURGH/VIENNA - Hours after it was confirmed that Iran has a second, previously unknown, nuclear enrichment plant, US President Barack Obama Friday said the size of the new plant was “inconsistent” with Iranian claims that it was being used to produce civilian nuclear power.

Obama says he is looking forward to Manmohan Singh visit

PITTSBURGH - US President Barack Obama is looking forward to the visit of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Washington in November, which officials maintain will be the first state visit for any global leader under the new administration.

Iran’s nuclear plant ‘inconsistent’ with peaceful use: Obama

PITTSBURGH - US President Barack Obama said Friday the size of a second Iranian nuclear plant revealed this week is “inconsistent” with claims that it is being used to produce civilian nuclear power.

G20 to replace G8 as global economic policy forum

PITTSBURGH - Reflecting the growing economic clout of India, China, Brazil, and other fast-growing developing countries, the G20 will permanently replace G8, the once elite club of rich industrial nations, as a global forum for economic policy.

G20 leaders must provide more money to fight climate change: WWF

NEW DELHI - Leaders at the ongoing G20 summit need to agree on a climate financing strategy to open a green pathway out of the global economic crisis, creating jobs, new investment and securing sustainable economic growth, international NGO WWF said Friday.

‘Less aid, more debt for poor nations unless G20 changes situation’

NEW DELHI - The UN Millennium Campaign has just released figures which show that unless rich countries marshal additional resources at the ongoing G20 summit, they are likely to deliver $33 billion less aid than promised to the poor countries which are hardest hit by the global economic crisis.

World markets fall as G20 leaders look to foster healthy recovery; Tokyo down 2.6 pct

HONG KONG — Global stock markets dropped Friday as leaders of the world’s 20 largest economies assembled in the U.S. to find ways to foster a healthy economic recovery.

G20 summit opens: Developing world ‘holds key’

PITTSBURGH - A two-day summit of leaders of 20 leading global economies opened here amid calls by developing countries such as India to have a key role in restoring normalcy in the global financial system and overcoming the current economic downturn.

India has a ‘lot at stake’ at G20 summit

PITTSBURGH - A two-day summit of leaders of 20 leading global economies opened here amid calls by developing countries such as India to have a key role in restoring normalcy in the global financial system and overcoming the current economic downturn.

Japan to be bridge on nuclear, climate, economic issues: Hatoyama

NEW YORK - Japan’s new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said Thursday his government will act as a bridge between nuclear and non-nuclear states because Japan has suffered the devastation of atomic bombs in 1945.

On eve of G20 economic summit, nations spar over key issues, US warns about complacency

PITTSBURGH — On the eve of a summit of the world’s 20 top economies, the Obama administration pressed leaders on Wednesday to overcome differences and work together more closely in confronting thorny financial and environmental problems.

Government rubbishes claims that Pohkhran-II was failure

ON BOARD AIR INDIA ONE - The government has rubbished the claim by a retired senior scientist that the nuclear tests India conducted 11 years ago were a failure and questioned the timing of his statement.

Sarkozy to walk out of G20 if executive bonuses are not capped

PARIS - French President Nicolas Sarkozy has threatened to walk out of this month’s meeting of the G20 group of nations if no agreement is found on limiting the bonus of executives, the daily Le Figaro reported Monday.

Brace for deceleration of India’s growth: Mukherjee

NEW DELHI - There is little hope of reversing the slowdown in India’s merchandise exports in the near term, and the country’s growth is expected to decelerate in the next two quarters, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said here Monday.

G20 nations to take counter measures against tax havens from March 2010

LONDON - In order to prevent money laundering and terror financing, G20 countries have decided to take counter measures against non-cooperative tax heavens from March 2010.