THE Indian Foreign Secretary's visit ended positively for a number of reasons. She was upbeat about the forthcoming visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India next month. The fact that Nirupama Rao found time to meet Khaleda Zia and refrained from calling on the Army Chief that her predecessor had done added to the positive tone of her visit.

7 November 1975 is a historic turnaround for 'Bangladesh politics'. I said 'Bangladesh politics' not 'Bangladesh' because if the event was the very positive move to exonerate the country from many bad elements as the proponents of the day claim, the country would have gone much further than where we stand right now. But, yes, it changed Bangladeshi politics a lot.

RUSSIA assumes its new role in world politics through supply of natural gas to energy-deficit states. Recently China and Russia signed a natural gas deal on 13th October for the supply of up to 70 billion cubic metres of gas per year from Siberia.