Thousands of cheering supporters have welcomed India’s next prime minister on his arrival in the capital after leading his party to a staggering victory in national elections.

Narendra Modi thundered to victory in India’s election, trouncing the ruling Nehru-Gandhi dynasty in a seismic political shift that gives the Hindu nationalist and his party a mandate for sweeping economic reform.

Whether they loved her or loathed her, virtually all the world leaders she ever met stood in awe of Margaret Thatcher.

Whether they loved her or loathed her, virtually all the world leaders she ever met stood in awe of Margaret Thatcher.

Whether they have a strong political pedigree or none, women are climbing to the top of Asian politics, writes Vishakha Desai

THE room is large and airy, the stone floors clean and cool — a welcome respite from the afternoon sun. Until your eyes take in the horror that it holds. Ten malnourished children — nine of them girls.

BBC journalist Brian Hanrahan, best known for his coverage of the Falklands War, has died aged 61.

TAOISEACH Brian Cowen presented a collection of Jack Lynch memorabilia to the people of Cork yesterday.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has declared victory in India’s national elections, saying voters have given the Congress party-led coalition a “massive mandate”.

A leading Indian politician was forced to duck a shoe flung at him during a press conference in New Delhi today in a virtual repeat of President George Bush’s Iraqi incident.

Sonia Gandhi, the head of India’s ruling Congress party, is being treated in a New Delhi hospital for a chest infection, a hospital official said today.

India was set to name its first female president today in a symbolic victory for Indian women.

WHEN the national broadcasting station — in the days when there was only one national broadcasting station — sent out an invitation for families to compete in a quiz programme, I entered our family in the contest.

A senior Tamil Tiger leader has apologised to India for the 1991 assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi by a Tiger suicide bomber.

Lawyers have made their final arguments in the murder trial of two Sikhs charged over the 1985 bombing of an Air India jumbo jet, ending one of the most exhaustive and expensive trials in Canadian history.

The two men accused of the Air India jumbo jet bombing that killed 329 people nearly 20 years ago were guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, Canadian prosecutors said.

New Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, India’s first non-Hindu top leader, paid homage today to former prime ministers before announcing a new cabinet delayed by political wrangling within his new ruling coalition.

Manmohan Singh, the soft-spoken economist named India’s next prime minister, pledged today to work to restore religious harmony, keep India investor-friendly and seek peace with rival Pakistan.

A 71-year-old economic reformer and political veteran was set to become India’s next prime minister, receiving his Congress party’s endorsement today after its leader Sonia Gandhi shocked supporters by abandoning her claim to the top job.

SONIA GANDHI said she would "humbly decline" to be the next prime minister of India, a decision that followed Hindu nationalist outrage over the prospect of a foreign-born woman at the helm of the nation.

POLITICAL uncertainty and financial panic swept India yesterday after the stock market was shut down after it worst-ever plunge and two powerful communist parties refused to join a new government alliance under Congress party leader Sonia Gandhi.

Political uncertainty and financial panic swept India today as the stock market was shut down after it worst-ever plunge and two powerful communist parties refused to join a new government alliance under Congress party leader Sonia Gandhi.

Sonia Gandhi worked swiftly today to build a new coalition government for India around her family’s Congress party after a stunning upset election victory, but refused to confirm whether she would be the next prime minister.

India’s parliamentary elections today entered a crucial third round that will determine the fate of opposition leader Sonia Gandhi and her son, first-time candidate Rahul, the latest member of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty to enter politics.

India’s ruling Hindu nationalist party wrested control of three of four state legislatures in elections seen as a strong indicator for the country’s parliamentary ballot next year.

Mother Teresa, the Yugoslav-born Catholic nun who spent her life caring for the poor in the slums of Calcutta, has been voted the greatest Indian in a magazine poll.

The Tamil Tiger chief - one of Asia's most wanted men - has appeared at his first news conference in 15 years.

At least 13 people died today when gunmen stormed the Indian Parliament in New Delhi.

As international diplomatic efforts in Afghanistan gather momentum, UN Human Rights Commissioner Mary Robinson said a prominent role for women should be a priority when a new government is formed.