While history always reverberates in present, the current envoy to India from Bhutan, Maj&nbsp;Gen&nbsp;Vetsop Namgyel, recalled a very interesting personal anecdote of his meeting with Bangladesh's father of the nation, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The meeting happened when the envoy was aide de camp&nbsp;during the then King of Bhutan&nbsp;Jigme Singye Wangchuck's Bangladesh visit in 1974.

He said, "After establishing diplomatic relations, my king, the father of the present king, was invited for a state visit in winter of 1974 and I was the aide de camp and I had the opportunity of accompanying him."

"My king had several meetings with&nbsp;Bangabandhu.. I had the opportunity to meet him. Being with my king, I had the opportunity to meet him..he had a very impressive personality," he said, adding what also "struck me (was) the love, affection, respect, and awe he was held".

Lauding his "illustrious daughter" and present PM of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, the envoy said she has "fulfilled the vision of her father" and "Bangladesh has been doing very well under Sheikh Hasina".&nbsp;

Bangladesh, with its fast economic growth, has graduated from the least developed country (LDC) status to the developing one. The recommendation has been made by the Committee for Development Policy of the United Nations.

The envoy&nbsp;was speaking at the Bangladesh High commission, which had organised an event to commemorate the 7th March speech of&nbsp;Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The speech changed the course of history and was pivotal in galvanising the struggle against the Pakistani Army. When the speech was being delivered, envoy&nbsp;Namgyel&nbsp;was doing his military officer training at Indian Military Academy (IMA) Dehradun, and was "very aware of what was happening in Bangladesh at that time".

He said, "when freedom struggle of Bangladesh took place, we used to follow it on newspapers, radio and one thing that struck me, after the independence of Bangladesh and successful liberation war...and listen to coverage on Doordarshan when Bangabandhu landed in Palam from Pakistan to Bangladesh".

"I remember to this day...what struck me, the excitement, the person who was covering the news...he was giving step by step account...describing his personality. The excitement and admiration, I can still remember to this day".

Bangladesh was the second&nbsp;country with which Bhutan established a diplomatic relationship&nbsp;after India.&nbsp;Bhutanese envoy said, "Bhutan and Bangladesh have very very close relations...we have very close economic and political relations".&nbsp;

In 2012, the third&nbsp;King of Bhutan Jigme Dorji Wangchuck was posthumously honoured with the “Bangladesh Liberation War Honour” by the Bangladeshi government for his support during the 1971 War of Liberation.&nbsp;Last year, both countries signed a Preferential trade agreement with an aim to increase economic engagement.&nbsp;

While history always reverberates in present, the current envoy to India from Bhutan, Maj Gen Vetsop Namgyel, recalled a very interesting personal anecdote of his meeting with Bangladesh's father of the nation, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

While history always reverberates in present, the current envoy to India from Bhutan, Maj Gen Vetsop Namgyel, recalled a very interesting personal anecdote of his meeting with Bangladesh's father of the nation, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The meeting happened when the envoy was aide de camp during the then King of Bhutan Jigme Singye Wangchuck's Bangladesh visit in 1974. He said, "After establishing diplomatic relations, my king, the father of the present king, was invited for a state visit in winter of 1974 and I was the aide de camp and I had the opportunity of accompanying him." "My king had several meetings with Bangabandhu.. I had the opportunity to meet him. Being with my king, I had the opportunity to meet him..he had a very impressive personality," he said, adding what also "struck me (was) the love, affection, respect, and awe he was held". Lauding his "illustrious daughter" and present PM of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, the envoy said she has "fulfilled the vision of her father" and "Bangladesh has been doing very well under Sheikh Hasina". Bangladesh, with its fast economic growth, has graduated from the least developed country (LDC) status to the developing one. The recommendation has been made by the Committee for Development Policy of the United Nations. The envoy was speaking at the Bangladesh High commission, which had organised an event to commemorate the 7th March speech of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The speech changed the course of history and was pivotal in galvanising the struggle against the Pakistani Army. When the speech was being delivered, envoy Namgyel was doing his military officer training at Indian Military Academy (IMA) Dehradun, and was "very aware of what was happening in Bangladesh at that time". He said, "when freedom struggle of Bangladesh took place, we used to follow it on newspapers, radio and one thing that struck me, after the independence of Bangladesh and successful liberation war...and listen to coverage on Doordarshan when Bangabandhu landed in Palam from Pakistan to Bangladesh". "I remember to this day...what struck me, the excitement, the person who was covering the news...he was giving step by step account...describing his personality. The excitement and admiration, I can still remember to this day". Bangladesh was the second country with which Bhutan established a diplomatic relationship after India. Bhutanese envoy said, "Bhutan and Bangladesh have very very close relations...we have very close economic and political relations". In 2012, the third King of Bhutan Jigme Dorji Wangchuck was posthumously honoured with the “Bangladesh Liberation War Honour” by the Bangladeshi government for his support during the 1971 War of Liberation. Last year, both countries signed a Preferential trade agreement with an aim to increase economic engagement.

Tryst with history! Bhutanese envoy recalls his meeting with Bangladesh's 'Father of the Nation'

Finland&#39;s moderate President Sauli Niinisto cruised to a rare first-round election win on Sunday as his delicate balancing of ties with neighbour Russia and the US-led NATO military alliance resonated with voters.

The 69-year-old Niinisto, known for cultivating good relations with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, won his second six-year term with an overwhelming 62.7 percent of the vote. His closest rival, Pekka Haavisto of the Greens of Finland, secured just 12.4 percent.

&quot;I am very surprised at this kind of support. I must think hard how to be worthy of it,&quot; Niinisto told reporters.

&quot;I have no intention of making changes just for the sake of making changes. We will follow very closely what is happening outside of Finland, globally, and if needed, then we will surely react.&quot;

Pro-EU Niinisto became the first candidate to win a first round victory since the electoral system was changed to a direct popular vote in 1994.

Eurosceptic politicians, Laura Huhtasaari from the nationalist Finns Party and independent Paavo Vayrynen, won 6.9 percent and 6.2 percent of votes, respectively. Turnout was 69.9 percent.

During his first term, Niinisto was instrumental in maintaining relations with Moscow, despite the country backing western economic sanctions against Russia over its 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

Finland, which shares an 833-mile (1,340 km) border and a difficult history with Russia, has also developed closer ties with NATO but stopped short of full membership in line with a tradition of avoiding confrontation with Russia.

The president is in charge of foreign and defence policy together with the government, but otherwise the post has become largely ceremonial in the past few decades.

Niinisto has appeared as a low-profile middle-man between East and West, in sharp contrast to his Baltic counterparts who regularly speak out against Moscow.

He was the first Western leader to meet Putin following the annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula, and he has also actively pushed for an air safety agreement in the Baltic region.

Father of the nation

Niinisto hopes for the EU to strengthen its defence cooperation, and declines to lock in a stance on Finland&#39;s future NATO membership.

&quot;I think there is no reason to seek a (NATO) membership as long as circumstances are as they are now,&quot; Niinisto said on Sunday. &quot;But if there are crucial changes in the environment, then we might be in a different situation.&quot;

Niinisto originally belonged to the co-ruling, centre-right National Coalition Party but campaigned this time around as an independent.

&quot;When ties between European Union and Russia are tense, people are satisfied that Niinisto has been able to maintain pragmatic and functional dialogue with Russia,&quot; said Markku Jokisipila, director at the Centre for Parliamentary Studies of the University of Turku.

Apart from his long service in politics, Niinisto also taps into sympathy from many Finns because of a series of personal dramas.

A lawyer by training, he was finance minister in the 1990s, becoming known for his government&#39;s austerity measures following Finland&#39;s recession, as well as the decision to join the euro area.

He lost his first wife in a car accident in 1995. He was in Thailand during the deadly 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami and survived by climbing up an electricity pole with his son.

He expects a baby with his wife Jenni Haukio, 40.

&quot;His habits reflect his experience and ordeal, and that combined with his very moderate policy statements makes him a kind of &#39;father of a nation&#39; figure,&quot; said Juho Rahkonen, Research Manager at pollster Taloustutkimus.

The result underlined how presidential candidates are to a large extent given priority over their parties, analysts said.

Matti Vanhanen, a candidate from Prime Minister Juha Sipila&#39;s Centre Party, received only 4.1 percent of votes, while the biggest opposition party Social Democrats&#39; candidate, Tuula Haatainen, won just 3.3 percent.

While around 20 percent of Finns back the idea of joining NATO, the only pro-NATO candidate, Nils Torvalds from the Swedish People&#39;s Party, won only 1.5 percent of votes.

Sauli Niinisto won his second six-year term with an overwhelming 62.7 percent of the vote

Finland's moderate President Sauli Niinisto cruised to a rare first-round election win on Sunday as his delicate balancing of ties with neighbour Russia and the US-led NATO military alliance resonated with voters. The 69-year-old Niinisto, known for cultivating good relations with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, won his second six-year term with an overwhelming 62.7 percent of the vote. His closest rival, Pekka Haavisto of the Greens of Finland, secured just 12.4 percent. "I am very surprised at this kind of support. I must think hard how to be worthy of it," Niinisto told reporters. "I have no intention of making changes just for the sake of making changes. We will follow very closely what is happening outside of Finland, globally, and if needed, then we will surely react." Pro-EU Niinisto became the first candidate to win a first round victory since the electoral system was changed to a direct popular vote in 1994. Eurosceptic politicians, Laura Huhtasaari from the nationalist Finns Party and independent Paavo Vayrynen, won 6.9 percent and 6.2 percent of votes, respectively. Turnout was 69.9 percent. During his first term, Niinisto was instrumental in maintaining relations with Moscow, despite the country backing western economic sanctions against Russia over its 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. Finland, which shares an 833-mile (1,340 km) border and a difficult history with Russia, has also developed closer ties with NATO but stopped short of full membership in line with a tradition of avoiding confrontation with Russia. The president is in charge of foreign and defence policy together with the government, but otherwise the post has become largely ceremonial in the past few decades. Niinisto has appeared as a low-profile middle-man between East and West, in sharp contrast to his Baltic counterparts who regularly speak out against Moscow. He was the first Western leader to meet Putin following the annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula, and he has also actively pushed for an air safety agreement in the Baltic region. Father of the nation Niinisto hopes for the EU to strengthen its defence cooperation, and declines to lock in a stance on Finland's future NATO membership. "I think there is no reason to seek a (NATO) membership as long as circumstances are as they are now," Niinisto said on Sunday. "But if there are crucial changes in the environment, then we might be in a different situation." Niinisto originally belonged to the co-ruling, centre-right National Coalition Party but campaigned this time around as an independent. "When ties between European Union and Russia are tense, people are satisfied that Niinisto has been able to maintain pragmatic and functional dialogue with Russia," said Markku Jokisipila, director at the Centre for Parliamentary Studies of the University of Turku. Apart from his long service in politics, Niinisto also taps into sympathy from many Finns because of a series of personal dramas. A lawyer by training, he was finance minister in the 1990s, becoming known for his government's austerity measures following Finland's recession, as well as the decision to join the euro area. He lost his first wife in a car accident in 1995. He was in Thailand during the deadly 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami and survived by climbing up an electricity pole with his son. He expects a baby with his wife Jenni Haukio, 40. "His habits reflect his experience and ordeal, and that combined with his very moderate policy statements makes him a kind of 'father of a nation' figure," said Juho Rahkonen, Research Manager at pollster Taloustutkimus. The result underlined how presidential candidates are to a large extent given priority over their parties, analysts said. Matti Vanhanen, a candidate from Prime Minister Juha Sipila's Centre Party, received only 4.1 percent of votes, while the biggest opposition party Social Democrats' candidate, Tuula Haatainen, won just 3.3 percent. While around 20 percent of Finns back the idea of joining NATO, the only pro-NATO candidate, Nils Torvalds from the Swedish People's Party, won only 1.5 percent of votes.

Finns, worried by Russia, hand cautious president huge election win

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday paid tribute&nbsp;to the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi on his 69th death anniversary.

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????? ???? ?? ????????? ?? ???? ??-?? ???...Tributes to beloved Bapu on his Punya Tithi.
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President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice-President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay tributes to Bapu (father) at Rajghat in Delhi. An inter-religious prayer will also be organised to mark the day.

Later in the day, urban development minister Venkaiah Naidu will inaugurate improvement works at Gandhiji Samadhi.

On this day in 1948, Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated at a prayer meeting.&nbsp;

(ANI)

President Pranab Mukherjee and Vice-President Hamid Ansari will also pay their tributes to Bapu at Rajghat in Delhi today

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday paid tribute to the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi on his 69th death anniversary. ????? ???? ?? ????????? ?? ???? ??-?? ???...Tributes to beloved Bapu on his Punya Tithi. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 30, 2017 × President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice-President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay tributes to Bapu (father) at Rajghat in Delhi. An inter-religious prayer will also be organised to mark the day. Later in the day, urban development minister Venkaiah Naidu will inaugurate improvement works at Gandhiji Samadhi. On this day in 1948, Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated at a prayer meeting. (ANI)

Mahatma Gandhi's 69th death anniversary: Indian PM Modi pays tribute