"I have come with a message that India stands ready to join hands with the people and the government of Bhutan to strengthen our relationship to do our bid for accelerated development of Bhutan," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told reporters after he arrived on a two-day visit to the country. Dr Singh, who became the first international leader to visit Bhutan after it entered the club of democratic nations in March, received a warm reception at Paro International Airport.
The security measures are being intensified by the Afghan government after a fresh assessment suggested increased threat to the Indians, particularly those engaged in construction of a crucial highway from Delaram to Zaranj, sources said. The assessment of the threat was carried out by a two-member team of senior officials of the External Affairs Ministry which went to Afghanistan.
The organisation has now turned to universities to tap talent at an early stage and wants the students to commit at least three years for research with defence laboratories.
In the year gone by, Indian Space Research Organisation achieved self-reliance in launch vehicle technology with the successful ground testing of the Cryogenic Upper Stage, a key component in putting heavier payloads in orbit.
In a special gesture, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday visited cyclone-ravaged areas in Bangladesh and assured that India will extend all possible assistance to the neighbouring country in their hour of crisis.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee made these announcements in Dhaka as he handed over a fresh consignment of Indian relief material to Bangladesh's foreign adviser Iftekhar Chowdhury at the Zia International Airport soon after his arrival for a day-long visit. "India has always attached high importance to its relations with Bangladesh. We stand by Bangladesh in its efforts to rebuild the lives of those affected by the cyclone," said Mukherjee.
The Netherlands, a key member of the Nuclear Suppliers' Group, has said that the export of nuclear goods for peaceful purposes to India was in conformity with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The country has also expressed its readiness to consider any proposal in this regard. However, Netherlands said that it was awaiting the finalisation of the agreement between India and the IAEA and it will formulate its final position after careful analysis of the pact.
India will develop its own version of the Global Positioning System by launching seven satellites in 6 years. The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System, to be functional by 2012, will be used for surveillance, telecommunications, transport etc.
The ISRO will launch its ambitious and maiden mission to the moon, Chandrayaan-I, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota on April 9, 2008. "We are looking for a launch on April 9," Mylswamy Annadurai, head of Chandrayaan-I said.
A high-level meeting between the two sides will be held in New Delhi from Monday on the comprehensive economic agreement which aims at eliminating trade barriers to enhance commerce between India and the EU.
The X Prize Foundation and Google Inc have announced a robotic race to the moon. The rules of the game are that participants must land a rover on the lunar surface, run it for at least 500 metres and send video images and data back to earth.
The government-run Invest In France Agency, tasked with attracting overseas business, has identified 300 Indian companies, mainly in IT and pharma sectors, as prospective investors in this country and plans to launch vigorous campaigns to tap these.
Mukherjee, who was in South Korea for a three-day official visit, came to the Korean Demilitarised Zone for a brief time.
As Maoists walked out of the Koirala government in Nepal, India on Tuesday expressed hope that all concerned would implement their previous understandings and resolve differences democratically.
On a three-day visit to Seoul since Sunday, he made it clear that the increasing cooperation between India and the US was not aimed at containing China.
"As India's largest neighbour and a key emerging player in the international arena, China remains an important priority of our foreign policy," said External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee.
Mukherjee said the international community could have trade with India after a safeguards agreement is in place.
"India is always against any armed intervention by any country in another country," Pranab said.
Kumaran Padmanathan, who allegedly financed former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, was reported to have been detained in Thailand earlier this week.
Lauding India's track record on non-proliferation, Japan said it has been a "good boy" despite remaining outside Non Proliferation Treaty regime, but New Delhi should shoulder the responsibility to strengthen the NPT regime.
