Plans have been drawn up for dealing with worst-case scenarios in Pakistan, NBC news reported quoting current and former US officials, who say that ensuring security of Pakistan's nuclear weapons has long been a high US security priority even before 9/11 terrorist attacks.
On her first trip to Asia as US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday that the issue of nuclear proliferation and the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan are on her agenda in her talks with Japanese leaders.
The landmark civil nuclear deal sealed on Friday with Japan is strikingly similar to the agreements India has with the US and some other countries but contains some added features on safety and security, reflecting Japan's concerns on the issue.
Defence Minister A K Antony on Wednesday dismissed suggestions that Pakistan's nuclear capabilities may be a factor in any hesitation by India to carry out a surgical strike against terror camps and said its restraint should not be construed as a weakness. "It (nuclear weapons with Pakistan) has nothing to do with that (decision not to strike). India's restraint should not be taken as a weakness," Antony told reporters on the sidelines of the Aero India show in Bangalore.
Terrorist groups under the banner of the Taliban in Pakistan as well as those operating in South and Central Asia pose the "greatest threat" to Islamabad's nuclear infrastructure, a report by a US think tank has said.
Pitching for "progressive steps" to de-legitimise nuclear weapons, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said a meaningful dialogue was needed among countries having atomic weapons to build trust and reduce the dangers of their accidental or unauthorised use.
Matthew Craig Barrett, 27, was remanded to judicial custody for 14 days by a court in Islamabad on Saturday following his arrest from sector I-11 of Islamabad on Friday.
India on Friday voiced concern over the 'danger and threat' of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal falling into the hands of terrorists and said it is closely monitoring the situation in the neighbourhood.
In perhaps what could be his swansong appearance as the Obama administration's point man for South Asia, Robert Blake has acknowledged that the impasse over the implementation of the US-India civilian nuclear deal poses many challenges to Washington and New Delhi.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will review the damage caused to the plant on Tuesday.
The Taliban has said they have no plans to attack Pakistan's nuclear arsenal as their stepped-up violent campaign to avenge Osama bin Laden's death has renewed fears that the country's warheads could be vulnerable.
France, a key player in the P5+1 talks with Iran on its contentious nuclear programme, on Friday asked India to 'convince' its 'close friend' Tehran to enter into serious negotiations and respect international obligations with regard to nuclear non-proliferation.
In the wake of North Korea's third nuclear test, China has stepped up monitoring of radiation levels at its borders with close ally Pyongyang as the test site is situated about 100 km from the Chinese border.
US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W Patterson has said it was not possible for the United States to extend any cooperation to the latter in nuclear energy sector as the issue involved a lot of legislation.
Amid worldwide alarm over a radiation scare in Japan following the tsunami, India and other nations from the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa group on Thursday pressed for strict adherence to safety norms with regard to nuclear facilities and a proposal was floated for mutual assistance in similar incidents.
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan has admitted that there will be a long-term battle to stabilise Japan's crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The Japanese government has also indicated that it may take a long time before residents of towns and villages close to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor are able to return to their homes.
The Center for Preventive Action, established in 1994 by the United States council on foreign relations to prevent, defuse, or resolve deadly conflicts around the world to expand the body of knowledge on conflict prevention, has published a survey, identifying possible contingencies which have a likelihood to occur in 2013.
The United States on Friday dismissed concerns that its nuclear deal with India may open up an opportunity for Pakistan and others to seek a similar agreement.
The United States has a strong fund tracking system to make sure that Pakistan does not use any direct US money to strengthen its nuclear programme, a top Pentagon official told lawmakers who expressed concern over American aid money to Islamabad given reports that the country has doubled its atomic stockpile.
If the Taliban have proved one thing over these two decades, it is that they are way smarter than their big brother, observes Shekhar Gupta.
Pakistan's nuclear stock pile is likely to grow in the coming years, as its programme unlike that of India is controlled by military leaders who consider this as both a political and military instrument, a noted American analyst has said.
The delegations is expected to discuss the progress of two VVER-1000 (1000 MW each) plants, which will be commissioned soon, with Indian officials led by NPCIL Chairman and Managing Director S K Jain. They will also discuss the progress made on eight more proposed Russian reactors for India, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited sources said.
United States President Barack Obama has hailed the "historic understanding" reached between world powers and Iran over the framework of a deal on its contentious nuclear programme, even as Israel warned that it would threaten the Jewish state's survival.
With the commissioning of the much-delayed Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project expected by end of December 10, anti-nuclear activists are planning to lay siege to the facility on December 10 to press for scrapping the project.
The two countries also decided to set up a 'dedicated and secure' hotline between their foreign secretaries.
It is important to protect fissile material from extremists in Pakistan more than nuclear bombs because the latter has multi-layer security unlike the former, a senior Pakistani nuclear expert said on Saturday.
The United States has sold British nuclear secrets as a 'bargaining chip' to persuade Russia to sign the key arms control treaty, the latest secret US diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks has revealed.US President Barack Obama will sign the deal next week, allowing Moscow to receive information about Britain's Trident missiles, which are manufactured and maintained in America. The paper quoted the cables as saying that the arms control deal could undermine Britain's policy
Two things have thrown a spanner in the works for the prime minister and the Congress. One is the UPA allies. The second development is the hike in the inflation rate, which jumped to 11.05 percent.
Protesting against the NSG waiver to India, Pakistan today blocked negotiations on Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT), describing the move as "discriminatory" that will help New Delhi stockpile bomb- making nuclear materials.
After decades of research, China has made a breakthrough in extracting uranium and plutonium from spent fuel, state-run CCTV announced on Monday.
It is a 'cause for security concern' to India, Naval Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta told media persons in New Delhi when asked about the revelations by satellite pictures that China had amassed five nuclear submarines carrying long range missiles. Defence Minister A K Antony sought to be evasive on the subject, saying the country's armed forces are capable of taking 'full care of our security interests' whether it is sea lanes or land borders.
Hasan Rohani, who is also the leader of the Supreme National Council, will meet Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee tomorrow.
The Meghalaya government has sought a nuclear power plant either in Meghalaya or any other suitable part of the Northeast India as a pre-condition for uranium mining in Meghalaya provided there would be no health or environment hazards because of the mining process.
'One thing I've learned about nuclear power is that these are not fast kind of time-lines.'
Reflecting their desire to deepen the strategic partnership, India and Germany have for the first time discussed the possibilities of entering into bilateral cooperation in civil nuclear energy.
Pakistan criticised a multi-billion-dollar agreement finalised by France to sell twonuclear reactors to India, saying the deal would create"mistrust" and have "serious security implications" in South Asia.
The CPI-M did not pass any resolution on the Indo-US nuclear deal at its 19th Congress meet since it felt the issue has been debated at length and that the party's stand was clear. CPI-M politburo member Sitaram Yechury said that the deal was not only dangerous, but unacceptable. Party general secretary Prakash Karat said it would launch a struggle against the deal to defend the sovereignty of the country.
In an interview published in The Sunday Times son of Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gadaffi says Libya spent $40 million to acquire nuclear capability.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances