Areva, the French nuclear group, agreed on Wednesday to supply India with up to six nuclear reactors in one of the first deals since the subcontinent's nuclear programme was brought into the international fold last year after decades of isolation.
An overall assessment of the Chinese civilian nuclear programme reveals that the objectives are well defined, the roadmap is clear, assistance from western countries is forthcoming readily and will be appropriately exploited to establish a strong, comprehensive indigenous capability. In contrast, India would appear to be behind in all the above aspects
'The credit (for the nuclear bomb) goes to me and my team because it was a very difficult task, which was next to impossible. But given the US and European pressure on our programme, it is true that had the Afghan war not taken place at that time, we would not have been able to make the bomb as early as we did,' Khan told the Aaj News Television.
If the nuclear deal happens, 'we would be taking a suicidal step,' says nuclear scientist Dr A N Prasad.
"During the talks, we confirmed that we will never tolerate a nuclear-armed North Korea," visiting South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak said after talks with Japanese Prime MinisterTaro Aso in Tokyo. Lee and Aso agreed to press Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear programme and urged China, North Korea's closest ally, to play a greater role in persuading it to disarm.
Chirac said that such a move will allow companies like Areva SA to supply nuclear plants to meet India's growing energy needs.
The United States, which spends billions monitoring adversaries like Al Qaeda, North Korea and Iran, pays an equal amount of attention on ally Pakistan and has ramped up surveillance of its nuclear arms, according to a report.
India asserted that it was a responsible nuclear weapon state and has always been in compliance with its obligations under international treaties and agreements. \n
Stating that the window of opportunity for Iran to reach a diplomatic solution over its nuclear programme is "shrinking", the United States has warned that it has all the options on its table to stop Tehran from acquiring atomic weapons.
The strategic reality that confronts New Delhi in West Asia today is that India has far more significant interests to preserve in the Arab Gulf, and as tensions rise between the Sunni Arab regimes and Iran, India's larger stakes in the Arab world will continue to inhibit Indian-Iranian ties, says Harsh V Pant.
The second Nuclear Security Summit opens in Seoul on Monday. Will it confront the dangers posed by Pakistan's unsecured nuclear programme, asks Nikhil Lakshman, currently in the South Korean capital.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron have called for enhancing trade and investment ties between their countries and committed to further deepening their engagement in the Indo-Pacific. They discussed a full spectrum of bilateral relations, including key global and regional issues, and stressed the urgent need for reform in the United Nations Security Council. The leaders also underscored their commitment to ensuring the global AI sector can drive positive social, economic, and environmental outcomes.
The Iranian government rejected Europe's proposal for ending the deeply divisive standoff over Tehran's controversial nuclear programme on Saturday, calling it "unacceptable" and not upto Iran's "minimum expectations."
From bhikshus of Ashokan 3rd century BC and medieval Sufis to Oxfam, Omidyar and Soros now, non-State actors have any real power only when they work in conjunction with a real State, asserts Shekhar Gupta.
'If there is a military standoff eyeball to eyeball on the western border, the Chinese could create problems by making movements in the north, in our northeast, which could involve us tying down some forces there so that could stretch our military actions.'
India and Pakistan are reportedly expanding their nuclear arsenal, despite a global trend towards disarmament, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute has said.
Iran's controversial nuclear programme and Syrian crisis dominated the opening day of 16th Summit of Non-Aligned Movement here today, with India calling for 'coordinated global action' to deal with proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and international terrorism.
The last phase of talks recessed in December 22 last year after five days of negotiations which yielded no progress with North Korea insisting on removal of the economic sanctions imposed by the United States.
Pakistan's Islamic alliance condemned the decision by the referral of Iran's nuclear programme to the UN Security Council.
These are the highlights of the Union Budget 2025-26 presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament on Saturday.
United States President Barack Obama vowed to launch a new diplomatic push to solve the longstanding crisis over Iran's disputed nuclear programme but said he would not let Tehran acquire nuclear weapons at any cost.
Warning that the Al Qaeda wants a nuclear weapon not to build a stockpile but to use it, a senior US official has said that the terror group will use only a handful number of operatives to carry out the attack, just as they did during the 9/11 strikes. An Al-Qaeda nuclear attack would be in the planning stages at the same time as several other plots, and only the most senior leadership of the terrorist outfit will know which plot will be approved.
AAERB's permission for RAPP-7 paves the way for the subsequent phases of reactor commissioning leading to its commercial electricity generation.
Boycotting the Champions Trophy will not tackle the issue we have with Pakistan, points out Aakar Patel.
Speaking at a programme in Kolkata on Tuesday night, he said that in the past, even the US has been appreciative of the fact that the Chabahar port has a larger relevance.
'All the big things happening today in economic development have their beginning in Dr Manmohan Singh's ideas.'
'It was India's good fortune to have a Vajpayee lead the government at this crucial moment in history.' 'By taking the N-decision he saved future generations of Indians from being 'Kosovoed' or 'Iraqed',' says Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
The Union Budget 2025-26 on Saturday allocated Rs 2,33,210.68 crore to the Ministry of Home Affairs with the majority of the fund -- Rs 1,60,391.06 crore -- being given to central police forces like Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) which are responsible for internal security, border guarding and security of vital installations.
The meeting of the foreign ministers of the P5+1 nations aimed to smoothen out major bumps in reaching a nuclear deal with Iran has ended with a positive note.
For the world and India, one of the most enduring challenges of the times is for Pakistan's nukes to be neutralised, before they are ever used by the State, their sponsored non-State actors or any rogue elements from the many terror tanzeems dotting Pakistan's unstable landscape, says Lieutenant General Kamal Davar (retd).
20 years ago this day, May 11, 1998, India conducted its second nuclear test at Pokharan in Rajasthan. In a fascinating interview on Rediff.com, K Subrahmanyam revealed how Indian PMs reacted to nuclear ambitions.
The report put India's 'stored' nuclear warheads at 172 in January this year while the number for Pakistan was 170.
Foreign ministers trying to reach an agreement on Iran's nuclear programme in Vienna are considering extending the negotiations as the Monday deadline looms large with "serious gaps" in the dialogue.
India has successfully test-fired a long range hypersonic missile from the APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday.
We the people are left in the wind, waiting on the whims of an unengaged president and an oligarch with a nearly bottomless wallet, observes Sree Sreenivasan.
Pakistan military has appointed Lt Gen Zubair Mahmood Hayat as the new chief of the Strategic Plans Division, which manages and secures the country's nuclear arsenal.
The US president said new sanctions would be imposed, adding 'America will not be held hostage to nuclear blackmail'.
The Indian Diaspora has been able to carve a niche in their adopted countries as a result of their talent, perseverance and hardworking nature, asserts Rup Narayan Das.
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