Modi praised the contribution of nuclear scientists in the successful implementation of India's three-stage nuclear programme.
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.
Sections in the US State Department and Pentagon have always felt more comfortable dealing with all powerful Pakistani generals instead of elected civilians, points out Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at RA&W.
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
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.
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 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."
Russia and China are 'seriously' considering a project to install a nuclear reactor on the Moon in the next decade, the official media in Moscow quoted the head of the Russian space corporation as saying.
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.
India's nuclear-powered submarine INS Arihant on Friday carried out a successful launch of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) in the Bay of Bengal with a 'very high accuracy', the defence ministry said.
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 status of the current submarine force level is alarming and we need to address the threat perceptions expeditiously. Critical decisions pertaining to national security cannot be delayed any further due to the rapidly changing maritime threat perceptions and growing strategic importance of the Indian Ocean region, asserts Commodore Venugopal Menon (retd).
Pakistan's Islamic alliance condemned the decision by the referral of Iran's nuclear programme to the UN Security Council.
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.
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.
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.
Film stars from Hindi cinema as well as the south came together on a common platform, where they were honoured for their work.
'As one former Indian diplomat put it to me, Delhi has access to the White House, but Islamabad has access to Mar-a-Lago.'
'Pakistan is no longer a front-burner issue for America.'
Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan emphasized the need for constant high military preparedness, citing Operation Sindoor as an ongoing example. He also highlighted the importance of 'information warriors, technology warriors and scholar warriors' in future warfare.
He then went on to say that, however, he won't get a Nobel Peace Prize for any of his efforts.
'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 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.
The defence ministry said the test-flight was carried out on Wednesday evening and it met all the trial objectives, validating the reliable performance, as confirmed from the data captured by a number of range sensors deployed at different locations.
'Reciprocal tariffs are not going to affect India except specific sectors and there are opportunities to capture.'
'He was deeply committed to nurturing young talent and encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration.'
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).
An inconclusive end to this war will pose high risk for Netanyahu of a cascading demand for a regime change in Israel, predicts Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
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.
'When one air force (India's) hits the other's airbases with impunity and that air force (Pakistan's) is not able to respond, then the air force, which has put the other's airbases out of commission, has won.'
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.
