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Al Qaeda’s South Asia wing has claimed responsibility for hijacking a Pakistani naval ship and trying to use it to fire rockets at U.S. vessels in the Arabian Sea, in the first major assault by the newly created group. The SITE monitoring service quoted its spokesman, Usama Mahmoud, as saying a group of militants had succeeded in seizing control of the Pakistani frigate PNS Zulfiqar and tried to use it to attack nearby U.S. vessels.

WASHINGTON: Ahead of a meeting between the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President George W Bush next week, Washington has agreed to lift export controls on equipment for nuclear facilities to India and liberalise high-tech trade, including those related to space science. US export licensing policies will be eased to foster cooperation in commercial space programmes and certain exports to power plants at safeguarded nuclear facilities, a joint statement titled 'The Next Steps in Strategic Partnership between India and the United States' said on Friday. The first phase of this partnership was concluded yesterday following two-days of intensive talks...

NEW DELHI: India will help Iraq and Afghanistan conduct their upcoming elections under an agreement signed on Saturday between New Delhi and the United Nations, an official said. The agreement was signed in New Delhi by Indian Deputy Election Commissioner Noor Mohammad and Carina Perelli, director of the UN’s Electoral Assistance Division, the official said. “India’s election expertise is recognised the world over,” Noor Mohammad said, adding that the country would provide assistance “wherever the UN thinks India’s services could be useful”. “Iraq, Afghanistan and Sudan could be immediate areas of activity,” Noor Mohammad said. “Two Indians are already in...