According to officials, while the Nuclear Cooperation Agreement (NCA) signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday followed the template set in the India-U.S. civilian nuclear agreement of 2008, a text signed in addition to it is a departure from the past. The PM’s talks in Japan will coincide with a critical meeting of the Nuclear Suppliers Group in Vienna on Friday which will consider the question of criteria on whether to admit India and Pakistan, the two non-signatories to the NPT that have applied for membership. In addition GE, Westinghouse and Areva, the companies planning reactors in India at present have significant ownership stakes from Japanese companies Hitachi, Toshiba and Mitsubishi, and are held up until the India-Japan nuclear deal is cleared by the Diet or parliament expected in early 2017.
At least 13 are killed in a fire in New Delhi, India.