New Delhi  - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in New Delhi Saturday for talks with Indian officials days after a landmark civilian nuclear deal was approved by the Congress.

But it appeared clear that Rice and Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee would not be signing the 123 agreement that guides the deal due to administrative hitches.

The nation is all set to see the launch of India’s first unmanned lunar mission Chandrayaan-I. The spacecraft which has now been shifted to Sriharikota, has completed all environmental tests and would go for launch on board PSLV-C11, by the end of this month. 

The tests related to environment required the spacecraft to undergo vibration and acoustic tests. These tests were successfully completed at the ISRO Satellite Centre at Bangalore. The sources have revealed that the launch vehicle has been tested till the fourth stage. 

With the aim to replace the older models of Logan cars in India, Mahindra Renault recently launched new and better versions of Logan cars. The new model, which is supported by many new features has been developed after obtaining extensive feedback from the customers. 

The ban on polythene carry bags and smoking seemed ineffective on the first day in Chandigarh. Polythene bags were easily available at many shops without any fear. Many people were seen smoking at public places such as bus stands, railway stations and public parks.

Japanese small car major Suzuki launched new model in Paris on October 2, 2008. It is the fifth global model of the company.

Its new small car A star is expected to come in the market by the end of this month. The company ranked the new model just below the popular Suzuki Swift model of the company.

The Executives of the Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) are in Bangalore for a week to meet possible partners for doing their IT work. This step of out-sourcing has been taken by the HBOS to cut-down on its expenditure. However, a leading newspaper reveals that the trip of 11 Executives has cost the company 45,000 pounds.