Paris  - France and India have signed an agreement on bilateral cooperation in the development of nuclear energy, according to a joint statement released after a meeting in Paris Tuesday between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The agreement "constitutes the basis of an increased bilateral cooperation in the domain of energy and research," the statement said.

Although no details were provided, French media reported last week that such an agreement could eventually lead to contracts worth some 20 billion euros (28 billion dollars) to French firms for the construction of nuclear power stations in India.

Dadri, Sep 30 : Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday said that the Manmohan Singh Government is ‘not’ soft on terror, and assured that the Centre is fully competent to deal with issues related to terrorism.

The Congress President, however, admitted that tougher legislations were needed to combat and root-out terrorism from the country.

Defending the ruling alliance, she assured that the UPA Government is taking elaborate measures to curb terrorism.

Paris, Sept. 30 : India’s re-entry into the global nuclear trade market after 34 years was achieved today with the historical signing of a bilateral agreement for civil nuclear cooperation with France.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and the chief of the Department of Atomic Energy signed the agreement in the French President’s office in the Champs Elysee here in the presence of President Nicholas Sarkozy and Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.

Shillong, Sep 30 : Minister of State for Defence Pallam Raju today said India is building infrastructure along the Indo-China border to match the developments on the other side with the Centre approving a 1,850-km Trans Himalayan Highway in Arunachal Pradesh.

“Centre has approved the Trans-Himalayan highway which aims at providing inter basin double lane connectivity,” Raju told reporters in Shillong.

Paris  - As the two largest developing nations, India and China should take part in helping resolve the current finance crisis, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in remarks published Tuesday in the French daily Le Figaro.

"The prime responsibility (for resolving the crisis) is that of the developed nations. But India and China should take part in the solution," Singh said.

The Indian prime minister, who was to meet with French President Nicolas Sarkozy later on Tuesday, said that India may take part in the international summit on the finance crisis proposed by Sarkozy.

Paris, Sept. 30 : Ending 34 years of nuclear trade isolation, India and France today finalized a landmark agreement on civil nuclear cooperation, covering the supply of reactors and atomic fuel.

The agreement is to be initialled this afternoon after summit talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.