New Delhi, Sept 9 : President Pratibha Devisingh Patil has congratulated Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on his assumption of office today.

In her message, the President said, “Your election is a milestone in Pakistan''s history. It symbolizes the durability and strength of democratic forces in Pakistan. The resurgence of these forces is in the interests of Pakistan as also our entire region. You face immense challenges and we are committed to working closely with you to further develop bilateral relations between our two countries for the mutual benefit of our peoples and our region.”

Bishenpur (Manipur), Sept 9 : Security personnel shot dead five separatist guerrillas hiding out on an island in the middle of a lake in Bishenpur area of Manipur during an encounter, police officials said on Tuesday.

The rebels, belonging to PREPAK, a powerful armed group in Manipur were hiding in a house they had built in one of the lake''s in many small islands, a defence spokesman said.

Officials said that large cache of arms and ammunitions have been recovered from the militants.

New Delhi, Sept 9 : Union Minister for Science and Technology Kapil Sibal along with his counterpart Dr. Annette Schavan, Federal Minister of Education and Research inaugurated the Indo-German Science and Technology Centre, here today.

The Centre was announced during the visit of Prime Minister to Germany in April 2008 and the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for setting up of the Centre was signed by Sibal and Dr. Schavan in October 2007 during the visit of German Chancellor to India.

New Delhi - Germany and India on Tuesday launched a strategic initiative which will foster cooperation between science and industry on innovation in skill development, industrial growth and life sciences.

India's Science Minister Kapil Sibal and German Federal Minister for Education and Research, Annette Schavan inaugurated the Indo-German Science and Technology Centre (IGSTC) in New Delhi for which each side will provide 10 million euros over the next five years.

New Delhi, Sept 9 : Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee and Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sureesh Mehta released the "Joint Doctrine for Amphibious Operations" in New Delhi today.

The doctrine is meant to serve as a guideline on how armed forces intend to plan and conduct these operations and achieve full synergistic effect of joint combat power. It lays down the commonality between the three services, for the smooth conduct of amphibious operations.

New, Sept 9 : While Delhi was far away from the term ''crowd'' until 1987, India''s capital has now joined the league of the world''s most populated cities.

This revelation has been made in a new book, ''The Top 10 of Everything 2009'', which shows how ''everything'' has changed in two decades.

Written by Russell Ash, the book contains over 600 lists comparing today''s entries with lists from 20 years ago, reports the Telegraph.