BBC, India tests new ballistic missile:

Analysts say the Agni-III dramatically increases the range of targets which India could hit.

"This means that India has entered an altogether different league of nations, a new club," Rahul Bedi of Jane's Defence Weekly told Reuters.

"We can now reach large parts of northern China, making our deterrence capacity stronger. Also, when a country is able to develop a missile which can travel 3,500km, it is not difficult to make something that can go 5,000km.

"Very few nations have that capacity."  

Reuters, India successfully tests its longest-range missile :

Analysts say the successful test pushed India into a new phase in its long-term nuclear defense strategy.

"This means that India has entered an altogether different league of nations, a new club," Rahul Bedi, India correspondent of Jane's Defense Weekly, told Reuters.

"We can now reach large parts of northern China making our deterrence capacity stronger. Also, when a country is able to develop a missile which can travel 3,500 km, it is not difficult to make something that can go 5,000 km.

"Very few nations have that capacity."

Will portraying this as a defense strategy be how India's nuclear ballistic missle test will be downplayed in the American media soon to be described as their "missile shield" program?

Will this have any effect on Bush's U.S.-Indian nuclear deal, which the Senate panel overwhelmingly endorsed?

Senate Committee approval came on a 16-2 vote. The debate preceding the vote lasted almost 90 minutes.

Senator after senator highlighted the proposal as a historic turning point in U.S-India relationship that has often been unfriendly.

The negative votes were cast by Sens. Russell Feingold and Barbara Boxer.

The committee rejected by 13-5 an amendment from Feingold to require Bush to provide assurances that India was not taking advantage of the agreement by diverting nuclear fuel to its atomic weapons program.