The United States Senate has adopted a bipartisan resolution by unanimous consent “honouring the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, for his service to the people of India and to the world, and welcoming the Prime Minister to the United States”.

Senate Resolution 360, a rare initiative by the Senate, was adopted on Saturday just before the Senate recessed for the weeklong Thanksgiving break.

The Senate resolved that working together, the Governments of India and the United States can bring immense benefits to their people and make an enormous contribution to addressing the global challenges of the 21st century.

It recognized that a strong relationship between the two countries, based on mutual trust and respect, will enable the two countries to collaborate more closely across a broad spectrum of interests.

The resolution recognized India as a pivotal and effective partner in ensuring international peace and security and as one of the largest contributors to the UN peacekeeping missions; India’s contribution to stabilizing Afghanistan; and, the benefit to both countries from the growing bilateral trade.

The resolution was sponsored by the Democratic Co-Chair of Senate India Caucus Senator Christopher Dodd from Connecticut, who is Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

It was co-sponsored by 18 Senators, including the Republican Co-Chair of the Senate India Caucus Senator John Cornyn; the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senators John Kerry and Richard Lugar; Senator John McCain; Chairman of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, Senator Joseph Lieberman; Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Senator Dianne Feinstein; and, Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Near Eastern, Central Asian and South Asian Affairs, Senator Bob Casey.

NASA astronaut becomes father while in orbit on AtlantisLondon, November 23 : NASA officials have announced that an astronaut on the space shuttle Atlantis has become a father while in orbit, when his wife back on Earth gave birth to their baby daughter.

According to a report in the Telegraph, the astronaut in question is Randy Bresnik, who became a father for the second time when his wife, Rebbeca Burgin, gave birth.

“Abigail Mae Bresnik arrived at 12.04am Sunday, November 22,” the US space agency said in a statement posted on its website, adding that mother and child are “doing well”.

NASA said that it is the second time a baby has been born to a US astronaut during a space flight.

In June 2004, astronaut Mike Fincke’s daughter was born while he was aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

The happy news came on a relatively quiet day for the crews of both the International Space Station and the Atlantis shuttle, ahead of the third and final spacewalk on November 23.

Bresnik and fellow astronaut, Mike Foreman, on November 21, completed the second of their mission’s three spacewalks to maintain and install more hi-tech gadgets as they work to complete construction of the International Space Station. (ANI)