India has fast-tracked efforts to build a dedicated communications satellite for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) area, hoping to launch it by the end of next year, a senior space scientist says.

India is set to launch three disaster-monitoring satellites for a British firm in July, moving ahead with its ambition of securing a larger share of the annual international launch business.

An Indian air force Jaguar fighter crashed in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh June 16, highlighting the poor maintenance and safety record of the jet that has been in service for more than four decades.