India set to launch satellite for South Asian countries, Pakistan says no thanks

In a first, India's space agency is set to launch a satellite Friday to provide communications services to its neighboring countries. The South Asia satellite, funded entirely by India, was announced several years ago with the intention of serving all eight members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). According to Uday Bhaskar, director of Delhi-based think tank the Society for Policy Studies, the satellite represents a "new form of regional cooperation," and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called it a "gift to the SAARC region." More

(Source: CNN - May 5)