Hillary Clinton due in key India visit

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is due to begin a three-day visit to India aimed at strengthening political and economic relations.

Mrs Clinton's visit comes nearly a week after a series of blasts in the city of Mumbai, which killed 19 people.

She will meet Indian leaders in Delhi and travel to the southern city of Chennai, a hub for US investment.

The visit is her second as secretary of state and follows President Barack Obama's last November.

Correspondents say Mrs Clinton's visit will seek to expand cooperation between the two countries - from trade and educational exchanges to anti-terror measures.

She will attend a "strategic dialogue" session with Indian officials in the capital, Delhi, on Monday.

Mrs Clinton reacted to the Mumbai blasts last week, saying it was "more important than ever that we stand with India".

She also reaffirmed her "commitment to the shared struggle against terrorism".

No group has said it planted the bombs but suspicion among some officials and analysts has fallen on the Indian Mujahideen, a group which has claimed to have carried out similar attacks in the past.

US officials and political analysts say that Mrs Clinton is also likely to press for better ties between India and Pakistan.

"She will encourage India to do all it can to engage Pakistan, to find areas where they might be able to break down some of their barriers and build some kind of confidence in each other," Karl Inderfurth, a former senior State Department official, told Reuters news agency.

In June, the two countries agreed on improving access to each other's markets - the US wants India to become one of its top 10 trading partners.

India is currently the US's 12th largest trading partner, with bilateral trade of almost $50bn (£31bn).