COUNTRY REVIEW

Iraq

• Gates visits Baghdad to discuss nature of US troop engagement; US accuses Iran of supplying material to Iraqi insurgents; Sunni council members attacked; Turkey conducts cross-border raids

China

• Beijing calls of G7 nations to help maintain world economic stability; Wen meets Sihanuk; Two major cross-strait direct sea routes opened

Japan

• Japan and Russia to hold first vice-ministerial talks on ways to fight global warming on February 27; Tokyo lodges strong protest against Tupolev TU-95 strategic bomber intrusion

Myanmar

• Election in Myanmar in 2010; Myanmar refutes the UNICEF report; Ban Ki-moon urged to visit Myanmar; Shiv Shankar Menon visits Myanmar

South Asia

Afghanistan

• Gates urges NATO to do more in Afghanistan; Rice and Miliband visit Afghanistan, urge Karzai to allow a UN Envoy

Pakistan

• Interior Ministry: Security plans for the February 18 elections approved; Anti-militancy operations continue across country

Bangladesh

• Bangladesh the new destination for ship-building; Miliband urges Dhaka to lift emergency

Nepal

• Gyanendra expresses dissatisfaction with the decision of interim parliament to abolish monarchy; Rival camps accuse the other of trying to upset CA polls; EU urges cessation of violence for smooth conduct of polls; Exit permits issued to Bhutanese refug

Sri Lanka

• Rajapakse: Terrorism and poverty two main challenges confronting the state; 39 LTTE cadres killed in North

NUCLEAR REVIEW

India

• Mukherjee: India might have to face global isolation if nuclear deal does not go through; Mulford: Its “now or never”

North Korea

• North Korea completes eight of eleven disablement measures: Chun Yung-woo; Lee Myung-Bak promises dramatic rise in living standards if Pyongyang gives up its nuclear programmes

Iran

• Mottaki urges patience, asks Security Council to wait for the IAEA report; ElBaradei: IAEA making progress with Iran on outstanding issues; Iran testing advanced centrifuges at Natanz

INTERNAL SECURITY REVIEW

jammu and Kashmir

• SOG unearths nexus between car thiefs and militants; Soz: Militancy has caused irreparable damage to cultural values

NorthEast Development

• UNLF refutes Army claim on Somtal; ULFA militant reveals plans to hijack planes

Maoist Insurgency

• Union Government rules out the deployment of Army to combat Maoist violence

Other Development

• Life sentences awarded in IC-814 hijack case; Ban on SIMI re-imposed; Karunanidhi: LTTE not to be allowed a free run in state; US DNI: LeT and other Kashmir-focused groups will continue attacks against other targets across India

• Six LeT terrorists arrested in Uttar Pradesh; NSA: LeT, JuM, HuJI part of Qaeda’s ‘elite terrorist network

ENERGY SECURITY REVIEW

ONGC LOOKING FOR PARTNERS TO ACQUIRE CANADIAN OIL COMPANY

• Over 120 Canadian companies participate in event organized in Calgary to attract participation under NELP-VII

FUEL PRICE HIKE

• Deora: Minimum inconvenience to people if prices are raised

IRAN-PAKISTAN-INDIA GAS PIPELINE

• India not to attend trilateral IPI met in Tehran

TAPI STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING POSTPONED

• Meeting was scheduled to be held from February 13-