COUNTRY REVIEW

South Asia

Afghanistan

• Obama’s unveils new AfPak strategy; US NSA Gen. James Jones: New Afghan-Pak strategy has nothing to do with Kashmir; Peter Galbraith appointed UN Deputy Envoy

Pakistan

• Reports: Pakistan not happy with Obama’s new AfPak strategy; 76 killed in suicide bomb attack in Khyber Agency; Iftikhar Chaudhary resumes duties as Chief Justice; Zardari reiterates PPP’s commitment to bring peace to Balochistan

Bhutan

• Bhutan and India sign another hydropower agreement; Tshering Tobgay elected as the new PDP President; Chief Justice Tobgye: Fifteen sub-districts to separate courts; Exiled Bhutanese oppose ‘one nation, one people’ policy

Bangladesh

• Islamic militants threaten English-language schools in Dhaka; Founding member of HuJI arrested; Cairns Energy seeks to raise price of gas sold to PetroBangla; Bangladesh and India renew the Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade for two more years

Sri Lanka

• Karuna: LTTE has lost 90 per cent of its fighters; Reports: India has set up a hospital in north Lanka to cater to displaced Tamils; Calls made to sever Colombo’s ties with Oslo on charges of facilitating meeting with LTTE’s KP; Karunanidhi

Maldives

• Maldives lobbies UNHRC to adopt resolution on climate change and human rights; Majlis cancels licenses issued to foreign parties for fishing in EEZ

East and SouthEast Asia

China

• China says it is ready to cooperate with Afghanistan to solve its problems; China, Australia vow to improve bilateral ties; Foreign Minister Yang: China, EU relationship off to a good start; BT network vulnerable to potential attack from China

Japan

• Japan may shoot down North Korean rocket

SouthEast Asai

• Thai PM refuses to step down despite ongoing protests; Thailand offers to mediate between Myanmar and KNU; Than Shwe urges political parties to abandon ‘foreign ideologies;’ Najib Razak to replace Abdullah Badawi as the next PM; Violence in Aceh peaks

West Asia

Iran

• Miliband urges Tehran to take opportunity offered by Obama to improve relations; US at Moscow meet: Afghanistan a “very productive area” for engagement with Tehran; Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator meets NSA Narayanan

Iraq

• Turkish President visits Baghdad; Suicide bomber kills 23 in northern Iraq amidst rising Kurdish-Arab tensions

NUCLEAR, MISSILES AND SPACE REVIEW

Nuclear

• Tight race on for head of IAEA, Japan’s Amano up against South Africa’s Minty

• Central Asia NWFZ enters into force

• China energy arm plans to up nuclear capacity

• Petraeus: Iran nuke a 'a couple of years' away

Missiles and Space

• ISRO says RISAT is Indian-built, even as speculations mount on Israeli technical inputs

• Block II version of Brahmos successfully test-fired

• South Korea, Japan, US warn DPRK not to go ahead with rocket launch

ENERGY SECURITY REVIEW

• China and Myanmar sign deals for a 2,000 km gas and oil pipeline

• China's CNOOC announces two new discoveries in Bohai Bay

INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM REVIEW

• US offers up to $11 million as reward to capture al-Qaeda terrorists in Pakistan; Seven Arab militants killed in South Waziristan agency

INTERNAL SECURITY REVIEW

Jammu and Kashmir

• Seventeen militants and eight soldiers killed in Kupwara; Gen. James Jones: Kashmir is a separate issue; President Obama favours constructive diplomacy with India and Pakistan “to lessen tensions between two nuclear-armed nations”

NorthEast Development

• Arms racket busted in Mizoram