COUNTRY REVIEW

South Asia

Afghanistan

• Top Afghan policewoman killed; Taliban frees hostages; US reviews Shindand incident

Pakistan

• Asif Zardari in the US: World is safer under President Bush; Fighting continues in Bajaur and Darra; Kayani: Army committed to fight the war against terror; Afghan Consul General abducted in Peshawar

Nepal

• Dahal meets with Bush, Lavrov; Nepal’s Defence Minister attends military exercises in China; Nepal to import 60 MW of power from India; Transparency International: Nepal ranked 121 in Corruption Perception Index

Bhutan

• UNHCR: 5,000 refugees resettled in third countries in 2008; PM Thinley visits New York for UN General Assembly; Bhutan’s Ambassador to India: Bhutan and Assam can jointly tap their vast potential in tourism, agro-food processing

Bangladesh

• Dates announced for parliamentary polls; Zia and Hasina to hold talks after Eid; World Bank to provide $130 million to Bangladesh; Foreign Adviser Chowdhury: CA Ahmed’s visit to China has strengthened the “time-tested” and “all-weather” ties

sri Lanka

• Rajapakse at UN: Government ready to implement “political and constitutional solutions;” Rajapakse requests Norway to assist in relief efforts in the North; Co-Chairs focus on human rights in Sri Lanka; Troops on outskirts of LTTE HQ: Army Chief

Maldives

• Election fever grips Maldives; MDP ahead in polls, Gayoom placed third; TI gives an corruption index of 208 to Maldives

East and SouthEast Asia

China

• China successfully launches third manned spaceflight; China releases White Paper on “Protection and Development of Tibetan Culture;” PM Singh meets Wen Jiabao in New York; Wen to Ban ki-moon: Poverty a major cause of global instability

Japan

• Taro Aso elected Prime Minister; Transport Minster Nakayama resigns following criticism of his comments on trade union; Japan to buy Czech Republic’s unused credits

Myanmar

• Regime frees longest-serving political prisoner, Win Tin; Leaked document reveals Myanmar’s thinking on US role

West Asia

Iran

• Russia rejects the new UN sanctions against Iran; Ahmadinejad supports dialogue process but not to not accept “illegal demands.” Tehran expresses concerns over IPI gas pipeline security

Iraq

• Iraq and the US still differ over SOFA; Iraqi parliament passes law for provincial elections; More than 32 people killed and 100 injured in Baghdad bombing

US ELECTION REVIEW

• First presidential debate centres on economy and Iraq; McCain suspends campaign due to financial crunch; Obama and McCain participate in bailout talks with President Bush; McCain campaign alleges New York Times of favouring Obama

INTERNAL SECURITY REVIEW

Jammu and Kashmir

• Election Commission gears up to hold Assembly elections in November; 110 infiltration bids since January 2008; 9 militants gunned down on September 27

NorthEast Insurgency

• Seven HuJI militants killed in Assam; Assam CM: Threat from Jehadi groups to Assam high

Other Development

• Blast in Delhi again, two killed

• DGP Tamil Nadu police: Nothing alarming about LTTE movement in state

ENERGY SECURITY REVIEW

• India hopes to join Turkey and Israel in a $12 billion multi-purpose project

• Chavez signs a series of energy co-operation deals with China

• Tanganyika gets $1.8 billion Sinopec takeover offer

• US gasoline inventories at their lowest level since 1967

• Vietnam to explore gas, oil fields in Uzbekistan