COUNTRY REVIEWS

South Asia

Afghanistan

March 15-21

• Taliban claims responsibility for Kandahar attacks; Karzai orders extra forces to secure Kandahar; Petraeus: US military faces a tough year ahead; Most US forces to operate under NATO command; McChrystal brings most US Special Operations forces under his direct command, to avoid civilian casualties; Foreign Secretary Rao: Taliban is part of negative presence in Afghanistan

March 22-28

• Karzai holds talks with representatives of Hekmatyar; de Mistura: UN will back Afghan-led peace process and elections; Karzai visits Beijing, says Afghanistan is honoured to have China as friend and neighbour; Clinton: American efforts in Pakistan “vital to success in Afghanistan”

Bhutan
March 15-21

• Pachauri highlights the urgent need for SAARC countries to cooperate on climate change; Bodo militants attack Royal Bhutan Army on March 14 in Sarpang district; Bhutan and Nepal discuss possibility of Preferential Trade Agreement

East Asia

Japan

• Washington to hand over air traffic control rights around Okinawa to Japan, for the first time since 1945; Foreign Minister Okada reiterates that his government will continue to follow ‘three non-nuclear’ principles but says possibility of US bringing nuclear weapons into Japan in a future emergency as a defensive measure cannot be ruled out; Foreign Ministry panel concludes that secret pacts on nuclear arms and other issues were reached between Japan and the US; Japan and Australia to jointly seek to reinforce security assurances against the use of nuclear weapons on non-nuclear-weapon states at the upcoming NPT Review Conference

Southeast Asia
March 15-21

• Thai government and UDD to carry out negotiations; PM Vejjajiva rejects UDD’s demand to dissolve the Parliament; Myanmar dismisses the report of UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation; Karen National Union warns of possibility of renewed conflict ahead of elections

March 22-28

• Talk between Thai government and the UDD held, no agreement reached; Myanmar Senior General warns parties against engaging in divisive acts in upcoming national elections; Suu Kyi opposes NLD’s participation in the elections but leaves the final decision for the party; India to welcome a senior Myanmar military leader next week; India to deploy more troops along its Myanmar border to curb movements of Northeast militants

West Asia

Iran
March 15-21

• Gas agreement between Iran and Pakistan signed; Obama: Washington committed to a “more hopeful” future for the Iranian people despite US differences with Iranian government

March 22-28

• Gates expresses concerns over Iran’s drones

Iraq
March 15-21

• Seven killed in suicide attack in Falluja; Allawi gets ahead of al-Maliki

March 22-28

• Allawi’s Iraqiya bloc wins two seats more than al-Maliki’s coalition; UN and US welcomes the results; 52 people killed in suicide attack in Diyala

DEFENCE REVIEW

National
March 15-21

• Fourth test of ballistic missile defence fails
• India and Russia finalise Gorshkov’s price at $2.33 billion
• India signs final agreement with Russia for Nerpa submarine
• BEML bags 632 Cr defence order

International

• Russia to bid for US defence contract

March 22-28
National

• L&T to build 36 boats for Coast Guard
• Government mulling 100 per cent FDI in defence
• NSC wants extra filter in clearing FDI proposals
• Dhanush, Prithvi-II missiles test-fired successfully
• Agni-I test-fired successfully