COUNTRY REVIEWS

South Asia

Bangladesh

• China to set up power plant in Cox’s Bazar; Rs 6.40 crore recovered at Dhaka International Airport

Srilanka

• President Rajapaksa visits Bahrain; China appreciates Sri Lanka's support to the "Maritime Silk Route"; Canada does not recognise Sri Lankan government's ban on sixteen Tamil diaspora groups

Maldives

• The UN expressed concerns over the new regulation on death penalty in Maldives; Ambassador of the US to the Maldives meets President

CENTRAL ASIA & RUSSIA

Russia

• US, Japan, EU and Canada impose additional economic sanctions on Russia; Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov: Russia will respond to the economic sanctions; China opposed to unilateral sanctions against Russia; Defence Minister Shoigu: Russian troops will not invade Ukraine; President Putin hopes for the continuation of defence ties with Ukraine; Russia calls for dialogue on Ukraine; Ukraine unable to control the situation in the East; OSCE observers released in Slavyansk; Russia expresses concern over approval of punitive operations in southeast Ukraine; Russia blames Ukraine for tragic events in Odessa; Russia calls on UNSC to pass statement in support of Geneva agreement on Ukrainian settlement; Putin and Cameron call for peaceful resolution Ukrainian crisis; Putin and Merkel discuss Ukraine; Gazprom will not demand advance payment for gas supplied to Ukraine for May; Military conscription has been revived in Ukraine; NATO to consider Georgia’s offer to host defensive systems; IMF endorses a new anti-crisis program for Ukraine; Russia sues EU over Third Energy package; The US rebukes Bahrain for signing an investment cooperation deal with Russia; Russia and Peru discuss military and technology co-operation; Russian navy ships take part in anti-drug drills in the Caribbean, Foreign Minister Lavrov visits Cuba, Peru, Nicaragua and Chile; Eurasian Economic Council meeting held in Minsk

United States of America

• President Obama visits Philippines, seals a 10-year defence cooperation agreement; President Obama strongly defends his foreign policy; The United States retains India on the priority watch list in 2014; India to hold trade talks on intellectual property rights with the United States after its general election; US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia Nisha Desai Biswal: Security cooperation with India as "a central element of the broad US-India strategic partnership; US special representative for Af-Pak James Dobbins: US will not mediate between India, Pakistan; United States added new sanctions against Russia; Obama administration defends its foreign policy strategy on Russia; Indian-American Manish Shah has been confirmed by the US Senate as a federal judge in Illinois

DEFENCE REVIEW

National

• Exercise Sarvada Vijay conducted; Air Chief inaugurates two day annual Commanders’ Conference of Western Air Command

International

• China and Russia to carry out joint naval exercises in the East China Sea; Canada sends a platoon to Poland amid rising tensions over the Ukrainian crisis.