COUNTRY REVIEW

Iraq

• Clashes continue in Sadr City despite ceasefire; Maliki: Crackdown on Shiite militias shows he is not sectarian; Iran shells Kurdish positions in Northern Iraq

China

• Over 30,000 people dead in massive earthquake; Beijing to cooperate with EU to promote Africa’s development; SCO Defence Ministers for a defence cooperation pact among member countries

Myanmar

• 77,700 people dead and nearly 56,000 missing in cyclone; Government: Over 90 per cent supported referendum

US ELECTION REVIEW

• Senator Clinton wins the West Virginia Primary by a huge margin, but makes little dent in Senator Obama’s delegate count; Obama releases plan to help redress grievances of American manufacturing sector

South Asia

Afghanistan

• NATO attack in Pakistan’s Bajaur district kills 14; Pak Army launches a formal complaint; Indian national kidnapped on April 21 freed; Pentagon planning a huge military base in Kabul

Pakistan

• Restoration of judiciary unresolved after negotiations in London fail; PML-N walks out of federal cabinet; Deposed judges reject undertaking fresh oaths; Several killed in US missile strikes in Bajaur

Nepal

• NSP stays out of first CA meeting; Confusion about key portfolios remain; Maoists warn of forceful eviction if King des not quit voluntarily; Rakesh Sood calls on Maoists to develop consensus

Bhutan

• Dr. Singh visits Bhutan; Expresses support for its democratic elections; Bilateral trade to reach Rs. 100 billion in five years

Bangladesh

• Parliamentary elections to be held in the third week of December; Bangladesh Navy successfully test fires a C-802 missile, upgraded with Chinese assistance

Sri Lanka

• UPFA obtains 15 seats in the provincial council elections; Rajapakse terms the elections as an important milestone; Reports of forced recruitment of children by the LTTE; Congress in Tamil Nadu demands ban on all pro-LTTE organisations

Maldives

• Maldivian Information Minister: Non-Muslims risk losing the citizenship; Maldivian Embassy opened in Riyadh

PAKISTAN-OCUPIED KASHMIR REVIEW

• Ghulam Nabi Azad urges trade across the Line of Control; Diamer Bhasha Dam to affect agricultural land and heritage sites; AJK PPP demands international intervention in the J&K elections; Pakistan Army claims it is blocking funds to militants in Kashmir

INTERNAL SECURITY REVIEW

Series Bomb Blast Rock Jaipur

• Series bomb blasts rock Jaipur, 63 killed; Dr. Singh: No co-relation between POTA and terror strikes

Jammu and Kashmir Development

• PM Manmohan Singh: Unprovoked firing by Pak troops worrisome; UJC ruled out any cease fire by militants in near future; Abdullah calls for autonomy to be restored in J&K

NorthEast Insurgency

• Factional clashes claim 16 in Nagaland; DHD steps up violence, attacks carried out in Assam’s NC Hills district

Maoist Insurgency

• Six Maoists killed along the Bihar-Jharkhand border

Other Development

• Union Government extends ban on LTTE

NUCLEAR REVIEW

India

• Kakodkar: India to launch massive programme to explore domestic sources of uranium:; UPA tries to sell the ElBardei card to the Left parties

Iran

• Iran-IAEA hold third round of expert level technical talks; US calls its envoy to IAEA to discuss Iran issue; Iran delivers package of proposals to UN chief

North korea

• US House passes measure requiring Presidential certification before Pyongyang is taken off the terrorism blacklist; South Korean envoy hopes talks would resume in June

ENERGY SECURITY REVIEW

Bio-Fuels

• Report: Food prices to continue on their upward trend

Oil Prices

• Rising militant attacks on oil assets in Nigeria lead to shutting down of capacity of over 164,000 bpd; OPEC refuses to heed Bush’s call to increase oil production

Exploration and Production

• Tullow Oil reports discovering oil and gas in the Lake Albert Rift Basin

GeoPolitics

• Gazpromneft’s bid to acquire 51 percent stake in NIS approved, would allow Serbia to join the South Stream gas pipeline