COUNTRY REVIEWS

South Asia

Bangaldesh

• ULFA General Secretary Anup Chetia seeks withdrawal of his appeal for political asylum in Bangladesh; Indian President thanks Prime Minister and the government of Bangladesh for their support in making a power plant project possible in Tripura; Bangladesh receives FAO’s ‘Diploma Award’; Bangladesh Government approves the signing of Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum Agreement with the United States

Sri Lanka

• Sri Lanka's External Affairs Minister Prof. Peiris asks Australia to proscribe the LTTE; President Rajapaksa congratulates newly elected President of Iran; President Rajapaksa condoles the deaths of over 500 people due to massive flooding in India's northern states; Sri Lanka and Pakistan discuss enhancing the bilateral relations between the two countries in the ports and shipping sector; More than 1,600 Sri Lankan Tamils living in Tamil Nadu as refugees have returned to SL

Maldives

• Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC): No corruption was involved in the leasing of INIA to GMR; GMR seeks a compensation of $1.4 billion for the termination of the contract between GMR and the Maldivian government.

East Asia

China

JUNE 10-16

• China and DPRK conclude strategic dialogue; China announces new policies to boost cross-straits relations; China upset over attacks on Chinese students in France; Putin and Xi discuss bilateral ties; Cyber security office established by China; Ethiopian PM visits China; China seeks to enhance ties with Vietnam; Cuban Vice President visits China; Ban Ki-moon to visit China; China-US summit fruitful; China-US agree to maintain coordination in the Asia-Pacific region; China-US agree to work towards climate change; China and Russia begin joint exercises; China and Mexico working towards tourism agreements; Chinese Vice President meets his Nepalese counterpart; Xi Jinping’s visit to Latin America fruitful; China launches Shenzhou 10

JUNE 17-23

• China continues to patrol the Diaoyu Island; President Xi Jinping asks the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to implement the “mass line” campaign in order to build a strong army; Chinese Foreign Minister meets DPRK Vice Foreign Minister; China upset with Philippines’ seizing of Ren’ai Reef; China and Vietnam to maintain and improve maritime dialogues; China hails the role of the UN in safeguarding world peace and promoting prosperity; China seeks resumption of six-party talks; Chinese and Russian forces conclude joint exercises; Top Chinese legislator meets Vietnamese President ; China successfully conducts exercises J15 from the aircraft carrier; Chinese VP meets with Indian communist leader Karat; Li Keqiang meets Cuba’s first Vice President; China denies the Snowden was spying for China; China congratulates Rouhani for winning Iranian presidential elections

West Asia

Saudi Arabia

• Saudi border patrol seizes 7000 weapons and foils 159,000 infiltration attempts in last six months

Kuwait

• Parliamentary elections to be held on July 25, opposition calls for boycott

Iran

• Iran’s currency rial rises after Rohani election; Saudi Arabia willing to cooperate with Iran

Iraq

• India’s External Affairs Salman Khurshid visits Iraq, hopes to strengthen bilateral ties

Russia

• Russia supports Kabul’s position that peace efforts in the war-torn country should be led by the government of Afghanistan; Russian and American Presidents have expressed optimism on Iran after the recent elections in the country; Russia and the US sign a new nuclear anti-proliferation agreement; President Putin and President Obama have expressed their commitment to end violence in Syria; Russia signs a new helicopter deal with the US; Russia has said that the American proposal to cut strategic offensive potentials cannot be taken seriously; Russia will respond to any plausible US sanctions over human trafficking; President Putin praises G20 over G8 in terms of meeting today’s challenges; Russia and Japan have signed an agreement on scientific and technical cooperation in electric power engineering sector; Russia and UAE have agreed to set up a US$ 2 billion investment fund; BRICS bank to be created by 2015; Russia will not allow the establishment of a no-fly zone over Syria; President Putin has called on Europe to ‘think twice’ before selling weapons to the Syrian opposition; Russia welcomes North Korea’s decision to ‘de-freeze’ six party talks on its nuclear programme; Russia to crack down on offshore zones; Russia to supply Su-35 fighter jets to China; Russia not to change prevailing taxes till 2018; Russia’s Rosneft and China’s National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) sign a 25-year agreement on Russian oil exports to China

United States of America (USA)

• India and the United States to hold the fourth strategic dialogue; US Secretary of State John Kerry arrives in India; Secretary Kerry: India can play a central role in helping the Government of Afghanistan improve its electoral system and create a credible and independent framework for resolving disputes; Secretary Kerry: The world’s largest democracy and the world’s oldest democracy must do more together; Afghan president Hamid Karzai suspends talks with the United States on a new security deal to protest the way his government was being left out of initial peace negotiations with the Taliban

DEFENCE REVIEW

National

• BrahMos Aerospace Chief A Sivathanu Pillai: BrahMos Missile uninterceptable for the next 20 years; Director General CRPF: Anti-Naxal operations will continue.

International

• U.S. will maintain its nuclear “triad” amid talks about nuclear reduction; Kyrgyzstan’s parliament voted not to renew the lease of its Manas airbase to the United States after 2014.

INTERNAL SECURITY REVIEW

Jammu & Kashmir

• General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command: Army has received inputs that militants might try to disrupt the Amarnath Yatra; Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) asks different security agencies to do away with stringent conditions that create hurdles in return of youth from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK); Civilian hurt in LoC clash; Amarnath Yatra arrangements reviewed by Governor N.N. Vohra; Prime Minister to review development programs in J&K; Shootout in Srinagar leaves policemen dead; Soldiers killed in a deadly attack in Srinagar.

North East India

• Linkmen of National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) arrested in India-Bangladesh border; Tension continues in Rengma Naga inhabited areas in Diphu, Assam; President Pranab Mukherjee to visit Tripura; National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) chief released; Communal clashes in Garo Hills, Meghalaya; NSCN (K) ultras killed in Manipur.

Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) News

• CPI(Maoist) Commander held in Encounter between Maoist and Security forces in Jharkhand Gaya, Bihar

UNITED NATIONS REVIEW

• India declares its support for Iran’s presidency of the Conference on Disarmament; Al-Shabaab carries out attack on UN office in Mogadishu; UN report warns India of PPP mode of investment; Indian NGO wins UN award.