COUNTRY REVIEW

South Asia

Afghanistan

• Suicide bomb attacks in Kandahar; Civilian casualties in NATO and Afghan military operations; Pakistan halts vital supplies to US-led coalition and NATO forces in Afghanistan

Pakistan

• Asif Ali Zardari elected as Pakistan’s new President with clear majority; PPP to abolish 17th Amendment; Assassination attempt on PM Gilani’s motorcade; Dozens killed in Swat and Peshawar

Bhutan

• DNC calls for giving Bhutanese refugees equal religious and cultural rights

Sri Lankan

• Lankan Minister: Tamils singled out for scrutiny in Colombo; UN calls for establish safe corridors for vulnerable civilians; Military: 19 dead bodies of soldiers handed over by LTTE through ICRC

Maldives

• Adhaalath Party files a case against Gayoom for not being Sunni

East and SouthEast Asia

Myanmar

• ICG: Myanmar crisis remains static; Suu Kyi awarded the ‘Dundee Freedom Award’

China

• Beijing submits its second report to UN Military Budget Transparency Mechanism; Chinese Foreign Minister visiting India September 7-10; Guangdong province and ASEAN sign an MoU

West Asia

Iran

• Syrian President emphasizes the need to resolve Iran issue peacefully; Iran dismisses Sarkozy’s warning on an Israeli attack; GCC condemns Iran's establishment of two administrative offices on Abu Musa Island

Iraq

• Anbar handed over to Iraqi security; Petraeus: US combat troops could pull out of Baghdad; Plan to shift US Forces from Iraq to Afghanistan; Iraqi government gives ultimatum to members of MKO to leave

INTERNAL SECURITY REVIEW

Jammu and Kashmir

• PDP flays Amarnath Accord, NC welcomes it; Separatist leaders released from jail; Malik asks India and Pakistan to recognize Kashmir as an “independent, sovereign” country

Maoist Insurgency

• CPI-Maoists back independence for Kashmir; Jharkhand Police: Former Army personnel training Maoists; CPI-Maoists call for ban on Hindu fanatical groups

NorthEast Insurgency

• Four police personnel killed in Mizoram

ENERGY SECURITY REVIEW

Australia

• Concophilips bids $8B for Australia’s Origin Energy

India

• India to seek nuclear trade

Iran

• Russia: Launch of Iran nuclear plant in final stage

• Iran involved in building dams and hydropower plants in 10 countries

Slovakia

• Slovakia’s PM: Russia-EU pipeline could be re-nationalised

SPACE AND MISSILE REVIEW

Europe

• Increased air activity over European skies

Missile Defence

• Czechs expect first US funds from anti-missile deal

• Taiwan not to deploy long range missiles

Space

• NASA postpones Atlantis mission

• China to launch third manned space flight in September

• China launches environmental satellites