COUNTRY REVIEW

South Asia

Afghanistan

• US-Russia differences over extending the mandate of the ISAF at the UNSC; Governor of Uruzgan province killed in NATO operation; Gates urges NATO to do more to reduce civilian casualties

Pakistan

• 60 dead in suicide attack in Islamabad; Gordon Brown in Islamabad; Negroponte: Unilateral actions will not curb militancy; Boucher calls for reforms in ISI; Peace talks in Swat fail

Nepal

• Prachanda concludes a fruitful visit to India; EAM Mukherjee urges a working relationship based on “cooperation for economic growth”; Prachanda terms the relationship as “unassailable”

Bhutan

• Bhutan’s growth rate second highest in South Asia; HUROB makes an appeal to Prachanda to raise issue of Bhutanese refugees at the UN; US ready to take in more refugees

Sri Lanka

• Rajapakse: LTTE will be “completely crushed”;

East and SouthEast Asia

China

• 12th round of Special Representatives talk held in Beijing; Beijing hopes Iran crisis is resolved through dialogue and consultation; China supports UN observer missions’ duties in Georgia; Wen Jiabao meets chief adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed of Bangladesh

Myanmar

• France: UN should put more pressure on Myanmar; CRPP calls for dialogue between opposition and the junta

West Asia

Iran

• Presidential elections date announced; Israeli President prefers economic sanctions against Iran; Iran protests Israeli Minister’s statement on kidnapping Ahmadinejad

Iraq

• Japan’s Defence Minister announces withdrawal of troops from Iraq; Iraqi forces arrest al-Qaeda leaders; No Victory in Iraq: Gen David Petraeus

INTERNAL SECURITY REVIEW

Jammu and Kashmir

• PM: J&K situation still fragile

Maoist Insurgency

• Supreme Court: Implement NHRC recommendations on Salwa Judum

NorthEast Insurgency

• BDR hands over 18 militants to BSF; Union Home Ministry expresses its inability to disband the Unified Command

Other Development

• Second Administrative Reforms Commission: Not enough laws to deal with terror

• Dr. Manmohan Singh: We need to strengthen anti-terror laws

• I&B Minister rules out move to bring back POTA

• Key Indian Mujahideen functionaries gunned down in Delhi

SPACE AND MISSILE REVIEW

Missiles

• Pentagon proposes sale of air defence systems to UAE potentially valued at over $9 billion

• US Navy's new submarine conducts cruise missile launches

Space

• $2.6 billion allocated for GLONASS

• Launch of China’s manned spacecraft advanced by a month

• Turkey to launch two new satellites, Turksat 4A and Turksat 5A

• India's moon mission to take off in October

• Russia, France sign contract to launch 10 rockets