Malaysia turns 50
As Malaysia celebrates its 50th year of independence today, criticism is growing over the government's ability to manage the country's ethnic diversity and its favouritism towards Muslim Malays, who comprise 40 percent of the population.
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According to the working draft of a secret document prepared by the US embassy in Baghdad, the government of Nuri al-Maliki has failed in one central area: handling corruption. The report suggests that high-ranking officials within the government have impeded investigations into alleged cases of corruption.
According to a US Government Accountability Office report, the Maliki government has met only 3 of 18 political and military benchmarks set by Congress.
The report underlines the importance of reforming the Iraqi police forces to purge them off corrupt officers and Shia militants.
The report also concludes that the "troop surge" in Baghdad has failed to achieve its objectives, a sharp rebuke to the Bush administration's insistence that the surge has been successful.
Commission for Kashmir abuses
On the eve of World Disappearance Day, scores of women protested in Srinagar, the capital of Indian-administered Kashmir, to urge the government to investigate the disappearances of their sons, husbands and fathers at the hands of Indian security forces.
China seeks nuclear cooperation with India
A day after India won support from Russian policymakers for wider civilian nuclear cooperation, China has signalled its interest in collaborating with India on civilian nuclear projects as well. Both countries watched warily as New Delhi negotiated a landmark civilian nuclear cooperation deal with Washington, but recent developments suggest that bilateral relations between the Asian capitals and New Delhi and Moscow have not been overly unsettled by the Indo-American thaw.
Korean hostages freed
All of the South Korean missionaries held in Taliban custody in the last few weeks have been released into the hands of the International Red Cross after negotiations between Taliban and South Korean representatives. Seoul agreed to suspend its Christian groups from proselytising in Afghanistan and to withdraw its small non-combat troop contingent from the country within the year. Two of the hostages were killed by the Taliban. Governments around the world have been critical of South Korea's willingness to negotiate with the Taliban.
Ten civilians were killed in a mortar attack aimed at a US military base in eastern Afghanistan.
At least 120 Pakistani soldiers seized earlier by fighters in the restive "tribal" areas that border Afghanistan are to be released soon. Fighting is intensifying in Pakistan's northwest, where government forces face stiff resistance from local, foreign and Taliban-affiliated militants.
Two soldiers were killed in a raid by militants on the village of Gul Bagh in the Swat Valley in the northwest.
Tuareg violence escalates in Sahel
In the dusty border region between Niger, Mali and Algeria, ethnic Tuareg rebels are stepping up their activities. Ten civilians and one Malian soldier were killed when they came afoul of landmines planted by suspected Niger Movement for Justice fighters. Malian officials are seeking to convene a regional conference geared to tackling the Tuareg rebels.
No holding back for Ramadan
Gilberto Teodoro, the new defence minister for the Philippines, has announced that armed forces will not stop their attacks on Muslim separatist militants during the holy month of Ramadan, which begins on 13 September. Manila has deployed fresh battalions of troops in the restive south of the country.
Rally tensions in Gaza
Hamas has increased the number of its armed fighters in the streets ahead of a Fatah prayer rally in Gaza City. Hostilities simmer between the political factions, as Fatah remain dominant in the West Bank and Hamas in control of Gaza.
Russians targeted in Ingushetia
Suspected Islamist militants have killed an ethnic Russian family in Ingushetia, a largely Muslim Russian republic near restive Chechnya.
