INTERNATIONAL EVENTS

JUNE 1 The United States on Saturday offered to host a meeting with Southeast Asian defense ministers in Hawaii next year, stepping up its efforts to counter growing Chinese influence in the region. More than 1,000 people were killed in violence in Iraq in May, making it the deadliest month since the sectarian slaughter of 2006-07, the United Nations said on Saturday, as fears mounted of a return to civil war. Pakistan Indus Water Commission team visits J&K to inspect projects being undertaken by India over Indus Basin Rivers. 5.5-magnitude quake struck in remote area off the Solomon Islands. 6 rockets fired from Syria hit Lebanons eastern Bekaa region on Saturday, causing no casualties, in the latest spillover from the more than two-year long conflict in Lebanons larger neighbour, a security source said. 14 years after his last stint as a parliamentarian, Prime Minister-designate Nawaz Sharif on Saturday returned to Pakistans National Assembly, taking oath with other lawmakers in the first democratic transition of power in the countrys 66-year history. Indian PM Dr. Manmohan Singh who was on a visit to Thailand & Thailand PM Yingluck Shinawatra have expressed hope for the completion of the ambitious project to develop a 3,200-km highway connecting India, Myanmar & Thailand by 2016. India has already granted Myanmar a loan of $500 million, a part of which will be used to fund the project. India & Thailand have signed an Extradition Treaty, concluded a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to exchange intelligence related to money laundering & terrorism financing & ratified the Treaty on Transfer of Sentenced Persons. Fossil creature Archaeopteryx that lived about 150 million years ago is back on its perch. Archaeopteryx fossil was discovered in 1861 in Germany. It possessed part-bird, part-reptile traits with broad wings and feathers like a bird, but it also had three-fingered claws, sharp teeth and a long bony tail similar to a dinosaur. In July 2012, Chinese scientists excavated Xiaotingia zhengi, a previously unknown chicken-sized dinosaur.

JUNE 2 A gas explosion in an underground coal mine in central China killed 10 of the 39 workers in a shaft, local authorities said Monday. A strong 6.3-magnitude earthquake has hit Taiwan, killing one person & violently shaking buildings in the capital Taipei. At least 119 people were killed & 54 others injured on Monday in a major fire at a poultry processing plant in northeast China, in what could be the country's deadliest inferno in over a decade. The Palestinian president on Sunday picked a littleknown academic as his new prime minister, according to the official government news agency, following the resignation of his chief rival. Mahmoud Abbas appointed Rami Hamdallah to replace Salam Fayyad, a respected U.S.-educated economist. Saudi Arabia has reported that three more people have died from a new respiratory virus related to SARS, bringing the total number of deaths in the kingdom to 24. In a historic milestone for the Sikhs in Pakistan, Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora has become the first person from the minority community to enter the Punjab province assembly, since the country's independence in 1947. IndusInd Bank has joined hands with American Express to unveil IndusInd Bank Iconia American Express Card for its rich customers. JUNE 3 Singapore & India have renewed a bilateral agreement on joint army training. The renewal allows the Singapore Army to train & exercise with the Indian Army in India for another five years. A suicide bomber targeting an American patrol outside a busy market in eastern Afghanistan killed 13 people today, including 10 schoolchildren who were walking nearby & two international service members, officials said. India's share in global investments expected to almost double by 2030, a World Bank report said today. JUNE 4 Bangladesh's cabinet has approved a draft law for development of Hindu religious properties & to protect

them from encroachment & land grab, a move welcomed by the country's minority community. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday Moscow had not yet delivered its sophisticated S-300 missiles to the Damascus regime despite hints from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that such shipments had already been made. More than 65 countries signed the landmark treaty regulating the multibillion-dollar global arms trade Monday & the United States announced it will sign soon, giving a strong kickoff to the first major international campaign to stem the illicit trade in weapons that fuel conflicts & extremists. Defence Minister A.K. Antony to arrive in Australia today to strengthen #India's defence ties with countries in Asia Pacific region. China today said all its 15 operational nuclear power reactors are safe & enhanced efforts are being made to ensure their safety. The Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) in a report on the status of the reactors said enhanced efforts were made regarding nuclear safety & radiation protection. JUNE 6 The British government announced compensation for Kenyans abused during a rebellion against colonial rule in the 1950s. Bangladesh unveils USD 28 billion budget with series of measures designed to woo voters before general elections due this year. Seeking to further strengthen bilateral ties, India and Germany on Thursday signed an umbrella agreement on financial and technical cooperation in the field of energy, environment and management of natural resources. North Korea to reopen official hotline with South Korea; but pushes back on ministerial-level talks to be held in Seoul next week. China, Vietnam agree to set up hotline between their navies amid escalating maritime tensions over the disputed South China Sea islands. Pakistan's new Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif pledged his government would make effective use of all available resources to counter Pakistan's energy crisis as the gap between demand and production of electricity soared to 6,000 MW.

JUNE 7 Presidents Barack Obama and Xi Jinping opened their crucial first summit, both calling for a new approach to relations between the US superpower and China, the rising giant. Two FARC rebels and a Colombian special forces soldier were killed in a firefight that broke out in the country's southwest when the army occupied a guerrilla camp, authorities said on Friday. US and Venezuelan officials will meet soon for talks that could lead to the countries exchanging ambassadors for the first time since 2010, Venezuela's foreign minister has said. Legal expert Munir A Malik, who played a key role in the lawyers' movement against former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, was today named Pakistan's new Attorney General. An envoy from Sunni Islam's highest seat of learning, Al-Azhar in Cairo, raised the prospect of restoring ties with the Vatican on Friday but called on Pope Francis to take "a step forward" by declaring that Islam is a peaceful religion. JUNE 8 Nelson Mandela, anti-apartheid icon and former South African president, was Saturday rushed to hospital where his condition is "serious but stable", the president's office said. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will soon visit Afghanistan for talks with President HamidKarzai aimed at pushing forward the troubled peace process ahead of the withdrawal of US and foreign forces next year. The United Nations launched a record $5.2-billion aid appeal for Syria on Friday as regime forces sought to capitalize on recent victories over the rebels, sending reinforcements to battlefields Homs and Aleppo. World leaders signed a global agreement to fight malnutrition in children, and made commitments of up to USD 4.15 billion to tackle the global menace and reduce the number of child deaths. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan prepared to convene his party leadership Saturday as antigovernment protests enter their ninth day, with thousands of people still occupying Istanbul's central Taksim Square.

JUNE 9 Nelson Mandela, anti-apartheid icon and former South African president, was Saturday rushed to hospital where his condition is "serious but stable", the president's office said. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will soon visit Afghanistan for talks with President Hamid Karzai aimed at pushing forward the troubled peace process ahead of the withdrawal of US and foreign forces next year. The United Nations launched a record $5.2-billion aid appeal for Syria on Friday as regime forces sought to capitalize on recent victories over the rebels, sending reinforcements to battlefields Homs and Aleppo. World leaders signed a global agreement to fight malnutrition in children, and made commitments of up to USD 4.15 billion to tackle the global menace and reduce the number of child deaths. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan prepared to convene his party leadership Saturday as antigovernment protests enter their ninth day, with thousands of people still occupying Istanbuls central Taksim Square. JUNE 10 President Obama nominated Jason Furman Monday for the administrations top economic policy position. Furman is one of the most brilliant economic minds of his generation, Obama said. Dont take my word for it, you can talk to other economists who know a lot more than I do about it. Crown Prince Naruhito launches Monday a celebration of Japans 400-year relationship with Spain on a visit that will take him to a curious town where many residents still carry the name Japon to honour the Japanese who visited in the 17th century. Two anti-personnel mines were recovered and defused by security forces in agriculture fields along the IndoPak Border in Samba district. Turkey unrest: Hundreds of police clad in riot gear forced through barricades in Istanbuls central Taksim Square. JUNE 11 Japan and the United States have started a joint drill to practice retaking remote islands, the Japanese

government said Tuesday, as Tokyo and Beijing continue to face off over a disputed archipelago. Three Chinese astronauts blast into space on Tuesday to dock with the Tiangong 1 orbiting trial space lab. The 15-day mission aboard the Shenzou 10 spacecraft will be the countrys fifth manned space flight conducted by China. The two male and one female astronauts will carry out experiments and test the modules systems. The Greek government has avoided collapsing over a dispute stemming from Prime Minister Antonis Samaras move to close the state-owned television broadcaster after a high court ruling offered a way out of a week-long impasse that drew international criticism. Pakistan on Tuesday accused Indian jets of briefly violating its airspace, days after India said one of its soldiers had been killed by Pakistani troops. JUNE 12 US President Barack Obama nominated a lawyer, who advised him on sensitive intelligence operations, for the number two position in the CIA, putting a woman for the first time in one of the spy agency's top jobs. The US has expressed its deep concern over the conviction of Liu Hui, the brother-in-law of Nobel Peace laureate and imprisoned activist Liu Xiaobo, and called on China to immediately release the activist and his wife. Describing India as a long-standing strategic partner in fight against terror, Israel has said that it will "not do anything that could undermine India's security" in a strong bid to re-assure New Delhi that reports of arms sale to Pakistan were incorrect. Britain reopened its embassy in Haiti on Wednesday after being absent for nearly a half century, a part of an effort to broaden its diplomatic and business presence in the Western Hemisphere. Turkey's ruling AK party says it is open to the idea of a referendum on controversial plans to redevelop Istanbul's Gezi Park. Oil prices fell in Asian trade after a surprise uptick in US crude stockpiles, but losses were tempered by growing concerns over turmoil in Turkey, analysts said. India assured Bangladesh that efforts were on to build a domestic consensus on Teesta water sharing treaty and

the ratification of the land boundary agreement by accommodating the views of all stakeholders JUNE 13 Iran began voting to elect the successor of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the state television announced. Nine months after the US ambassador to Libya was killed in an attack, Secretary of State John Kerry has sworn in a new envoy, vowing she would play a key role as the country moves toward democracy. The United Nations forecast Thursday that the world's population will increase from 7.2 billion to 8.1 billion in 2025, with most growth in developing countries and more than half in Africa. By 2050, it will reach 9.6 billion. Dubai has inaugurated the world's tallest twisted tower built at a cost of $272 million, setting a yet another record for skyscrapers and other engineering marvels. The European Commission proposed tougher nuclear safety rules Thursday, amid international debate about the future of nuclear energy and how to secure aging plants. US Secretary of State John Kerry is to visit Pakistan this month for the first time since taking office, Islamabad said on Thursday. The World Bank has slashed its growth forecast for China's economy this year to 7.7 per cent from 8.4 per cent, warning of a potential "sharp" slowdown triggered by a fall in investment. JUNE 14 India is willing to export 400 million cubic feet of gas per day to Pakistan but the matter hinges on finalising a tariff that is on the lower side. A summit meeting of G-8 countries in Northern Ireland next week would discuss the issue of "tax avoidance" by companies in this increasingly globalised economy. Militants attacked a historic 121-year-old building in Pakistan's southwestern Baluchistan province that was used by the country's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah, killing a policeman and causing extensive damage to the structure. The militants targeted the Quaid-e-Azam. The world's oldest Jewish person, EvelynKozak, whose family fled Russia to escape anti-Semitism, has died at age 113.

The United Nations General Assembly elected by acclamation Ambassador John W Ashe of Antigua and Barbuda as President of its upcoming 68th session.