Nepal: Nepal's former Maoist rebels are to join an interim government under the terms of a new deal, reports say. (BBC)

Iran: US officials rule out a deal to swap 15 Royal Navy personnel captured in the Gulf for five Iranians seized in Iraq. (BBC)

Iran: 'Britain was seriously considering on Friday a note from Iran about 15 British sailors and marines detained in the Gulf after London failed to secure tough international condemnation of the seizure last week.' (Reuters).

Middle East: 'Arab leaders on Thursday endorsed a 5-year-old peace plan to end conflict with Israel, and the Israeli prime minister said he saw a "revolutionary change" in the Arab world.' (Reuters).

Vietnam: 'A Catholic priest has been jailed for eight years in Vietnam on charges of disseminating information to undermine the state.' (BBC).

Bangladesh: 'Six Islamic militants convicted of killing two judges during a wave of bomb attacks have been hanged in Bangladesh, officials say.' (BBC).

Thailand: 'A Swiss man was sentenced to 10 years in prison Thursday for spray-painting graffiti over images of Thailand's revered king, the first conviction of a foreigner in at least a decade under strict Thai laws protecting the monarchy.' (CNN).

Turkey: 'A liquefied petroleum gas tank exploded at a five-star Mediterranean hotel on Thursday, killing one person and injuring 10 others, including five tourists, private Dogan news agency reported.' (CNN).

Bangladesh: 'Notorious for its annual floods, Bangladesh may seem the last place in the world to worry about a drying up of the rivers that flow from the Himalayas. But the country is as much at risk from drought as it is from flooding.' (Independent).

Korean Peninsula: 'South Korea restarted flood-relief aid for North Korea on Wednesday, almost six months after its impoverished neighbor's defiant nuclear test.' (Reuters).

Middle East: 'Arab leaders will revive an Arab plan for peace with Israel when they open a summit in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, in an effort to end a conflict with Israel seen at the heart of the region's problems.' (Reuters).

Afghanistan: 'A suicide bomber has struck in the Afghan capital, Kabul, in an attack apparently aimed at one of the country's top intelligence officials' (BBC).

Philippines: 'The head of a day care centre in the Philippines has seized a busload of his children, saying he is demanding better housing and education for them.' (BBC).

China: 'China has pledged to invest 100 billion yuan ($13 billion) in Tibet over the next four years, building the world's highest airport and offering development in an apparent bid to boost an image tarnished by reported human rights abuses.' (Reuters).

Israel / Palestine: ' Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, postponed a press conference yesterday amid signs of Israeli resistance to her plan for parallel talks on the possible shape of a future settlement of the Middle East conflict.' (Independent).

Iran: 'The family of one of the 15 British service personnel held captive in Iran has spoken of the "very distressing time" they are going through.' (Telegraph).

Nepal: 'Maoist former rebels in Nepal have rallied in Kathmandu in protest at the killing of their members in the south.' (BBC).

Yemen: 'Security forces have been called in to tackle riots at a Yemen gas plant where a copy of the Koran is said to have been desecrated, security sources say.' (BBC).

Egypt: 'A trickle of Egyptians voted on Monday in a referendum on constitutional amendments which would help the government exclude opposition Islamists from the political system.' (Reuters).

Iran: 'Iran has responded to the latest round of UN sanctions by announcing a partial suspension of co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.' (Independent).

Iran: 'Prime Minister Tony Blair on Sunday called the Iranian seizure of 15 British sailors and marines "unjustified and wrong," saying in his first remarks on the escalating confrontation that London saw it as a "very serious situation."' (CNN).

Australia: 'Former Guantanamo Bay detainee Mamdouh Habib and a handful of other Muslims will stand for election on Saturday in Australia's most populous New South Wales state, hoping to secure the community a political voice.' (Reuters).

Lebanon: 'A former top American diplomat says the US deliberately resisted calls for a immediate ceasefire during the conflict in Lebanon in the summer of 2006.' (BBC).

Morocco: 'At least 12 would-be suicide bombers planned to blow up foreign ships at the Casablanca port and other Moroccan landmarks, top security officials were quoted as saying on Thursday.' (CNN).

Pakistan: 'More than 100 people have been killed in fighting near Pakistan's border with Afghanistan over the past four days. Most of the dead are believed to be foreign militants allied to al-Qa'ida. But this time it is not the Pakistani military which is fighting them, but local tribesmen.' (Independent).

Nepal: 'Authorities have extended a curfew in a town in southern Nepal, a day after at least 27 people died in a clash.' (BBC).

North Korea: 'Six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear programme have ended without progress after its chief negotiator flew home amid a row over money.' (BBC).

Pakistan: 'For a second week, thousands of lawyers packed the streets of Pakistan's cities and towns to protest President Pervez Musharraf's suspension of the country's top judge earlier this month, a move that has raised questions about the state of democracy in the country.' (CNN).

Iran: 'President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused some major powers on Wednesday of waging a psychological war to try and hinder Iran's progress, saying they wanted to portray Iranians through a film as being savage.' (Reuters).

Israel / Palestine: 'The US has opened contacts with a senior Palestinian minister in a move which underlined a difference between Israel and its closest allies over their approach to the new coalition government.' (Independent).

Pakistan: 'The West pretends Pakistan is a democracy' (Telegraph).

China: 'China's most senior policeman insisted yesterday that tighter controls were needed to stop next year's Olympic Games being disrupted by "hostile forces", including foreigners.' (Telegraph).

United Kingdom: 'Students in England could be banned from wearing full-face Muslim veils for security or educational reasons under government guidelines to be published on Tuesday, officials said.' (Reuters).

Indonesia: 'A massive mud flow that has displaced some 15,000 people in Indonesia's Java island halted briefly for the first time in 10 months, officials say.' (BBC).

Israel / Palestine: 'The European Union and the United States have agreed to withhold recognition for the new Palestinian unity government, sworn in on Saturday.' (BBC).

Pakistan: 'Seven Pakistani judges resigned on Monday in protest against government moves to sack the country's chief judge as the leader of an opposition alliance of conservative religious parties called for more protests.' (Reuters).

Nepal: 'More than 50 people have been hurt in clashes between rival political groups in two southern towns in Nepal.' (BBC).

Gaza Strip: 'The father of missing BBC correspondent Alan Johnston has appealed for information, one week after his disappearance in the Gaza Strip.' (BBC).

Thailand: 'Attackers hurled explosives and opened fire on an Islamic school in southern Thailand, killing three students and sparking a riot by angry Muslim villagers, officials said Sunday.' (CNN).

Uzbekistan: 'An Uzbek court has sentenced an opposition activist to six years in jail for financial crimes, his supporters said on Thursday, calling it part of a nationwide crackdown on political dissent.' (Reuters).

Pakistan: 'Two Pakistani men and a woman were stoned and then shot to death for committing adultery after Islamist activists said they caught them in a compromising position, an official and residents said.' (Reuters).

India: 'Maoist rebels have attacked a security post in central India, killing 50 police officers, police say.' (BBC).

Iran: 'Iranian blogger freed and reporting once again' (Independent).

Algeria: 'Extremists in Algeria may be plotting to attack a commercial airliner carrying Western workers, the U.S. Embassy in the North African country said.' (CNN).

India: 'Police officers and members of a Hindu extremist group in Andhra Pradesh lured a pastor into a remote forest, where the extremists tied his hands and feet and beat him with wooden clubs as they accused him of offering money for Hindus to convert to Christianity.'

Kazakhstan: 'Three-day prison term for leading unregistered church' (Forum 18).

The blog updates have now resumed and normal service will continue! Apologies for the delay. The England and Wales office is now running as normal - many thanks for your patience.

Vietnam: 'The arrest in Hanoi of human rights defender Nguyen Van Dai, an elder in his Christian & Missionary Alliance Church, along with the arrest last month of former prisoner of conscience Father Nguyen Van Ly, has cast into question Vietnam’s claims of progress in religious freedom.' (Compass Direct).

Pakistan / India: 'Pakistan and Indian began wide-ranging talks on Tuesday, the latest step in a peace process that has reduced tension between the nuclear-armed rivals but made little progress on their core dispute.' (Reuters).

Iran: 'Diplomats at the UN say they have made "substantial progress" in reaching a consensus on further sanctions against Iran over its nuclear activities.' (BBC).

Syria: 'Syria has called for a "serious dialogue" with the US on all matters relating to the Middle East.' (BBC).