Burma: 'Burma's security forces have sealed off the five main monasteries in Rangoon and declared them no-go areas to prevent anti-government protests.' (BBC).

North Korea: 'Envoys at talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear programme will discuss a "roadmap" for disabling its nuclear facilities, a US official said.' (BBC).

Pakistan: 'A Pakistani official in a northern district warned female teachers and students to don Islamic garb this week, citing threats from Taliban extremists active in the area.' (Compass Direct).

Middle East: 'Saudi Arabia – potentially a key player in current diplomatic moves on the Middle East – has warned that Fatah and Hamas will have to form a new coalition if any peace accord between Israel and the Palestinians is going to work.' (Independent).

China / Burma: 'China urged the Burmese regime and demonstrators demanding change to exercise "restraint" shortly after vetoing moves towards a UN resolution to impose sanctions against a country for which it is the largest trading partner.' (Independent).

Egypt: 'Egypt has reacted angrily to criticism of its human rights record by the United States.

The White House raised concerns about a number of court cases against the independent press and the closure of a human rights organisation.' (BBC).

Pakistan: 'Al-Qaida is taking advantage of Pakistan's political turmoil to ramp up operations in the tribal belt and possibly plot fresh terrorist attacks abroad, western and Pakistani officials warn.' (Guardian).

China: 'An ecological disaster looms around the Three Gorges Dam, a potent symbol of China's social, economic and technological progress, despite years of insistence the project is safe.' (Independent).

Gaza: 'At least two civilians were reportedly among eight Palestinians killed in Gaza yesterday by Israeli forces as Ehud Barak, the Defence Minister, warned that a "widespread" military operation in the Strip was "getting closer".' (Independent).

Myanmar: 'United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is to send a special envoy to Myanmar amid reports of several deaths in clashes between security forces and thousands of protesters led by Buddhist monks.' (CNN).

Iran: 'The President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, remained on a direct collision course with the Western powers last night, unilaterally declaring that as far as he is concerned the issue of his country's nuclear enrichment activities should henceforth be "closed'. (Independent).

Israel: 'A group of Israel's most influential writers – including David Grossman, Amos Oz and A B Yehoshua – have called on the government to open talks with Hamas on a ceasefire in Gaza.' (Independent).

US / UK: 'Liberal American bishops threw the Archbishop of Canterbury a lifeline in his efforts to avert Anglican schism by agreeing to halt appointments of gay bishops and same-sex blessings, at least temporarily.' (Telegraph).

Afghanistan: 'A Canadian soldier was killed and four others were wounded on Monday in southern Afghanistan, Canadian Forces said in a statement Tuesday.' (CNN).

Myanmar: 'Myanmar's military leaders imposed a nighttime curfew and banned gatherings of more than five people Tuesday after 35,000 Buddhist monks and their supporters defied the junta's warnings and staged another day of anti-government protests.' (CNN).

Syria: 'Syria is expected to rebuff an invitation from the US to attend a grand Middle East peace conference later this year because it does not believe that either the Bush administration or Israel wants to reach a comprehensive regional settlement.' (Guardian).

Lebanon: 'Lebanon's deeply divided parliament failed to elect a new president on Tuesday and speaker Nabih Berri deferred the vote until October 23.' (Reuters).

Iran / US: 'The president of Iran was booed yesterday when he told an audience at one of America's leading universities that the Holocaust required "further research", amid noisy protests against the decision to grant him a platform.' (Telegraph).

Myanmar: 'Myanmar's military government issued a threat Monday to the barefoot Buddhist monks who led 100,000 people marching through a major city in the strongest protests against the repressive regime for two decades.' (CNN).

Israel / Palestine: 'The Israeli cabinet has agreed to free about 90 Palestinian prisoners in a move aimed at boosting support for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.' (BBC).

China / Germany: 'The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, went ahead with an informal meeting with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama yesterday, despite China cancelling a meeting between a German minister and Chinese officials in an apparent expression of disapproval.' (Guardian).

Pakistan: 'Pakistani police detained opposition activists on Monday to stop them protesting in front of the Supreme Court as it resumed hearing petitions against President Pervez Musharraf's plans for re-election.' (Reuters).

Myanmar: 'Riot police and barbed wire barricades blocked hundreds of monks and anti-government demonstrators from approaching the home of the detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Sunday, in a new show of force against a rising protest movement.' (CNN).

China: 'A new Roman Catholic bishop of Beijing has been consecrated in the Chinese capital, the first for over 50 years to have tacit approval of the Pope.' (BBC).

Nepal: 'At least 20 people are now known to have died in clashes following the murder of a local politician in southern Nepal, officials say.' (BBC).

Lebanon: 'Crowds gathered in Beirut on Friday for the funeral of an anti-Syrian Christian legislator whose assassination has fuelled tensions ahead of Lebanon's bitterly contested presidential election.' (Reuters).

Israel: 'Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of the right-wing opposition party Likud, was chacteristically at the centre of a controversy yesterday after appearing to be the first Israeli politician to confirm an air strike against Syria two weeks ago.' (Independent).

Pakistan: 'An audio message from al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden released Thursday called on Muslims to "carry out jihad" against Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf.' (CNN).

Pakistan: 'Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf will seek re-election on Oct 6., despite legal challenges in the Supreme Court and slumping popularity, the Election Commission announced on Thursday.' (Reuters).

Myanmar: 'Thousands of Buddhist monks marching in defiance of Burma's oppressive military regime have decided to excommunicate the government and its supporters by refusing alms or donations from anyone linked to the junta. At one of several ceremonies held before saffron-robed clerics marched peacefully through the former colonial capital, Rangoon, and other cities this week, the monks vowed to refuse offerings from the "pitiless soldier kings" in charge of the country now known as Myanmar.' (Independent).

Gaza Strip / Israel: 'The Israeli security Cabinet declared Hamas-controlled Gaza a "hostile entity" Wednesday in response to continued Palestinian rocket attacks.' (CNN).

Lebanon: 'A massive bombing in Beirut on Wednesday killed anti-Syrian Lebanese parliamentarian Antoine Ghanem and at least four others, a high-ranking Lebanese official confirmed to CNN.' (CNN).

Iraq: 'In a city riven with sectarian bloodshed, workers at a 13th century Baghdad mosque mark the Muslim holy month of Ramadan by feeding the poor and preserving a bygone spirit of co-existence.' (Reuters).

Turkey: 'Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan was quoted in the Financial Times on Wednesday as saying he wanted to lift the ban on the Islamic headscarf in universities as part of a planned constitutional overhaul.' (Reuters).

Cambodia: 'Khmer Rouge "Brother Number Two" Nuon Chea, Pol Pot's top surviving henchman, was arrested on Wednesday at his house on the Thai border and taken to Phnom Penh to face the U.N. "Killing Fields" tribunal for the first time.' (Reuters).

UK: 'Three decades of multi-culturalism have left Britain an unequal and segregated nation that is in danger of breaking up, race watchdogs say in a report published today.' (Telegraph).

Jordan: An article on how jihadists are recruited in Jordan to fight in Iraq (BBC).

Nepal: 'Former Maoist rebels in Nepal say they have resigned from the interim government in a dispute over the future of the monarchy.' (BBC).

China: 'A typhoon churned on Tuesday towards China's booming eastern province of Zhejiang and financial hub Shanghai where tens of thousands of people were evacuated and ships and boats ordered to return to port.' (Reuters).

Pakistan: 'Islamist militants have killed 18 Pakistani soldiers in the restive North Waziristan tribal region, intelligence officials said on Tuesday.' (Reuters).

Pakistan: 'Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf will give up his post of army chief if he is re-elected president and will be sworn in for a new term as a civilian, his lawyer told the Supreme Court on Tuesday.' (Reuters).

Iran: 'Iran threatened to fire long-range missiles at American targets in the Middle East yesterday as the war of words between Teheran and the West continued to escalate.' (Telegraph).

France / Iran: 'The French foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, said yesterday his country had to prepare for the possibility of war against Iran over its nuclear programme, but added that he did not believe any such action was imminent.' (Guardian).

Pakistan: 'Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf plans to quit as army chief to become a civilian leader, removing a key objection to his proposed re-election in October, a senior ruling party official said on Monday.' (Reuters).

Thailand: 'A passenger jet crashed Sunday at Phuket International Airport in southern Thailand shortly after landing, killing 87 of the 130 people on board, according to Health Ministry officials.' (CNN).

Egypt: 'Four outspoken Egyptian newspaper editors have been sentenced to a year in prison and fined for defaming President Hosni Mubarak and his son Gamal, who is widely expected to succeed him. (Guardian).

Pakistan: 'Self-exiled former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto is due to announce a date for her return to Pakistan on Friday, without any breakthrough in sight in talks on a power-sharing deal with President Pervez Musharraf.' (Reuters).

India / Pakistan: 'Kashmir's treacherous Siachen glacier, battleground for the high-altitude standoff between India and Pakistan – sometimes termed "the coldest war" – is now set to become a tourist attraction.' (Independent).

Saudia Arabia: 'Women in the only country in the world which still bans women from driving want to put their best foot forward – on the accelerator.' (Independent).

Indonesia: 'A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.2 struck late Thursday off the western coast of Sumatra, the same area shaken by a major 8.4-magnitude temblor that killed nine people Wednesday.' (CNN).

Pakistan: 'Lawyers for Pakistan's ousted ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif have challenged his deportation in the Supreme Court.' (BBC).

Pakistan: 'Pro-Taleban militants have attacked a check post in north-west Pakistan and abducted 12 soldiers, officials say.' (BBC).

Israel / Syria: 'A US official has confirmed that Israeli warplanes carried out an air strike "deep inside" Syria, escalating tensions between the two countries.' (Telegraph).

Korea: 'More than a week after the Taliban released Korean aid workers in Afghanistan, some South Korean Christians are critical of their government’s ban on missionary travel to the country.' (Compass Direct).

Israel: 'At least 50 Israeli soldiers have been injured after a rocket fired from Gaza exploded in an army camp in southern Israel, the military says.' (BBC).

Turkey: 'A suspicious vehicle near a multi-storey car park in Ankara prompted a bomb alert on Tuesday, private broadcaster NTV reported.' (Reuters).

India: 'Soldiers in motor boats rescued thousands of marooned people and helicopters air-dropped food as the number of people made homeless after some of the worst flooding in years in India's northeast rose to 3.5 million.' (Reuters).

UK: 'The first British city where the white population finds itself in a minority will be Leicester, in about 12 years, according to new research. The conclusion by demographers from Manchester University, who believe Birmingham will also become a "plural city" five years later, was accompanied by a warning that recent estimates that plurality will be reached sooner than the predictions are not helping attempts to establish harmony in the cities.' (Independent).

Afghanistan: 'A suicide bomber on a motorbike blew himself up in a crowded square in southern Afghanistan just before evening prayers on Monday, and preliminary reports said up to 28 people were killed, officials said.' (CNN).

Bangladesh: 'A second spell of floods in less than a month has spread across parts of Bangladesh, killing seven people and leaving thousands stranded, officials said on Monday.' (Reuters).

Pakistan: 'Former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif was arrested and deported to Saudi Arabia on Monday within hours of arriving home from exile, vowing to end the rule of President Pervez Musharraf.' (Reuters).

Iran: 'Kurdish guerrillas have launched a clandestine war in north-western Iran, ambushing troops as they seek Western backing to secure an ethnic homeland.' (Telegraph).

Israel: 'Israel was in shock this weekend after police revealed they had broken up a gang of homegrown neo-Nazis who praised Adolf Hitler, attacked orthodox Jews and surrounded themselves with the paraphernalia of white supremacists.' (Telegraph).

Algeria: 'A militant Islamic group that recently renamed itself al Qaeda Islamic Maghreb has claimed responsibility for two suicide attacks that killed dozens in Algeria -- including an assassination attempt on the country's president.' (CNN).

Burma: 'Hundreds of Buddhist monks in Burma held government officials hostage for more than five hours yesterday in a further escalation of the protests against the military regime's crippling increase in fuel prices two weeks ago.' (Guardian).

Pakistan: 'Just weeks ago, exiled Pakistani former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was stuck on the sidelines of Pakistani politics but he now looks set to go home a hero to many, to challenge the military ruler who ousted him.' (Reuters).

Malaysia: 'Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi last week declared that Malaysia is an Islamic state, apparently contradicting his August 5 statement that Malaysia is neither a secular nor a theocratic state.' (Compass Direct).

Israel / Syria: 'Syria was considering its response last night after an Israeli warplane violated Syrian air space and was accused of dropping ammunition inside the country. The incident, near the Turkish border on Wednesday, came just after midnight at a time when tensions are running high between the two neighbours. It prompted Syrian air defence units to open fire on the Israeli jets, Syrian officials said.' (Independent).

Germany: 'An alleged Islamist terrorist plan to blow up US targets in Germany, which bore similarities to recent British terror plots and could have proven deadlier than the London or Madrid attacks, was foiled as the suspects began assembling bombs, German officials said yesterday.' (Guardian).

Afghanistan: 'Afghan and U.S.-led coalition forces killed more than 40 insurgents in a 12-hour battle in a restive southern province, taking the guerrilla death toll to nearly 200 in a fortnight, the U.S. military said on Thursday.' (Reuters).

Israel / Lebanon: 'Indiscriminate Israeli shelling caused most of the Lebanese civilian deaths in last year's war, the Human Rights Watch organization said on Thursday.' (Reuters).

Egypt: 'An Egyptian court on Monday (September 3) adjourned the hearing of young Christian twins legally forced to take Islamic education after their estranged father became Muslim.' (Compass Direct).

Nepal: 'A number of people have been arrested in Nepal in connection with a series of blasts in Kathmandu on Sunday that killed two, police have said.' (BBC).

Israel: 'Israel's Supreme Court delivered a significant blow to the country's military establishment yesterday by ordering the West Bank separation barrier to be rerouted near a Palestinian village which has been the focus of two-and-a-half years of protests.' (Independent).

Turkey: 'Turkey is vital to Europe's future' - an article by David Miliband MP. (Telegraph).

Pakistan: 'Two bomb blasts killed at least 21 people and wounded 74 in Rawalpindi -- a city next to Islamabad -- Tuesday morning, Pakistani police and hospital sources said.' (CNN).

Lebanon: Lebanon's army says it has taken full control of a Palestinian refugee camp where its troops have been battling Islamist militants since May. (BBC)

China: Communist China has introduced new rules that appear aimed at controlling the selection of the next Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhism's spiritual head. (BBC)

Malaysia: Hardline Islamic law could be introduced across Malaysia under reforms proposed by the country's chief justice. (The Telegraph)