Environment, Health and Education

• India’s Malnourished Children 
  Dampening the euphoria on economic growth, stock market performance, and increased foreign direct investment, a United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) report on nutrition said India has the most number of malnourished under-five children in the world.<More>

• India wants tighter US IPR Regime 
  Citing numerous instances of US companies trying to patent and monopolize traditional knowledge, India asked the US to tighten its Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) regime and institute better verification and compliance norms.<More>

• India’s Moon Mission on Track 
  The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) announced that India’s moon mission Chandrayaan-1 scheduled for launch in 2007-2008 is on track with increased interest from foreign space organizations to participate.<More>

Neighbors

• Pak Test Fires Long Range Missile 
  A Pakistan Inter-Services Public Relations note claimed that Pakistan has successfully test-fired “its long-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile Hatf VI (Shaheen II)” that is a two-staged solid fuel accurate nuclear capable missile with a range of 2000 kilometers.<More>

• Lanka Teeters on the Brink of Civil War 
  Sri Lanka appeared slowly drifting towards civil war even as last ditch attempts by Norway to negotiate a seaplane transport arrangement for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) negotiators to go to Geneva for the peace talks.<More>

• Pak in Top 10 Failed State List
  A Foreign Policy report that annually rates 146 countries on their effectiveness in maintaining control of its territories, running a Government, and providing basic public services rated Pakistan 9th most likely to fail ahead of Afghanistan, Nepal, and Lanka.<More>

World