China 3rd largest by area

Japan Land of the Rising Sun

Yasuo Fukuda new PM Kuril Islands source of dispute with Russia Worlds second and Asias largest economy Oldest still ruling Royal House in the world Monarch sits on Chrysanthemum Throne
Hu Jintao President; Wen Jiabao PM Is building GWADAR port in Pakistan, also Karakoram Highway to Pakistan Worlds largest FOREX reserves - $1 trillion (Oct 06) Received highest FDI in 2005-06 Built THREE GORGES DAM on Yangtze River, worlds largest hydro-electric dam Built worlds highest railway linking Lhasa in Tibet with Golmund; nicknamed Qing - 1

Thailand
King Bhumibol Adulyadej completes 60 years in power, worlds longest reigning monarch Surayud Chulanot is the PM Bangkok capital, Baht - currency

Myanmar Stratocracy

General Than Shwe Leader No.1, visited India in 2006 Aung San Suu Kyi pro-democracy leader under house arrest since 1990 Capital moved from Yangon to Pyinmana (administrative capital Naypyidaw)

Sri Lanka / Bhutan

Mahinda Rajapakse Prez Peace talks between SL government and the LTTE are brokered by NORWAY Bhutan - worlds first no-smoking country Jigme Singye Wangchuk is the King of Bhutan

Pakistan First Islamic Republic

Musharraf Prez; Shaukat Aziz PM Attack on Lal Masjid Leaves scores dead NWFP stronghold of al-Qaeda & Taliban Benazirs return to Pak marred by bomb explosions which leave over a hundred dead

Afghanistan
Hamid Karzai Prez; NATO forces battling resurgent Taliban in the south Taliban headed by Mullah Omar Durand Line boundary line with Pak is source of dispute

Iran - Land of the Aryans

Mahmoud Ahmedinejad Prez Ayotallah Khameini Spiritual Head Secret nuclear weapons program Worlds 2nd largest gas producer & 4th largest oil exporter Has developed missiles like HOOT, a torpedo; Shahab, Fajr, and Shaegah series.

Israel Worlds 1st Theocratic State (1948)

Iraq Mesopotamia
Jalal Talabani Prez; Nouri al-Maliki PM Saddam gets death penalty for Dujail Massacre (1982) Abu Ayyub al-Masri, al-Qaeda chief in Iraq, successor to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi Moqtada al-Sadr head of Mahdi Army, Shiite militia group

Tel Aviv capital; Knesset parliament Ehud Olmert PM; Ex-PM Ariel Sharon is in coma Prez: Shimon Peres Mossad secret service Owns Barak missile system, supplied to India Is building a Barrier Wall to separate it from Palestinian areas

Lebanon
Nicknamed Switzerland of the Middle East Emile Lahud Prez; Fuoad Siniora PM Beirut Capital; Nicknamed Paris of the Middle East Israel attacked Hezbollah strongholds

Jordan
Hashemite Kingdom King Abdullah II HoS Lost West Bank to Israel in 1967 War Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, slain al-Qaeda leader in Iraq, belonged to Jordan

Syria
Bashar al-Assad Prez Accused of interference in Lebanon & Iraq Indicted by UN in killing of former Lebanese PM, Rafiq Hariri Part of new Axis of Evil

Turkey
Recep T Erdogan PM Nicknamed Sickman of Europe Controversy over Armenian Genocide Occupies part of Cyprus

Sudan Largest African nation

Prez Omar al-Bashir, ranked worlds worst dictator (06) Darfur Genocide 4 lakh dead over 4 years Janjaweed, Govt-backed Arab Muslim militia against non-Arab Muslims Civil war in the south between Arab Muslims & Christians Africas oldest still running civil war

South Africa Rainbow Nation

Thabo Mbeki Prez; Second largest HIV infected population after India Desmond Tutu, recipient of Gandhi Peace Prize (06) Centenary of Gandhijis launching of Satyagraha Movement celebrated in that country 3 capitals - Pretoria (administrative), Bloemfontein (judicial), and Cape Town (legislative) Name of Pretoria changed to Tshwane

Africa in a nutshell
The Dark continent High Incidence of Aids Wide spread malnutrition Numerous failed states African Union HQ at Addis Ababa, 53 members

Brazil 5th largest country by area

Luiz Inacio LULA da Silva is Brazil prez Largest ETHANOL producer Member of BRIC & IBSA Brasilia Capital (named after a wood type)

South America in a nutshell

Simon Bolivar, Jose de Martin most important leaders of Independent struggles in South American Countries Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso) Marxist militant group in Peru Communist resurgence in Latin American Countries Augusto Pinochet, former dictator of Chile died in a military hospital, while under trial History of high inflation thus low investment

USA 300 million pop

Robert Gates is defence secretary Largest exporter & importer overall; biggest seller of military equipment Ben Bernanke Federal Reserve chief Refuses to sign Kyoto Protocol & shuns International Criminal Court Sarbanes-Oxley Act for corporate governance Fence built on U.S. border with Mexico to curb illegal immigration & drugs trade

Central America in a nutshell

Panama agrees to a new wider Panama Canal Felipe Calderon is prez of Mexico Daniel Ortega, Marxist leader, prez of Nicaragua Cuban prez Fidel Castro temporarily hands over power to Raul Castro (his brother)

Europe in a nutshell
Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, is ranked Worlds Most Powerful Woman by Forbes Romania & Bulgaria join EU (EU membership - 27) Denmark PM Anders Fogh Rasmussen Romano Prodi Italys PM paid a state visit to India in 2007

World Trade Organisation Successor to the GATT Established on Jan 1, 1995 WTO HQ Geneva, Switzerland DG Pascal Lamy (France) WTO has 150 members Vietnam is 150th member 6th Ministerial Meeting held in Hong Kong

International Whos who

World Bank HO at Washington, Prez Robert Zoellick (US) IMF HO at Washington, MD Rodrigo Rato (Spain) ADB HO at Manila, Prez Haruhiko Kuroda (Japan) European Commission HO at Brussels, Prez Jose Manuel D Barroso (Portugal)

Business Facts & Figures

Wal Mart worlds largest company by revenue Exxon Mobil worlds largest company by profits, & market capitalisation IOC Indias largest company by revenue RIL Indias largest company by market capitalisation GM largest auto company, foll by Toyota & Ford Intel largest chip-maker, launches CORE DUO 2 Diageo largest spirits company (owns Smirnoff, JW) McDonalds largest fast food chain Vodafone largest mobile company by revenue