International and Bilateral Issues:

The United Russia party convention unanimously voted on Sunday to nominate Mr. Putin as its presidential candidate for the March 14 elections.
“There is no more successful, experienced or popular politician in Russia than Vladimir Putin,” President Dmitry Medvedev said
Mr. Medvedev (46) in September announced his decision not to seek a second term and step down in favour of his mentor
Mr. Putin stepped down as President in 2008 after serving two four-year terms and promoted Mr. Medvedev to replace him.
Mr. Medvedev hinted at two more presidential terms for Mr. Putin, who is 59. This would mean 12 years at the Kremlin helm as the presidential term was extended from four to six years during Mr. Medvedev's presidency.

19 of the League's 22 member nations approved the sanctions, which include cutting off transactions with the Syrian central bank and halting Arab government funding for projects in Syria.
Iraq and Lebanon abstained.
The sanctions are the latest in a growing wave of international pressure pushing Syria to end its violent suppression of protests against President Bashar al-Assad, which the U.N. says has killed more than 3,500 people since March.
Since the revolt began, the regime has blamed armed gangs acting out a foreign conspiracy for the bloodshed.

Egyptians will on Monday vote in parliamentary polls that are being held following a popular revolt that brought down the former President, Hosni Mubarak, and led to a handover of power to an interim military council.
Voters head to polling stations at a time when both cities are witnessing renewed protests calling for an end to the rule of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), with its head and Mubarak-era Defence Minister, Field Marshal Mohamed Tantawi, emerging as the prime target of their attack.
The protesters are demanding that instead of SCAF, a national unity government led by civilians should lead Egypt's transition to democracy.
the former chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mohamed ElBaradei, expressed his readiness to head such a national unity government.
In response to the on-going protests, the military has also agreed to step down, provided this was in accordance with the people's wishes, ascertained through a national referendum.
Besides, it announced that Egypt can have a new elected President by the middle of next year, advancing the timetable of a democratic transition

Dubbed the Afghan Elvis, Farhad Darya may be the only man in the most conservative country on earth who can reduce an audience of women in headscarves to a screaming, waving, whistling throng.
In a country where women enjoy few rights and music was banned under the Taliban until 10 years ago, Mr. Darya is an icon for millions and his popularity was clear at a rare, top-security, women-only show in Kabul.
Mr. Darya performed but they did not dance due to the presence of television cameras. Women dancing in front of strange men is taboo in Afghanistan.
One even dared to shout out: “We love you!” halfway through — a standard greeting for male rock stars around the world but exceptional in a nation where female sexuality is a highly sensitive topic
Mr. Darya, a U.N. goodwill ambassador described by the organisation as “one of the best role models” in Afghanistan

Rongthong Kunley Dorji, an inveterate Bhutanese democracy and human rights activist, passed away unnoticed in his 20th year of exile
He passed away in Gangtok following several medical complications
Mr. Dorji's legal troubles in India began after the Bhutanese Government sought his extradition on grounds of tax evasion and anti-national activities.
The Amnesty International and other human rights organisations contended that the extradition demand appeared politically-motivated.