North Korea's willingness to export high-tech weapons and know-how to Myanmar and other reclusive, anti-Western regimes has raised regional security concerns and could launch a new Southeast Asian arms race. If Pyongyang is indeed helping Myanmar achieve its nuclear and ballistic missile ambitions, China may shut the door on its troublesome client states. - Brian McCartan (Jul 2,'09)

Just when Russia's 14-year saga over building a nuclear plant for Iran appeared at an end, Moscow has pointed to financial problems that will delay the facility's scheduled opening next month. In doing this, Russia is sending a message not so much to Tehran as to Washington, that it is considering a move more into the US's orbit. - Dmitry Shlapentokh (Jul 2,'09)

Sitting in an unprecedented comfort zone, India’s Congress-led government has borrowed from the United States' 100-day hoopla to set its own short-term, capsule-like targets. This has given New Delhi the illusion of speed, with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's ministers running in overdrive. The most stunning evidence of this is Thursday's landmark ruling on homosexuality. - Santwana Bhattacharya (Jul 2,'09)

A story leaked by top United States and Saudi officials bolstered the general belief in Washington that Iran masterminded the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia which killed 19 US airmen and wounded 372. The Saudis had already been working to thwart the US investigation, and the new disinformation obscured the trail to Osama bin Laden. - Gareth Porter (Jul 2,'09) This is the second article in a three-part report.

While government staff in Hong Kong are taking pay cuts to battle the economic downturn, civil servants in China are getting raises. And then there are the pricey overseas "inspection" trips and extra budgets that watchdogs aren't capable of monitoring. Mainland Chinese are taking notice, and they're no longer keeping quiet. - Stephanie Wang (Jul 2,'09)