Bomb at New Delhi High Court kills at least nine, Islamist extremists claim responsibility (+ analysis); Australia's economy bounces back; German court rules Euro bailouts legal, but imposes restrictions; South Korea to buy missiles for islands bordering North Korea; and more

Top of the Agenda: Deadly Bomb Blast at India's High Court

A bomb exploded outside India's High Court in New Delhi, killing at least nine people and injuring forty-seven. The incident--the second attack on the courthouse in less than four months--was labeled a terrorist attack (NYT) by Indian authorities.

The bomb was reportedly hidden in a suitcase (al-Jazeera) outside the court's first security checkpoint, where a large crowd of people were waiting in line to enter the building.

Investigators are in the process of examining an e-mail from the Islamist extremist group Harkat-ul Jihad al-Islami (HuJI) claiming responsibility for the explosion (TimesofIndia). The message calls on Indian authorities to annul a death sentence for a man who was convicted of attacking the Indian parliament ten years ago.

The US State Department lists HuJI as a terrorist organization with ties to al-Qaeda (BBC). The group's leader, IIyas Kashmiri, is thought to have been killed in a US drone strike in northwestern Pakistan in June.

Analysis

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledged to press Pakistan on terrorism and tried to ease New Delhi's worries over Afghanistan on her visit to India this past summer. But a deteriorating US-Pakistan relationship decreases Washington's ability to influence Islamabad on terrorism issues, explains this CFR Analysis Brief.

In a policy paper from the National Bureau of Asian Research, C. Christine Fair addresses the organizational nature and security situation of two Islamic groups in India: the Students Islamic Movement of India and the Islamic Mujahideen.

In this video, CFR's Daniel Markey discusses the strategic importance of normalizing India-Pakistan relations, for the region as well as the United States.

 

Tenth Anniversary of 9/11 Attacks This CFR Issue Guide provides expert analysis and essential background on the central questions facing US policymakers ten years after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

PACIFIC RIM

Australia's Economy Rebounds

Australia's GDP rose by 1.2 percent in the second quarter of this year, boosted by strong consumer spending (SydneyMorningHerald). The economy had contracted 0.9 percent in the first quarter following damaging floods and cyclones.

SOUTH KOREA: The military confirmed plans to purchase precision-guided missiles (Yonhap) from an Israeli company. Fifty GPS missiles are set to be deployed on islands bordering North Korea in the Yellow Sea by late next year.

 

ELSEWHERE:

German courts declare Euro bailouts legal

Panetta wants to keep troops in Iraq

 

This is an excerpt of the CFR.org Daily News Brief. The full version is available on CFR.org.