Geopolitical Monitor - Region: Brazil, Russia, India and China

MUMBAI, Mar. 14th (Dawn) - Police in Mumbai said on Sunday they have arrested two men they say were preparing to attack several targets in the Indian financial hub, including the offices of energy firm Oil and Natural Gas Corp.

Mar. 12th (BBC News) - China's demand for oil jumped by an "astonishing" 28% in January compared with the same month a year earlier, the International Energy Agency (IEA) says.

BEIJING, Mar. 11th (China Daily) - A stronger Chinese navy will not seek to build military bases overseas, a retired senior officer has said amid media reports that the country harbors such "ambitions".

Mar. 7th (China Daily) - Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said Sunday that enhanced cooperation among Brazil, Russia, India and China, or the BRIC countries, is beneficial to the world.

Along with plans to base anti-ballistic missile facilities in Poland near Russia’s border (a 35 mile distance) and in Bulgaria and Romania across the Black Sea from Russia, Washington and the self-styled global military bloc it leads, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, have arranged a series of military exercises on and near Russia’s borders this year.

Mar. 4th (BBC News) - China has said its defense spending will increase by 7.5% in 2010, ending a long run of double-digit growth.

The decision of the US Federal Reserve to raise its key interest rate was definitely not a sign of confidence in the US economic recovery or a signal that Fed policy is slowly returning to normal as claimed. It was rather a signal of panic over the weakness in US Government bond markets, the heart of the dollar financial system.

Mar. 2nd (BBC News) - China says diplomacy should be given further time in the dispute over Iran's nuclear program, as US officials press for new UN sanctions on Tehran.

Mar. 2nd (BBC News) - A Chinese police chief has been ordered to resign and a deputy chief has been fired amid allegations that a man died in custody after being tortured.

MUMBAI, Feb. 25 (Wall Street Journal) - India plans to allocate 1.47 trillion rupees ($31.71 billion) to defense spending for the next fiscal year, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Friday while presenting the annual budget in Parliament.