Xinhua Asia-Pacific news summary at 1600 GMT, Feb. 7

NEW DELHI -- India's central banking institution Reserve Bank of India (RBI) kept its key lending rate unchanged after its monetary policy review Wednesday, officials said.

The six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) headed by RBI Governor Urjit Patel kept the repo rate, the rate at which the RBI lends, short-term, to banks, unchanged at 6 percent. (India-Key Rate)

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JALALABAD, Afghanistan -- Three militants of the Islamic State (IS) group were killed and another injured after the Afghan government forces pounded their positions in eastern Nangarhar province, a spokesman for the provincial government said Wednesday.

A number of arms and ammunition of the armed group were also destroyed during the operations conducted Tuesday in Nazian and Haska Mina districts of the province, spokesman Attaullah Khogiani said. (Afghanistan-IS-Operations)

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NEW DELHI -- India successfully testfired its surface-to-surface nuclear-capable Prithvi-II missile Wednesday from a test range in eastern sate of Odisha, defense officials said.

The test was conducted by the strategic force command of Indian army as part of a user trial. (India-Missile-Testfire)

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ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan on Wednesday pledged to arrest the killers of a Chinese national who was gunned down in the southern port city of Karachi on Monday.

Police said unknown assailants had fired at the Chinese national's car in Karachi's Defense locality. (Pakistan-Chinese-Killers)

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MALE -- Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen has thanked the military and police for their "unwavering loyalty" to defend the government after thwarting what he called a "coup" attempt led by the country's chief justice, local media reported Wednesday.

Yameen, during a ruling party rally in capital Male, thanked the security forces for the protection of his administration. (Maldives-President-Military) Enditem