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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy claims that the uncertainty over the participation of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) in the execution of Kerala’s dream project, the Kochi Metro, has ended at long last. But there are significant straws in the wind which portend that his joy could prove short-lived.

Global economy stumbled on its recovery path in 2012, and risks another contraction over the next two years, if the twin threats of US fiscal cliff and the Euro debt crisis are not tackled effectively in the near future and emerging economies – growth drivers – freed from spillover contagion. This is the latest assessment in the OECD World Economic Outlook, as 2012 draws to an end.

A new party took birth last Monday in Delhi. It is the product of one and half year long movement against corruption, which was led by Anna Hazare. The question doing the round is will this party make any impact on our electoral democracy? Top leader of the movement Anna Hazare himself was not sure of the success of any political party under his leadership.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is providing a $700 million loan to dramatically boost Bangladesh’s power supply system, which will reduce outages and shortages that are crippling the economy and causing severe hardship across the country.

Let our politicians, television anchors and film stars fall over one another in lavishing praise on Bal Thackeray for his personal candour, political shrewdness, acute tactical sense, whatever. Let more people join Mr LK Advani in bemoaning the departure of a man they regard as a great patriot.

The last two nominees of the RSS for the BJP president’s post – Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari – have proved disastrous for the party, with Gadkari’s tenure being even more ill-starred than that of his predecessor. If Rajnath Singh’s final act as party chief was the expulsion of Jaswant Singh for his laudatory book on Jinnah – the writer subsequently found his way back into the party – Gadkari’s may well be his own ignominious exit.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Social protection systems in most Asian countries fall far short of meeting the needs of the poor and vulnerable even though better safety nets can be affordable for poorer countries, says a new study from Independent Evaluation at the Asian Development Bank.