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New York: The Security Council today effectively authorized the use of force in Libya to protect civilians from attack, specifically in the eastern city of Benghazi, which Colonel Muammar Al-Qadhafi has reportedly said he will storm tonight to end a revolt against his regime.

New York: Promoting and upholding human rights before, during and after an electoral process is critical to whether or not that election is ultimately a success, a senior United Nations human rights official said today.

New York: At least one person has died and up to 10 others were injured after protesters clashed with police in Darfur, the United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission to the Sudanese region reported today.

New York: The Security Council today voted to exempt the work of humanitarian agencies operating in Somalia from a resolution that obliges States to impose financial sanctions on groups and individuals who obstruct efforts to restore peace and stability in the Horn of Africa country.

While an economic recovery is underway, Executive Directors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) expressed deep concern that the ongoing political crisis in Côte d’Ivoire poses serious risks—in particular, through trade and financial sector linkages—and that the spillovers for the region could be severe should the crisis persist. In addition, rising food and fuel prices could risk inflationary pressures, with an adverse impact on poverty. In this context, Directors emphasized the importance of an increased focus on contingency planning and crisis management to limit the impact of the crisis, and underscored the need to closely monitor the economic and financial situation in WAEMU member countries.

An IMF team visited The Gambia during March 4–17, 2011 to review recent economic developments and discuss with the government economic policy initiatives planned for this year. The team met with His Excellency President Jammeh, Honorable Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs Mambury Njie, Central Bank of The Gambia Governor Amadou Colley, and other senior officials.

New York: From blankets to emergency communications equipment to technological expertise, United Nations agencies are rushing assistance to Japan to help cope with the multi-front disaster caused by last week’s devastating earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power plant breakdown.

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission led by Jean Le Dem visited Victoria during March 4-17, 2011 to conduct discussions for the third program review under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) Arrangement with Seychelles. The mission met with His Excellency President James Michel, Vice President Danny Faure, Governor of the Central Bank of Seychelles Pierre Laporte, Principal Secretary of Finance Ahmed Afif, and other senior government officials as well as representatives of the private sector and parliamentarians.

New Delhi: The RBI’s rate hikes, which began in March 2010 have clearly had an impact on industrial growth which has slowed down considerably in the current year. They have also not had much impact on the inflation rate which continues to remain high. “With lending rates also rising in tandem, we are concerned about the prospects for industrial growth in 2011-12,” said CII DG Mr Chandrajit Banerjee in a statement today.