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New Delhi: The Report of Task Force on Transaction Cost in Exports was released here today by the Finance Minister, Shri Pranab Mukherjee in the presence of Shri Anand Sharma, Minister of Commerce and Industry and Shri Jyotiraditya M Scindia, Minister of State for commerce and Industry. The Task Force chaired by Shri Scindia was constituted in October 2009 to identify and suggest ways to achieve significant improvement in the functioning of export processes and reduce time and money spent in export transactions, with a view to enhance the competitiveness of Indian exports. The function was attended by Shri Rahul Khullar, Commerce Secretary; Dr. Anup K Pujari, Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT); and representatives from the trade and apex champers.

New York: The United Nations cultural agency said today it plans to send a mission to assess the damage caused to the Preah Vihear Temple, a World Heritage site, by the recent armed clashes between Thailand and Cambodia.

Fragrance from the Jasmine Revolution, which overthrew Tunisia’s hated President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, is spreading, especially to Egypt, Yemen and Jordan, and triggering profound political changes in the West Asia-North Africa region. Talks are on between the Egyptian Government and the Opposition on the mode of transition following massive uprising against the 30-year long rule of President Hosni Mubarak.

What the Manmohan Singh government and the Congress do not seem to realize is that the time has long gone when mere words and occasional belated action were able to deflect attention from widespread corruption. In an age of 24-hour news channels and a large and vocal middle class, the standard political ploys of an earlier period no longer work.

About 200 statisticians from developed and developing countries participated in the Global Forum on Trade Statistics 2011. They discussed responses to policy makers’ demands for more accurate statistics on trade in goods and services and defined plans for producing trade statistics in the future.

Director-General of World Trade Organization (WTO) Pascal Lamy, in his speech at the annual meeting of the World Federation of Sporting Goods Industries on 5 February 2011 in Munich, said that a “significant change in the international trade landscape is the spread of globally-integrated production chains... This new global reality forces us to re-examine how we analyse and measure ‘international trade’”. He called on the sports equipment industry and the business community in general “to press your governments for a conclusion of the Doha Round this year”.

New York: United Nations peacekeepers are making “important headway” on the difficult road towards bringing stability to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), but shortfalls in funds and military equipment are constraining their efforts, a top official said today.

New York: Heavy rainfall and flooding in of southern Africa have damaged large areas of farmland and crops, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today, warning that communities in poorer parts of the region could experience food shortages in the coming months.

Bengaluru: The Indian public sector company, BEML Ltd has ventured into aerospace anufacturing sector in a big way. After grabbing a big pie of the fast emerging metro rail coach manufacturing market in the country, the mini-ratna company has ambitious plans to take the lead in the booming aerospace sector in the country.

The Executive Directors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have noted that Trinidad and Tobago has been hit hard by the global financial crisis, and commended the authorities for the continued prudent macroeconomic policies that helped mitigate the impact of external shocks. Directors observed that, notwithstanding the improving global conditions and the rebound in commodity prices, economic activity remains weak and the near-term outlook is affected by uncertainty. They recognized that the immediate challenge is to restore confidence by providing a supportive policy mix and addressing remaining weaknesses in the financial system.