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NEW DELHI: Pakistan’s decision to grant Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India signals the beginning of a highly positive process in the bilateral relations between India and Pakistan. Pakistan took this momentous step fifteen years after India granted it MFN status in 1996 but the significance of the decision lies in the fact that this was a highly delicate political issue for Pakistan and the cabinet took all the stake holders including the army into confidence before giving approval to the proposal. That way, the Pak decision has immense significance for the political relations also just one week before the SAARC summit at Maldives.

New York: A cooperation agreement announced today between the United Nations and a global crop technology company seeks to develop new technologies that can support sustainable development through the use of bio-energy crops in tropical regions.

All G20 governments have now agreed to a multilateral Convention to tackle tax evasion more effectively.

New York: With an estimated 1.2 million people in Central America affected by severe floods, the United Nations is mobilizing resources to provide life-saving assistance to those in need, as a senior UN relief official visiting Nicaragua today described the situation in the country as a “real disaster.”

New York: The head of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Côte d’Ivoire has assured authorities there that the Organization will provide the West African country with the support it requires to ensure that legislative elections next month are held successfully and in a peaceful atmosphere.

Executive Directors of the International Monetary Fund have commended the authorities in Morocco for their sound macroeconomic policies and structural and political reforms that have helped Morocco weather the global crisis and respond to pressing social needs. Looking ahead, Directors noted that significant challenges remain, including the uncertain economic outlook in Europe and the region, the need for fiscal consolidation in the face of large popular demands, and the urgency to implement an ambitious agenda to boost employment and inclusive growth. Rebuilding policy buffers and accelerating reforms are critical to strengthen the economy’s resilience to shocks and lay a solid foundation for sustained growth over the medium term.

New York: While Guinea-Bissau has made important progress recently, including in police reform, it is vital that it press ahead with other challenges such as the launch of a pension fund for ex-military and security personnel and improving the judicial sector, a senior United Nations official said today.

New York: Insurance against damage to property can boost people’s resilience in the event of disasters, the United Nations office on disaster risk reduction has stressed, pointing out that only nine per cent of building owners affected by the last month’s earthquake in Turkey had insured them.

New York: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on leaders of the world’s biggest economies meeting in Cannes to ensure a global recovery that is sustainable, inclusive and creates real change for those hit hardest.

New York: Food prices dropped to an 11-month low in October, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today, while adding that they are still higher than last year and very volatile.