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The economy is on steady growth at 8 to 9 per cent in 2010-11, revenues are buoyant, and there are signs of headline inflation moderating to provide comfort for Government though by now it has all but admitted its inability to tackle high food prices, which have thus far been left to Nature and Market. In any case, the risk of food inflation getting transmitted to general prices does not seem as dominant as it was in the first half of the fiscal year. RBI measures have had some effect on moderating core inflation.

Americans, befuddled and frustrated over the economic blight that has overtaken the country, are widely assumed to favour Republicans sufficiently to enable them take control of the 435-member House of Representatives, in perhaps the toughest midterm elections, on November 2. For weeks, opinion polls have been pointing to a growing surge toward a Republican win, ending the four-year run of Democrats, currently holding a majority of 255 to 177.

If all that glitters is not gold, then all that shines black is also not coal. Ask successive chairmen of the public sector behemoth, Coal India Limited (CIL), the world's largest coal company, about the authenticity of much of CIL's pithead stocks, the value of which bolsters the company's annual income in its balance sheet, you may come to know that not all of them are coal. They are shells or black stones. The valuation of pithead stocks helped CIL and its subsidiaries window-dress the annual accounts for years. Whenever CIL had change of guards at the top, the veracity of pithead stock reports was questioned by the new chairman.

KOLKATA: State Assembly elections in Assam are expected to be held early next year. As political parties are probing the possibility of new permutations and combinations, certain issues are coming to the fore. These are likely to occupy centrestage by the time the polls are announced.

LUCKNOW: The renomination of Mrs. Rita Bahuguna as Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) president has made it clear that the party high command is quite serious about Mission 2012.

Warning bells are ringing from Andhra Pradesh on the separate Telegnana issue once again. With the justice Sri Krishna commission, which is looking into the issue, scheduled to give report on December 31, things are warming up in the state. Several stakeholders are getting ready for the D day.

NEW DELHI: India will strongly demand enhanced role of the emerging markets and developing countries (EMDCs) in the international financial regulatory system at the coming G-20 Summit at Seoul on November 11 and India's stand will be that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will really be seen to have changed only if the shift comes primarily from the advanced economies to the EMDCs and not mainly by internal readjustment of quota shares amongst EMDCs.

New Delhi, Oct 27 : The Union government is planning to review the bans imposed on cotton and sugar exports. On the issue of allowing foreign direct investments (FDIs) in the multi-brand retail chain, it would discuss with the state governments.

New Delhi, Oct 27 : The railway minister, Mamata Banerjee has demanded Rs 100,000 crore from the government fund for completing all the pending projects of the railways.

New Delhi, Oct 27 : The Union minister for road transport and highways, Kamal Nath has sought additional funds from the finance ministry for repairing the damages caused to roads due to landslides and heavy rains, this year. The roads in the hilly states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh are damaged at places due to landslides.