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Inflation concerns currently outweigh growth for China’s leaders, even as its twelfth five-year plan gets under way this year with a modest target and greater emphasis on quality of growth that is “healthy and sustainable”, creates better jobs and improves human wellbeing. Unlike India’s obsession with 9 per cent “inclusive growth”, with the elevated inflation eclipsed, Premier Wen Jiabao in a work report to the National People’s Congress said stabilizing consumer prices at around 4 per cent would be top priority this year. Overall social stability is the prime concern at present.

It has always posed to be a big challenge before the judiciary to bring law offenders to justice when such persons enjoy strong political patronage and a kind of unwritten administrative immunity or backing. To prove such law offenders guilty is even a bigger challenge in the face of a non-cooperative administration deliberately making light of such cases under instruction from the political masters.

Recent reforms will still be insufficient to cover increased pension costs in the future, despite increases in retirement ages in half of OECD countries, according to a new OECD report.

New York: Thirty-three countries will participate next week in the Caribbean region’s first full-scale tsunami warning exercise as part of United Nations-backed efforts to test and strengthen the region’s defences against such disasters.

New York: The United Nations human rights chief today voiced alarm over the escalation of violence by security forces in Bahrain, particularly the reported takeover of hospitals and medical centres in the country, which she said was shocking and a blatant violation of international law.

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.