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It is the season of dramatic gestures. There was Sushma Swaraj’s jig at Rajghat and Kiran Bedi’s skit at the Ramlila grounds followed by Advani’s announcement about a sixth rath yatra and Narendra Modi’s first hunger strike and that, too, for the sake of “social harmony” (!) – another first for the Hindu hridaysamrat. For all the nobility of purpose, however, the genuineness of the last two events is in doubt.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is to help the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) address key gaps in its secondary education system that impede its contributions to growth and the country’s transition to a market economy.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is financing ‘smart’ electricity meters for Uzbekistan to help the energy-intensive Central Asian nation use its power resources more efficiently.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved $754 million in assistance to rebuild Afghanistan’s shattered road and rail network, bringing to more than $1.7 billion the amount it has contributed to reconstruction of the country’s infrastructure over the past decade.

New York: Nine geological sites of exceptional scientific and educational importance, rarity or beauty have been added to the Global Network of National Geoparks, a United Nations-backed list launched to promote greater cooperation in the management of the world’s geological heritage.

New York: Fourteen prominent Spanish tourism businesses have signed up to follow the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, a set of principles backed by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and designed to guide the development of the industry in ways that maximize socio-economic benefits and minimize negative impacts.

New York: Boosting women’s political participation and decision-making around the world is fundamental for democracy and essential for achieving sustainable development, women leaders taking part in a high-level event at the United Nations declared today.

'The two newly-autonomous countries face substantial challenges, requiring sustained efforts over the near and medium term. Economic growth has been low, unemployment remains high, and population aging pressures are becoming significant. The current account deficit has widened to worrisome levels, primarily reflecting low competitiveness, rapid credit growth, and inadequate pass-through of increases in international food and oil prices to consumer prices,' says International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its preliminary conclusion on Kingdom of the Netherlands—Curacao and Sint Maarten consultations.

WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy, at the opening session of the WTO Public Forum 2011 on 19 September, noted the background for this year’s discussions and outlined the important role of the Forum in tackling the challenges that lie ahead. Sustainability, energy and food security were among the issues discussed on the first day.

A mission from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) visited Bamako from September 5 to 16, 2011 to conduct discussions on the seventh review of the arrangement under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF), which will expire at end-2011, and on the preparation of a new three-year program eligible for IMF support.