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Developments currently taking place on India-Pakistan relations and the Kashmir issues have the potential of changing the dynamics of the Kashmir problem. The developments include: proposed Foreign Ministerial-level talks between India and Pakistan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's readiness to hold dialogue with all groups in Jammu and Kashmir “which are outside the political mainstream, provided they shun the violence,” and the separatists response to the PM's talks offer.

The UPA Government will draw some comfort over the revised GDP estimate of 7.4 per cent in 2009-10 from the advance estimate of CSO of 7.2 per cent in February, with the fourth quarter performance rising to 8.6 per cent. The revision is attributed mainly to the rebound in manufacturing to 10.8 per cent and, to some extent, the latest projection of foodgrain production over the earlier forecast given by the Agriculture Ministry, to turn growth in this sector mildly positive at 0.2 per cent in 2009-10.

New York: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the extension of the Constituent Assembly, which has been tasked with drafting the country's new constitution.

New York: Visiting Darfur, the top United Nations humanitarian official emphasized that the situation in the war-ravaged Sudanese region remains serious, as recent clashes between the Government and rebels have uprooted tens of thousands of people from their homes.

New York: Security concerns and human rights topped a United Nations-backed discussion among the religious and ethnic communities of the northern Iraqi governorate of Ninewa.

New York: An independent United Nations human rights expert has called urged Brazil to strengthen efforts to close loopholes perpetuating the practice of slavery, including forced labour in the vast South American nation's rural areas.

A leading US think tank Heritage Foundation has opposed the latest stance of the Obama administration in overlooking the implications of the China-Pakistan nuclear reactor deal on the security in the South Asia, especially relating to India. An eminent South Asia expert Lisa Curtis and her colleague Nicholas Humisevitcz of the Foundation have urged the US Government to block the China-Pakistan nuclear reactor deal and instead seek to leverage the conventional military aid already in pipeline for Pakistan and encourage a nuclear restraint free regime between India and Pakistan.

NEW DELHI: India is increasing its engagement with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) by calibrating its policies to suit the guidelines for membership of this august body dominated by the developed countries but the stage is not yet set for becoming a regular member of the 30 member OECD.

Never before was the need for a strengthened and unified African voice on key economic policies so crucial than when the financial and economic crisis hit.

Abidjan - The 45th Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the 36th Meetings of the African Development Fund (ADF) wound up on Friday, 28 May 2010 in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, after two days of intense deliberations and landmark decisions, including the approval of a 200% sixth general capital increase for Africa's premier development finance institution.