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It is one thing to be a yoga guru and another to head a political party. Baba Ramdev, who has just launched his new political outfit “Bharat Swabhiman Party” may discover this very soon. Millions of his disciples wonder whether his political venture will succeed while political parties prophesy that he will vanish soon.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - Local currency bond markets in emerging East Asia expanded 16.5% in 2009, with $4.4 trillion in paper outstanding at the end of December, and should continue to grow in 2010, according to the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) quarterly Asia Bond Monitor.

New York: Unemployment rates are artificially low in Asia and the Pacific because many people hold jobs in the informal sector, according to a United Nations report that provides a comparison of economic, social and environmental trends in the region.

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed the first review of Bosnia and Herzegovina's economic performance under a program supported by a 36-month Stand-By Arrangement (SBA). The completion of the review enables the immediate disbursement of an amount equivalent to SDR 121.75 million (about € 138.4 million or US$ 184.6 million), bringing total disbursements under the program to an amount equivalent to SDR 304.38 million (about € 345.9 million or US$ 461.4 million).

New York: The first decade of the new millennium was the warmest on record, the United Nations weather monitoring agency has announced.

New York: Gorillas could disappear from large parts of the Greater Congo Basin in central Africa by the mid-2020s unless urgent action is taken to safeguard their habitats and counter poaching, a new report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and INTERPOL has warned.

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) today completed the fifth review of Hungary's economic performance under a program supported by a Stand-By Arrangement (SBA). The completion of the review makes available SDR 725 million (about €825 million or US$1,100 million), but the authorities do not intend to draw this amount.

New York: Bangladesh has become the first South Asian country to ratify the pact that established the International Criminal Court (ICC) and gave it a mandate for trying people accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

New York: Violence against women and girls in El Salvador remains prevalent and pervasive, with the number of murders on the rise and kidnappings, sexual assaults and sexual harassment all too frequent, an independent United Nations human rights expert has warned.

Sierra Leone's macroeconomic performance in 2009 weakened due to the global economic slowdown. Real GDP is estimated to have slowed to 4 percent in 2009 from 5.5 percent in 2008. While lower fuel and domestic food prices eased inflationary pressures in the first half of 2009, the depreciation of the leone in the latter part of the year contributed to a rebound in inflation to 10.8 percent in December. In February 2010, inflation jumped to 17 percent, reflecting largely the challenges in implementing the new Goods and Services Tax in January, and higher domestic fuel prices. International reserves remained above 6 months of import cover.