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New York: The United Nations is boosting the efforts of women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to overcome decades of low female participation in politics and achieve their rightful role in governing the vast African country and rebuilding it after years of civil war.

New York: Migrants in Japan face discrimination, exploitation and other forms of mistreatment, an independent United Nations human rights expert said, urging the Japanese Government to strengthen their protection.

New York: A new study by the United Nations labour agency calls for adopting a “rights-based approach” to provide better protection for the world's 105 million migrant workers, who continue to experience challenges such as low wages and unsafe working conditions.

New York:The head of the United Nations agency tasked with defending press freedom spoke out against the murders of two radio journalists ambushed last week, bringing the total number of media professionals killed in the Central American nation last month alone to five.

Whoever thought that the National Advisory Council would be revived? The NAC, which functioned as a super government between 2004 and 2006, will have another stint. It may be one of the 180 odd committees and commissions set up by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in these six years but NAC is not just another body. During the UPA 1 regime, headed by the UPA chairperson Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, the government-funded council was the top policy-advising body overriding the importance of other institutions including the Planning Commission.

Executive Directors of the the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have noted that timely and appropriate policy response and a recovery of exports helped lift the German economy from the recession. Economic recovery is likely to be moderate and fragile, reflecting its reliance on export demand and risks from continuing financial sector problems.

Executive Directors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have commended the Colombian authorities for maintaining strong policy and institutional frameworks during the global crisis. This, together with an early request for a flexible credit line from the Fund, contributed to preserving external confidence and limiting the impact of the crisis. Directors considered that, with improved economic fundamentals and a healthy banking system, Colombia is well-placed to confront the challenges posed by the still uncertain global outlook.

New Zealand has been able to ride out the global financial crisis better than many other advanced countries. This was because of demand from fast-growing Asian markets and the robust Australian economy, a flexible exchange rate, and the absence of a banking crisis. In addition, a significant fiscal and monetary policy stimulus cushioned the blow from the global crisis. Nevertheless, the crisis highlighted long-standing vulnerabilities due to sizable household and external debt.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Czech National Bank have signed an agreement to provide the Fund with up to €1.03 billion (about US$1.4 billion). The agreement is part of a commitment made by the European Union in March 2009 to contribute up to €75 billion (then equal to about US$100 billion) to support the IMF's lending capacity. The European Union has since committed an additional €50 billion to the Fund's expanded New Arrangements to Borrow.

New York: Dozens of nations and organizations have pledged almost $10 billion in immediate and long-term aid to help Haiti recover from the recent devastating earthquake, just hours after Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon opened a day-long donors' conference by calling for the wholesale rebuilding of the country.