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New York: The occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) recorded marginal economic growth last year, but unemployment remained high, with Israel's closure policy in the West bank and the blockade of the Gaza Strip continuing to inhibit the territory's potential for rapid economic expansion, the United Nations reported today.

New Delhi: The Ministry of Environment and Forests will declare elephant as a National Heritage Animal. The Ministry will also set up National Elephant Conservation Authority to give same degree of visibility, importance and criticality as much as given to National Tiger Conservation Authority. After releasing the Report of the Elephant Task Force here today, Shri Jairam Ramesh, Minister of State for Environment and Forests (I/c) said we will bring a science based exercise in protecting and census of this animal. Shri Ramesh appreciated the way the Task Force has addressed the main concerns of the issue. They include elephant corridors in context of mining, power and irrigation projects, of protection of elephant corridors, elephant in captivity, institutional changes in order to put elephant conservation on high, sound footing and give same degree of visibility as Project Tiger gets.

New Delhi: The Committee on Piracy set up in pursuance of the decision arrived at in the 27th State Information Ministers' Conference held in December, 2009; today submitted its report to Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Smt. Ambika Soni. The report was submitted by Shri Uday Kumar Varma, Special Secretary and Chairperson of the Committee on Piracy.

Anand Sharma Union Minister of Commerce & Industry during his interaction with Mr. Rob Davies, Minister of Trade and Industry, Government of the Republic of South Africa yesterday in Johannesburg, South Africa, stated that, officials from India & SACU will be meeting in the 1st week of October 2010 to discuss pending issues relating to finalization of India-SACU Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA).

New Delhi: India announced an additional USD 20 million assistance to Pakistan for flood relief as the neighbouring country is grappling with the worst floods in recent times. The announcement by External Affairs Minister Shri S. M. Krishna in the Parliament comes in the wake of Pakistan's readiness to accept India's initial aid offer of 5 million US dollars which is to be routed through the United Nations.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is providing technical assistance to help remove barriers to microinsurance development in the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Mongolia which could benefit millions of poor families and unlock household savings for productive economic use.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is extending a $100 million equivalent loan for a cross-border electricity initiative between India and Bangladesh that will provide impetus for increased power trading in South Asia.

What the Communist Party of India (Marxist) dreaded the most in West Bengal, its bastion for 33 years, has happened. Ms Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress Party (TCP) held an extremely well-attended rally at Lalgarh in the Jangalmahal region bordering Jharkhand on August 9, enlisted the support of the People's Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA), and threw down the gauntlet to the Left Front. She stridently read out an elaborate political chargesheet against the CPM and announced the end of Left “hegemony” and the beginning of “a new era” in West Bengal.

Pakistan's prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that his country has to bow its head in shame after the latest betting scandal involving its cricket team. But Pakistan is a country which has to be ashamed of many things, starting with the disgrace of being regarded as the epicentre of terrorism.

Over the past 50 years, in an effort to better prepare society for the challenges to come, educators have been been crafting visions that challenge traditional models of learning and the physical space that supports them. But visions are not enough.