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Director-General Pascal Lamy announced at a Trade Negotiations Committee meeting on 30 November 2010 an “intensive work programme” to finish the Doha Round by the end of next year. He said: “We have the political signal, we have the technical expertise and we have the work programme. We now need to translate these into a comprehensive deal which you can all take back home.”

As the 2G scam reverberates, shocking revelations have emerged of another, related scandal involving collusion between big corporate houses, political parties and the media in influencing key policy decisions and ministerial appointments. Outlook and Open magazines have reproduced partial transcripts of telephone conversations between Ms Niira Radia, a corporate lobbyist for the Tata and Mukesh Ambani groups, and several top journalists, industrialists and politicians, which show journalists playing political roles well beyond the legitimate bounds of their profession.

For all the expressions of satisfaction over the Bihar outcome, the BJP cannot but harbour deep reservations about its long-term implications. For a start, the party is in danger of losing its place as the NDA’s numero uno. First, the 24-member alliance in Atal Behari Vajpayee’s heyday has come down to four – the BJP, the JD (U), the Akali Dal and the Shiv Sena. Now, the BJP has lost the first place in the group since there is little doubt that there cannot be anyone other than Nitish Kumar who will be NDA’s prime ministerial candidate.

New York: The United Nations said today it is not in a position to comment on the authenticity of the document disclosed by the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks on information-gathering activities on UN officials and activities.

New York: The United Nations Climate Change Conference opened today in Cancún, Mexico, with the world body’s top official on the issue calling for a balanced and concrete outcome to meet one of today’s biggest challenges.

New York: Freedom of information, and universal access to it, is crucial to promoting cultural and linguistic diversity, and the United Nations is at the forefront of the battle to protect these rights, a senior information official has said.

New York: The run-off presidential elections in Côte d'Ivoire yesterday proceeded “in a democratic atmosphere” despite tension and violent incidents that left three people dead, the United Nations envoy to the West African country said today, calling for calm as the provisional results are awaited.

New York: The number of people living in extreme poverty in the world’s least developed countries (LDCs) has been on the rise despite higher national incomes in some of those States, a senior United Nations official said today, calling for a review of the current development approaches.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will extend $315 million to the government of Karnataka state in India for a major overhaul of the overburdened state highway system, which will help spur new economic growth and livelihood opportunities.

Will Bihar be repeated in Punjab in its next Assembly elections due in 15 months? The question assumes relevance in view of the prediction by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal that “Bihar will be repeated in Punjab.” The validity of their claim needs to be tested by ground-level check of the factors which contributed to Nitish Kumar’s triumphant return to power.