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New York: Just 10 days before the United Nations ends its mission to help Nepal close the book on a disastrous decade-long civil war, the peace process is largely deadlocked and predictions of its failure could become a self-fulfilling prophecy, a senior UN official warned today.

Executive Directors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have commended the authorities for their economic stewardship which has helped India weather the crisis well. Growth is among the fastest growing in the world, social indicators are improving, and medium-term economic prospects are favorable. Risks stem mainly from weaker global growth. Near-term challenges confronting the authorities arise from elevated inflation, fiscal consolidation needs, and buoyant capital inflows, warranting careful calibration of macroeconomic policies and the diligent pursuit of ongoing reforms.

Jordan’s economic recovery remains on track, on the back of slowly-rising domestic activity. Fiscal prudence and credible monetary management, reinforced by strong supervision and regulation of the financial sector, provide a solid platform for a more robust upturn in 2011.

New York: The United Nations and the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will hold a meeting next week to discuss ways of better protecting five sites from the vast African nation that are inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

New York: The United Nations and its partners this week launched a 20-year, $200 million environmental recovery programme in south-west Haiti that aims to benefit more than 200,000 people and show that sustainable rural development, from fisheries to tourism, is indeed practical.

Executive Directors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have welcomed today’s timely discussion of the Fund’s role on cross-border capital flows. They observed that capital flows have conferred substantial benefits by facilitating efficient resource allocation across countries, but prolonged episodes of high volatility have also presented serious policy challenges.

New York: Several matches during the upcoming Asian Cup football tournament, which opens in Doha, Qatar, on Friday, will be dedicated to the fight against hunger and poverty, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced today.

New Delhi: Fifty new Battalions will be raised in the NCC to accommodate 2 lakh new NCC Cadets. This was stated by the Director General NCC Lt Gen RK Karwal here today. Addressing a news conference coinciding with the NCC Republic Day Camp 2011, General Karwal said that the Government has finally approved the proposal to raise the strength of NCC Cadets from the present 13 lakhs to 15 lakhs. He said the NCC Directorate will raise 01 Group HQ, 10 Army NCC units and 01 Naval and 01 Air units for this purpose. The process of absorbing the cadets will be completed in the next five years.

The challenge to predict accurate monsoon becomes bigger in climate change scenario and a proposed system for predicting regional climate change would require an atmospheric Global Climate Model (GCM) which can resolve mesoscale cloud system with stratospheric chemistry, aerosol, dynamic vegetation, coupled to a carbon model and an oceanic GCM with biogeochemistry model.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - The Asian Development Bank (ADB), International Finance Corp. (IFC), Citibank, and Pakistan's MCB Bank announced today that they have completed a landmark trade transaction that will help boost the textile industry in Pakistan, a sector that accounts for over 60% of the country's industrial activity.