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KOLKATA: It's official. The CPI(M) in West Bengal has rarely looked so hopelessly inept, facing a challenge from a resurgent opposition led by the Trinamool Congress ! With by- elections coming up in 10 Assembly constituencies on November 7. Party veteran Jyoti Basu is begging the Congress and its supporters to vote Left, in its hour of crisis.

New York: Africa's efforts to meet the global anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by their 2015 deadline are threatened by the impact of the global financial crisis on the continent's economies, said Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro.

New York: The prospects for political stability in Guinea-Bissau appear to be good but are threatened by drug trafficking and organized crime, United Nations officials warned the Security Council.

New York: Young children in rural Tajikistan are increasingly likely to be malnourished because of a lack of food, poor water quality and high prices for many basic products, United Nations aid agencies have said, warning that the children are now at greater risk of contracting infectious diseases.

New York: The world's farmlands can be the frontline for the fight against the impact of climate change and the battle to feed the mounting global population, according to a new report released by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today.

New Delhi: Considering the international interest in the Indian Magazine business, the Union Government of India is going to engage itself in a proactive role to nurture the magazine business of the country.

Why is the BJP unable to deal with its chief ministers? The party had to replace Kalyan Singh as UP Chief Minister because he refused to change his style of functioning despite warnings from the central leadership. But the NDA was in power then and the leadership was strong at the central level. Gujarat chief Minister Narendra Modi does not like any interference in the affairs of Gujarat. Former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje also refused to change her style of functioning despite complaints from the local unit as well as the RSS. She continued her defiance by dilly-dallying over resigning her position as the BJP legislature party leader.

New York: While noting the significant steps that have been taken in Mauritania to tackle slavery, an independent United Nations human rights expert today called for a comprehensive strategy to put an end to this scourge, warning of its impact on the country's future.

Since the previous review in 2003, SACU members (Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland), have collectively expanded at an average annual rate of about 4% in real terms, although this GDP growth has been somewhat erratic mainly reflecting infrastructure and other constraints, according to a WTO Secretariat report on the trade policies and practices of SACU.