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TOKYO, JAPAN - Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Haruhiko Kuroda and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) President Luis-Alberto Moreno signed a partnership agreement today in Tokyo that will see their two institutions work more closely in areas ranging from trade facilitation and regional cooperation to climate change.

In a historic vote on November 7, the US House of Representatives delivered a one-trillion-dollar plan to overhaul America's health care system, moving towards universal coverage, reducing costs, and improving quality of care thereby handing President Barack Obama the victory he badly needs, as he battles an array of economic and other problems in his first year in the White House.

The year 2009, Dr Homi Bhabha's centenary year, marks India's emergence as an advanced nuclear capability nation. If Dr Bhabha was alive today, he would be enthralled to see his nuclear dreams fructifying in full measure.

KOLKATA: Post Indo-US nuclear deal, there has occurred a definite hardening of Chinese attitudes towards India. The present Chinese ambivalence on the proposed diversion of the Brahmaputra river in Tibet is likely to continue in as much as it will keep Indian policymakers on a defensive mode in the long term.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - A recent increase in Australian and New Zealand tourists to Pacific island countries has raised hopes the region's vital tourism industry is recovering after being buffeted by the global financial crisis, according to a new Asian Development Bank (ADB) publication.

The impressive performance by the Congress in the 15th Lok Sabha election had made many of us hastily conclude that the Grand Old Party is on a comeback trail towards its pristine glory. The BJP was routed. It is not in a position to pose any serious challenge to the Congress in the near future. The Left has been shown its place in its own strongholds. Barring perhaps the JD(U), provincial parties under Lalu, Paswan, Mayawati, Jayalalithaa and Naidu were badly mauled. Only those regional outfits that had stood by the Congress - like the DMK and Mamata - came out in flying colours.

The UPA Government has been emboldened to move boldly with a substantial programme of raising resources through limited privatisation of public undertakings, euphemistically called disinvestment, under its medium-term fiscal consolidation programme.

The top United Nations envoy to Nepal today lamented the fact that there has been limited progress in overcoming the political impasse that emerged in the country earlier this year, and little movement on the remaining tasks of the peace process.

New York: As the last negotiating session before next month's United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen concluded today, a senior official with the world body called on countries to push ahead to deliver on a strong international agreement to tackle global warming.

On the eve of its 15th “birthday”, the WTO earlier this month reached the milestone of having the 400th trade dispute brought to the body's dispute settlement mechanism. “This is surely a vote of confidence in a system which many consider to be a role model for the peaceful resolution of disputes in other areas of international political or economic relations,” said Director-General Pascal Lamy to mark the occasion.