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Situations never remain static. This is particularly so in politics which has the uncanny nature of unexpectedly changing political fortunes of its practitioners. Signs of such possible changes are emerging in Haryana as indicated by two developments. First is the Indian National Lok Dal-controlled Chautala family getting beleaguered by disproportionate assets cases and three breach of privilege motions against its chief Om Parkash Chautala admitted during the recently concluded State Assembly's budget session. Second is the possibility of the unity between the estranged opposition parties.

LUCKNOW: Bahujan Samaj Party supremo and UP Chief Minister Mayawati has marginalised Brahmins in the party to consolidate her hold on the core Dalit voters.

There is definitely some thing odd about the narratives of the BJP after its Indore session. Every one seems to be in a hurry to pass the verdict. The new arrangement under Nitin Gadkari is shaky; no one is happy with the team he has announced; the Kayasthas of Bihar are up in arms and Shanawaz Hussain declares he will 'go to Mecca and Medina and offer prayers and repent for the sins'. Those overlooked may feel dejected. But let us not conclude that the Mohan Bhagawat-Gadkari experiment is already collapsing.

KOLKATA: This may come as a surprise to most readers, but West Bengal may well be the most incompetently administered state in India at present.

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) today completed the fourth review of Belarus's performance under an economic program supported under a Stand-By Arrangement (SBA). The 15-month, SDR 1.62 billion (about US$2.45 billion) SBA was approved on January 12, 2009 and on June 29, 2009 the size of financial package provided under the SBA was increased to an amount equivalent to SDR 2.27 billion (about US$3.44 billion).

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has completed the first review of Maldives' economic performance under the Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) and the Arrangement under the Exogenous Shocks Facility. The completion of the review enables the immediate disbursement of an amount equivalent to SDR 5.125 million (about US$7.76 million), bringing total disbursements under the arrangements to SDR 10.25 million (about US$15.5 million).

The IMF estimates that the economy expanded by 3-4 percent in 2009, notwithstanding the global financial crisis, as cocoa and gold exports remained strong. This is down from 7.3 percent in 2008, a year of highly expansionary fiscal policies that destabilized the economy. For 2010, a modest upturn in growth to the 4-5 percent range is projected, boosted by investments linked to the offshore oil sector, which will come on stream in 2011.

New York: Iraqi parliamentary elections this month were credible and no evidence has been found of any systematic or widespread fraud during the vote count, the top United Nations official in the country said today after authorities announced the final election results.

The global economic crisis had a negative impact on Benin in 2009. Notwithstanding the authorities' countercyclical fiscal policies, real GDP growth slowed to 2.7 percent, compared with 5.0 percent in 2008. Inflation came down to an average 2.2 percent, reflecting lower food and fuel prices. Government revenues stagnated mostly because of lower trade activity. A strong fiscal adjustment effort in the second half of 2009 to align expenditures with available financing limited large expenditure overruns.

Since independence in 1991, Croatia has been implementing an ambitious reform programme based on the gradual opening of trade and investment, driven by commitments taken during its WTO accession negotiations and preparations for its key strategic goal of acceding to the European Union, according to a WTO Secretariat report on the trade policies and practices of Croatia.