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New York: The scourge of violence against women has worsened as a result of the global financial downturn over the past year, Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro said today as she urged some of the world's richest countries to lead the way in turning the many international pledges to support women and girls into concrete results.

Congress may have been on the ascendancy as reflected by its successes in the recent Lok Sabha and some state Assemblies elections. But the party is in a 'dilapidated' state in the north-western region states. In Punjab, its organizational structure stands crippled and non-functioning both outside and inside the State Assembly hit by factionalism and infighting. The situation is not much different in Himachal Pradesh. In Jammu and Kashmir, Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Saiffudin Soz are at loggerheads. The party in Haryana is in a somewhat \better state but is destined to experience rumblings during the run-up to the elections scheduled for October 13.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is extending a $55 million loan to support small scale water services in Bangladesh that will help cut rural poverty, improve community involvement, and address the threat posed by severe floods and other climate change-related events.

One of the main reasons for the successful completion of the informal WTO Ministerial in Delhi on September 4 is the emphatic support from the least developing countries (LDCs), small and vulnerable economies (SVEs), CARICOM, African Group, Cotton-4 and ACP countries to re-open the stalled multilateral trade talks. They were backed in their views for re-opening of the stalled multilateral trade talks by Brazil and China representing G 20 and Indonesia on behalf of G 33. This situation strengthened the hands of the Indian commerce and industry minister, Anand Sharma, who was also the chair of the Delhi Ministerial meeting, to rush for a successful conclusion.

New Delhi: India has decided to purchase of up to US$10 billion worth of IMF notes. Government of India has announced this intention and conveyed it to the International Monetary Fund.

The sudden death of Andhra Pradesh chief minister Dr. Y. S. Rajashekhara Reddy has plunged the Congress party into a deep crisis. Although Finance Minister K. Rosaiah has been sworn in as the chief minister, it is quite clear that the party is in search of a consensus candidate. Rosaiah himself is a contender.

Ever since Rahul Gandhi was brought into active politics, we have been frequently treated to the same staple farE. Endless deadlines and occasions for his stepping into the PM's shoeS. Rahul replacing Manmohan Singh has been the BJP's prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani's theme song throughout the campaign. The present incumbent is a 'weak PM' and was simply keeping the chair warm for the Gandhi scion.

New York: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is calling on donors to help avert a looming humanitarian catastrophe in Somalia, where half the population - or some 3.8 million people - are in need of assistance.

New York: There are now at least 2,837 deaths attributable to the pandemic H1N1 which continues to be the predominant circulating virus of influenza both in the northern and southern hemispheres, the United Nations health agency reported today.

New York: Sport can be a transformative force in altering attitudes of what communities think about people with disabilities as well as what these people feel about themselves, the United Nations official tasked with promoting sport for development and peace has said.