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LUCKNOW: The by-elections to one Lok Sabha and 11 assembly seats in UP on November 7 are important for AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party President Mulayam Singh Yadav, Chief Minister and BSP supremo Mayawati and BJP President Rajnath Singh.

Now that the government is serious about making a part sale of its stocks in chosen public sector undertakings (PSUs), the criterion for pricing these stocks, or fixation of their price bands, before the public offer will hold the key to the success of the much debated disinvestment programme and its declared goal. The chances are that there could be a distress-sale of PSU stocks at prices far below their potential and the market trend. This could be especially so in the case of PSU scrips which are already stock exchange listed and regularly traded. These stocks are grossly undervalued compared to their counterparts in the same industry in the private sector.

Is the monarchy still relevant in England and has Queen Elizabeth 11 adopted herself to modern times? While the debate on the need for the monarch is going on in the country, there is no doubt that the Queen has reinvented herself to suit the 21st century needs.

New York: Asia-Pacific exports are on the upswing, but the region must use trade to create jobs and alleviate poverty, according to a new United Nations report.

What is common between the British National Party which is making headlines in U.K and our own Shiv Sena? There are quite a few similarities between the two parties and their functioning although some might say that the BNP is a national party while the Sena is a regional party from a state in India.

KOLKATA: It may be a horrendous admission to make, but the sad truth is, it is the Maoists who are in control in parts of West Bengal. Both the ruling Left Front and the resurgent Trinamool Congress-led opposition are bent on carrying on with their self-destructive politics, even as they lose political space in physical terms.

Asia is rebounding rapidly from the depth of the global crisis, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said today in its latest report on the region. According to the Regional Economic Outlook (REO) for Asia and the Pacific, released today in Seoul, Asia's growth is forecast to accelerate to 5¾ percent in 2010 from 2¾ percent in 2009, both higher than previously projected.

New York: Parliamentarians from some 115 countries pledged to promote sexual and reproductive health as well as women's rights to decide how and when they give birth, at a United Nations-backed gathering which wrapped up today.

New: Jerusalem must be the capital of two States - Israel and Palestine - living side-by-side in peace and security, with arrangements for the holy sites acceptable to all, if peace in the Middle East is to be achieved, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned today.

JAIPUIR: The social audit of the National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme in Rajasthan has revealed attempts by big companies to sabotage it.