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New York: Women who have been forced by terrorists to provide shelter, food and sexual services should never be denied asylum on the ground that they gave material support to terrorism, an independent United Nations expert said today.

The Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2008 has come into force today. The Rules pertaining to section 52 (Salary, Allowances and Other Terms and Conditions of Service of Chairperson and Members), section 54 (Procedure for Investigation of Misbehaviour or Incapacity of Chairperson and Members), section 69 (Procedure and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Information), section 69A (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking for Access of Information by Public), section 69B (Procedure and safeguard for Monitoring and Collecting Traffic Data or Information) and notification under section 70B for appointment of the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team have also been notified.

The Maldives is a physically and economically small, vulnerable developing country, heavily dependant for its prosperity on international trade. Real GDP growth averaged 7,4% between 2003 and 2008, driven mainly by the tourism sector. However growth is expected to contract by 1,3% in 2009 due to a decline in tourism activity, according to a WTO Secretariat report on the trade policies and practices of the Maldives.

NEW DELHI: The Rural Development Ministry of the UPA Government has worked out an ambitious, albeit enigmatic, programme of ensuring livelihood to all BPL households in the countryside. However, no time schedule has been indicated to achieve the target.

Haryana Chief Minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who has returned to power, faces new challenges both in the political and administrative arenas during his second term. The biggest challenge will be to ensure political stability which he and the ruling Congress enjoyed in the first term because of the party's overwhelming majority in the Assembly, a weakened opposition and absence of active dissenters in the ruling party. These factors no longer exist.

HUA HIN, THAILAND - Leaders of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines (BIMP) have agreed to start carrying out 12 priority infrastructure projects over the next two years under the BIMP East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) subregional cooperation program.

With the success of amending the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act during the Winter Session of Parliament in 2008 and setting up of National Security Guard base in the four Metros during the first half of 2009 as a quick response measure to tackle terrorism, militancy, subversion and naxalism on a war footing throughout the nation, the Union Minister of Home Affairs P.Chidambaram has set in motion an ambitious plan to fast track investigation of crime and detection of criminals.

New York: The top United Nations official in Asia and the Pacific has highlighted the opportunities to promote trade and investment among countries in the region, while presenting a new development plan less dependent on exports to the West.

During the cold war days, it was customary for us to lampoon the Soviet economy as one of distributing shortages and poverty. Shortages of certain goods were perennial, and there had been big scramble for them. Now 18 years of globalisation has placed the world system on the opposite pole. Instead of sharing poverty, globalisation and competitive consumerism have forced the world to wrangle over sharing the perils of plundering the planet.

LUCKNOW: The poor performance of the BSP in the Haryana and Maharashtra assembly elections has shattered the dream of Chief Minister Mayawati to expand her base in other parts of the country.