The equation could not be simpler: whoever performs best out of Russian Dinara Safina and American Serena Williams at next week's WTA Championships in Doha will end the year as world No 1.
The need of the hour is a rule-based multilateral trading regime, which takes on board developmental aspirations of the poor countries and at the same time ensures better access for all. "That is what we shall be striving for," said Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma. He said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has made commitments that the Doha trade talks, the latest round of which was stalled in July 2008, be concluded successfully.
Politics infused the event in Doha where Belarusian swimmers competed as neutrals due to restrictions imposed on their athletes, and Russia's, stemming from Russia's invasion of Ukraine -- which Moscow called a "special military operation".
Jyoti Randhawa carded a three-under 69 in the last round to finish joint 12th in the Qatar Masters.
Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra's Paris Games preparations will be put through a stern test when he begins his season in the first leg of the prestigious Diamond League one-day meet series against a star-studded but familiar field, in Doha on Friday.
NRAI termed the disqualification of trap shooter Manavjit Singh by organisers of the Asia Olympic Qualifiers in Kuwait as 'unjust and unfair'.
World Trade Organisation director-general Pascal Lamy now maintains that it is rather early to set the dates for a ministerial meeting to finalise the modalities for cutting agricultural subsidies and import as well as industrial tariffs, trade envoys said.
Dipa Karmakar claimed a creditable fourth place in the women's vault final at the FIG Apparatus World Cup.
United States Secretary of State John Kerry would not meet representatives of the Afghan Taliban during his visit to Qatar later this week, his spokesperson said Thursday.
Roger Federer staked his claim as one of the favourites for the Australian Open title later this month by romping into the second round of the Qatar Open, while rival Rafa Nadal survived a scare in windswept Doha on Tuesday.
WTO chief's two-day visit to India beginning Tuesday will also see him holding discussions with Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath, as well as representatives of the industry, sources said. His visit comes days after the WTO mini-ministerial meeting in Geneva collapsed on the issue of safeguard for farmers from the developing countries against import surges.
The chance of ministers meeting next month to push forward the so-called Doha round of trade talks increased yesterday after diplomats said they had made progress on setting goals for the negotiations.
Already, four sessions of the new G-12 countries, including the US, the EU, India, Brazil, China, among others, have taken place over the last 10 days at the American mission here. But little progress has been made on the contentious issues in the latest non-agricultural market access draft text, senior officials told Business Standard.
The rapid growth of India and China will overshadow the development of their Asian neighbours in coming years, with the purchasing power of their populations increasing to almost match consumers in the US and EU combined, a senior Doha Bank official has said.
Anju Bobby George jumped her season's best mark of 6.55m but finished fifth at the Super Grand Prix event in Doha.
The country could be a major beneficiary from greater market access in services unlike other developing nations, said the working paper authored by H A C Prasad, senior economic advisor in the ministry. India is Asia's third largest economy with a size of nearly $1 trillion. Services contribute about 61 per cent of GDP and the sector is growing at double-digit rates.
The incident remains a reminder of the inherent fragilities of all geopolitical relationships.
The US has emphasised on the need for an "ambitious and balanced outcome", even as the World Trade Organization (WTO) is gearing up to circulate another set of texts to push all its 153 members to wrap up the Doha Round of global trade talks by the end of this year.
Neeraj Chopra is in best physical condition to claim a medal at the Paris Games
The successful conclusion of the Doha round of trade negotiations would substantially augment global trade, Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma said here.
Reader Vilas Deshmukh sent us this picture from Doha, Qatar.
Commerce Minister Anand Sharma offered 'four principles' to break the impasse in the stalled-Doha trade negotiations, insisting that only a pronounced shift towards 'development objectives' could enable 'developing countries to bring more to the negotiations'.
India has said it is committed to working for a successful conclusion of Doha round of World Trade Organisation talks despite the setbacks witnessed in the recent months.
The 21-year-old Anish shot 27 in the final to win the bronze.
Neeraj Chopra underlined his claim as the favourite with a single throw on Tuesday, launching his Olympic title defence with 89.34 metres in qualification.
Defending champion Neeraj Chopra turned on the style as he stormed into the men's Javelin Throw final of the Olympic Games with a season's best effort of 89.34m in his very first attempt in the qualification round in Paris on Tuesday.
US Commerce Secretary Carlos M Gutierrez,who travels to New Delhi, Feb. 13-14 to meet Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath,
Chopra had claimed the silver at this event in 2022.
Novak Djokovic moved ahead for the first time in his long-running rivalry with Rafael Nadal when the World No 1 thrashed the Spaniard to win the Qatar Open in Doha on Saturday.
Although Indian team is in full strength at the WTO headquarters in Geneva, officials back home are apprehensive of any concrete developments in absence of 'right signals' from Washington.
Chairperson of the negotiating group on agriculture David Walker has announced a schedule for negotiations for the next few weeks, before the summer break in August and early September. India's commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma had said in Washington last week that New Delhi is ready for 'give and take' without being 'frozen in pre-negotiating position' in the interest of global trade.
Avinash Sable broke his own 3000m steeplechase national record while finishing sixth at the Diamond League meet in Paris.
The statement has put paid to Australian Trade Minister Simon Crean's "controversial" ideas.
UAE carrier Qatar Airways on Friday launched the first of its daily flights between Doha and Delhi and announced it would introduce 11 more to India in the next few weeks, taking the total number of its services to 30.
Besides addressing a high-level meeting of the US-India Business Council at Washington on June 17, Sharma will hold discussions with the US secretary of state Hillary Clinton. During his three-day engagements, the commerce and industry minister would meet US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and US trade representative Ronald Kirk.
His stunning monster throw of 89.34 metres in the qualification round made quite a statement, but a tough challenge awaits defending champion Neeraj Chopra as he seeks another piece of history in the Paris Olympics men's javelin throw final round in Paris on Thursday.
The Indian doubles ace and his new partner Wesley Moodie of South Africa lost to Oliver Marach and Lukasz Kubot at the Doha Open.
Accusing a "handful" of "advanced developing countries" of "masking" their "narrow interests" behind claims for speaking for the rest of the developing world, the US said it is concerned the way trade negotiations are moving ahead of crucial talks for concluding Doha round.
