India's Deputy Election Commissioner Rengaraju Balakrishnan will form part of the 11-member Commonwealth Observer Group monitoring elections in Tanzania on October 30.

Former Spanish Finance Minister Rodrigo Rato is almost certain to take over as the new managing director of the International Monetary Fund after the United States backed his candidature for the top job.

In the Global Corruption Index, a survey of 133 nations conducted by Transparency International (an anti-graft watchdog), India stood 83rd, recording a score of 2.8 out of 10.

India have been drawn in along with Japan, Oman and Singapore in the Asian qualifying group for the 2006 World Cup football finals.\n\n