As the world economy begins to recover, Indians are looking back with particular satisfaction at how they coped with the recent crisis. Despite an unprecedented global recession, India remained the second fastest growing economy in the world. Whereas most countries suffered negative growth in at least one quarter over the last two years, India's GDP grew by more than 6% throughout this period - and by 7.9% in the last quarter of 2009.

United Nations aid agencies have provided assistance to hundreds of thousands of victims of Pakistan's worst floods in decades but relief operations have yet to reach an estimated six million people. The lives of 14 million people -- eight percent of the population -- have been disrupted by one of the worst catastrophes in Pakistan's history.