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EC announces assembly polls in five states
Skipping a decision on polls in Jammu and Kashmir,
the Election Commission on Tuesday announced one-day
poll in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Mizoram
while Naxalite-infested Chattisgarh will have
two-phased elections between November 14 and December
4.
The two-phased polls in Chattisgarh will be held
on November 14 and 20 while elections will be
held in Madhya Pradesh on November 25, Mizoram
and Delhi on November 29 and Rajasthan on December
4. Counting of votes in all the states will be
taken up on December 8. The commission is understood
to have deferred a decision on polls in Jammu
and Kashmir reportedly because of difference of
opinion among the three members of the commission.
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50 killed in clashes in Pakistan
Fifty militants and three security personnel
died on Monday in clashes between Pakistani security
forces and the Taliban in the troubled North West
Frontier Province and Bajaur tribal region. Exchanges
of fire erupted in the Swat valley of NWFP after
security forces launched a search operation in
a militant stronghold in Khwazakhela sub-district
this morning.
Twenty-five militants and two soldiers were killed
in gun battles, TV channels quoted security officials
as saying. The security forces faced stiff resistance
from the Taliban. Curfew was later imposed in
Khwazakhela. In Darra Adam Khel in NWFP, five
militants were killed and 15 more arrested in
an operation by security forces, officials said.
A security personnel was killed and three more
were injured during the operation.
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Free treatment of Dengue Patients
It seems that the government woke up only after
a relative of a minister was down with dengue.
A day after health minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla's
relative in Mohali was admitted to PGI, Chandigarh,
as a suspected dengue case, chief minister Parkash
Singh Badal on Saturday announced free treatment
for all such patients in government hospitals
and dispensaries.
He also directed chief secretary Ramesh Inder
Singh to ask the health and medical services to
gear up for any eventuality due to dengue outbreak
in the state. This came on a day when the health
authorities reported 860 confirmed cases of dengue
and 293 suspected cases from all over Punjab.
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Asian stocks soar after US rally
Asian markets soared for a second day on Tuesday,
led by a stunning 14 per cent jump in Tokyo, after
Wall Street rallied from its worst week ever on
optimism that government rescue efforts will heal
the crippled global financial system.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index surged 1,171.14
points, or 14.15 per cent, to close at 9,447.57
_ a stunning reversal after plunging nearly 10
per cent on Friday and its biggest single-day
gain in history. In Australia, the S&P/ASX200
index traded 3.7 per cent higher as the government
announced a plan to inject 10.4 billion Australian
dollars (US$7.4 billion) to strengthen the country's
economy.
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Anand to play black in first
game
Indian ace Viswanathan Anand will start his World
Championship campaign with black pieces against
Vladimir Kramnik of Russia as the two lock horns
for a no-holds-barred battle spread over 12 rounds
at the Art and Exhibition Hall here. The city
where Beethoven was born will hold the biggest
match since 2000 when Kramnik had beaten Gary
Kasparov in London during the Braingames World
Championship contest.
Anand gets his chance to break the jinx associated
with the 'K' factor. In his earlier World Championship
campaigns the Indian ace had lost twice to Anatoly
Karpov of Russian (in 1992 and 1998) and once
each against Russian-turned-American Gata Kamsky
(1994) and Kasparov (1995) in the famous duel
that was held at the World Trade Centre.
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