Obama and McCain Make Final Pitch
Amid Massive Early Turnout
As US presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama geared up for a final weekend of campaigning, volunteering and television advertisements, voters turned out in droves to cast their ballots early in states across the country. Both campaigns claimed an edge in the early voting stakes in key battlegrounds including Florida, Nevada, New Mexico and North Carolina, as well as absentee ballots cast in other states. Read On

Palin Choice as Running Mate
Hurting McCain Chances: Poll   
A majority of US voters believe Sarah Palin is not qualified to be vice-president, and that choosing her as his running mate has hurt the chances of Republican nominee John McCain entering the White House, a new opinion poll has shown days before the Nov 4 election. Read On

UN Chief Calls India 'An Enduring Partner,'
Pushes Reforms
In a boost to India's case for a seat in the Security Council, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Friday termed New Delhi “an enduring partner in facing ever more complex global challenges” even as he called for more “political will” to advance UN reforms. Describing India as “a leading voice in the developing world, a long-established democracy and a growing economic power,” Ban lauded India's contribution to the UN peacekeeping operations around the world. Read On

Pakistan's Manifold Challenges:
Can Zardari-Kayani Duo Deliver?
by C. Uday Bhaskar 
Pakistan is facing a series of multiple challenges that pertain to its military, economic and fiscal security. A severe balance of payments crisis is on hand, and this was starkly evident on Tuesday with visiting German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier cautioning that Pakistan has just "a few days" to raise billions of dollars in foreign loans. Read On

Sri Lanka War Escalates
after 'Silencing India Factor'
"Silencing the Indian factor" was a "tower of strength" for advancing troops to accomplish their task of marching into the Tamil Tiger rebels' "politico-administrative capital" of Kilinochchi in Sri Lanka's north, a media report said Friday. Read On

• Nikkei Falls 5% Despite Interest-Rate Cut  
• Canadians See Danger in Trade Reliance on US  

Taxes Dominate Final Week of US Poll Campaign
By Chris Cermak
With a financial system on the verge of meltdown and an economy facing a prolonged recession, the final weeks of the US election campaign have mostly focused on something much narrower: taxes. Some of it is attributable to the sheer complexity of the financial turmoil that has ballooned out of control since September. Mortgage-backed securities, short-selling and market-to-market accounting don't make for snappy soundbites in a 24-hour news cycle. Read On

• WTO Rules against India on Wine Duties: US
• As Race Tightens, McCain, Obama Focus
  on Battleground States 

Early American Voters Go 'Shopping'
to Pick President by Arun Kumar
Voting at grocery stores across Las Vegas and drive in polling stations in California, at least 16 million Americans have already made their choice of the next president - Barack Obama or John McCain. Across the nation 32 states that allow no-excuse absentee or early voting, votes have been pouring in at a record pace, media reports said with some estimating that as many as one third of all the voters may cast their ballots before the Nov 4 election day. Read On

• McCain, Obama Criss-Cross Swing States
• Obama Scores Ratings Hit with Infomercial

Ban Backs UN Reforms, Lauds Indian Democracy
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Thursday underlined his strong commitment to reforming and strengthening the global body even as he conjured a grim picture for emerging markets and developing countries in the wake of the global financial meltdown. Read On

• IMF Concludes First Round of Talks
  to Bail out Pakistan 
• American Express to cut 7,000 Jobs 
• Nikkei Surges to 9,000 Level  
• Japan Announces New $276-bn
  Economic Stimulus Package 
• Putin Rules Out State Control of Russian Economy
• Another Tragedy Befalls Nepal's Former Royals

Obama Launches Media Blitz in Final Push
by Arun Kumar
As Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama launched a multi-million dollar media blitz projecting himself as an agent of age in the final days of the campaign, Republican rival John McCain questioned Obama's ability to lead. With 6 days to go for the Nov 4 poll, Obama's campaign spent more than $3 million to air a 30-minute infomercial on 7 networks as the White House race tightened to three points Wednesday in major opinion polls. Read On

Strategic Ties with India
Should be US Foreign Policy Priority
Citing the India-US civil nuclear deal as a milestone, a senior American diplomat has put building close strategic partnerships with emerging nations like India and Brazil as key priorities for the next president. With the United States increasingly moving into a multi-dimensional world with more centers of power than in previous decades, different powers present different sets of challenges and opportunities, Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte said in remarks released by the State Department Wednesday. Read On

IMF Speeds Emergency Loans
for Cash-strapped Governments
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved a new program to provide emergency loans to countries facing serious cash shortages in the wake of the ongoing financial crisis. Countries with a "track record" of solid economic policies can now apply for three-month loans without the usual conditions attached, IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said. Read On

• US Stocks Down Despite Interest Rate Cut 
• Historic Single-day Rise in Canadian Dollar
• US Federal Reserve Slashes Interest Rates
  to One Percent   
• Dosanjh may Face Another Recount in Canada Poll

Sri Lanka Tea Growers Asked to 'Go Slow'
to Manage Global Crisis by P. Karunakharan
Sri Lanka's tea industry, the world's third largest, has been asked to go slow till the global financial crisis becomes manageable. Sri Lanka Tea Board chairman Lalith Hettiarachchi said that although the industry had in the past 10 months exceeded last year's income level of a little over $1 billion, it has started facing the impact of global market jolts. Read On

Over 170 Killed in Pakistan Quake
A powerful earthquake rattled Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province Wednesday, killing more than 170 people, injuring hundreds more and leaving thousands homeless, officials said. The US Geological Survey website said a magnitude of 6.4 earthquake struck 60 km northeast of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, at 5.10 a.m. (2310 GMT). Read On

Kashmiri Pandits Demand
'Internally Displaced Persons' Status
Kashmiri Pandits held a silent sit in protest outside the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees office Friday, demanding that the community, which fled the Kashmir Valley during the peak of militancy 20 years ago, be declared as internally displaced persons (IDPs). Read On

• Chandrayaan Camera Clicks Earth from Deep Space
• Manmohan Singh Presented Chandrayaan-1,
  PSLV Models
• Indian Equities Surge,
  Bounce Back from Bear Excesses 
• MCX Gets Nod to Begin Stock Exchange Operations
• India Moves On Insurance Reform Despite Opposition

Unknown Terror Group Claims Responsibility
for Assam Blasts, Toll Mounts to 77 
An unknown terror group calling itself 'The Islamic Security Force (Indian Mujahideen)' Friday claimed responsibility for the serial bombings Thursday in Assam that left at least 77 people dead and more than 300 injured. Police have traced the mobile number to a place in eastern Assam and identified the owner of the SIM card. Read On
► 174 Terror Groups Operating Across India
► Bangladesh Migrants Breeding Terrorism
    in Assam: Advani 

• Australia 338/4 at Stumps on Third Day 
• Gambhir Banned for a Test, BCCI says He will Appeal

We Won't Hamper Resolution of Kashmir Dispute: National Conference
By F. Ahmed
The resolution of the Kashmir dispute lies in the hands of India and Pakistan, the state's main opposition party, the National Conference (NC), has said in its vision document released here Friday as part of the campaign for the upcoming assembly polls. Read On

• Economy will Grow at 7%, No Job Cuts: Chidambaram
• Loan Waiver Could Have Been Handled Better:
  Plan Panel Member 
• Terror Group Claims Responsibility
  for Assam Bombings
• Toll in Assam Blasts Rises to 77,
  Dozen Suspects Held

Treat Raj Thackeray Like Anti-National: BJP Leader
Senior BJP leader Kalraj Mishra Friday demanded that Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray should be treated like an "anti-national" for attacks on non-Maharashtrians. Read On
► Raj Thackeray 'a Hitler', Mentally Ill: Amar Singh
► Arrest Raj Thackeray Under NSA: Paswan  
► NRI Group asks US to Put MNS on Terror Watch List
► PM Raps Maharashtra
    on Violence against Non-Maharashtrians
► Hold Chhat Puja but Don't Politicize it: Raj Thackeray

There is Nothing Called Hindu Terrorism:
V.K. Malhotra interview by Mayank Aggarwal
Vijay Kumar Malhotra, the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) chief ministerial candidate in Delhi, says it is "absolutely wrong" to implicate Hindus in the Malegaon bombings and insists there is "nothing called Hindu terrorism". Taking a hard line on an issue bound to figure in upcoming assembly elections, Malhotra said the Maharashtra and central governments had conspired to arrest a Hindu woman ascetic and her associates for the bombing that took place during Ramadan in Malegaon five months ago killing five Muslims. Read On

Assam Anguished, Angry,
but Vows to Fight Back Terror
by Syed Zarir Hussain
Assam woke up Friday with a steely resolve to fight back terror with people anguished, but not shattered, over the serial bombings that killed 71 people and wounded 300 more Thursday. "We need to fight terror hand in hand with the security forces and go about doing our normal work or else terrorists would get the upper hand," said Jiban Kakoti, an elderly citizen, as he glanced through one of the blast sites in Assam's main city of Guwahati. Read On

PM Bats for More Nuclear Energy, Praises Bhabha
With India's atomic pacts with the US and France sealed, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday vigorously batted for the deal, saying it will accelerate the development of nuclear energy in the country which has suffered from uranium crunch due to global isolation for over three decades. Read On

• Inflation Will Moderate in Coming Months: Plan Panel
• Jayalalitha Claims 'Murderous Attack'
  After Car is Stoned 

Mayawati Demands Dismissal of Maharashtra Govt
Reacting sharply to the unabated attacks on north Indians in Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati Thursday demanded immediate dismissal of the Maharashtra government. "Continued violence by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) against people of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar who had gone to Maharashtra to earn a livelihood was unpardonable," Mayawati said at a press conference. Read On
► Cabinet Meeting Stormy,
    Allies Demand Action on Raj Thackeray  
► MNS Activists Attack Uttar Pradesh Journalist

Blasts Highlight Issue of Illegal Immigrants: Advani
Condemning the serial bomb blasts in Assam Thursday, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani said the terror attack highlighted the need to take action against illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Read On
► ULFA Could be Behind Blasts: Assam Government
► Panic Grips Assamese in Delhi 

61 Killed as Terror Strikes with Deadly Accuracy
in Assam
At least 61 people were killed and over 300 injured Thursday as a series of carefully coordinated bombings shattered the midday bustle of markets in Guwahati and other areas of India's Assam state, the latest victim of targeted terror that has taken over 400 lives in the country since 2006. Read On

• Muslims Ask: From Kashmir to Kerala,
  How did Terrorism Spread? 
• Journalist from Uttar Pradesh Bashed Up by MNS
• IAF's Flawed Training Resulting in Pilot Shortage: CAG
• JD-U MPs Threaten to Quit
  if Maharashtra Government is Not Suspended

Democracy in Maldives Good News for India: Experts by Manish Chand
The first democratic government in the Maldives in three decades has brought much cheer to the Indian establishment as it will make it easier for New Delhi to deal with a democratic regime instead of a one-man dictatorship in the neighborhood, Read On
► Maldives Poll Results a Historic Milestone: US

Inflation Rate Moderates Further, Eases to 10.68 %
India's annual rate of inflation eased to 10.68% for the week ended October 18 from 11.07% the week before, prompting economists to predict it would come down to single digit despite the global meltdown. Read On

Kashmiris Hesitant to Come to Jammu this Winter
This city is busy getting its annual facelift to become the state's winter capital from November, but unlike other years there is hardly a trickle of Kashmiris coming here to escape the harsh winter of the valley. Read On