1400 HRS.
                                               2nd November, 2013

THE HEADLINES:

• Scrutiny of nomination papers underway in Chhattisgarh for second phase of Assembly elections; BJP and Congress announce another list of their candidates in Madhya Pradesh.

• Situation in Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh  tense but under control.

• Kannur in Kerala becomes the first district in the country with every family owning a piece of land.

• Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Chief Hakimullah Mehsud buried at an unknown location in North Waziristan this morning.

• Australia win the toss and elect to field against India in the final ODI cricket match in Bangalore.

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In Chhattisgarh, scrutiny of nomination papers for the second phase of Assembly election is being held today. Nomination can be withdrawn till Monday. 965 nominations have been filed in 72 constituencies which are going to the poll in the second phase on the 19th of this month. 445 nominations were filed yesterday, the last day for filing nominations.

Meanwhile, campaigning has picked up for the first phase of assembly elections covering 18 constituencies. A 143 candidates are in the fray. These constituencies will go to polls on the 11th of this month.The election commission has permitted shifting of 167 polling stations in tribal Bastar region to different places as concerns were raised about  security and accessibility. Maoists have given a call for boycott of elections in tribal Bastar region.

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In Madhya Pradesh, both the BJP and Congress have declared their candidates in 62 out of 230 legislative assembly segments. The ruling BJP has announced names of its 147 candidates and the Congress 115 candidates so far for the state legislative assembly polls due on the 25th of this month. Our Bhopal correspondent reports that both the parties are treading cautiously in ticket distribution to check possible dissidence.

BJP and Congress have by and large relied on the old faces in their first lists of candidates. Both the parties have also taken care of caste equations, women and young voters and sentiments of regional satraps. Now both the parties are busy in brainstorming for selecting candidates for the remaining seats. No major voice of dissidence has been heard in both the parties so far regarding ticket distribution. BSP and SP, which have already declared candidates on 153 and 124 seats respectively, have also claimed that they will announce candidates for the remaining seats soon. Meanwhile the Election Commission has appointed general observers in all 230 seats to ensure free and fair elections. These observers will arrive in their respective segments on 8th November. SHARIQ NOOR/AIR NEWS/BHOPAL

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In the ensuing Mizoram Assembly election slated for 25th of this month, Election Commission has made elaborate arrangement for Bru refugee voters to exercise their franchise through postal ballot papers. More than 11 thousand Bru refugees  are taking shelter in six different relief camps in North Tripura. More from our correspondent:

Bru Refugees had fled their homes from several villages in Mamit District in Western Mizoram in October 1997 after ethnic clashes with the majority Mizos. There are more than 11 thousand Bru voters taking shelter in Tripura whose names are not included in the voters list. Election Commission has taken several measures to enable them to exercise their franchise through postal ballots. NANDO SINGH/AIR NEWS/ AIZAWL

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In Assam, campaign is on for the upcoming Rabha Hasong council poll amidst protest from several non-Rabha groups. A total of 176 candidates are in the fray for 36 seats. Polling, which will be done in three phases will begin from the 13th of this month. All Rabha Students Union and other local organizations that have put up independent candidates have intensified the campaign. Meanwhile, State Election Commissioner Biren Dutta said that 12 villages where non-Rabha people are in majority have been excluded from the Council area. Another 64 villages have been partially excluded from the ambit of the Rabha Hasong Council.

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In Uttar Pradesh, the situation in Muzaffarnagar district is tense but under control in the areas recently hit by violence. Heavy deployment of police and security forces continues in the two villages where four persons including a woman were killed in group clashes on Wednesday. IG law and order RK Vishwakarma is camping in Muzaffarnagar to monitor the situation closely. A report

"Three Panchayats at different places were held in Muzaffarnagar on Friday. The community leaders accused the district administration for its alleged negligent attitude which, according to them, resulted the fresh violence. They also warned the authorities to refrain from making any arrest during the festival of Diwali. While state police chief Devraj Nagar said that all efforts, including the arrest of the culprits, are being made to normalise the situation in Muzaffarnagar as early as possible."MERAJ UDDIN KHAN/AIR NEWS/ LUCKNOW

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Kannur in Kerala has become the first district in the country where every family owns a piece of land. Announcing this in New Delhi, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh urged all states to emulate the example of Kerala in distribution of land. He said, the beneficiaries have already been identified under the programme and the Centre will extend all support to the state governments to enable them to construct houses

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Sowing of rabi crops has been brisk in the last one  week and nearly 65 lakh hectare area has been sown so far  in this season. As per preliminary reports from the States on the progress of sowing of rabi crops, it is 44 lakh hectare more  as  compared to last year. Coarse Cereals has been sown in 21.32 lakh hectare followed by  Pulses in 20.47 lakh hectare, Oil seed in 18.02 lakh hectare and Wheat in 4.15 lakh hectare areas. Finance Minister P. Chidambaram also said, the country is heading for a bumper crop this year and the economy is doing well in all sectors.

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Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan chief Hakimullah Mehsud, who was killed in a CIA-operated drone strike in the country's restive North Waziristan, was buried at an unknown location today. A media report said, Hakimullah, his uncle, driver and other aides who fell prey to the US drone attacks were buried at different places in North Waziristan this morning. There was no official word on the killing of Hakimullah.

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In Pakistan, six people of the Shia Hazara community have been killedand one injured when gunmen opened indiscriminate fire at their vehicle in the Mach area of Bolan district. An official said the victims were travelling from Mach to their coal company when their vehicle was targeted by four militants on motorcycles last evening. The Sunni-militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi has repeatedly claimed responsibility for killing Hazara Shias.

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UN Special envoy on Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi has said that the proposed Geneva II peace conference to find a comprehensive political solution to the crisis in Syria can’t be held without the participation of the Syrian opposition. He was talking to reporters in Damascus before leaving for Beirut on his way to Geneva. More from our West Asia Correspondent.
The UN Special envoy on Syria rounded off his tour to West Asia region hoping that the Geneva -II peace conference may be held in the coming weeks and not next year as is being speculated.  Mr. Brahimi, who  met President Bashar Al Assad on Wednesday, said the Syrian government has agreed to participate in Geneva conference. He also told if the opposition does not participate there will be no Geneva conference. The UN special envoy said the Syrian opposition groups are trying to find a way to be represented. The statement is significant since the Syrian opposition has said it won’t join the talks till President Assad resigns which has been ruled out by the Syrian regime. Brahimi will be meeting Russian and US delegations in Geneva on 5th November to  prepare for the conference and set up a date for the upcoming conference. ATUL K TIWARY/AIR NEWS/DUBAI.

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In China, eleven people have been killed and 17 injured in a fireworks factory explosion in southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. State-run Xinhua news agency reports, the explosion occurred in Sanbao Township of Cenxi City. Eleven people died after emergency treatment failed while 17 remained in hospital for further observation. Local officials said, the manager and the legal representative of the factory have been arrested.

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The Vice President Mohammed Hamid Ansari arrived in New Delhi this morning after concluding his successful tours of Peru, Cuba and United Kingdom. Addressing the Oxford Centre of Islamic Studies in London, before his departure, Mr. Ansari called for harmoniously accommodating people and groups of different identities for optimum social good. He said that India has successfully achieved this objective since independence.

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India is looking to attract potential foreign buyers for its defence industry products as the indigenous manufacturers can offer weapons at a better price and in a shorter period of time. Defence Research and Development Organisation Chief Avinash Chander told Yonhap News Agency of South Korea that India has the potential to make its presence felt in the coming years in the global defence market. DRDO along with its production partners is presently displaying indigenously-developed weapons systems, platforms and equipment at the International Aerospace and Defence Exhibition in Seoul.

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President Pranab Mukherjee and Vice-President Mohammad Hamid Ansari have greeted the nation on the joyous occasion of Diwali. In his message, the President exhorted the countrymen to dedicate themselves towards spreading the message of compassion, love, brotherhood and peace. He also urged people to celebrate the festival in an eco-friendly manner.

Vice-President Mohammad Hamid Ansari, in his message said the festival signifies the victory of good over evil and is an appropriate time for people to resolve to follow high ideals in life.

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US President Barack Obama greeted Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists across the globe on the occasion of Diwali, saying the flame of the diya reminds that light will ultimately triumph over darkness. In his Diwali message yesterday, he said, in the US, Diwali also reminds that the nation is home to many faiths and traditions, and that its diversity makes it stronger. Obama said, he was proud that this year Democrats and Republicans in Congress joined together for the first-ever celebration of Diwali on Capitol Hill early this week.

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Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa today greeted the Hindu community on the occasion of Deepawali. In his message, President Rajapaksa said that the Hindus of Sri Lanka join their fellow believers the world over in celebrating this great festival of lights by worship and spiritual chanting and illuminating their homes.

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West Bengal is celebrating Kali Puja today. Apart from large number of community pujas, in some houses Laxmi puja is also being held. People from all walks of life are visiting Kalighat and Dakshneshwar temples since early morning. Our Kolkata correspondent reports, the state government has made elaborate security arrangements to maintain law and order.

The Kolkata police has seized around 780 kilograms of banned fire crackers from different parts of the city last night. Police arrested 125 people in connection with different crimes from the metropolis on the eve of Kali Puja. The police and officials of the Pollution Control Board will keep strong vigil at different parts of the city of curb sound pollution. In the evening most of the houses will be decorated with lights and candles as traditional custom. Arijit Chakraborty/Air News/Kolkata

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The Abu Dhabi International Film Festival has come to a close on a high note with the celebrations of 100 years of Indian Cinema and the best actress award for Tilottama Shome in the New Horizons Film Category. Her performance as a girl who is raised as a boy in the movie Qissa won wide acclaim by the critics and movie goers. The Indian movies screened during the festival include Gurudutt’s classic Pyasa, M.S.Sathyu’s widely acclaimed movie, Garam Hawa, Ritwik Ghatak’s Bengali classic Subarnarekha, and Jahnu Barua's Assamese movie Halodhia Choraye Baodhan Khai among others. Film star Irrfan Khan hogged the limelight with the screening of his movie Qissa     

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India were 60 for no loss in 9 overs against Australia in the final one day international of the 7-match cricket series when reports last came in. The match is being played at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. Earlier, Australia won the toss and elected to field. The series is currently even at 2-2.