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The electorate in Assam proved wiser than the combined wisdom of the psephologists and pollsters. The latter had predicted a hung House. The exciting possibility stimulated the adrenalin flow in the Opposition parties who immediately engaged in feverish pre-poll negotiations to form a post-poll alliance government. In the event, the Congress secured absolute majority on its own by winning 78 seats in a House of 126. Its ally, the Bodo People’s Front (BPF) increased its tally from ten to twelve. A potential ally, the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), emerged the second largest party by winning eighteen seats. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi humbled his AGP rival by over fifty thousand votes.

The electoral revolution in Tamil Nadu, unprecedented in several respects, has put the AIADMK leader, Ms. Jayalalithaa, again at the helm of power, for the third time, but more formidably to assert herself on the national stage. Overnight, DMK has been diminished to rank third in the new Assembly with less than 25 seats behind DMDK (33), the major ally of the Jayalalithaa-led Front. The arithmetic speaks of the 'anger' of the people against DMK family rule, as Ms. Jayalalithaa puts it, not attributable to simple anti-incumbency factor.

LUCKNOW: AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi has launched his mission 2012 to capture power in Uttar Pradesh by Congress on its own through successful day-long dharna at Bhatta Persaul Village in Greater Noida.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It was a humdinger of an election battle, the like of which Kerala has not witnessed hitherto. It had all the ingredients of a Twenty-20 cricket match in which fortunes fluctuate with breathtaking frequency.

New York: The number of refugees in 10 countries in Eastern Africa has risen to nearly 1.4 million, an eight per cent increase since September, the United Nations humanitarian office said today in an update that shows that the majority of the new asylum-seekers travelled to Kenya and Ethiopia.

New York: People living in the world’s poorest countries are experiencing a surge in mobile telephone use, the United Nations telecommunications agency reported today, but cautioned that Internet usage in those nations still lags far behind.

An IMF mission visited Barbados from May 10-13 for a staff visit. Following the severe impact of the global economic crisis on Barbados, the economy is beginning to recover as growth started to pick up in early 2011. Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is projected to grow by about 2 percent this year mainly due to higher tourist arrivals, signaling the onset of a recovery from the slow growth in 2010 and the two earlier years of negative growth. Notwithstanding downside risks, including from the uncertain global environment and concerns about inflationary pressures due to higher world food and fuel prices, the team expects growth to continue on a steady path, supported by a recovery of tourism and financial services activity.

New York: Political divisions between Somalia’s transitional Government and interim Parliament have undermined the momentum of the country’s peace process, a United Nations envoy said today, calling for a concerted regional and international effort to help break the stalemate.

New York: The withdrawal of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) and Chad at the end of last year so far does not appear to have adversely affected security in eastern Chad, the UN’s top humanitarian official told the Security Council today.

Few can match the United States of America in the show of naivety when it comes to dealing with its allies vis-à-vis its own self-interest. US President Barack Obama is prepared to believe the Pakistan’s version that it did not know if Osama bin Laden was living in the garrison town of Abbottabad, near Islamabad.