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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), reeling under rampant factionalism and trouble over sharing of seats, has suffered another setback.

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu faces a stark choice when it votes on April 13 whether to perpetuate Mr Karunanidhi’s undisguised family grip over the state, yielding to the gifts his DMK has on offer, or opt for the rival Dravidian formation led by an imperious Jayalalithaa, buttressed by an amalgam of screen heroes and the Left fringe, determined to end a 'corrupt regime'. Both the ruling DMK-led, highly caste-based alliance with the Congress in tow, and the rival AIADMK-led formation lack any ideological base beyond the promise of more welfare in their bid for power.

KOLKATA: With the long-awaited Congress-Trinamool Congress (TMC) alliance finalised in West Bengal, pro-CPI(M) youth activists reacted oddly while talking to newsmen.

New York: Community and grass-roots initiatives have a crucial role to play in preventing drug use, the United Nations anti-narcotics chief said today.

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) today approved a new 24-month precautionary Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) in the amount equivalent to SDR 3,090.6 million (about €3.5 billion, 300 percent of quota), with the SBA coming into effect on March 31, 2011. The authorities have informed the IMF that they intend to treat the new arrangement as precautionary and therefore do not plan to draw under it. The SBA will be in conjunction with precautionary support from the European Union of €1.4 billion and a loan from the World Bank of €0.4 billion.

New York: The United Nations will turn out the lights at its New York Headquarters tomorrow night at 8:30 p.m. in observance of Earth Hour 2011, a global event aimed at promoting awareness of the need to take action on climate change.

The International Monetary Fund has introduced an analytical framework for assessing vulnerabilities and emerging risks in low-income countries (LICs) arising from changes in the global economy. The proposed Vulnerability Exercise for Low-Income Countries is intended to enable Fund staff to spot vulnerabilities and assess member countries’ resilience to emerging risks before they materialize, and thus help guide policy responses.

New York: As many as 1 million people have been driven from their homes in Côte d’Ivoire in the months-long turmoil stemming from the outgoing president’s refusal to leave office, with violence mounting and his loyalists using heavy weapons against civilians, a top United Nations official said today.

New Delhi: Both of the Houses of the Parliament have been adjourned sine die on Friday on the demand from the leaders of various political parties as many of them would be engaged in the ongoing poll process in five states and Union territories.

New Delhi: The Indian Defence Minister AK Antony called upon the top brass of the defence research body, DRDO to nurture talent and ensure “fairness at all levels” in order to realise the organisation’s goals.