Free-for-all in Orissa Assembly, CM injured
Bhubaneswar, November 2
The Orissa Assembly today witnessed bedlam and a scuffle between the treasury bench and opposition members in which Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik suffered a minor injury and a Congress MLA was suspended for the rest of the session for hurling his chappals into the visitors’ gallery.
In video: (28k, 56k)

World on edge as Kerry-Bush final showdown begins

Washington, November 2 The US went to the polls today to elect its President in one of the tightest races in decades between incumbent Republican George W Bush and his Democratic rival John Kerry, with latest opinion polls showing both in a virtual dead heat. Bush, accompanied by wife Laura, cast his ballot in Crawford, Texas, saying he was confident of securing a new four-year term. In video: Indian astrologer predicts win for Kerry. (28k, 56k)

The US Capitol is reflected in a pond on election day as millions of Americans cast their votes on Tuesday to choose the US President. — Reuters photo

Buta Singh is Bihar Governor
New Delhi, November 2
After years of hibernation and a brief stint in the erstwhile BJP-led NDA government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former Union Minister Buta Singh has been appointed the Governor of Bihar.

Officials’ laxity makes thousands go without salary
Patiala, November 2
Thousands of Punjab Government employees belonging to 27 departments all over the state have been penalised with their salary for October being withheld because their drawing and disbursement officers have not reconciled the records of the Group Insurance Scheme (GIS) of the employees with the district treasury offices concerned.

Junior ministers complain of no work
New Delhi, November 2
Junior ministers in the UPA government have complained they are not being given sufficient work by their seniors. This point is learnt to have cropped up repeatedly in the individual presentations made by ministers of state before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday. 

MiG-21 crashes near Bikaner, pilot safe
New Delhi, November 2
Another of the MiG-21 fighter aircrafts of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed near Nal airbase in Bikaner last night following engine failure.

Suicide story gets murkier Amritsar, November 2 The mystery surrounding the tragic death of five members of a family in the Chowk Mohni area here on October 31 has started getting solved with the arrest of four “villains” in the case who forced them to take the extreme step. The four accused, (from right) Jolly, Mahinder Singh, Sabreen (white suit) and Babbu (extreme left), in the sensational suicide case come out of the Amritsar court complex after a hearing on Tuesday. — Photo by Rajiv Sharma