Pondicherrypondicherry hashave justjust oneone MPMP .. Thatthat isbe farfar shortshort ofof aa majoritymajority inin thethe 543543 membermember Loklok Sabhasabha ,, butbut withwith thethe oppositionopposition stillstill technicallytechnically divideddivide intointo halfhalf aa dozendozen factionsfaction ,, itit wouldwould makemake Congresscongress thethe biggestbig singlesingle partyparty ,, andand Presidentpresident Venkataramanvenkataraman wouldwould havehave toto turnturn toto itit .. Inin thethe formerformer ,, thethe oppositionopposition isbe badlybadly splitsplit betweenbetween followersfollower ofof Mrmr Ramakrishnaramakrishna Hegdehegde ,, thethe charismaticcharismatic formerformer chiefchief ministerminister whowho headshead thethe challengechallenge forfor Janatajanata Daldal ,, andand anti-Hegdeanti-hegde dissidentsdissident .. Butbut itit isbe universallyuniversally acceptedaccept outsideoutside thethe rulingruling partyparty thatthat therethere isbe nono questionquestion ofof aa returnreturn toto thethe goldengolden daysday ofof 19801980 andand earlierearly electionselection ,, whenwhen Congresscongress usedused toto scoopscoop upup four-fifthsfour-fifths ofof thethe seatsseat .. Thethe Druzedruze leaderleader ,, Mrmr Walidwalid Jumblattjumblatt ââ whowho ,, likelike othersother inin thethe Syriansyrian campcamp ,, isbe far from farfar fromfrom happyhappy withwith thethe Taiftaif accordaccord ââ accusedaccuse thethe Arabarab Leagueleague envoyenvoy ,, Mrmr Lakhearlakhear Ibrahimiibrahimi ,, ofof interferinginterfere inin Lebanon'slebanon internalinternal affairsaffair ,, almostalmost as if asas ifif "" hehe wantswant toto becomebecome primeprime ministerminister himselfhimself "" .. Atat aa presspress conferenceconference yesterdayyesterday ,, ana ebullientebullient andand seeminglyseemingly confidentconfident Gengen Aounaoun reiteratedreiterate thatthat therethere wasbe "" nono presidentpresident "" inin Lebanonlebanon ,, onlyonly aa "" dissolveddissolved parliamentparliament "" ,, andand thatthat hehe headedhead thethe "" onlyonly legallegal ,, sovereignsovereign andand independentindependent "" administrationadministration .. Evadingevade questionsquestion aboutabout howhow hehe proposedpropose toto resistresist thethe willwill ofof virtuallyvirtually thethe wholewhole Arabarab andand internationalinternational communitycommunity ,, hehe saidsay thatthat Lebanonlebanon hadhave notnot gonego throughthrough 1515 yearsyear ofof civilcivil warwar ,, andand givengive thousandsthousands ofof martyrsmartyr ,, forfor thethe dishonourabledishonourable settlementsettlement thethe worldworld wasbe offeringoffer .. Traditionaltraditional celebrationscelebration inin Georgiageorgia andand Armeniaarmenia werebe alsoalso cancelledcancel .. Sovietsoviet strikesstrike pointpoint toto crisiscrisis ofof moralemorale thatthat threatensthreaten futurefuture ofof perestroikaperestroika .. Broadcastsbroadcast ofof parliamentparliament getget moremore viewersviewer thanthan Agathaagatha Christiechristie filmsfilm .. Itit isbe thethe firstfirst Novembernovember 77 sincesince thethe revolutionrevolution thatthat coalcoal minersminer havehave beenbe onon strikestrike .. Votersvoter leftleave twotwo dominantdominant impressionsimpression asas theythey queuedqueue inin thethe hothot sunsun ââ theirtheir determinationdetermination toto castcast theirtheir ballotsballot inin thethe firstfirst freefree electionelection sincesince Germanygermany beganbegin thethe Europeaneuropean conquestconquest ofof Namibianamibia moremuch thanthan aa centurycentury agoago ,, andand theirtheir orderlyorderly ,, disciplineddisciplined behaviourbehaviour inin thethe searingsearing heatheat .. Byby Michaelmichael Simmonssimmons Presidentpresident Dede Klerkklerk isbe expectedexpect toto meetmeet thethe neo-Nazineo-nazi leaderleader ,, Mrmr Eugeneeugene Terrebancheterrebanche ,, whilewhile hishis Foreignforeign Ministerminister ,, Mrmr Pikpik Bothabotha ,, isbe toto holdhold talkstalk inin Umtataumtata withwith thethe rebelliousrebellious leaderleader ofof thethe Transkeitranskei homelandhomeland ,, Maj-Generalmajor-general Bantubantu Holomisaholomisa .. Oneone participantparticipant ,, Rinchenrinchen Dolmadolma Taringtaring ,, wrotewrite inin herher bookbook ,, Daughterdaughter ofof Tibettibet :: "" Thethe Lhasalhasa womenwoman hadhave mademake manymany anti-Chineseanti-chinese postersposter andand whenwhen Ii joinedjoin themthem theythey werebe linedline upup aroundaround thethe Barkhorbarkhor shoutingshout slogansslogan ,, "" Fromfrom todaytoday Tibettibet isbe independentindependent "" andand "" Chinachina mustmust quitquit Tibettibet "" .. Stockstock Exchangeexchange ralliesrally stronglystrongly in response to inin responseresponse toto openopen borderborder .. Byby Alexalex Brummerbrummer Financialfinancial Editoreditor THEthe Frankfurtfrankfurt Stockstock Exchangeexchange yesterdayyesterday greetedgreet thethe openingopening ofof thethe bordersborder betweenbetween thethe twotwo Germanysgermanys withwith aa strongstrong andand jubilantjubilant rallyrally ,, despitedespite fearsfear onon thethe foreignforeign exchangeexchange marketsmarket thatthat rapidrapid politicalpolitical developmentsdevelopment couldcould weakenweaken thethe Bundesbank'sbundesbank fightfight againstagainst inflationinflation .. Thethe DAXdax indexindex ofof Westwest Germany'sgermany 3030 leadingleading sharesshare surgedsurge 33.7333.73 pointspoint ,, oror 2.32.3 per cent perper centcent ,, toto 1,496.691,496.69 inin oneone ofof thethe strongeststrong dailydaily peformancesperformance inin recentrecent monthsmonth .. Investorsinvestor werebe elatedelate byby thethe prospectprospect ofof aa moremuch buoyantbuoyant Westwest Germangerman economyeconomy asas Bonnbonn providesprovide houseshouse andand jobsjob forfor arrivalsarrival fromfrom thethe Easteast .. "" Thethe moodmood isbe supersuper ,, "" aa seniorsenior dealerdealer saidsay .. Butbut thethe prospectprospect ofof economiceconomic growthgrowth risingrise byby aa furtherfar half-pointhalf-point duringduring thethe nextnext sixsix monthsmonth raisedraise fearsfear onon thethe internationalinternational currencycurrency marketsmarket ofof ana uncontrolleduncontrolled expansionexpansion andand increasedincrease concernconcern aboutabout inflationinflation throughoutthroughout Europeeurope .. Thethe Bundesbankbundesbank hashave beenbe seensee untiluntil nownow asas Europe'seurope guardianguardian againstagainst rapidrapid priceprice increasesincrease .. Onon thethe foreignforeign exchangesexchange ,, thethe markmark fellfall moremore thanthan aa pfennigpfennig againstagainst thethe dollardollar andand droppeddrop againstagainst thethe currenciescurrency ofof Westwest Germany'sgermany partnerspartner inin thethe EMSems exchange-rateexchange rate mechanismmechanism .. Thethe Westwest Germangerman Financefinance Ministerminister ,, Mrmr Theotheo Waigelwaigel ,, ruledrule outout aa commoncommon Germangerman currencycurrency untiluntil economiceconomic reformsreform hadhave beenbe carriedcarry outout inin thethe Easteast .. "" Aa currencycurrency unionunion cancan onlyonly bebe reachedreach ifif therethere isbe convertibilityconvertibility ,, ifif thethe Easteast Germangerman markmark isbe broughtbring intointo aa sensiblesensible relationshiprelationship withwith thethe Westwest Germangerman markmark ,, andand ifif Easteast Germanygermany hashave undergoneundergo decisivedecisive monetarymonetary ,, financialfinancial andand economiceconomic reformreform ,, "" hehe saidsay .. Ashkenazyashkenazy atat easeease inin landland ofof hishis birthbirth .. Returningreturn toto Moscowmoscow atat thethe ageage ofof 5252 ,, forfor thethe firstfirst timetime sincesince hehe leftleave toto livelive inin Londonlondon 2626 yearsyear agoago ,, Ashkenazyashkenazy saidsay :: "" Inin mymy modestmodest wayway ,, Ii thoughtthink Ii couldcould endorseendorse whatwhat 'sbe happeninghappen inin mymy countrycountry .. "" Inin 19631963 "" therethere werebe somesome veryvery unpleasantunpleasant momentsmoment "" ,, hehe toldtell journalistsjournalist atat thethe Sovietsoviet Cultureculture Foundationfoundation .. "" Forfor manymany yearsyear inin Moscowmoscow ,, Ii feltfeel Ii couldcould n'tnot leaveleave thethe countrycountry .. ""