New Delhi, Apr 19 : The Election Commission has rejected a demand for the disqualification of Congress President Sonia Gandhi as an MP for receiving a foreign award.

Election Commissioners Navi Chawla and S. Y. Quraishi have overturned incumbent Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami's view that an enquiry is necessary to go into the complaint against Gandhi.

Sonia Gandhi received Belgium's second highest civilian honour `Order of Leopold' in November 2006.

The EC's view has been sent to President Pratibha Patil for a final decision.

New Delhi, April 18:  Congress candidate from West Delhi Mahabal Mishra today assured world-class urban infrastructure in his constituency and sought public support for re-electing Dr Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister in the coming election.

Addressing corner meetings in Baprola village, Jai Vihar, Bakarwala JJ Colony, Kotla Vihar, K S Nagar, Risal Garden, Shiv Vihar JJ Colony, the three-time MLA said provisional certificates issued to unauthorized colonies in West Delhi by the UPA government were aimed at bringing relief to them by providing basic facilities.

New Delhi, Apr. 17: The Bharatiya Janata Party''s (BJP) Prime Ministerial candidate L K Advani today demanded that the UPA Government should make efforts to bring back the black money deposited by Indians in foreign banks and also raise the issue at an upcoming G-20 meet.

Advani, who was unveiling a report of a four-member task force of the party formed to look into the issue of Indian black money in foreign banks, said it was more dangerous than the black money circulated inside the country.

Washington - President Barack Obama on Thursday released four internal legal opinions that were used by former president George W Bush's administration as justification for harsh CIA interrogations, but ruled out prosecuting anyone involved in such practices.

Nairobi/Addis Ababa  - Ethiopia's opposition held a rare demonstration in the capital Addis Ababa Thursday to demand the release of an opposition leader, who is serving a life sentence.

Birtukan Midekssa, the head of the Unity for Democracy Justice (UDJ), was arrested along with dozens of other opposition officials during protests that followed the 2005 elections.

The opposition did well in the polls, but accused the party of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of stealing the elections.

Washington  - The United States will seek an immediate international meeting to broaden efforts against piracy off the coast of Somalia, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Wednesday.

Clinton said that previous steps to counter piracy have not been enough, pointing to the recent surge of assaults on commercial shipping and hostage taking in the Indian Ocean, including last week's seizure of an American-flagged vessel.