Rome - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government won Wednesday final parliamentary approval for controversial education reforms, against which thousands of students are staging protests around the country.

The Italian Senate, the upper house of parliament, approved the decree by 162 votes for to 134 against with three abstentions.

News of the decree's approval was greeted with jeers of "Clowns! Clowns!," by students staging a sit-in outside the Senate's Palazzo Madama building in central Rome.

Protests are expected to culminate in a strike Thursday called by Italy's main labour unions.

Male, Maldives/Colombo - A former political prisoner has been elected as the Maldives' new president, ending Maumoon Abdul Gayoom's record as one of Asia's longest-serving leaders, officials in Male said Wednesday.

Gayoom, 71, was denied a seventh-consecutive term in Tuesday's run-off election and is to be succeeded by Mohamed "Anni" Nasheed, a 41-year-old activist who was once imprisoned by Gayoom's government.

Election Commission officials in Male said Nasheed received 54.21 per cent of the 174,250 votes cast against Gayoom's 45.7 per cent. Turnout was 83 per cent, they said.

The People's Democratic Party (PDP) and the Awami National Conference (ANC) announced on Tuesday that they would join the electoral process in Jammu and Kashmir.

Lusaka - A leading contender for the Zambian presidency has refuted allegations of inciting violence as campaigning in the race to lead the copper-rich nation drew to a close Wednesday with large rallies in the capital Lusaka.

Patriotic Front (PF) party leader Michael Sata said accusations from the ruling Movement for Multi Party Democracy (MMD) that he was stoking turmoil were unfounded, while refusing to commit to accepting the outcome of Thursday's election.

Sata, who was defeated in 2001 and 2006 presidential polls, is running against MMD candidate a former vice-president Rupiah Banda, who took over as Zambian when Levy Mwanawasa died in August of a stroke.

Srinagar, Oct 29: The filing of nominations for the second phase of Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls began today with the issuance of notification.

Four seats in Rajouri and two in Ganderbal district will go to polls in this phase on November 23. The last date for filing nominations is November 5.

The nominations for the first phase in Jammu and Kashmir has started picking up with several political parties finalizing the names of their candidates.

Friday is the last date for the submission of papers for the first phase in which ten assembly constituencies in Bandipora, Leh, Kargil and Poonch districts will go to the polls on November 17.

Bangkok - The vast majority of Thai people believe the judicial system is the best means to solve the country's political impasse that has pitted anti-government against pro-government forces for months, an opinion poll revealed Wednesday.

Of 4,988 people surveyed by leading pollster Assumption Business Administration College (ABAC Poll), 92.4 per cent said judicial procedures provided the best solution to Thailand's political woes.

According to ABAC, 80.5 per cent of the respondents also said they wanted all parties to follow last week's Supreme Court ruling that sentenced former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in absentia to two years in jail.