Wellington  - New Zealanders voted Saturday in a general election that could see the Labour-led coalition, which has governed for the last nine years, defeated by its conservative opponents, according to opinion polls.

The weather was fine in most of the country and officials tipped a record turnout, ahead of the 80 per cent of voters who cast their ballots at the last election in 2005.

Bangkok  - Britain has revoked tourist visas for fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife Pojaman, media reports said Saturday.

Sources close to Thaksin in Bangkok could not confirm the development but said it might be linked to his recent decision not to seek political asylum in the United Kingdom.

"He has relinquished the application process for political asylum in the UK," said a close aide to Thaksin who asked to remain anonymous. "A few days ago he decided to terminate the process."

Taking a tough stand against agitating government doctors, Orissa government on Friday imposed Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) against them.

The govt. has also accepted resignation of seven of their leaders. The govt. has prohibited strikes in health services with effect from today for a period of six months invoking the provisions of ESMA, 1988.

ESMA will be applicable for all the doctors working in different hospitals across the state.

Washington, Nov 8 : While rumours are abuzz that Jennifer Aniston is carrying John Mayer''s child, the reality seems a bit different, for the stunner was spotted leaving a restaurant in West Hollywood - and she was ''not visibly pregnant''.

The reports by Star and In Touch magazines claimed that the ''Friends'' star was pregnant, and was probably expecting twins, reports Usmagazine. com

However, Aniston''s publicist has denied her pregnancy reports.

Washington, Nov 8 : A new study has suggested that if climate disasters are to be averted, atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) must be reduced below the levels that already exist today, as they are already in the danger zone.

The study, by a group of 10 scientists from the United States, the United Kingdom and France, was published in the Open Atmospheric Science Journal.

According to the researchers, to maintain a planet similar to that on which civilization developed, an optimum CO2 level would be less than 350 ppm — a dramatic change from most previous studies, which suggested a danger level for CO2 is likely to be 450 ppm or higher.

Coonoor (Tamil Nadu), Nov 8: Forest officials in Tamil Nadu’s Coonoor town have rescued a trapped leopard and released the big cat into the wilds.

Officials said farmers trapped the leopard, which had strayed into their fields on Thursday.

"On Thursday our officials near the north forest division of Coonoor were informed by the local residents that a leopard had entered their area. We were able to track the leopard, which was caught in a trap placed by a farmer on Friday,” said R. Kannan, Conservator of Forests, southern Coimbatore division.