Washington, Oct 30 : A new poll has reportedly found that Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is leading or tied with his Republican rival John McCain in at least eight key states in which President George Bush (of Republican Party) had won in 2004 poll securing his second successive term.

Jakarta - An Indonesian court Thursday sentenced two Muslim hardliners to 18 months in prison each for their roles in a violent attack against an interfaith rally in June that left dozens of people injured.

The Central Jakarta district court found Munarman, head of the Islam Troop Command (KLI), "guilty of committing violent acts against people and people's property in public."

Munarman, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name, was found responsible for his group's involvement in attacj against activists of the National Alliance for the Freedom of Faith and Religion (AKKBB) during a peaceful rally on June 1.

Washington, Oct 30 : A Florida State University (FSU) researcher is leading an international team that is working to produce one of the most comprehensive histories to date of the Arctic region from the late 19th century to the present.

The researcher in question is Ronald E. Doel, an associate professor of history at FSU, who is the project leader of “Colony, Empire, Environment: A Comparative International History of Twentieth Century Arctic Science,” a 1.1 million dollar project funded by the European Science Foundation.

Nine historians from seven nations - the United States, Canada, England, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Russia - are working on this innovative research effort.

Washington, Oct 30 : In what is being described as the ‘final summation’ of Barack Obama’s campaign, the Democratic presidential nominee promised “a rescue plan in tough times” to the middle-class Americans in his 30-minute video aired simultaneously on at least seven news channels.

Manila - Australia said Thursday it will provide a 17-million-peso (346,940-dollar) grant to the Philippines to improve weather forecasting and help the disaster-prone country better prepare for natural calamities.

The Australian embassy in Manila said the fund will be provided to the country's weather bureau, which has often been criticized for inaccurate forecasts, through the Australian Agency for International Development.

"As a regional neighbour and key development partner, Australia is helping improve the Philippines' preparedness to manage and respond to disasters and emergencies," Australian Ambassador Rod Smith said. "The poor are the most affected by natural disasters."

Hanoi - Heavy rains and floods killed at least seven people and left one missing in central Vietnam, officials said Thursday.

"According to the updated figures as of 9 am (0200 GMT) Thursday, seven people have been killed, with one missing and one injured," said Hoang Hiep of the National Steering Committee for Storm and Flood Control.

Dozens of homes had their roofs blown off, hundreds of hectares of crops were damaged, and landslides have blocked traffic in mountainous areas of Thua Thien Hue and Quang Ngai provinces.

Heavy rain on Wednesday night and Thursday morning caused rivers to rise 2 to 6 metres above sea level.

Forecasters said heavy rain and floods will continue Thursday and Friday.