Nairobi - A group of Kenyan women's organizations have called on the nation's wives and girlfriends to withdraw conjugal rights in an attempt to bring an end to political strife that some fear could ultimately lead to renewed ethnic violence.

The Women's Development Organisation says it will also approach the wives of Prime Minister Raila Odinga, 64, and President Mwai Kibaki, 78, to join the week-long sex strike.

Lucknow/ Siliguri/Rajkot, Apr 30 : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati cast her vote along with commoners here on Wednesday morning.

"I urge the supporters of my party in every public meeting to leave all their work and go cast their votes. I just don''t give advices, I also implement them myself. So, I have come here before embarking on my election tour, to cast my vote," said Mayawati.

In Siliguri in West Bengal, voting began amid tight security as early voters queued outside the polling booths.

Washington - Chrysler LLC hoped for a last-minute miracle to keep it out of bankruptcy as an ultimatum for the ailing US carmaker to restructure or lose the government's support was bearing down on the company Thursday.

As government-brokered negotiations between Chrysler and nearly 50 creditors went into Wednesday night, President Barack Obama offered few details but suggested the last-ditch efforts had yielded some positive results.

Hong Kong - Two of China's rising political stars were Thursday named among the the world's 100 most influential people in a prestigious annual list to be published by Time magazine.

Vice Premier Wang Qishan and Vice President Xi Jinping are among a diverse list including US president Barack Obama, Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal and disgraced financier Bernie Madoff.

Mexico City - Mexico's central bank said Wednesday that it expects GDP to contract by 3.8 to 4.8 per cent in 2009, a considerably more pessimistic impact than its previous forecasts that could get worse in the light of the current flu outbreak.

The Bank of Mexico had estimated earlier this year that GDP would fall by 0.8 to 1.8 per cent.

Beyond the severe global financial and economic crisis, the bank said the flu epidemic is an "additional" risk factor that could affect "all levels of productive activity" in the second quarter of the year.

Washington  - US President Barack Obama marked 100 days in office by citing the progress his administration has made in tackling the nation's economic problems but cautioned that more needed to be done.

"Now, after a hundred days, I am pleased with the progress we've made, but im not satisfied," Obama said at a townhall meeting Wednesday in Arnold, Missouri.

Obama touted his massive economic recovery plan to rescue the United States from its worst recession in decades, brought on by the crisis in the housing and finance markets.