Vote counting is on way in Ghana's presidential and parliamentary polls.

Acra: Early partial results would appear to confirm expectations of a tight race between the two main candidates - incumbent President John Dramani Mahama and opposition leader Nana Akufo-Addo.
Ghana has in its credit of  five elections since military rule ended in 1992.

Political  analysts believe the stakes are higher than ever as commercial oil production that began in 2010 is expected to expand.Mr Mahama wants to spend Ghana's new wealth on large investments in infrastructure, while Mr Akufo-Addo is advocating free secondary education.
As a top exporter of cocoa and gold, Ghana is one of the world's fastest-growing economies.

Voting continued for a second day in some areas after breakdowns in a new biometric voting system meant many were unable to cast their ballots on Friday. Experts and observers say the election has been largely peaceful.Results had been expected as early as Sunday but it was unclear if the timeframe would remain after the extension.A second round is possible on 28 December if no candidate wins an outright majority.
Mr Mahama, speaking after casting his vote on Friday, said the elections would "go down in history as the best ever to be held in Ghana".

Mr Akufo-Addo expressed hope that the polls would remain peaceful.Mr Mahama took over as president after John Atta Mills died in July. His National Democratic Congress is also defending a narrow parliamentary majority. Media agencies

Italian Premier Mario Monti to resign

Premier Mario Monti told the Italian president Saturday he is resigning after Silvio Berlusconi's PDL party withdrew its support for the government  saying he can no longer govern after Silvio Berlusconi’s party withdrew  support. This paves the way for early elections a year after the unelected economist helped pull the country back from the brink of financial disaster.

Only hours earlier, Berlusconi announced he would run for a fourth term as premier, aiming for a dramatic comeback, considering the billionaire media baron quit in disgrace in November 2011.Former Prime Minister Mr Berlusconi said he will run for office again next year.He said Mr Monti's austerity policies had harmed Italy.Mr Berlusconi's People of Freedom party withdrew its support from the government on Thursday.

The office of President Giorgio Napolitano, who met for nearly two hours with Monti at the presidential palace, said the premier told the head of state that without the support of Berlusconi’s party, “he cannot further carry out his mandate, and consequently made clear his intention to resign” once Parliament passes a crucial budget bill soon.

Political turmoil in Italy, mired in recession and trying to escape the eurozone sovereign debt crisis, could spook financial markets, which, with Monti at the helm, had steadily regained faith in the country’s ability to honor its debts.

Standard & Poor’s rating agency, indicating on Friday that it could lower Italy’s rating if the recession endures well into 2013, cited “uncertainty” over whether the next Italian government could stay the tough course. Media agencies

5th Annual Urban Mobility Conference cum Exhibition

5th Annual Urban Mobility Conference cum Exhibition  is held from December 5th to 8th at the Manekshaw Centre at Dhaula Kuan Delhi. The event is sponsored by the Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India to disseminate up to date information on urban transport to City and State Government officials. Local and international experts are invited to present case studies on various topics of current interest. Industry participates in the exhibition. The theme this year is 'Smart Mobility' with sub-themes (two parallel sessions) as follow:  

• Institutional Development
• Financing
• Parking
• Regulation of Goods and Control of Personal Vehicles
• Mass Transit System-Technology
• Impact of Transport on Environment and Mitigation Technologies
• Mass Transit Systems
• Travel Demand Management
• Public Bus Transport
• Land Use Transport Integration
• Eco-mobility in Indian Cities
• Public Bicycle Sharing

The objective to provide an opportunity for City and state officials, manufacturers, suppliers, contractors, consultants and other stakeholders to interact with each other. A large number of decision makers and officials from Cities and States attend the event. At the 2010 and 2011 event, 3rd and 4th in the series, nearly 1000 delegates and 30 Exhibitors participated. The theme this year ‘Smart Mobility’. The event includes a Research symposium on day 1, 12 technical sessions, 12 round table issue based discussions and 3 Plenary sessions.

The Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference and Expo is an annual event with the overarching theme, which runs across all the aspects of ‘ urban Mobility’ and is hosted by the Institute of Urban Transport (India) under the aegis of Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India.  This conference main aim is bring together urban transport professional, officials and students in the country as well as international experts to enable them to share views and to share their experiences. This is marked by interactions and discussions around case studies the cities, whose professionals and student attend conference, in keeping themselves up to date with best live transport practices and to carry ideas to develop sustainable transport practices in projects and students.> Increase motorization rate, pressure is building up on transport system of all the cities-congestion, air & noise pollution; traffic fatalities are deeply threatening the quality of life in Indian cities.