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EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

MOSCOW: President Boris Yeltsin, hospitalised with a bleeding gastric ulcer, is likely to undergo a `control gastroscopy' on Wednesday, though doctors earlier decided to use only drugs rather than surgery to treat the disorder, Kremlin sources said on Tuesday. For the first time chief of presidential staff Nikolai Borduzha said in an interview to the Itar-Tass agency that Yeltsin was prescribed strict bed rest and only his family members were permitted to visit him. Meanwhile, medical sources said on Tuesday that Yeltsin was feeling better and his condition was stable. ``The positive dynamic in how the president feels is being maintained,'' the agency quoted the sources as saying.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif vowed on Tuesday to turn Pakistan into a modern Islamic state as millions attended special prayers at the start of Muslim Id-ul-Fitr festival. Amid a nationwide security vigil following sectarian tensions, armed policemen guarded mosques and open spaces where Id congregationswere held across the country.

Mass prayers were held at more than 300 places in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. ``Pakistan should emerge as a model Islamic state. This cherished objective cannot be achieved until we discard the present outmoded system and replace it with the one which is based on true justice and equality,'' Sharif said in an Id message.

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