Eco Survey tabled in LS, targeting 7 to 7.5 % growth for 2009-10
FM Pranab Mukherjee tabled the Eco Survey for 2008-09 that prescribes doing away with cess,surcharges on taxes,including Fringe Benefit Tax,sweeping refroms in areas like petrol pricing and financial sector and targeting 7 to 7.5%growth for 2009-10.

Union Cabinet decides to extend President's rule in Jharkhand
Jharkhand is set for the second six-month spell of President's Rule with the Union Cabinet on Thursday deciding to recommend its extension beyond 18th July as no party or group has been able to form a government there.

HC gives wider interpretation to Constitutional provision
The Delhi High Court, which legalised homosexual acts among consenting adults, on Thursday gave wider interpretation to a constitutional provision and extended its ambit by treating the term 'sexual orientation' as analogous and at par with 'sex'.

Williams Sisters to play Finals; Paes-Black into mixed doubles SF's
Venus Williams will play her sister Serena in Saturday's Wimbledon final after a crushing 6-1 6-0 victory over top seed Dinara Safina of Russia, while top seeds Leander Paes and Cara Black breezed into the semifinals of Wimbledon's mixed doubles event.

Mamata to present a 'pro-people' Rail Budget today
Amid expectations of improvement in railway amenities and food served in trains, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee would present a "pro-people" budget in Parliament on Friday.

Uproar in LS over fuel price hike; no roll back, says govt
The Budget session of LS started on a stormy note with non-Congress parties, including UPA allies DMK and Trinamool Congress, slamming the hike in petrol and diesel prices and demanding a roll back, which was rejected by the government.

Govt to set up National Intelligence Grid by September-end
The Centre would set up a National Intelligence Grid (NIG) and National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) by September-end this year with a view to strenthening the intelligence-sharing and analysing mechanism in the country.

Clinton plans to visit India in second half of July
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton plans to visit India in the second half of this month, the State Department said today.

Brown pays tributes to Mahatma Gandhi
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has paid rich tributes to the life and times of Mahatma Gandhi during a visit to Leicester, where an imposing bronze statue of the apostle of peace was unveiled last week.

India a significant actor on international stage: US
The Obama Administration believes that India is an important and significant actor on the international stage and it would like New Delhi to play a greater role at the regional and global level.

Sensex ended moderately up by 13 points
The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex on Thursday ended moderately up by 13 points, partly on govt plans to invest more in infrastructure and positive recommendations in the Economic Survey, tabled in Parliament today.

Inflation falls to -1.3 pc; negative for third week in a row
Inflation stayed negative for the third week in a row, at minus 1.3 per cent for the week ended 20th June, even as prices of food like fruit and vegetables rose as compared to last year during the same period.

MF assets grow 5% at Rs 7 lakh cr in Jun;Rel MF biggest gainer
The mutual fund industry witnessed 5 pc increase in its average assets under management at Rs 6.70 lakh crore at the end of June, with Reliance MF alone gaining over Rs 5,000 crore.

Patel asked Air India to give restructuring plan in 30 days
Asserting that government support cannot be taken for granted by it, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said on Thursday, and asked cash-strapped Air India to provide a restructuring plan in the next 30 days.

Kavveri Telecom acquires Canada's Trackcom Systems Intl
Telecom products maker Kavveri Telecom on Thursday said it has acquired Canada-based Trackcom Systems International for an undisclosed amount.

BSNL inks pact with Japan's NTT
State-run telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) on Wednesday said it has signed an agreement with Japan's NTT Communications Corporation for customising its enterprise offerings and solutions.

Govt to develop 6 shipping projects worth Rs 3,300 cr
The Shipping Ministry on Wednesday proposed awarding six port projects worth Rs 3,319 crore and declaring Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep as major ports, taking the total number of major ports in the country to 14, as part of its 100-day agenda.

Insurance companies cannot invest in IDRs: IRDA
Insurance regulator IRDA on Wednesday prohibited insurance companies from investing in Indian Depository Receipts (IDRs), the instruments through which foreign companies raise funds from the Indian equity market.

Business environment improved in 3 years: WB/IFC
It is easier to start and operate business in India than it was three years ago in many large cities of the country, a report by IFC and World Bank says.

Rise in int'l crude prices a matter of concern: Deora
The government said the rise in international oil rate was a "matter of grave concern" but refused to say if retail fuel prices will be increased.

Air India Express to start operations in next few weeks
The low budget arm of national air-carrier Air India, Air India Express, would start its domestic operations over the next few weeks.

Infra expands by 2.8 pc in May
The six core industries grew by 2.8 percent in May 2009 against 3.1 percent in the same month last year on improved production in cement, coal and electricity.

Shaw Wallace to sell entire stake in United Spirits
Vijay Mallya-led United Spirits has said Shaw Wallace will sell its entire 10.27 percent stake in the company to retire a part of debt.

RBI for improvement in quality of WPI, IIP data
The Reserve Bank on Thursday said the country's wholesale price-based inflation and industrial production data should be improved and employment data availed for effective monetary policy management.

Govt hikes petrol and diesel prices
Government has announced a hike in petrol prices by Rs 4 per litre and diesel by Rs 2 per litre to cut losses of oil companies in view of rising international crude prices.

Oil makes modest gains, still below USD 70
Oil prices recovered modestly but remained below USD 70 in Asian trade on Thursday after overnight losses on US energy demand concerns, analysts said.

FM tabled the Eco Survey in LS, targeting 7 to 7.5 pc growth for 2009-10
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee tabled the Economic Survey for 2008-09 that prescribes doing away with cess, surcharges on taxes, including Fringe Benefit Tax,sweeping refroms in areas like petrol pricing and financial sector and targeting 7 to 7.5 pc growth for 2009-10.

Bomb kills 2 police officers in northwest Pakistan
Police say a roadside bomb has exploded near a vehicle carrying police in northwest Pakistan, killing at least two officers and wounding five others.

Japan may deploy troops near islands disputed with China
Japan's Defence Ministry is considering deploying troops on an island in the East China Sea near a group of islets that is claimed by Tokyo, Beijing and Taipei.

Russia ready for effective ties with US: Medvedev
Russia is ready to build effective relations with the United States in response to US President Barack Obama's willingness to improve ties, President Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday.

UN's Ban to meet Suu Kyi party members: spokesman
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is to meet senior members of the party of Aung San Suu Kyi when he visits Myanmar this week but has no plans yet to see the opposition leader, a party spokesman said.

Independent UN probe into Bhutto murder begins
The independent UN commission charged with examining the facts and circumstances behind the assassination of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto formally began its work on Thursday.

Airliner crashes off Comoros with 153 aboard; girl rescued
A 14-year-old girl was rescued alive in the sea amid debris and dead bodies after a Yemeni Airbus jet crashed in the Indian Ocean as it tried to land in the Comoros islands with 153 people aboard.

US Marines storm south in major Afghan offensive
US Marines launched a massive offensive into the Taliban heartlands of southern Afghanistan early on Thursday as President Barack Obama's new war plan swung into action.

Williams Sisters to meet again in Wimbledon Final
Venus Williams will play her sister Serena in Saturday's Wimbledon final after a crushing 6-1 6-0 victory over top seed Dinara Safina of Russia on Thursday.

Paes-Black in mixed doubles semis in Wimbledon
Top seeds Leander Paes and his Zimbabwean partner Cara Black breezed into the semifinals of Wimbledon's mixed doubles event with a facile straight set win over 11th seeded Andre Sa and Ai Sugiyama on Thursday.

Bhupathi-Knowles go down fighting in Wimbledon quarters
Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles twice erased the deficit but were still sent packing from the Wimbledon championships following a defeat in a marathon men's doubles quarterfinal against Wesley Moodie and Dick Norman at London on Wednesday.

Martyn blames Buchanan for 2005 Ashes loss
Former Australian batsman Damien Martyn has blamed ex-coach John Buchanan for the team's failure to retain the 2005 Ashes, saying the team management made the mistake of considering it as just another series and not planning it right.

BCCI ignores Eden Gardens again
The Cricket Board has given the short shrift to one of India's iconic cricket arenas, the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, again while deciding on the venues to host the seven ODIs against Australia in October-November.

Saina's achievement bigger than Sania's: Padukone
The hype around tennis ace Sania Mirza may be bigger but ace shuttler Saina Nehwal clearly has the edge in terms of performance, feels badminton legend Prakash Padukone.

Honoring wounded soldiers make tourney special for Tiger
Growing up the son of a Green Beret soldier, Eldrick Woods appreciated the sacrifices involved in military life long before he became the world's number one golfer.

At 40, Jeev is Asia's highest ranked golfer
At 40, Jeev Milkha Singh is currently the highest ranked Asian golfer, according to the latest official rankings issued on Tuesday.

Guwahati among 7 cities to host India-Australia ODI series
Guwahati, deprived of international cricket due to reasons varying from weather to security, was among the seven cities picked by BCCI on Wednesday to host the India-Australia one-day series scheduled in October-November this year.

Sushil wins gold in German Grand Prix
Hauled up for being overweight and missing a tournament in Thailand, star wrestler Sushil Kumar bounced back in style by winning the gold in the German Grand Prix Freestyle and Greco Roman tournament in Dortmund.

Bolt wins 200m at Jamaican Championships
Double Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt, who won the 100 metres crown the day before, easily captured the 200 metre national title on the final day of the Jamaican Championships.

Uproar in LS over fuel price hike; no roll back, says govt
The Budget session of LS started on a stormy note with non-Congress parties, including UPA allies DMK and Trinamool Congress, slamming the hike in petrol and diesel prices and demanding a roll back, which was rejected by the government.

Govt committed to 25 pc quota for poor students in pvt schools
Launching the consultation process for reforms in education, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal on Thursday underlined his commitment to implement 25 per cent quota in private schools for poor students as proposed in the Right to Education Bill.

Govt may consider setting up SC bench in South India: Moily
The government has said it may consider setting up of a Supreme Court bench in South India, provided it receive a recommendation from the Chief Justice of India.

Housing scheme could make India slum-free in five years: Selja
An ambitious housing scheme aiming to make the country slum-free within the next five years is on the cards, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday.

Operation plan for Maoists to be finalised by Sept-end
As Maoists continue to rampage in different parts of the country, the Union Home Ministry has decided to finalize by September-end a plan for sustained operations against the ultra Left wing extremists.

SP, RJD flay hike in petrol, diesel
SP and RJD, which support the UPA govt from outside, slammed the Centre for hiking petrol and diesel prices, saying it was a mockery of Congress' slogan of working for the 'aam aadmi'.

BJP treads cautious line on HC verdict on Section 377
Treading a cautious line on the Delhi High Court verdict decriminalising homosexuality, the BJP has said it was yet to discuss and reach an opinion on the issue.

Govt takes steps to normalise life in Lalgarh
In order to normalise the situation in Naxal violence-hit Lalgarh, the administration on Thursday took several measures including resumption of classes in schools, drinking water supply and hospital services.

Shiney Ahuja's judicial custody extended till 16th July
A local court on Thursday extended till 16th July the judicial custody of Bollywood actor Shiney Ahuja, arrested for allegedly raping his maid.

Red alert in Majuli as Assam flood situation turns grim
The flood situation on Thursday turned grave in Assam following heavy rainfall in the catchment areas as red alert was sounded in Majuli, the world's largest river island, and Lakhimpur.