Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee will present the Rail Budget on July 1.
Due to paucity of time, the UPA government will drop the traditional scrutiny of the Budget by the Parliamentary standing committees. Instead, Pranab Mukherjee is in touch with BJP and the CPM, while Pawan Kumar Bansal and Anand Sharma have been asked to liaise with the smaller parties to ensure the Budget moves smoothly through Parliament.
Former Union law and commerce minister Subramaniam Swamy has written a letter to the Election Commission, demanding a paper trail to 'substantiate and verify the election results' obtained from Electronic Voting Machines.In his letter, Swamy has argued that it is possible to manipulate the EVMs, by planting a software programme that could produce an election result in favour of a particular candidate.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday spoke to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, who is on an indefinite fast in support of his demand for immediate ceasefire in the Sri Lankan army's offensive against the LTTE.
Eighteen months after swimming across the 30-km Messinikos Gulf in Greece at the tender age of eight, Mumbai schoolgirl Swapnali Yadav has earned an entry in the Limca Book of Records for the feat. Her feat in the 2008-09 edition of the book was accepted and she received a certificate to this effect from its publishers.
Labour Minister Oscar Fernandes on Friday lashed out at the Communists for being 'unfair' in accusing the government of coming out with economy stimulus packages only to bail out the corporate sector without paying any heed to the fate of the retrenched workers.
The Election Commission has slapped a criminal case against Tamil Nadu Local Administration Minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader M K Stalin who was shown on television distributing money to voters ahead of the by-elections in Thirumangalam
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Sunday made it clear that he is not bothered that his tactics in fourth and final Test at Nagpur were slammed as defensive by the Australians since results are what matter to him at the end of the day.
Australia, replying to India's first innings score of 441, were dismissed for 355, handing India a vital 86-run lead, on Day 3 of the fourth Test.
Australia did not know what hit them until they realised the impact and ensuing pain. Resuming Day 3 on 189 for 2, Australia were outdone by Mahendra Singh Dhoni's magic yet again. They were bowled out for 355 in their first innings after displaying one of their worst batting performances in recent times.
Jason Krejza's eight-wicket haul on debut, followed by Simon Katich's unbeaten 92, helped Australia claw their way back in the fourth Test against India in Nagpur on Friday. Krejza claimed figures of 8 for 215 in 43.5 overs as India were dismissed for 441 in the first innings. In reply, Australia posted 189 for 2 in 49 overs by close of play on the second day.
Dona Ganguly, who traveled to Nagpur with daughter Sanaa to witness Sourav's farewell Test, told rediff.com in an exclusive chat: "It was a decision that was coming, so no regrets. Everyone has to retire."
'Tough,' was how an emotional Anil Kumble summed up his 18-year journey in cricket at a felicitation ceremony, organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, in Nagpur, on Thursday night. The veteran leggie called it a day after the third Test in Delhi and was deservedly honoured by the BCCI on the first day of the fourth Test against Australia.
Master batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who notched his 40th Test century in the fourth Test against Australia at Nagpur, said the wicket will suit India as the match goes on if they can manage a big score in the first innings.
Australia's bowlers struck at regular intervals to reduce India to 311 for 5 by close on Day 1 of the fourth and final Test in Nagpur on Thursday.
Tamil Nadu opener Murali Vijay was handed his Test debut in the fourth and final Test against Australia. Harbhajan Singh, who missed the last match due to injury, made it back to the team.
Anil Kumble's retirement, in-form Gautam Gambhir's one-match ban and are other distractions, like Sourav Ganguly's final Test drama and VVS Laxman's 100th Test, have left India's captain a challenging task going into the fourth and final Test against Australia at Nagpur, beginning on Thursday.
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Wednesday said Tamil Nadu batsman Murali Vijay is likely to replace Gautam Gambhir and open the batting for India in the fourth and final Test against Australia in Nagpur. Gambhir's appeal against his one-match ban, which was imposed for elbowing Shane Watson in the drawn third Test in Delhi, was rejected by Justice Albie Sachs, the lead Appeals Commissioner, on Tuesday.
India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh on Tuesday said the ace leg spinner's shoes will be hard to fill.
Australia's star batsman Michael Hussey clarified why he ditched Western Australia to play in the IPL, saying he had played a crucial role in helping the Chennai team qualify for the Champions League.