In August 2011, the country had received foreign investment worth $2.83 billion.

Colonel Anil Athale (retd), the official historian of India's 1962 war with China, pin-points the reasons for the clash between the Asian giants 50 years ago and the series of blunders that led to India's military humiliation.

The police on Sunday detained 53 Bajrang Dal activists after foiling their bid to move towards Baltal base camp of Amarnath cave shrine in Kashmir, ahead of the commencement of the annual pilgrimage in June. Flagged off by Vishwa Hindu Parishad state chief Rama Kant Dubey from Jammu city, a group of 150 members boarded two buses and left for Kashmir Valley. They were intercepted by the police on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway at Jajjarkotli, 35 km from Jammu.

The Budget arithmetic seemed to be more realistic this time, though the final 5.9 per cent fiscal deficit will be more like 6.1 per cent for this year, and the target for 2012-13 of 5.1 per cent may be more like 5.3 per cent.

Punjab athlete Baljinder Singh has earned a berth for the London Olympics after finishing fifth in the Asian 20 Km Race Walking championships with a timing of 1:22:12.

On paper, the prestigious Wangkhei assembly constituency in the heart of Manipur capital Imphal will witness a multi-cornered contest but all eyes will be on the interesting fight between senior minister Y Erabot Singh and Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh's nephew Henry Okram.

The ruling Congress has pledged to improve the law and order situation in Manipur and withdraw the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act if voted to power in the assembly election.

The year 2011 kept the troubled state of Manipur in the news over an unprecedented economic blockade imposed on the state populace by two agitating organisations for about 120 days since August 1 while the fasting anti-AFSPA crusader Irom Sharmila completed 11 years of struggle in confinement demanding withdrawal of the 'Draconian Act' that continued to remain in force in her state.

After 120 days of economic blockade on the arterial national highways 39 and 53, Manipur on Tuesday heaved a sigh of relief. The agitating United Naga Council lifted the economic blockade from 6 am on Tuesday morning.

The United Naga Council on Monday lifted its 100-day economic blockade on the Manipur side of two national highways without any condition but with a caveat that agitation would be re-launched if the government did not make an 'alternative arrangement' for Nagas in the state.

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader M M Joshi on Saturday demanded the imposition of President's Rule in Manipur, which has been reeling under an economic blockade. "The central government has remained very insensitive to the plight of the suffering people and left it to the state government to resolve the crisis. The Centre should impose President's Rule, if needed, to ease the crisis in the state," Joshi said.

Only one petrol pump has stock but it will supply petrol and diesel only to school buses and school vans, official sources said.

Home Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday appealed to the agitating Nagas, who are blocking two National Highways passing through Manipur, to withdraw their strike and come forward for dialogue.

Senapati district happens to be inhabited largely by different communities of the Kukis, the Nepalis, and the Nagas. Within the district, Sadar Hills is dominated demographically by the Kukis.

The crippling economic blockades on two national highways in Manipur entered the 93rd day on Monday, even as one of the sponsors called for a 48-hour bandh in five hill districts from midnight to mount pressure on the government.

The crippling economic blockade on two national highways in Manipur entered the 86th day on Tuesday with the organisers adamant on not lifting it even as prices of essential commodities continued to soar.

Sixty-eight days of economic blockade since July 31 this year has crippled the common man in the landlocked bordering state of Manipur, even as the state government and the Centre failed to persuade agitators to withdraw the blockade.

The worst-affected Mangan and Singhtam areas in quake-hit Sikkim are still out of bounds for rescue workers with massive landslides blocking key roads on Tuesday.

The prices of essential items have already shown an upward trend, as the supply of goods along the two highways -- NH 39 and NH 53 -- has been severely affected.

The Public Private Partnership Approval Committee (PPPAC), chaired by Economic Affairs Secretary R Gopalan, had granted approval to the six proposals of the ministry of road transport and highways spread across five states, an official statement said.

Neither the Nepal government has cared to build a motorable road from the Indian border at Kakrahwa (barely 500 metres from the Kapilvastu stupa to Buddha's birthplace at Lumbini) nor have the Indian authorities bothered to persuade the rulers in Kathmandu to facilitate easy movement of Buddhist pilgrims through this border.

The United Naga Council decided on Tuesday, to extend its economic blockade, which was to end today after over three weeks, by 25 more days on two vital highways of Manipur, saying its demands have not been met.

The annual Amarnath Yatra began on Wednesday under a tight security cover, with the first batch of 1,272 pilgrims leaving the Jammu base camp for the cave shrine, located at an altitude of 3,338-metres.A cavalcade of 53 vehicles carrying the devotees under tight security was flagged off by Tourism and Culture Minister Nawang Rigzin Jora from the Amarnath base camp at Bagwatinagar Yatri Niwas at approximately 5 am. Security is being provided by the Central Reserve Police Force

Truckers in Manipur are not willing to hit the troubled NH 39 that connects border town of Moreh and Imphal to Assam valley through Dimapur in Nagaland, even after agitating Naga groups in Manipur the All Naga Students' Association of Manipur and the United Naga Council -- have lifted the 67-days-long blockade of the highway from Friday evening.

The contingent of 88 CRPF personnel drove straight to the CRPF headquarters at Langjing, about 10 km from Imphal, after reaching from Delhi, official sources said.

'Manipur is a peripheral state. Had it been in Haryana or somewhere, it would have been cleared in two days. The Centre was too insensitive.' Pradip Phanjoubam, editor, Imphal Free Press, on the Manipur blockade.

Hours after the Centre decided to send security forces to remove the 65-day-old blockade of the two national highways causing severe shortage of essential commodities in Manipur, the Naga groups announced temporary suspension of their stir from Tuesday.

Centre will send forces to remove blockade of national highway passing through Nagaland, said Home Secretary G K Pillai on Monday.

'Manipur is on fire today. Terrorist organisations demanding secession from India, local tribal conflicts and a total collapse of the civil administration has turned this state into a virtual hell.'

A three member delegation of Bhartiya Janata Party headed by Prakash Javadekar called on the union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Friday evening and demanded that the government should take immediate steps to end the blockade of National Highway 39 by the Naga students so that the supplies of the essential commodities reach the people of Manipur.

The ongoing peace talks between the Central government and the NSCN (IM) general secretary Thuingleng Muivah have received a major setback with the latter repositioning himself to renew his demand for a 'sovereign Nagaland' and the former reiterating its firm stand against redrawing present Nagaland state's boundary with its neighbours.

The Asian Human Rights Commission called on Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Monday to intervene in diffusing the escalating tension, especially in Nagaland-Manipur boundary areas in Mao.

Monetary policy measures give temporary respite to rate-sensitive companies.

The decision of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to ease lending norms for the infrastructure sector is expected to help companies avail better and cheaper credit flow, besides getting access to new sources of funds.

The National Board for Wildlife, headed by Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, rejected some big projects, including a port project in Gujarat, signalling that the ministry would not clear projects in ecologically sensitive zones.

Here is the entire text of the Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's Budget Speech:

COAI seeks uniform 1% of AGR as license fee and to de-link USO levy from the revenue share license fee and to deal with USO separately

Road transport and highways minister Kamal Nath had said earlier this month after a meeting of an empowered group of ministers that the government wanted to borrow $2 billion.

Tiger Woods, the world's best golfer and a leading force in sports marketing, was hurt in a car accident in Florida on Friday but was released from a hospital in good condition after treatment.

Abducted engineer P Krishna Rao was released on Tuesday after a month's captivity by National Democratic Front of Bodoland militants in Assam's Kokrajhar district, police said. Rao, who was abducted on October 16 by militants of the NDFB anti-talks faction, was released in Karigaon area around 1200 hours, they said.