Japan and Russia went on alert on Sunday, clearing tens of thousands of people out of vulnerable coastal areas as a tsunami triggered by Chile's massive killer quake powered across the Pacific.

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

However, finance minister Pranab Mukerjee did not commit himself to this proposal of floating infrastructure bonds, as this requires detailed examination and Parliamentary nod.

As the second Hamid Karzai government settles down to business in Afghanistan, India must seriously focus on long-term intervention and assistance in stabilising one of its most important neighbours, a variety of Afghan and Indian politicians, analysts and diplomats said in Kabul and New Delhi.

The Honda Civic's automatic version comes equipped with cruise control which, when activated, drives the car by itself. The company's spokesperson says this facility is ideal on highways and for speeds above 40 km per hour.

Financial losses at nearby units in crores, air quality severely affected

The government needs about Rs 3.31 lakh crore (Rs 3.31 trillion) to meet its target of developing 35,000 kms of national highways over the next five years.

To centralise process by setting up special units in each state.

The ministry is also holding a road show aimed at projecting investment opportunities in the sector. The visit is significant as the ministry is scouting investment of $70 billion for road construction in the next 3-4 years, out of which about $45 billion is expected to come from the private sector, including $10 billion from foreign investors.

An interview with Anoop Prakash, Managing Director, Harley-Davidson India.

Apart from private vehicles, many crammed buses too have brought in the crowds. Plus, many have come by private taxis. Large stickers of YSR and a Congress flag are a common sight on the vehicles. Naturally, the surge of humanity means that traffic crawls around the venue, but really, no one is in a mood to mind

Harley-Davidson Inc. has announced its plans to formally enter the motorcycle market in India. Initial steps include establishment of subsidiary and dealer network

With innovative digital technology and powerful solutions, IBM is also ensuring that food is traced properly as it passes though an increasingly complex global supply chain.

According to a survey, of the 190 infrastructure projects facing delays, 70 per cent were delayed due to land acquisition problems. Forty projects by NHAI, 60 being implemented by Indian Railways and 28 power projects are facing difficulties in acquiring land. SLUs would expedite the time taken.

Directors Soham Shah and Pradeep Sarkar wish the star.

The India Infrastructure Finance Company (IIFCL), which raised Rs 10,000 crore (Rs 100 billion) in the last fiscal for refinancing banks for infrastructure lending, on Tuesday said the banks may avail of this facility in the next seven months.

"Land acquisition is the biggest issue. Now contracts will be awarded if 80 per cent of the land is acquired and is in possession of National Highway Authority of India," minister for road transport and highways Kamal Nath said during the Question Hour in the Lok Sabha. On members' complaints regarding 'very high' toll rates in public-private partnership projects, the minister defended the existing rates and said reduced toll would mean less roads.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee presented the Budget for 2009-10 on July 6. Following is the Budget Speech of Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee:

Running a state was a lot more treacherous than building roads.

IEEMA is again approaching the govt. with hope and puts forth the most critical issues / concerns of the industry requiring urgent attention of the govt.

Few players in world football fit the Galactico description better than Cristiano Ronaldo and the Portuguese box of tricks appears to be on the verge of re-locating to his natural habitat at Real Madrid.

The government on Thursday said it would expeditiously clear pending proposals in the infrastructure sector under the public-private partnership (PPP) mode while making regulations, governing this area, investment friendly.

With Seeta Aur Geeta all set to get a television makeover, here's a look at what made that 1972 film so special.

Auckland International College in asscociation with Education Times plans to offer two fully paid and two partly paid scholarships worth Rs 50 lakhs for Indian students pursuing the IB Diploma Programme.

Sanskara Eye Care's model of charging fee from only 20 per cent of the patients is sufficient to make each hospital self-sustaining in three to five years. But is not the only source of its sustenance. In the US, children are donating their pocket money towards eye surgery in these hospitals. It is $30 for a surgery, says founder R V Ramani.

It is the hurt and bewilderment over the loss of a Gandhi to the saffron brigade that has made the media and anti-Hindutva politicos react with such venom and acid. He was not heard, not given a chance to present his case, nor did forensic experts examine the so-called proof in the form of a CD containing his speech.

An official review of projects that have been held up is reported to have revealed that as many as 70 per cent of the 190 delayed works are victims of roadblocks in the way of getting land. Some of them have been in limbo for over a decade and may have to be shelved eventually, as cost estimates have gone haywire.

Tax credits and consumer demand could make these vehicles more common.

The Nano does not look or feel like a very 'cheap' car. It is a very thoughtfully designed piece of kit, with an agreeable level of fit and finish. Nor would you expect the kind of space it has in its interior. The two-cylinder 624cc engine hisses like a modern scooter before waking up and settling to an idle. The cable-linked gear lever helped Bijoy Kumar Y select first and presto, we had motion!

India's growth rates may be crashing, but the rates of growth of crashing on the country's roads, and those dying in these crashes, are growing by leaps and bounds.

The prices of construction steel have come down nearly 37 per cent. The price of bitumen has come down by 22 per cent since mid-November, while diesel and cement prices have come down by 10 per cent. GMR infrastructure CFO A Subba Rao estimates that construction costs have come down by 20 per cent. Construction costs account for 70-75 per cent of the project costs; the other significant variable being interest costs.

Presenting the interim Budget for 2009-10 in Lok Sabha, acting Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee claimed in Parliament on Monday that every effort has been made to fulfil promises made to the common man.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is also managing the finance ministry, presented the Interim Budget for 2009-10 in Parliament on Monday. Following is the text of the entire Budget Speech:

L K Advani, Bharatiya Janata Party stalwart and leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, addressed the 81st annual general meeting of the Federation of the Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) on Thursday. In his speech, Advani makes a strong case for Swadeshi, creatively redefined, as a model of development to benefit Bharat, and not just India.

Jaswant Singh, a 35 year-old vegetable seller, sprinkled kerosene on his body and set himself ablaze at his shop in the presence of dozens of people while chanting Bum bum bholay in Gagwal village of Kathua district, official sources said in Jammu.

The West Bengal government's new compensation package for 'unwilling' farmers in Singur, 40km from Kolkata, might have been praised by Tata Motors, but those involved in land transactions in the area find the offer inadequate.

Tata's Nano project sinks back into crisis. While Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee hinted at reviving her agitation at Singur, the Left Front came down heavily on her demand that ancillary units be shifted across the highway opposite to the project site.

Bad roads in Bihar are nothing new, but now it has forced state ministers to say goodbye to swanky, new cars and demand Ambassador cars as they are more comfortable on rough and bumpy roads. Old is gold appears to impress Bihar's ministers, who want Ambassadors for official use in place of cars like the Indigo and Scorpio.

The All Party Sangharsh Samiti has rejected the government's decision not to recall Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra, according to Dr Ajay Churangu, one of the Punan Kashmir leaders.Churangu could not attend the all-party meeting in Delhi because of the traffic blockade on the highway.The members of the coordination committee of the All Party Sangharsh Samiti met late on Wednesday evening and discussed the press statement issued by the Centre.

India has completed the construction of the 218-km Zaranj-Delaram Highway in South-Western Afghanistan despite attacks by Taliban and the loss of precious lives of Indian nationals working on the project.