About one-third of the world's poor live in India but there are countries where 88 per cent of population is extremely poor.

Deepak Parekh, chairman of Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC), India's largest mortgage lender, says the exuberance in industry about the new government is justified but big ideas articulated by the prime minister need speedy implementation.

The move is part of a larger initiative by the government to speed up work in the highway sector.

All India Congress Committee General Secretary Sanjay Nirupam on Saturday threatened to immolate himself if his demand for reduction in power tariff in Mumbai was not accepted.

There is speculation that China released the White Paper on Tibet in a hurry after a Spanish court agreed to hear charges of genocide against former Chinese president Hu Jintao. Ajai Shukla reports

The United States has increased security at all its major airports and railway stations, and has taken a number of measures, that include temporary closure of its 22 diplomatic missions, following a "very specific" Al Qaeda threat emanating from the Arabian Peninsula.

In 2003, the United States Congressional Research Service asserted that there is a danger that India may develop a bio weapons programme. It claimed that 'India is believed to have an active biological defence research program as well as the necessary infrastructure to develop a variety of biological agents'. However, there is no evidence in the public domain of India ever having pursued an offensive bio weapons programme.

Qatar is still considering whether to allow alcohol in stadiums when it hosts the 2022 World Cup, though a senior official said he did not see a need for it.

President Pratibha Patil on Monday addressed Parliament for the last time as President when she flagged off the Budget session. Here's the text of her speech

Bhartiya Janata Party leader and the party's Scam Expose Committee convener Kirit Somaiya has accused Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati's brother of owning a private airline.

"We may rope in a consultant for our proposed foray into banking business, if that is required. This will happen after the final guidelines on banking license is out by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)," Director and Chief Executive of LIC Housing Finance, V K Sharma said.

The government has approved 20 new highway and housing projects at a total investment of Rs 14,538 crore (Rs 145.38 billion).

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.

A single unified definition of infrastructure should not be attempted. It is neither desirable, nor useful.

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

A draft of the infrastructure portion of the Budget speech for Pranab Mukherjee's consideration.

In an interview with Mihir Mishra and Jyoti Mukul, Nath, who as the commerce and industry minister in the previous United Progressive Alliance government was part of the fire-fighting to minimise impact of the slowdown, says that the current year will be better than the last year.

The Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure (CCI) has been constituted under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. The constitution of the high powered Committee comes in the wake of government's focus on infrastructure which has been identified as a key priority area.

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

Nothing short of the death of old industrial policies of pre-climate crisis era and rebirth of enlightened policy making that takes into account intergenerational equity with regard to natural resources would be sufficient.

The spread of the Taliban in Pakistan has senior American officials concerned about the safety and security of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, including the potential for terrorists to get their hands on a weapon in transport or to infiltrate laboratories and nuclear fuel-production facilities.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Thursday said the unprecedented level of cooperation between the investigative agencies of India and the United States following the Mumbai strikes has strengthened Indo-US ties.

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:

Following is the trascript of President Pratibha Patil's address to the joint sittingof Parliament on Thursday.

'Sweetheart' and 'darling' have been Sheila Dikshit's favourite words for decades -- they go well with her trademark warm, grandmotherly smile. And now, the capital has reciprocated. Dikshit has become the 'darling of Delhi'.On December 8, she became the only chief minister of Delhi to enter into a third successive term. In the 123-year history of the Congress, she is the third chief minister to have this record.

It was one of the most tantalising days in Indian Parliament. Parties debated for and against the nuclear deal. MPs crossed swords, armed with allegations and statistics. As the nation kept glued to the happenings, rediff.com's Prem Panicker gave its readers a blow-by-blow account of what happened. Here is the transcript:

Republican Party stalwart Narender Reddy, from Georgia, has been elected as alternate-delegate-at-large to the GOP National Convention in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota, which will be held from September 1 to September 4. The mother-daughter team of Mona Merchant, 61, and Monisha Merchant, 31, of Lakewood, Colorado, have been elected as Hillary Clinton's delegates to the Democratic National Convention, between August 25 and 29 in Denver, Colorado.

Insurance funds will soon start flowing to special economic zone projects, agro-processing and infrastructure projects, domestic satellite services and social infrastructure like educational institutions and hospitals.

At least 10 states and the Union Territory of Chandigarh have identified more than 30 sites for setting up modern terminal markets in the private sector for trading in fruits, vegetables and other perishable farm produce.

Close on the heels of a blistering missive by Congressman Tom Lantos, warning the TSA not to indulge in religious profiling of Sikhs several other lawmakers, both in the House and Senate, have also slammed the agency.

One wing of the government's definition of what constitues infrastructure is different from that of another and this needs to be resolved fast.

This Statement consists of two parts: Part I. Annual Statement on Monetary Policy for the Year 2007-08; and Part II. Annual Statement on Developmental and Regulatory Policies for the Year 2007-08.

Finance Minister P Chidambaram's speech.

Railway Minister Lalu Prasad presented the Railway Budget 2007-08 in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

G K Pillai, chairman of India's Board of Approval for SEZs, demystifies SEZs and the controversy surrounding them.

Chidambaram's Budget speech.