Digvijaya comments have become research topic, says Nitish

Patna:  Describing Congress leader Digvijaya Singh as a mild and sober politician, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has said that Singh's recent statements have become a subject of research for him.

Congress not worried by Anna's threats of fast, says Digvijaya

Rampur (Uttar Pradesh):  A day after Anna Hazare threatened to launch another hunger strike if a strong Jan Lokpal Bill was not passed in the Parliament's Winter Session, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh today said his party is not afraid of the Gandhian's threats.

Team Anna gives Uttarakhand a big thumbs up

Dehra Dun:  Anna Hazare's close aides have congratulated the Uttarakhand government for introducing a historic Lokpal Bill to combat corruption among government servants.

Activist Arvind Kejriwal who has emerged as one of the principal faces of the India Against Corruption campaign said that Uttarakhand has introduced such a comprehensive law that the Centre should use it as a reference point.

Indian-origin man secretly fed wife steroids to ensure she'd stay home

London:  An Indian-origin man has been given a suspended jail term in Britain for secretly feeding his wife steroids so that she becomes overweight and stays at home to cook and look after their children. 

Citizens' Charter: Govt to introduce bill in winter session

New Delhi:  The government on Wednesday unveiled a bill that seeks to get committed standards of public service and redressal of grievances in a stipulated time frame.

The Citizens Right to Grievance Redress Bill, 2011 will look at complaints of violation of the citizens' charter to be formulated by each government department, identify liabilities of public servants in case of default and impose penalties for failure to deliver services or redress grievances in a time-bound manner. 

Pakistan gives India the status of "Most Favoured Nation"

Islamabad:  Pakistan says it has decided to normalise trade relations with its giant rival and neighbor India.

Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan says the Cabinet on Wednesday approved a decision to give India the status of the "Most Favoured Nation."

India ranked 134th in terms of Human Development Index

New Delhi:  A United Nations study has ranked India at 134 out of 187 countries in terms of Human Development Index even as it has observed that life expectancy at birth in the country has increased by 10.1 per cent a year over the last two decades.

Bengal hospital uses acid instead of antiseptic, baby dead

Kolkata:  As Shikha Bibi was going into labour in a hospital in West Bengal, she felt intense pain. She would emerge from her C-section delivery with burns on her inner thighs. She believes those attending to her at the government hospital in Murshidabad used acid to swab her instead of an antiseptic.

I liked Manmohan Singh when he wasn't Prime Minister: Advani

Panaji:  Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L K Advani on Wednesday said he liked Manmohan Singh "when he was not the prime minister".

Speaking to reporters in Panaji, the former deputy Prime Minister, who is on a nationwide anti-graft Jan Chetna Yatra, also said calling Singh a weak PM was not a "harsh critique".

Spot-fixing will never happen again in Pakistan cricket: Ijaz Butt

Lahore: Former PCB chairman Ijaz Butt on Tuesday expressed confidence that spot-fixing will never raise its ugly head again in Pakistan cricket after a London court found Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif guilty on the charges of conspiracy to cheat, obtain and accept corrupt payments.

In the first criminal conviction of cricketers anywhere in the world, a 12-member jury at the Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday found former Test captain Butt and pacer Asif guilty of receiving corrupt payments and conspiracy to cheat in the spot-fixing scandal that rocked the world cricket last year.

I had warned Butt and Asif: Ex-Pak team manager Saeed

Islamabad: Pakistan cricket has been badly tarnished by guilty verdicts handed down on Tuesday to two former star players in a London court over a spot-fixing betting scam, the team's former manager said.

"It's a sad day for all of us and I'm very sad that this beautiful game of cricket has had to see this day," said Yawar Saeed, who was manager of the team during the fateful tour of England when the betting scam was uncovered.

'This verdict is best example for world cricket'

Cricket experts, officials and former cricketers react to the spot fixing verdict that was announced on Tuesday.

A few years ago when the Justice Qayuum report announced its verdict, served us with a warning and cautioned the PCB, nothing was done about it. That's not the fault of the Justice Qayuum committee. I don't think this verdict will make a difference to Pakistan or international cricket. If some players are out of the Pakistan team, others will take their place.

ICC need to be more pro-active to fight corruption: Hussain

London: The guilty verdicts handed out to Pakistani cricketers Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif in the spot-fixing case should act as a wake call for the ICC to be more pro-active in uncovering corruption prevalent within the game, feels former England captain Nasser Hussain.