The Central government will set up a `5,000-crore fund under the public private partnership (PPP) model to finance research and development (R&D) in India.

Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh appears to have taken to micro-blogging site Twitter with much enthusiasm and has been keeping reporters busy with his daily posts. Team Anna Hazare too had exploited the networking sites to build a campaign against corruption. So, Mr Singh is using Twitter to hit

Kingfisher Airlines chairman Vijay Mallya on Saturday wondered whether it was the “duty” of his airline to fly loss-making routes when state governments are levying heavy taxes (on aviation turbine fuel). This came on a day when the

Imtiaz Ali doesn’t believe in wasting time. His much-awaited film Rockstar released this Friday and the filmmaker has already hatched a deal for another film. Imtiaz has come on board as the creative producer for the official Hindi remake of the 2009 South Korean romantic action comedy film My Girlfriend is an Agent.

Italy’s Parliament gave final approval to a financial stability law on Saturday, paving the way for Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to resign and make way for an emergency government headed by former European Commission-er Mario Monti.

The growing differences within Team Anna came to the fore after two members — Ms Kiran Bedi and Mr Arvind Kejriwal — engaged in a war of words over the issue of the former’s inflated travel bills. However, another member, Mr Manish Sisodia, said it was merely an “information gap”.

Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was subjected to frisking at JFK Airport in New York at the end of September this year; his coat and shoes were taken from him even as he was already seated inside an Air India aircraft before departure, top government sources have confirmed to this newspaper.

The ruling Congress has suspended Mahipal Maderna in the wake of the Bhanwari Devi case in Jodhpur. Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot had sacked Mr Maderna last month when he refused to resign after his name

Minister of state for forest in Rajasthan Ramlal Jat resigned from his post following a controversy. He sent his papers to chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday evening saying he was hurt after a local newspaper published a report against him. There was no confirmation from the chief minister’s office.

Chhattisgarh Bharatiya Janata Party president Ram Sevak Paikre’s remark, that a farmer himself is responsible if he ends his life, on Saturday sparked controversy here with the Opposition Congress taking strong exception to the “insensitive” observation.