Commonwealth Organising Committee chief Suresh Kalmdi was today questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with alleged financial irregularities in the conduct of the sports event. According to sources, the questioning is about alleged irregularities in the Queen Baton's Relay held in London last year besides certain contracts awarded to various firms totalling several hundred crores. The CBI summons to Kalmadi follows the interrogation of his key aide Lalit...

An intense spell of cold weather has disrupted life across northern India, reportedly claiming two dozen lives. The capital, Delhi, has been badly hit by the cold snap, along with Indian-administered Kashmir, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. In Leh in Kashmir, temperatures dropped to -23.6C - this winter's lowest - on Sunday, weather officials said. Delhi, which is experiencing one of its coldest winters in years, has been hit by thick fog which...

Many endosulfan sufferers in Kerala still not recognised NARAYANA Vokalliga from Belur village in Kasaragod breathed his last on November 20 just as his son was explaining how his father had suffered from exposure to endosulfan for 30 years. The former employee of the Plantation Corporation of Kerala used to spray the toxic pesticide manually in the corporation’s cashew plantations at Nanjamparamba estate. When the corporation switched to aerial spraying, Narayan prepared...

Prof M.S. Swaminathan, the father of Green Revolution and Chairman of National Commission on Farmers (NCF) that called for revamp of policies to revitalise agriculture, says agricultural sector in India is entering a state of serious crisis. Quoting figures from National Sample Survey Organisation, he says half of the farmers in the country want to quit farming. Prof Swaminathan, who was here to deliver the Convocation Address at the Acharya N.G....

Fog not only delays trains and flights, causes road accidents and makes the winter season depressing but also causes the prices of eggs to rise. The recent increase in egg prices is attributed to fog and the prices are likely to increase again as soon as the visibility drops. To add to that, onions and tomatoes are also becoming more expensive. According to Shabir Ahmed, secretary, Poultry Federation of India, eggs...