Reuters - India's 2010 monsoon rains, crucial for farm output, will be normal, Farm Secretary Prabeer Kumar Basu said on Friday, raising hopes of a strong recovery in farm output that suffered after last year's drought.

Reuters - India's minister of commerce and industry said on Friday that progress in concluding global trade talks was behind schedule but that it was up to political leaders to decide if they can meet their own year-end deadline for a deal.

Reuters - Almost a quarter of a billion people moved out of slum conditions in the past decade, driven by rapid economic growth in emerging giants India and China, but the number of people living in them continues to rise, the United Nations housing agency said on Friday.

Reuters - India is seeking access to interrogate Chicago man David Headley who pleaded guilty to scouting targets for the 2008 Mumbai attacks in a U.S. court this week, Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said on Friday.

Reuters - Leading Bollywood film producers joined hands with the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) on Thursday to curb piracy in one of the world's biggest film markets.

Reuters - The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday unexpectedly raised interest rates from record-low levels for the first time since it began cutting in 2008, citing intensifying inflationary pressures and a steady economic recovery.

Reuters - Bharti Airtel's board will on Saturday discuss its $9 billion bid for Kuwaiti telecom group Zain's African units, a source said, and the two sides may clinch a deal next week.

Reuters - The government's ambitions to boost economic growth through pro-market legislation may be sinking into parliamentary quicksand amid a slew of stalled bills, reluctant allies and an emboldened opposition.

Reuters - The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) rate hike will anchor inflationary expectations but there could be another increase in April when the central bank reviews policy, a top adviser said on Friday.

Reuters - The government has compiled a list of do's and don'ts for its citzens at this year's Commonwealth Games to help showcase New Delhi's charms.

Reuters - The government will pump 90 billion rupees ($2 billion) into state-run banks under the first phase of capital injection, a finance ministry official said on Friday.

Reuters - Bharti Airtel on Friday said it had agreed with Apple Inc to sell its iPhone 3GS in India in the coming months.

Reuters - England have asked midfielder David Beckham to join them at the World Cup in South Africa even though he will not be able to play due to an Achilles tendon injury, coach Fabio Capello was quoted as saying on Friday.

Reuters - The World Bank on Thursday approved a record $1.05 billion credit line to help get more children into schools in India, the largest ever investment in education by the poverty-fighting institution.

Reuters - The government on Friday raised the cost of living allowance for government employees and pensioners by 8 percent, a cabinet minister told reporters.

Reuters - Videocon Industries Ltd has placed a bid for third-generation (3G) mobile spectrum, coming up in April for auction, a top official said on Friday.

Reuters - American David Headley pleaded guilty on Thursday to scouting targets for the deadly 2008 assault on Mumbai and plotting an attack on a Danish newspaper in which his accomplices instructed him to behead any captives.

Reuters - Reliance Communications, the country's No. 2 mobile operator, said it had applied to participate in an April auction for broadband wireless access (BWA) in all of the country's telecoms zones.

Reuters - Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma urged U.S. companies on Thursday to jump on board India's rapid growth and help it expand its manufacturing base.