Slowdown, no fear of recession
New Delhi, November 24
“India’s economic growth outlook is fairly robust even as the global recession deepens,” the finance ministry said today, highlighting the strength of local consumer spending. The macro-economic impact of the global financial turmoil has been muted due to the overall strength of domestic demand, the ministry said in a report released ahead of the Economic Editors Conference here.

Business page: US to inject $20 b to rescue Citigroup

Pak claims it has disbanded political wing of ISI
New Delhi, November 24
On the eve of Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s visit to India, the civilian government in Pakistan claims to have disbanded the political wing of the military agency ISI, called a ‘state within a state’. Amid the euphoria over the healthy trend of voting in the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, this important development in the neighbouring country has, however, not attracted much attention in India.

Sadhvi: ATS made me see obscene CD
Mumbai, November 24
In a setback to Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad in Malegaon blast case, a MCOCA court here rejected the agency's plea for granting it the custody of accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Lt Col Prasad Purohit and Ajay Rahirkar after they alleged physical torture and threat to strip and kill them.

Beef trouble for Navjot Sidhu
Narsinghpur (MP), November 24
A case has been registered against BJP MP and former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu for allegedly inciting religious feelings of the people through his speech at Kareli here on November 11, the police said today.

BACK FROM ADEN: Parents of freed hostage Santosh Patil welcome him at the international airport in Mumbai. Four of the freed 18 Indian sailors aboard chemical tanker "Stolt Valor", who were taken hostage around two months ago by Somali pirates, arrived in Mumbai in the early hours of Monday. — Reuters (Details in Nation page)

18 lose sight in Rajasthan
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service
Jaipur, November 24
The state government has banned all eye camps after 18 elderly persons, including seven women, lost their vision while 38 others feared to become completely blind when they underwent treatment at a special eye camp in Suratgarh town of Ganganagar district on Sunday. The patients were rushed to Jaipur SMS hospital last evening.

Polls 2008: Madhya Pradesh
Will the other Rahul ‘bhaiyya’ win electoral lottery?
Does this place ring a bell? Located in the Siddhi district, in the mid-1980s had suddenly shot into the limelight because of the alleged Churhat lottery scandal.

BJP back to Hindutva chant in MP Bhopal, November 24 As the day of voting to elect Madhya Pradesh’s new assembly draws near, the BJP is sharply veering towards its time-tested plank: Hindutva. BJP workers wear masks of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan during an election rally in Vidisha district, about 56 km from Bhopal. — Reuters

Polls 2008: Rajasthan BIG DEAL: A sweet pipe dream Dholpur (Rajasthan), November 24 Meetho paani na rehvogo to laali ki shaadi na hogi. “If there is no sweet water then my daughter will not get married,” said Gayatri, a mother of one daughter and four sons of Baravai village in Bharatpur.