Nearly 30 years after the idea of a rail service in Bangalore was mooted, it's first Metro rail was inaugurated, bringing huge relief to the city's endless traffic woes.

The three coach service links the suburb of Byappanahalli to M.G.Road and can carry 1000 commuters. The Metro will run between 6 am and 10 pm. This is the first phase of the Metro.

PM Manmohan Singh laid the foundation for the project in 2006.

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For the first time the Urban Agglomeration (UA) of Delhi has overtaken Mumbai, according to a study that shows close to 22 million people now live in Delhi's extended urban sprawl, while Mumbai's sprawl is home to just under 21 million.

The study included Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon and Faridabad in the Delhi UA population.

Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata are known as 'megacities' as they have populations of over 10 million, of which 15% of India's total urban population lives in these three cities. The Chennai UA remains the fourth biggest and is less than half the size of Mumbai or Delhi. Chennai is followed by Bangalore and Hyderabad.

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The new Buddh International Circuit Formula One race track was inaugurated and will host the country's first Formula One Grand Prix on October 30. The 5.14 kilometre circuit is located in Greater Noida on the outskirts of Delhi.

The government hopes this new sports venue will banish the embarrassing memories of last year's Commonwealth Games.

The new track is part of a 2500 acre sports complex that will include a motor driving academy to be set up in collaboration with Mercedes-Benz. The circuit was designed by German architect Hermann Tilke and boasts the fastest straight-line of any F1 track in the world.

Fans at the event will be treated to other entertainment including performances by heavy metal stars Metallica and pop sensation Lady Gaga.

Manoj Gaur, chairman of race promoters Jaypee Group, said tickets for the race were almost sold out barring a few corporate boxes that cost some $70,000.

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Sumitra 95, who was acquitted for burning her daughter-in-law and her infant son to death in 1996, has now been given a life sentence by the Delhi High Court.

The court used the dying declaration of the daughter-in-law Meenu, to order that Sumitra be taken into custody, forfeiting her bail bond, and sentenced her to life in prison.

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A court in Ahmedabad granted bail to jailed police officer Sanjiv Bhatt, who has accused Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi of complicity in the 2002 communal riots. Bhatt was arrested in September for allegedly forcing a police constable to sign a false affidavit.

The freed suspended police officer Bhatt walked out of the Ahmedabad prison, to crowds of supporters who showered him with rose petals and to his waiting wife Shweta Bhatt who welcomed him with open arms.

Bhatt said that in his position as an officer of the law, he sees CM Narendra Modi as a common criminal who happens to be the chief minister.

Bhatt knows he is a threat to Modi, his stooges and cohorts, and is aware they will try to neutralise and even eliminate him, but he is satisfied that the rule of law has prevailed.

The Court granted Bhatt bail on the condition he will cooperate with the investigation and be present whenever called upon.

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