New Delhi, Feb 13, : The condition of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who is being treated at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), is improving.

Doctors attending on him said that his pneumonia is under control and other parameters like, heart, kidney, liver and blood pressure were normal.

"Vajpayee is still on a mechanical ventilator. He is still in ICU. But he is making steady progress," an AIIMS statement said.

New Delhi, Feb 13, : The special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Friday awarded the death sentence to Moninder Singh Pandher and Surinder Koli for their respective roles in the Nithari mass murder case.

Judge Rema Jain pronounced the quantum of sentence, terming the case as falling in the `rarest of the rare' category.

Both Pandher and Koli are accused of killing and disposing off the bodies of 19 children and a young woman between 2005 and 2006.

New Delhi, Feb 13 : Railway Minister Lalu Prasad today announced reduction in passenger fares for non sub-urban mail/express and ordinary passenger trains by one rupee for fares costing up to fifty rupees per passenger.

While introducing the Interim Railway Budget for 2009-10 in Lok Sabha today, he said that since the fare for rail travel for 10 km and below has already been reduced from four rupees to one rupee, this reduction will not be applicable for second class rail journey up to 10 km.

New Delhi, Feb 13 : The Railways have deployed their investible surplus of nearly Rs. 70,000 crore earned between 2004-05 to 2008-09 to increase its productivity.

Announcing this while presenting the Interim Railway Budget 2009-10 in the Lok Sabha today, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad said that Railways will invest Rs. 2,30,000 crore under the 11th Five Year Plan which is almost three times the amount allocated in the 10th Five Year Plan.

New Delhi, Feb 13 : The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the Centre on the petition challenging a law prohibiting abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy in case of foetal abnormality.

A bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan heard the plea of Mumbai-based Dr. Nikhil D Datar and has sought for a response of the government on the issue.

Niketa and Haresh Mehta along with their doctor Nikhil Datar had moved to court seeking abortion of the couple''s first child after physicians diagnosed the unborn child with a congenital heart block in the 24th week of pregnancy.

New Delhi, Feb 13 : Railway Minister Lalu Prasad