New Delhi, Feb 23 : Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who is undergoing treatment for a chest infection at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), is reported to be showing signs of steady improvement.

"Today someone read out the newspaper to him. It is a daily practice. He watches TV and also spends time listening to good classical and old film music," Dr Sampath Kumar, Chief of Cardio Thoracic Vascular Sciences Department at AIIMS, said on Monday.

"Once we are satisfied about his recovery, we will discharge him, Kumar added.

New Delhi, Feb 23 : External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee claimed on Monday that tax collections have more than doubled since the United Progressive Alliance came to power in May 2004.

Direct and indirect tax collections have grown at an impressive pace over the past few years and it stands at about six lakh crore rupees annually, said Mukherjee after laying the foundation stone of Rajaswa Bhawan in New Delhi.

London, February 23 : Delhi has experienced a significant growth in becoming a popular destination amongst Brit tourists, and recession is to take the credit, say reports.

According to Opodo. co. uk, an online travel service, flights from Britain to the Indian capital were up by as much as 165 per cent.

The reason was accorded to holidaymakers' preference for a long-haul travel in place of short city breaks against the weakening pound.

New Delhi, Feb 23 : Union Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma today congratulated the `Slumdog Millionaire' and `Smile Pinky' team for winning prestigious Oscar Awards.

In his message, Sharma said, " This is the finest hour of Indian cinema in the global scenario."

The Slumdog Millionaire took the best picture Academy Award and seven other Oscars. The movie won Oscar for Best Picture, Best Direction, Best Original Song, Best Original Score, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Cinematography and Best Adapted Screenplay.

New Delhi, Feb. 23 : India has set up a team of Hindu gurus and 200 scientists to identify all ancient yoga positions or asanas and register each one to stop "patent pirates" from stealing its "traditional knowledge".

So far, they have added 600 asanas to India''s Traditional Knowledge Digital Library to stop so-called gurus in the United States and Europe patenting established poses as their own, reports The Telegraph.

Attempts by mostly American yoga teachers to patent yoga moves from their classes as their own originals has angered India.

New Delhi, Feb 23 : While Danny Boyle''s Slumdong Millonaire has received a mixed response of both appreciation and outrage in India for showing the life of slum children, there are many children in this part of the world for whom being a slum kid is just a way of life.

Fifteen-year-old Mehboob has no regret for not being sent to school by his family. He is happy that he is earning a livelihood out of collecting garbage from colleges in Delhi University''s north campus, opposite the Law Faculty.

Murtaza, his eight-year-old brother, helps him to collect and bring the garbage from colleges on a rickshaw.