New Delhi  - India's annual rate of inflation declined to a two-decade low of 0.44 per cent for the week that ended March 7, the federal Ministry of Commerce and Industry said Thursday.

The wholesale price-linked inflation declined by 1.99 percentage points from the previous weel's 2.43 per cent, fuelling expectations that the federal Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was to further cut interest rates to boost a slowing economy.

The wholesale index includes a range of basic food items and utilities.

New Delhi, Mar 19: Sales of luxury clothes have gone down as people have started feeling the pinch of the global economic downturn, but designers at the ongoing Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week, sounded optimistic.

Designers are refusing to rein in their creativity; they are using less expensive materials to construct this year''s must-haves.

New Delhi, Mar 19 : Sombre shades of city life were reflected in designer Nitin Bal Chauhan''s collection for the Autumn/Winter''09 collection at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week.

Infused with drama, the designer put together a show, which had shades of dark and explored the grim realities of the urban lifestyle at the much awaited five-day fashion extravaganza, which kick started here on Wednesday.

Aptly titled ''Conditions Apply Part II'', the collection in hues of grey and tinge of light black, lived up to the theme and brought to life successfully the nine stories of vanity, deliverance, teen suicide, mediocrity, accidents, urbanisation, senior citizens, sealing and divorce which centre round the lives of most of the metropolitan people.

New Delhi, Mar 19 : Students of Delhi University have joined family members of fashion designer Anand Jon, who has been convicted in the US for sexually assaulting budding models, in a demonstration aimed at demanding justice for him.

Holding banners and posters, the students raised slogans seeking justice for Jon, who is languishing in a Los Angeles jail.

A silent candle light march was also taken out pray for his speedy trial here last evening.

Jammu/New Delhi, Mar 19 : Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram has said security forces are ready to ensure peaceful polls in Jammu and Kashmir.

New Delhi, Mar 19: The investiture ceremony for conferring the Kirti Chakra on train driver N. N. Bora posthumously will be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan today.

Bora, a train driver of the Lumding division in Northeast Frontier Railway, was awarded the second most important gallantry award posthumously for saving the lives of 34 railway men on board a special train, which after leaving Mupa station in Lumding – Badarpur MG hill section of Northeast Frontier Railway was under heavy fire by militants.

The train was coming out of a tunnel at the time of the attack. Bora, subsequently succumbed to his injuries. He did an excellent job in reversing the passenger special train inside the tunnel and saved the lives.