Arvind Kejriwal claimed that he had no aspirations of becoming either "a CM or a PM".

Arvind Kejriwal, who stepped down as the CM of Delhi recently, on Saturday claimed that his detractors could call him a "left-wing or right-wing leader", but he would still provide a non-corrupt and clean government.

The Bharatiya Janata Party seems to have painted itself in a corner over the Telangana Bill.

A suspected burglar was lynched by a mob when he was caught trying to break into a local shop by residents of Abhyudayanagar at Cotton Green in central Mumbai, police said today.        

Delhi Congress today accused Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of playing politics on the issue of Jan Lokpal Bill, saying voting in the assembly was held only on the message of the Lt Governor and the party had not refused to give support to the anti-corruption law.     

Members of a right-wing group today disrupted a reading from a controversial book by American scholar Wendy Doniger after its publisher recently decided to withdraw all copies of the work from India, following a row over its contents.        

'The Indian State has successfully excluded 44 million Indians who live in Indias Northeast from the historical, political and cultural memory of what it means to belong,' says Suchitra Vijayan in an article about Rani Gaidinliu, a forgotten freedom fighter from Manipur.

Former Attorney General Soli Sorabjee today defended Lt Governor Najeeb Jung's decision to ask the AAP government to seek Centre's prior permission before introducing the Jan Lokpal Bill in the assembly, saying he was merely following existing rules.

Amid calls by the Taliban for implementing Sharia in Pakistan, Pakistan People's Party leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari today said efforts are being made to drag the country back to the 'Stone Age' in the name of Islam.       

A 26-year-old woman working for a multinational company was stabbed to death by a man in busy Karol Bagh area of Central Delhi.        

"We need a smartphone type of education system -- open and connected," Rahul Gandhi said today, pitching for sweeping reforms in the education sector, as he spoke to students through a webcast from Bangalore University.        

Odisha's most wanted Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda managed to give police the slip once again after a firefight with security forces in a jungle in Odisha's Ganjam district today.        

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy today said the AAP is a 'Naxal party' with no specific manifesto.        

Questioning the intentions behind Lok Sabha member Lagadapati Rajagopal carrying pepper spray to Parliament, the TRS today demanded his prosecution under the charge of attempt to murder.        

Top cop Rakesh Maria has been named the new Mumbai police commissioner.

Prime Minister David Cameron has hailed Tata Motors-owned luxury car maker Jaguar Land Rover as a "great story", saying it epitomises the resilience of Britain's economy and its technological advancements.        

Moderate Hurriyat Conference Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq today said the execution of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru was a "tragic incident" for the family and entire Kashmir.        

The BJP seemed non-committal about forming the government in Delhi, following Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's decision to step down, with the main opposition saying that while it did not favour dissolution of the House, it was ready to face fresh polls.        

The mortal remains of a 35-year-old fisherman from Gujarat, who had died in a Karachi jail in Pakistan in December last year, were finally flown in to India today.        

India will provide helicopters to Afghanistan "very soon" and refurbish the war-torn country's transport aircraft, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said today.        

A Pakistani court today reserved its judgement on an appeal filed by doctor Shakil Afridi, arrested for helping the US track Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, against a 33-year prison term given to him.        

The Union Cabinet, which held a meeting on Saturday evening, has decided to recommend the imposition of President's Rule in Delhi.

Employees' union of the grounded Kingfisher Airlines, which has not paid its workers for the past 18 months, has appealed cricketer Yuvraj Singh not to play for Royal Challengers Bangalore  in the forthcoming IPL championship on "moral grounds."        

Former prime minister P V Narsimha Rao today received praise from the BJP, which lauded him for the economic reforms he had kick-started in 1991 and suggested that the job of reforms would have been more difficult for him than it was for Atal Bihari Vajpayee.        

The CPI-M today termed the AAP government's move to introduce the Jan Lokpal Bill in Delhi Assembly as "erroneous and inexpedient" and said this had provided the BJP and the Congress the opportunity to gang up against them, leading to the resignation of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.        

Slamming AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal for resigning as the Delhi chief minister, the Shiv Sena today called him a "deserter" who ran away from the battlefield.        

Goa police will file a chargesheet on Monday against Tehelka founder-editor Tarun Tejpal who was accused of sexually assaulting his woman colleague last year.        

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today emphasised that she will remain in state politics and dismissed as 'politics of drama' Narendra Modi's suggestion that she could realise her dream of West Bengal's progress if there was a BJP-led government at the Centre.        

Taking a dig at Narendra Modi, Telecom and IT Minister Kapil Sibal today said the BJP's prime ministerial candidate should come up with original ideas and stop copying those of the UPA government.        

Rejecting the outgoing government's recommendation for dissolution of the Delhi Assembly, Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung is today understood to have suggested imposition of President's rule by keeping the legislature under suspended animation.

In a report to the Centre, Jung did not favour dissolution of the 70-member Delhi Assembly as recommended by the council of ministers headed by Arvind Kejriwal when it met last night and decided to quit. The LG's move keeps the option open for any political party or a combination of parties to try and form a government in future.

Sources said Jung has conveyed to the Centre that the national capital be brought under a spell of President's rule as no party is now in a position to form an alternative government.

The final call on the LG's recommendation will be taken by the Centre, the sources said. Home ministry officials said they would take the opinion of the law ministry and place all the facts before the Union cabinet for the final decision.

Beleaguered former military dictator Pervez Musharraf was today summoned by a Pakistani court to appear on March 1 in a case related to the killing of Lal Masjid cleric Abdul Rasheed Ghazi in a 2007 military raid.

The case is being heard by an additional sessions court.

Musharraf's lawyers submitted an application requesting that the 70-year-old former president be exempted from attending today's proceedings. The court accepted the application and ordered Musharraf to appear at the next hearing on March 1.

Amid a standoff between the US and the embattled Afghan President, India today saluted Hamid Karzai's "extraordinary and brave" leadership in nurturing democracy and peace in the war-torn country.

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, in his speech at the inauguration of Afghanistan's first national agriculture university, backed Karzai and lauded his leadership in the last 12 years.

Khurshid, who arrived here earlier today on a day-long visit, said upcoming elections in the country were a testament to the fact that democracy had taken firm roots.

"These elections are a testament to the fact that democracy has taken firm roots in this country. It is also a testament to your extraordinary and brave leadership over the last 12 years, and the manner in which you have nurtured the plant of democracy in this country," he said.

In a virulent attack on BJP, Congress President Sonia Gandhi today said the Lok Sabha polls are vital to safeguard cherished national ideals like "unity and secularism" which were under threat.

"2014 is the most important election because it's about what kind of India you want. Idea of India is under threat by those who don't just seek to rule but to change India's very heart and soul," Gandhi said addressing a special convention of the Congress workers from across Kerala.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has described as "very disappointing" the resignation of a prominent ethnic Indian minister from the cabinet.

P Waythamoorthy, the leader of the Hindu rights action force (Hindraf), resigned as Deputy minister in the prime minister's Department on February 10, saying that the government has failed to fulfill its promises of protecting the rights of minority groups in the Muslim-majority nation.

Expressing his disappointment, the prime minister said, "After signing a memorandum of agreement with the ruling coalition of Barisan Nasional to promote the agenda of the ethnic Indian community, Waythamoorthy's decision to step down is very disappointing."

He said,"Waythamoorthy should have met and discussed the matter with him in private before announcing the decision last Saturday. To fulfil the agreement, he should have adapted to and cooperated with the federal administrative system in order to achieve a consensus to carry out government programmes," Najib said yesterday.

Denouncing Penguin's decision to withdraw US scholar Wendy Doniger's book, authors and activists today said it is a campaign to drown all questioning voices and prepare the ground for a chauvinistic and communal presentation of history and culture.

In a statement today, the Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust said the "surrender" of the publisher in an out-of-court settlement, which involves the withdrawal of Doniger's book 'The Hindus: An Alternative History' and the pulping of its copies, has rightly "aroused much disquiet."

The statement has been signed by Irfan Habib, C P Chandrasekhar, Mridula Mukherjee, M K Raina, Ram Rahman, Jayati Ghosh, Zoya Hasan among others. "The event has, however, a still more sinister aspect. It is, clearly an early salvo in the renewed campaign to drown all questioning voices and prepare the ground for a full-fledged chauvinistic and communal presentation of our history and culture with no quarter allowed to dissenting voices," the Sahmat statement said.

The long-standing issue of two Italian marines being tried by India is prompting tensions between the two countries and they should try to find a "reasonable" and "mutually acceptable" solution to it, the UN has said.

"The Secretary-General is concerned that this long-standing matter between Italy and India remains unresolved and is prompting tensions between two friendly and important Member States of the Organisation," UN Chief Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson Martin Nesirky told reporters.

Nesirky's remarks came as European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said after a UN Security Council meeting here yesterday that the EU is "deeply worried" about the two marines Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone being prosecuted in an Indian court under anti-terrorism legislation.

Congress Chief Jagan Reddy YSR on Saturday met Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley and discussed future course of strategies to stop the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.

Sources say that a three-point proposal was discussed between these two leaders. Jagan is also planning to meet the BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Sunday to get the party's support in stalling the Telangana Bill.

Jagan, who was accompanied by YSR Congress leader and Nellore Member of Parliament Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy, assured the BJP that there shall be a proposal for alliance between the YSR Congress and the BJP.

And for such an agreement BJP should ensure they stop the Telangana Bill. Jagan was categorical that YSR congress has the assurance of senior BJP leader L K Advani that the Bill would not be considered as legal. Sources say that the YSR Congress is confident that the BJP will stall the Bill.

Indian Express: That's what India Inc smells like these days if you can breathe through the pepper spray.

Read the full article here

Nytimes reports: In withdrawing The Hindus: An Alternative History, by the American scholar Wendy Doniger, Penguin Books India joined a long line of publishers that have pulled contentious books from the Indian market '" a decision that they say has more to do with systemic problems in the country than a lack of commitment to freedom of expression.

Read the full story here

Dailymail reports: Grappling for decades figuring out what causes its fighter pilots to make fatal errors in their cockpits, the Indian Air Force has officially identified a fresh adversary that could be posing a serious threat to flight safety: social media.

In a strongly-worded communication to all of the Air Force's combat flying squadrons in the country, the IAF's chief of flight safety Air Marshal P P Reddy has expressed extreme concern over what he sees as an over-indulgence in social media by pilots and flying crew, leading to their lack of sleep and an erosion in their ability to focus.

Read the full story here

Rediff.com's A Ganesh Nadar points out that while the Narendra Modi rally in Tiruchirapalli levied an entry fee of Rs 10, for the DMK conference, men have to pay Rs 50 and the women Rs 20.

According to Twitter, Siddharth Varadarajan, a political analyst, has asked publisher Penguin to cancel his contract, pulp his book, and return copyright.

In an email to the publisher, he has expressed his disappointment at the former's decision to pulp Wendy Doniger's book on Hindus.

Thenews reports: It was for the first time that a Taliban leader participated in the government-TTP negotiations on Friday through a phone call and promised that the Taliban will seriously consider a ceasefire

Read the full article here

Indian Express reports: Airtel has launched 4G services in Bangalore, but limited it to those using the latest Apple iPhones, the 5c and the 5s.

India's largest private telecom operator, says its services will enable users in India's tech capital to stream high definition video with zero buffering. while these are 4G services, the Apple iPhone users have the added advantage of having to pay only 3G rates for the same.

Read the full story here

M K Alagiri, the suspended DMK leader has asked his supporters to participate in the party's 10th state conference in Tiruchirapalli.

Referring to Alagiri and his supporters who were recently punished by the party, Karunanidhi said that "if their action is forgivable, we will forgive."

Karunanidhi  on Friday also slammed the Left parties for reportedly trying to project Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa as a candidate for the prime minister's post, saying that the move "is nothing but opportunistic slavery".

Florence mayor Matteo Renzi is expected to be offered the chance to become Italian prime minister, as talks begin on forming a new government. President Georgio Napolitano is starting consultations following the resignation of Enrico Letta. He was ousted in a vote called by Mr Renzi at a meeting of their centre-left Democratic Party.

 

The 39-year-old would be Italy's youngest prime minister. Mr Letta was under increasing pressure over Italy's poor economic performance. After accepting the prime minister's resignation, Mr Napolitano's office said talks would begin with political leaders on finding a replacement.

 

Read more on BBC

Norwegian mass killer Anders Breivik has threatened to start a hunger strike over his living conditions in jail, it has emerged. Breivik, who killed 77 people in 2011, compared prison to "torture' and bemoaned, among other things, the lack of an up-to-date video games console in his cell.

 

His comments were made in a four-page hand-written letter to penitentiary officials, which contains a dozen requests, including making his jail time compliant with European regulations.

 

They also tackle issues of fundamental rights, such as a daily walk and communication. Breivik requests the Playstation 2 he has access to is replaced by a more recent Playstation 3. "Other inmates have access to video games for adults while I can only play the less interesting children video games. One example is 'Rayman Revolution,' a game designed for 3-year-olds,' the 35-year-old wrote. Breivik, in solitary confinement since 2011 for security reasons, claims he has behaved "in an exemplary fashion' and deserves an improved "activities offer' compared to other inmates.

 

Read more on Euro News

A 32-year-old man allegedly committed suicide over Telangana issue in Moinabad area in Hyderabad,police said on Friday. Mahesh, a private employee, was found hanging at his residence by his wife last evening, they said.        

 

A suicide note written in Telugu purportedly by the victim, was found near his body, in which he said that he had seen yesterday's Lok Sabha proceedings on television and was depressed over the move of Seemandhra MPs to obstruct the formation of Telangana state, police said. Further investigation is on.

Kejriwal quits; recommends Delhi assembly dissolution, fresh polls

'Cong, BJP joined hands when questions were raised against Ambani'

Ready for fresh polls; Kejriwal quit to cover up failures: BJP

AAP office was prepared in advance for Kejriwal's resignation speech

Kejriwal was never serious to govern: Congress

Irom Sharmila rejects AAP offer to contest polls

Kejriwal: The uncommon chief minister's turbulent journey

Rahul backs 'One Rank, One Pension' demand of ex-servicemen

Will remain in state politics, says Parrikar

China invites India to join its Maritime Silk Road initiative

Will give up my life, but will not accept orders from Centre: Kejriwa

Opposition attacks Assam CM Gogoi for cash gift proposal

Delhi govt favours commutation of death sentence of Bhullar

Nido's killing most shameful, says PM as his parents meet him

Delhi: 4 men arrested for molesting two Manipuri girls granted bail

AAP midnight raid: Police fail to file report, seeks more time

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