A Goa BJP legislator has been caught on camera allegedly leading a group of people that demolished two structures in Calangute-Baga coastal belt, claiming they housed dance bars and sex workers.             

Up to 58 people were killed in separate bomb attacks and airstrikes in central and northern Iraq Tuesday, security sources said.

The latest disturbing video from Islamic State shows what the Islamist group touts as the next generation of jihadist killers, pint-sized terror trainees who appear to be as young as 5 participating in drills and reciting verses from the Koran.

A commuter train has derailed and several carriages overturned leaving 30 injured following a collision with a tractor-trailer. Four cars of a Southern California Metrolink commuter train tumbled onto their sides after slamming into a truck on the tracks in Ventura County northwest of Los Angeles. The truck then burst into flames. Fire officials said that there were no deaths in the train collision. Authorities said the truck driver had ran off but was caught. 

In a rather unexpected move, Ahmedabad district collector has invoked the Criminal Procedure Code's Section 144 in Ahmedabad, prohibiting mass gatherings without prior permission in order to prevent swine flu. 

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar will travel to Pakistan next week, seven months after India cancelled foreign secretary-level talks.  "We stand ready to talk with Pakistan in accordance with the Simla Agreement on all issues including Jammu and Kashmir," Spokesperson of the external affairs ministry Syed Akbaruddin said while replying to a question during a live session on Facebook. "In accordance with the PM's directive, will be undertaking a SAARC yatra to all South Asian countries including Pakistan in March," Akbaruddin said.

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar will travel to Pakistan next week, seven months after India cancelled foreign secretary-level talks.  "We stand ready to talk with Pakistan in accordance with the Simla Agreement on all issues including Jammu and Kashmir," Spokesperson of the external affairs ministry Syed Akbaruddin said while replying to a question during a live session on Facebook. "In accordance with the PM's directive, will be undertaking a SAARC yatra to all South Asian countries including Pakistan in March," Akbaruddin said.

Nine people, including the gunman, are reported as dead following a fatal shooting in the Czech Republic town of Uhersky Brod. The town is around 300 kilometres south west of Prague. The Czech interior minister Milan Chovanec has confirmed the number of fatalities.

One Central Reserve Police Force Jawan has died and 11 others have been injured after an explosion occurred in the Dumaria block of the Gaya district in Bihar. The battalion was reportedly on the lookout for Maoists forces when the incident took place.

Just in: People Democratic Party's Mufti Mohd Sayeed to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi tomorrow, reports NDTV.

Sources say Sayeed will take oath as the J&K chief minister on Sunday. T

he Bharatiya Janata Party and the PDP today formally announced that they are coming together to form a government in Jammu and Kashmir.

A Common Minimum Programme covering contentious issues such as Article 370 of the Constitution that grants special status to J and K and the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act is the basis of the alliance of the two parties which will enable BJP to come to power for the first time in the sensitive state.

A worker in the defence ministry has been arrested for allegedly providing forged identity card to a key accused in the petroleum ministry leaks case but Delhi police says it has not come across loss of documents from defence ministry.

With the arrest of defence ministry staffer Virendra Kumar, 33, thirteen people have been so far arrested in the corporate espionage case related to petroleum ministry. One person was arrested yesterday on the charge of leaking confidential documents from the coal and power ministries.

Seven persons who were detained for questioning yesterday were called for examination again today which continued till late evening. They were identified as Lalbabu, Ranjeet Mahto, both of them from the coal ministry, while Bhupendra, Amit, Kamal Kishor, Virendra and Surendra are from the petroleum ministry.

Spelling trouble for Madhya Pradesh Governor Ram Naresh Yadav, the STF probing the MPPEB scam, today registered an FIR against him in connection with alleged irregularities in recruitment of forest guards under various sections of IPC, including 420 for cheating.

Yadav has also been booked under Prevention of Corruption Act, a senior officer of the Special Task Force of MP police involved in the investigation told PTI.

"We have booked the Governor after going through the documents threadbare," the officer said. Yadav had allegedly recommended the names of five candidates for recruitment as forest guards to the top officials of Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board which conducted the examination. Some of these candidates had cracked the examination allegedly by adopting unfair means, the officer said.

"I wish they will spare her", Robert Vadra said today lamenting RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's controverisal remarks against Mother Teresa.

"Sad to watch and read the ongoing efforts, who tarnished the dedicated life of Mother Teresa. I worked at one of her centres and other than helping the poor and the needy there.... It was a real learning and humbling experience for me. I wish they will spare her and not let her life's dedicated efforts be judged," said Vadra, son-in-law of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, on Facebook.

Senior IAS officer D K Bhalla may be appointed as secretary in Lok Sabha secretariat.

Bhalla is a 1986 batch IAS officer of the Nagaland cadre. The Appointments Committee of Cabinet has approved curtailment of Bhalla's tenure as executive director in the Food Corporation of India, an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training said.

His tenure has been curtailed with the stipulation that he may join as Secretary in Lok Sabha secretariat, on deputation basis, for a period of three years or until further orders, it said. The ACC has also approved premature repatriation of Rajesh Kumar Khullar, joint secretary, Department of Economic Affairs to his parent cadre.

Khullar is a 1988 batch IAS officer of Haryana cadre. He has been repatriated without imposition of condition of extended cooling off, another DoPT order said.

The Shiv Sena today boycotted the National Democratic Alliance meeting on land acquisition bill today, saying it has certain problems with it.

"We are with the government, but we are with the farmers as well. We want certain points to be reviewed," Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut said. "We've always talked in favour of farmers and we do want economic and industrial development in nation, but this a nation of farmers. If farmers are opposing this ordinance, we must also take into consideration their views."

The BJP today refuted the charge that the Land Acquisition Bill brought by the Narendra Modi government was "anti-farmer" and claimed that "long-term interests" of the agriculturists had been kept in mind while preparing the draft.

The party also defended the decision to go for the ordinance route pointing out that notification of the proposed Act by a certain date was a "constitutional obligation".

"Opposition parties like the Congress, Trinamool, Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party have been carrying out a relentless campaign to create an impression that the ordinance is anti-farmer. We want to make it clear that contrary to their claims, the provisions in the ordinance will provide huge long-term benefits to the farmers of the country," BJP national secretary Siddharth Nath Singh told reporters.

CNN reports: A top Turkish official has blamed British authorities for the disappearance of three teenage British girls suspected of traveling from London to Turkey with the goal of joining ISIS in neighboring Syria.

"It is condemnable and shameful on the part of Britain that three girls can just go from Heathrow airport to Istanbul," Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc told reporters in Ankara today.

Look, who's heading to Jantar Mantar tomorrow -- Indian Against Corruption's old foe, the Congress party. Deepender Hooda says the party will protest at Jantar Mantar tomorrow over the land ordinance bill. "Nothing can be more anti-farmer than the Bill introduced by the Govt in Parliament today," he says.

Will the Cong join Anna's agitation? Stay with us...

Coast Guard officer BK Loshali who had contradicted the government's stand on the explosion of a Pakistani boat on New Year's Eve, has been summarily sacked as Chief of Staff at Northwest region. What awaits him now is a Board of Inquiry in Gujarat.

Loshalis version contradicted the claims by the defence minister, ministry and the Coast Guard made immediately after the incident when they had maintained that when the boat was chased by Coast Guard ships four men on board had set it ablaze.

Loshali then made a U-turn, claiming he was misquoted by the media. However, the Indian Express uploaded the video of Loshali in which he says that he ordered on December 31 night to blow up that boat.

Let me tell you. I hope you remember December 31 night... We blew off that Pakistan... We have blown them off. I was there at Gandhinagar and I told at night, blow the boat off. We dont want to serve them biryani, he had said in Surat.

Rudy Giuliani attempted to explain remarks that were critical of President Barack Obama in a Wall Street Journal editorial over the weekend, even as Haaretz revealed on Monday that questioning Obama's love of country might actually be a regular Giuliani talking point.  Read more

Pakistan police have rounded up some people for questioning into the death of Reuters bureau chief in the country, who police said was found dead in Islamabad under mysterious circumstances.

Golovnina (34), who was also looking after Afghanistan, died yesterday at her office-cum-home in Islamabad.

The Russian-origin journalist was found dead in mysterious circumstances, the News quoted police as saying. The cause of death is being investigated.

"The police are investigating the case on different aspects to clear the doubts," the newspaper quoted a police officer as saying.

Golovnina's body was shifted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for postmortem but the hospital administration did not receive a request from the area police for an autopsy.

PIMS sources claimed that there were no signs of torture on body of the deceased, adding that apparently, she died her natural death. She died in her bathroom after she vomited. A staffer found her dead in the bathroom of her room and informed the police, the paper said.

The police reached the scene and shifted her body to PIMS hospital. The police said that Golovnina often visited Afghanistan and northern parts of Pakistan for news coverage.

Oil Ministry suspends ONGC Director Shashi Shankar over allegations of irregularities.

On a day of acrimony in Parliament over the Land Acquisition Bill, some eye candy. BJP MP Hema Malini wears party colours as she arrived on day 2 of the budget session of Parliament.

The constitution of the Missionaries of Charity, Payal Singh Mohanka points out, declares, 'We shall not impose our Catholic faith on anyone, but have profound respect for all religions.'

Read the column on Rediff.com.

Now a train passenger can also order and enjoy hot pizza at his or her seat while travelling. They can order their pizza either online or through a phone call and delivery will be made at 12 selected stations including New Delhi and Jaipur to begin with.

As part of its endeavour to offer wide variety to passengers to choose from and to make available the popular food brands in market under its newly launched e-catering services, IRCTC has tied up with Jubilant Food Works Ltd, the parent company of Domino's Pizza, on a trial basis.

As per the arrangement, a passenger travelling in a train without pantry car will be able to place an order for a pizza of his choice either online (www.ecatering.irctc.co.in) or through a phone call which would be served at his seat in the train enroute, said a senior IRCTC official.

The passenger can also order through toll-free number 1800-1034-139 and 0120-2383892-99 or an SMS to 139 giving details of his PNR and seat number.

Initially, the services is being offered by Domino's Pizza at 12 stations which include Agra, Alwar, Ambala, Jalandhar, Mathura, Muzzafarnagar, Pathankot, Vapi, Bharuch and Vadodara.  E-catering facility has been extended to 120 trains, and more number of trains is being added to list every few days.

Mehbooba Mufti and Amit Shah's meeting at his residence has just ended. As the PDP leader and the BJP president pose for photographs outside Shah's house, Mehbooba says peoples' interests have been kept in mind while forming the alliance. "We have reached an understanding. I am happy that hurdles have been removed," she said.

Amit Shah confirmed that the PDP and BJP will form a coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir. "We will form govt with PDP in J-K in a few days," he said. Details of the agenda of the alliance will be out soon, Shah said. Mufti Mohd Sayeed, who will be the chief minister and PM Modi will have a meeting and a formal date of government formation will be declared.

Mehbooba said that the alliance was not for power, but to win people's hearts.

J&K deputy CM is likely to be BJP's Nirmal Singh. Six cabinet ministers each from BJP and PDP, and the swearing in is expected in Jammu on March 1.

A fierce encounter is on between militants and security forces in south Kashmir's Shopian district, according to a senior police officer.

The officer said troops of the Rashtriya Rifles (RR) and the police jointly surrounded a house in Hef Shermal village of the Shopian district this afternoon on specific information about the presence of two militants.

"As security forces challenged the militants holed-up inside the house to surrender, they opened fire triggering a gunfight which is still on," the officer said. "We have reports of presence of two militants inside the house," he said. 

Delhi High Court refuses to stay the ongoing proceedings before a trial court in the December 5, 2014 Uber cab rape case.

Just in: Environmentalist RK Pachauri quits as the chair of United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Pachauri, who has been accused of sexual harassment, went on leave from The Energy and Resources Institute or TERI, the think tank that he leads.

In a letter, he said that he had decided to go on leave to remove fears that he would influence the case.

"In view of the present circumstances and in the interest of taking an immediate decision for removing any fears of my influencing the due process being followed within the institute, I am proceeding on leave for the time being with immediate effect," the 74-year-old activist wrote.

Dr Pachauri, the chairman of the Nobel prize winning IPCC, has been accused of sexually harassing a woman employee.

PDP's Mehbooba Mufti meets BJP President Amit Shah at his residence. What this heralds is that Jammu and Kashmir will finally get a government with the BJP-PDP coalition set to be announced on March 1.

The deal on government formation has been finalised between the PDP and the BJP, which emerged as the number one and two parties, respectively, in last year's Assembly Elections.

As per reports, PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed will be the chief minister in the coalition government that will rule the state for six years.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is back where it all began. Kejrwial along with 66 MLAs of the Aam Aadmi Party joined his former mentor Anna Hazare at Jantar Mantar to protest against the Modi government's Land Acquisition Bill.

Kejriwal, along with Kiran Bedi, was one of the most famous faces of 2011's Lokpal movement and formed the backbone of the India Against Corruption movement.

Hazare, who fell out with Kejrwial after he joined politics has now said he would "welcome" Kejriwal to join him, allowing his campaign to take a political turn for the first time.

"Arvind Kejriwal is a Chief Minister, he cannot be treated like any ordinary citizen," he had said. "If other Chief Ministers join our protest, shall allow them to come on stage," Hazare said today.

PDP's Mehbooba Mufti to meet BJP president Amit Shah on an alliance ahead of government formation in Jammu and Kashmir.

Opposition today raised a hue and cry over a Union minister's call for a debate on the words 'secular and socialist' in the preamble of the Constitution but government ruled out any proposal to remove these words.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Jyotiraditya Scindia also sought to raise the controversial remarks about Mother Teresa by RSS Mohan Bhagwat but was dissallowed by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. Scindia was supported by several opposition members.

"Ravi Shankar Prasad (Minister) recently sought a debate on the preamble. Shiv Sena also supported him. Supreme Court had said several times that these (words) are an inviolable part of the Constitution," he said, adding that this coupled with events like 'ghar wapsi' shows the true face of the Modi government.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal joins Anna Hazare in his protest at Jantar Mantar against the land ordinance.

Guaranteed eyeballs.

If the buzzwords for the day are 'Land Ordinance Bill', here's what you should read. Take a look.

Is your jaw still open after Chris Gayle's double ton? Well, here's how he prepared for the match yesterday. (See the picture).

The mercurial batsman hit the first double century in the history of World Cup in Tuesday's Pool B match against Zimbabwe at Canberra. Gayle's devastating knock of 215 off 147 balls helped West Indies reach 372 for 2.

The picture was tweeted by @paddypower and guys, it's a joke. Lighten up. This was most likely a photo shoot for an advertisement. 

Green, which is the dominant colour of the TMC, is what its MPs choose to wear in the Lok Sabha today. Other MPs tittered that the green MPs, at least 20 in number, were protesting the land ordinance or whether they were from Greenpeace?

But there was no green in the Rajya Sabha. TMC MP Derek O'Brien wore a suit, while two other MPs were seen in white kurtas.

In any case, there is hardly any consensus among the MPs in the Rajya Sabha. None of the five TMC MPs directly speak to O'Brien as they feel he is not so much a politician, but a quiz master. 

BJP President Amit Shah announces a eight-member committee to look into suggestions of farmers' organisations on the the land acquisition ordinance.

Former Punjab CM Capt Amrinder Singh's presence in the Lok Sabha, seated behind Sonia Gandhi, is being seen as the beginning of the winds of change blowing in the grand old party. For a bit, at least.

Now that Rahul Gandhi has taken leave to find answers to problems that have foxed him, the old guard is back.

This is the first time that Amarinder Singh was seen in Lok Sabha taking part in the question hour.

Former union minister Kamal Nath was seated next to Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the front row of the Lok Sabha today.

BJP MPs from Madhya Pradesh from the treasury benches waved at Nath, which in effect was a reminder that he was in fact occupying what used to be Rahul Gandhi's place in Parliament. An embarrassed Kamal Nath did not respond to comments about Rahul's absence.  

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal will ask the people to make the budget. Kejriwal said he will start by going to people in 5-10 constituencies and ask for their opinion. He said it was an experiment and would start it on a pilot basis.

Kejriwal also said that he and all 67 AAP MLAS will join Anna Hazare to protest the land acquisition bill.  nna Hazare, who has in the past refused to share the stage with any political leader, has welcomed his former aide to join the movement, said sources.

The buzz in the Central Hall of Parliament today was the absence of Rahul Gandhi with senior Congress leaders wondering at the timing of his leave.

What we hear from the grapevine is that Mr G has packed eight suitcases and is accompanied by two close friends and a SPG man who is also a confidante.

It is only these people who know Rahul's schedule.

Obviously, the our netas in Parliament have wondering on the gender of the those accompanying him, but so far, nobody knows. 

Masked gunmen wearing Afghan National Army uniforms kidnapped 30 Shiite Muslim men from a bus in central Afghanistan, officials said.The men were taken late Monday afternoon as their bus was passing through Zabul province on the highway between Kandahar and Kabul. -- CNN

Congress is doing it's work, would have been better if Rahul-ji were here to guide us but we are doing our work, says Mani Shankar Aiyar on the party opposing the Land Acquisition Bill.

The Hindu cartoon today on Rahul's four-week leave from Parliament which he has taken to ponder over issues at hand even while his party struggles to stay afloat.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's controversial comment that Mother Teresa served the poor with the objective of converting people to Christianity had the government facing opposition fury in Parliament today.

Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said in the Lok Sabha today, "I can give an explanation on what the government says, not on what some party's chief or general secretary says."

The Congress said the BJP must apologise on behalf of the RSS, and called for a discussion, but the Speaker,  rejected it.

On Monday, Bhagwat at a village in Rajasthan said, "Here (the NGO opening), the service isn't like Mother Teresa's. Her service would have been good but it used to have one objective, to see that the person who was being helped felt obliged to become a Christian. The question is not about conversion but if this (conversion) is done in the name of service, then that service gets devalued. In our country, service is neutral."

So, what is the Land Acquisition Bill all about? Read this

For all News Hour watchers: The Hoot reports that yesterday, Kavita Krishnan, secretary, All India Progressive Women's Association, posted on Facebook that she and fellow activists Vrinda Grover and Kavita Srivastava, had refused to appear on Times Now for a panel discussion on the alleged sexual harassment case against TERI DG RK Pachauri.

"We're doing this in protest because we believe the News Hour programs systematically incited violence against people's movement activists by branding them as 'anti-national'." 

Krishnan was referring to the Feb. 17 News Hour show on a Greenpeace activist stopped from going to London.

Former Union minister and Congress Rajya Sabha MP Renuka Chowdhury reacts to reports that an Auir India flight was delayed for 45 mintues as she had gone shopping.

Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Chodhury said, "If the flight was late due to "shopping", who asked them (Air India) to wait, if I was late, leave. I am not Dolly the sheep who has been cloned; how come I was in Chicago, when I was in Parliament.

"I have not not shopped. PERIOD: The flight was two hours late. Now it is the responsibility of Air India to establish that I was shopping. They officially have to confirm it. I was not in Chicago. I have not shopped. Air India has to produce evidence that I was shopping or else apologise."


An Air India flight to Hyderabad from Delhi, with Chowdhury and a Supreme Court judge on board, was held up for 45 minutes in Delhi after a senior Congress leader from Telangana did not turn up for boarding at the scheduled time as she was allegedly busy shopping.

"Last Friday, former Union minister and Congress Rajya Sabha MP Renuka Chowdhury was travelling to Hyderabad on Air India's Chicago-Delhi-Hyderabad flight AI-126, which was scheduled to take off at 1900 hours. Chowdhury did not turn up on time despite repeated announcements of the final call by the airline staff. She finally turned up after scheduled departure time but not before the pilot had missed his turn in the departure sequence," sources said.

Since her baggage had already gone on the flight, it was not possible to retrieve it at the last minute, sources said adding "Air India did not have an option but to wait for her."

Chowdhury finally turned up at 7.04pm, they said alleging she was in the shopping area doing shopping and because of her the flight got delayed by some 45 minutes.

If you've just joined us, this is what happened in Parliament today.

A united Opposition today tore into an ordinance promulgated to amend land acquisition rules, calling it an "anti-farmer" move brought by "bypassing" Parliament to benefit corporate houses, a charge vehmently denied by the government.

Soon after obituary references and listed papers laid on the table in Rajya Sabha, Anand Sharma (Cong) said Congress and three other parties have given a notice under rule 267 for suspension of the business as the government has bypassed Parliament to make changes in a law that was passed in 2013 through consensus of all parties including BJP.

Defending the ordinance route, Finance Minister and Leader of the House Arun Jaitley said 639 ordinances had been promulgated since Independence, of which 80 per cent were under Congress rule.

As many as 70 ordinances were promulgated under first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and 18 under United Front, he said listing ordinances that were promulgated multiple times during the previous UPA regime.

"No law can be passed by by-passing Parliament," he said, adding a bill to convert the ordinance into an Act was listed for introduction in Lok Sabha and after it is passed in that House, it will be brought to the Upper House for discussion.

"So the new logic that is being constructed that Parliament is being bypassed, is not justified," Jaitley said.

Sharma responded saying ordinances under Nehru were spread over his 17 years in power and under extra-ordinary circumstances as the country had just been partitioned.

The ordinances under UPA had to be re-promulgated multiple time as the opposition had not allowed the House to function, he said. Stating that no bill was being referred to parliamentary standing committees, the Congress leader said the land ordinance was promulgated without discussion with anyone inside or outside the House and the government was by-passing parliament scrutiny.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister replies to the objection of MPs.

BJP, NDA leaders to discuss land bill later today to make it more effective, MoS Rajiv Pratap Rudy, says.

The Land acquisition bill is tabled in the Lok Sabha. PM Modi says amendments to the land acquisition bill is based on suggestions by Congress-ruled states. The government will therefore not be on a backfoot on it. The PM also asks BJP MPs to bust the "myths" propagated by the opposition on the land bill.

So, Arun Jaitley tells the RS that the government intends to hold discussions with all parties on the contentious Land Acquisition ordinance.

After an hour of sustained debate in both houses, the government gives to the opposition and says the land acquisition bill will be discussed before it is brought to the house. So, the government will not take the ordinance route, for now.

In the Lok Sabha, a united opposition puts the govt on the mat.

Jaitley's stand is that the govt is within its right to take the ordinance route and after the listing the number of ordinances the Congress had put forth in Parliament when the UPA was in power, he says the Congress has lost the right to protest ordinances. Jaitley says the amended land bill is in the interest of farmers.

Anand Sharma tells Jaitley the BJP wants to bypass parliament scrutiny.

Is Rahul Gandhi being missed in Parliament? Unlikely, since the Congress vice president rarely ever opens his mouth in the House.

Rudy says that the Piyush Goyal spoke extensively about coal ordinance and shared the details of the new auction. The arbitrariness and corruption that was at previous auctions during the UPA regime has been fully exposed, says Rudy.

Rajiv Pratap Rudy, BJP, confirms that the land ordinance bill will be comprehensively discussed in the parliamentary party meet at 6 pm today.

Both houses of Parliament have still not been adjourned. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley defends the decision on the land ordinance bill saying the government is within its rights to take the ordinance route. The Land Acquisition Amendment Bill 2015 seeks approval for changes brought in the law through an ordinance or emergency executive order.

In Parliament, Arun Jaitley and Anand Sharma (Cong) face off.

Sharma says, "What is the need for the BJP govt to bring in a new ordinance every 27 days? You (to Arun Jaitley) expect Parliament to rubber stamp your ordinances, you dont send anything to standing committee."

Jaitley lists ordinances brought by the UPA government earlier. "The Opposition can't pre-empt discussion on the Land Bill in the Lok Sabha," Jaitley said listing ordinances passed by the previous UPA government.

The government has also moved notices in the Rajya Sabha to withdraw bills on insurance, coal and the motor vehicles act, which have to be replaced with ordinances issued by the government.

Shekhar Gupta tweets: Watching Parl on Land Acq law, I can confirm that many UPA leaders, PC, Kamal N, Anand Sharma, Moily, even MMS disagreed with their own Act.

He is the yoga guru who built an empire on sweat and swagger. He has a stable of luxury cars and a Beverly Hills mansion. During trainings for hopeful yoga teachers, he paces a stage in a black Speedo and holds forth on life, sex and the transformative power of his brand of hot yoga. "I totally cure you,' he has told interviewers. "Whatever the problem you have."

Read more

Probably the highpoint of Arvind Kejriwal's second innings as Delhi CM came yesterday when he met his mentor Anna Hazare.

Kejriwal will join the social activist in his protest against the land ordinance today at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.

Kejriwal, who was Anna's lieutenant in the anti-corruption movement three years ago, came to the Maharashtra Sadan and met the Gandhian for the first time after the two had gone apart two years ago when the Aam Aadmi Party was formed.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia made the announcement about Kejriwal's participation in the protest which maybe of symbolic nature.

While Sisodia parried a question whether Kejriwal would share the dais, Hazare had earlier said that the AAP leaders were welcome to sit with the protesters.

"We discussed about the Delhi election results. We also discussed about the Land Acquisition Ordinance and how AAP could extend support to him (Hazare)," Sisodia said.

Delhi LG Najeeb Jung speaking in the Delhi Assembly. "People have given a huge mandate, a clear mandate and that is very conducive to development. My government wants to work on the foundation of transparency.

"My government wants full statehood for Delhi, Delhi people have wanted this for long. Services have to be given to people with full honesty and services need to reach everyone.

"Women safety is essential, and fast track courts need to be in action for them and for the youth." 

BJP Parliamentary Party meet on the Land Acquisition Bill scheduled for 6 pm today.

In Parliament, battle lines are drawn as the Modi government will introduce the Land Acquisition Amendment Bill 2015 in the Lok Sabha today. The govt needs approval for changes brought in the law through an ordinance or emergency executive order.

Opposition parties, primarily the Congress and the TMC has said they will giving notice for the suspension of Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha today to discuss the land ordinance. The opposition says the ordinance is "anti-farmer". The Samajwadi Party and the Janata Dal (United) are also expected to join in the attack. 

The benchmark BSE Sensex was trading above the 29,000-mark by rising over 79 points in early trade today as participants made selective buying ahead of monthly expiry in the derivatives segment on Thursday and the Union Budget on Saturday.

The 30-share barometer gained 79.71 points, or 0.27 per cent, to 29,054.82.

The index had lost 487.16 points in the previous two sessions. Sectoral indices led by realty, FMCG, consumer durables, capital goods and healthcare were trading in positive zone with gains up to 1.06 per cent. Similarly, the wide-based National Stock Exchange Nifty index edged higher by 13.10 points, or 0.15 per cent, to 8,768.05.

Delhi: Protest against land acquisition bill at Jantar Mantar.

Sheikh Nazir, veteran National Conference leader and uncle of former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah, died at a hospital this morning. He was 84. 

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin will participate in a live Question and Answer session on Facebook today on India's external engagements.

In news just coming in a  Delhi police official has said that a man employed as casual worker in the Defence Ministry has been arrested in a corporate espionage case. 

Expressing concern over the arrest of former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed on terrorism charges, the US has asked the Maldivian government to take steps to restore confidence in their commitment to democracy, judicial independence and rule of law. 

Expressing concern over the arrest of former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed on terrorism charges, the US has asked the Maldivian government to take steps to restore confidence in their commitment to democracy, judicial independence and rule of law. 

A UN report is calling for drones to be deployed in most peacekeeping missions as part of a major technological leap needed to help the United Nations confront world crises, the lead expert of the study has said. 

The Narendra Modi government is likely to introduce the Land Acquisition Amendment Bill in Lok Sabha today. 

Expressing concern over the arrest of former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed on terrorism charges, the US has asked the Maldivian government to take steps to restore confidence in their commitment to democracy, judicial independence and rule of law.

The US has asked for an emergency stay on a Texas court order that had put on hold orders taken by President Barack Obama on immigration reform which could save millions of undocumented workers, including Indians, from being deported. 

The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has said war with neighbouring Ukraine is "unlikely", in an interview for Russian television.

 A prominent Egyptian activist behind the 2011 uprising was sentenced to five years in prison on Monday over an unauthorised but peaceful protest, signaling authorities' determination to stifle dissent a day after President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi vowed to release 'wrongly jailed youths'.

Islamabad, Pakistan Pakistani authorities have arrested a suspect in the December 16 attack on a public school in Peshawar that left more than 140 people dead, most of them children.

The makeup designer for The Grand Budapest Hotel says Ralph Fiennes was relieved he was "putting rubber on someone else.'

US Secretary of State John Kerry's 'constructive' talks with his Iranian counterpart over Tehran's contentious nuclear programme ended today with some 'progress' made but there was still a 'long way to go' as a new round of negotiations would take place next week.

The Oscars gave out many awards on Sunday night, but best ratings was not one of them.

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The Somali-based terrorist group Al-Shabab suggested that allies in the west target the Mall of America in a video released over the weekend.

Fight Club fans brace yourselves: the first extract from the sequel to the 1996 novel has just been released.

When he decided to come to Uluberia in Howrah to attend the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) camp, he had in mind what a Union minister had to face last year for coming late to a Sangh event in Agra. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had made the minister sit at the last row.

John Travolta tried to do damage-repair for last year's "Adele Dazeem" gaffe, but it seems the guy just can't catch a break.

Not since Lena Baker, an African-American convicted of murder in Randolph County, has Georgia executed a woman.

A 94-year-old man has been charged with 3,681 counts of accessory to murder in Germany on allegations he served at Auschwitz.

Hours after a fan nailed himself to a cross, praying for the return of Jayalalithaa as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, she wrote a letter to him. In the letter, Jayalalithaa, also known as Amma, said, "While I do appreciate the fervour of your actions, I consider that subjecting oneself to such an extreme act of self-inflicted pain should be avoid."

Nineteen more persons have tested positive for swine flu in Kashmir, taking the total number of positive cases to 143 in the state, officials said.