AAP leader Kumar Vishwas today took a dig at the BJP's decision to field Kiran Bedi as its chief ministerial candidate, claiming that the rival party took the decision as it was 'scared' of its leader Arvind Kejriwal.

And Harsh Goenka tweets: #Saurav Ganguly to join BJP. Big coup for the party in West Bengal. #Dada vs Didi.

Just in: The CBI has arrested three persons including the then private secretary to Former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran in connection with illegal telephone exchange case.

Security agencies were sent into a tizzy ahead of the Republic Day celebrations when a PCR call was received from a man who threatened to blow up the Parliament House on January 26.

The Pakistan Maritime Security Agency has apprehended as many as 38 Indian fishermen and seized seven of their boats near international boundary off Jakhau coast in Kutch, an office-bearer of National Fish Workers' Forum said today.

The police today arrested two overground workers of Hizbul Mujahideen militant outfit from Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir. 

It is an unlikely friendship that ties the fates of war correspondent Kenji Goto and troubled loner Haruna Yukawa, the two Japanese hostages for whom Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants demanded a US$200 million (S$267 million) ransom this week.

Top Pentagon official Frank Kendall arrived in India today to give final touches to bilateral military-related content, especially Defence Trade and Technology Initiative, ahead of US President Barack Obama's visit.

Senior Congress party leader Salman Khurshid said that the idea of Ramraj is no different from Nizam-E-Mustafa which comes from a different stream.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been invited to address a joint meeting of the US Congress next month to discuss security issues including violent extremism, House Speaker John Boehner announced on Wednesday.

The United States and Cuba opened two days of historic talks in Havana on Wednesday to end decades of Cold War-era animosity and reestablish diplomatic relations.

The world's first-ever terminal for animals is set to open at the John F Kennedy Airport in 2016 and it will transport 70,000 animals a year once the $48 million (Rs 295 crore) facility becomes operational. The 178,000-square-foot state-of-the-art animal handlingand intelligent air cargo facility, aptly called The Ark, will be built at a cost of $48 million.

The Bharatiya Janata Party spent over Rs 61 crore on the unique 3D-style poll campaign of its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in the run up to the 2014 Lok Sabha election. It also shelled out a whopping over Rs 304 crore on other audio-visual media campaigns for the same electoral battle. The figures are part of the election expenditure details furnished by the party to the Election Commission recently. 

The Supreme Court will give its final order on the 2013 Indian Premier League betting and match-fixing scandal tomorrow. All eyes will be on Board of Control for Cricket in India president-in-exile N Srinivasan and his IPL team Chennai Super Kings.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said "extra precaution" is being taken at the borders ahead of US President Barack Obama's visit not just as a security measure for him but also to prevent incidents which might be undertaken to divert attention. 

Just in: Shiite Houthi rebels overtook the presidential palace in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, on Tuesday, marking what a government minister called "the completion of a coup."

"The President has no control," Minister of Information Nadia Sakkaf told CNN as clashes raged.President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi was thought to be in his private residence at the time -- not in the palace.

A day after BJP President Amit Shah took on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at a rally here, top Trinamool Congress leaders today launched a counter-attack on the saffron party.

"The support of people is with TMC and Mamata Banerjee. BJP cannot digest this fact," Banerjee's nephew and party MP Abhishek Banerjee told a party rally in Kolkata.

"Can you block the sunlight by covering your eyes with your hand? No. Defeating Mamata Banerjee is not easy," he said taking a dig at Shah's claim yesterday that his party is going to form the next government in West Bengal.

BJP wants to defeat Mamata Banerjee by indulging in propaganda through a section of media, he alleged adding, "A few dalals are carrying out negative propaganda against her."

Banerjee, he said, had stood by the people in Nandigram, Singur and at Netai.

"Mamata Banerjee started her struggle wearing hawai chappals three decades ago. She still follows the same lifestyle ... She has a long history of struggle. She did not become a mass leader overnight ... They (BJP) do not know Bengali language, Bengali culture.

"Let there be a competition based on development. Let them (BJP) talk based on facts and figures," Abhishek, also a national president of Trinamool Congress said.

Janardan Dwivedi, Congress party general secretary and a member of the coterie close to party President Sonia Gandhi, speaking exclusively to Rediff.com, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started a new era.Coming from a political leader belonging to a staunchly rival party, this is one of the most surprising and politically potent compliments that Modi has got since coming to power in May 2014.

Read the Rediff.com report that is causing a stir.

AAP chief, Arvind Kejriwal, is nearly poorer by Rs 2 lakh since last year's national election but he has gained more FIRs or police complaints in his name.

Kejriwal today declared assets worth a little over two crores while filing his nomination papers to contest next month's Delhi election.

The amount is less than the Rs. 2.14 crore he had declared seven months ago, when he challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi and lost the election.

True to his "aam aadmi" or common man image, Kejriwal reported that he has no car and his bank account has dropped from four lakh rupees last year to Rs. 2.28 lakh now.

His assets include a flat near Delhi worth Rs. 56 lakh, his wife Sunita's flat in Gurgaon worth Rs. 1 crore and inherited property worth Rs. 37 lakh. The Kejriwals also have gold worth nine lakh rupees and silver worth Rs. 50,000. -- NDTV

Kiran Bedi declares assets worth Rs 11.65 crore belonging to her and her husband.

Bedi, the BJP's chief ministerial candidate also said in her affidavit that she has movable and immovable assets worth Rs 11,04,02,677 while the assets of both these types of her husband is worth Rs 61,35,528.

She has declared movable assets at Rs 3,14,02,677, including 5 gms of gold worth Rs 25,000 while her husband has a total of Rs 32,85,528.

In her affidavit, she said she has three flats -- at Dwarka, Uday Park in Delhi and at Gautam Buddh Nagar of UP and the total value of these flats has been put at Rs 6.05 crore.

The former IPS officer, who owns a Maruti 800 car, has agricultural land in two locations - one in Pune and another in Gurgaon.

The value of the land in Pune has been put at Rs 1.60 crore while the one in Gurgaon at Rs 25 lakh.

Bedi's husband owns an agricultural land in Amritsar worth Rs 28.50 lakh, according to the affidavit.

In the affidavit, she has mentioned cash Rs 55,750 in hand and while her husband has Rs 15,500 in cash.

The affidavit also said she has a fixed deposit worth Rs 2.10 crore while she has Rs 25,43,852 in her four saving bank accounts.

She has declared a total income in 2013-14 at Rs 67,15,464 while her husband's income in that period was not shown as it was below taxable income.

Congress appears upset with former union minister Kapil Sibal for appearing for the West Bengal government in the Saradha scam and asks him to take note of angry sentiments of partymen in the state.

Sibal is defending the West Bengal government and Trinamool Congress general secretary Mukul Roy in the Saradha scam case in the Supreme  Court.

Massive protests erupted in the state Congress unit on Monday, leaving the party high command in a fix.

Story of Kiran 'Crane' Bedi more myth than fact. Read

Anna Hazare speaks out on BJP's CM candidate Kiran Bedi, who was a close aide in his India Against Corruption movement.

Hazare has so far refused to take calls from Bedi and is allegedly hurt that she took the decision to join politics without consulting him.

But breaking his silence, Anna said, that while he does not want to comment on Kiran Bedi, he maintained that politics was dirty.  

Hazare, whose IAC campaign won extensive support from the middle classes in 2011, had not been in favour of going into mainstream politics. Both he and Bedi - had opposed Arvind Kejriwal's move to launch the Aam Aadmi Party.

Pic: A 2011 picture of the India Against Corruption team of Anna Hazare with Kiran Bedi, Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia.

While on Bedi and Kejriwal, read this: There is more that is common between Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi than what might separate them. In fact, what divides them can be spelt out in just two words: Clashing ambitions. Read the column on Rediff.com. 

BJP's chief ministerial nominee Kiran Bedi tells PTI that she joined the BJP to defeat Arvind Kejriwal's confrontational politics. She also said that the RSS was a "very nationalist" organisation that has kept India united.

Earlier in the day, Congress leader Ajay Maken, who filed his nomination from Sadar Bazar seat, today attacked Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi, accusing them of using Anna Hazare to fulfil their political ambitions.

Maken, who is the Congress campaign committee chief, also said that AAP and BJP are two sides of the same coin as anti-Congressism "is their thought".

Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi, who have been named as the CM candidate by Aam Aadmi Party and BJP respectively, could align any time in future, he claimed.

"Both of them used to wave flags standing beside Anna Hazare, they got into politics by climbing on his shoulder. The Ps and Ss about which Bedi has been talking about these days does not include corruption, does corruption become a non-issue as soon as she got into BJP," he said.

Well-known journalist Malini Parthasarathy has been appointed as the Editor of The Hindu with effect from February 1, the Chennai-based newspaper announced today. She will be the first woman to hold the prestigious position. The statement said the Board of Directors of Kasturi and Sons Ltd. (KSL), publishers of The Hindu and Group publications, took the decision unanimously at its meeting yesterday.

Filing her nomination papers from East Delhi's Krishna Nagar, BJP chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi today said that her responsibility has increased after being fielded from the party's "traditional" seat. Bedi, who was accompanied by Union Minister Harsh Vardhan, Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay, Vijay Goel and Mahesh Giri, reached the District Electoral Officer's office at 12.05 pm.

"BJP does a lot of work in Krishna Nagar, which is the result of Dr Harshan Vardhan's hard work," she told reporters here after filing her nomination papers.

The former IPS officer said no error has been found in her nomination papers after the first examination.

"We have passed with first class," she said. Asked if fielding her from party's traditional seat - Krishna Nagar has increased her responsibility, she said, "Yes, I am a gardener. I am also a part owner."

A Malian-born Muslim employee who hid customers from an Islamist gunman at a Paris kosher supermarket this month has been granted French nationality.

Lassana Bathily, 24, was in a stockroom when gunman Amedy Coulibaly burst in, killing four people. At a ceremony attended by top French ministers, Bathily said he was "proud and moved" to become a citizen.

The attacks in Paris killed 17 people, most of them at the offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine.

Bathily's efforts came to light when he sneaked out and told his story after hiding people in a cold store room during the assault by Coulibaly. "People say I'm a hero but I'm not a hero. I'm Lassana," he said at the ceremony.
-- BBC

Amitabh Bachchan tweets: 40 years! 40 years ago, this day, DEEWAR was released !! 21st Jan 1975 .. Thank you Salim-Javed Saheb for the most perfect script.

All security arrangements are in place for the three-day visit of US President Barack Obama beginning Sunday, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said today.

Here's what it looks like...

1. A seven-layer security ring will be thrown around the VVIP enclosure on Rajpath for the Republic Day parade, where Obama will be chief guest,

2. The airspace over the area would be monitored by a radar to be specially set up. This will be part of the ground-to-air security drill during Obama visit, which will take him to Agra too.

3. A multiagency control room will monitor the surveillance operations in every area of the national capital which has been put on the highest alert.

4. BSF, which comes under the Home Ministry, has stepped up security along the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir, deploying close to 1,200 additional personnel there in view of the US President's visit to India.

Obama is arriving here on January 25 on a three-day visit to the country.

In a major embarrassment for the Delhi Congress, the party lost its official website as the site administrator Sanjay Puri decided to quit from his post. The website www.DPCC.co.in now displays a message saying that Puri has withdrawn his services after his resignation from his primary membership of Congress on January 19, 2015. The site was developed and maintained by Sanjay Puri since 2008.

Click on the image for a bigger picture.

Look who else Kiran Bedi has blocked on Twitter.

AAP's Amethi candidate for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Dr Kumar Vishvas, tweets: Kiranbedi ji, now as u r very much into politics, communication is a democratic must. So plz unblock @ArvindKejriwal and me on twitter.

The Delhi High Court today asked the city government why websites of app-based cabs cannot be blocked on a PIL alleging that these taxi services were operating despite the government banning them.

"Why can't it be done (blocking the sites)? You can block the sites. There is a wing of Delhi Police working on that. You get instructions and file an affidavit," a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice R S Endlaw said. 

1700 private jets set to arrive for Davos to discuss climate change, tweets,  @flightradar24 

A powerful bomb, suspected to have been planted by militants, went off today at Nagamapal Shingjubung Leirak near Imphal town in Manipur. The bomb, which exploded at about 10.55 am, was planted on the side of a narrow road to attack the security forces, officials said. No one was injured and there was no damage in the explosion, they said.

Arvind Kejriwal on the need for a debate: "Kiranji saying she would debate after elections in assembly. She refuses to debate before elections saying she believes in delivery. Does it mean delivery before elections, debate after elections? We want debate before and delivery late?"

With 11 people succumbing to swine flu in Telangana so far this year, the state government today sought Centre's help to check the spread of the deadly virus.

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and requested that a central team be deployed and other help be provided to the state, a release from the CMO said.

The Prime Minister has responded positively to the request, it said.

So far, nine deaths have been reported from the state-run Gandhi Hospital and two from Osmania General Hospital, according to senior doctors at the two hospitals. The Chief Minister expressed dissatisfaction over the state medical and health department not being so active though the intensity of the virus is severe, it said.

Taking the blessing of great leaders before you start makes serving the nation better: Dr. Harsh Vardhan on Kiran Bedi garlanding Lala Lajpat Rai's statue.

The certification -- and censorship -- of films is too serious a business to be left to the likes and dislikes of politicians. Yet, that is precisely what is happening in India with the Narendra Modi government appointing nine new members to the Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC), most of whom are either functionaries and representatives of the Bharatiya Janata Party and its parent body, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or individuals who have campaigned for Narendra Modi in the 2014 election.

Read Siddharth Varadarajan's piece here.

The Budget session of Parliament to commence from February 23. The General Budget to be presented on February 28, Economic Survey on Feb 27 and Railway Budget on February 26.

On Monday, ahead of the 2015-16 Budget, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said there was a need to rationalise all subsidies and ensure stability in policies to attract investment and drive growth.

When President Barack Obama arrives in India on January 25, it will be in Air Force One- that jetliner so advanced and iconic that it has been granted leading man status in several films.

In India, Air Force One will be treated very much as a VVIP - it will  be  accorded the same protocol in Indian air space that is set aside for the President of India and the Prime Minister.  Read more

BJP's chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi today said coming out with a "white paper" for every government department and initiating a "security index" to ensure better policing will be her priorities if the party is voted to power in the upcoming Delhi Assembly polls.

"Once we are in power every government department will give us a white paper enabling us to find out where we are and where are we beginning from. To find out the pending issues, newer challenges. The reports will be put on the websites of the departments. We will give Delhi the government it deserves," she said.

Addressing a rally yesterday, Bedi, a former IPS officer, had showed her willingness to keep the education department and home guards with herself if she becomes the chief minister.

Speaking to reporters during a roadshow on her way to file nomination today, Bedi said that she will initiate a "perceptional security index" in order to identify the unsafe areas of the capital.

Israeli police say they have shot an attacker who stabbed at least nine people on a bus in central Tel Aviv.

The BBC reports that the stabbing incident occurred on the Maariv bridge, and that the stabbings took place both in and outside the bus.

At least two of the victims were in a critical condition, media reports said.The perpetrator attempted to flee the scene following the attack, and was lightly wounded after being shot in the leg, a police spokeswoman said.

Arvind Kejriwal's assets being declared before his nomination.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh says all security arrangements are in place for US President Barack Obama's visit. Obama is on a three-day visit to Delhi beginning January 25.

The dreaded Islamic State militia on Tuesday posted a video showing two Japanese captives, threatening to execute them if their nation's government failed to pay up a ransom of $200 million (over Rs 1,200 crore) within 72 hours.  Read

A tribute to political scientist extraordinaire and teacher, Rajni Kothari (1928 -- 2015). Read

All of you seem to be obsessed with Kiran Bedi, "ab janta tay karegi": Arvind Kejriwal

Noted economist Bibek Debroy today assumed charged as full time member of the NITI Ayog (National Institution for Transforming India). Government had announced the appointment of Debroy and DRDO chief V K Saraswat as full-time members earlier this month.

"No Comments. I am happy..," Debroy replied when his views were sought on his first day in office.

Debroy, who has been a research professor at Centre for Policy Research, is also a heading the committee to suggest ways to restructure the railway board. An economist by profession, he was educated at the Presidency College (Calcutta), the Delhi School of Economics and the Trinity College (Cambridge).

It's a show of contrasts.

BJP's CM candidate for Delhi, Kiran Bedi, cut a poor figure as she began her road show this morning in an open jeep. Wearing marigold garlands put on her by party supporters, she and Dr Harsh Vardhan travelled down narrow lanes of  Krishna Nagar, the east Delhi constituency from which she is contesting her first election.

With just a few cars and some supporters running alongside, it was a study of contrasts compared to AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal's road show yesterday.

Kejriwal on Tuesday launched a roadshow ahead of the February 7 assembly poll with thousands of supporters joining the 7-km long jeep ride.

Numbers swelled to such an extent that Kejriwal was forced to postpone the filing of his nomination papers for the New Delhi assembly constituency since he would not have made it to the filing office.

The roadshow, which began from Valmiki Mandir in the heart of the capital was supposed to end at Jantar Mantar.

Bedi, however, dismissed comparisons with her chief rival Arvind Kejriwal's roadshow but the difference was stark.

The former Delhi chief minister had stood atop a truck, along with party colleague Manish Sisodia and other supporters, waving to his supporters. Supporters joined him, raising slogans, singing and dancing.

Pic: Kiran Bedi and Dr Harsh Vardhan at the road show today

Awesome, even if we say so ourselves. Take a look at Rediff.com's 7 Obama dares.

A distinct hue of saffron will paint Rajpath on January 26 and slogans closest to the Prime Minister's heart will make Narendra Modi mantras reverberate from the central and state governments tableaux that will parade in front of US President Barack Obama. Here's how.

The Delhi High Court has issued a notice to the director and producers of Aamir Khan's 'PK' on the novelist's plea alleging plagiarisation of his novel released in 2013.

Author Kapil Isapuri, whose novel Farishta was released in 2013, claimed he had seen the film on January 1 and found that certain portions of it had been plagiarised from his book.

In his plea, Isapuri has claimed that in his novel he "has criticised the blind following of so-called godmen' and has also said that "the profession of religion is not natural but man-made and artificial". 

Congress leader Ajay Maken today dubbed AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and BJP's chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi as "opportunists" who "used" Anna Hazare to meet their own political ambitions.

"Both these leaders represent the same opportunistic forces. Both of them used Anna Hazare and the issue of corruption to come to the fore. They were earlier in the garb of an NGO and now they want to meet their own political ambitions," the Congress Campaign Committee chief said. Questioning Bedi's political acumen, Maken said she was not a "good listener" in spite of her being a "good cop" in the past.

"Kiran Bedi was a good cop. But political administration requites totally different abilities. Requires patience... and you have to be a good listener and if you have to be a good listener you can't be Kiran Bedi," he said.

Maken made his comments before setting out to inaugurate his election office at Shastri Nagar following which he will file his nomination papers from the Sadar Bazar constituency.

The senior Congress also leader hit out at former Union Minister Krishna Tirath, who recently joined BJP, saying she is a "first grade opportunist".

President Pranab Mukjherjee's daughter Sharmishtha is also in the fray. She is the Congress candidate from Greater Kailash. Asked about her chances of winning against the BJP she said today, "Every wave reaches its peak and then recedes, it's the same with the BJP." 

Today is the last date for filing nominations for the Delhi Assembly polls.  Kiran Bedi paid tribute to a statue of Lala Lajpat Rai in Krishna Nagar constituency before starting her nomination yatra. Bedi is accompanied on the roadshow by Union minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, who was one of the names doing the rounds for the CM's post.

AAP and Arvind Kejriwal take umbrage to Kiran Bedi placing a BJP scarf around the bust of freedom fighter Lala Lajpat Rai. Kejriwal said, "Request Kiranji to spare freedom fighters and not saffronize them."

AAP's Mayank Gandhi tweeted: After Gandhi, Sardar Patel now Lala Lajpat Rai taken over by BJP!! History re-written...

It's BJP's chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi's turn to hit the streets today. Bedi highlighted her priorities as she embarked on a roadshow to file her nomination papers and said she will bring out white paper for every department, if voted to power.

In a comment that could ignite a political row, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has declared, "We are a government of Ram Bhakts (devotees)."Speaking on Tuesday evening near Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, the town considered to be the birthplace of Lord Ram, Gadkari said, "From Ayodhya to Chitrakoot, this is a government of Ram Bhakts, of those who chant Jai Shri Ram."The Union Road Transport Minister was speaking at the launch of road projects in the region.

He announced that the "Ram-Janki Marg" a road connecting Ayodhya with Janakpur in Nepal - believed to be the birthplace of Lord Ram's wife Sita - would be constructed at a cost of Rs. 2,000 crore.

Read

BJP's CM candidate Kiran Bedi is holding a roadshow today before filing her nomination papers for the Delhi assembly election.

Bedi has begun her roadshow from Lajpat Rai Chowk in Krishna Nagar, the east Delhi constituency she is contesting from. She plans to reach the office by noon to file her nomination papers, well before the 3 pm deadline.

Bedi and her former ally Arvind Kejriwal are both vying for the top post in Delhi.

Kejriwal also held a roadshow in Delhi yesterday and failed to reach on time to file his nomination. So, he too will file his nomination papers today.

Pakistani Rangers violated the ceasefire by resorting to firing by small arms on Border Out Posts  along the International Border in Jammu district, prompting the BSF to retaliate.

"Pakistani Rangers resorted to intermittent small arms firing on Border out Posts along the IB in Arnia sector of Jammu since late last night," a senior BSF officer told PTI.

BSF troops guarding the borderline retaliated resulting in intermittent exchanges which continued till 7 am, he said, adding that there was no loss of life or injury to anyone in the firing. The firing comes after BSF foiled an infiltration bid in the area yesterday.

India has been able to decrease its number of out-of-school children by nearly 16 million between 2000 and 2012, driving the progress in South Asia, but it still has 1.4 million children not attending primary school, a United Nations report said.

The biggest decrease in the number of out-of-school children was seen in South Asia, where their numbers fell by 23 million between 2000 and 2012, according to a new joint report 'Fixing the Broken Promise of Education for All: Findings from the Global Initiative on Out-of-School Children was produced by UNESCO and the UN Children's Fund'.

Much of the global progress since 2000 in decreasing the number of out-of-school children has been driven by a small number of countries, with India alone decreasing its number of out-of-school children by nearly 16 million between 2000 and 2011.

Congressman Ami Bera, the only Indian-American lawmaker in the current Congress, has been invited by President Barack Obama to travel with him to India on Air Force One.

"As the son of Indian immigrants, I am extremely honoured to be a part of this historic trip to India with the President," Bera said in a statement.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi's trip to the United States last year was a turning point in relations for our countries, and now this trip will be an important opportunity to continue to move the US-India relationship forward," he said.

"Our countries should especially look for ways we can grow our strategic and economic partnerships. That will help bring stability to the Southeast Asia region and benefit our economy, in particular opening markets to California and Sacramento County products and creating new jobs," he added.

"As the oldest and largest democracies in the world, our countries have many common interests and I hope this will be another step toward realising the full potential of the US-India partnership," Bera said.

Obama finishes his speech by saying, "We too are a strong, tight-knit family. We, too, have made it through some hard times."

"Fifteen years into this new century, we have picked ourselves up, dusted ourselves off, and begun again the work of remaking America. We've laid a new foundation. A brighter future is ours to write."

Towards the end of his speech, Obama  returns to the theme of unity.

"I want future generations to know that we are a people who see our differences as a great gift, that we are a people who value the dignity and worth of every citizen -- man and woman, young and old, black and white, Latino and Asian, immigrant and Native American, gay and straight, Americans with mental illness or physical disability."

On Russia Obama says, "It is isolated with its economy in tatters."

Obama talks tough during the State of Union address: Won't let China to write the rules of the world's fastest growing economy.

 

On gay marriage Obama says: "I've seen something like gay marriage go from a wedge issue used to drive us apart to a story of freedom across our country, a civil right now legal in states that seven in ten Americans call home."

The US Supreme Court will take up that question even more broadly when they rule on whether state marriage bans are constitution.

In his State of Union addresss, Obama reiterates his call to shut down the Guantanamo Bay prison -- something he did in his first State of the Union.

"It's time to finish the job. And I will not relent in my determination to shut it down," he says.  

On climate change Obama says, "I've heard some folks try to dodge the evidence by saying they're not scientists. Well, I'm not a scientist, either. But you know what -- I know a lot of really good scientists at Nasa, and NOAA, and at our major universities."

Referring to the coalition fighting Islamic State, the US president says: "Tonight, I call on this Congress to show the world that we are united in this mission by passing a resolution to authorise the use of force against ISIL."

Delivering the State of Union address, US President Barack Obama said: "We've fought our way back from economic crisis. It's time for Congress to build on that momentum."

"In two weeks, I will send this Congress a budget filled with ideas that are practical, not partisan.Over the past five years, our businesses have created more than 11 million new jobs."

"In the past year alone, about 10 million uninsured Americans finally gained the security of health coverage. Millions more now have the peace of mind that comes with having health insurance, thanks to 'Obamacare'. It's not a nice-to-have-it's a must-have. It's time we stop treating child care as a side issue." 

United States President Barack Obama delivered the sixth State of the Union address. Here are the highlights:

:Tonight, after a breakthrough year for America, our economy is growing and creating jobs at the fastest pace since 1999. Our unemployment rate is now lower than it was before the financial crisis.We battled terror, went past recession and fought wars."

"More of our kids are graduating than ever before. More of our people are insured than ever before.We salute the courage and sacrifice of every man and woman in this 9/11 generation who has served to keep us safe.It's now up to us to choose who we want to be over the next 15 years, and for decades to come."

According to NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, however, iPhones are capable of activating 'special software' behind the scenes that collects information about users, who are completely oblivious to the fact that their phones are gathering this sensitive data.

Congressman Joe Crowley, former co-chair of Congressional Caucus on India and Indian- Americans, would travel to India with US President Barack Obama.

French authorities on Tuesday honoured a Mali-born employee who saved lives at the kosher supermarket attacked by terrorists as a hero and granted him French citizenship.

The grenades come from China, or Bulgaria. The mortars are Sudanese. The rocket launchers were made in Iran.

A British jihadist who spent six months in Syria and faked his death in an attempt to return to the United Kingdom undetected has admitted four terrorism offences.

A cardiologist at Boston's Brigham and Women's hospital is in critical condition Tuesday after he was shot twice by a gunman who police say fatally shot himself in a nearby exam room.

French racer Robert Manzon, the last surviving driver from Formula One's debut world championship season in 1950, has died at the age of 97.

Two U.S. Navy warships moved into new positions in the Red Sea late Monday to be ready to evacuate Americans from the US embassy in Yemen if an order comes to do so, CNN has learned.So far, there has been no decision to evacuate the embassy.

Yemen's presidential palace has been completely taken over by Shiite Houthi rebels, the country's Minister of Information Nadia Sakkaf told CNN on Tuesday amid reports of renewed clashes.

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