Justice Verma, who is heading a committee formed to make necessary amendments after the major outcry following the Delhi gang-rape incident, is briefing the media on its recommendations  

Justice Verma said the committee is engaged in-depth global research, and analysed past judgments and public policies. The constitution of this committee is in response to the peaceful countrywide outcry by the youth.  

Need good governance, not new laws, Justice Verma added. We got lukewarn response from ministers, he also said.

A youth has been arrested for allegedly raping a tribal girl, student of Class VIII, at Bayawadi village in the MP's Betul district, police said today. Mukesh Kumar Pawar (22), a resident of Betul Bazar area, raped the girl when she was returning from school yesterday, police said.        

The girl told her parents about the incident following which a complaint was lodged with AJK police station and the accused was arrested, they said. The victim was sent for medical check-up, police said, adding investigation was on.

Against the backdrop of two BJP ministers resigning and eleven more MLAs deciding to quit their assembly membership, Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj today said he was ready to act if there is a constitutional crisis in the state.   

"If there is a constitutional crisis in the state, I am ready to act," he told reporters at a function in Bangalore. Bhardwaj, however, said he would not like to disturb the Jagadish Shettar government.     

He said he had spoken to Shettar yesterday and the chief minister said there was nothing wrong with his government.

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari should "quit political activities" and give up the post of the chief of the ruling PPP in line with a judgement issued last year, the Lahore high court has said.        

The chief justice of the High Court, Umar Ata Bandial, asked Wasim Sajjad, the counsel for the federal government, to present a clear point of view on behalf of the President about implementing the court's order of May 12, 2011 that had said Zardari was expected to quit as the chief of the PPP.        

Bandial, who is heading a five-judge bench that is hearing a petition seeking action against Zardari under the contempt of court law, gave Sajjad time till February 6 to file the President's reply. He said the court would decide the matter without any further delay.

Veteran leader and former Gujarat Finance Minister Vaju Vala was unanimously elected as the new Speaker of the Gujarat assembly in Ahmedabad today.   During the first session of the thirteenth assembly, Chief Minister Narendra Modi proposed Vala's name for the post, which was supported by veteran Congress leader Mohansingh Rathwa.

Pro tem Speaker Nima Acharya then put the name of Vala for voting and he was elected unanimously by a voice vote, following which, Modi, along with two former chief ministers Shankarsinh Vaghela and Keshubhai Patel and former Speaker Ganpat Vasava, led Vala to his chair.

Newly-appointed BJP president Rajnath Singh, while addressing the media at the party headquarters, said that the party is with former president Nitin Gadkari.

Rajnath also attacked the Congress, stating that questions are being raised about BJP cadres, even though their integrity is unquestionable. He also said that Congress, and its petty vote bank politics, is responsible for the sorry state of affairs in the country.

Senior BJP leader L K Advani, while addressing the media at the party headquarters after Rajnath Singh was unanimously appointed as the party president, said all senior leaders in BJP should become role models. Advani also said that new president Rajnath Singh faces huge tasks.

Former president Nitin Gadkari blamed political conspiracy to malign BJP through him.

Rajnath Singh was unanimously elected as the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party.  

Senior leaders of party, including former president Nitin Gadkari, leaders of opposition Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj among others, have all gathered at the party headquarters in the national capital to congratulate Rajnath Singh.

Vicky Nanjappa reports from Bangalore: The BJP in Karnataka appears to be on the brink of losing its government as 14 MLAs have reached the Vidhan Soudha to tender their resignations.

The decision to quit their positions as MLAs was taken after all these persons, loyalists of B S Yeddyurappa, decided on the same at a breakfast meeting earlier this morning.

Earlier Shobha Karandlaje and C M Udasi, both ministers in the BJP government, had tendered their resignations. If the 14 MLAs go ahead and tender their resignations, the BJP government will not have the required numbers.

At present it has 119 MLAs in a House of 225 and the magic number to stay in power is 113. If the 14 MLAs resign then the BJP would have just 105 MLAs.  The Congress has 76 MLAs, while the JD(S) has 26. There are 6 independents and one MLA from the BSR Congress party which is run by B Sriramulu.

Onkar Singh reports from New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi, who was appointed vice-president of the Congress party at the chintan baithak in Jaipur last week, has called a meeting of important functionaries at the party headquarters in New Delhi.

Rahul will lead the party campaign for the 2014 general elections. Wednesday's meeting is seen as his first step towards that direction, a senior Congress leader told Rediff.com.

Senior BJP leader and noted advocate Ram Jethmalani has welcomed the decision to appoint Rajnath Singh as the party president.  

Jethmalani was first among the BJP leaders who have objected to Nitin Gadkari's continuation as BJP president over allegations of graft against companies run by him.

RSS national spokesperson Ram Madhav tells Rediff.com's Onkar Singh that the organisation doesn't care about media reports on Rajnath Singh's selection as BJP president under its pressure.  

"We won't comment on any media report," Madav said.

In the meanwhile, BJP leader Ananth Kumar briefed the media, after the conclusion of the BJP parliamentary board meeting in New Delhi, which endorsed the name of Rajnath Singh for party president's post.  

Ananth Kumar said senior leader L K Advani, chief of the BJP parliamentary board, passed a resolution in the meeting hailing the tenure of Nitin Gadkari as the party president. Members present in the meeting, including Gadkari, Rajnath, Jaitley, Swaraj among others, accepted the resolution.   However, there was no word on Rajnath's elevation.

The BJP parliamentary board meeting, which met in New Delhi today, endorsed the name of Rajnath Singh for party president.  

The meeting was attended by senior leader L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Rajnath Singh and incumbent president Nitin Gadkari among others.  

The formal announcement of Rajnath Singh taking over the party presidential post will be made later today.

US Vice President Joe Biden today said he is still undecided about running for the 2016 presidential elections, a prospect that may entail a clash with Hillary Clinton for the Democratic party nomination.  

"There are a whole lot of reasons why I wouldn't run. I haven't made that decision and I don't have to make that decision for a while," Biden told CNN in an interview.  

Biden evaded the question if he would run against Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of State, who many in the US speculate is a potential strong Democratic Party candidate in the 2016 elections.  

"Look, I haven't made that judgement and Hillary hasn't made that judgement, but I can tell you what, everything that should be done over the next two years that I should be part of would have to be done whether I run or I don't run," he said.  

"If this administration is successful, whoever is running as a Democrat is better position to win. If we are not successful, whoever runs as a nominee is going to be less likely to win," Biden said. Biden said that for the next two years his focus would be on addressing key issues facing the nation.  

The BJP parliamentary board meeting, which will decide upon the new president of the party, is expected begin in the national capital soon. Frontrunner for the post Rajnath Singh met with senior leader L K Advani and incumbent president Nitin Gadkari shortly before the beginning of the meeting.  

Rajnath Singh will file nomination for the post of BJP president today.

Karnataka ministers C M Udasi and Shobha Karandlaje resigned today, sources in chief minister's secretariat told PTI. Ending weeks of speculation, Karnataka Minister for Energy Shobha Karandlaje, a loyalist of Karnataka Janata Party chief B S Yeddyurappa, had decided to quit the BJP ministry on Wednesday.

"I am proud and have satisfaction of performing well during my tenure as Energy Minster in the last two and a half years. I am leaving the Department. It is my last day, hopefully, in office', Shobha told reporters on Tuesday.

Shobha, who had already dropped hints, three months back, at resigning from the ministry and also BJP to support KJP activities ahead of the assembly polls, thanked officials of energy department.

NDTV's Nitin Gokhale on the back story of the LoC incident:   The recent incidents on the Line of Control between Indian and Pakistani army troops has predictably generated a lot of heat and has taken up oodles of air and print space in the media on both sides of the border.  

As someone who was involved from day one in not only reporting the incident but also monitoring the subsequent developments, it is important for me to recall the facts, the chain of events and the reaction of all stake-holders (a term I recently came across at a South Asia 2020 Conference) during the entire episode lest fiction as conceived by different players gets accepted as the absolute truth.

Read the full blog on NDTV

The BSE benchmark Sensex today rose by over 72 points in early trade on the back of gains in stocks of realty, metal, oil and gas and banking sectors, amid a mixed Asian trend.        

The 30-share barometer, which had lost 120.25 points yesterday, recovered by 72.40 points, or 0.36 per cent, to 20,053.97 in early trade.        

Similarly, the wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty moved up by 21.30 points, or 0.35 per cent, to 6,069.80.        

Brokers said fresh buying by major players after yesterday's profit-booking amid a mixed trend in Asian markets, following overnight gains on the US markets on stronger-than-expected earnings results, influenced the trading sentiment here.         Meanwhile, in Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose by 0.19 per cent, while Japan's Nikkei shed 0.88 per cent in early trade today.        

The US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.46 per cent higher in yesterday's trade.  

At least 15 people were killed and ten others injured today when a speeding bus rammed into thick iron bars at a revenue checkpost amid heavy fog at Dobhi in Bihar's Gaya district.        

The accident happened at Dobhi integrated revenue checkpost under Barachatti Police Station early this morning. The bus was going from Kalipahari in Gurwa Police Station area to Rajrappa Temple in neighbouring Jharkhand's Ramgarh district when the driver lost control over the vehicle due to fog and hit the iron bars of the checkpost, Superintendent of Police Akhtar Hossain said.        

He said a police rescue team has reached the spot and the injured people are being rushed to local hospitals.

A political rookie, Yair Lapid, has emerged as a kingmaker in Israeli elections spoiling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's victory celebrations, as undecided voters rallied behind the former scribe at the last moment in polls marked by plummeting support for the ruling Likud party.        

Pollsters were swept by surprise as the change in public mood at the last moment saw exit polls throwing a major surprise with the right wing bloc losing popular support and in the end centre-left bloc ending up very close at 61-59 mark raising speculations that some of Netanyahu's natural allies may be left out of the next coalition.        

All the Israeli news networks projected the joint Likud-Yisrael Beteinu list to have won 31 Knesset seats, a sharp drop from the 42 mandates that two parties currently hold, but enough for Netanyahu to be invited again to form the next government.        

Netanyahu put up a brave front saying he viewed the results as an endorsement of his leadership, vowing to immediately start working on forming a coalition that would include parties on the Right, Left, and Center.        

He also immediately called Lapid, the leader of the Yesh Atid (There is Future) party, who won an unexpected 18-19 seats in exit polls, and asked him to cooperate with him in his next government.        

"The exit polls clearly indicate that the citizens of Israel want me to continue to serve as prime minister of Israel and form the widest possible government," the Prime Minister wrote on Facebook.        

"The results are a great opportunity to make many changes for the benefit of the citizens of Israel," he added.        

Labour party stood third in the exit polls at 17 seats. It's leader, Shelly Yacimovich, another former scribe, in her address to party workers vowed "to do all in her strength to prevent Netanyahu from becoming the next Prime Minister".  

Image: Lapid, leader of the Yesh Atid party, addresses supporters at his party's headquarters in Tel Aviv   Photograph: Reuters

The Pentagon has cleared Commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan Gen John Allen, of charges of professional misconduct over email exchanges with a socialite, a US official says.        

"Secretary Panetta has been informed that the Department's Office of Inspector General has concluded an investigation into a matter involving General John Allen, US Marine Corps. The Secretary was pleased to learn that allegations of professional misconduct were not substantiated by the investigation," Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.        

"The Secretary has complete confidence in the continued leadership of General Allen, who is serving with distinction in Afghanistan," Little said in a statement, ending all speculation against one of best American commanders.        

Gen Allen's decorated career came to a halt last year after his name appeared in the scam following which Gen (rtd) David Petraeus, the CIA Director resigned citing extra marital affairs.

AFP: A defiant North Korea today condemned a new round of UN sanctions and hinted it might carry out a nuclear test, while ruling out a resumption of talks on denuclearising the Korean peninsula.        

"We flatly reject and condemn the UN Security Council's extremely unfair resolution that attempts to violate our sovereign rights," the foreign ministry said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.        

"We will take physical actions aimed at expanding and strengthening our self-defensive military forces, including nuclear deterrence," the ministry said.