Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh today took potshots at BJP's chief ministerial candidate in Delhi Kiran Bedi, wondering how she joined a party which she had 'attacked just a year ago'.

A 19-year-old youth from Goa has been arrested for making a hoax call to Delhi Police, warning them of a terror attack on US President Barack Obama.

The Madras High Court today gave Tamil writer Perumal Murugan, who withdrew from the literary world after a row over his novel "Mathorubhagan' objected toby right wing groups, the liberty to decide if he would like to pursue a petition filed by a supporter or that by a writer's forum.

The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, has said she plans to sue Fox News for a broadcast that described parts of the French capital as 'no-go zones' for non-Muslims.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today alleged that some former Prime Ministers had compromised the country's 'deep assets' on national security but refrained from naming them.

A total of 693 candidates remained in the the fray for the February 7 Delhi Assembly polls after the Election Commission cancelled nomination of 230 candidates during the scrutiny of papers today.

Malayalam film actor and comedian Mala Aravindan is critical after suffering a heart attack at a hospital, where he was admitted three days ago.

As many as 12 persons have died of swine flu in Gujarat out of the total of 92 cases reported since the beginning of the year with five dying today of the virus infection in the state. 

A thirteen year old boy of Keri sector in Rajouri in Jammu & Kashmir got injured after a grenade he found in field exploded while he was trying to inspect it.

The United Nations' top human rights official has called on Myanmar's leaders to "unequivocally condemn" an ultra-nationalist Buddhist monk who labeled a visiting UN rapporteur a "whore" at a protest.

Jhumpa Lahiri's novel, The Lowland has won the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2015.   

The Congress seems to have toned down its attack on Janardhan Dwivedi. Senior Congress leader PC Chacko said Dwivedi's statement was distorted by the media. "He has already put forth the true version," Chacko said.

Congress party general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi held another press conference minutes after party spokesperson Ajay Maken slammed him for praising Narendra Modi in conversation to Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt last evening.

Dwivedi told reporters that he was misquoted, a reiteration of his statement issued last evening, after Rediff.com posted the story.

Eight months on from its stunning defeat at the hands of Narendra Modi, the Congress party still does not know how to find its footing on the frightening new political terrain where it is placed. Read  Siddharth Varadarajan's column

Reports indicated that Obama and his entourage will head back home from Agra, instead of returning to Delhi. Security too has been beefed up in the area ahead of the visit.

Along with the Indian security forces, US armed commandos are likely to buttress the entire stretch of the road and take over positions within the Taj Mahal complex.

Residents of Taj Ganj mohalla have been advised to carry their identity cards and stay in their homes on January 27 during the duration of the Obama visit.

Agra has not witnessed such high scale of security and preparedness ever before, said a resident. National Highway-2 and Yamuna Expressway are already under heavy security cover.

Heavy showers early this morning today washed all the dust and pollutants turning Taj Mahal sparkling white ahead of US President Barack Obama's visit to the city on January 27. The authorities have stepped up their efforts to spruce up the 17th century monument of love and its surrounding areas ahead of the Obama visit.

The 12-km stretch of road from the Kheria Air Force Station, where Obama will land, to the eastern gate of Taj Mahal is being given a face-lift. Potholes have been filled, encroachments removed, tree trunks painted white and red, flower pots placed, and street-lights have been fixed on the stretch.

President Obama is expected to reach Taj Mahal around 2pm.

He is scheduled to spend an hour at the historical site. Reports indicated that Obama and his entourage will head back home from Agra, instead of returning to Delhi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today shared the stage Madhuri Dixit and launched the 'beti bachao beti padhao (save daughter, educate daughter)' scheme in Haryana, a state with one of the poorest sex ratios.

Dixit is the brand ambassador of the scheme.

Modi slammed doctors indulging in female foeticide, saying their "sin" was a "betrayal" against societywith said the discrimination against girls reflects "mental illness" and displays a mindset worse than that in the 18th century.

In a hard-hitting speech, he said, "we cannot call ourselves citizens of 21st century by practising such a crime and we were by our mindset belonged to 18th century when daughters were killed soon after they were born."

JUST IN: Judicial magistrate in Imphal orders Irom Sharmila's release once more today, all cases against her dismissed.

Sharmila has been in judicial custody since November 2000, when she started an indefinite fast asking that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act in Manipur be repealed.

In August last year, Sharmila had been released after the Imphal court ruled that her fast could not be construed as an attempt to commit suicide. However, after her release, Sharmila continued her fast, leading the Manipur cops to rearrest her. They again charged her with attempt to suicide.

Will this be a mortal blow to Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party?

Shanti Bhushan, the patriarch of the Aam Aadmi Party reacts to son Prashant Bhushan's statement earlier that slammed Kiran Bedi for joining a party "which is not merely communal, but also a obscurantist party."

Shanti Bhushan tells Headlines Today, "My son Prashant agrees with my views on Arvind Kejriwal, but he is gagged till the election results. He is also disillusioned with Kejriwal.

"The Aam Aadmi Party was built to give clean people a chance but ticket distribution shows Arvind Kejriwal only cares about winnability. 

"Kejriwal emailed me saying he would quit if I asked him to. But he wrote a similar letter to Anna and then betrayed him.

"Kiran Bedi would make the best Delhi CM, Ajay Maken would come in 2nd, Arvind Kejriwal would be my last option for CM."

Prashant Bhushan had said that when the AAP was formed, Kiran Bedi had clearly said IAC shouldn't get involved in electoral politics. "Now Kiran ji has joined a party which is not merely communal, but it is also a obscurantist party."

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly has dismissed reports of joining the BJP saying he has declined the offer given to him by the party.

When asked by the reporters, Ganguly said, "Yes, the BJP did make an offer. However, I have declined it. I won't be contesting the elections."

Ganguly had reportedly also turned down the BJP's offer to contest last year's general election.

Ganguly's induction in the BJP could have strengthened party base in West Bengal and posed a tough challenge to Trinamool Congress.

Earlier, there were speculations of TMC leader Dinesh Trivedi joining the BJP as well.

"Narendra Modi has had very good luck. Firstly, the fall of oil prices. You don't get that very often in your life and you certainly don't get that often when you are in government.

"Secondly, the fantasy of Indian reforms has led to very strong capital inflows to have made his job much, much easier.

"You ride the winds in times of fortune and he hasn't done that. At least, not yet.

"Those winds of fortune which are blowing your way can certainly turn around easily. There are quite a few headwinds coming up. He may well, history will show, have missed the opportunities that existed."

Read the interview with Satyajit Das on Rediff.com.

A Sikh rights group has filed a lawsuit asking a federal court in New York to designate Bharatiya Janata Partys ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh as a "foreign terrorist organisation".

The federal court in the Southern District of New York issued a summons for US Secretary of State John Kerry to respond to the suit within 60 days.

Is Irom Sharmila free to move out of her hospital ward? Imphal Court drops attempt to suicide charge against her. #iromsharmila #afspa

The Supreme Court is set to pronounce its verdict on the fate of BCCI president-in-exile N Srinivasan as top cricket administrator and whether he acted in conflict of interest by donning the caps of both BCCI chief and IPL team owner.

Congress party general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi holds another press conference minutes after party spokesperson Ajay Maken slammed him for praising Narendra Modi in conversation to Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt last evening.

Dwivedi told reporters that he was misquoted, a reiteration of his statement issued last evening, after Rediff.com posted the story.

Today, Dwivedi once again said he never praised Modi and blamed the misquote to translation errors. He said he had spoken in Hindi, but the report was published in English, alluding to a loss in translation.

He also said the Congress has always represented Indianness. "I never said Narendra Modi epitomises Indianness. I don't need to learn about the culture of this country from anyone. I don't need lessons on Bhartiyata. I don't want to get into such controversies," he said.

While speaking to Sheela Bhatt/Rediff.com yesterday, Dwivedi had said,  "In essence, without spelling out further, in a way this is a victory of Indian-ness (kul milakar bina kahe bole ek tarah se yeh (Modi's ascension to power) Bhartiyata ki jeet hai)."

Read the Rediff.com report that has left Dwivedi hot under the collar.

Congress spokesperson Ajay Maken issues a statement on party colleague Janardan Dwivedi's comments to Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt, yesterday.

Maken says the Congress high command will take a decision whether to take action against Dwivedi. He said Dwivedi's views on PM Narendra Modi are different from the party's views and the party does not accept what he said.

"Our party has always upheld Indian values. The Congress will make the country understand what Indianness is. Congress is clear on the meaning of Indianness or 'Bhartiyata'. By no yardstick is Modi a representative of Indianness," Maken said.

Dwivedi, Congress party general secretary and a member of the coterie close to party President Sonia Gandhi, speaking exclusively to Rediff.com, had said yesterday that 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. 

Immediately after Rediff.com posted the report, Dwivedi issued a statement saying he had been misquoted.

Read the report that started the storm here.

Understandably upset at Shanti Bhushan's criticism of the party, AAP 's Yogendra Yadav says, "I cant understand how Shanti-ji can possibly approve of Kiran Bedi joining a party that he calls communal even today. Shanti Bushan-ji buzurg hai, hamare pita-tulay hai aur buzurgon ka farz hai ki bachon ke jhagdo main na pade. (Shanti Bhushan is our senior, he is like a father figure to us, and it's the duty of seniors to keep out of squabbles between children).

Arvind Kejriwal said that he would speak to Bhushan and place the facts before him. "He will understand what we want to say. But I have not heard what Shanti Bhushan has said, I cannot comment on it. "

"I first met Kiran Bedi in Hyderabad when she joined the Indian Police Service as a probationer. The novelty of seeing a woman probationer had just struck me and other males in the service. Let me confess that I was impressed with her enthusiasm and ebullience. She had been a national level tennis player. The physical part of police training was not a problem with her and even at that stage one could sense a spark and a confidence that spoke of greater things to come."

Former Mumbai police commissioner Julio Ribeiro remembers Kiran Bedi . Read

Known for his out-of-the-box thinking on foreign policy issues, it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who came up with the idea of inviting United State President Barack Obama as the Chief Guest for the Republic Day parade on January 26. Read

As President Barack Obama sets out for India, he will find that the same favourable winds which are driving India's economy are also moving the US-India relationship.

 The President will be the first American chief of state to visit India twice during his incumbency. He will also be the first President to be received as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guest at India's Republic Day.

The invitation to Obama and his decision to visit India speak volumes about prospects for the Indian-American relationship.  Read more

World famous music composer and instrumentalist Yanni, who will be performing in India after almost two decades at the Vadodara Art and Cultural International Festival (VADFEST) beginning tomorrow in the city says that Mahatma Gandhi has been one of his biggest inspirations in life.

"I feel that Gandhiji has been a major influence on what I am today," he said ahead of his performance on the opening day of the Fest at the Laxmi Vilas Palace compound.

Yanni popularised the combination of synthesisers with full scale symphony orchestra and is known as the world's "True Global Artist". He has held live concerts all over the world including Beijing and has since gained a massive following in China and overseas.

Media reports say that Sourav Ganguly may join the BJP and is in talks with senior party leaders. Just last month, the former Indian cricket captain had accepted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for his participation in the Clean India Mission, but had quashed rumours of joining politics.

In a significant development, Pakistan has banned terror outfits Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and the Afghanistan-based Haqqani network, Pakistan media reports.

The Nawaz Sharif government has asked the authorities to freeze assets of the now banned JuD and Haqqani network.

The Pakistan government, which has been under tremendous pressure to rein in terror groups emanating from the Pakistani soil, has reportedly banned more such groups.

India, along with the US, has been long demanding to ban Hafiz Muhammad Saeed-led JuD, which is accused of masterminding the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Notably, New Delhi and Washington have long considered JuD as a front for the Lashkar-e-Toiba terror outfit.

BS Bassi, Delhi CP on Sunanda Pushkar death probe: "Some journalists have in the past openly talked about how Pushkar had called them the day before her death, hence it's relevant to speak to them. We will definitely speak to them to get to the roots of this case."

Delhi HC refuses urgent hearing of plea seeking court's intervention in Sunanda Pushkar death case.

With a net worth of Rs 16 crore, Congress' Ajay Maken is the richest chief ministerial candidate this time, and also the most prosperous with his family's net worth increasing four-fold since the Lok Sabha elections in 2009. Before the general elections last April, the Makens were worth Rs 6.1 crore.

Ajay Maken's counterpart in BJP, Kiran Bedi, is second-richest with a net worth of Rs 11.6 crore while AAP's CM candidate, Arvind Kejriwal, is worth Rs 2.1 crore. Read more

Barack Obama is visiting India this weekend at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi but the US President also wants to meet someone almost forgotten eight months out of power: Manmohan Singh.

American officials have indicated to their Indian counterparts that the President is keen to meet the former Prime Minister while he is here, sources said. It is unclear yet, the sources said, how a meeting can be arranged and whether it will be a one-to-one interaction or with others in the room.  Read more

Ours is a democratic party, he has every right to express his opinion: Ashutosh, AAP on Shanti Bhushan

In what could be the killer stroke for Arvind Kejrwial, Shanti Bhushan, who is regarded as the patriarch of the Aam Admi Party (AAP) was all praise for Kiran Bedi's anointment as the chief ministerial candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Delhi.

"It's a masterstroke by the BJP to pitch her as a candidate because she has been a crusader against corruption just as Arvind (Kejriwal) has," he said.

In a damning indictment of the AAP, he said, "I think everything is not right in AAP, the party is not being run on lines it was expected to run or what it was established for. Reorientation within the AAP is very much needed, their stress must be on reforming the political system and improving political standards.

"AAP was born out of a crusade against corruption, so they should be happy if a member (Kiran Bedi) of same crusade becomes CM.

"Kiran-ji made a huge contribution to the 'India against corruption' movement. She will provide a very clean and efficient administration," Bhushan said.

Bhushan, who was Union law minister in the Morarji Desai government (1977-79) said Anna should in fact be happy and not peeved about Kiran Bedi joining politics.

"Anna should be very happy that one of his disciples is going to be the CM of Delhi--either Arvind Kejriwal or Kiran Bedi. This shows that the Anna movement has had a great effect on Indian politics," he said.

"CBI torturing, forcing the arrested three persons to give statements against me," alleged former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran . 

With President Barack Obama skipping Pakistan when he makes his second visit to India, a senior White House official has said the US does not view its relationships with the two countries as taking place at the expense of the other. 

Malia and Sasha - the First Daughters of the United States - will give a miss to India trip as they tend only to travel with their parents when they are on vacation from school, a US official has said. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama to jointly address the nation over radio on January 27. 

The deadly Ebola epidemic is slowing significantly in the three west African countries at its epicentre, the World Health Organisation has said, adding that those countries were now adequately equipped to stem the tide. 

A prominent leader of an Islamic State linked militant group was killed in an encounter with the Egyptian police in Dakahlia governorate. 

Shiite insurgents reached an agreement late Wednesday with Yemen's embattled president aimed at ending a violent standoff in the capital, the state news agency and government officials reported.

The leader of the terror group Boko Haram says God commanded that his fighters massacre hundreds of people in northeastern Nigeria, an attack described by human rights groups as the worst so far by the militants.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today assured that the government will keep up pace on reforms but said he doesn't want to build expectations in the run up to the Budget.

It was one of hundreds of small businesses looted after a St Louis County grand jury's decision not to indict a white police officer in the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager.

Martin Odegaard only turned 16 last month but is being coveted by some of the biggest clubs in Europe.

The UN human rights chief today slammed the insulting language used against his envoy in Myanmar as 'utterly unacceptable' and asked the Asian country's government to condemn the attacks.

Over 920 candidates are in the fray for the February 7 big-ticket Delhi assembly elections which include BJP's chief ministerial nominee Kiran Bedi, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and Congress leader Ajay Maken, who filed their nominations today.

India to sign bilateral pacts with Switzerland, other nations for automatic info exchange to check black money menace in future: Arun Jaitley.

The head of German 'anti-Islamisation' movement Pegida, Lutz Bachmann, has resigned after a photo of him apparently posing as Hitler emerged.

At least 13 passengers on a Tel Aviv bus were injured Wednesday in a stabbing rampage that police are calling a terror attack.

CBI tonight arrested three people, including V Gowthaman, the then Additional private secretary of Dayanidhi Maran, in connection with alleged allotment of more than 300 high-speed telephone lines to the then telecom minister's residence in Chennai which were extended to his brother's TV channel.