PHOTOS: When our naval warships spewed FIRE
Defence Minister A K Antony was on Wednesday given a glimpse of the expansive scope and scale of the Indian Navy.

3 K'taka ministers caught watching porn in assembly quit
Bowing to the directives of the party central leadership, three Bharatiya Janata Party ministers in Karnataka on Wednesday resigned after they were engulfed in a row over watching sleazy clippings during the Assembly proceedings.

PHOTOS: On the road with UP poll staff
Braving rainy and cold weather, and riding atop buses and trucks, officials carrying out Election Commission's task of holding the seven phase hustings in Uttar Pradesh have a thankless job.

Rafale is fine, but it's time Tejas enters MiG-21 hangar
Quantity has a quality of its own. That is why the USAF and the Israeli air forces have large fleets of single-engine F-16 fighters. That is also the logic for India's MiG-21 fleet and for the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft that will replace it, writes Ajai Shukla

IN PHOTOS: India's MOST VIEWED netas
Rediff.com takes a look at the seven most viewed leaders on the netapedia website.

Voices from UP polls Day 1: 'Maya gave us security'
Sheela Bhatt and Sharat Pradhan bring voices from the ground in Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh, which is voting today in the first phase of elections

K'taka minister: It wasn't a porn clip in the actual sense
Vicky Nanjappa talks to Minister for Cooperation Laxman Savadi, who resigned on Wednesday, after he was 'caught' viewing an alleged pornographic clip on a mobile phone during state assembly proceedings.

Is corruption truly an issue in India?
Kanimozhi and Kalmadi were welcomed as if they were freedom fighters emerging from jail. Getting bail does not mean that the cases against them have come to an end, or that they have been found innocent by the trial courts, says T V R Shenoy.

Big day for UP as first phase of assembly polls begins
Polling for the first phase of the high voltage Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections for 55 seats in 10 districts would be held on Wednesday that will decide the fate of two ministers, 31 members of Legislative Assembly and 15 former ministers.

Nobody can beat Sonia-run UPA govt's scam record: Advani
Hailing the Supreme Court verdict in 2G case, L K Advani on Wednesday wondered if former telecom minister A Raja could be the sole "villain" and said no one can beat the United Progressive Alliance government, which is "actually run" by Sonia Gandhi, in its "stinking record" in scams.

Mutiny in Maldives: President Nasheed replaced by vice president
External intervention to help Mohammed Nasheed overcome the mutineers would have been inadvisable, and therefore forced him to step down as president, says strategic expert B Raman.

PHOTOS: Politicians CAUGHT surfing porn in office
Being caught surfing porn online is, perhaps, the most embarrassing moment in a lifetime. But how does one explain lawmakers caught in the act, that too in office?

SHOCKING! K'tka minister caught watching porn!
There was some more embarrassment for the government in Karnataka when a minister was caught watching a pornographic clip when proceedings were on in the legislative assembly in Bengaluru.

TOP SHOTS: The BIG freeze grips Europe
Forecasters say freezing conditions and snowfalls that have grounded flights at London's Heathrow Airport will continue for most of February.

Thank you for all the stories, Mr Dickens!
Folks, pick up a Charles Dickens' classic today. What better way to wish the Great Man on his 200th Birthday!

The foreign service has lost its Bhishma pitamaha
Ambassador A K Damodaran was the last link between the freedom struggle and Indian diplomacy, the last of those, who walked from a British prison to take on national responsibilities.

UP's Muslim parties don't talk of social justice
The urge of democratisation among the Muslim communities remains unaddressed by these emerging Muslim outfits. Do they wish to pursue the emotive identity politics of religious exclusivism which may degenerate into the politics of religious reaction, asks Mohammad Sajjad.

Indian's death in the US: 'Indian officials kept away'
'A country where we fight for human rights, a valuable human life was lost due to an unfair treatment by our concerned US officials from Lake County. Yes, we laid Lyvita Gomes to rest today. She is not amongst us to answer any questions. I ask to you that as a caretaker of Indians in the US, did your office take any action or launch any inquiry with concerned officials like Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office?'

Will NOT tolerate any violence in Tibet: China
China on Tuesday vowed to "resolutely crack down" any attempt to incite unrest, blaming overseas activist groups and the Dalai Lama of instigating the recent spate of self-immolations by Buddhist monks and violent clashes in Tibetan-inhabited areas.

Rediff readers showcase their photography skills
We had asked our readers to share with us their photography skills. We received an overwhelming number of responses, some of which are being showcased here.