Mumbai, Dec. 5 : Chhagan Bhujbal will be the new Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Chief Sharad Pawar named Bhujbal for the post today.

"Our state legislature party has decided that Chhagan Bhujbal will be the leader," Pawar said.

Bhujbal will take over from R R Patil, who resigned from the chair after taking moral responsibility for the Mumbai terror attack.

Bhujbal (61),last held the post in the Congress-NCP allied Government which came into power in Maharashtra in 1999.

New Delhi, Dec 5 : The Supreme Court today extended the interim stay against the arrest of three senior Kolkata police officers facing allegations of abetting the suicide of Rizwanur Rahman.

A bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice P Sathasivam granted protection to former DCP (Detective Department) Ajoy Kumar, former ACP Shukanti Chakraborty and former SI Krishnendu Das.

The apex court granted two weeks time to the petitioner to file their rejoinder.

Rizwanur had married Priyanka under the Special Marriages Act on August 18, 2007.

New Deli, Dec 5 : Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Kamal Nath today said that India and Russia have managed to sustain strong business vibes in recent years.

Addressing the India-Russia CEOs Council meeting here, Nath said that there is immense possibility for joint investments in the areas like banking, information technology, telecommunications, high-technology sectors, power, pharmaceuticals and textiles.

New Delhi, Dec. 5: A senior adviser on foreign affairs to German Chancellor Angela Merkel has quoted India’s National Security Advisor, M. K. Narayanan, as saying that India has no intention of declaring war against Pakistan in the wake of last week’s terror attacks in Mumbai.

Beijing, Dec. 5:China has said that it would like both India and Pakistan to tone down tensions and function as good neighbours of the country.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said “Both Pakistan and India are good neighbors of China.”

He urged India and Pakistan to work together.

“We sincerely hope that India and Pakistan will step up co-operation and dialogue and jointly safeguard peace and stability in East Asia, which is in the interest of both countries and the region,” Jianchao said during a press briefing.

New Delhi, Dec 5 : Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who is on a three-day visit to India, has begun talks with Indian leaders.

Prior to that, Medvedev, accompanied by Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma, visited Raj Ghat, Mahatma Gandhi''s mausoleum to pay homage.

Earlier, Medvedev met External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and held talks with him on a wide range of issues.

Friday''s meeting comes ahead of Summit-level talks between the Russian President and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.