J&K page
Truce no solution: Omar Farooq
Srinagar, March 26
Former All-Party Hurriyat Conference Chairman Mirwaiz Omar Farooq has said “only political initiative and not patchwork like the ceasefire” will solve the 53-year-old Kashmir issue.




Villagers stand under the debris of a residential house gutted during a gunbattle at Dadoora village in Pulwama district, about 32 km south of Srinagar, on Sunday night. — Reuters photo

Laloo does balancing act
Patna, March 26
Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav, the RJD supremo and ‘de facto’ ruler of Bihar, did the balancing act on Siwan issue today. He, as expected, stole the show. Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav, while visiting the Pratappur village of the controversial
RJD MP of Siwan, Mohammed Shahabuddin, apparently 
to appease the minority community ministers and MLAs
of his party, today said that the MP was his younger brother.

Cong meets Mamata on seat sharing
Kolkata, March 26
In a significant development after the Trinamool Congress (TC) pulled out of the NDA government, Congress leader Kamal Nath had a meeting with TC Chief Mamata Banerjee on seat adjustments between the two parties in the coming assembly elections.

Custodial death at Ellenabad, 6 cops suspended
Sirsa, March 26
Tension prevails in Ellenabad following the death of a person in police custody late last night. Angry residents raised slogans against the administration and damaged the jeep of the SDM and property at the police station.

From left: Benicio Del Toro, Marcia Gay Harden, Julia Roberts and Russell Crowe share a laugh with their Oscars after the 73rd annual Academy Awards at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, on Monday. Del Toro was honoured as Best Supporting Actor for his role in “Traffic”, Harden as Best Supporting Actress for her role in “Pollock”, Roberts as Best Actress for her role in “Erin Brockovich” and Crowe as Best Actor for his role in “Gladiator”. — Reuters photo (World page)