Patnaik to seek trust vote on March 11
CPM, CPI, NCP, JMM decide to bail out Orissa govt
Bhubaneswar, March 8
Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was today directed by Governor MC Bhandare to prove his majority on the floor of the Assembly on March 11 after his coalition government was reduced to a minority following BJP's withdrawal of support ending their 11-year-old alliance.

CPM strikes alliance with BJD in Orissa
Pushes for Third Front Bhubaneswar/New Delhi, March 8 The CPM was upbeat today in its quest to form a Third Front and struck a pre-poll alliance with the BJD in Orissa within a day after the ruling state party snapped ties with longtime ally BJP. Patnaik betrayed people: BJP
"I assure all of you that there are more than 74 MLAs with us — Naveen Patnaik

BJP kicks off poll campaign
Chennai, March 8
BJP leader L K Advani has kicked off his party’s Lok Sabha campaign from Kanyakumari, the southern tip of the nation, with the allegation that the UPA government had failed to stop the killing of Tamil people in Sri Lanka.

War in Kabul
US to reach out to moderate groups
New York, March 8
Admitting that the nation was not winning in Afghanistan, US President Barack Obama has opened the door for a reconciliation process in which his troops could reach out to moderate elements in the Taliban, much as it did with Sunni militias in Iraq.

World page: Taliban kill 14 abducted Pak soldiers
‘Pak militants behind ambush’
Pak releases 12 Taliban prisoners

Pak seeks Interpol help in Mumbai attack probe
Islamabad, March 8
Pakistan has asked the Interpol to help it obtain information located in seven countries in connection with the Mumbai terror attacks, Interpol chief Ronald Noble said here today.

MASTER’S STROKE: Sachin Tendulkar plays a shot during the third One-Day International against New Zealand in Christchurch on Sunday. Tendulkar smashed his 43rd one-day century as India won to take an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the series. — Reuters (Details in Sports page)

No divorce for ‘irretrievable breakdown’ of marriage: SC
New Delhi, March 8
In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court has ruled that a Hindu couple cannot be granted divorce on the ground that there was “irretrievable breakdown” of the marriage. So far, all courts, including the Supreme Court, had granted divorce to couples on the ground that marriage between the two had irretrievably broken down.

Punjab does poorly on central schemes
Chandigarh, March 8
Planning Commission’s Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has forwarded to the Punjab government observations of a team of the commission, which visited the state to review the implementation of central schemes in September, 2008.

A Tribune Special Tech-savvy way to learn English London’s ‘Reading Scheme’ boon for kids in remote areas of Uttarakhand Dehradun, March 8 MP3 recorders for teaching English? Yes, instead of downloading popular numbers like ‘Jai Ho’ they are now being used to teach English to the teachers and children from the marginalised community in the primary schools located in remote parts of the hill state of Uttarakhand.