• Dalai Lama asks Taliban to rethink

• Nation page: Outcry against statues’ destruction

• World page: Envoy makes bid to curb Taliban

• Edit page: Cultural identity and Islamic nations

• Chandigarh page: Rev Thomson to call on Dalai Lama
  

13 mowed down in Tripura
Agartala, March 3
After a brief lull, NLFT guns boomed again mowing down at least 13 persons, including 11 CRPF jawans, at Bampur under Birganj police station in South Tripura today. Jawans of the 4th Battalion of the CRPF were patrolling the extremist-dominated area in five vehicles when heavily armed militants pumped a volley of bullets from two sides, killing all 13 on the spot.

Change of guard ruled out in HP
New Delhi, March 3
The BJP today ruled out any change of leadership in Himachal Pradesh and sternly told the ‘rebel’ MLAs that it was not ready to tolerate any kind of indiscipline. The seven ‘rebel’ MLAs had been asked to publicly apologise for their act before which their grievances would not be heard.

Ravi no more flows into Pak
Ranjit Sagar Dam, March 3
With the taming of the mighty River Ravi which meanders to the Indo-Pak border, no more of its water flows into Pakistan. With the completion of Ranjit Sagar Dam, Pakistan would no longer be able to wage a ‘proxy war’ with India by diverting the course of the river.

GND University honours H.S. Wasir, Sachar
Amritsar, March 3
The 27th annual convocation of Guru Nanak Dev University started here with an address by Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers. Addressing the gathering, the minister said Punjab was facing numerous social, economic and political problems. “In such times it becomes imperative to ‘beat’ the new challenges with new technology.”