March 18: Must-read stories

Rahul meets Pawar in political detour: Nationwide alliances discussed

Rahul Gandhi has met Sharad Pawar and discussed countrywide alliances against the Narendra Modi-led NDA for future elections, reports The Telegraph. Such an initiative is remarkable for the Congress Vice President, who has largely tended to avoid senior allies and had never before engaged in formal political negotiations with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) patriarch.

6,000 Punjab cops to be sent back to field duty

The newly formed Amarinder Singh government in Punjab is all set to prune the security provided to VIPs, with 6,000 policemen attached with politicians likely to be sent back to field duty by next week, reports The Tribune.

Justice Karnan rejects SC warrant in contempt case

Calcutta High Court judge CS Karnan seems to have adopted a more defiant stand, "rejecting” on Friday the bailable arrest warrant sought to be served on him by West Bengal Police to ensure his appearance before the Supreme Court on March 31, reports The Deccan Herald.

Hillary Clinton 'ready to come out of the woods' and rejoin public life

Former US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton says she still has a hard time watching the news but she’s “ready to come out of the woods” and help Americans find common ground. An AP report in The Guardian.

60% of engineering graduates unemployed

More than 60% of the eight lakh engineers graduating from technical institutions across the country every year remain unemployed, according to the All India Council for Technical Education. A Times of India report.