Mamata may visit party MP, and PM, in Bombay
Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has a readymade excuse to visit Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, recovering from a knee surgery in Bombay.

LeT, Harkat warn Musharraf against getting close to PM: PTI
The Pakistan-based militant outfits were stung by the military ruler's criticism of the "jehadi groups" anti-India posture.

JKLF nominations for PoK polls rejected: PTI
The Election Commission Thursday rejected nomination papers of candidates of the Amanullah faction as they refused to declare their allegiance to Pakistan.

INTERVIEW
'Talks will depend on the realism displayed by Musharraf'
Leading defence expert K Subrahmanyam is not ready to take any bets on the outcome of the Vajpayee-Musharraf talks.

DEATH OF A MONARCH
Royal massacre survivor blames Dipendra
With the palace's consent, survivors are beginning to speak out in Nepal. However, all versions leave several questions.

Paramilitary forces on alert on Indo-Nepal border: PTI
The alert along the 1,690 km Indo-Nepal border follows the massacre of the royal family in Kathmandu on June 1.

Probe begins into Nepal massacre
The commission appointed to probe the royal massacre will begin work Thursday with only two members, raising doubts about its credibility.

Amnesty slams media crackdown in Nepal
Amnesty said the mediapersons 'have been arrested solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression,' and declared that it 'considers them prisoners of conscience'.

Nepal watchers warn of civil war
Experts believe that any attempt to cover up last week's royal massacre in Kathmandu would prove to be counterproductive and may even lead to a civil war.

NEWS
US lawmakers express solidarity with Afghan Hindus
Several influential US lawmakers Wednesday pledged to wear a yellow badge with the inscription 'I am a Hindu' in solidarity with the Hindus in Afghanistan.

Dara Singh forces deferment of trial
The main accused in the Graham Staines murder case is on a hunger strike demanding a ceiling fan in his cell, sources in Baripada jail said.

US SPECIAL
A Jew in the Big Apple
To her surprise and dismay, Florence Manglani says she encountered ignorance in the United States, where many people she met had a hard time believing she was Jewish by birth.

US NEWS
Jains align with the Tibetan cause
The president of the International Mahavir Jain Mission, Shanti Shah, said the Dalai Lama had stressed on the similarities between the two faiths when they met recently.

Bush sued over global gag rule
Two South Asians are among the plaintiffs objecting to the rule which censors private political speech on reproductive health laws worldwide.

MOVIES
Mark, not Mel, might see Signs!
M Night Shyamalan targets upcoming Mark Ruffalo for his latest.

TENNIS
Paes-Bhupathi in French Open final
Their semi-final victory moved the Indians to the No.2 spot in world rankings.

BADMINTON
Gopichand in quarter-finals
The Indian ace will play Chen Hong, the man he beat in the final of the All England championship.

CRICKET
India gets a grip
The tourists were 83 for 3 at close, after bowling out Zimbabwe for 173, on the opening day of the first Test.

India in 7th spot: ICC Test championship
England consolidated its position in third place after the drawn series with Pakistan.

GUIDE TO THE NET
Pornography on your cell phone?
Cell phone pornography is set to be the next wave of adult techno-entertainment.

COLUMNS
Subverting the truth
'The absoluteness of truth has vanished in the melee of gossip and rumours. If the media does not wake up to this, it will have only itself to blame,' says Pritish Nandy.

Waiting for Musharraf
'Musharraf looks upon Afghanistan as his greatest success story and believes this can be repeated in J&K. He interprets the change in Indian attitude as indicators of the onset of battle fatigue in the Indian security forces,' says B Raman.