NEWS
14 hurt in bomb blast on Gomti Exp
The bomb exploded when the superfast train was passing through tiny Jhijhak station, about 80 kilometres short of Kanpur.

NEWS
ICHR spikes major history projects and sparks a row
Authoritative sources confirmed that the new ICHR, comprising mostly pro-Sangh Parivar historians, has scrapped several other projects while withholding the distribution of several recently published books, including a two-part series on India's Partition.

NEWS
Vedrine, Jaswant protest American domination of culture
The French foreign minister said that while India, due to its rich culture, had managed to escape the overweening American influence, Europe was completely swamped by it.

NEWS
7 killed in second phase of Bihar election
About two dozen notorious gangsters were in the fray. But polling was far more peaceful in the constituencies where they were contesting, mainly because security forces took additional precautions there.

THE REPUBLIC, 50 YEARS ON
Celebrating 50 Years of the Indian Republic

'The weaknesses are not of the Constitution but of the system and of the State'
'If we are not able to implement the Directive Principles, if we cannot send all our children to school, then these are not the weaknesses of our Constitution. Why blame the Constitution?' Former prime minister Inder Kumar Gujral on the Constitution review.

MARKET REPORT
Markets@Feb 17: Sensex up 109 points
Software and pharma were in the limelight.

SPECIAL
The question, 'should Bill Clinton visit Pakistan', is the wrong one
'Pakistan is an important enough country that Bill Clinton should HAVE visited long ago; perhaps a few months after a visit to India. All of this should have taken place in 1994 or 1995 at the latest,' says Professor Stephen P Cohen.

SPECIAL
Extortion is big business in the northeast
The funds enable them to finance the visits of their leaders abroad, purchase sophisticated arms and communication equipment and run the organisation. Of course, most of them term the process as "tax collection."

INFOTECH
Very quiet on the MS front
Windows 2000 comes out with a whimper instead of a bang.

SLIDE SHOW
Indian safari: The Proteas arrive
Images of the South African cricket team's arrival in Bombay.

SPORTS
SA very strong at the moment, says Cronje
South Africa's captain, however, cautioned that playing India in India is going to be a very tough challenge.

NEWS
Freeze on seats a victory for DMK
The southern party was the only one to point out that representation based on electorate size would hit states with better population control measures.

MOVIES
A woman's film
Kavita Lankesh's debut film, Deviri, is meant for the festival circuit.

MOVIES
Merchant, Ivory celebrate 40 years together
MIP retrospectives will be held in Bombay, Delhi and Bangalore.

MOVIES
No compromise on price!
Tabu snubs Raj Kumar Santoshi.

MUSIC
A melange of melodies
From ghazal to Indipop to international acts, Split Wide Open has it all. But still the album seems to be caught in a dilemma -- between Western tastes and Indian sensibilities.

BOOKS
The Brethren
The similarities in the careers of John Grisham and Stephen King are almost uncanny.

COLUMNS
Today defence spending is being linked to national pride and patriotism
'Both countries of the subcontinent are so obsessed with their defence apparatus that it is sometimes difficult to perceive what they are trying to defend. Is it the largest poverty stricken population in the world?' asks Admiral (retd) J G Nadkarni.

What counts, India or ties to a family?
'The nation will not forgive another betrayal by the tired old men who rule over its destinies. This will come when Clinton insinuates his country into the Kashmir cauldron,' says Monu Nalapat.

Mutual funds on the go
Devanghsu Datta on why mutual funds have become hot pickings.

The enemy within
In our great desire to fight among ourselves, says Harsha Bhogle, we have forgotten the enemy. And that's why we are still losing.