NEWS
1 killed as Bihar bandh turns violent
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar inducted three more members in his Cabinet. They are Sushil Kumar Modi of the BJP, Stephen Marandi of the JMM-Soren and Pashupathi Kumar Paras of the JD-U.

NEWS
5 soldiers killed in J&K
Militants sneaked inside a heavily guarded camp of the 5 Rashtriya Rifles at Badampora in Ganderbal and opened indiscriminate fire. Seven soldiers were also injured in the attack.

SPORTS
Mongia, Jaffer, Karthik dropped for one-dayers
Fast bowler J Srinath has been rested for the five-match series against South Africa.

SPORTS
Azhar blasts back
Just when India seemed down and almost out on Day 4 against the Proteas, Mohammed Azharuddin rediscovered his lost magic. And gave the fans something to cheer about, as the home team improbably pushed the Test into a fifth day. Prem Panicker reports.

NEWS
Clinton's security detail finds Rashtrapati Bhavan 'unsuitable'
The team has apparently settled for the Maurya Sheraton Hotel, finding that its location and security will help them protect the US president better.

SPORTS
India face uphill task in second Test
At close on Day 3, South Africa had taken a lead of 314, with two first innings wickets standing. From an Indian perspective, the best that could be said was that the tourists did not declare and fire out a couple of early wickets. One thing is for sure -- the series is lost, and there is nothing but pride left to play for. Prem Panicker reports.

EXCLUSIVE!
'If I were aloof, I wouldn't have been able to win so many games'
'You will not be able to get a side together all the time. To lead the side for 7.5 to 8 years is no mean feat,' says Mohammad Azharuddin, in an exclusive interview.

SPORTS
'Not a team, just a bunch of individuals'
That's what the South Africans think of the Indian cricket team. Faisal Shariff's tour diary.

INFOTECH
'80-90% of consultants lack proper papers'
Xavier Augustin of y-axis.com on jobs abroad and problems associated with H1B visas.

BUDGET
'Whatever happened to harsh decisions?'
N R Narayanamurthy and Rahul Bajaj on the Y2K Budget. In Real Audio.

MONEY
Brave new world
Aravamuthan Sasikant on how the Y2K Budget has reinforced the stark polarisation between the new economy and old economy stocks.

THE REDIFF SPECIAL
'The country must not fall into the trap of Siachenisation of the Kargil heights'
'The proper response would be a declaratory policy that deliberate infringement of the LoC and wanton cross-border terrorism will meet with prompt retaliation.' rediff.com presents the Kargil Review Committee report.

THE REDIFF SPECIAL
Dear Smt Sonia Gandhiji,
The letter that got Matang Singh expelled from the Congress.

BUSINESS
Excise-hike-hit corporates rework prices
'The rationalisation and simplification of the tax structure is a good idea, but the special additional duty of 4% is going to affect the consumer durables industry adversely,' said K S Kim, managing director, Samsung Electronics.

MOVIES
'Your sense of decency may just vary from mine'
A frank Twinkle Khanna. On the Rediff Chat.

MOVIES
'I wish I could start from scratch'
Looking back with Mrinal Sen.

MUSIC
'I've had my fill of the West'
Meet Jeremy Spencer, guitarist par excellence and an Indophile, on The Rediff Chat.

BOOKS
'It's been a great year for books'
The rise and rise of Internet bookstores and e-shopping has certainly been a big boost worldwide. But what's most heartening is that despite a world of exciting, entertaining choices, books continue to be read in larger numbers.

COLUMNS
Musharraf must be smiling
'If the allocation for defence in the latest Budget is any indication, then her leaders have achieved all their aims in that conflict. General Musharraf's strategy has worked perfectly and India has fallen for it hook, line and sinker,' says Admiral (retd) J G Nadkarni.

Kesri's dream
The former Congress president has set his heart on yet another term in the Rajya Sabha. Meanwhile, unkind critics say Kesri's eyes light up whenever someone notes that under him the party won more parliamentary seats than it has under his successor... Capital Buzz. Gossip from the Delhi durbar.

Tale of the nightwatchmen
Hansie Cronje, while lauding Nicky Boje on his fine first innings, says his team is set to wrap up the series.