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INDIA TODAY CONCLAVE


South Asia's most influential and mostly read newsweekly presents the second Conclave India Tomorrow 2003: Global Giant or Pygmy? Take me to Conclave now

CURRENT ISSUE MAY 12, 2003

COVER STORY: ASH

ASH Global Goddess

As Aishwarya Rai becomes the first Indian actor to be a member of the Cannes Film Festival jury this month, the buzz about her in the West is reaching critical mass. The misstep on Bond notwithstanding, she already has an international film in the bag..

INTERVIEW: SHAHNAWAZ HUSSAIN


	Phone bills- Samata, Sena, JD (U) join Oppn in Lok Sabha walkout on tariff hike

	Wireless war- Shourie says TRAI verdict on new telephone rates this week

	DDA scam- SC rejects CBI plea against interim bail to Shamit Mukherjee

	Gujarat accident- 15 killed in jeep-truck collision in Panchmahal's Lonavda

	'Spurt in violence- Militants kill 21 people in separate incidents in Tripura

	Linking economies- US, Singapore sign free trade agreement

	SARS toll- China records five new deaths, 159 cases

	'Bollywood Awards Dazzles Trump Taj Mahal Casino, Atlantic City

	Medicos stir- Tamil Nadu govt threatens to invoke ESMA against striking doctors

	SARS scare- Rajkot resident back from Singapore shows symptoms of Asian pneumonia

Do you think Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee and President Parvez Musharraf will be able to normalise Indo-Pak relations?


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WEB ONLY FEATURES


Veteran Congressman V.C. Shukla's decision to leave the party and join the NCP is unlikely to give Chief Minister Aji Jogi sleepless nights. India Today's Neeraj Mishra explains why. LONELY REBELLION

Diary of Events










PREVIOUS ISSUE

STATES: MADHYA PRADESH			STATES: WEST BENGAL

In God I Trust			Nothing Left to Lose
Chief Minister Digvijay Singh is setting the pre-poll agenda by appropriating the BJP's favourite plank: the religion card. And he seems to hold all the aces.			The CPI(M) is assured of victory even before votes are cast in the panchayat polls as its terror tactics force several opposition candidates to withdraw nominations.
STATES: GUJARAT			STATES: RAJASTHAN.

New Theatre			Feeling The Heat
Pandya murder probe reveals Gujarati youth are being trained in Pakistani terror factories.			The Rani of Dholpur has to battle infighting, a demoralised cadre and her own inexperince to take the BJP to victory in the fothcoming elections.



LETTERS			EDITORIAL
From The Editor In Chief To The Editor			Empty Gestures Musharraf has to come clean before Vajpayee can take a trip to Islamabad.

OTHER STORIES

BUSINESS: REGIONAL STOCK EXCHANGES			FOLLOW-UP: SARS
Sliding into Oblivion			Ill Defined
The rise of the NSE and computerised trading have spelt doom for regional bourses and robbed them of relevance. Will their end be good for the market?			Even as panic reigns and more prople are quarqntined, the Government declares that India is SARS-free.
NEIGHBOURS: PAKISTAN			DEFENCE: INDIAN NAVY
Rocky Road to Peace			Ship Shape
India and Pakistan are keen to temper expectations with realpolitik, but there are strong compulsions that are propelling the latest peace initiative.			Increased budgetary support and long-term plans to police its strategic space are set to propel the Indian Navy into the big league

ENVIRONMENT: MERCURY CONTAMINATION			HEALTH: ABORTION PILL
Sea Change			Foetal Extraction
The shipping out of 290 tonne of mercury waste to the US will be a landmark in envirnmental activism.			Endorsed by doctors and opposed by women's rights groups, the new abortion pill, RU-486, is all set to be a part of the family welfare programme
FASHION: BRA-TOPS			SOCIETY AND TRENDS: EUNUCHS
Storm in the B Cup			Neelam Inc.
It's neither the tube top or a bustier. It's the bra emerging as a silhouette or its own in blossomy brocade or tarnished tassels.			The death of Delhi's eunuch queen gives a glimpse of the power and money at her command.
OFFTRACK: MUMBAI, MAHARASHTRA
A Stake in Life
A butcher spurms his traditional calling to fight illegal slaughter.

NEWSNOTES

FIRST TAKE

CONFESSIONAL SPOTLIGHT DESPATCH WORLDWATCH TABS ON TRIVIA

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"We cannot block travel from the source of infection completely. What if everyone else had said the same when we had plague in India"
Sushma Swaraj, Union health minister, on SARS precautions

REGULARS

BOOKS			BOOKS
Epic Despair			Future Tension
An anguised philosopher spends too much time staring into the mirror.			A handy guide to religious strife in India.

METRO TODAY


EYECATCHERS
Norah should be flattered, Lady Tabu, Male Order, Shilpa Cannes Do

NRI DIARY


A black heroine, a white hero. Their comedy that grossed over $100 million is a personal best for producer Amritraj.			Travel In the News