The Luckies
The Labelled, Urban, Chilled, Kicked-with-life Indians are here. The most fortunate ever if only for the choices before it, this generation is glib, global, cocky and informed-and chases success with an awesome spending power.

Wages Of Peace
The Centre's decision to extend its cease-fire with the NSCN(I-M)
to three other north-east states leads to large-scale violence
in Manipur.

Man Of Letters
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's skill with the quill has the PMO busy acknowledging his missives. And on occasion agreeing to his demands.

Civil Lines
Pervez Musharraf's assuming the office of President is being seen as a bid to legitimise his position. A look at what this means in the context of his India visit.

Peace In Pipeline
India wants to put on Iran the onus of ensuring safe transit of gas.

EYECATCHERS

The Problem Of Plenty

(From right) Woods, Datta, Jeter and Dorji

Miss Universe Lara Dutta, 23, had been going to every Tiger Wood charity do since last year's crowning win, keeping the paparazzi on high alert for any printable involvement. She is also popular in the US (where Indian beauties have traditionally been just difficult names to pronounce) for being hooked up with baseball shortstop Derek Jeter. But Dutta, merciless in her predictability, says that both Jeter and Woods are "colleagues" with whom she shares a "working relationship". So what about Kelly Dorji, the third aspirant? "That's my personal life," she snaps. Hmm... more telling.

Angel Rage

Aishwarya Rai and her irascible alter ego, Salman Khan, would obviously make a re-entry into Eyecatchers after Rai lashed out against the Press for giving a "communal" angle to her relationship with the severely-muscled actor and scoffing at rumours about a possible marriage. In an interview to a BBC TV programme, a distraught Rai said that the Press "misquoted people, put words in their mouth and the issue became very very grave and sensitive". One other clarification: Rai fell down the stairs once and passed out ... the bruises weren't because Salman beat the daylights out of her.

Hot Male Trips

Don't bother looking for it solution providers Arzoo.com anymore... it has downed its website shutters. Promoter and tech poster boy Sabeer Bhatia, who gained immortal fame in Internet history for selling Hotmail to Microsoft for $400 million, put up a notice board saying that the exit was due to a severe downturn in the US economy and ruthless cost-cutting. "We strongly believe in the model but now is not the right time to introduce such a service," said Bhatia, lately denigrated as a "one project wonder". Looks like he won't be buying his second Ferrari anytime soon.

Tamil Tango

Ajitkumar with Mookhey

"Yukta Mookhey... Yukta Mookhey ... What a beauty you are," is almost a tautological proclamation for a recent Miss World, but for those who still think that the two are unrelated, this Tamil film song clears the air. When Ezhil, director of the movie Poovaellam Un Vaasam (All Flowers Have Your Fragrance) heard this song by lyricist Vairamuthu, he gave Mookhey a call for a cameo in the film. Sure enough, the 6 ft-tall muse stopped by Visakhapatnam where, mobbed by fans, she twirled to the adulating ditty with the film's hero Ajitkumar. Did co-star Jyothika feel left out?

--Compiled by Anshul Avijit

MetroScape

Delhi Decorative Art: D'addomio

Kolkata Restaurant: Thai Tonight

A Hare Krishna cult member's spiritual quest meets with a rude end. But he isn't the only one on trial. The credibility of the Orissa police is equally at stake, writes INDIA TODAY's Special Correspondent Ruben Banerjee in
Sleaze And Salvation