Tussle Within
As the war drags on, the US discovers the perils of allying with a dictator who wants to appear a statesman abroad and a politician at home.

Battle Weary Wasteland
An exclusive photo feature captures images of Afghan life during unending conflict.

Down and Out
An account of sebi's undoing under D.R. Mehta and the tasks for a new team that will be at the helm in the regulatory body early next year.

CAPLOOKS

Face is the Fortune

Ahmedabad: If Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi were to be abducted and replaced by Nalin Joshi of Junagadh, nobody would know the difference. The physical resemblance of Joshi, an astrologer, to Modi is uncanny. No wonder then that his lookalike's elevation to the chief minister's post is a good omen for Joshi. His pictures are appearing in the local press with captions like "Meet this Narendra Modi" and many more are queuing up to have their fortune told. It's time Modi met Joshi.

Shotgun Campaign

Lucknow: Shatrughan Sinha may have fallen out of favour with the BJP leadership after his diatribe against George Fernandes, but the Uttar Pradesh chief minister wants this loudmouthed BJP MP on his right side during the upcoming assembly election. When Rajnath Singh learnt in Kanpur that Sinha was also visiting, he lost no time in offering the dissident leader a lift in his helicopter. The filmstar played difficult, but eventually gave in to Rajnath's persuasions. The chief minister spent the journey trying to rope in the star campaigner. But both the Samajwadi Party and the Congress have beaten him to it. It is up to Sinha to take his pick at election time.

Tiger Roars

Mumbai: Bal Thackeray's Dussehra speech was full of fireworks. Mid-way through his speech, the Sena chief asked former chief minister Narayan Rane if the saffron flag would flutter again atop Vidhan Bhavan. Rane nodded vigorously-to his regret. "He has been trying to fool me and you for two years," Thackeray snapped. Rane's arch rival Manohar Joshi was about to smirk when the Sena supremo turned on him. "You had said yuti brings gati (alliance brings speed). Look at the Centre's performance." Sharp reprimand indeed. Something is brewing in the Sena kitchen. Stay tuned.

Adding Injury to Insult

Delhi: No one these days is willing to jeopardise the ever-fragile Hindu-Muslim ties. At least the joint parliamentary committee on women's empowerment isn't. It refused to back member Shabana Azmi when she urged chairperson Margaret Alva to issue a statement denouncing the Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid for having dismissed her as a nautch girl ("naachne gaanewali tawaif") on a TV channel. It is an internal matter of the community, panel members privately told Alva. Communal amity was, of course, not the only factor. Some members were piqued by Azmi's presumptuous conduct: she had brought a prepared statement for approval. Why can't she be more humble like Jaya Prada, they ask.

MetroScape

Banglore: Pub

Delhi: Furniture Store

Kolkata: Restaurant