Critical sectors safe
It was officially announced today that the country has transited into the new millennium without any Y2K hitch in any of the 11 critical sectors.

Govt. has bungled: Left
The knives were out for the Vajpayee Government today for its handling of the hijack crisis, with the Left parties accusing it of bungling and then attempting a ``cover-up.'' The Government, they said, must take the responsibility for letting the crisis spin out of control and narrowing down its options to a point where it was left with few choices.

His first flight was into terror
Nepal had been a beautiful experience. Worth the money and the time. After a five-day trip to the mountain kingdom, Mr. R. P. Kannan was a little nervous when he boarded the IC-814 Indian Airlines flight to New Delhi. Understandably so, it was his first time in an aeroplane.

Putin visits Chechnya
Hours after taking over as Russia's acting President, Mr. Vladimir Putin paid a surprise visit to Russian soldiers fighting in Chechnya to emphasise the war agenda of his Government and stress his resolve to crush Chechen rebels.

N-installation lists exchanged
As part of an annual ritual under a bilateral agreement, India and Pakistan today exchanged lists of their nuclear installations to protect them against any possible aerial attack.

Curfew in Surankot
Militants armed with sophisticated weapons tried to attack the army brigade headquarters at Surankot this morning. The sentry at the gate retaliated, but the militants shot him dead.

Govt. sees 'gains' in hijacking drama
The day after the safe return of hostages from Kandahar, the Vajpayee Government has began a concerted damage- limitation exercise in order to meet the criticism at home that the Government had given into the terrorists.

Hijackers, militants Quetta-bound: Taliban
The five unidentified hijackers along with the three released militants, Masood Azhar, Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar and Ahmad Umar, left for Quetta (Pakistan) from Kandahar last evening, the Taliban Information Minister, Mr. Abdul Hai Mutmaen, was quoted as saying by the Jang newspaper today.