CBI reprieve for Laloo till July 21
The Central Bureau of Investigation yesterday gave an undertaking to the Patna High Court not to arrest Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav in the fodder scam till July 21. This step is seen as an attempt to secure adjournment of the hearing on his anticipatory bail application till that date.

Sun sets on the empire in Asia's last British outpost
Scripting a new chapter in world history, Hong Kong was reunited with China after 156 years of British rule at a glittering ceremony to mark what India termed as "a final end to colonial rule in Asia".

After Advani, who?
As BJP President L K Advani nears the end of his term, his party is increasingly preoccupied with the question -- after Advani, who?

Hazare fails to respond to panel in Sutar case
Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare has failed to respond to the notice sent to him by the Justice Dudhat commission of inquiry, probing charges of corruption against former agriculture minister Shashikant Sutar.

UTI sees Rs 1,080-crore net inflow, braces for pension, insurance
The Unit Trust of India witnessed a net inflow of Rs 1080 crore into its kitty during the year 1996-97 even as the capital market in general remained rather subdued. It has set itself an indicative sales target of Rs 13,000-15,000 crore for the coming year.

Sensex shoots past 4,250 to scale 52-week high
The Bellwether 30-scrip BSE Sensitive Index shot up to a new 52-week high of 4,272 points yesterday, the first day of a new trading settlement.

Sun sets on the British empire, but expatriates see dawn ahead
Some 28,000 Indians who are expatriates here are upbeat about the economic prospects of the island under China's rule. The chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region -- Hong's Kong's new nomenclature -- Tung Chce Hwa has hailed the contribution of ethnic Indian residents to the island's development.

ITC Classic in Rs 285 cr loss, net worth nearly wiped out
ITC Classic Finance Ltd yesterday reported a whopping loss of Rs 285 crore for 1996-97, which has nearly wiped out its net worth. Its net worth, which was Rs 302.46 crore on March 31, 1996, has been whittled down to Rs 16.08 crore.