NATION

The Fall Of Flight 261

A crash raises questions about an airline already being investigated for its maintenance practices

WORLD

Meet The New King

An inside look at the life of Jordan's young royal--and at his ambitious plans to remake the nation he rules

SOCIETY & SCIENCE

The Bad and the Good (Medicine)

Fresh doubts are cast on a troubled gene-therapy treatment even as the French hint at new advances

Legal Tender (Law)

Web start-ups raid law firms, running up salaries

Lock 'Em Up! (Law)

Minority youths are more likely to face trial as adults

The Love Machines (Lifestyles)

Valentines may now be wired, but online dating is also fostering some very 19th century courtship

The Tuition Tamers (Education)

After years of sharp increases, some colleges are trying to ease the burden on middle-class families

Stormy Weather (Science)

Raining particles and radiation on an increasingly tech-dependent Earth, the sun's upcoming "max" may zap everything from cell phones to power grids

BUSINESS

A Vodacious Deal

An intrepid European telecom merger clocks in at a record $190 billion--and signals a revolution

Mend that GAP

Drab compared with offspring like Old Navy, the mother ship turns up the steam

THE ARTS

Simpatico (The Arts/Short Takes/Cinema)

Directed by Matthew Warchus

Bttb (The Arts/Short Takes/Music)

Ryuichi Sakamoto

In the White Room (The Arts/Books)

Rupert Thomson's The Book of Revelation hauntingly recounts a bizarre captivity

Pursuing the Old One (The Arts/Books)

Einstein, Wittgenstein and doubting priests people E.L. Doctorow's masterly City of God

Scream-ish (The Arts/Cinema)

Terror seems squarer in this sequel and finale

PERSONAL TIME

Other Kids' Rules (Personal Time/Your Family)

What do you do when another family lets your child play with pocketknives and BB guns?

Second Opinions (Personal Time/Your Health)

When and how should you ask for another physician's advice? Here are some guidelines

Happy 107th (Personal Time/Your Money)

An exclusive interview with the economy in which we gingerly ask, How long can this last?

Upgrade from Hell (Personal Time/Your Technology)

Beware of geeks bearing gifts--especially when they require a quick yes-or-no answer

In Brief (Personal Time/Your Technology)