Lexis-Nexis is a premium-priced legal (Lexis) and conventional news & info-base (Nexis) “ICP” (Internet Content Provider) which is probably the best of its genre. Last pricing inquiry: Lexis @ USD $1,500 annually; Nexis the same.
LiveTopics
You can invoke “Live Topics” refined searches on the main Alta Vista search page right after you’ve conducted an initial search. Its all auto-prompt & menu-driven.
These free news & info seek-and-return-bots are downlaods: they're heavy on disk memory and can make operating speeds sluggish while operating in the "background". FreeLoader, a previous entry here, went defunct in late May '97.