Mumbai shootout 26 Nov

The November 2008 Mumbai attacks were a series of ten coordinated attacks which began across Mumbai (Bombay), the largest city in India and the country’s financial capital, on 26 November 2008 and ended on 29 November 2008 when Indian security forces finally regained control of all attack sites.

Location	Type of attack	Casualties	Rescued
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Victoria) railway station	Shootings; grenade attacks.	55	none
Leopold Café, Colaba	Shootings, grenade explosion.	10	none
Taj Mahal Palace & Tower hotel	Shootings; six explosions; fire on ground, first, and top floors; hostages;RDX found nearby.	50 approx	around 250
Oberoi Trident hotel	Shootings; explosions; hostages; fire.	24	143
Metro Cinema	Shooting from carjacked police jeep
Cama Hospital	Shootings; hostages	3 policemen	none
Nariman House (Mumbai Chabad House)	Siege; shootings hostages.	6	9
Vile Parle suburb, North Mumbai	Car bomb blast.	3	none
Mazagaon docks	Explosion; boat with armaments seized.	none	none
Girgaum Chowpatty	1 terrorist killed and 1 arrested by a team from the Gamdevi police station.	2	none

Terrorists involved

* Azam Amir Kasav & Abu Ismail Dera Ismail Khan, (attacked CST, police vehicle in cama hospital, Metro cinema, Vidhan Bhavan, Girgaum Chowpatty)
* 4 Terrorists in Taj Hotel, 2 Terrorists in Oberoi Hotel, 2 Terrorists in Nariman House ( Abu Ali, Fahad, Omar, Shoaib, Umer, Abu Akasha, Abdul Rahman (Bara), and Abdul Rahman).

Entry into India

Date	Estimated Time (+0530 UTC)	Event
Nov 21	evening	Ten terrorists leave Karachi, Pakistan in a boat & travel for thirty-eight hours, remaining undetected by the Indian Navy.
Nov 22		Each of the 10 men are given 6-7 magazines of 30 rounds each plus 400 rounds not loaded in magazines , 8 hand grenades, one AK-47 assault rifle, an automatic loading revolver, credit cards and a supply of dried fruit.
Nov 22		A separate group check in to the Taj Hotel with arms and ammunition.
Nov 23		The terrorists hijack an Indian trawler, Kuber, killing four fishermen and ordering the captain to sail to India.
Nov 24		The terrorists kill the captain and sail to Gujarat and raise a white flag. Two coast guard officers approach and question them. They kill one of the officers and force the other to sail them to Mumbai.
Nov 26		They reach within four nautical miles (7 km) of Mumbai and kill the other coast guard officer. They then proceed to board three inflatable speedboats and reach Colaba jetty at dusk.
Nov 26		The ten men get off at Badhwar Park, Cuffe Parade, three blocks away from Nariman House.
Nov 26		Four of the men enter the Taj Mahal Hotel, two enter the Oberoi Trident, two enter Nariman House, and the other two men, Azam and Ismail, take a taxi to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus.

At the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel

Sources: NDTV, Evening Standard, and BBC

Date	Estimated Time (+0530 UTC)	Event
Nov 26	11:00 PM	Terrorists enter Taj hotel.
Nov 27	12:00 AM	Mumbai Police surrounds the hotel.
Nov 27	01:00 AM	Massive blast in the central dome, fire in the building.
Nov 27	02:30 AM	Army soldiers arrive in two trucks and enter the front lobby. Fire spreads across the top floor.
Nov 27	03:00 AM	Fire Engines arrive. Shootings heard inside lobby and heritage building.
Nov 27	4:00 AM	Firemen rescue people with ladders. More than 200 people evacuated
Nov 27	4:30 AM	Terrorists reported to move from central dome to new tower.
Nov 27	5:00 AM	Commandos and Bomb squad arrive. Police step up heat.
Nov 27	5:30 AM	Fire brought under control but terrorists holed up in new tower with 100–150 hostages.
Nov 27	6:30 AM	Security forces say they are ready for encounter.
Nov 27	8:00 AM	People are brought out of the lobby.
Nov 27	8:30 AM	Another 50 people brought out of Chambers club.
Nov 27	9:00 AM	More rounds of firing, many more people reported to be stuck inside.
Nov 27	10:30 AM	Gunbattle reported from inside
Nov 27	12 Noon	50 evacuated
Nov 27	4:30 PM	Militants set fire to a room on the 4th floor
Nov 27	7:20 PM	More NSG commandos arrive, enter hotel
Nov 27	11:00 PM	Operations continue
Nov 27	2:53 PM	Six bodies recovered
Nov 27–28	2:53 PM – 3:59	Ten grenade explosions
Nov 28	3:00 PM	Marine commandos recover explosives from Taj.
Nov 28	4.00 PM	12–15 dead bodies recovered from the Taj by Naval Commandos.
Nov 28	7:30 PM	Fresh explosions and gun shots at Taj Hotel.
Nov 28	8:30 PM	Reported that one terrorist left at the Taj.
Nov 29	3:40 AM – 4:10 AM	Reports of five explosions at the Taj.
Nov 29	5:05 AM	Revised estimate of one terrorist remaining.
Nov 29	07:30 AM	Fire raging on first floor. Black smoke from second floor. Gunshots heard frequently—apparent gun battle.
Nov 29	08:00 AM	Indian commandos state that the Taj Hotel is now under control. However they are still conducting room to room searches. People celebrate on the streets.

At the Oberoi Trident

Date	Estimated Time	Event
Nov 27	6 AM	NSG arrives, storms hotel.
Nov 27	8:40 AM	Firing heard, Top army, navy officers arrive and take stock.
Nov 27	1:30 PM	Two small explosions. More reinforcements enter building.
Nov 27	3:25 PM	Some foreign hostages rescued
Nov 27	5:35 PM	Sikh regiment arrives, fierce gunbattle.
Nov 27	6 PM	27 hostages come out of Air India building, four foreigners taken to hospital.
Nov 27	6:45 PM	Explosion heard. Two NSG guards, 25 army personnel suspected injured. More people rescued, in all 31.
Nov 27	7:10 PM	1 terrorist arrested.
Nov 27	7:25 PM	Fire breaks out on 4th floor
Nov 27	11 PM	Operations continue
Nov 28	10 AM	Many hostages evacuated from the Trident building.
Nov 28	3:00 PM	Commando operations at Oberoi over, 24 dead bodies recovered. 143 hostages rescued alive. Two militants shot dead.

At Nariman House

Date	Estimated Time	Event
Nov 27	7 AM	Police began evacuating adjacent buildings.
Nov 27	11 AM	Cross-firing between terrorists and police; one militant injured.
Nov 27	2:45 PM	Terrorists threw grenade into nearby lane; no casualties.
Nov 27	5:30 PM	NSG commandos arrive, naval helicopter took aerial survey.
Nov 27	11 PM	Operations continued.
Nov 27	12 PM	9 hostages rescued from first floor.
Nov 28	7:30 AM	NSG commandos airdropped onto the top of Nariman house.
Nov 28	7:30 PM	All 6 hostages including the Rabbi and his wife found killed by the terrorists.
Nov 28	8:30 PM	NSG commandos declared the operations over, 2 terrorists killed.

Casualties

At least 172 people had been killed in the attacks and 293 wounded. Among the dead were 124 Indian civilians, 17 policemen and 31 foreigners. The breakdown of the foreigners was as follows: four Americans, four Australians, three Canadians, three Germans, two Israeli-Americans, two Israelis, two French, two Italians, one British-Cypriot, one Dutch, one Japanese, one Jordanian, one Malaysian, one Mauritian, one Mexican, one Singaporean and one Thai.

In addition, nine terrorists were killed and one was captured.

27 other foreigners of different nationalities were injured in the terror strikes and were admitted to the Bombay Hospital. Hospital sources said the injured foreigners were from Australia, USA, UK, Canada, Germany, Canada, Spain, Norway, Finland, Oman, China, Japan, the Philippines and Jordan.

Andreas Liveras, a British yachting tycoon (of dual Greek Cypriot and British citizenship), was among those confirmed killed. German TV producer Ralph Burkei, and French lingerie tycoon, Loumia Hiridjee and her husband, were also among the dead. Husband and wife, Rabbi Gavriel Noach Holtzberg and Rivka Holtzberg, both of whom were hostages in Nariman House, also died during the attack.

According to Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, 14 policemen and three NSG commandos were killed, including the following officers:

• Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad Chief Hemant Karkare, who headed the team investigating the politically sensitive 2006 Malegaon blasts. Karkare had also been receiving death threats recently, including a threat to bomb his residence, but it is unclear if these were related to his death.
• Additional Commissioner of Police: Ashok Kamte
• Encounter specialist: Vijay Salaskar
• Senior inspector Shashank Shinde, who had recently been involved in investigating many of India’s recent bombings.
• NSG Commando, Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan
• NSG Commando Hawaldar Chandar
• NSG Commando Gajendra Singh

Three railway officials of Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus had also been killed in the terror strikes.

The Government of Maharashtra announced Rs. 5 lakh (about 10,000 USD) compensation to the kin of those killed in the terror attacks and Rs. 50,000 (about 1,000 USD) to the seriously injured.

Nationality	Deaths	Injured
Indian	141	256
American	4	2
Australian	4	2
Canadian	3	2
German	3	3
American-Israeli	2	–
Israeli	2	–
French	2	–
Italian	2	–
Cypriot-British	1	–
Dutch	1	–
Japanese	1	1
Jordanian	1	1
Malaysian	1
Mauritian	1	–
Mexican	1	–
Singaporean	1	–
Thai	1	–
Austrian	–	1
British	–	7
Chinese	–	1
Omani	–	2
Filipino	–	1
Spanish	–	2
Finnish	–	1
Norwegian	–	1

Muslim Council refuses to bury militants in India

The Muslim Council of India decided not to allow burial of the bodies of the nine terrorists killed during the Mumbai siege in the Marine Lines Bada Qabrastan (cemetery). The council said it was trying to send a message to all cemeteries in India that none of the bodies should be buried on Indian soil.

Strong Nationalism among general public

The attack has put challenges for the Congress-led Indian government ahead of general elections, and also to persuade Pakistan to act against militants. Many general public want some kind of clear response to the attack that killed 183 people, from identifying and punishing the masterminds to trade sanctions against Pakistan, or passing firm anti-terrorism laws within India

Terrorism in Mumbai

The city of Mumbai, India has suffered several terrorist attacks, mostly bombings, including:

* 12 March 1993 – Series of 13 bombs go off killing 257
* 06 December 2002 – Bomb goes off in a bus in Ghatkopar killing 2
* 27 January 2003 – Bomb goes off on a bicycle in Vile Parle killing 1
* 14 March 2003 – Bomb goes off in a train in Mulund killing 10
* 28 July 2003 – Bomb goes off in a bus in Ghatkopar killing 4
* 25 August 2003 – Two Bombs go off in cars near the Gateway of India and Zaveri Bazaar killing 50
* 11 July 2006 – Series of seven bombs go off in trains killing 209
* 19 October 2008 – North Indians killed in various part of Maharastra. (killed 20 people).
* 26 November 2008 to 29 November 2008 – Coordinated series of attacks killing at least 189

 

India, US, Israel must ally against terror

An American anti-terrorist and human rights expert on South Asia believes the intelligence failures in Mumbai were systemic and in some ways aped the failures of the United States before September 11, 2001.

Richard L Benkin, founder of Interfaith Strength, said in an interview with this correspondent that one gigantic problem in India is the lack of coordination among intelligence agencies that might have “different pieces to a deadly puzzle.”

“Although Israeli intelligence has been aiding India on a number of fronts, there was little or no multi-national coordination, and that is a particularly deadly mistake with regard to Islamist terror because Islamist terror is an international phenomenon and discreet national efforts will never defeat the enemy at its source,” Benkin said.

“The third systemic failure is the refusal of the Indian government to recognise that Islamist terror is an existential threat whose perpetrators will be satisfied with nothing less than the death of India as we know it,” he said.

By his admission Benkin has traveled to South Asia several times to free political prisoners, visit refugee camps, identify the alliance among South Asian Islamists and Communists, oppose Islamist radicals, and protest the ethnic cleansing of Bangladeshi Hindus.

Since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, Benkin said there have been over 11,000 incidents of terror worldwide. He noted that even before the Mumbai terror attacks , terrorists had murdered over 1,100 Indian citizens this year alone. “What sort of rationalisations could convince anyone that these attacks are discreet and limited? We in the United States made the same mistake when we failed to see the same threat after the 1993 attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York,” he said.

“But I do not believe that these delusions are coming from the intelligence establishment itself. Clearly, these agencies are not independent operators and are held subordinate to the political structures and elected leaders in the nation,” he said.

“We have the same problem in the United States. To be sure, India and the United States are democracies and have certain standards of acceptable and moral behaviour but it is a particularly imbecility of our time that holds those structures incompetent if they do not demonstrate their power over the intelligence professionals in some public manner,” he said.

In response to a question whether or not anger generated by the attacks in Mumbai would be translated into a sustained government resolve to overcome terror, Benkin said the first and most important factor is recognising the fact that no matter what happens today, tomorrow, or the next day, or even if the US apprehends Osama bin Laden, the terrorist threat will be diminished perhaps for a time but in no way eliminated.

He said there is a need to recognise that the threat is a transnational one, needing a transnational response.

Benkin favours an alliance against extremism among India, Israel and the United States. “All three countries have been targeted for elimination by the Islamists — and if that is not sufficient motivation for strong action, it is rather impossible to imagine what is. Each of these three nations has withstood unrelenting terror attacks and still thrives,” he said. “Their power in an alliance would be unstoppable — so long as all three discard self-destructive notions like political correctness. Once those conceptual changes have been made, effective action is a matter of filling in the blanks.”

 

Obama wins

Obama addresses jubilant crowds in Chicago

Democratic Senator Barack Obama has been elected the first black president of the United States.

“It’s been a long time coming, but tonight… change has come to America,” the president-elect told a jubilant crowd at a victory rally in Chicago.

His rival John McCain accepted defeat, saying “I deeply admire and commend” Mr Obama. He called on his supporters to lend the next president their goodwill.

The BBC’s Justin Webb said the result would have a profound impact on the US.

“On every level America will be changed by this result… [it] will never be the same,” he said.

McCain: ‘We must work together’

Mr Obama appeared with his family, and his running mate Joe Biden, before a crowd of tens of thousands in Grant Park, Chicago.

Many people in the vast crowd, which stretched back far into the Chicago night, wept as Mr Obama spoke.

“If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer,” he said.

He said he had received an “extraordinarily gracious” call from Mr McCain.

He praised the former Vietnam prisoner of war as a “brave and selfless leader”.
OBAMA GAINS
Ohio
New Mexico
Iowa
Virginia
Florida
Colorado
Nevada

“He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine,” the victor said.

He had warm words for his family, announcing to his daughters: “Sasha and Malia, I love you both more than you can imagine, and you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the White House.”

But he added: “Even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime – two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.

“The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. But America – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.”

Hours after Mr Obama’s victory was announced, crowds were still celebrating in Chicago and on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC.

From red to blue

Mr Obama captured the key battleground states of Pennsylvania and Ohio, before breaking through the winning threshold of 270 electoral college votes at 0400 GMT, when projections showed he had also taken California and a slew of other states.

I find myself strangely emotional about this. I want to go wake up my neighbours and hug them
Amy Scullane, Boston

Then came the news that he had also seized Florida, Virginia and Colorado – all of which voted Republican in 2004 – turning swathes of the map from red to blue.

Several other key swing states are hanging in the balance.

In Indiana and North Carolina, with most of the vote counted, there was less than 0.5% between the two candidates.

However, the popular vote remains close. At 0600 GMT it stood at 51.3% for the Democratic Senator from Illinois, against 47.4% for Arizona Senator Mr McCain.

The main developments include:
Mr Obama is projected to have seized Ohio, New Mexico, Iowa, Virginia, Florida, Colorado and Nevada – all Republican wins in 2004.
He is also projected to have won: Vermont, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Delaware, Massachusetts, District of Columbia, Maryland, Connecticut, Maine, New Jersey, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, Rhode Island, California, Hawaii, Washington, Oregon.
Mr McCain is projected to have won: Alaska, Kentucky, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama, Kansas, North Dakota, Wyoming, Georgia, Louisiana, West Virginia, Texas, Mississippi, Utah, Arizona, Idaho, South Dakota.
Turnout was reported to be extremely high – in some places “unprecedented”.
The Democrats made gains in the Senate race, seizing seats from the Republicans in Virginia, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Mexico and Colorado. They also increased their majority of the House of Representatives.
Exit polls suggest the economy was the major deciding factor for six out of 10 voters.
Nine out of 10 said the candidates’ race was not important to their vote, the Associated Press reported. Almost as many said age did not matter.

Several states reported very high turnout. It was predicted 130 million Americans, or more, would vote – more than for any election since 1960.

Many people said they felt they had voted in a historic election – and for many African-Americans the moment was especially poignant.

Congratulations… You are about to go on one of the great journeys of life

President George W Bush

John Lewis, an activist in the civil rights era who was left beaten on an Alabama bridge 40 years ago, told Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church: “This is a great night. It is an unbelievable night. It is a night of thanksgiving.”

Besides winning the presidency, the Democrats tightened their grip on Congress.

The entire US House of Representatives and a third of US Senate seats were up for grabs.

Democrats won several Senate seats from the Republicans, but seemed unlikely to gain the nine extra they wanted to reach the 60-seat “super-majority” that could prevent Republicans blocking legislation.

ओबामा की ऐतिहासिक जीत

अमरीका के राष्ट्रपति चुनावों में इतिहास रचते हुए डेमोक्रेटिक पार्टी के उम्मीदवार बराक ओबामा अमरीका के पहले अश्वेत राष्ट्रपति बनने जा रहे हैं. रिपब्लिकन उम्मीदवार जॉन मक्कैन ने हार मान ली है.

अमरीकी राष्ट्रपति चुनने के लिए 538 इलेक्टॉरल कॉलेज मतों में से 270 की आवश्यकता होती है. चुनावों के ताज़ा रुझानों के मुताबिक ओबामा को इससे ज़्यादा मत मिलेंगे. इस बारे में आधिकारिक घोषणा में कुछ समय लगेगा.

मैक्केन के हार स्वीकार कर लेने के बाद, अपने भावुक समर्थकों को संबोधित करते हुए ओबामा ने कहा, “अमरीकी लोगों ने घोषणा की है कि बदलाव का समय आ गया है. अमरीका एक शताब्दी में सबसे गंभीर समस्याओं से जूझ रहा है मैं सभी अमरीकियों को साथ लेकर चलना चाहता हूँ – उनकों भी जिन्होंने मेरे लिए वोट नहीं डाला….ये नेतृत्व का एक नया सवेरा है. जो लोग दुनिया को ध्वस्त करना चाहते हैं, उन्हें मैं कहना चाहता हूँ कि हम तुम्हें हराएँगे. जो लोग सुरक्षा और शांति चाहते हैं, हम उनकी मदद करेंगे…”
अमरीकी लोगों ने घोषणा की है कि बदलाव का समय आ गया है. अमरीका एक शताब्दी में सबसे गंभीर समस्याओं से जूझ रहा है. मैं सभी अमरीकियों को साथ लेकर चलना चाहता हूँ – उनकों भी जिन्होंने मेरे लिए वोट नहीं डाला….ये नेतृत्व का एक नया सवेरा है. जो लोग दुनिया को ध्वस्त करना चाहते हैं, उन्हें मैं कहना चाहता हूँ कि हम तुम्हें हराएँगे. जो लोग सुरक्षा और शांति चाहते हैं, हम उनकी मदद करेंगे…”

डेमोक्रेट बराक ओबामा

रिपब्लिकन पार्टी के उम्मीदवार जॉन मैक्केन ने रुझानों के आधार पर ही अपनी हार स्वीकार कर ली थी और इसे ‘अमरीका के इतिहास में अश्वेत अमरीकियों के लिए इसे एक महत्वपूर्ण क्षण’ बताया था.

उनका कहना था, “मैं सीनेटर ओबामा का प्रशंसक हूँ. मैं आप से अपील करता हूँ कि अगले चार साल आप उन्हें सहयोग दें. लाखों अफ़्रीकी अमरीकियों के लिए एक नया दौर शुरु हुआ है. अमरीका दुनिया का सबसे महान देश है. ओबामा ने ये साबित कर दिया है कि अमरीका सभी लोगों को अपने सपने साकार करने का बराबर का अवसर प्रदान करता है.”

कई राज्यों में पछाड़ा

ओबामा ने ओहायो, न्यू मेक्सिको और पेन्नसिलवेनिया जैसे महत्वपूर्ण राज्यों में अपने रिपब्लिपन जॉन मैक्केन को करारा झटका देते हुए पछाड़ दिया. दक्षिणी राज्यों में मैक्केन को कुछ सफलता मिली लेकिन ये पर्याप्त नहीं था.

अमरीका में चुनाव: बीबीसी हिंदी विशेष

महत्वपूर्ण है कि केलिफ़ोर्निया में अभी मतदान ख़त्म ही हुआ था कि मैक्केन ने अपनी हार स्वीकार कर ली.
मैं सीनेटर ओबामा का प्रशंसक हूँ. मैं आप से अपील करता हूँ कि अगले चार साल आप उन्हें सहयोग दें. लाखों अफ़्रीकी अमरीकियों के लिए एक नया दौर शुरु हुआ है. अमरीका दुनिया का सबसे महान देश है. ओबामा ने ये साबित कर दिया है कि अमरीका सभी लोगों को अपने सपने साकार करने का बराबर का अवसर प्रदान करता है

रिपब्लिकन जॉन मैक्केन

इससे पहले अनेक प्रांतों में मतदान केंद्रों पर लंबी कतारें देखी गईं. अनुमान लगाया जा रहा है कि 1960 के बाद रिकॉर्ड वोटिंग हुई.

अमरीका में मुख्य पार्टियों का इतिहास

राष्ट्रपति पद के लिए इस बार चुनाव अभियान लगभग दो साल तक चला और इस प्रचार को अमरीका के इतिहास में अब तक का सबसे महँगा चुनाव प्रचार कहा जा रहा है, जिसमें लगभग लगभग 2.4 अरब डॉलर ख़र्च हुए है.

मैक्केन दक्षिणी में सफल

बीबीसी संवाददाता निक ब्रयांट के अनुसार पेन्नसिलवेनिया और न्यू हेंपशायर को रिपब्लिकन मैक्केन ने निशाना बनाया था लेकिन ये प्रांत डेमोक्रेटिक पार्टी के पाले में गए.

लेकिन मैक्केन को सबसे करारा झटका ओहायो में लगा क्योंकि पिछले कई दशकों में कोई भी रिपब्लिकन उम्मीदवार बिना ओहायो जीते व्हाइट हाउस में नहीं पहुँच पाया है. लेकिन यहाँ भी रुझान ओबामा के पक्ष में रहा.

वर्ष 2004 के अमरीकी चुनाव

वर्ष 2000 में ख़ासे विवाद का केंद्र रहे फ़्लोरिडा में भी ओबामा ही आगे रहे.

ओहायो, पेन्नसिलवेनिया और कई अन्य राज्यों में मैकेन ने ख़ासी महनत की लेकिन कामयाबी नहीं मिली

उधर रिपब्लिकन जॉन मैक्केन ने दक्षिणी राज्यों में ख़ासी सफलता पाई और जॉर्जिया जैसे प्रांत में भी आगे निकल गए लेकिन वे लगातार पिछड़ते ही चले गए.

उम्मीद के अनुसार केंटकी में जॉन मैक्केन आगे रहे, वहीं वरमोंट में बराक ओबामा ने बढ़त हासिल की है.

कई जगह उथल-पुथल

चुनाव में लगभग तीन करोड़ वोटरों ने ‘अर्ली वोटिंग’ के तहत अपना वोट दर्ज कराया था जो कि एक रिकॉर्ड है.

जहाँ ओबामा ने अपने गृह प्रांत इलिनॉय ने परिवार सहित वोट डाला वहीं मैक्केन ने एरिज़ोना में वोट डाला.

न्यू हैम्पशायर में सबसे पहले मंगलवार को वोट डाला गया जहाँ बराक ओबामा ने अपने प्रतिद्वंदी को पछाड़ दिया. वर्ष 1968 के बाद यह पहला मौका है जब रुझानों के मुताबिक यह शहर डेमोक्रेट के पाले में गया.

 

India block North Korean flight to Iran

November 04, 2008 13:47 IST
India refused fly-over rights to a North Korean plane carrying cargo to Iran in August, after the United States ordered New Delhi to do so, reports the Wall Street Journal.

The aircraft, an Ilyushin 62 owned by Air Koryo, the North Korean state airline, made a stopover in Myanmar on August 7 and sought air traffic controllers’ permission to fly over India en route to Iran, the newspaper has reported.

Initially the air traffic control in Kolkata gave the plane the go-ahead, but around noon on August 7, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation in New Delhi messaged Kolkata cancelling the permission, reports WSJ.

The newspaper in fact had a supervisor at the Kolkata air traffic control, one Mr Guin, review the flight records of Air Koryo’s Flight 621 for August 7 and confirm the incident. Guin told WSJ that the denial of permission was passed on to air traffic control officials in Yangon, who sent back the flight.

While neither the US administration nor the Prime Minister’s Office responded to the report, or described the cargo on the plane, officials in the know told the WSJ that the action was part of the Bush administration’s Proliferation Security Initiative.

Action under this initiative points to one of the three possibilities: the cargo contained nuclear material, long-range missiles, or other lethal cargo, the officials said. A 2006 UN Security Council resolution prevents North Korea from sale and purchase of long-range missiles. In 2007 also, the US prevented a Syrian plane from landing in Pyongyang, convinced that it was part of the missile trade.

The US had for long held Pyongyang guilty of supplying missile technology to nations like Iran, Syria and Libya. But in October, convinced that engaging North Korea was essential to containing its nuclear programme, the US reached a deal with Kim Jong Il’s government that eventually shuts down its N-programme.

But what the deal doesn’t focus on is Pyongyang’s robust missile programme.

 

Tehelka.com

Do Ethics Matter in Modern Journalism?

Lt. Col. Rajan Suresh (Retd)
(Lecturer, Department of Journalism, University of Kerala, Trivandrum, Kerala, India)

Tehelka.com has been the most frequently discussed media entity in India for the past three weeks. Every day the media, politicians and bureaucrats have managed to place it on the public agenda one way or the other. But there seems to be no benefit in store for the billion plus Indian population. Judging by similar precedents, ordinary people have no tangibles to hope for.

Tehelka did a very good job of duping some of the small fry in the arms business, and a few greedy civilian and army officers associated with arms purchases. They also managed to dupe important political functionaries such as Jaya Jaitley and R. K. Jain of the Samata Party and Bangaru Lakshman of the BJP. Tehelka established that many of their ‘victims’ took money, thereby going one step farther than Matt Drudge, the maverick American Journalist who set the trend of Web-journalism based mostly on sensational rumours. Tehelka obviously had their sights set on becoming ‘top-dog’ among the watchdogs of Indian polity. The reporter enjoyed celebrity status for a couple of days, and Zee TV, who had a stake in the sting, put the story out in all the channels they own, and most certainly raked in plenty of money. Tehelka’s stated purpose- `to expose corruption’, has bolstered their image as a smart team of modern day “investigative” journalists. Although debates have ensued about the rights and wrongs in legal terms, the case has raised serious questions about journalistic ethics and responsibility.

The West; particularly the United States and Britain, occasionally get to taste this genre of journalism. Private lives of `public figures’ and private lives of private figures are often exposed by journalists looking for sensational stories. President Clinton and Princess Diana were the most prominent targets in recent times. Journalists can now become super peeping-toms with the help of hidden cameras and high-tech surveillance gadgets. And to absolve themselves of criminal intent, the sordid details of many such “investigations” are thrust on unsuspecting people, claiming that a public interest is being served.

Western journalists also cheated and ruthlessly exploited ordinary people by impersonating social workers, counsellors or health-care personnel, to gather personal details that often led to painful consequences. A few classic examples can be found in Fineline, an American newsletter on Journalistic ethics. In a few cases, reporters managed to dupe the US Government, for getting first-hand information from protected sources. Robert Kapler, a small-time reporter pretending to be a security guard, breached the security set-up of a nuclear plant on Three Mile Island to prove that their security was weak. Jonathan Franklin, a freelance reporter signed up as a mortician at the Dover US Air Force Base to get accurate numbers of American soldiers who died in the Gulf War. Whether such reporting has brought about any change in the daily lives of American citizens, or whether it has done the public any good, are debatable.

Tehelka used a wily combination of impersonation, hidden cameras and bribery (all these being culpable offences under Indian Law) to get their tape recordings. The Government of India contends that if public interest was a prime concern, the tapes should not have gone public in such an explosive fashion. But on the other hand, it can be argued quite logically that if the tapes had not been revealed so spectacularly, they would have lost much of their impact. No doubt the largest party in the ruling alliance has been shaken, and some of their political allies unnerved. The Defence Minister has resigned, and higher echelons of the armed forces have been tainted to some extent. India’s opposition parties, led by the Congress (I) lost no time in calling for all sorts of “remedies”. Tehelka has provided some political gains for the Congress (I). This leads us to the crux of the matter. What was the real purpose of this expose- Public interest or Tehelka’s fame and fortune?

Middlemen are undesirable elements in any kind of deal; but the reality is that deals don’t go through without middlemen. Corruption is nothing new to the political and administrative set-up in independent India, and some members of the Armed Forces have committed crimes that are morally more serious; such as espionage for alien powers. The Samba spy scandal of the 70s and the later Coomer Narain- Larkins cases involved gratifications of far lesser magnitude for compromising national interests. But after nearly three decades, the incarcerated `spies’ stand absolved of the crime, and we hear nothing about the Larkins. Wouldn’t it be logical to assume that public attention would soon shift from the Tehelka expose? So the net effect would be to Tehelka’s sole advantage, unless Tarun Tejpal and his team persevere, forcing the judiciary or Parliament to set wrongs right. Will they keep at it, or withdraw from the scene saying that their job is over?

Tehelka has broken the story with damning footage on video tape, albeit a little out of focus and frequently out of perspective. The soundtracks and subtitles took on the task of convincing viewers about deals being struck and money changing hands. Unfortunately the odds do not favour Tehelka, simply because modern technology offers all and sundry the wherewithal to digitally manipulate moving images and sound through easy-to-use software packages. It would be a fairly simple task to `smart-edit’ video footage, add doctored sound tracks and put all sorts of filters to blur the final product so that it appears authentic. This is not an allegation that Tehelka has done so, but it would take a lot more proof before knowledgeable people are convinced of the video’s genuineness. Spielberg’s Jurassic Park has made us all skeptical about such `reality’.

Perhaps the best thing the Tehelka tapes did was to highlight human greed. They brought out a story that actually sent ripples through the Government, and made people sit up and take notice. They managed to assign values to individual gullibility. It is now established that the ruling party’s titular head can be bought for a hundred thousand rupees and a Major General in the Army for a fifth of that. There is no need to discuss the pros and cons of the matter or to probe whether the money went to party coffers or individuals’ pockets. And there is no justification in saying that “money was taken because it was offered”. Public figures have misbehaved, and Tehelka’s reporters have exposed them. Tehelka.com, on their part, have taken the law into their hands, and played a con game on unsuspecting (though mostly corrupt) persons. It does not constitute normal journalistic behaviour by any standards. A question of whether this investigative exercise has caused harm to the public is also being discussed, because speculations are rife that Indian soldiers as a whole are demoralized and feel `let down’ by the alleged compromises in arming and equipping them. If this situation is for real, then the consequences are not so much in the `public interest’, and there may be reason for the Government to brand Tejpal, Bahl and Mathew as mercenaries and traitors. It is catch 22 for the trio. But since we have Dawood Ibrahim, Ottavio Quattrocchi, Harshad Mehta and the more down-to-earth Veerappan calling the shots, it seems anyone can get away with anything in India. Tehelka.com ought to survive, and continue entertaining the Indian public in true Drudge fashion.

The ethical issues in this case remain anchored on two aspects. One being the motivation for Tehelka.com to take up the issue of bribes and commissions in defence deals at this point of time, when far bigger cases such as Bofors , HDW and Tangushka are still unresolved. It would do well for Tejpal to explain whether it was journalistic vigilantism or self-interest that encouraged Tehelka reporters to give away large amounts of cash and take such risks. The other pertains to the method adopted- in befriending touts, feeding, wining and bribing them, and on false pretexts, recording their tall claims with hidden cameras, and finally offering these recordings as news to the public. There is a need to supplement the sensational footage with more real proof and explanation; particularly to ensure that the `public’ are not fed half-truths and speculations.

http://cyberjournalist.org.in/archive/tehelka.html © Lt. Col. R. Suresh

 

Arrest warrant against Indian techie for killing family

NEW YORK: Authorities have issued a three-count arrest warrant against an

unemployed Indian-American computer programmer who allegedly killed
his wife and
two children brutally in their home in Novi in Detroit in the US.

A three-count arrest warrant for first-degree murder was issued on Monday for Lakshminivasa Rao Nerusu (42) in the October 27 murder of his wife and two children.

The bodies of Rao’s wife 37-year-old Jayalakshmi and children 14-year-old Tejasvi and 12-year-old Siva Kumar were found in a pool of blood with massive head and neck injuries on the first floor of the family’s two-story apartment.

The three had defensive wounds on their arms and hands as if they attempted to fend off blows, police had said.

Rao’s whereabouts remain unknown, but investigators have confirmed he left the United States shortly after the incident.

Novi police are working with several national and international law enforcement agencies to find him, The Detroit News reported.

Conviction in the case carries an automatic penalty of life in prison without parole.

Earlier, Novi Police Chief David Molloy had said that an “international manhunt has been launched to nab him”.

The incident came barely three weeks after another unemployed NRI Karthik Rajaram (45) allegedly killed his wife, three sons and mother-in-law before fatally shooting himself after suffering huge losses in the stock market collapse in Los Angeles.

 

Raj ka Gunda Raj

The Mumbai police has told the Bombay high court that it has not found any evidence against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray in connection with the violent agitation by his party for enforcing Marathi signboards in shops. Joint Commissioner of Police K L Prasad, in an affidavit, has also said the letters written by Raj asking shopkeepers in the city to put up Marathi signboards “do not make out any cognisable offence” as per law and judiciary separtment’s opinion. The Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association had moved the high court in August seeking to restrain MNS from indulging in violence over the signboard issue. At the last hearing, the court had asked the government why no action was taken against Raj Thackeray. The hearing of the case has been adjourned till November 29. Earlier, Prasad’s remarks about Mumbai that the city does not belong to anyone’s father had triggered an angry reaction from Raj Thackeray.

The Jewel of Medina, a story of Ayesha, Prophet Mohammed’s third wife penned by American author Sherry Jones in the form of historical fiction, has been objected to by some Muslims in the United States. The book was published in America on October 6 but its publication in Britain has been delayed fearing protests. Muslim groups allege that the book is blasphemous and have branded the author an enemy of Islam. The controversy is getting quite like the Danish cartoon controversy which raised protests from many Islamic countries and India. According to American think-tank Stratfor, “The tone of the book is not the real issue. To many Muslims, not only is it offensive to ridicule Mohammed but it is forbidden and considered a dire insult to portray the Prophet in any way outside the context of Islamic writings. This insult is magnified when Mohammed is depicted having intimate relations with his wife, a revered figure in Islam who is referred to in many Islamic writings as Um ul Mumineen (Arabic for ‘Mother of the Believers’). Because of this, in all probability many Muslims — not just a few radicals — will find the book offensive.” Stratfor quotes an associate professor of Islamic history at the University of Texas at Austin who said Muslims would find the book very offensive. He has likened it to soft-core pornography. However, the author and publisher have argued that the book respectfully portrays Prophet Mohammed and his relationship with Ayesha — in stark contrast to the Danish cartoons that sparked so much protest and violence. Random House scrapped its plans to publish the book in the US because they thought Muslims could find book’s contents offensive. Later, Beaufort Books announced its publication. The book has been published in Serbia where it has drawn criticism. The book was withdrawn from the market in Serbia but, pirated copies are available. On September 27, according to the Stratfor report, three men were arrested outside the house of British publisher Martin Rynja of Gibson Square. They were reportedly forcing a small incendiary device through the front door mail slot of the home, which also serves as the headquarters for Gibson Square publishers. Three men were arrested shortly after the incident and have been charged in connection with the crime. The suspects reportedly have indicated that the attack was indeed related to the publication of The Jewel of Medina. In view of the past experience of controversies over Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses and Danish cartoons, Stratfor thinkers Fred Burton and Scott Stewart argue that “The Jewel of Medina has the potential to cause problems for many years. Though this issue might fade quickly from public consciousness in the West, the subject matter of the book has the potential to inflame Muslim activists again in the future.” Stratfor claims that in the case of the Prophet cartoons, Pakistani religious leaders admitted that they intentionally stirred up emotions connected with the publication of the images after the initial furore died down. It is thus quite possible that The Jewel of Medina will be used in the same way, but this timeframe could span decades. In the case of The Satanic Verses, large-scale protests condemning the book and Rushdie occurred as recently as fall 2007, 19 years after the novel’s publication.” Stratfor writers claim, “We are not necessarily predicting an immediate open season on Sherry Jones or the publishers of the book, but precautions should obviously be taken to prevent them from becoming the next Theo van Gogh [the Dutch film-maker who was killed for making a controversial film on Islam]. And as the ancillary attacks in the Rushdie case (among others) have shown, other people also can become victims, and violence can be channelled in unexpected ways and appear in unexpected places.” On the wider implication of the book the Stratfor report concludes, “When it comes to perceptions of blasphemy and other affronts that some see as warranting death, fatwas often are carried out with extreme brutality — and those targeted have not always been directly associated with the initial offence. Considering past examples and the probable emotions The Jewel of Medina will raise in the Islamic world, revenge for offended religious sensibilities might be brutal, and it might be a long time coming.”

While the downturn in Aviation sector and issue of Jet Airways lay off have become the biggest talk in India, the Air India is reportedly planning to give 3-5 years leave without pay to around 15,000 of its total staff. According to PTI sources, it was confirmed by Air India CMD Raghu Menon on Thursday. Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel later clarified that there won’t be any job cuts within Air India and the employees would be taken back on the same pay if they desire to return after the specified leave period.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray gave an ultimatum to Jet Airways to reinstate all sacked employees within 48 hours. Raj threatened Jet Airways of dire consequences if the airlines fails to comply with his ultimatum. Jet Airways has already fired 800 employees and is planning to sack another 1,100 within a few days. Meanwhile, the ruling CPI(M) in West Bengal has openly supported the sacked employees and decided to block all Jet Airways flights from Kolkata if the airlines does not reinstate the sacked employees with immediate effect. Shiv Sena in Mumbai has also supported the terminated Jet Airways employees. Meanwhile, the Centre has sought a detailed report from the Labour Secretary on Jet Airways lay off issue.

 

Breaking News

Mayawati has cancelled the allotment of land for a railway coach factory in Sonia Gandhi’s constituency Rae Bareli, just three days before the Congress chief was scheduled to attend a ceremony at the site to mark the beginning of construction. The Uttar Pradesh chief minister’s decision is being seen by state Congress leaders as a move targeted at Sonia Gandhi. She is believed to have been unhappy with a rally Sonia Gandhi held last month in Dadri against land acquisition from farmers in Badalpur, Mayawati’s village. Considered a dream project of the Congress chief, the rail factory with an investment of Rs 1,689.25 crore was expected to provide employment to at least 10,000 people from the area. The move marks a new low in the relationship between Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress-led coalition at the Centre, which she had supported from outside till early this year. It is expected to raise the temperature in the run-up to the general elections next year. But state government officials said Mayawati’s order on Saturday canceling the allotment of 189.25 hectare near Lalganj had everything to do with opposition from villagers. Principal Secretary (Information) Vijay Shankar Pandey told reporters on Sunday that the government’s decision was based on the district magistrate’s report about resentment among farmers over the acquisition of land. The government had allotted the land on May 19 this year. Rae Bareli district magistrate Santosh Srivastava in his October 10 report to the state government said that “land acquisition could lead to law and order problems in Rae Bareli”, Pandey said. The DM said the proposed factory required nearly 700 acre land and farmers were afraid that their land might be acquired for the purpose. Pandey added that instructions had been issued for the arrangement of alternative land for the project. “As of now there is no land for the project,” Pandey said. Reacting sharply, Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) spokesman Akhilesh Pratap Singh said: “The decision had once again demonstrated that the BSP government was against development of the state.” Local Congress leaders said though Sonia Gandhi won’t have the Bhoomi Pujan of the rail project to attend, she might still address a scheduled rally at Lalganj on October 14. “Sonia Gandhi’s programme is still on. It may take place in some form or the other,” said Kishori Lal Sharma, a party leader making preparations for the rally. UPCC chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi said people of Dehar, Sohawal and Bannamau villages had given their consent in writing for the acquisition and that the “state government’s move will stall development”. She said the state government had not given the go-ahead to three other projects being set up in Rae Bareli.

Australia captain Ricky Ponting said India had a negative approach during the drawn first Test on Monday. “We were the only ones trying to take the game forward,” said Ponting after India finished on 177-4 having been set an unlikely winning target of 299. “We played aggressive cricket. I am not surprised by the way they played, the Indian team play a lot of drawn games. We dominated this Test match.” The sides now head to Mohali for the second Test, which starts on Friday. Ponting said he went into the final day in Bangalore expecting “a really good contest”. “We got some extra runs we thought might have needed. We gave it our best shot with the ball but we just didn’t create enough opportunities,” he added. “We could not win it at the end, but it was a pretty good start to the series for us.” India paceman Zaheer Khan, who was man-of-the-match after claiming five wickets in the tourists’ first innings and also scoring an unbeaten 57, said Australia’s failure to force victory meant they would be under more pressure in the rest of the series. “They know they can’t take our 20 wickets. They couldn’t get me and Bhajji (Harbhajan Singh) out, what else do you want? They are under pressure, we know that,” he said. “On a fifth day wicket their spinners couldn’t do us any harm. That tells everyone what their spin attack is all about. “Even their pacers, they didn’t look like getting a wicket, especially on the fifth day on a wicket like this.”

– By Sagar Satapathy, Editor-in-Chief (Breaking News online) There has been a huge hue and cry over the financial health of ICICI Bank during the recent market meltdown. The ICICI Bank suffered huge losses, causing panic among the investors. But everyone forgot that ICICI Bank remains a big power in the banking sector and it has enough money to overcome any temporary crisis. The rumours, speculations and all permutations and combinations proved wrong, as the ICICI Bank led the market surge yesterday. Only a few days ago, situation was so bad that ICICI Bank MD and CEO KV Kamath, Finance Minister P Chidambaram and the RBI had to step in to assure the investors of ICICI Bank’s stability and growth. It is not known whether some vested interests played the spoilsport by indulging in a malicious campaign against the ICICI Bank. But the bank proved anyone wrong and emerged as a strong force to reckon with in the banking industry. ICICI Bank not only managed to generate trust and confidence among its investors, but led the way in market surge. As a result, other banks such as HDFC Bank, SBI and others also witnessed good results. The ICICI Prulife from ICICI Prudential still remains a big hit among the investors. The ICICI Prulife is rated high among other insurance and unit-linked products. It has been a huge relief to see ICICI Bank on top again. Millions of investors in India can now feel safe and secure. Their money should be always safe with ICICI Bank. There is no doubt about this.

Kingfisher Airlines and Jet Airways have entered into a code sharing alliance. The two airliners signed a pact for common fuel management, ground handling, network rationalisation and cross-crew use. They will also work together on cross-sales and staff training. The new alliance between Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines has much significance, as it does not have any equity implication.

The National Integration Council (NIC) meeting was dominated by the issues such as terrorism and anti-Christian violence. While the UPA leaders tried to focus only on anti-Christian violence and Communalism, the BJP-led NDA tried to take a swipe at the UPA government on the issue of rising terror activities in the country. Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh expressed deep regret and anguish over the communal violence in Assam, Orissa and Karnataka. The NIC adopted a resolution condemning all acts of violence and terrorism and resolved to deal with such activities firmly. Gujarat CM Narendra Modi stole the show by taking the UPA government into task on the issue of terrorism. The BJP CMs demanded a tough terror law, which was rejected by Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil. On the expected lines, Samajwadi Party, CPI and CPM warned against targeting the Muslim community as terrorists. The Prime Minister also supported their views. The NIC meet also witnessed a war-of-words between Orissa CM Naveen Patnaik and Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil. Naveen Patnaik refuted all charges against his government and revealed that Centre had delayed sending forces to tackle the communal violence. Later, he urged everyone to forget all political difference and work together towards the growth and development of all sections of the society. The NIC, which met after a gap of 3 years, is comprised of 146 members including all Union Ministers, Chief Ministers, leaders of national and regional political parties and eminent personalities. Senior BJPO leader, former Deputy PM and leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, LK Advani, who was invited as #134 to the NIC meet, did not attend, taking it as an insult to his stature. Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Jaswant Singh was also not invited to the NIC meet.

Even as the Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court ordered a stay on the cancellation of land allotment for Sonia Gandhi’s dream Rail Coach Factory in Rae Bareli, Mayawati sprung another surprise by imposing Section 144 in Rae Bareli on the eve of Sonia Gandhi’s rally. The government has denied permission for the rally citing law and order problem. The latest development could lead to a bitter face-off between Maywati and Sonia Gandhi. Mayawati took this decition after some congress minister supports the terrorist. And may be possible that sonia will announce some fund/relief for terrorists. So Mayawati impossess Section 144 in Rae Bareli. As we know that Arjun Singh, Amar singh Supports the terrorist and blam on Delhi Police and ignore the death of mohan chand sharma ( who died in fighiting with terrorist in jamiya nagar). We are very happy and with Mayawati for imposing Section 144 in Rae Bareli. Mayawati and Narendra Modi only two breave leaders in India rest of all are bharwa(hijra).

Paul Krugman, a Professor at Princeton University, United States, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Economics. Paul Krugman is an Op-Ed columnist for New York Times. Mr. Paul Krugman received the Nobel Prize for Economics for his commendable work on international trade and economic geography. Paul Krugman developed models that explained observed patters of trade between the countries. He also explained what goods are produced where and why. Paul Krugman’s theories explained why worldwide trade is dominated by a few countries that have similar policies and why some countries import the same goods they export.

 

US missile defence

US missile defence

The United States has signed a deal with Poland allowing it to install missiles at a base on the Baltic Sea. It already has an agreement to build a radar station in the Czech Republic. The deals form part of US plans for a European missile defence shield to counter what it describes as the threat from “rogue states” such as Iran. Iran recently carried out new tests of its Shahab-3 ballistic missile, which is said to have a range of 2,000km (1,240 miles). But Russia says the US plan is unnecessary and has threatened to retaliate militarily if the missile defence system is built. What is the US proposing to do? Iran has held regular tests of its long-range missiles

The US says its missile defence system is intended to destroy incoming ballistic missiles potentially coming from North Korea and Iran. This involves using radars in Alaska and California in the US and at Fylingdales in the UK. Another radar is planned for Greenland. Anti-missile missiles, or interceptors, are being based in Alaska (40 of them) and California (four). There would also be 130 interceptors based on ships. The interceptors work by physically hitting the ballistic missile in mid-flight. There would also be missiles to try to destroy incoming rockets in the final stages. However, the US plans to install 10 more interceptors in silos in Poland, and build a radar station in the Czech Republic. It hopes that construction of the Czech facility – using a radar currently located at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands – could begin next year, with the first interceptors in place in Poland by 2011 and the system fully operational by 2012. Why in Eastern Europe? The US says there is a gap in its anti-missile defences. See maps of US and Russian missile systems A threat from North Korea could be countered with the US and sea-based systems. But European allies or US forces in Europe could be threatened by Iran one day, Washington says, or indeed some other country, so there needs to be a system based in Europe as well. Will it work? The theory is that the interceptor missile homes in on and destroys its target in the air by physically hitting the incoming warhead. However, the closing speed of interceptor and target will be 24,000kph (14,900mph), or 6.5km (4 miles) per second – so the task is more difficult than hitting a bullet with another bullet. The system’s supporters say that not only does it work, but it is even more accurate than that. But critics say that, despite having spent over $100bn (£54bn), the Pentagon still has not proved the system can work in realistic conditions. Independent scientific bodies in the US have said that tests of the system’s intercept capabilities have been highly scripted, with the defence being given detailed information about the attack beforehand. They also argue that the defence system could be easily circumvented by potential attackers. Why does Russia object? The US wants to place radar at this old base in the Czech Republic

Moscow says that the missiles in Poland and the radar in the Czech Republic could threaten its own defences. The system might be small to start with, it says, but could expand. The radar could be used to spy on Russia. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned that “we will not be hysterical about this, but we will think of retaliatory steps”. The Pentagon says this is just “bellicose rhetoric” from Russia “designed to make Europeans nervous”. Russian objections to the US missile shield grew more strident after the US signed its preliminary deal with Poland in August 2008, at a time when Moscow and the West were already at loggerheads over Russian troops involvement in fighting in Georgia. A top Russian general said the Poland move would be punished. Moscow’s envoy to Nato was quoted as saying that the timing of the deal revealed that Moscow, rather than Iran, was the target of the missile shield plans. Has Russian proposed any alternatives? Moscow suggested that the US could use a Russian-rented radar site in Azerbaijan, which shares a border with Iran. Former President Putin also offered use of a radar site in southern Russia and proposed working with the US and other European countries on a joint defence system. But the US showed little interest in either idea. How serious in the threat to Europe? The Iranian military says its Shahab-3 missiles have a range of 2,000km (1,240 miles). This means that they could reach south-eastern Europe, hitting targets in Nato members Greece, Bulgaria or Romania. Russia says that this limited range means that the US missile defence plan is unnecessary, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov saying that negotiations, not threats, were the best way to deal with concerns about Iranian intentions. The White House said the latest Iranian tests of its Shahab-3 missile do not change the US position on building a European defence shield. Have Poland and the Czech Republic agreed to the deployment? It’s not yet a done deal. NUCLEAR WARHEADS Russia Land-launched: 2,146 Sea-launched: 1,392 Air-launched: 624 US Land-launched: 1,600 Sea-launched: 3,168 Air-launched: 1,098 Source: Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) data 2007

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has signed an agreement with the Czech government to build the radar station at Brdy, south-west of Prague, but this has to be ratified by parliament. The Czech government will need the support of some opposition parties to see the measure through. Meanwhile, there is significant public resistance to the plan, with 100,000 people signing a petition calling for a referendum on the issue. Opinion polls indicate that about two-thirds of Czechs do not want the project to go ahead. Poland signed a preliminary agreement with the US over siting missiles at a Baltic Sea base in August 2008. In exchange, the US agreed to help upgrade Poland’s armed forces. The deal needs further ratification and the centre-left government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk has been considerably cooler on the issue than the previous government, which lost power in October 2007. What international agreements cover these moves? None. The US withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2001. Ranges of Russian Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles Enlarge Image

This treaty limited US and Soviet anti-missile defences to one site each. The Russians still operate theirs, around Moscow. The US chose to defend its strategic rockets in North Dakota but this defence has been deactivated. Part of the Russian unhappiness about the Europe sector of the anti-missile system is that it results from the US withdrawal from the ABM treaty and Russia is worried about where it might go next. Russia has announced the testing of a new multiple-warhead missile, the RS-24, which it says is designed to overcome missile defences. It is also developing new cruise missiles. The US says it should not be worried. Is this the start of a new Cold War? It is certainly a difficult period where mistrust and antagonism are prevalent. The hopes that Russia and the United States could be friendly allies have not been realised so far. Instead there is suspicion and this is likely to continue, though to call it a new Cold War is probably going too far. In May 2008, President Medvedev took over from Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin, and so far he has continued his predecessor vehement disapproval of the US project. President George W Bush will leave office in January 2009, and the incoming president could take a different line on the issue. However, both candidates in November’s presidential election – Republican Sen John McCain and Democrat Sen Barack Obama – have spoken of the threat posed by Iran. What ballistic missiles do the US and Russia have? They have dramatically reduced their arsenals from the Cold War days but still retain substantial forces of several thousand missiles and nuclear warheads each. Under the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT) signed by presidents Bush and Putin in 2002, each side has to reduce its deployed warheads to a maximum of 2,200 by 2012. Return to top Russia has its own radar early warning system, short-range interceptor missiles in bases around Moscow and a number of land-based Intercontinental Ballistic Missile launch sites across the country.

 

Delhi Blast

The death toll in a string of explosions that ripped through busy marketplaces in New Delhi has risen to 20, police said Sunday. Relatives of a bomb explosion victim grieve at a market area Saturday in New Delhi, India. Relatives of a bomb explosion victim grieve at a market area Saturday in New Delhi, India. The number of people wounded in the Saturday blasts also went up to 98, said New Delhi police spokesman Rajan Bhagat. Bhagat said police have not made any arrests in the attack, for which the Muslim militant group Indian Mujahedeen took responsibility. Five minutes before the first blast, CNN-IBN — CNN’s sister network in India — received an E-mail from the group warning of an impending strike. At least five explosions ripped through the Karol Bagh market, Kailash Market and Connaught Place — a popular tourist destination, Bhagat said. Two other bombs found near a movie theater and near central park in the Connaught Place area were defused, he said. An eyewitness told CNN that one of the bombs at Connaught Place was hidden near a public trash can at the market. He said the force of the blast blew a small vehicle from one side of the street to the other. “It was terrifying,” he said, adding that the small automobile rickshaw had blood all over it. Don’t Miss * India: Police arrest bombing ‘mastermind’ Bhagat refused comment about who might have carried out the attack. India’s Home Minister Shri Shivraj Patil blamed the attack on “anti-national elements” who he said “have been trying to disturb peace and create panic among the people in various parts of the country.” “The government will continue to deal firmly with such elements,” Patel said in a written statement. “I am confident that security agencies will soon be able to get to the bottom of these incidents and the culprits will be brought to book.” Indian Mujahedeen claimed responsibility for 17 blasts that struck the western Indian city of Ahmedabad on July 26, killing 49 and wounding more than 100 others. The blasts struck within about an hour of each other within a six-mile (10 km) radius. Indian Mujahedeen also claimed responsibility in May for near-simultaneous bomb attacks that killed 63 people in the northwest city of Jaipur. In the Jaipur claim, the group declared “open war” against India in retaliation for what it said were 60 years of Muslim persecution and the country’s support of United States policies

Five explosions rocked three crowded markets in Delhi on Saturday evening, leaving at least 18 people dead. ( Watch ) The blasts at Ghaffar market in Karol Bagh, Connaught Place and Greater Kailash (M-block) took place in a quick succession, police said. The first blast took place at Ghaffar market in which at least 20 people were injured. They were rushed to nearby RML Hospital. Immediately after that, two explosions took place in Connaught Place in which at least 10 people were injured. Another explosion rocked M-Block market in Greater Kailash-I. The impact of the blasts in Karol Bagh could be gauged by the fact that an auto was thrown up and got caught in the electrical wires. Senior Police officials including Joint Commissioner of Police Karnail Singh rushed to the spot in the central district and were assessing the situation. Indian Mujahideen claims responsibility In an email to media organisations, Indian Mujahideen, the terror outfit that had claimed responsibility for the July 26 Ahmedabad blasts, said it had carried out the serial blasts in Delhi. It threatened that there would be nine blasts in all. Sarojini Nagar market, scene of the pre-Diwali eve blasts in 2005, in which more than 60 people were killed, has been evacuated.