An Indian woman journalist has provided a detailed on-the-spot report from the headquarters of Pakistan’s controversial Lashkar-e-Taiyyebba, or Taiba, (LeT), allegedly the epi-center of “new wave of terrorism”. Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist who was captured alive in Mumbai, is supposed to have studied here. (See my earlier post “Terror Update: Pakistan, USA and Mafia Don” here…) Writes Harinder Baweja: “Nestled between tall trees and a meshed wire...

It is getting murkier and murkier. Dawood Ibrahim, India-born mafia don (who is said to be safely hiding in Pakistan), is emerging as a key suspect in “the funding and logistical support for the November 26 terrorist strike on Mumbai.” Dubbed as “India’s Osama Bin Laden”, Dawood is also allegedly behind the 2006 Mumbai train bombings (which killed at least 200 people); and 1993 bomb attacks in Mumbai (which killed 260 people). Last month’s Mumbai terrorist carnage killed...

Under the recent UN sanctions Pakistan government has begun a crackdown on a section of the known terror structure on its soil. It is believed that even this step might not have been taken if the incoming Obama administration in the US had not “pushed” its old ally Pakistan to act. (Meanwhile the father of the lone Pakistani gunman, arrested for the Mumbai terror, has admitted that the young man whose picture was beamed by media (photo above), is his son…It is a sad and moving...

Mumbai police today released the names of 10 alleged attackers who killed 171 persons in a three-day siege of parts of this financial hub of India. Meanwhile Pakistan has made it clear that it would not hand over the alleged planners of attack to India. “Police said all 10 attackers were from Pakistan, most of them from Punjab province, and were between the age of 20 and 28,” reports ABC News quoting Muneeza Naqvi, Associated Press writer. “Only one gunman, previously identified...

The Reader’s Digest had introduced a column “Laughter The Best Medicine” that remained popular for many years. A recent report says that “Strength Through Laughter” therapy being offered by medical facilities in the US is proving effective. Ula Ilnytzky, Associated Press Writer, says: “While the verdict is out on whether laughter plays a role in healing, the American Cancer Society and other medical experts say it reduces stress and promotes relaxation by lowering...

India and the US intelligence have known the existence of militant/terrorist camps in Pakistan for two decades but have mysteriously hesitated in squashing them. But post-Mumbai terrorist attacks the US administration has finally woken up to the gravity of the situation… And Pakistan had no option but to act. (Hope it is not an eyewash). A recent report says that Pakistan troops have captured the alleged mastermind of Mumbai terror attack. (To read a related New York Times’ article...

In a major attack, about 30 “suspected militants” armed with guns and rockets attacked the Portward Logistic Terminal in Peshawar (Pakistan) burning 106 vehicles carrying critical supplies (including Humvees) to NATO and US troops in Afghanistan. A latest report says:”Rising violence and instability in Pakistan’s northwest coincides with serious tensions with its eastern neighbour India in the wake of recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai. “Sunday’s assault was the...

Until two decades ago the highly cosmopolitan Mumbai (or Bombay) stood as a shining example of the peaceful co-existence between Hindus, Muslims, Jews, Christians, Parsis or any other religions and sects. I doubt that the centuries-old traditions would vanish in the wake of a tragedy unleashed by a few hot-headed and misguided/brain-washed young people this week. A 500-year-old Muslim mosque and dargah in Mumbai (photo above) attracts 40,000 believers every Thursday and Friday, a majority of them...

With the elections to the Indian states and the federal parliament looming in the horizon, the Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh has taken a major gamble by inviting the chief of the Pakistan’s controversial spy agency ISI to assist in solving the mystery behind Mumbai terror attacks. (AP file photo above shows: From left, US Adm. Mike Mullen, Rear Adm. Scott Van Buskirk, Pakistan’s army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and the ISI chief Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha.) The Guardian...

It is interesting that the global war against plastic bags is progressing faster that the war against terror. I am proud to say that in India my hill state of Himachal Pradesh banned the use of plastic bags in 2003. However, the first city to do so in the country was Mumbai or Bombay in 2000 (now much in news for all the wrong reasons). A BBC report says that in the US, San Francisco became the first city to ban plastic bags from large supermarkets and pharmacies in March 2007. Several months later...

While the media keep reporting on the events related to terror in Mumbai and elsewhere, their viewers might also be interested in fresh perspective/analysis on terrorism, instead of listening to the same old theories. Deepak Chopra, a well known writer/thinker, raised some vital questions on CNN’s Larry King Live. “Who is financing this (terrorism)? Where is the money coming from? What role do we have in this? Are our petrodollars funding both sides of this war on terrorism? Why are...

New Delhi: Reports are now coming in from terror-struck Mumbai (or Bombay) of the valiant rescue effort of the Indian army and the police thus saving the lives of scores of foreigners held hostage during the past 24 hours. Top police officials led from the front and at least three anti-terrorist cops were killed.(Photograph on top – courtesy Reuters – shows a commando landing at the Jewish center.) Latest: For an eyewitness account please click here… And here… Mumbai, a...

Rabbi Gavriel Noach Holzberg is reportedly being held as a hostage at the terror-hit Mumbai’s Jewish center, the base for the American Jewish outreach group Chabad Lubavitch. The centre for prayer and study attracts many Jewish and Israeli visitors every year. (Photo above of the Mumbai Jewish Center) According to the BBC, reports say his wife and son have been freed. “The Reuters news agency says that four gunmen remain in the building. There have been reports of gunfire.” More...

New Delhi: India has lived through several major terror strikes during the past two decades in different parts of the country, including a major attack on Indian Parliament to kill important leaders. Ordinary people continue to suffer pain and anguish non-stop on this account. (Photo above courtesy Associated Press: Foreign tourist saved from an attacked Mumbai hotel.) (Meanwhile Army commandos moved into the luxury Oberoi and the Taj Mahal hotels to flush out terrorists holed up there. A militant...

Mumbai, or Bombay, India’s business hub, is under siege. NDTV, India’s leading television channel, reports that more than 100 people have been killed and hundreds injured in a series of well-coordinated major terrorist attacks at 10 places. (Photo above: India’s famous Taj Hotel under attack: Courtesy Times of India. “Gunmen wanted anyone with British or American passport,” said one eye-witness. (Meanwhile an Israeli rabbi is among at least three people being held hostage...

With the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama ‘Tenzin Gyatso’, 73, not keeping good health in recent times, there is speculation that a “regent” may be appointed for the interim period after the passing away of the present Dalai Lama. The Times of London reports that the Tibetan exiles are keen to prevent China from hijacking his reincarnation, as it has tried to do with other of the most senior positions in Tibetan Buddhism. “The idea was discussed this week at...

Thank you Associated Press for this great photograph. One has to be either a genius or an idiot to smile like that when the USA and the world are gasping/agonizing over the financial mess or an uncertain future. Please keep this photograph in safe custody and look at the faces of these luminaries exactly after a year from now. I sincerely hope they are able to retain this beatific smile on their faces. A recent report in Huffington Post is not exactly to cheer us all: “The economy took a...

Pakistan’s former military dictator Pervez Musharraf arrived in London on Sunday. This is his first visit abroad after he resigned from the post of president to escape imminent impeachment in August this year. India’s leading TV channel NDTV reports that “Musharraf’s visit comes amidst much speculation that he is planning on settling in the UK and is not intending to return to Pakistan.” There were “no cameras, and almost no mention of Musharraf’s visit...

I feel uncomfortable/cramped in the economy class seats while travelling by air. I have always wondered how those who enjoy a larger girth than mine manage to squeeze into the narrow seats. So it is heartening to hear that the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that obese people have the right to two seats for the price of one on flights within Canada. More here… The case has been going on in other courts for the past few months. For an earlier report please click here…

The current debate on the health of journalism is more than welcome. Earlier I had written about media baron Rupert Murdoch’s take on the subject. And now comes a powerful defence of traditional journalism from Lionel Barber of London’s Financial Times. Barber begins on a nostalgic note about his stint with The Washington Post, then makes a fascinating comparison between the British and the American press, and finally writes about the arrival of Citizen Journalists and the impact on...

President Asif Ali Zardari has become Pakistan’s first head of state to promise a “no-first nuclear-strike” against India. He talked of the need for change and reconciliation in India-Pakistan relationship, and the possibility of doing away with passports for travel between the two countries. The surprise statement came when Zardari was addressing the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit at New Delhi on Saturday via a satellite link from his official residence in Islamabad. Telecast live...

Britain’s first woman Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has announced plans to get tough on prostitution. This has led to a lively debate in the media. The new changes in the laws aim to crack down on those who buy sex or control its sale, rather than those who offer it. Ms Smith says that paying for sex with someone who is “controlled for another person’s gain” should be a criminal offence. The BBC reports: “This will be a ‘strict liability’ offence, and ignorance...

Think Progress provides an interesting example of Bush Administration’s strategy to forcibly push “the political ideologues” down the throat of the new Obama administration. “The Washington Post reported this morning that between March and November, the Bush administration has ‘burrowed’ at least 20 political appointees into career civil service posts, initially depriving President-elect Obama of the chance to install his own appointees in key jobs. “In...

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch’s, and his family’s, adventures and victories in the field of journalism have won him admirers and critics. His detractors claim that he has trashed serious/traditional journalism. But journalism is neither static, nor a charitable activity. It has become a highly competitive business. It would be unfair to single out media owners for blame. The editors too must be held accountable for the present mess. Murdoch recently “tore into the ‘doom and...

With India’s first Moon Impact Probe landing on the moon’s surface Friday, the country has become a major player in the exclusive 21st century space race. “India planted a flag of sorts on the moon today as a probe painted in the national colors of green, white and orange slammed into the lunar landscape,” reports Bloomberg. “The foil-wrapped Moon Impact Probe photographed the rocky surface and sampled the thin atmosphere during a half-hour freefall, the Indian Space...