Al-Qaeda wants Pak to divert army to Indian border: Journo

In the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks, the question that everyone is asking is 'Why'. India already claims it has evidence of Pakistani hand. On Friday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had made a stern call to Pakistan and had asked them to send the head of its intelligence agency, the ISI, to India. However, Pakistan has refused to do the same.

But is it a bit too soon to jump to conclusions? In an attempt to get some answers, we speak to Lahore-based journalist Ahmed Rashid, an expert on South and Central Asia who authored bestsellers such as Jihad, Taliban and Descent into Chaos. He tells Forbes Network 18's Dinesh Narayanan on phone from Rome that the attacks are a conspiracy to drive a wedge between the two neighbours. Excerpts from the interview:

QUES: Do you think the attack on Mumbai was planned to de-stabilise the conciliatory efforts of the Indian and Pakistani governments?

Ahmed Rashid: I think the attacks were strategically planned by al-Qaeda through the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants they train. It is trying to work out a space for itself in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). They have been hurting very badly in there because of pressure from the Pakistani army and US missile attacks.

QUES: What is the objective?

Ahmed Rashid: It is a military strategic objective to get the army out of Bajour and stop the US from stepping in. If tensions between India and Pakistan escalate, the army will be moved to the Indian border, as happened in 2002. After the attacks on the Parliament House in Delhi, India built up troops on the border. Pakistan responded by moving its army from the Afghanistan border to the Indian one. And al-Qaeda had a free run of FATA. They are looking to repeat the exercise.

QUES: Do you think they are likely to succeed?

Ahmed Rashid: The danger is the escalation of India-Pakistan accusations. They should not fall into the al-Qaeda trap. The Indian Government has already jumped the gun a bit. It is a weak government and is under pressure to do something.

QUES: What would happen if the Indian and Pakistani governments see through the trap?

Ahmed Rashid: Then there will be more attacks in Pakistan. This is a very critical period for al-Qaeda. It has only a few months. The US is preparing to send 20,000 troops into Afghanistan by April. The al-Qaeda is under tremendous pressure. They need to do something.

QUES: Will the new government in Pakistan be able to genuinely change the relationship with India?

Ahmed Rashid: It is a weak civilian government, just like the Indian Government. It is a Government that is besieged by a collapsing economy and tensions with the army. But it has its heart in the right place. The army needs to come under a democratic government for the outlook on national security to change.

Dinesh Narayanan is Associate Editor at the new business magazine to be launched by Network 18 in alliance with Forbes, USA.

Home Minister Shivraj Patil resigns

Home Minister Shivraj Patil Steps Down

Home Minister Shivraj Patil, under tremendous criticism over a spate of terrorist attacks in the country since last year, resigned on Sunday in the wake of the Mumbai Terror strikes.

Patil, who had offered to step down at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting last night, sent his resignation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh this morning, sources said.

The 74-year-old Patil was inducted into the Union Cabinet despite his defeat from Latur in Maharashtra in the 2004 Lok Sabha polls and has been a target of the opposition as also the detractors within the party over his handling of the internal security situation in the country.

Patil had told the CWC meeting that as the Home minister he "takes the responsibility and whatever the CWC decides, I am ready to do", the sources said.

Patil's remarks came in the wake of criticism by several leaders, including Union Ministers P Chidambaram, Kamal Nath, Kapil Sibal and H R Bhardwaj, they said. 

The refrain of these leaders at the meeting was that a strong action is needed in the wake of the Mumbai terror strikes and accountability has to be ensured at the higher as well as lower levels.

Patil, who has been in public life for over four decades, was brought into the Manmohan Singh Cabinet as he was considered a complete Gandhi loyalist and Sonia Gandhi had turned down repeated demands for his ouster from the government.

Patil was also one of the serious candidates of the Congress for the post of the President last year after the tenure of A P J Abdul Kalam got over. But, the Left parties, which were supporting the Government from outside, had put their foot down on such a proposal. 

Besides Patil, Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, who was also present at the meeting, came under attack on the terror strikes issue, CWC sources said.

The leaders who voiced criticism on the issue included union ministers P Chidambaram, Kamal Nath, Kapil Sibal and H R Bhardwaj, they said.

The refrain of these leaders at the meeting was that strong action is needed in the wake of the Mumbai terror strikes and accountability has to be ensured at the higher as well as lower levels.

This prompted Pranab Mukherjee to remark that since it was collective responsibility of the Cabinet, he would also like to take responsibility as the External Affairs Minister.

Maharashtra Chief Minister, however, chose to ignore the criticism and instead apprised the meeting of the steps taken by his government in the wake of terror strikes, they said.

The Home Minister as also National Security Adviser M K Narayanan came under attack at the CWC meeting called hours after the security operations against the terrorists was indication enough that the leadership was planning some strong steps.

"Mumbai Locals Helped Us"-Azam Amir Kasab(Terrorist Tells Cops)

Did some Mumbai locals provide support to the Pakistani terrorists? Azam Amir Kasab, the only Pakistani terrorist nabbed alive, has revealed names and addresses of at least five people from the city who helped the terror operation.

AZAM AMIR KASAV...THE ONLY TERRORIST THAT SURVIVED

Sources said that help like, providing shelter, taking them around and showing places, passing information on police stations and nakabandhis were given by these locals. Joint commissioner of police (crime) Rakesh Maria said,"We suspect there could be local assistants but it is subject to verification. It will be very premature to comment on this at this stage as our investigations is going on.''

Kasab has told police that they were sent with a specific mission of targeting Israelis to avenge atrocities on Palestinians. This was why they targetted Nariman House, a complex meant for Israelis. Sources said Kasab's colleagues killed in the operation had stayed in Nariman House earlier.

"They have stayed in Nariman house on rental basis identifying themselves as Malaysian students.'' said a source. Police are trying to find out how Nariman House rooms were given to non-Jews. Police has taken all the records books of for verification. The second target was the CST railway station because casualties would be high.

Crime branch has also recovered several fake identity and credit cards from the belongings of dead terrorists. "All the cards are in different names and of different banks. Now we are at least trying to figure out how they procured credit cards from various banks.'' said Maria. The recovery of so many cards with different names have led Mumbai police to suspect the involvement of ISI.

Though Maria maintained only 10 terrorists had sneaked in, the two blasts in taxis in Wadi Bunder and Vile Parle have led the police to believe there could be possibility of the presence of another two or more terrorists in the city. 

Azam Amir Kasav
aka: Mohammad Ajmal Mohammed Amin Kasab

Azam Amir Kasav is the only terrorist from the Mumbai terror attacks that survived. He was captured and has been interrogated, providing a great deal of information about the attacks.

Azam Amir Kasav, also known as Mohammad Ajmal Mohammed Amin Kasab, looked confident in the photo above. It was taken as he walked into the Mumbai train station (CST) with the intent of killing as many people as he could. He and his partner finished their business at the station and moved on to their next target, Girgaum Chowpatty. They were stopped and engaged in a gun fight by police. Azam killed assistant police inspector Tukaram Umbale before he was shot. His partner was shot and killed during the gun battle. Azam played dead and the bodies of both men were picked up to be transported to the hospital. At some point, the police realized that Azam was breathing.

When the 21-year-old Azam arrived at the hospital he begged the medical staff there to help him. He told them that he didn’t want to die. It turned out that he was fluent in English and from from tehsil Gipalpura in Faridkot in Pakistan. He begged for his own life after indiscriminately taking the lives of whoever happened to be in the train station that morning.

After Azam’s bullet wound was treated, he was taken away by interrogators. Its reported that at first he was tight lipped, but it didn’t take long for intense questioning to loosen him up. Apparently, he has given investigators some vital information about the planning of the Mumbai attacks. He has told investigators that their plan was to blow up the Taj Hotel and they had enough explosives to do it. They wanted to create an Indian 9/11.

Masand’s Verdict: Sorry Bhai, a magnificent drama Movie Review

Cast: Shabana Azmi, Boman Irani, Sanjay Suri, Chitrangada Singh, Sharman Joshi

Direction: Onir

Taking the decidedly uncomfortable premise of a man hooking up with his brother’s girl, Sorry Bhai is a brave little film that puts a fresh spin on the tale. Bumbling younger brother Sharman Joshi arrives in Mauritius with his parents Shabana Azmi and Boman Irani to attend elder brother Sanjay Suri’s wedding, and ends up falling in love with his brother’s fiancée Chitrangada Singh.

The triangle that ensues involves Sharman, Chitrangada and – no, not Sanjay who seems to wisely move on – but the boys’ overbearing mother Shabana who gets herself irreparably entangled in this awkward mess.

At the very core of Sorry Bhai’s drama is the magnificent Shabana Azmi who takes her role and immediately sinks her teeth into it, constructing a character that is all flesh-and-blood. From the little moments – like the one in which she follows Sharman and Chitrangada into the woods, only to hurt her foot before she can confirm her suspicions – to the significant ones (which include her clashes with her daughter-in-law to be), Shabana is always on the ball, and makes her character omnipresent in the movie, even when she’s not physically around in every frame.

A word of praise also for the immensely gifted Boman Irani who has a tougher job at hand – making a solid believable person out of what was probably a three-line character sketch on paper. Boman adds the right comic touch and just the perfect hint of melancholy to create an affectionate lug of a father who speaks less but delivers gems every time he does.

The plot of Sorry Bhai may be simplistic, but the film is not so much about the plot as it is about the characters, and director Onir does a fine job of writing complex, flawed characters who don’t come with any easy answers. Chitrangada’s character, for one, is a tough nut to crack – why does she appear almost unaffected when Sanjay puts off their wedding to attend to a pressing business commitment; why does she suddenly decide to pursue Sharman with such dogged determination; does she really feel no responsibility to Sanjay for what’s just happened? These are important questions all, but the answers are hard to find. Much like life, if you think about it.

Of the three leads, Sharman Joshi plays his part with such sincerity, you’re willing to look at his flawed character with renewed sympathy. The radiant Chitrangada Singh is awkward in places, but puts up a good show nevertheless, especially in her scenes with Shabana. Sanjay Suri, despite the weak characterisation, does the best he can with his role, in particular nailing the film’s one defining scene in which Sharman makes the big confession, to which he responds with shock, anger, and even a little affection.

Sorry Bhai is not devoid of faults – the film occasionally gets too talkie, and in some places a little silly too – but the film’s real charm lies in those memorable moments the director creates between his two favorite players – Shabana and Chitrangada. That’s the reason to watch this film.

I’m going with three out of five for director Onir’s Sorry Bhai. It’s a strong character-driven drama about imperfect people trying to find their own happiness in the world. Don’t miss it.

Rating: 3 / 5 (Good)

"I slept with a loaded revolver under my pillow"-Big B Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan has pulled out his revolver many a times on screen. This time he has pulled out the revolver again, but not to shoot anyone on screen but to defend himself and have a safe sleep. He says, ‘Last night, as the events of the terror attack unfolded in front of me I did something for the first time and one that I had hoped never ever to be in a situation to do. Before retiring for the night, I pulled out my licensed .32 revolver, loaded it and put it under my pillow. For a very disturbed sleep,’ the megastar wrote on his blog.

‘My pain has been the sight and plight of my innocent and vulnerable and completely insecure countrymen, facing the wrath of this terror attack. And my anger has been at the ineptitude of the authorities that have been ordained to look after us,’ Big B expressed in his blog.

He further says, He salutes people who have laid down their lives for us. ‘I can only but salute them and respect their sincerity in the call of duty.’

Bachchan was disgruntled over the cliche ’spirit of Mumbai’ which he said people were using to cover the traumatic experiences that the merry city underwent in recent years. Bachchan says he bows over this and wishes the spirit never ends. We too agree with you Mr. Bachchan.

Sleeping with a loaded gun under the pillow is a very dangerous thing to do. Even with utmost precaution accidents do happen. I pray to God that the gun does not go off accidentally. Otherwise a national embarrassment will turn into a national martyr. Years ago one accidental hit in the stomach (and Indira Gandhi) erased his poor track record and turned him into a star, and now it seems Big B is trying is erase his shoddy legacy and flop status, and turn into a national martyr. Poor Big B is always looking for short cuts, genuine hard work is an alien concept to him.

Time table for IPE March 2009 (General) announced.(Revised)

Office of the Secretary,
Board of Intermediate Education,
Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad.
Rc.No54/C25-4/IPE/March2009
Dated 28-11-2008.
PRESS RELEASE
The following is the Revised Time Table for the 1st and 2nd year INTERMEDIATE

HYDERABAD: The Board of Intermediate Education has released the revised time table for the first and second year final examinations to be held in March 2009.

The examinations would be held from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.

First Year Time Table
Date&Day Subject
04-Mar-2009 Wednesday Second Language
06-Mar-2009 Friday English
09-Mar-2009 Monday Mathematics(A)/Botany/Civics/Psychology
13-Mar-2009 Friday Mathematics(B)/Zoology/History
16-Mar-2009 Monday Physics/Economics/Classical-Language
18-Mar-2009 Wednesday Chemistry/Commerce/Sociology/Fine-Arts-Music
20-Mar-2009 Friday Geology/Home-Science/Public-Administration/Logic/Geography

/Bridge-Course

23-Mar-2009 Monday Modern Languages

Second Year Time Table
Date&Day Subject
05-Mar-2009 Thursday Second Language
07-Mar-2009 Saturday English
12-Mar-2009 Thurday Mathematics(A)/Botany/Civics/Psychology
14-Mar-2009 Thursday Mathematics(B)/Zoology/History
17-Mar-2009 Tuesday Physics/Economics/Classical-Language
19-Mar-2009 Thursday Chemistry/Commerce/Sociology/Fine-Arts-Music
21-Mar-2009 Saturday Geology/Home-Science/Public-Administration/Logic/Geography

/Bridge-Course

24-Mar-2009 Tusday Modern Languages

Oye Lucky Lucky Oye Movie Review– More like a docudrama on the life-story of a thief.

Dibakar Bannerjee, won millions of hearts and received worldwide appreciation for his first movie, ‘Khosla Ka Ghosla’. So his next venture was eagerly awaited by comedy lovers as well as lovers of quality cinema. His present offering showed good vibes with its promos and catchy theme of life of a famous thief. But surprisingly, Dibakar chooses to go with a Documentary film-making style in “OLLO”. The movie is like a biography of a thief, an account of his childhood and youth, about his various relationships and how he manages to escape each time he is caught by the police. 

Dibakar, though not Punjabi by birth, does has a soft corner about Sikhs and Punjabi culture. His first movie had a Punjabi culture feel allover and the same is more evident in this one two. In fact in OLLO he even casts a teenage Sikh boy to play the role of young Lucky. The movie opens with the childhood of lucky. The boy (young Lucky) is well chosen and shows great confidence. It never seems to be his first movie as he is so convincing in his act. The opening scenes between him and Paresh Rawal (his father) are a treat to watch. In simple words this part of the movie showing his start as a thief, his teenage love and fights is the best portion of the movie. 

After this section, enters Abhay Deol with his cute smile and cool attitude. Here I have to say that Abhay is one of the most under-rated actors Bollywood has. His choice of films clearly shows his class cinematic thought process and he deserves praises for that. As Lucky he just floats calmly and impressively in the skin of a famous thief. He again gives a superlative performance as the famous conman of Delhi. Paresh Rawal in a triple role is competent but sadly has very less comic scenes. His best shows in his role of a Vet doctor who becomes partner with lucky for opening a new restaurant. Neetu Chandra is also impressive with her subtle persona.  Archana Puran Singh shows excellent timing for which she is known for. Another worth mentioning act comes from the actor who plays Lucky’s close friend. He is top rate and also gets excellent one liners which entertain the most.  

But despite having talented actors, brilliant performances and bright direction, the film lacks on the part of entertainment.  The movie only tells you the story of a thief, but doesn’t entertain the viewer. It doesn’t have fast unexpected turns in the story. The narration gets repetitive post interval and you know what is going to happen next. Though portrayed as a comedy, the movie doesn’t have enough comic scenes. The funny chemistry is missing which was strongly there in “Khosla Ka Ghosla”. While watching it, you can smile at certain scenes but a hearty laughter would be difficult.  

Dibakar sticks to his choice of realistic topics, having real life inspirations and also again selects Delhi for his backdrop of the story. Its nice to see that atleast he is deriving inspiration from the real life happenings around him and not copying ideas from the English flicks. His present idea of a movie on a famous conman was also interesting and had potential of becoming an interesting movie. Sadly it only remains interesting to a certain section and lacks the expected entertainment factor, which goes against the movie. 

Instead of coming out as an entertaining movie on robberies and chases, OLLO is more like a docu-drama on the life of a famous thief. There is a very limited section of viewers who will find it good enough. People in Delhi Punjab and North territory can relate to it in a better way. Dibaker is surely a director to watch out for and I am waiting for what he plans next. He also knows one thing for sure and that is not to put any song in the script if not needed. So this is another song-less movie from him, which is intelligent on his part. But one thing I would surely like to request to our film-makers here – Do give a worth watching role to Abhay Deol, the boy has got a hidden talent to explore.  

So to end, “Oye Lucky Lucky Oye” is an interesting movie with a touch of difference but don’t expect a great comedy out of it. 

Rating : 2.5 / 5

Wal-Mart worker dies after shoppers knock him down

 A Wal-Mart worker was killed Friday when "out-of-control" shoppers desperate for bargains broke down the doors at a 5 a.m. sale. Other workers were trampled as they tried to rescue the man, and customers shouted angrily and kept shopping when store officials said they were closing because of the death, police and witnesses said.

At least four other people, including a woman who was eight months pregnant, were taken to hospitals for observation or minor injuries, and the store in Valley Stream on Long Island closed for several hours before reopening.

Shoppers stepped over the man on the ground and streamed into the store. When told to leave, they complained that they had been in line since Thursday morning.

Nassau police said about 2,000 people were gathered outside the store doors at the mall about 20 miles east of Manhattan. The impatient crowd knocked the man, identified by police as Jdimytai Damour of Queens, to the ground as he opened the doors, leaving a metal portion of the frame crumpled like an accordion.

"This crowd was out of control," said Nassau police spokesman Lt. Michael Fleming. He described the scene as "utter chaos."

Dozens of store employees trying to fight their way out to help Damour were also getting trampled by the crowd, Fleming said.

Items on sale at the store included a Samsung 50-inch Plasma HDTV for $798, a Bissel Compact Upright Vacuum for $28, a Samsung 10.2 megapixel digital camera for $69 and DVDs such as "The Incredible Hulk" for $9.

Damour, 34, was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead about 6 a.m., police said. The exact cause of death has not been determined.

A 28-year-old pregnant woman was taken to a hospital, where she and the baby were reported to be OK, said police Sgt. Anthony Repalone.

Police said criminal charges were possible in the case, but Fleming said it would be difficult to identify individual shoppers. Authorities were reviewing surveillance video.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., based in Bentonville, Ark., called the incident a "tragic situation" and said the employee came from a temporary agency and was doing maintenance work at the store.

"The safety and security of our customers and associates is our top priority," said Dan Fogleman, a company spokesman. "At this point, facts are still being assembled and we are working closely with the Nassau County Police as they investigate what occurred."

Kimberly Cribbs, who witnessed the stampede, said shoppers were acting like "savages."

"When they were saying they had to leave, that an employee got killed, people were yelling 'I've been on line since yesterday morning,'" she said. "They kept shopping."

Shoppers around the country line up early outside stores on the day after Thanksgiving in the annual bargain-hunting ritual known as Black Friday. It got that name because it has historically been the day when stores broke into profitability for the full year.

Cricket:England's Tour of India Cancelled after Mumbai Blasts

The England team are currently in India, where on Thursday they went 5-0 down in a seven-match one-day series after losing by six wickets in Cuttack.

They were due to return to Mumbai, where their tour began three weeks ago, on December 16 ahead of the second and final Test starting three days later.

England had been scheduled to stay at the Taj Mahal Palace, one of two luxury hotels attacked by bands of gunmen, reportedly looking for foreign targets.

The second of the two Tests was scheduled to be played in Mumbai from December 16 and the visiting team was to stay at the Hotel Taj which was also targeted by terrorists.

Team spokesman Andrew Walpole said the squad would take advice from Britain’’s Foreign Office before deciding whether to proceed with the remainder of the tour. We will be guided by the Foreign Office and will await developments, foxsports.com quoted Walpole as saying.

Meanwhile, Cricket Australia has cancelled plans for Western Australia and Victoria to travel to India for next week’’s Champions Twenty20 League because of the deadly terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

"It is an evolving situation and we are taking security advice from a number of different sources, as we always do," he said. "We are hoping to take it forward in the very near future and have a further statement later this evening.

"We asked BCCI to consider cancelling the sixth and seventh one-day internationals. We are grateful for their co-operation to that effect.

"I read a report this morning that we had asked to cancel the Test series. I would refute those claims. We did not request the cancellation of the Test series. Whenever England go to play cricket we have security advice and we act on that advice.

"At the moment we are awaiting a further security report. If we are then told that it's safe to continue with the Test series then that's what we will do."

This afternoon, Lalit Modi, the vice-president of the BCCI, said he thought the Test series, which begins in Ahmedabad on December 11, would go ahead despite the attacks although he admitted the second Test in Bombay would be have to be moved.

"The two Test matches are going on, the only issue is that the Mumbai test will be moved," he said. "In the next hour or so I will try to schedule that in another location. Chances are it will be somewhere in the south of India but we need to see which venues are available."

Although confusion surrounds any new schedule, Modi does not think the tour will be extended. "That will not be necessary as the Champions League Twenty20 has been postponed so we have an additional 10 days in between," he added

Earlier, Morris met N Srinivasan, the BCCI secretary, before briefing the players with Reg Dickason, the security officer who travels with the squad. The India team are staying at the same hotel, which is being heavily guarded by armed police outside the main gate. Inside, James Anderson was strumming a guitar, Paul Collingwood was playing table tennis and Owais Shah and Ravi Bopara were competing at pool.

Indian television was still reporting that the tour has been cancelled even after the ECB said that they will remain here for a further day. With the second Test in Mumbai - and the team due to stay at the Taj Palace Hotel targeted by the terrorists - there will have to be, at the very least, a change to the itinerary.

The Professional Cricketers' Association today insisted the wellbeing of the players was paramount.

"The safety of the players is absolutely paramount in this whole thing," Dougie Brown, cricket chairman of the PCA, said. "The game of cricket is insignificant when people's lives are at threat.

"We can only judge if someone's life is at threat from what we are seeing and it is not a safe place for visiting cricketing teams to be at the moment. "Is this just going to be in Mumbai? Who knows? The main thing is we have to look after the security of our players.

"Can the safety of our players be guaranteed? On the basis of what we have seen in the last few hours, no."

England have their own security experts as part of their entourage but Brown hinted concern among the squad for their own safety would be inevitable.

"We are just cricketers and simply get told what to do," Brown added. "But the England players will be meeting and talking amongst themselves. I can guess as to what they are thinking about now.

"You can't be locked in a room in India for six weeks and, as we have seen, being locked in a hotel room might not necessarily be safe anyway."

At least 100 people have been killed in coordinated attacks by Islamist militants in India's commercial capital of Bombay.

Eyewitness Accounts: 'We Were Ready to Die'

Again, there are Terrorists, who have misinterpreted the Koran.
We kill babies, but are against it when those that made it, are killed. No difference. You abortionists have reduced the dignity of life down to the point now where your own life is now meaningless.
The Democrats nary mentioned once, inherent Muslim terrorism, during the campaign. Well here it is again. Live and well and no further than the corner Mosque.
Maybe life will begin to take on renewed meaning for the Democrats that just voted in effect a Terrorist.

Amrita Jhaveri, a jewelry consultant from Mumbai who lives in London, was having dinner last night at the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower's Wasabi Restaurant with her British husband when they heard gunfire. Hotel staff led the guests from the restaurant down a corridor, through the kitchen into the private club called "Chambers." Guests from other restaurants at the hotel were also brought to the Chambers.

The staff turned the lights off urged everyone to stay calm and quiet and turn off their mobile phones because terrorists were in a gun battle in the room next door, the dining room of the Chambers club. About 200 people were gathered.

"We were expecting the worst," Ms. Jhaveri said. "We knew the hotel was on fire, we knew there were terrorists next door. We knew they might storm the room any second, the fire might engulf us, an explosive might go off. It seemed too many things were stacked against us. We were ready to die."

One man died in the room, apparently of an aneurism. There were many westerners in the room and groups of Indians at the hotel for weddings in the family. The hotel pianist was there.

At about 4 a.m., the hotel staff tried to lead the group outside the hotel. But no sooner did the group begin to head down a corridor than gunshots rang out and the guests fell over one another in fright, dashing back into the room. "We had no idea if we'd be there for one day or five days," she said. "The uncertainty was terrifying."

Ms. Jhaveri worried the terrorists would storm in and pick her British husband out of the crowd. "We decided we wouldn't be separated. It didn't matter if we had to die, we wanted to be with one another," she said.

With the bathrooms overflowing, she and others tried to find places to relieve themselves -- peeing in glasses behind the bar.

When she was finally led outside the hotel at 9 a.m. into awaiting buses, she heard guns fired from overhead.

"It was a very long, very hairy night," she said.

—Geeta Anand

Hospital In Chaos

Peter Keep, a Mumbai –based entrepreneur, went to a local Mumbai hospital to help a friend who had been shot in the attacks. He counted more than 40 dead bodies and an equal number of Injured, including foreigners.

"It was just chaos with doctors and nurses running around and lots of blood everywhere," he said. "There was a British national who had just arrived here with plans to wander around India and he had two or three gunshot wounds in his chest."

After returning to his home a block from the Taj Mahal Hotel and Café Leopold's, both of which were attacked, he heard explosions and gunshots throughout the night. From the roof of his home, he watched the Taj burn as a fire threatened to engulf the towering red dome that is one of the most recognizable landmarks of Mumbai.

"It's familiar, it's iconic and even if it represents nothing more than a beautiful old building to see it ablaze like that is just shocking," Mr. Keep said.

Thursday morning he watched as they started bringing bodies out of the hotel. "The authorities have been bringing out a load of bodies. About one dozen ambulances have come and they have been reversing them into the entrance," he said.

—Eric Bellman

Blood at Café Leopold

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KagarxBlcc]

Farhang Jehani is the owner of Café Leopold's a favourite hang out for backpackers and other travelers behind the Taj Mahal hotel. It is always packed with mostly foreign nationals enjoying its inexpensive food and beer as well as its open view to the bustling street life of Colaba Causeway.

Between 9:30 and 9:45 p.m. Wednesday night, two gunmen who appeared to be in their mid 20s pull out machine guns and opened fire on the restaurant full of evening dinners. The crowd scattered but more than 10 people were shot, he said. "It is still just like it was left," Mr. Jehani said later. "There is blood all over and not one table is standing. They are all upside down."

The gunmen moved on after shooting and the injured were stuffed into private cars and Mumbai's trademark tiny yellow and black taxis. The police didn't show up for 20 minutes. "We used whatever vehicle was available," Mr. Jehani said.

The street however had become a big quiet traffic jam as everyone, after hearing the gunshots on the busy street, had just left their cars and ran.

"The street was deserted, it was totally empty as people just stopped, got out of their cars and ran away from the commotion," Mr. Jehani said.

—Eric Bellman

Sushi Chef at Taj Mahal Hotel

As many as 40 people remained hostage in the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel & Resort in Mumbai on Thursday after Wednesday night's terrorist attacks. Noriyuki Kanda, sushi chef at the Wasabi restaurant in the Taj Mahal, who managed to escape after more than 12 hours holed up in the hotel, spoke on the telephone on his experience during and after the assault.

Mr. Kanda was making sushi at the fine nouveau Japanese restaurant on the second floor of the Taj. The small restaurant with stunning views of the Arabian Sea is a favorite of company executives and Bollywood stars when there were some explosions.

"I was working and we heard a lot of noise, I had only heard gunfire on television before so we weren't sure what it was. Then we heard rapid fire like a machine gun and people rushed in from the bar downstairs and said that four men were shooting people in the lobby."

Mr. Kanda and the rest of the staff led the customers through the kitchen and the back hallways for employees, some of which were filled with smoke. Some went back to their rooms and some tried to find the exit.

Mr. Kanda was holed up in his room for hours, keeping tabs on the situation through his cell phone because the telephones and television were cut off. In the morning the power was cut off and he heard explosions again.

Through his network of other employees around the building he heard that a group of hostages were taken to the Taj club (a members only area where the rich eat and drink) and then there was an explosion there. He heard that the lobby is covered in blood. He also heard that there was an explosion at the employees rear exit.

Mr. Kanda managed to escape shortly before 2 pm local time. He said he saw a few bodies and so much blood in the lobby that disinfectant had been put down.

Terrorists blast Mumbai crowds in coordinated attack

MORE than 80 people are dead after terrorists used grenades and automatic weapons to attack crowds at hotels, a restaurant and train station in Mumbai, India.

The Chief Minister of Maharashtra state said the situation was not yet contained as commando units attempted to wrest back control of two luxury hotels, where scores of westerners are believed to being held hostage.

Parts of Mumbai remained under siege, with police and gunmen exchanging gunfire at the Taj Mahal and Oberoi Trident hotels.

Firefighters prepare to rescue employees and guests of the Taj Mahal hotel, site of one of the shootouts with terrorists early Thursday.

"The situation is still not under control and we are trying to flush out any more terrorists hiding inside the two hotels," said Vilasrao Deshmukh.

Gunfire and explosions were heard at the landmark Taj Mahal hotel and thick plumes of smoke rose from the building, witnesses said.

View Larger Map

There were also explosions at the Oberoi hotel and firing at a hospital where gunmen were surrounded.

"The terrorists are throwing grenades at us from the rooftop of the Taj and trying to stop us from moving in," police Inspector Ashok Patil said.

Police said at least 250 people were wounded in the attacks, but some reports say up to 900 were hurt in the coordinated attacks, which also targeted a railway station, hospitals, the main railway station and airport.

Cafe Leopold, perhaps the most famous restaurant and hang-out for tourists in the city, also faced a series of blasts.

An organisation calling itself the Deccan Mujahideen said it was behind the attacks, television channels said. The previously little known group sent an email to news organisations claiming responsibility.

In Washington, the White House and US President-elect Barack Obama condemned the attacks, as did France, current president of the European Union, and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Early unconfirmed reports suggest the disaster has brought the financial capital's stock exchange to a standstill.

Teams of heavily-armed men launched coordinated attacks overnight that survivors said were aimed at killing Westerners.

Officials now say 86 people have been killed, and at least 120 wounded, with scores of Western hostages still being held.

A previously unknown group calling itself the Deccan Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the attacks in emails to several media outlets.

[youtube=http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=619Gbp46SVM]

AP SSC 2009 Advanced supplementary Time Table/AP SSC 2009 results date/AP SSC Exams - 2009 Time Table

Click Here for AP SSC 2009 Advanced Suppl Exams Time Table

AndhraPradesh AP SSC 2009 Results will be announced may be on 25th may,2009 at 11.00am onwards or 27th may,2009.

SSC EXAMS - 2009 TIME TABLE (Temporary) announced now.

Date Subject

23-03-09 First Language Paper I

24-03-09 First Language Paper II

25-03-09 Second Language

26-03-09 English Paper – I

28-03-09 English Paper – II

30-03-09 Maths Paper I

31-03-09 Maths Paper II

01-04-09 Science Paper I

02-04-09 Science Paper II

04-04-09 Social Paper I

06-04-09 Social Paper II

07-04-09 OSSC Main Language Paper(Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian)

08-04-09 SSC Vocational Course Exam

Totally 13,58,916 students are attending SSC Examination this year.

Except Hindi and Telugu Paers Bar coading will be given to all papers.

Students can check thier Answer sheets after the results will be declared out.

Supplementary exams will be held in June 2nd week of 2009.

Aditya Chopra Holds Private Screenig For Rab Ne Bana De Jodi

Adi Chopra holds private screening for Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

Our source tells us, “The private screening was attended by SRK, wife Gauri, kids Suhana and Aryan, Karan Johar, Aditya Chopra, Yash Chopra and debutante Anushka Sharma. All of them really liked the film. YRF has had plenty of flops this year so they wanted to check if Rab Ne… had turned out well or not.”

He further adds, “Rab Ne… has superhit written all over it. Like last year, Chak de India starring SRK was YRF’s only hit, Rab Ne… will do the same for Yash Raj this year as SRK has come to their rescue. The movie is quite funny and has some spectacular dance sequences.”

“In one of them SRK is imitating old actors like Rajesh Khanna and Shammi Kapoor, etc. It is a simple sweet love story shot mainly in India. Anushka has made a good debut and she is a good dancer.”

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is the story of a middle class guy, Surinder Sahni, played by Khan who is much older than his wife played by newbie Anushka Sharma. The two have no romance in their lives though Surinder truly loves his wife. All her friends are taking part in a dance competition and she doesn’t want to because she feels her hubby cant dance. Surinder understands this and transforms himself to become the guy of her dreams, without her knowing about it. She falls in love with her husband all over again.

SRK has a soft corner for this movie. “This film is Yashji and Adi’s love. You know I don’t believe in saying a movie is special but in this case it is because Adi is directing after so many years. It is a commercial film that everyone will love. I have seen the film a couple of times and I think it is a very nice, funny, interesting and entertaining film. Adi is making a film after years… It’s the story of a normal person. I am sometimes Raj or Rahul or Om before people but here is a character of a very simple person. This is very different to that. I want every girl, every girlfriend, and every wife to look at their loved one and say that this is how I love him. And it’s very different from what I have done till today as Raj or Rahul. You know talking about this film makes me smile always,” smiles the superstar.

When CONTACTED MONIKA BHATTACHARYA OFFICIAL SPOKESPERSON OF YRF SHE SAID “Its a personal thing no comments and requested not post”

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi hits theatres on December 12

Nagajuna KING {2008} Sample MP3 Songs Download

Nagarjuna,Thrisha starring King's Audio is out now.

Direector:Srinu Vaitla

Music Composer:Devi Sri Prasad

Download the King's Mp3 from HERE

http://rapidshare.com/files/167460997/Nag_s_KING__2008__Sample_MP3_Songs_by_www.funkyysoul.blogspot.com.rar.html

NOTE: These are Sample MP3 Recorded From Tapes (LOW Quality SONGS)

As THE ORIGINAL CD WILL BE RELEASED INTO MARKET ON DEC 1St.

Shahrukh Khan was there in Munnabhai MBBS!!!

It’s not a mistake, and you read it rightly.

Though not physically there, but Shahrukh Khan was related to the film as actually he was to play the Munnabhai character on the screen before it landed in the lap of Sanjay Dutt.

Shahrukh was also helpful and contributed with his inputs while the screenplay of the movie was being written. So many of the worth remembering scenes and characterization is a result of Shahrukh being there with Rajkumar Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra.

Somehow due to reasons beyond control, Shahrukh could not become Munnabhai as Sanjay Dutt was destined to play it. But Rajkumar Hirani did not forget to acknowledge the contribution made by Shahrukh in the project and rightly gave him a humble credit in the film’s end rolls.

So if you watch the end rolls closely you will find this written in it,

“Special Thanks to – Shahrukh Khan : For his inputs in the script”

Great to see the Sportsman Spirit !

I knew that SRK was to play munabhai and for the dates reasons Raj Kumar Hirani didnt wait for SRK…but i didnt know they actually did mention his name at the end…that means i have to see the end of the movie now to see SRK name being mentioned. Well thats i think is very humble of RajKumar Hirani…but now again he is making a movie which he wanted SRk play and he actually offer him the role and SRK did agree to do it but just because of Producer Vidhu VInod Chopra,Srk is not working with him in 3 idiots also…which is very sad…i would love to see SRK playing munabhai and doing 3 idiots…

Source:Link

PSG Tech results - Oct / Nov 2008 Semester/Trimester Exam(http://www.psgtech.edu/)

PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore
Oct / Nov 2008 Semester/Trimester Exam Results are out now

Results are available on PSG Tech website Go HERE

Drop your Roll no.s in Commenting section to know your result.

To Get the Document of PSG TECH ALUMNI ASSOCIATION YAM'08-09,Click Here

This year, the YAM(YOUNG ALUMNI MEET) day is scheduled on 3rd and 4th January 2009. So confirm your participation through the enclosed Registration Form and send it by Email to arasuarasu@rediffmail.com on or before 16th December 2008. A nominal registration fee of Rs 200/- is to be paid on the day of YAM.

Vote for ShahRukh

There have been several enquiries regarding voting for Sabsey Favourite Kaun 2009 where we need to register and login (which is a simple process) to vote for Shah Rukh who has been winning the Favourite Hero Award for 5 consecutive years!

Its that time of the year again when the hot favourites of Bollywood are chosen and the decision is in the hands of the most important people in India - YOU! Sabsey Favourite Kaun 2009 is back. Log in and vote for your favourite for each category given in the nomination list and make your favourite star the winner.

Remember:

You can vote maximum of 5 entries in each category

There is no limit to the number of times you can vote. But you can submit your vote only after you have voted for ALL the categories

Voting ends on 4 Dec 08, 11:59 pm

Please vote for right here, right now for Shah Rukh for Sabsey Favourite Kaun 2009:

VOTE Here

New iPod Touch faster than iPhone 3G

The second-generation iPod Touch uses a slightly faster processor than the iPhone 3G.

(Credit: Apple)

Apple appears to have upped the processing speed of the iPod Touch in order to help it go after the portable-game market.

Touch Arcade reports that the applications processor inside the 2nd Generation iPod Touch unveiled in September is actually running faster than the processor inside the iPhone 3G, which runs at the same speed that the original iPhone and iPod Touch used. The new iPod Touch's ARM-based processor is running at 532MHz, while the iPhone 3G's processor runs at 412MHz.

A game developer interviewed by Touch Arcade noticed a huge difference in 3D-rendering speed as a result of the speed bump. As fondly from the "megahertz madness" days of the Intel-AMD competition in the PC, processor speed is not the only measure of performance, but it is an important one.

With the arrival of the App Store, Apple has been marketing the latest iPod Touch as a gaming device in its latest round of commercials, almost completely ignoring the fact that it's a music and video player as well.

It seems that Apple has room to boost the clock speed of the processor to 620MHz, according to ARM's specifications, but that requires striking a balance between performance and battery life.

Yuvvraj Flop???!!!

I thought Ghai was impressive with Black and White. The film was brilliant, it just wasnt marketed correctly!
Yuvvraaj…having Salman to play himself, I rather watch Star news!

In case of Yuvvraj…i havnt seen it but all i can say those who does bad to others and wish bad for them, will never succeed in their live…where are all those salman fans now who were saying salman didnt do anything wrong when he behaved sooo badly with SRK in kat’s birthday…Iam sure alot of people have seriously started to dislike him (like me) cause of what he has been doing doing lately…especially what he did to SRK…and that is resulting in his films becoming flop one after the other…

Blogging from 25,000 feet

For an aviation geek like me, the simple act of flying is more then enough reason to get on a plane.

So when sassy airline Virgin America offered CNET the chance to test its new Gogo in-flight Wi-Fi service, I jumped at the chance. And yes, I'm writing this 25,000 feet or so (we're still climbing) above the Northern California coast. We're cruising on an hour-long demonstration flight out of the San Francisco International Airport.

After passing 10,000 feet, I was able to find the sky-high Wi-Fi signal and create an account within minutes. The service works faster than I expected--not as quick as my cable Internet service at home but zippy nonetheless. Yahoo and CNET loaded relatively quickly, and CNET's Kara Tsuboi was able to stream videos. I went straight to blogging, so I didn't take much of an online tour, but it looks promising.

So far the service is available on one of Virgin America's uber-hip Airbus A320 aircraft. That plane (registration N638VA, "My other ride is a spaceship") will begin flying scheduled service on Thanksgiving Day. The service will be rolled out to the airline's entire fleet by the second quarter of 2009.

Of course, the Wi-Fi service will cost you. You'll pay $9.95 for flights of three hours or less and $12.95 for flights more than three hours. I think that's a pretty fair price (particularly if you're on a company expense account) for the privilege of browsing, chatting, and e-mailing while aloft.

The service is available through Aircell, which powers the in-flight Wi-Fi technology. Radio towers through the continental United States transmit EV-DO Rev A signals to the planes. Three antennas on the outside of the aircraft pick up the signal, which is then transmitted throughout the cabin.

Thankfully, cell phone service in the air is still an no-no due to FAA regulations. VoIP services also will be banned, but you will be able to text if you have a Wi-Fi-enabled cell phone. What's more, Virgin America says it will not filter Web sites.

The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade-IIFT 2008 Answer Key and Analysis of Paper

The latest update on IIFT 2008 is that The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) 2008 answer key and analysis is now available!.

IIFT 2008 Solutions Analysis Answer Key From PT TYC Time http://www.tcyonline.com is out with its analysis but with a member restricted login acess.

You can download the IIFT 2008 answer key solutions from Here

Drop a comment if you face any problems with downloading the IIFT 2008 answer key document from this page.

IIFT 2008 Expected Cut Off

Section	NumberofQns		Totalmarks	Difficultylevel		ProbableAttempts	ExpectedScores
Reading    Comprehension		12	0.8	9.6	Average		6	3+
Verbal Ability		23	0.7	16.10	Easy		14	7+
General Knowledge		30	0.3	9	Tough		12	3+
Reasoning    Ability		AR-18	0.8	25.6	Tough		16	9+
		MR-8	0.8
		Mis-4	0.8
		LR-2	0.8
Quantitative Ability		27	0.7	18.9	Average		14	6+
Data Interpretation		26	0.8	20.8	Tough		9	5+
Total		150		100		71	33+

Download the IIFT 2008 answer key from here : iift 2008 key

Section I : Reading Comprehension

Topic	Questions	Weightage	Remarks
Reading  Comprehension
3 Passages	4+4+4	0.8	8 Average,4 Easy
Total questions	12	9.6	Tough

Section II : Verbal Ability

Topic	Questions	Weightage	Remarks
Verbal  Ability
Jumbled Sentences	3	0.7	Easy
Vocabulary based questions	3	0.7	Easy
Analogies	4	0.7	Tough
Correct usage of the word	3	0.7	Average
Antonyms	3	0.7	Average
Fill in The Blanks	4	0.7	Easy
Based on Grammar    In sentences	3	0.7	Easy
Total questions	23	16.10	Average

 Section III : Quantitative Ability

Topic	Questions	Weightage	Remarks
Quantitative  Ability
Permutation and Combination	2	0.7	Average
Maxima Minima	1	0.7	Tough
Equation	1	0.7	Tough
Standard Deviation	1	0.7	Tough
Trigonometry	1	0.7	Average
Geometry	3	0.7	Average
Average	1	0.7	Average
Mensuration	1	0.7	Tough
Progression	5	0.7	Tough
Series	1	0.7	Easy
Polygon	1	0.7	Easy
Heights and Distances	1	0.7	Easy
Simplification	1	0.7	Tough
Boats and Streams	1	0.7	Average
Profit & Loss	3	0.7	Average
Probability	2	0.7	Tough
Quadratic Equation	1	0.7	Easy
Total questions	27	18.9	Average

Section IV : Data Interpretation

Topic	Questions	Weightage	Remarks
Data  Interpretation
Tabular Form(Railway Wagons & Average Capacity)	6	0.8	Tough
Line Graph (Revenue Total Profit)	5	0.8	Average
Tabular Form (FDI Inflow)	5	0.8	Tough
Tabular Form (World Merchandise Export)	5	0.8	Tough
Bar Graph    (Production)	5	0.8	Average
Total questions	26	20.8	Tough

 Section
V : Reasoning and Decision Making

Topic	Number of questions	Weightage	Remarks
Reasoning Ability
Family tree	1+1	0.8	1 Tough, 1 Average
Matching	3	0.8	Average
Input-Output	3+4	0.8	3 Average, 4 Easy
Logical Reasoning	2	0.8	Average
Mathematical Reasoning(Bribe)	1	0.8	Average
Data Verification	3+2	0.8	3 Average, 2 Easy
Arrangment Based(Based on CAT 2003 DI)	1+3+4	0.8	Average
Maximizing Profit(Based on CAT 2002)	1	0.8	Easy
Caselet on Speed, Time & Distance (Motor Race)	3	0.8	Average
Total questions	32	25.6	Average

Source: competeindia and tcyonline.

Note: If you are getting any trouble in viewing the Analysis tables,Pls visit here for clear View of Tables http://funkyysoul.wordpress.com/2008/11/24/the-indian-institute-of-foreign-trade-iift-2008-answer-key-and-analysis-of-paper/