India beat England by six wickets, take 5-0 lead in series
Virender Sehwag lit up the fifth one dayer with a scintillating 91 as India thumped England by six wickets to stretch their lead to 5-0 at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Wednesday night.
Chasing a victory target of 271, openers Sehwag (91) and Sachin Tendulkar (50) made it look like a stroll in the park and raised 136 runs in 19 odd overs before a mini collapse rekindled England’s hopes of securing that elusive win in the series.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (50) and Suresh Raina (53 not out), however, played sensible cricket as the hosts got past the target with 6.2 overs to spare.
Earlier put in to bat, Kevin Pietersen (111 not out) added 89 runs with Paul Collingwood (40) and another 112 for the unconquered fifth wicket with Owais Shah (66 not out) to guide England to a respectable total of 270 for four wickets.
Sehwag was at his swashbuckling best on Wednesday and it was a bad omen for the visitors when the Delhi opener spanked Steve Harmison for three boundaries in an over.
Tendulkar was not fully quiet either and despite playing a couple of streaky shots early in his innings, the Mumbaikar found boundaries easy to come by.
Desperate to stem the boundary flow, Pietersen took a gamble and introduced spinner Graeme Swann in the Powerplay but with Sehwag in a murderous mood, the ploy boomeranged.
Sehwag went berserk in that highly productive over which went 0,1(wide),4,6,4,4,2 as the batsman cruised to his fifty.
Pietersen naturally didn’t delay in taking the battered spinner off the attack.
PM, World Leaders condemns terror attacks in Mumbai
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday night condemned the terror attacks in Mumbai and assured all help to Maharashtra in meeting the situation.
The Prime Minister’s Office said Singh was in touch with Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and was monitoring the situation.
Deshmukh also said that he was in touch with the central government which had assured all help to meet the “very serious” situation.
He said he had talked to Home Minister Shivraj Patil, who assured that the Centre would provide all the assistance required by Maharashtra.
The Centre has immediately decided to dispatch National Security Guard commandos to supplement the efforts being made by local police and CRPF, Deshmukh said.
“We are trying to control the situation,” he said.
Prez condemns attacks
President Pratibha Patil on Thursday strongly condemned the deadly terror attacks in Mumbai and asked people to maintain calm and cooperate with authorities.
“Such acts are highly condemnable,” Patil, who is on a four-day visit to Vietnam, said in a statement.
The President said she was confident that the authorities would bring the situation under control.
The asked people to maintain calm and cooperate with authorities at this crucial moment.
Leader of the Opposition Advani condemns the attack
Leader of the Opposition Advani condemns the terror attacks in Mumbai and appeals the people to maintain calm remain united at this time of emergency.
He also asks people not to listen to rumours.
Advani spoke to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over phone to inquire about the terror attacks in Mumbai. Prime Minister told Advani that the security apparatus has been pressed into service to deal with the situation.
World leaders condemn terrorist attacks in Mumbai
World leaders condemn terror attacks in Mumbai
President-elect Barack Obama and UN chief Ban ki-moon led the global community condemnation of the terror attacks in Mumbai and called on the nations of the world to work together to “root out and destroy terrorist networks”.
At least 80 people, including Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare, were killed when terrorists struck with impunity in Mumbai in coordinated multiple blasts and gunfire in a dozen areas across the city.
“These coordinated attacks on innocent civilians demonstrate the grave and urgent threat of terrorism,” Obama’s Chief National security Spokesperson Brooke Anderson said in a statement.
“The United States must continue to strengthen our partnerships with India and nations around the world to root out and destroy terrorist networks,” he said.
“We stand with the people of India, whose democracy will prove far more resilient than the hateful ideology that led to these attacks,” Anderson added. In a statement, the US State Department condemned the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. “We are monitoring the situation very closely and stand ready to support the Indian authorities as they deal with this horrific series of attacks. At this point, we are unaware of any American casualties,” it added.
The UN chief also strongly condemned the attacks, saying “such violence is totally unacceptable.”
He said that no cause or grievance can justify indiscriminate attacks against civilians and called for the perpetrators of the attacks to be brought to justice.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the “outrageous” attacks will be met with a “vigorous response”.
Mumbai rocked by terror attacks, 80 killed
At least 100 people are feared killed and around 300 injured in a series of attacks in India’s financial capital Mumbai.
The terrorists struck with impunity in Mumbai on Wednesday night in coordinated multiple blasts and gunfire in a dozen areas including at iconic landmarks CST railway station and two five star hotels-Oberoi and Taj.
While on early Thursday army commandoes moved into the luxury Oberoi and the Taj Mahal hotels to flush out terrorists holed up hours after an unspecified number of heavily armed gunmen went on a rampage in ten places in South Mumbai killing 80 persons and taking some foreigners hostage.
Four suspected terrorists were killed in two separate incidents overnight including two during a gun battle in the country’s iconic landmark Taj hotel, police said.
Maharashtra deputy chief minister R R Patil said nine suspected terrorists have been arrested.
Schools and colleges were ordered to be closed.
ATS chief Hemant Karkare killed in terror strikes
Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said five police officers including Anti Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare were killed in one of the worst terror strikes in the country’s financial capital that in all claimed the lives of at least 11 police personnel.
Karkare(54), who is probing the Malegaon blasts case, was gunned down when he was leading an operation at Hotel Taj against terrorists who had taken 15 people, including seven foreigners, as hostages.
He was hit by three bullets in his chest. One MP Krishan Das and 200 people were stranded in Taj hotel.
Another IPS officer Ashok Marutirao Kamte, a 1989 batch IPS officer, was killed while fighting terrorists at Metro Cinema in the city along with encounter specialist Vijay
Salaskar who also gunned down as one of the worst terror strikes brought Mumbai to the knees.
“The operation(by security forces) is still going on,” Deshmukh also said. Besides army commandoes, naval commandos and Rapid Action force personnel joined in the operations to rescue those stranded in the two hotels.
Five columns of Army and 200 NSG commandoes have been rushed.
Two sten guns have been recovered by police so far, he added.
Deshmukh said it was not immediately known how many terrorists were involved in the audacious attack in ten places that shook the western metropolis.
The chief minister said the Taj and Oberoi is not in control yet. He said there are no terrorists in Cama hospital which was also targeted by gunmen.
Hostages still being held at the Taj Mahal and Oberoi
Police reported that some hostages were still being held at the Taj Mahal and Oberoi with eyewitnesses saying the gunmen had targeted foreigners after they kept shouting: “Who has U.S. or U.K. passports?” Several guests were also stuck.
Fire was still raging in the old wing of Taj hotel several hours after it was rocked by five to six blasts and normous clouds of black smoke rose from the the century-old edifice on Mumbai’s waterfront.
Big Terror attacks in Mumbai; 2 dead, several injured
MUMBAI: Terrorists struck at India’s financial capital late Wednesday night as at least five near-simultaneous firings and explosions rocked areas
in the vicinity of posh hotels in South Mumbai, leaving two persons dead and ten injured. ( Watch )
Armed with AK-47 rifles and grenades, a couple of terrorists entered the passenger hall of crowded Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminal (CST) railway station and opened fire and threw a grenade killing two to three persons, Mumbai General Railway Police Commissioner A K Sharma said. He did not give details.
He, however, said 10 persons, including a policeman, were injured in the CST incident.
There were reports of firing around several landmark buildings in the Colaba-Nariman Point area, including the Taj hotel, Oberoi and other tourist attractions and pubs like Leopold’s. The top floor of Oberoi was said to be on fire amid reports of blasts in the area and blood-smeared bodies were being brought out of the Taj lobby.
Firing and blasts were also reported from Mazgaon, the Metro Junction, Crawford Market and Colaba. There were reports of a blast in a taxi on the Western Express Highway, near Vile Parle, but there was no confirmation.
The firing and bombing apparently started close to the Gateway of India. The gunbattle then moved on towards CST and raged on for over 45 minutes from 10 pm, sending commuters running out of the station.
The assailants also fired into the crowd at CST and people on the trains and then ran out of the station themselves and into neighbouring buildings, including Cama Hospital, after being challenged by cops.
SRPF personnel then entered the iconic BMC building — just opposite CST — to take aim at the assailants, BMC commissioner Jairaj Phatak said. “We fear some of the assailants are still inside the station and we want to catch them if they come out,” a police official said.
Vikhroli police station senior inspector Habib Ansari was on his way to work from his Colaba home when he saw two armed men, with sophisticated weaponry, trying to run into bylanes near the Gateway of India.
“I rushed back to Colaba and all policemen, including GRP and RPF personnel, were called up,” he added.
Bhisham Mansukhani, a journalist, was attending a wedding reception at the Taj’s Crystal Room. “I was inside the bar when glass shards almost hit my eye,” he said. “More than 200 people were escorted inside Chambers, a business centre inside the hotel,” he added.
Mumbai terror attack 26 nov 2008
Atleast three people dead, 25 injured
2 terrorists said to be holed up at CST station armed with guns, grenades
One policeman injured in a separate firing incident in Colaba.
Trains on the central line have been stopped till further notice.
VT station cordoned off by the police
Mumbai terror attack
One policeman is reported to be injured in the firing in Colaba. Gunshots were heard near CST station.
PTI adds The shootouts took place at Colaba and CST while a grenade exploded at Mumbai CST.
Additional Commissioner of Police Deven Bharti confirmed the shootout at Colaba but did not give out details and say if there was any casualty.
Police cordoned off the CST and none was allowed to enter it.
Two persons armed with automatic weapons and hand grenades are reportedly holding up inside CST stations.
Sounds of gunshots are still being heard. Hundreds of onlookers gathered outside the station. The station and premises has been evacuated.
One policeman was injured in the firing at Colaba and a number of people were wounded at CST where two armed men opened indiscriminate area.
Colaba is one of the most congested and high-profile areas of Mumbai and CST the busiest railway station.
Blast In Mumbai,gatway blast
At least 15 people have been injured in gun firing by groups of people in south Mumbai on Thursday night. It was a terrorist attack, the police said. Details are sketchy but it is believed that two gangs fired at each other outside the CST Railway Terminus, Hotel Oberoi, the popular Café Leopold restaurant and Cama Hospital all in south Mumbai. The first shooting took place near the CST police station in which six people were injured
MUMBAI SHOOTOUTS TERROR ATTACK: COPS
Mumbai: At least 15 people have been injured in gun firing by groups of people in south Mumbai on Thursday night. It was a terrorist attack, the police said.
Details are sketchy but it is believed that two gangs fired at each other outside the CST Railway Terminus, Hotel Oberoi, the popular Café Leopold restaurant and Cama Hospital all in south Mumbai.
The first shooting took place near the CST police station in which six people were injured.
Police have cordoned off the CST Railway Terminus, a crowded place at this time of the evening, and have stopped entry.
Press Trust of India reports two persons armed with automatic weapons and hand grenades are holed up inside the CST station.
Mumbai’s police commissioner confirmed there had been shootouts in several places in the city
Possible terror attack rocks Mumbai, 12 injured
Mumbai, Nov 26: In what looks like fresh attack of terror, firing has been reported from 4 different places, while blasts have occurred in two different places. There are conflicting reports about the firing, with some reports putting it down as AK 47 fire, while others reports put it down to machine gun fire.
The firing has taken places at the CST railways station, Colaba, Nariman point and outside the Taj and the Oberoi hotel. Firing is still going on in the Taj hotel, with reports saying that 4 terrorists could be holed up inside.
The firing has taken places at the CST railways station, Colaba, Nariman point and outside the Taj and the Oberoi hotel. Firing is still going on in the Taj hotel, with reports saying that 4 terrorists could be holed up inside.Blasts have been reported from Majhgoan and Vile Parley. Police sources have put the number of injured between 10 to 12.
The attack could be a possible act of terror, police say.
Campaigning ends in Madhya Pradesh; PM addresses election rally in Mizoram
The din and bustle of poll campaigning came to a standstill after electioneering in Madhya Pradesh for 13th assembly polls ended at 5 this evening with last-minute attempts by principal contenders for power - Congress and BJP to woo the voters.
The elections were a litmus test, as the BJP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan who is trying to retain power by harping on development while Congress which was trying to wrest power from BJP had made corruption its major poll plank.
With stakes high for both BJP and Congress, the two sides fielded several stalwarts in the fortnight long campaigning with Congress President Sonia Gandhi and the BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate L K Advani leading the two parties.
Besides them, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, Congress General Secretary and former Chief Minister, Digvijay Singh and Union Ministers Kamlanath, Arjun Singh and Pranab Mukherjee, State party President Suresh Pachouri, State in-charge V Narayansami, bollywood star Raj Babbar Singh tried their level best to woo the voters in favour of the party.
BJP president Rajnath Singh, former party President Venkaiah Naidu, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, StateChief Minister Chouhan and film stars Hema Malini and Shatrughan Sinha campaigned for the saffron party.
There are around 3,63,32,802 voters including 171,93,870 women who can use their franchise to elect 230 representatives of the 13th Vidhan Sabha out of 3,180 candidates which is second after the carving out of Chhattisgarh from it.
A total of 47,209 polling centres have been put up of which 12,582 were sensitive.
BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate L K Advani, saffron party president Rajnath Singh, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, MP Sushma Swaraj, former BJP chief Venkaiah Naidu, party’s Madhya Pradesh in charge Anant Kumar, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, BJP state chief Narendra Modi and film actors turned politicians Hema Malini and Shatrugan Sinha have done electioneering for the saffron party.
BSP supremo and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati had campaigned for her party while Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Bharatiya Janashakti party President, Uma bharti campaigned for their parties.
Corruption reached endemic proportion under MNF rule
Prime minister Manmohan Singh today said Mizoram needs a government which could exploit the state’s potential in agriculture and create new industry and jobs.
Addressing a rally in Aizawl on Tuesday he elaborated on several schemes implemented by the Government for the benefit of the people.
“Your state needs a government that will fulfill its enormous potential in agriculture, create new industry and thousands of jobs … a government that will not be an inward- looking and that will be interested in building stronger bridges with mainstream Indian economy,” he told an election rally launching Congress campaign for the 2nd December assembly elections.
Addressing the rally on his maiden visit to the state, Singh said “I am sorry to say that corruption under the MNF government has reached endemic proportions … there are allegations of irregularities by the state government machinery.”
The Centre had given Rs 125 crore to meet the menace of bamboo flowering, the Prime Miniser said and asked “what happened to all this money”?
“Do you really want a government which is unaccountable and tainted? The Congress party does not believe in the blame game but the facts are there for you to see.”
Giving a list of development projects undertaken by the UPA government for the benefit of the people of Mizoram, the Prime Minister said former RBI Governor Dr Rangarajan’s report on the problems of the North East was followed up sincerely.